Everything you need to know about sailing with Carnival — from booking and dining to staterooms, shore excursions, and onboard life. Expert answers from Pavlus Travel specialists.
The easiest way is to call Pavlus Travel at 800-528-9300. Our specialists can search all available sailings, compare cabin categories and pricing, and apply any exclusive discounts or promotions on the spot.
Carnival’s standard deposit is typically $100 to $250 per person, depending on sailing length and cabin type. Suite bookings and longer voyages usually require a higher deposit. Your full balance is due 75 to 90 days before departure, depending on itinerary.
Ask your Pavlus advisor about Carnival’s Early Saver rates, which lock in lower fares in exchange for a slightly higher deposit and reduced refund flexibility.
Yes — Carnival allows reservations booked directly to be transferred to a travel agent within 30 days of the original booking date, provided the booking is not yet paid in full. Call us at 800-528-9300 and have your booking confirmation number handy.
If you booked under Carnival’s Early Saver rate, you are eligible for a price protection guarantee. If the same sailing and cabin category drops in price before final payment, you can submit a claim to receive onboard credit for the difference.
Cancellation penalties increase as your departure date approaches. A general guideline for standard sailings:
Policies vary by promotion and itinerary. We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance at booking to protect your investment.
Absolutely. We recommend comprehensive travel insurance for every cruise vacation. A good policy covers trip cancellation, medical evacuation, missed embarkation, and emergency medical care — all of which can be costly without coverage.
Ask your Pavlus advisor about Carnival’s own CruiseCare plan or third-party options that may offer broader coverage.
Carnival offers several fare categories with different trade-offs:
It depends on your priorities:
Your base Carnival fare includes:
Common additional costs include:
Carnival charges an automatic daily gratuity added to your onboard account:
These gratuities are shared among your cabin steward, dining team, and other crew. You may also tip additional cash directly to crew members at your discretion. Pre-paying gratuities before sailing is an option and can simplify your onboard budget.
CHEERS! is Carnival’s all-inclusive drink package covering beer, wine, spirits, cocktails, and non-alcoholic beverages up to $20 per drink. It is priced per person per day and must be purchased by all guests 21+ in the same stateroom.
CHEERS! can often be purchased at a discount before sailing vs. onboard pricing. Gratuity on all drinks is included in the package price.
Carnival offers Wi-Fi packages through their HUB app. Plans range from social media–only packages to full internet plans priced per day. Purchasing before you sail is typically cheaper than buying onboard.
Connectivity varies by ship position and satellite availability — speeds are generally sufficient for messaging, email, and light browsing but may not support streaming or video calls reliably at sea.
Carnival offers three main dining seating options:
Beyond the main dining room, the Lido Marketplace buffet is open most of the day, and multiple casual options (Guy’s Burger Joint, BlueIguana Cantina, pizza, deli) are available at no extra charge on most ships.
Specialty dining varies by ship but commonly includes:
Yes — Carnival can accommodate most dietary needs with advance notice. Their culinary team handles gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, and low-sodium requests routinely. More complex needs like severe allergies or kosher meals should be communicated at least 60 days before sailing.
Let your Pavlus advisor know about dietary needs when booking so the request is noted in your reservation from the start.
Carnival offers 24-hour room service. A limited continental breakfast menu is complimentary; most other items carry a small delivery fee (typically $5 per order). Full menus are available in your stateroom and through the HUB app.
In addition to the main dining room and Lido Marketplace buffet, most Carnival ships include several complimentary casual venues:
The Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast is a paid specialty dining experience offered on Carnival ships with Seuss at Sea programming. Guests dine alongside beloved Dr. Seuss characters in a whimsical setting inspired by The Cat in the Hat and other Seuss classics. It is particularly popular with families traveling with young children.
Reservations are required and the experience has an additional cover charge. Ask your Pavlus advisor to note this request when booking so you can secure a reservation as early as possible.
Carnival is known for its lively onboard atmosphere. Included entertainment typically includes:
Carnival’s Camp Ocean program is free and designed for children ages 2–11, divided into three age groups: Penguins (2–5), Sting Rays (6–8), and Sharks (9–11). Activities are supervised and age-appropriate.
Evening babysitting is available for a per-hour fee. Youth programming hours vary by sea day vs. port day.
Yes — all Carnival ships have casinos with slot machines, table games (blackjack, roulette, poker), and more. The minimum age to enter the casino and consume alcohol is 21 for U.S. sailings. Casinos are typically open only when the ship is at sea (not in port per local regulations).
The Cloud 9 Spa on most Carnival ships offers massages, facials, body wraps, teeth whitening, and salon services. Thermal Suite day passes are available for an additional fee. Booking appointments in advance (especially for sea days) is recommended to secure preferred times.
Carnival uses an assigned arrival time system through their online check-in (available 14 days before sailing). You must complete online check-in to receive your boarding pass and select an arrival window.
Carnival’s Excel-class ships represent the line’s largest and most feature-rich vessels. The three ships in this class — Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee — introduced several industry firsts:
Excel-class ships homeport from Miami, Galveston (TX), and Port Canaveral (FL). Call Pavlus at 800-528-9300 to compare sailings on these ships.
The best ship for first-timers depends on your home port, budget, and what matters most:
Carnival offers four main cabin categories:
Carnival also offers spa-adjacent staterooms and cove balconies (lower deck, more private) on many ships.
Carnival allows each guest 21+ to bring one bottle of wine or Champagne (750ml) per person in their carry-on at embarkation only. Beer, spirits, and additional wine are not permitted to be brought onboard.
Alcohol purchased at ports of call will be held by Carnival and returned to you on the last night of the cruise.
Yes. Most staterooms offer twin beds that can be converted to a king configuration. You can note your preference when booking through Pavlus Travel. While cabin stewards do their best to accommodate requests, they cannot always be guaranteed — especially at peak occupancy.
Carnival is one of the more solo-friendly mainstream lines. Options include:
Both have trade-offs:
Your daily Fun Times schedule (and the HUB app) lists departure and all-aboard times for each port. The all-aboard time is typically 30 minutes before departure. Guests who miss the ship are responsible for their own transportation to the next port.
Carnival Corporation (Carnival’s parent company) operates several private destination experiences:
Carnival sails from more U.S. home ports than any other cruise line, making it easy to drive to your departure point and skip the flight. Major ports include:
It depends on the itinerary:
Carnival’s online check-in opens 14 days before sailing. Completing it as soon as it opens lets you select an earlier arrival time slot and get your boarding pass ready. You’ll need to upload a photo, enter travel document details, and set up your onboard account payment method.
Carnival has also moved its muster drill safety briefing to an e-muster format — you complete the safety video via the HUB app before boarding, making embarkation day much smoother.
Carnival is casual-to-smart-casual by nature. Typical guidelines:
No shorts or swimwear in the main dining room at dinner. Shoes are required in all dining venues.
The Carnival HUB App is free to download and highly recommended. It works on the ship’s onboard Wi-Fi at no charge for basic features. Key functions include:
VIFP stands for Very Important Fun Person — Carnival’s free loyalty program that rewards you with more benefits the more you sail. Tiers are based on total cruise days sailed with Carnival:
Benefits increase with each tier and can include priority check-in, complimentary beverages, specialty restaurant discounts, complimentary laundry, and Casino Royale rewards.
Platinum and Diamond guests enjoy Carnival’s best loyalty perks:
VIFP status is earned based on the number of cruise days completed with Carnival. Every night you spend onboard counts — a 7-night cruise earns 7 days toward your tier. There is no annual reset; days accumulate over your lifetime of Carnival sailings.
Booking through a travel agency like Pavlus does not affect VIFP earning — just ensure your VIFP membership number is included on the booking. Your Pavlus advisor will add it for you at the time of reservation.
Yes — Carnival regularly offers exclusive Past Guest Rate promotions for VIFP members. These rates are often equal to or better than publicly available Early Saver fares and may include additional onboard credit or perks.
Your Pavlus advisor monitors past-guest promotions and can search available rates against your VIFP number to ensure you always get the best eligible price. Call 800-528-9300 to ask about current past-guest offers.
Carnival has earned its reputation as the “Fun Ship” line in large part because of how well it caters to families:
Carnival defines a group as 8 or more paying guests in a minimum number of staterooms (typically 5). Group benefits can include:
Pavlus Travel has dedicated group space on select Carnival sailings. Call 800-528-9300 to discuss group options and get a custom quote.
Yes — Carnival periodically runs promotions where children sail at a significantly reduced rate or free (third/fourth guests in a cabin). These are among the most popular deals Carnival offers and tend to sell out quickly. Your Pavlus advisor monitors these promotions and can alert you as soon as they appear.
Simply call Pavlus Travel at 800-528-9300, seven days a week. Our Carnival specialists will search every available sailing, compare stateroom categories and current promotions, and complete your booking on the spot — all at no extra cost to you. You can also request a specific advisor by visiting our Meet Our Planners page.
Booking through Pavlus gives you several advantages over booking direct, and it never costs you more:
Yes. As a high-volume Carnival partner, Pavlus has access to exclusive promotions and added-value offers that may include:
Availability changes frequently. Call 800-528-9300 to find out what’s currently available for your preferred sailing.
Yes — Carnival allows guests to transfer a reservation made directly to a travel agency within 30 days of the original booking date, as long as the booking has not yet been paid in full. To transfer your booking, call us at 800-528-9300 with your Carnival booking confirmation number and we’ll handle the rest.
No — you will pay less. Pavlus provides a savings benefit — discount, cash back, or onboard credit — on top of all current Carnival promotions. This advantage is over and above, and combineable with, every Carnival offer in the market. Pavlus also has access to group space, unadvertised promotions, and exclusive onboard credit not publicly available.
There is no fee for using Pavlus — we are paid a commission by Carnival, so our expert service comes at zero additional cost to you.
Pavlus Travel has been booking Carnival cruises and is one of the top-volume Carnival sellers in the United States. Our advisors have personal, hands-on knowledge of Carnival’s fleet — many have sailed on multiple Carnival ships themselves — and receive regular product training directly from Carnival.
When you call 800-528-9300, you’ll be connected with a specialist who knows Carnival’s ships, home ports, promotions, and loyalty program inside and out.
When you book with Pavlus, you gain a dedicated advocate. If any issue arises — pricing errors, cabin assignment problems, itinerary changes, or onboard concerns — your Pavlus advisor contacts Carnival directly on your behalf. Our longstanding relationship and volume with Carnival means issues are often resolved more quickly than when guests contact Carnival independently.
Our advisors are available seven days a week at 800-528-9300, including weekends and holidays.
Yes. If you find a lower price for the same Carnival sailing, cabin category, and promotional terms anywhere else, share the details with your Pavlus advisor and we’ll match it. Additionally, if you booked under Early Saver rates and the price drops, we will submit the price protection claim on your behalf with Carnival to ensure you receive onboard credit for the difference.
To make your booking call as smooth as possible, have the following ready:
Not sure about any of these? That’s fine — your Pavlus advisor will help you sort through every decision. Call 800-528-9300.
The sweet spot for most Carnival bookings is 6–12 months in advance. This gives you the best selection of sailings, cabin categories, and departure dates while also allowing time to monitor for price drops under Early Saver rate protection.
Yes — and it pays real cash. When you refer a friend or family member who books and travels through Pavlus on any cruise (including Carnival), you receive a $250 check mailed directly to you. There are no points, no gimmicks — just cash for sharing a brand you trust. Full terms are on the Referral Program page.
All three are mainstream lines with similar pricing, but each has a distinct personality:
Carnival has steadily upgraded its fleet under the Fun Ship 2.0 refurbishment program and by launching new Excel-class ships. Key differences:
Your Pavlus advisor can compare specific ships side by side based on your departure port and priorities.
Carnival is the right choice if you want great value, a lively atmosphere, convenient U.S. departure ports, and strong family programming. It may not be the best fit if you prefer a quieter ambiance, more refined dining, or destination-immersive itineraries.
If you’re curious about premium alternatives like Princess, Celebrity, or Holland America — all available through Pavlus — your advisor can walk you through the differences honestly. Call 800-528-9300 for a no-pressure comparison.
Try a different search term, or call us at 800-528-9300 for a direct answer.