Regular checkin begins at midnight 14 days prior to sailing. Most people pick the earliest time available, but if you select 1pm or later, you will usually sail through checkin and security and walk right on, plus your cabin is ready at 1:30pm.
What's the earliest you can get on a Carnival cruise ship?
Carnival cruise passengers discuss boarding times and procedures Boarding usually starts around 11:00AM. If the ship sails at 3:30PM all passengers need to be onboard by 2:00PM. Usually around 10:30-11 after everyone from previous cruise has disembarked and cleared by port authorities.
You can arrive at the terminal as early as you'd like, but you won't be allowed to enter the cruise terminal before your check-in time, unless you have Priority boarding, such as Diamond, Platinum or FTTF.
What is the earliest you can check-in for a Carnival cruise?
Guest are required to provide us with check-in information by completing their Online Check-in and selecting their Arrival Appointment, within 14 days prior to sailing and no later than midnight (eastern time) prior to the sailing date.
Carnival: Skip FTTF, How to snatch an Early Boarding Time! Lightning FAST
What is the earliest time you can board a cruise?
Boarding begins roughly between 10 and 11 a.m., depending on the ship's schedule and how long it takes everyone from the last cruise to debark. Most cruise ships require all passengers to be on board no fewer than two hours before the scheduled departure time, which is almost always in the late afternoon or evening.
Rooms are available at 1:30, unless you have Faster to the Fun, are in a suite, or are Platinum or Diamond VIFP. In those other instances you are allowed to take your bags to the room and drop them off, but you can't hang out in the room until they open at 1:30.
On the morning of sailing, the credit/debit card provided will be charged with an initial hold of $100 USD (for cruises 5 days or less) or $200 USD (for cruises 6 days or more). Throughout the cruise, incremental holds will be obtained as needed, applied by your card's issuing bank.
Do I have to print my boarding pass for a Carnival cruise?
On embarkation day, a boarding pass will be emailed to your email address that is linked to your reservation profile, whether Online Check-in has been completed or not. At embarkation, you may show your printed boarding pass or the boarding pass on your mobile phone.
Once at the pier, when boarding begins, we will board VIFP Club Diamond guests first, followed by VIFP Club Platinum guests, followed by guests traveling in suites and then Faster to the Fun guests.
Bags go thru a scanner and after that they will direct you to a different table where they will take your alcohol to hold for you. BUT you might get lucky. My last 2 cruises we had a bottle of alcohol and they gestured to go to the check point table which was close to the elevators.
Guests 20 years of age and younger MUST travel with a relative or guardian 25 years of age or older (guardian does not need to be a legal guardian). Minors cannot be booked under TBA offers; cabin numbers must be assigned. Guests who are 21 to 24 years of age may travel with their minor children.
Can you drink on the first day of a Carnival cruise?
Guests are prohibited from bringing alcoholic beverages on board with the following exception - at the beginning of the cruise during embarkation day only, guests (21 years of age and older) may bring one 750-ml bottle of sealed/unopened wine or champagne, per person, in their carry-on luggage.
Here's what you can expect for disembarking early and making your flight after a Carnival cruise: --- ⏰ When Disembarkation Typically Starts Per Carnival policy: Guests usually begin leaving the ship around 8:00 AM—about 3 hours after docking in your home port.
For a better embarkation experience, guests are asked to adhere to that arrival time. We will not be able to accommodate guests who show up earlier than their selected window.
You can go to your room right away. The expectation is you drop off any bags you carry onboard, grab your SeaPass (keys/charge cards for the trip) and leave until rooms are officially open (in the afternoon) 2. Dining. We tried most of the Specialty restaurants, that's our style of cruising.
👀 Here's the scoop: 🛳 Carnival: 1AM unless you're at a teen event 🛳 Norwegian: 1:30AM curfew 🛳 Royal Caribbean: Up to the captain 🛳 Disney, MSC & more: No set curfew, but rules still apply What are your thoughts on curfews for kids?
Do I need to print luggage tags for a Carnival cruise?
Your Carnival Cruise Lines luggage tags will be included with your eTicket. Please ensure one (1) tag is printed, filled in and attached to each piece of luggage prior to arriving at the terminal on the day of departure. These tags will enable delivery of your luggage to your stateroom.
Sail & Sign® is Carnival's cashless on board credit program, which allows guests to charge onboard purchases and gratuities directly to a personal account for convenience. The Sail & Sign Card must be utilized for all money transactions on board as cash will not be an accepted form of payment.
Unless you are a diamond/platinum/suite guest, you will be able to check in at midnight (Eastern time) 14 days before your cruise. Once you pay off the cruise, a link with the date will be provided in the to do list on your account on the website.
How far in advance can I check-in for my Carnival cruise?
Online Check-in can be accessed within 14 days prior to sailing and no later than midnight (eastern time) prior to the sailing date.To complete the Online Check-in, guests must click on Manage My Booking at www.carnival.com/Onlinecheckin and create an account, entering their Carnival booking number, last name, date of ...
Faster to the Fun is currently open through November 2025. It is not offered on Carnival Journeys departures, cruises in Europe nor on cruises from Norfolk. Faster to the Fun is open for select voyages from San Francisco.
Every ship I've been on has the buffet available around 1130/1200 - maybe earlier... boarding time is usually 11am give or take 30mins maybe more and when I get on I usually head to muster or a bar first before food. (I have been on once or twice before the buffet opened, but I think that was early covid days.)
