Fanning the Flames

It's been no secret that at first it was kind of a bumpy ride for Carnival Cruise Line in Charleston. In general, the community welcomed them with open arms and is supportive and appreciates the positive impact they have on the region. There is a very vocal minority in Charleston that doesn't want cruise ships there, citing primarily the traffic, the noise, the pollution, the negative impact on tourism, and so forth, because of all the extra people in town on cruise days.

On the other hand, the Charleston market has been a very strong one for Carnival. Despite the haters, lots of people within driving distance of the city like to cruise. With that in mind, Carnival lobbed a bomb into Charleston today when they announced that is thrilling cruisers and most people that appreciate Carnival's impact, but it's sure to inflame the haters. In May 2019 Carnival will be replacing Carnival Ecstasy with the significantly larger (and more feature-rich) Carnival Sunshine.

The complete story appeared in the December 7 edition of Cruise News Daily.