Carnival-Sunshine

Guests boarding the 'Carnival Sunshine' on March 1, 2026 in Norfolk, Virginia, had to wait a little longer to start their cruise vacation. Carnival Cruise Line has reached out to guests to alert them to an embarkation delay following an early morning power outage as the ship was returning to her homeport at the end of an 8-night Eastern Caribbean cruise that left on Feb 21. While the outage has been resolved and the ship was fully functional, the 'Carnival Sunshine'‘s arrival in Norfolk has been impacted. To comply with U.S. Coast Guard requirements to enter Norfolk, the ship had to be assisted by tugs, and this resulted in an unplanned delayed arrival, by early afternoon. Because guests must be able to debark the ship and leave the terminal and parking areas before arriving guests can be welcomed aboard, embarkation was delayed. Depending on when guests had chosen to arrive at the cruise terminal, those appointments are now bumped by 3-5 hours. Carnival is informing all guests that they must arrive at the cruise terminal no later than 6:30 p.m., or they may be denied embarkation altogether.

The Virginia resident Savannah Ward, a passenger of the 'Carnival Sunshine', has claimed she suffered “severe injuries” on one of the ship's waterslides. She filed a complaint against the Carnival Corporation on Feb 19, in the U.S. Southern District Court of Florida. The complaint claimed that the company was bearing responsibility for the injuries Ward allegedly received while sailing on the 'Carnival Sunshine' on March 20, 2025. She allegedly rode a waterslide located in the ship's on-board water park, and “was injured when she reached the bottom and her feet collided with a wall at the bottom of the slide,” the complaint said. The injury occurred in the “run-out area” at the bottom of the slide. The lawsuit claimed the slides were designed with a “minimum operational water level” monitored by Carnival employees. On the day of Ward’s injuries, an employee stationed at the bottom of the slide allegedly “signaled to a second crew member at the top of the slide that it was safe for the next rider.” The second employee then “gave Ward the green light to go down,” per the complaint. However, the lawsuit argued that “at all relevant times, the water level and water pressure were below the minimum operation water level, which caused Ward to be propelled feet-first into a wall at the bottom of the slide instead of stopping," slowed down by the volume of water in the run-out area. Ward allegedly suffered severe injuries including “fractures in her right foot, left ankle sprains, permanent loss of mobility, strength, and range of motion in right foot and ankle, and chronic pain in her right foot and ankle.” The complaint accused the Carnival Corporation of multiple counts of negligence including negligent failure to warn of dangerous conditions, negligent design, installation and approval and negligent failure to train. Ward was seeking an unspecified amount in damages for costs incurred as a result of her bodily injuries, lost wages and court costs.

A number of cruise ships of the Carnival Cruise Line experienced massive IT system failures over the weekend and into the morning of Feb 9, 2026, causing embarkation delays and onboard service disruptions across multiple ships. At least seven Carnival ships remained in port well past scheduled departure times on the evening of Feb 8. The 'Carnival Celebration', 'Carnival Pride', 'Carnival Sunshine', 'Carnival Venezia', 'Carnival Spirit', 'Carnival Liberty' and 'Carnival Panorama' were still docked in the night. The 'Carnival Celebration' scheduled to depart Miami at 3:30 p.m. for a seven-night Caribbean cruise, didn’t leave until approximately 1:00 a.m., more than eight hours late.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced on Jan 20, 2026, it was investigating the suspicious death of a female passenger on the 'Carnival Sunshine' on Feb 27 2025. She was found unresponsive during a cruise to Nassau and was pronounced dead despite medical efforts.The Bahamian authorities conducted an initial investigation and autopsy; the FBI joined the probe upon the ship’s return to Charleston, South Carolina, on March 4, 2025, and classified it as suspicious, initiating a comprehensive inquiry into the circumstances. Both the deceased passenger and her husband were disembarked in the Bahamas, where local authorities commenced an initial investigation and conducted an autopsy. Upon the 'Carnival Sunshine'’s return to Charleston, members of the FBI Evidence Response Team meticulously searched the passenger’s room, gathering potential evidence crucial to understanding the incident.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) continued deporting crew members off cruise ships that it said have violated their work visas. The Trump administration confirmed on Aug 21, that it was expanding its review of all current U.S. visas and specifically suspending work visas for foreigners. CBP officers once again met the 'Carnival Sunshine' on Aug 17, when the ship returned to Norfolk, Virginia, from its weekly cruise. Four Filipino crewmembers out of the crew of over 1,000 people were taken into custody, removed from the ship, placed in a hotel under guard overnight, and flown out of the United States on Aug 18. They were fast-tracked for deportation with no legal process. No evidence, no charges, and no hearings were conducted. Instead, the crew members were told they must sign deportation paperwork or face the potential of a $250,000 fine or jail time. As part of the deportation, they were also barred from returning to the United States for 10 years. They were told they were being targeted because they participated in an online chat group that had links to child pornography. No evidence was presented, and the group said that all four individuals denied the allegations. 28 crew members from the Carnival Sunshine have now been removed from the ship and deported since the crackdown began in spring. Over 100 crew members from various cruise ships around the United States, all holders of valid crew visas for work on commercial vessels, have been deported. The Pilipino Workers Center was speaking with the Philippine government about the matter.

On Aug 18 at 2 a.m. a massive fight broke out on board the 'Canivial Suinshine' allegedly over chicken tenders on the final day of the cruise en route from the Bahamas to Miami. A viral video showed a large group of passengers exchanging blows, with some people falling to the floor while others were caught in headlocks. Punches were thrown as shoes and phones went flying across the floor. Security guards rushed in to break up the chaos but struggled to control the brawl. At one point, a guard ran out of the fight to call for backup on his radio. There were no reports of any serious injuries in the violence. There were also no reports of any police action in connection with the matter. The brawl came just weeks after Carnival introduced stricter policies aimed at curbing disruptive behavior, including a curfew for guests under 17, requiring them to be accompanied by an adult after 1 a.m. The Carnival Cruise line has also faced previous controversies involving similar incidents, including fights that led to lifetime bans for some passengers. Report with video: https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/miami-massive-brawl-erupts-on-carnival-cruise-ship-as-passengers-fight-allegedly-over-chicken-tender-video

On July 20, 2025, at least 18 Filipino workers were forcibly removed in handcuffs from the 'Carnival Sunshine' in the Port of Norfolk in Virginia, and sent back to the Philippines and banned from re-entry to the United States for 10 years. The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) removed the workers, all with valid 10-year visas, from the vessel, the Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) and the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) said in a joint statement. The workers have not been charged or found guilty of any crime. They had valid work visas and were previously cleared to work in the United State

The 'Carnival Sunshine' received an inspection score of 89 during a routine health check conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on March 8 as part of the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP), flagged 26 violations. Among the most serious were reports of a food service employee continuing to work while experiencing symptoms of gastrointestinal illness, insects found in food service areas, and refrigeration failures that compromised safe food storage. The CDC noted cockroaches and fruit flies in multiple galleys and food preparation areas, including sightings beneath equipment and near dishwashing stations. In a detailed inspection report, the CDC cited several equipment issues, including malfunctioning refrigeration units that allowed potentially hazardous foods—like sandwiches and raw meatballs—to rise above safe temperature thresholds. Additional problems included worn gaskets on ice machines, leaking water lines, damaged flooring, and disrepair of food-contact surfaces. While the ship did pass the inspection, it still must submit a corrective action plan to the CDC.

The 'Carnival Sunshine' had to slow down on her return to Charleston, South Carolina, at the end of her current 5-night sailing due to poor weather. Strong winds and waves made it difficult for the ship to sail at full speed and maintain optimal safety and comfort. This has had a knock on effect on embarkation fort the departure on Feb 8, 2024,, which was delayed by several hours. Incoming guests have been alerted to the change and advised to push back their arrival time to accommodate the delay. Travelers were asked to delay their terminal arrival appointment by three hours. All guests, however, had to be onboard no later than 5:30 p.m. for the ship to depart. Originally, the 'Carnival Sunshine'‘s planned departure was 4 p.m., but this has been pushed back as much as possible to permit adequate time for both debarkation and embarkation. The ship’s next sailing was a 4-night Bahamas cruise, with a day at sea first, followed by a full day in Nassau and another day at sea before returning to Charleston on Feb 12. At this time, there was no change to that itinerary.

The FBI started investigating a suspicious death that happened aboard the 'Carnival Sunshine'. The crew was made aware of an unresponsive woman on Feb. 27, 2023. The staff attempted life-saving measures, but the woman was pronounced dead on the ship. Once the ship berthed in Charleston on March 4, members of the FBI Evidence Response Team responded in the morning to conduct an investigation into the death. Both the deceased and her husband were debarked in Nassau, and Bahamian authorities have already investigated the circumstances and were conducting an autopsy, while Carnival was fully cooperating. The authorities were continuing to investigate the incident.