Another delay for Carnival cruise ships, including Charleston’s Sunshine

Carnival Cruise Line is again delaying its return to the seas, this time through April 30, with the company that operates the Port of Charleston-based Sunshine pleasure ship saying it needs more time to prepare for voyages during the coronavirus pandemic.

The next Sunshine cruise from Union Pier Terminal in downtown Charleston is now scheduled for May 1 — a five-day journey to the Bahamas, according to Carnival’s website.

“Our guests and travel agent partners continue to express their loyalty to Carnival and their desire to get back on our ships as soon as they can, and we are heartened by the booking demand and activity we continue to see,” Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, said in a written statement. “We are certainly committed to welcoming them back as quickly as possible, but unfortunately we have determined it’s going to take a while longer …”

Carnival is also cancelling Australian operations through May 19 and European itineraries on its Carnival Legend through Oct. 31.

Duffy said booked guests and travel agents are being notified directly of the U.S. and other cancellations and their options for a future cruise credit and onboard credit package or a full refund.

The State Ports Authority said it “continues to work with federal agencies and our cruise line partners in support of the Charleston community,” but has not been given a specific date when Carnival or other cruise line’s ships will return to Union Pier Terminal.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lifted its ban on cruises from U.S. ports on Oct. 31, but said lines must follow strict guidelines before returning to the seas. That includes adherence to testing, quarantine and social distancing requirements, as well as building the laboratory capacity to test crew and future passengers for the coronavirus.

The CDC also wants cruise lines to conduct test voyages that would include volunteers serving as passengers so crew members can practice for potential outbreaks. Carnival is still putting together a plan for how those test cruises would work, and it’s not clear if the public or crew members would play the role of passengers on those voyages.

Carnival halted all cruises from U.S. ports in mid-March as the coronavirus swept through the United States. It has announced several restarts since then but has continuously delayed a return to cruising as it struggles with how to safely travel without a full vaccine program in place.

Charleston’s cruise business accounted for 217,673 passengers on the Sunshine and other vacation ships making ports of call in fiscal 2020, which ended June 30.