For family-friendly fun and awesome American-style sailing in some of the world’s most stunning spots, look no further than Carnival Cruise Line. With an impressive fleet, you’ll have no trouble finding the itinerary that’s right for you, and a remarkable onboard experience that boasts engaging experiences for the whole family.
Carnival Cruise Line Cruise Deals
Carnival Cruise Line Ships
Carnival Cruise Line
Dining
When it comes to dining, a Carnival cruise ship offers plenty of options to suit everyone’s needs. Choose to reserve a table for either an 'Early' or 'Late' sitting, or opt for 'Your Time' open-seating, which offers a more flexible approach to dining on a first-come-first-served basis. Be sure to save at least one evening to treat yourself at a speciality restaurant too.
There are plenty of breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and snack options onboard, with speciality restaurants, main dining rooms, and more casual low-key options.
Included Restaurants
From Pan-Asian specialities to freshly cooked pizza and mouth watering burgers, Carnival Cruise Line has a restaurant to suit all palates. Highlights include Guy's Pig & Anchor BBQ, Mongolian Wok and Pizzeria del Capitano. If you're looking for a more classic cruise ship dining experience, the Main Dining Room is always on hand, while casual eats can be found at the Lido Marketplace.
Speciality Restaurants
While they may not be included in your cruise fare, Carnival Cruise Line's impressive speciality restaurants are well worth splashing out on. Popular choices include Emeril's Bistro, Seafood Shack and Bonsai Sushi. For a truly elevated mealtime, book yourself a spot at the Chef's Table and enjoy fine dining and a private tour of the kitchen.
Food Allergies and Special Dietary Requirements
Carnival Cruise Line make every effort to ensure everyone with a food allergy or special dietary requirement is catered to onboard, but all of these requests are largely handled while onboard your Carnival cruise. So, while you should still mention this to your cruise consultant ahead of time, you will need to make sure you're speaking to the Head Waiter in the main dining room on your first day. This is a little unique for cruise lines, but you can find out more about Carnival Cruise Line's current policies in our blog on the best cruise lines for food allergies and special diets right here.
Entertainment
If you’ve got some energy left after a busy and jam-packed day of exploring, the onboard entertainment on Carnival cruise ships are bound to keep you going for a few more hours after dinner.
- Live shows- watching live shows are a great way to spend your evenings on a Carnival ship and with so much variety, there’s something for everyone. If it’s interactive sing-a-longs that you’re looking for, the all-request piano bar will delight you. Meanwhile, the onboard theatres host some of the best performances at sea, ranging from Broadway-style shows to acrobatics and dancing. There’s even a comedy club for anyone who enjoys watching a spot of stand-up.
- Casino- popular amongst guests trying to hit the jackpot, the onboard casino on Carnival ships are a lively spot featuring games tables and slot machines, as well as a bar when you need to take a break and refresh yourself with a drink.
- Bars- Carnival Cruise line isn’t short on bars. With everything from outdoor bars, sports pubs and innovative cocktail bars, your perfect drink is waiting for you.
Family
If you are considering embarking on a family cruise, Carnival Cruise Line is among the best when it comes to all the gang having an unbelievable cruise experience. There are a number of award-winning children’s clubs on each cruise catering for kids aged between 2 and 17, from teenage hangouts to late-night programmes to an immersive Dr Seuss experience (adults are allowed too!).
Carnival Kids Clubs
- Camp Ocean (2-5 years, 6-8 years and 9-11 years)- Camp Ocean is split into three age groups with activities and itineraries designed to suit each group, allowing children to interact with others the same age. The children can enjoy their own space, play games, do arts and crafts, or head to the kid’s pool. When it's time to eat, they can enjoy their very own menus including all their favourites like chicken nuggets and pizza as well as fresh fruits and vegetables and other nutritious food.
- Circle C (12-14 years)- Circle C is where younger teens can socialise, chill, and take part in fun activities. There are games, dance parties, outdoor movies, karaoke, air hockey, and table football, as well as a chance to hang out with kids their own age in a space without their parents.
- Club O2 (15-17 years)-Club O2 offers cool activities and a more relaxed atmosphere where teens can hang out and make new friends. They can watch a movie, play video games, listen to the latest music and join in with a karaoke jam session. There are also teen-only shore excursions, so young adults can enjoy the sights and sounds of the ports with people their own age if they wish. From basketball to pool parties, Club O2 has been specially created with 15 to 17 years old in mind.
In addition, Carnival Cruises also offer Night Owls, a paid-for babysitting service between 10 pm and 3 am, where children 11 and under can be cared for while you take advantage of the ship’s nightlife. It's run by the Camp Ocean staff who have professional childcare experience to make sure your children are safe at all times. For more information enquire onboard.
Family activities
While it’s nice to have some time apart, Carnival Cruise Line also likes to bring the family back together again thanks to its extensive range of family-friendly activities where everyone can make memories together to last a lifetime.
- Lip Sync Battle- show off your skills in this hilarious game of celebrity-miming!
- Bolt-this one of a kind rollercoaster allows you to take charge of the speed, so everyone can enjoy with ease
- Build-A-Bear Workshop at Sea- children can design and buy their own cuddly toy onboard, making for a fantastic souvenir
- Seuss-A-Palooza Story Time- young cruisers can watch wonderful Dr Seuss stories come to life at this colourful show
- WaterWorks- everyone can cool off in the pools, slides, and drench buckets at this fun waterpark
- SkyCourse- take on this exciting ropes course which offers amazing views of the ship and sea while you’re safely strapped in
- SkyRide-this unique activity allows you to pedal-power your way above the seas elevated in a ‘go-mobile’
Destinations
Carnival Cruise Line offers itineraries all over the world, with their Caribbean, Mexico Riviera, and Bahamas cruises being especially popular. Alaska itineraries are also a top Carnival destination, while Carnival Mediterranean cruises remains a favourite among families.
Many Carnival cruise ships depart from the United States, so for the British market, the line is popular for fly-cruise holidays which can begin at four large UK airports. These departure airports are Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester and Glasgow while other regional flights from other UK airports are available at a supplement.
Carnival Cruises also offers cruises that sail to Iceland. For some useful travel inspiration, read our blog - Top Things to do in Iceland.
Celebration Key, Your Key to Paradise
Carnival Cruise Line’s brand-new private resort, Celebration Key, is now open and available as a destination on select Carnival Cruise Line voyages to the Caribbean. Located on Grand Bahama, Celebration Key is split into several ‘portals’ – each of which features unique amenities and activities for everyone to enjoy. With Paradise Plaza, Calypso Lagoon, Starfish Lagoon, Pearl Cove Beach Club, and Lokono Cove boasting a wide selection of family-friendly and adult-only areas, the whole family will have a blast at this extraordinary resort. And, adults won’t have to worry about children running around if they’d rather avoid that!
For more, check out our blog on the top five things to do on Carnival Cruise Line’s Celebration Key.
Things to do
No matter what your age, you’ll always find something to do onboard Carnival cruise ships with such a broad range of activities to choose from. There are attractions where children can make friends, exhilarating options for thrillseekers, and places to simply relax and enjoy some quality time on the ship.
There are also immersive classes onboard, such as mixology and cooking classes if you're looking for something a little different.
Whether you’re a couple or single travelling alone, or you’ve left your little ones at the kid’s club and are looking for a little peace, Carnival Cruise ships cater just as well for adults as they do for the younger guests. Some of the highlights include:
- Cloud 9 Spa- treat yourself to a calming treatment at the hands of a skilled therapist, or simply relax in a whirlpool or sauna
- Serenity Adult-Only Retreat- escape the bustle of the rest of the ship in this oasis where you can sunbathe, sip on a cocktail, and relax
- The Punchliner Comedy Club- the adults-only evenings at this comedy club can provide a great option for a memorable date
For further inspiration, read our handy guide to 25 free things to do on a Carnival Cruise.
Useful Information
Carnival Cruise Line Drinks Packages
For those who want to make the absolute most of their time onboard, Carnival Cruise Line offers a selection of incredible drinks packages for you to take advantage of when sailing to some of the world’s most stunning destinations. The options available are as follows:
- Bottomless Bubbles (from $6.95 per child per day/$9.50 per person per day) - focusing on soft drinks, this option includes flavoured mineral waters, juices, and Coca-Cola products
- Cheers! Zero Proof (from $29.99 per person per day) - this includes a wide range of non-alcoholic beverages and non-alcoholic beers, sparkling wines, and cocktails
- Cheers! (from $69.95 per person per day) - this includes a variety of spirits, beers, wine by the glass, and more
- Cruise the Vineyard Wine Package (from $81.00 per person per day) - enjoy a selection of fine wines with this package
- Cruise the Vineyard Premium Wine Package (from $124.00 per person per day) - with this package, you can enjoy even more wines and discounts on the finest bottles onboard
To find out more information, check out our detailed look at Carnival Cruise Line’s drinks packages right here.
Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Rewards
If you want to start earning points and exciting rewards with Carnival Cruise Line, then it's time to enrol with Carnival Rewards; to find out more about this exciting loyalty programme, check out our quick guide to Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Rewards here.
Customer reviews for Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival legend cruise around the Uk was very enjoyable, the cabins are well equipped , but no tea or coffee making equipment in the balcony cabin. Not really as much choice as expected in the restaurants .
Embarkation and getting off excellent. NO tea /coffee facilities in the cabin In house dancers very good, but the other specialist acts ( singer, comedians etc ) very poor Musicians in the other venues were good Cruise director excellent and worked very hard Customer service desk,good but often long queues Decor of ship was clean but it's very " tacky" Serious lack of things to do on board. Only a few quizzes which weren't very well popularised and the prizes were really naff, just a small plastic type trophy. No deck games or competitions at all. The mini golf had rubber type golf balls and putters. Very disappointing. Alcoholic drinks very expensive plus 20,% on top and the choice of beers was very limited TV in cabin was the worst we've ever experienced ( and we've done 30+ cruises). Small screen, very tinney sound and only one news programme which was BBC world service. The other 4 channels were just American rehashed shows, and you couldn't even get you account up on there. Food was generally very good,although the breakfast in the buffet was aimed at Americans, with no rolls, no English bacon although they did have hash browns. The outside buffet during the day was good, with mexican and burgers all freshly made and ice cream available all day. Coffee,tea and various machine made soft drinks were always available Plenty of tables available and Truffles restaurant was very good with excellent waiters,although when I ordered a beer from their limited menu ,they were surprised I wanted a glass and not wanted to drink it out the can. The "pub" is a joke. A couple of couches and the rest of seating is on stools and only one barman All in all, the negatives outweigh the positives. Apart from the advantage of sailing from Dover,we won't on Carnival again
Very impressed with our choice of Carnival Legend. The ship was beautiful. The staff were very friendly and attentive. More noticeably in the Atrium bar staff, Valentina, Cryrstelle and the bar tender too. We loved the violinist trio, lovely set of lads. Our cabin stairs, Mr G was very attentive and kept our cabin spotless. Always friendly and helpful. I loved my behind the scenes tour and would highly recommend this. If we had any complaints, it is we would like to see Guinness served on board. Also, never came across a future cruise deal.
Went on 12 night return trip from dover England. to belfast stornaway iceland and kirkwall. So smooth to embark and disembark. Entertainment food staff decour of ship all wonderful. Very relaxed atmosphere. Pools restaurants all great. Nothing was too much trouble for staff members. 1st but hopefully not last carnival cruise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Accessibility
Is it easy to cruise with Carnival if I have a disability?
Carnival Cruise Line has modified their fleet in order to cater for guests who have different disabilities. There are features like accessible staterooms, wider corridors, tactile controls, audible signals, and pool lifts on some of the ships. To find out which facilities are available on your specific ship, simply speak to your cruise consultant.
Dress code
Is there a dress code?
Carnival Cruise Line are known for their laidback atmosphere onboard the fleet. Guests can wear comfortable, casual attire, including shorts, jeans and t-shirts, however, swimwear is not permitted in restaurants. Cruise Elegant evenings require guests to wear formal clothing, such as gowns, dresses, suits and tuxedos.
What is the dress code on Carnival Cruise Line?
Daytime is resort casual. Evenings are generally 'Smart Casual,' though Carnival Cruise Line may have dedicated formal or theme nights on longer sailings.
Excursions
What excursions are available on Carnival Cruise Line?
Carnival Cruise Line offers a wide variety of shore excursions. These can be pre-booked online or at the Shore Excursion desk onboard.
Families and Kids
Are babies allowed on Carnival Cruise Line?
Yes, babies must be at least 6 months old to travel on Carnival Cruise Line and 12 months old for longer more exotic cruises.
Is Carnival Cruise Line suitable for families?
Carnival Cruise Line is very family-friendly, offering supervised kids' clubs for various age groups, family cabins, and entertainment for all ages.
Family
Will my children have to pay gratuities?
Children below the age of two aren't required to pay gratuities.
Is there a nursery or babysitting facilities?
Night Owls offers babysitting for kids between 6 months and 11 years, at an additional charge. Open until 1am, this fun babysitting venue ensures adults can enjoy a special evening.
Are there kids' programmes?
Carnival Cruise Line have ensured kids are well looked after and entertained through their kid's clubs.
-Camp Ocean - 2 to 11 year olds
-Circle C - 12 to 14 year olds
-Club 02 - 15 to 17 year olds
Food and drink
What is the food and drink like on Carnival Cruise Line?
Standard meals and basic beverages are included. Specialty dining and alcoholic drink packages are available for purchase to enhance your experience.
What drinks packages are there?
Carnival Cruise Line offers several drinks packages, with both alcoholic and non-alcoholic packages available. The Bottomless Bubbles package includes unlimited soda and juices, costing $9.50 per person per day, and $6.95 per child per day. Meanwhile, the Cheers! Zero Proof package, which includes unlimited sodas and an expanded selection of non-alcoholic drinks, including juices, smoothies, energy drinks, and speciality coffees, is $29.99 per person per day.
The Cheers! package is the drinks package covering the most beverages onboard, including alcoholic drinks; this will set you back $69.95 per person per day, although you can save 5% if booked before your cruise. Wine-lovers can also enjoy the Cruise the Vineyard package for $81.00 per person per day and the Cruise the Vineyard Premium package for $124.00 per person per day. Both boast a selection of wines by the glass and discounts on bottles. All drinks packages must be bought for the entire duration of the cruise, and are non-transferable.
Is there 24 hour room service?
Room service - including breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as light snacks - can be enjoyed 24 hours a day in your cabin. Hot meals can be ordered for an additional charge, while sandwiches, salads and sweet treats are included in your fare.
Is tea and coffee free?
The main dining rooms and Lido buffet areas provide complimentary standard coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and hot water at anytime.
Can Carnival Cruise Line accommodate dietary requirements?
Carnival Cruise Line can provide alternative menus in the main dining room, however, it is advised that you discuss any dietary requirements once you are onboard.
General
How can I find out what is happening on each day of the cruise?
Each day a newsletter called The Fun Times will be delivered to your stateroom. This valuable document contains all the important information about what's happening onboard each day, from restaurant opening times to where and when entertainment and games are hosted.
What is the pet policy on Carnival Cruise Line?
Only certified service animals are permitted onboard Carnival Cruise Line. Please contact our accessibility team for requirements and documentation.
Loyalty
Is there a Carnival Cruise Line loyalty club?
Yes, Carnival Cruise Line offer their customers an opportunity to join their VIFP Club. This comes with all sorts of great benefits which enhance with every cruise taken. For more information, see our "https://www.planetcruise.com/en/cruise-rewards/carnival-cruises-vifp-club" page.
Is there a loyalty programme for Carnival Cruise Line?
Carnival Cruise Line offers a loyalty program that rewards repeat guests with benefits such as onboard credit, priority boarding, and exclusive events.
Tips
Are tips included on Carnival Cruise Line?
A daily service charge is automatically added to your onboard account to reward the crew. You can adjust this at Guest Services if necessary.
Transport
Are transfers included with Carnival Cruise Line?
Complimentary or paid shuttle buses are often provided by Carnival Cruise Line in ports where the city center is not within walking distance of the pier.
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