Carnival Destiny to become the Carnival Sunshine

Carnival Destiny gets a makeover and a name change

When the Carnival Destiny debuted in 1996, she was the first ship ever to weigh over 100,000 tons. Today, Carnival Cruise Line announced that the Carnival Destiny would undergo a $155 million refurbishment and refit that will incorporate all of Carnival’s newest  “Fun Ship 2.0” dining, bar and entertainment features, plus a few exciting innovations unique to this vessel.

This isn’t just a freshening up of the interiors with new carpet, bedding and drapery. This is an exciting makeover which will include the addition of a partial deck as well as expanding two existing decks at the front of the ship to make way for some of the  2.0 features. Also on the to-do list is 182 new cabins to include all categories of cabins from inside to balcony and 96 new Spa category cabins.

The Carnival Destiny is scheduled to go into drydock at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy from February to April 2013. Because of such an extensive makeover, once the Carnival Destiny emerges after the drydock, the ship will be renamed, the Carnival Sunshine.

Thanks to the overwhelming success of all of the innovations of Carnival 2.0, all these features and more will be added to the new Carnival Sunshine. Here’s a quick list of what to expect:

• Guy’s Burger Joint, a complimentary restaurant in partnership with Food Network celebrity chef Guy Fieri serving, what else but freshly made burgers and fries.
• BlueIguana Cantina, a complimentary poolside Mexican eatery.
• Fahrenheit 555, a classic American steakhouse.
• Cucina del Capitano – or “The Captain’s Kitchen” – with Italian favorites and new Carnival classics served family-style in a fun and engaging atmosphere reminiscent of a cozy Italian home.

New dining features to the fleet will include a full-service Asian restaurant inspired by the very popular Mongolian wok eatery, an expanded poolside Lido buffet area, the “Comfort Kitchen” located within the Marketplace serving traditional American comfort food. The main dining rooms will also be completely renovated and offer even more extensive menus and wine lists. To top it off, the coffee bar will be redesigned and there will be even more creative coffee drinks and snacks to accompany them.

The Carnival Sunshine will of course be fitted with one of the biggest hits of the Fun Ship 2.0. concept, the Red Frog Pub which will feature Carnival’s own Thirsty Frog Red private label beer. So no one goes thirsty, there will also be the Blue Iguana Tequila Bar.

In keeping with the popularity of adults-only relaxation areas, the Carnival Sunshine will showcase the new three-tiered Serenity Retreat at the aft of the ship. In addition to expanded lounge chairs, there will be a cascading waterfall and pool and palm trees will dot the area adding to the Caribbean theme.

For the remainder of the European cruise season, April – October, the Carnival Sunshine with sail a series of 9-12 night cruises either round-trip from Barcelona or one-way voyages between Barcelona and Venice. Following a 16-night transatlantic crossing from Barcelona to New Orleans. The Carnival Sunshine will then call New Orleans her homeport and begin year-round 7-night Caribbean cruise itineraries to the Bahamas and western Caribbean.