Carnival Miracle vs Carnival Sunshine

The Carnival Miracle was built in 2004. It was renovated in 2025. It's 9 years older than the Sunshine, which was built in 2013 and renovated in 2025. The Sunshine was previously known as the Destiny from 1996 - 2013, but was renamed after it went through huge renovations.

Comparison Overview

• Ship Size
• Number of Passengers
• Food and Restaurants
• Bars and Drinks
• Pools and Hot Tubs
• Ship Features and Activities
• Cruise Costs
• Onboard Costs

Ship Size

The Miracle is considered a small ship. Coming in at 963 feet long and 106 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.7 football fields, as wide as 2 tractor-trailers, and the same height as a 12-story building. Compared to the Carnival Sunshine, the Miracle is 14% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Carnival Miracle holds 29% fewer passengers than the Sunshine based on double occupancy (two people per room). At full capacity, Carnival Miracle holds 29% fewer passengers than the Sunshine.

When you compare the total tonnage of the ship to the number of passengers, or what we call the "Space Ratio," the Miracle has more space per person compared to the Sunshine. This means that you might have a bit more space to yourself on the ship, although there still could be some crowded areas like buffets, pools, etc.

	Carnival Miracle	Carnival Sunshine
Class	Spirit	Sunshine
Gross Tonnage	88,500	102,853
Length	963	893
Beam/Width	106	125
Passenger Decks	12	13
Passengers (double occupancy)	2,124	3,002
Passengers (maximum occupancy)	2,680	3,758
Crew	910	920
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.9	4.1
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	33	27

Food and Restaurants

Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.

The Miracle has eleven different dining options like The Chef's Table, Pizza Pirate, and Carnival Deli. Of those options, eleven are complimentary, or included with your cruise fare. The other five options have an additional fee.

The Sunshine has four more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are JiJi Asian Kitchen, The Chef's Table, and Blue Iguana Cantina. Twelve of these restaurants are complimentary and the other eight have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Sunshine might be a better choice. It has 36% more dining options than the Miracle.

If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Miracle might be a better choice than the Sunshine. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.

Restaurants on Carnival Miracle & Sunshine

Restaurant	Carnival Miracle	Carnival Sunshine
Included
Blue Iguana Cantina	✓	✓	Learn More
Carnival Deli	✓	✓	Learn More
Guy's Burger Joint	✗	✓	Learn More
Lido Buffet	✓	✓	Learn More
Main Dining Room	✓	✓	Learn More
Pizza Pirate	✓	✗	Learn More
Pizzeria del Capitano	✗	✓	Learn More
Swirls	✓	✓
A la carte
All Things Wings	✓	✓	Learn More
Bonsai Sushi	✓	✓	Learn More
Fountainhead Cafe	✓	✗
JavaBlue Cafe	✗	✓	Learn More
Seafood Shack	✗	✓	Learn More
Flat fee
Cucina Del Capitano	✗	✓	Learn More
JiJi Asian Kitchen	✗	✓	Learn More
Nick & Nora's Steakhouse	✓	✗	Learn More
Steakhouse	✗	✓	Learn More
The Chef's Table	✓	✓	Learn More

Bars and Drinks

The Carnival Miracle has 3 fewer bars than the Carnival Sunshine.

	Carnival Miracle	Carnival Sunshine
Alchemy Bar	✓	✓
Atrium Bar	✓	✓
BlueIguana Tequila Bar	✓	✓
Casino Bar	✗	✓
Dr Frankenstein's Lab Dance Club	✓	✗
Gotham Lounge	✓	✗
Havana Bar	✗	✓
Heroes Tribute Bar	✓	✗
Java Blue Cafe	✓	✓
Limelight Lounge	✗	✓
Mad Hatter's Ball	✓	✗
Ocean Plaza Bar	✗	✓
Piano Bar 88	✗	✓
RedFrog Pub	✓	✓
RedFrog Rum Bar	✗	✓
Sam's Piano Bar	✓	✗
Serenity Pool Bar	✓	✓
Shake Spot	✗	✓
SkyBox Sports Bar	✗	✓

In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-Cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barq's Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship.

You can check out the recent bar menus for the Miracle and the Sunshine below.

Pools and Hot Tubs

	Miracle	Sunshine
General-access pools	2	1
Adults-only pools	1	1
General-access hot tubs	2	2
Adults-only hot tubs	1	1

Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Carnival Miracle has a total of 3 pools and 3 hot tubs.

Carnival Sunshine has fewer pools than the Miracle and the same number of hot tubs.

Looking to get away from the kids onboard? Try relaxing in the Serenity Adult-only area, for guests 21 and older only. Only the Miracle has an adult-only pool in its Serenity Area (it's a full-depth pool). The Serenity Area on both ships is unenclosed and open to the elements. The Miracle's adult-only area is in the back, while the Sunshine's is in the front. Typically, the back of the ship has less wind and better views than the front of the ship.

Ship Features and Activities

Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. Both ships have about the same share of included activities: 71%

	Carnival Miracle	Carnival Sunshine
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✓	✓
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✗	✓
Casino	✓	✓
Comedy Club	✓	✓
Dr Seuss Breakfast	✓	✓
Fitness Center	✓	✓
Jogging Track	✓	✓
Mini golf	✓	✓
Outdoor gym	✗	✓
Pool-side Movies	✓	✓
Ropes course	✗	✓
Shows - musical review	✓	✗
Spa	✓	✗
Splash park	✓	✓
Thermal Suites	✗	✓
Water slides	✓	✓
	Learn more	Learn more

Carnival is also known for its energetic theme parties, which vary by ship.

Cruise Costs

Carnival is a mainstream cruise line. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.

Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically, newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Carnival Miracle will likely be cheaper than on Carnival Sunshine.

The cost will also vary depending on the type of cabin you book. You can see the differences between the Carnival cabins and how to choose the best one here:

Onboard Costs

Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests may also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.

Typically, guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.

The table below will help you understand what you might spend onboard a Carnival ship.

	Carnival
Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day)	$17.00
Tip added to drinks & services	20%
Soda Price	$3.25
Domestic Beer Price	$8.25 See drink menus
Drink Package Price	$83 - $88 Learn more
Internet Plan	$18.70 to $23.80 per device per day
*Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates.

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