Carnival Cruises

28,327 Reviews
Carnival Breeze (Photo: Carnival Cruise Line)

About Carnival Cruises

Carnival specializes in fun, laid-back, family-friendly cruises. With few exceptions, Carnival sails exclusively from North American homeports and offers some of the lowest pricing in the industry, particularly on short three- and four-night Carnival Caribbean cruises.

  • More about Carnival Cruise Line

  • Who goes on Carnival cruise ships?

  • Do I have to dress up on a Carnival cruise?

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Carnival Celebration
Carnival Celebration (Image: Carnival Cruise Line)

7 Night
Exotic Western Caribbean Cruise

80 Reviews
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No prices currently available for this sailing.
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Carnival Elation
Carnival Elation

5 Night
Bahamas Cruise

1,134 Reviews
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Carnival Venezia
Carnival Venezia showing off new livery (Photo/Carnival Cruise Line)

10 Night
Exotic Eastern Caribbean Cruise

86 Reviews
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No prices currently available for this sailing.
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Carnival Conquest
Carnival Conquest

4 Night
Western Caribbean Cruise

1,568 Reviews
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12 Night
Carnival Journeys - Transatlantic Cruise

1,465 Reviews
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No prices currently available for this sailing.
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4 Night
Bahamas Cruise

1,421 Reviews
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No prices currently available for this sailing.
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8 Night
Exotic Eastern Caribbean Cruise

1,043 Reviews
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No prices currently available for this sailing.
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Cruise Critic Favorite

15 Night
Carnival Journeys - Panama Canal

1,075 Reviews
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Cruise Critic Favorite

14 Night
Carnival Journeys - 14 Day Transatlantic

184 Reviews
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No prices currently available for this sailing.
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7 Night
Exotic Western Caribbean Cruise

4 Reviews
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No prices currently available for this sailing.
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7 Night
Exotic Western Caribbean Cruise

4 Reviews
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No prices currently available for this sailing.
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8 Night
Exotic Eastern Caribbean Cruise

184 Reviews
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No prices currently available for this sailing.
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4 Night
Baja Mexico Cruise

68 Reviews
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No prices currently available for this sailing.
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8 Night
Exotic Eastern Caribbean Cruise

1,506 Reviews
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No prices currently available for this sailing.
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8 Night
Southern Caribbean Cruise

473 Reviews
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No prices currently available for this sailing.
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Carnival Cruises Tips, Activities, and Overview

Who goes on Carnival cruise ships?

Carnival Cruise Line sells itself as the "fun" cruise line, and it attracts cruisers who are looking to have a good time with little to no pretensions. Carnival cruisers, who range from young to old, tend to be quite friendly, looking to strike up conversations with other people in the buffet, by the pool and, really, anywhere.

Carnival is also one of the most family-oriented lines in the industry, and you're bound to see lots of kids onboard, even during the school year. When school is out, you can expect the number of kids to be well into the hundreds.

The line is also popular for family reunions, and bachelor and bachelorette parties.

People on Carnival cruise ships hail primarily from the United States, mainly the south and Midwest, but you'll also meet folks from Canada, England and usually a handful of other European countries.

Find more info on the history and vision of Carnival Cruise Line from our industry experts.

Do I have to dress up on a Carnival cruise?

Carnival cruises are casual, with shorts, tee shirts, capris, swimsuits or swim cover-ups de rigueur during the day (no bathing suites in the dining venues, however). Most nights, the dress code on a Carnival Cruises remains much the same, minus the swimwear, though technically the cruise line asks that people not wear shorts into the main dining room. The policy is inconsistently upheld.

On "elegant" nights, you'll see a range of clothing from ball gowns, dresses that leave little to the imagination, tuxes and suits to the same shorts and tees people sport all day long. Most men, however, opt for long pants and collared shirts, while women don sundresses, or a skirt or pants with a blouse. Men are not required to wear a suit jacket or tie in any venue.

Is everything free on Carnival cruises?

No. While Carnival is one of the more inclusive cruise lines when it comes to dining, you will still have to pay extra for some specialty dining, all drinks (alcoholic and non, except water, select juice at breakfast, and coffee and tea), shore excursions, visits to the spa and any retail purchases, including photos.

What are Carnival’s most popular activities?

Aside from the main pool, which is the hub of much of the line's fun activities, almost every Carnival cruise ship also has at least one waterslide, with several having multi-slide water parks. Additionally, several have a top-deck SportSquare that features a colorful collection of outdoor amusements, including Ping-Pong, billiards, foosball, mini-golf, Twister and a SkyCourse ropes course. On the line's newest ships (Vista and Horizon), there's also the Carnival SkyRide, a recumbent bike attraction suspended 150 feet up in the air, requiring riders to pedal their way around an 800-foot track that wraps around the outer decks.

Inside, you'll find activities that range from trivia and Bingo during the day to comedy shows and high-tech song-and-dance revues at night. Carnival ships also have lively bar nightlife, especially on ships with a RedFrog Pub; there's also an always-busy casino.

Why go with Carnival?

  • Cruises are for families and fun-lovers of all ages.
  • "Fun Ships" offer great value for money.
  • The world's largest cruise line -- big ships with panache.

Best for: Budget-conscious, gregarious families, couples and solos looking for an unpretentious vibe that's all about having fun

Not for: Anyone who doesn't appreciate off-color humor, lively hairy chest contests, burgers and BBQ, and thumping music. Find more questions and answers about cruising on Carnival ships.

Carnival Cruise Line Cruiser Reviews

Horrible

Trying to get a drink in the food area is not gonna happen there is no one coming around to ask so you go get drink at a bar then wait in line for food or you drink the free water oh I mean tea but it taste like water.We had a balcony room it was really clean, the chairs outside were in great shape.Read More
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Super annoyed

oneFirst Time Cruiser

Age 44s

Don't even bother booking!

i have never been on a cruise where i spoke with a manager of every single department.Every single service area has something wrong with it.Read More
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Teresa Conliffe

many10+ Cruises

Age 47s

Very disappointed

Then they charged your card and additional $90 per cruise staff you encountered during your stay.This ship needs to be deeply cleaned, the floors are stained, there was no big screen.Read More
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Knights Life

couple2-5 Cruises

Age 37s

No so good

The last day in the cruise we wanted to have fun at the “water works “but they closed the only entertainment for kids and my daughter got frustrated!!!This cruise was very disappointing for us,the cabin smells like urine all the time ,the adults got a small swimming pool,plus for the area for kids as a call them “water work” doesn’t have a pool for little ones instead they have one big slide and three little ones actually I never been at this rate of worst cruise ever ,the only thing it was worthy is the service special in Destiny’s restaurant we had the pleasure to know a guy the name is Adi he was our waitress so kind person my little one love him but that was the only good thing in this cruise .Read More
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Jumangi

couple2-5 Cruises

Age 61s

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