Carnival Cruise Line Announces New Weekly Cruise for Wanderlust Passengers. Here Are the Details

Carnival Cruise Line has announced that wanderlust passengers can now sign up for a weekly cruise. As it is known, the Carnival Sunshine departs weekly from Norfolk, Virginia. Let’s look at what we know about this new development.

Carnival Cruise Line Introduces the Sunshine

According to WTKR, Carnival Cruise Line and the city of Norfolk are commemorating the opening of year-round cruises from the Mermaid City.

The 3,700-passenger Carnival Sunshine will set sail from the city’s Half Moon cruise center, marking the first weekly cruise vacation offered in 2025. Mayor Kenny Alexander and other city leaders attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony before the ship’s departure to the Bahamas.

The city projects that Carnival Cruise Line will generate $19 million in economic benefit annually, with an estimated 150,000 passengers each year.

It features 12 restaurants, including a sushi restaurant and a steakhouse, hundreds of suites, 500 balcony staterooms, and a spa and gym.

“If you live in the Mid-Atlantic area, might we suggest one of our cruises from Norfolk? Set sail, as thousands of seafaring Americans have, when you book a Carnival cruise from the 400-year-old seaport of Norfolk,” notes the Carnival Cruise Line website. “The city is today the proud home of a sparkling waterfront filled with green parks, lively shopping malls, delicious restaurants… and even fascinating maritime museums and monuments. Before you cruise from Norfolk, you’ll find yourself near two colonial villages — Colonial Williamsburg and Olde Towne Portsmouth — plus miles of beaches, and a blooming botanical garden.”

No More AARP

However, Carnival Cruise Line passengers hoping for an AARP discount are a bit out of luck. Earlier this year, the company announced that it would no longer offer discounted gift cards to senior citizen passengers through AARP.

According to Cruise Hive, the cruise operator has decided to cease selling the cards through AARP after reducing the discount on Carnival gift cards twice in less than a month. In November 2024, the 10% discount on Carnival Cruise Line gift cards was lowered to 8% by AARP, a charity that supports and encourages people over 50. In late December, that discount was again lowered from 8% to 5%. Cruisers might have been able to save money by using discounted gift cards to pay for their trip or reserve onboard events and packages, even though the change annoyed them.

“Carnival Cruise Line has decided to discontinue offering their gift cards through the AARP Rewards Program,” read the AARP website at the time of the announcement in January. “We understand that this may be disappointing news, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We remain committed to providing you with valuable rewards and appreciate your understanding.”

Passengers should also be aware of the new tipping and gratuity structure of Carnival Cruise Line.

In addition to “other members of the onboard team who work behind the scenes to enhance your overall cruise experience,” tourists also provide some of their gratuities to the crew members they interact with, such as stateroom attendants, dining staff, and culinary services personnel.

“It is customary for our guests to extend gratuities to the shipboard staff in appreciation for their hard work and exceptional service,” Carnival Cruise Line said. “Applying this charge automatically streamlines the recognition process and ensures our crew will share in your generosity. To help you plan, we have provided the recommended on-board gratuities guidelines.”

The cruise line advises tipping $16 per person per day for regular staterooms and $18 per person per day for suites. The website states that since these recommendations are optional, users might be able to “remove them by going to the customer-service desk.” Tipping personnel they interact directly with is a popular practice among passengers. Some argue that this approach overlooks the backstage staff who improve guests’ experiences.