Carnival Cruise Line is expanding its global footprint in a big way.
According to a company press release, the popular cruise brand just revealed a new slate of 2027 and 2028 sailings that will, for the first time in company history, include stops on the African continent.
The newly announced itineraries will be operated by Carnival Sunshine and feature an extended run of European and Mediterranean voyages with added North African ports.
Beginning in late May 2027 and running through October of that year, Carnival Sunshine will sail a mix of week-long and extended itineraries out of Barcelona, Spain, and Civitavecchia, Italy.
The routes are designed to allow travelers to combine back-to-back cruises while exploring a wide range of destinations across Southern Europe and beyond.
Among the biggest updates are Carnival Cruise Line’s first-ever calls to Africa. The ship will stop in La Goulette, Tunisia, and Tangier, Morocco. The deployment also introduces several new European ports to Carnival’s lineup, including Bari, Italy; Bar, Montenegro; and Ajaccio on the French island of Corsica.
Alongside these additions, Carnival Sunshine will revisit destinations that haven’t appeared on the cruise line’s itineraries in years. Those include Italian ports like Genoa, Salerno, Palermo, and Catania, as well as Palma de Mallorca in Spain and Izmir, Turkey.
One of the most distinctive sailings in the lineup is a special voyage tied to a rare solar eclipse. Departing Barcelona on July 25, 2027, the cruise will place Carnival Sunshine in the optimal viewing zone for the August 2 eclipse.
The itinerary includes stops in France, Italy, Malta, and Tunisia, with onboard programming built around the celestial event. A second eclipse-focused cruise will be offered aboard Carnival Miracle later that month, departing from Dover, England.
To reposition the ship for its European season, Carnival Sunshine will leave Norfolk, Virginia, in May 2027 on a transatlantic crossing to Dover, followed by a sailing from Dover to Barcelona. The season will wrap with a transatlantic return to Miami before the ship begins new itineraries from Galveston, Texas.
“We’re excited to bring Carnival Sunshine to an expanded lineup of destinations that offer our guests even more ways to explore Europe and beyond,” Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy said in a statement. “With our first-ever African ports, new European calls and once-in-a-lifetime eclipse sailing, this deployment delivers variety, adventure and memorable experiences our guests look forward to when sailing on Carnival.”