Carnival Cruises to call at African ports for 1st time on Mediterranean itineraries

Carnival Cruise Line has confirmed that it will call at ports in Africa for the first time as part of its Mediterranean programme, with sailings planned for the summer of 2027.

Carnival Sunshine will become the first Carnival Cruise Line vessel to visit the African continent, with scheduled calls in Tunisia and Morocco. The ports will be included in a series of seven- to ten-night cruises operating during the European summer season.

The African calls will feature on itineraries departing in June and September 2027, including an eight-night roundtrip sailing from Barcelona.

That itinerary will visit ports in Italy, Tunisia, and France, with scheduled calls at La Goulette, the port serving Tunis, alongside Naples, Palermo, Ajaccio, and Marseille.

Carnival Sunshine is also set to call at Tangier during a transatlantic repositioning voyage back to North America at the end of the European season. The 13-night crossing will sail from Barcelona to Miami in mid-October 2027, visiting additional ports in Spain, including Alicante and Málaga, as well as a call at Grand Turk in the Caribbean.

Carnival Cruise Line said the broader Mediterranean deployment for Carnival Sunshine was designed to support back-to-back cruise options, enabling guests to combine sailings across multiple regions.

Across the season, itineraries will include destinations in Italy, Spain, France, Turkey, Montenegro, Tunisia, and Morocco.

The summer programme will comprise more than 15 departures between May and October 2027, with sailings operating from Barcelona, Civitavecchia, and Dover. In addition to standard itineraries, the deployment will feature a special solar eclipse cruise scheduled for August 2027. That sailing will position Carnival Sunshine along the path of maximum visibility for the celestial event, allowing passengers to view the eclipse from sea.

Following the conclusion of its European season, Carnival Sunshine will reposition to Galveston, where it is scheduled to operate a series of four- and ten-night cruises to the Caribbean.

The 2027 programme will also mark an expansion of Carnival Cruise Line’s presence in Europe, with the company planning to double its fleet in the region. Alongside Carnival Sunshine, Carnival Miracle is scheduled to operate summer itineraries in both the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.

The addition of African ports represents a notable expansion of Carnival Cruise Line’s destination portfolio, particularly within the Mediterranean context.

While the company has historically focused its European operations on established cruise markets in Southern and Western Europe, the inclusion of Tunisia and Morocco reflects a broader industry trend towards diversifying itineraries and introducing new regional calls within familiar cruise programmes.

Carnival Cruise Line has not previously included African destinations on its itineraries, making the 2027 sailings a first for the brand.

The company did not disclose details on shore excursions or operational arrangements at the African ports, but confirmed that the calls form part of its long-term planning for expanded European deployments.