Charleston to End Departure Deal With Carnival in 2024

The South Carolina Ports Authority has decided to end its deal with Carnival Cruise Line in 2024, meaning CCL ships will no longer use Charleston, S.C. as a point of departure for a cruise.

The news was first reported by The Post and Courier of Charleston, via the Associated Press.

Carnival had used the port at Union Pier Terminal for cruise departures and arrivals; after 2024, cruise ships can still dock there but only for a same-day port of call to the picturesque southern city.

And apparently, that’s the way Charleston officials want it. The city was averaging about 70 cruises a year that left Union Pier Terminal for short trips to the Bahamas and other close Caribbean nations. But Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg said having fewer visitors taking cruises will improve the quality of life.

“We’re grateful to the port for taking this critically important step, and we look forward to continuing to work with (State Ports Authority) to make Union Pier a beautiful and vibrant part of the city of Charleston,” Tecklenburg said.

Carnival Cruise Line spokesman Matt Lupoli said the company will try to work with state and city officials to use Charleston as part of an itinerary.

“In the meantime, it is business as usual, and we look forward to seeing our guests aboard Carnival Sunshine through 2024,” Lupoli said.

The steps being taken by Charleston are similar to what happened in Key West, Florida, in 2020, when voters decided to severely limit the number of cruise ships that docked in Key West, as well as the capacity of those ships.

But it has been a contentious saga in which the government in the state of Florida rejected the vote and restored cruise privileges to Key West last year.

The South Carolina Ports Authority said it will limit cruise ship visits to same-day, to no more than 104 visits per year, and no ships can carry more than 3,500 passengers.