Carnival Sunshine vs Carnival Liberty

The Carnival Sunshine was built in 2013. It was renovated in 2025. The Sunshine was previously known as the Destiny from 1996 - 2013, but was renamed after it went through huge renovations. It's 8 years newer than the Liberty, which was built in 2005 and renovated in 2025.

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 Sunshine is considered a medium ship. Coming in at 893 feet long and 125 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.5 football fields, as wide as 2.4 tractor-trailers, and the same height as a 13-story building. Compared to the Carnival Liberty, the Sunshine is 6% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Carnival Sunshine holds about the same number of passengers as the Liberty based on double occupancy (two people per room). At full capacity, Carnival Sunshine holds about the same number of passengers as the Liberty.

When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Sunshine has less space per person compared to the Liberty.

	Carnival Sunshine	Carnival Liberty
Class	Sunshine	Conquest
Gross Tonnage	102,853	110,000
Length	893	952
Beam/Width	125	116
Passenger Decks	13	13
Passengers (double occupancy)	3,002	2,974
Passengers (maximum occupancy)	3,758	3,966
Crew	920	1,160
Passenger to Crew Ratio	4.1	3.4
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	27	28

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 Sunshine has fifteen different dining options like JavaBlue Cafe, Cucina Del Capitano, and Pizzeria del Capitano. Of those options, twelve are complimentary, or included with your cruise fare. The other eight options have an additional fee.

The Liberty has one fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Blue Iguana Cantina, Mongolian Wok, and The Chef's Table. Fourteen of these restaurants are complimentary and the other five have an additional fee.

The Carnival Sunshine has about the same number of dining options as the Carnival Liberty.

If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Liberty 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 Sunshine & Liberty

Restaurant	Carnival Sunshine	Carnival Liberty
Included
Blue Iguana Cantina	✓	✓	Learn More
Carnival Deli	✓	✓	Learn More
Chicken, Waffles, and Waves	✗	✓	Learn More
Guy's Burger Joint	✓	✓	Learn More
Lido Buffet	✓	✓	Learn More
Main Dining Room	✓	✓	Learn More
Mongolian Wok	✗	✓	Learn More
Pizza Pirate	✗	✓	Learn More
Pizzeria del Capitano	✓	✗	Learn More
Swirls	✓	✓
A la carte
All Things Wings	✓	✓	Learn More
Bonsai Sushi	✓	✗	Learn More
Coffee Bar	✗	✓
JavaBlue Cafe	✓	✗	Learn More
Seafood Shack	✓	✓	Learn More
Flat fee
Cucina Del Capitano	✓	✗	Learn More
JiJi Asian Kitchen	✓	✗	Learn More
Steakhouse	✓	✓	Learn More
The Chef's Table	✓	✓	Learn More

Bars and Drinks

The Carnival Sunshine and Carnival Liberty both have 14 bars to choose from during your sailing.

	Carnival Sunshine	Carnival Liberty
Alchemy Bar	✓	✓
Atrium Bar	✓	✓
BlueIguana Tequila Bar	✓	✓
Casino Bar	✓	✓
Havana Bar	✓	✗
Hot & Cool Night Club	✗	✓
Jardin Cafe	✗	✓
Java Blue Cafe	✓	✗
Limelight Lounge	✓	✗
Ocean Plaza Bar	✓	✗
Piano Bar 88	✓	✗
Piano Man Bar	✗	✓
RedFrog Pub	✓	✗
RedFrog Rum Bar	✓	✓
Serenity Pool Bar	✓	✓
Shake Spot	✓	✗
SkyBox Sports Bar	✓	✓
The Cabinet Bar	✗	✓
The Stage Bar	✗	✓
Versailles Bar	✗	✓
Victoria Aft Lounge	✗	✓

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 Sunshine and the Liberty below.

Pools and Hot Tubs

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

Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Carnival Sunshine has a total of 2 pools and 3 hot tubs.

The Carnival Liberty has the same number of pools as the Sunshine and more hot tubs.

Looking to get away from the kids onboard? Try relaxing in the Serenity Adult-only area, for guests 21 and older only. Neither the Sunshine nor the Liberty has an adult-only pool but they do have adult-only hot tubs. The Serenity Area on both ships is unenclosed and open to the elements. They're both located in 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: 73%

	Carnival Sunshine	Carnival Liberty
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	✓	✗
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 Sunshine will likely be more expensive than on Carnival Liberty.

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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