Carnival Cruise Line cruise policies
Carnival Cruise Line Policies: Deposits, Final Payment, Cancellation, Gratuities, Dress Code and Age Rules
Every booking rule that affects your wallet or your packing list, on one page: what you pay when you book, when the balance is due, what it costs to cancel, the daily gratuity, what to wear at dinner and who can sail. Figures are Carnival's own, from the help center and booking terms that apply to cruises booked in the United States.
Deposit
The deposit is per person and depends on the length of the cruise, with Alaska, Europe, Panama Canal, transatlantic and transpacific sailings at the top tier whatever their length. Carnival sells the same cabin under several fare programs, and the program decides whether the deposit is refundable: a standard fare's deposit is refundable until final payment, while Early Saver, Super Saver and casino-offer deposits are nonrefundable from the moment you book. Your invoice shows which fare you have.
| Cruise length | Deposit |
|---|---|
| 2 to 3 days | $100 per person |
| 4 to 5 days | $150 per person |
| 6 to 9 days | $250 per person |
| 10 days or longer | $400 per person |
| Alaska, Europe, Panama Canal, transatlantic and transpacific, any length | $400 per person |
Good to know
- Single occupancy pays 200% of the per-person deposit: $200, $300, $500 or $800. The total deposit never exceeds the cruise fare.
- Early Saver, Super Saver and casino offers take a nonrefundable deposit from the day you book. On Early Saver, cancel before the final payment date and the deposit comes back as a future cruise credit less a $50 per person service fee, usable on a new U.S. dollar booking within 12 months of the cancellation; Super Saver and casino deposits are simply kept.
- Pack & Go fares are nonrefundable in full from booking: cruise fare, air supplement, transfers and any pre- or post-cruise package.
- Carnival often runs sales with reduced deposits (half the standard amount, or flat $49, $99 and $149 deposits) and VIFP Club past-guest offers with the same reduced deposit. The sale terms say whether that reduced deposit is refundable; most of them use Early Saver rules.
- Fly2Fun Restricted Air booked through Carnival is nonrefundable from booking; Flexible Air is refundable until 60 days before sailing.
Final payment
The balance must reach Carnival by the deadline below or the booking can be canceled and the cancellation schedule applied. Book inside the window and the full fare is due at booking. The deadlines are the same for every stateroom type, including suites.
Standard schedule
| Cruise length | Balance due |
|---|---|
| 2 to 5 days | 76 days before sailing |
| 6 days or longer | 91 days before sailing |
| Alaska, Europe, Panama Canal, transatlantic and transpacific, any length | 91 days before sailing |
Good to know
- Carnival does not publish a separate final payment schedule for holiday sailings or Carnival Journeys; they follow the dates above.
- Carnival's Auto Pay plan spreads the balance over monthly charges after the deposit; the balance must still be complete by the final payment date.
- From time to time Carnival runs a sale that moves final payment on new bookings to 30 days before sailing (most recently the More Time, More Perks sale that ended August 17, 2026). Those dates belong to the sale's rate code only; a booking made outside the sale keeps 76 or 91 days.
- Government taxes, fees and port expenses are part of the Cruise Charges and are due with the balance; prepaid gratuities, Fly2Fun air, transfers and packages are added to the invoice when you choose them.
Cancellation charges
Charges are the standard deposit or a percentage of the Total Fare, whichever is greater, and depend on when Carnival receives the cancellation. Total Fare means the Cruise Charges (cruise fare plus required cruise fees and expenses), transfers, pre- and post-cruise vacation packages and Fly2Fun air; it excludes optional purchases such as drinks, excursions, spa and specialty dining. Government taxes and fees and prepaid gratuities are never penalized and are refunded in full.
2 to 5 day cruises
Every short cruise except Alaska, Europe, transatlantic and Panama Canal sailings, which use the longer schedule below.
| Cruise length | Days before sailing | Charge |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 5 days | 76 days or more | No charge (nonrefundable deposits and Pack & Go fares excepted) |
| 2 to 5 days | 75 to 56 days | Standard deposit |
| 2 to 5 days | 55 to 30 days | Deposit or 50% of Total Fare, whichever is greater |
| 2 to 5 days | 29 to 15 days | Deposit or 75% of Total Fare, whichever is greater |
| 2 to 5 days | 14 days or fewer | 100% of Total Fare, no refund |
Cruises of 6 days or longer, plus Alaska, Europe, transatlantic and Panama Canal
Every cruise of 6 days or more, and every Alaska, Europe, transatlantic and Panama Canal sailing whatever its length.
| Cruise length | Days before sailing | Charge |
|---|---|---|
| 6 days or longer | 91 days or more | No charge (nonrefundable deposits and Pack & Go fares excepted) |
| 6 days or longer | 90 to 56 days | Standard deposit |
| 6 days or longer | 55 to 30 days | Deposit or 50% of Total Fare, whichever is greater |
| 6 days or longer | 29 to 15 days | Deposit or 75% of Total Fare, whichever is greater |
| 6 days or longer | 14 days or fewer | 100% of Total Fare, no refund |
Early Saver, Super Saver, casino and Pack & Go fares
Fares sold with a nonrefundable deposit or a nonrefundable Total Fare. After the final payment date they follow the standard schedule above.
| Cruise length | Days before sailing | Charge |
|---|---|---|
| Early Saver | Before final payment | Deposit kept; refunded as a future cruise credit less $50 per person, valid 12 months |
| Super Saver and casino offers | Before final payment | Deposit kept, no credit |
| Pack & Go | Any time after booking | 100% of Total Fare, no refund |
Good to know
- A cancellation counts from the day Carnival receives it, and the charge applies to the whole stateroom reservation even when only one guest cancels.
- No refund for a no-show, for interrupting the cruise once it has begun or for a guest denied boarding under Carnival's guest screening or conduct policies, and the same schedule applies to anyone in that guest's travel party.
- On Early Saver a ship or sailing date change before final payment costs $50 per person per change; after final payment it is a cancellation. Early Saver allows no name changes.
- Early Saver price protection: find a lower Carnival advertised fare for the same ship, sailing, category and number of guests and Carnival pays the difference as nonrefundable onboard credit, on claims made up to 2 business days before sailing. Super Saver, group, charter and travel agent fares do not qualify as the lower fare.
- Carnival Vacation Protection is optional and never required. Bought before final payment (from $49 per person, not sold to New York residents) it refunds up to 100% in cash for a covered reason such as illness or severe weather and returns 75% of the nonrefundable amount as a future cruise credit when you cancel for any other reason.
- Refunds go back to the original credit card, or to SmartCruiser when we made the payment for you, and we pass them straight on.
- Sailings Carnival itself cancels or changes fall under its separate Cruise Cancellation and Itinerary Change Policy, not this schedule; we send you Carnival's offer (refund or future cruise credit) the day it reaches us.
Gratuities
Carnival adds a daily service gratuity to each guest's Sail & Sign account for every guest aged 2 and over, shared among the dining, stateroom and other service staff. You can prepay it at booking or any time before sailing, which locks the rate and keeps it off your onboard bill; otherwise it posts to the account toward the end of the cruise.
| Stateroom | Daily gratuity |
|---|---|
| Interior, Ocean View and Balcony staterooms (sailings from April 2, 2026) | $17.00 per guest, per day |
| Suites, including Junior Suites (sailings from April 2, 2026) | $19.00 per guest, per day |
| Sailings before April 2, 2026, or prepaid before that date | $16.00 per guest, per day ($18.00 in suites) |
| Children under 2 | No charge |
Good to know
- The April 2, 2026 increase of $1 per day was Carnival's first since April 2023. Guests who prepaid before April 2, 2026 kept the old rate whatever their sailing date.
- A 20% service charge is added to drinks, CHEERS! and Bottomless Bubbles packages, specialty dining, spa and salon services, whether bought before the cruise or on board. It went from 18% to 20% in December 2025.
- Daily gratuities are not mandatory: a guest who has not prepaid can adjust them at Guest Services while on board, not after disembarking.
- Prepaid gratuities are refunded in full if you cancel, whatever the cancellation charge on the fare.
- Ask SmartCruiser to prepay them when you book and the amount appears on your invoice, not on your Sail & Sign account.
Dress code
Carnival keeps two standards: Cruise Casual on most evenings and Cruise Elegant on one or two evenings per cruise. Both apply in the main dining rooms, and the Steakhouse and Rudi's Seagrill follow the same code as the dining room that night. Daytime is as relaxed as you like.
Cruise Casual
Men: sport slacks, khakis, jeans, tailored dress shorts and collared or button-down shirts. Women: casual dresses or skirts, pants, capris, jeans, blouses and button-down or pullover shirts. Not permitted in the dining rooms: cut-off or ripped T-shirts, sheer or see-through clothing, athletic wear and swimwear.
Cruise Elegant
Men: dress jeans, trousers or slacks with a dress shirt; a sport coat is optional, and a suit and tie or tuxedo is welcome. Women: dressy resort wear, party or cocktail dresses, pantsuits, elegant skirts and blouses, or an evening gown. The same cut-off T-shirt, sheer, athletic and swimwear exclusions apply.
Lido Restaurant (buffet)
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with a relaxed code: a shirt, cover-up and footwear are required and guests should be dry before coming in from the pool.
Dress Your Best nights
| Cruise length | Formal nights |
|---|---|
| 5 days or shorter | 1 on select sailings; short cruises without one may hold a White Hot Night instead |
| 6 days or longer | 2 |
House rules
- Cut-off or ripped T-shirts, sheer or see-through clothing, athletic wear and swimwear are not allowed in the main dining rooms or specialty restaurants on any evening.
- Jeans are fine at dinner on both Cruise Casual and Cruise Elegant evenings as long as they are not ripped; shorts are fine on casual nights if they are tailored dress shorts.
- Cruise Elegant is a guideline for the dining rooms, not a condition of boarding; the daily program on board announces which evenings are elegant.
- Carnival Journeys cruises add a Throwback Sea Day: 1980s dress by day and the elegant guidelines that evening, with gowns and tuxedos encouraged.
- Holiday and theme sailings invite costumes (Ugly Sweater contests in December, Frightfully Fun Halloween cruises); full face masks are prohibited, half masks are allowed.
Age rules
Carnival's rules apply on every ship and sailing, wherever it departs. Age is counted on embarkation day, ages are verified at the pier, and a guest who does not meet the rule is denied boarding with no compensation.
Minimum age to sail without a parent or guardian
| Departure | Minimum age |
|---|---|
| All sailings | 21 |
| Guests 18 to 20 who are legally married (any gender) or on active service with the U.S. military or Canadian National Defense, with documentation | 18 |
Stateroom assignment
Guests 20 and under must travel with a relative or guardian aged 25 or older; the adult need not be a legal guardian but is responsible for every minor linked to the booking, and parents aged 21 to 24 may travel with their own children. For bookings made on or after October 1, 2026, guests 14 and under must be in the same stateroom as that adult or in a directly connecting one, and guests 15 to 20 can be no more than three staterooms away, with the bookings cross-referenced. Bookings made between February 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026 kept the old rule that 18 to 20 year olds could be booked anywhere on the ship. Married couples bring the marriage license or certificate and military guests a copy of proof of service to the pier. Minors must be 12 or older to stay in Havana or Terrazza staterooms. Groups of minors need one adult chaperone for every five minors (one for eight before October 1, 2026), and group bookings of eight or more staterooms carry a $100 damage deposit per minor.
Infants
| Sailing | Minimum age |
|---|---|
| Domestic cruises (Carnival's term for its regular U.S. itineraries) | 6 months on embarkation day |
| Trans-ocean crossings and remote itineraries with more than 2 consecutive sea days | 12 months on embarkation day |
| Transatlantic, transpacific, Hawaii and South America sailings | 12 months on embarkation day |
Drinking age
| Departure or destination | Minimum age |
|---|---|
| All sailings, including those from Europe and Australia, and in every port of call | 21 |
| Tobacco purchases on U.S.-based ships | 21 |
Good to know
- Casino: 18 and older to enter and to play tables, slots, bingo and scratch cards; Carnival publishes no Alaska exception. The Serenity adults-only deck is 21 and older.
- Guests 17 and under who are not with an adult of 21 or older from their party must leave public areas by 1:00 a.m., and under-18s must leave the dance club by 10:00 p.m. Spa treatments and thermal areas are 18 and older; 13 to 17 year olds can book salon services with a parent's consent form.
- Guests who have entered or will enter the 24th week of pregnancy at any point during the cruise cannot sail. Earlier in pregnancy, travel with a letter from your physician confirming fitness to travel, the estimated due date and any ultrasound results.
- Carnival's infant policy page also says that a cruise which includes an international port needs a 12-month-old, a sentence Carnival places with its Australian rules; on the U.S. side Carnival's youth programs take babies from 6 months. Ask us to confirm the rule for your itinerary before you book a baby under 12 months.
- Smoking and vaping are banned in every stateroom and on every balcony. Each violation costs $500 on the Sail & Sign account, everyone in the stateroom can be put off the ship at their own expense with no refund of unused fare, and guests removed this way can be barred from sailing with Carnival again. Marijuana and CBD products, medical or not, are prohibited on board under U.S. federal law.
- Youth programs: Turtles for infants under 2 (from 6 months, with a parent), Camp Ocean for ages 2 to 11 and the teen programs for ages 12 to 17, all included in the fare.
How SmartCruiser handles the fine print for you
- We put your 76 or 91 day final payment date on our calendar and remind you before it, so a booking never cancels by accident.
- Before final payment we watch your sailing for Carnival price drops and sales and reprice the booking when the fare allows it, and we file Early Saver price protection claims for you right up to 2 business days before sailing.
- We handle cancellations, ship and date changes and stateroom moves with Carnival directly and tell you the exact charge, including any $50 Early Saver fee, before you decide.
- Prepaid gratuities, CHEERS!, Wi-Fi, Fly2Fun air and Carnival Vacation Protection go on your invoice if you want them, and your VIFP Club number goes on the reservation so your Carnival Rewards points post.
- SmartCruiser adds bonus onboard credit on top of Carnival's own offers on every sailing. Ask for it when you call 1-800-444-1560.
Last verified October 14, 2026 against Carnival Cruise Line's own pages: Deposit and Final Payment Requirements, I need to cancel my booking, is there a penalty?, Deposit, final payment and cancellation policy (booking engine), Early Saver Promotion, Carnival Vacation Protection, Service Gratuities (Tips), Cruise Hive: gratuity and drink package increases in effect (April 2026), Travel Market Report: Carnival increases daily gratuity (February 2026), What to Wear (dress code), Minor Guest Policy: effective October 1, 2026, Cruise Hive: minor guest policy change (October 2026), Infant Policy, Age Restrictions On Board, Pregnancy Policy, Locations Where You Can Smoke, Tobacco and Marijuana Smoking Policy. These deposit, payment and cancellation terms are the ones Carnival publishes for bookings made in the United States in U.S. dollars. Carnival's Australian ships and bookings made in the United Kingdom, Canada and other markets have their own booking conditions, and Australian fares include gratuities. Policies change; the cruise line's ticket contract and the terms on your booking confirmation govern.
Questions
Carnival Cruise Line policy FAQ
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Ask a Carnival Cruise Line specialist
Deposits, deadlines, cancellations and what to pack: one call and it is handled, with SmartCruiser's bonus onboard credit on your booking.