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PREPAY GRATUITIES?

GRATUITIES ARE MANDATORY HOWEVER, YOU MAY PAY THEM AS YOU REGISTER FOR THE CRUISE OR PAY THEM IN ADVANCE BY ADDING THEM TO THE TOTAL COST OF YOUR CRUISE BALANCE.

 

HOW DO GRATUITIES WORK ON A CARNIVAL CRUISE?

The staff on your cruise works hard to make fun happen for you, and Carnival guests show their appreciation by tipping. Stateroom attendants, waitstaff and other folks you’ll see throughout your cruise appreciate the tips they receive. But just as important are the onboard employees working hard behind the scenes to make your cruise amazing!

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The easiest way to show you care is through automatic gratuities. This is great because 100% goes to employees, making sure nobody’s efforts are forgotten. When booking, these tips can be automatically applied with a click!

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OKAY, HOW MUCH?

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Tips are on a per-guest basis, at the following rate:

Standard Staterooms: $16 USD per guest, per day
Suite Staterooms: $18 USD per guest, per day
(Remember that these figures are for everyone who helps you, throughout your cruise!)

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You may pay this daily gratuity in two different ways:

 

Pre-Pay

Gratuities can be added at the time of booking or anytime up to the sail date. Guests who booked directly with Carnival may add their pre-paid gratuities on Carnival.com. If a guest booked with a travel agent, they may contact their travel professional to add pre-paid gratuities to their booking. Prepaid gratuities are reflected in the 'Miscellaneous Charge' field on the confirmation and in the guest's E-Documents. 

 

Sail & Sign®

If guests have not pre-paid their gratuities, the recommended, per person, amount will be posted to their Sail & Sign account on the second to last day of the cruise. Should a guest not be satisfied with the service they receive, they can contact the Guest Services desk while on board. This will allow us to address their concerns in a timely and appropriate fashion. At the discretion of the guest, gratuities may be adjusted after they have been posted on the guest's account, while on board. Gratuities, as posted on a guest's Sail & Sign account, will be considered final after a guest disembarks and no changes will be made after the cruise.

 

MORE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TIPPING

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Tips are assessed for all guests ages 2 and up.
A service charge of 18% will be added to your bill at Bonsai Sushi, Bonsai Teppanyaki, Chef’s Table, Emeril’s Bistro, Guy’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse | Brewhouse and Seafood Shack. Additional gratuities can be added at your discretion.
When ordering room service, tipping is encouraged upon delivery.
Tips are not included in the menu price of beverages — an 18% service charge will be added to the bill, and additional gratuities can be added at your discretion.

 

What Travel Documents Do I Need?

Proper travel documentation is required at embarkation and throughout the cruise. Even though a guest has completed registration using Online Check-in, it is still the responsibility of the guest to present the required travel documents at the time of embarkation. Guests should check with their travel agent and/or government authority to determine the travel documents necessary for each port of call. Any guest without proper documents will not be allowed to board the vessel and no refund of the cruise fare will be issued. Carnival assumes no responsibility for advising guests of proper travel documentation.

 

Except where it is a mandatory requirement, Carnival highly recommends that all guests travel with a passport.  The passport must be valid for at least six months after the last day of the cruise. This will enhance the debarkation experience as delays may be expected upon return to the United States for those without one. Additionally, this will enable guests to fly from the United States to meet their ship at a foreign port should they miss their scheduled port of embarkation and allow guests who must disembark the ship before their cruise ends, due to an emergency, to fly back to the United States without significant delays and complications.

 

U.S. Domestic Cruises

For cruises that begin and end in the same U.S port, the following WHTI-compliant documents are acceptable for cruise travel. Please note that if the cruise visits Colombia or Greenland, a passport (valid for six months after the cruise ends) is required.

U.S. Passport
Passport Card
State Enhanced Driver's License
Certificate of U.S. Naturalization
Native American Indian Card
US-born citizens may also use a birth certificate (issued by a government agency and accompanied by government-issued photo I.D.)
 

A passport (valid for six months after the cruise ends) is required for the following cruises:

Cruises that begin and end in a different U.S. port
Cruises that visit Colombia or Greenland
 

Europe and Transatlantic Cruises

U.S citizens are required to carry a passport, valid for six months beyond the return date of their voyage. Guests are not required to have a Schengen Visa or other visas.

 

Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Transpacific Cruises

U.S citizens are required to carry a passport, valid for six months beyond the return date of their voyage. Visas and/or specific travel documentation may be required for some destinations.

 

Air Travel

All persons are required to carry a valid, unexpired U.S. passport for air travel to or from the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. The passport requirement does NOT apply to U.S. citizens traveling to or returning directly from a U.S. territory (Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands: St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix). 

 

Effective May 7, 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will require every state and territory resident to present a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or another acceptable form of identification, such as a passport or enhanced driver’s license, to go through airport security and board a flight within the U.S. If you will be flying to one of our cruise homeports within the U.S. on/after this implementation date, please ensure you have an acceptable document for your air travel. Visit www.tsa.gov/real-id for more information.

Note: All guests must still have WHTI-compliant travel documents (proof of citizenship and/or appropriate visas) in order to cruise. 

 

Names on Travel Documentation

It is important that the guest's full name (first name and last name) on the cruise and airline tickets be the same as the guest's unexpired, government-issued photo I.D. that will be used for travel identification. In the event of a different name on the cruise/airline ticket and the guest's photo I.D. because of a marriage, divorce or a legal name change, documentation (original or clear, legible copy) supporting this change is required at embarkation, such as a marriage certificate, marriage license or legal name change court document. Failure to bring documentation bridging the name differences could result in denial of boarding.

Note: For guests about to or recently married, we strongly recommend that, if the unexpired government-issued photo I.D. is in the maiden name, the cruise booking be made in the maiden name (do not include the married name). If the reservation was made in the married name, but the unexpired government-issued photo I.D. is in the maiden name, documentation (original or clear, legible copy) supporting this change is required at embarkation, such as a marriage certificate or marriage license. Failure to bring documentation bridging the name differences could result in denial of boarding. 

 

Traveling with Minors

When traveling with a minor where one parent or both parents or legal guardians are not cruising, we strongly recommend bringing an original, signed letter from the absent parent(s) or legal guardians authorizing the minor to travel with you. If there is no second parent with legal claims to the minor (due to sole custody, deceased, etc.) other relevant paperwork, such as a court decision, death certificate, birth certificate naming only one parent, would be useful to bring in place of a signed letter. This will expedite processing by the Department of Homeland Security. 

 

Citizens of U.S. Territories and Commonwealth

Guests will follow the same travel documentation requirements. U.S. Territories and Commonwealth include: Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John), America Samoa, Swains Island and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

 

Valid U.S. Passport

U.S. citizens may present a valid, unexpired U.S. passport when traveling via air, land, or sea. Carnival highly recommends that all guests travel with a passport valid for at least six months beyond completion of travel. 

Guests may apply for passports at passport-acceptance facilities nationwide. For information about U.S. Passports, visit www.travel.state.gov. 

Expedited passport services are also offered by VisaCentral. For more information, visit www.visacentral.com/carnival or call 877-559-4875 and identify yourself as a Carnival Cruise Line guest and mention ‘Carnival Account 75020’ for discounted rates on VisaCentral service fees. 

 

The Passport Card

The passport card cannot be used to travel by air outside the United States.

U.S. citizens may present a limited-use, wallet-size passport card. The passport card will only be valid for land and sea travel between the United States and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean region, and Bermuda.

 

State Enhanced Driver's License (EDL)

The State Enhanced Driver's License (EDL) cannot be used to travel by air outside the United States.

Several states are working with the Department of Homeland Security to develop an EDL for U.S. citizens residing in their states. This document will denote both citizenship and identity and will facilitate the entry process at land and seaports of entry. The words ‘Enhanced Driver's License’ as well as the American flag will appear on the license. The following states issue this type of WHTI-compliant document: Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington. 

A driver's license with a gold circle with star cutout in the right upper corner is a Real ID driver's license; it is not an Enhanced Driver's license and cannot be used as proof of citizenship but can be used as picture identification.

 

Original Certificate of U.S. Naturalization and a Government-Issued Photo I.D.

The Certificate of U.S. Naturalization (form N-550 or N-570) is a document issued by the U.S. government (USCIS) as proof of a foreign-born person who has obtained U.S. citizenship through naturalization (a legal process of obtaining a new nationality). Photocopies of the original document are unacceptable.

 

Native American Indians

These cards cannot be used to travel by air outside the United States.

Form I-872 American Indian Card
Enhanced Tribal Card (when available)
 

Traveling with a Birth Certificate AND Photo Identification

 

Birth Certificate Information

The following are acceptable:

An original or copy of a birth certificate issued by a government agency (state/county/city) or the Department of Health and Vital Statistics
A clear, legible copy (photocopy) of a birth certificate that was originally issued by a government agency (state/county/city) or the Department of Health and Vital Statistics. The copy does not need to be notarized or certified.
Birth Certificate Card
A Consular Report of Birth Abroad
Internationally adopted children (under the age of 18): If the adoptive parent was not issued a birth certificate, we will accept as proof of citizenship, a Certificate of Citizenship by the U.S. and adoption paperwork. A Certificate of Citizenship is issued by the U.S. once the adoption is finalized.
Guests may obtain a copy of a birth certificate by contacting: The Department of Health and Vital Statistics at: www.vitalchek.com. If the guest has laminated their birth certificate, it is acceptable.
 

Birth certificates from Puerto Rico issued prior to July 1, 2010, are not valid forms of proof of citizenship and are not accepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Guests from Puerto Rico either need to present a WHTI-compliant document or a government-issued photo I.D. with a validated birth certificate issued after July 1, 2010.

 

AND

 

Photo Identification

A unexpired government-issued photo I.D. is required of all guests 16 years of age and older. The following are acceptable:

Driver's License (a temporary Driver's License with photo is acceptable)
Driver's Permit
School/Student I.D. (acceptable for guests 16/17/18 years of age)
Government-issued identification card including a U.S. Military I.D. with photo (city/state/federal)
Government-issued Trusted Traveler Program Membership Card (NEXUS/SENTRI/FAST) - for photo identification use only
Unacceptable Forms of Documentation

Copies of any WHTI-Compliant document
Driver's License as the only proof
A temporary driver's license (paperwork without a photo I.D.)
Voter's Registration Card
Trusted Traveler Program Membership Card (NEXUS/SENTRI/FAST) - may be used for photo identification use only
Baptismal Papers
U.S. Military I.D. as the only proof
A Dependent Military I.D. that is issued to the spouse and children of military personnel is not acceptable
U.S. Military Discharge Papers
No Record of Birth certificate: a certificate issued by the Department of Health and Vital Statistics showing that they have no records on this person
Hospital certificate, hospital-issued birth notice, Certificate of Live Birth, live record of birth or announcement of birth

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SINGLE OCCUPANCY

Single occupancy is available at 200% of the fare for all categories. Please note to calculate the single fare you must first combine the cruise fare and the non-commissionable fare.

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Frequently Asked Questions (KNOW BEFORE YOU GO)

FAQ | Frequently Asked Questions

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What is Carnival's Tobacco and Marijuana Smoking Policy?

Carnival Cruise Line is dedicated to the safety of all guests and crew. We want all our guests to have a safe, fun and memorable vacation.

 

Smoking is a fire and safety hazard on a ship. Consequently, it is strictly limited to specific exterior deck areas.  All guests are expected to adhere to the following safety guidelines:

 

• All staterooms and suite accommodations, including outside balconies, are NON-SMOKING. This policy applies to all forms of smoking, including but not limited to cigarettes, cigars, pipes, vaporizers, electronic cigarettes and marijuana.

• Carnival recognizes that some state and local governments in the U.S., and in the destinations we visit, might allow marijuana use. However, Carnival Cruise Line follows U.S. federal law, which strictly prohibits possession and use of recreational/medicinal marijuana and other illegal controlled substances. 

• Any violation of this policy will result in a $500 charge, per violation, posted on the guest’s Sail & Sign® account and may also result in the disembarkation of all guests in the stateroom. 

• Guests who are disembarked for violating our policy will be responsible for all financial charges and expenses to return home, and no refund of their unused cruise fare will be provided. Additionally, they may be prohibited from sailing with Carnival Cruise Line in the future.

 

Casino rules: There is no smoking in the casino unless seated and playing. It is not allowed at the casino bar or in the entire area when closed.

 

Our smoking policy is included in Carnival's Cruise Ticket Contract. Follow the link for ship specific smoking areas.

 

In keeping with U.S. federal law, the minimum age to purchase tobacco products is 21. This policy is for U.S.-based itineraries/ships only.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

What happens if a guest is caught smoking in a stateroom or balcony?

They will be assessed a $500 charge, per violation, on their Sail & Sign® account. Information on this charge is included in Section 8 of Carnival’s Cruise Ticket Contract. The assessment of this charge does not allow a guest to continue smoking in his/her stateroom. If a guest is found to be in violation of our smoking policy, all guests in the stateroom may be disembarked from the vessel and risk not being allowed to sail on Carnival in the future.  Guests will be responsible for all financial charges and expenses to return home, and no refund of unused cruise fare will be provided. 

 

What should guests do if they smell tobacco in areas where smoking is not allowed, or marijuana in any area?

Guests who are concerned about other guests violating our smoking policy should contact our onboard Guest Services team, so we can address the situation. This will help avoid uncomfortable situations between guests.

 

What if a guest has a letter from a doctor saying that they are allowed to use marijuana for medicinal and/or therapeutic purposes?  Why is that prohibited?

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Illegal narcotics/drugs including synthetic, designer drugs, marijuana, cannabis and cannabis derivatives such as Cannabidiol (CBD) items which may be labeled as medical marijuana are not allowed on board. While certain CBD products used for medicinal purposes may be legal in the U.S. based on state and local laws, they are not legal under U.S. federal law and in all the ports we visit and therefore are also considered prohibited items. 

 

 

When purchasing your cruise vacation, the following are optional (NOT INCLUDED):

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• Ground transportation (transfers) to/and or from the airport to the cruise terminal

• Fly2Fun air transportation

• Hotel packages (on select itineraries)

• Carnival Vacation Protection

• Flights

• Transfers from and to the airport

• Hotel night before and after the cruise

• Dining in specialty restaurants and snacking at cafes and lounges (featured on select ships), such as but not limited to: The Steakhouse, Bonsai Sushi, Bonsai Teppanyaki, Ji Ji Asian Kitchen, Seafood Shack, Cucina del Capitano, Guy's Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse | Brewhouse, The Chef's Table, Emeril's Bistro 1396, Emeril's Bistro 1397, Rudi's Seagrill, Shake Spot, Javablue Cafe, Promenade Cafe, Lido Coffee Bar, Ocean Plaza Cafe, Havana Bar (on Carnival Sunshine), RedFrog Pub and other lounges that may serve light bites.

• 'Steakhouse Selections' served in the Main Dining Room 
  "Pizza Anywhere" delivery

• Dr. Seuss Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast

• 24-hour room service (charges apply; Continental breakfast is complimentary) 

• Alcoholic and non-alcoholic bar beverages (excluding beverages served in the Main Dining Room and Lido Restaurant such as non-bottled water, lemonade, iced tea, select juices, hot chocolate and non-specialty coffee and tea) 

• Gift Shop purchases

• Purchases at Cherry on Top and Special Occasions (featured on select ships)

• IMAX® and Thrill Theater (featured on Carnival Horizon and Carnival Vista)

• Spa treatments, Salon services and select fitness classes 

• Gambling in the casino

• Playing Bingo and Deal or No Deal™

• Video Arcade games

• Sky Zone Trampoline Park at Sea (featured on Carnival Panorama)

• BOLT Ultimate Sea Coaster (featured on Carnival Celebration, Carnival Jubilee and Mardi Gras)

• Loft 19 rental for guests not occupying a Carnival Excel-level suite (featured on Carnival Celebration, Carnival Jubilee and Mardi Gras)

• Art Auction Program (featured on select ships)

• Carnival Adventures Shore Excursions

• Photos

• Internet access and 'chat' option on the HUB app 

• Use of your smartphone

• Ship-to-Shore telephone calls 

• Medical services

• Laundry services (valet or self-service)

• Service gratuities and tips