When many people think of cruising from the East Coast, they think of the numerous cruise ports in Florida. From massive multi-terminal ports like Port Canaveral and Port of Miami to one-ship ports like Jacksonville, there are a total of seven major cruise origination points in the Sunshine State.
However, there are several other cruise ports along the coast, including Baltimore, Norfolk, New York City, Boston, and more. But the list is about to shrink by one.
Related: Carnival Cruise Line shares a strong warning
Charleston, South Carolina, which is one of the most popular tourism destinations in the Southeast – especially for restaurant lovers and history buffs – has a cruise port that is used by Carnival Cruise Line. The Carnival Sunshine sails about 70 times per year from Charleston, mainly on 4- and 5-night Bahamas and Caribbean itineraries.
While the port has been popular for years, and the Sunshine generally sails at or near capacity, Charleston decided not to renew its agreement with Carnival, and the Sunshine will no longer operate from the port after the end of 2024.