A Guide for Carnival Guests with Disabilites
Carnival is dedicated to offering the finest cruising experience to their guests with special needs. Carnival Fun Ships provide a quality of service and a variety of accessible features to make your voyage a relaxing and enjoyable experience.
A "Fun Ship" cruise vacation is perfect for people who have a special need for fun! Book your place aboard this fantastic floating resort so you can enjoy the amazing amenities and exciting activities that Carnival has to offer.
General Access
Carnival has made substantial modifications to enhance your ability to move about each ship:
- ACCESSIBLE ROUTES are available through most areas of the ship, and signs are posted to assist you in locating these pathways.
- Carnival ships feature ACCESSIBLE ELEVATORS at each elevator bank, with tactile controls within the reach of guest using wheelchairs, and audible signals for guests with seeing impairments.
- A DIAGRAM of accessible routes and emergency egress routes for your ship, as well as a diagram which indicates the location of accessible seating within your ship's restaurants and lounges.
- Spacious and easily accessible lobbies and elevators.
- All showrooms have accessible routes and seating areas.
- Accessible seating in all dining rooms and lounges.
Accessible Staterooms
Each Carnival ship offers accessible staterooms. Features for these staterooms include:
- Entry doors, which are 32' in width; a 36' - wide accessible path through the stateroom; accessible closet rods and shelves; safe; telephones and desks; and bathrooms with roll-in showers, grab bars and accessible lavatories.
- Additional staterooms have been modified to provide amenities within the reach of individuals with disabilities and include remote control and close-captioned televisions. (Additionally, when requested by guests prior to boarding, portable TTY kits are available for your stateroom and will be pre-installed.)
As with all Carnival reservations, staterooms within each category are assigned on a first-come/first-served basis. Therefore, it is advisable to reserve an accessible or modified stateroom with your CruiseCheap.com Cruise Specialists as early as possible to ensure availability, but they must let us know before the booking is confirmed.
Accessible Facilities
- Carnival ships include accessible public restrooms in addition to your stateroom's bath. Signs will assist you in locating the nearest accessible restroom.
- Every Spa Carnival is on an accessible route and offers accessible gym equipment that is on an accessible level. Saunas, steam rooms and a massage room have been converted.
- Guests unable to access Spa Carnival may have massage services rendered in their stateroom. Upon request, Carnival will also provide laundry service for guests who are unable to access laundry rooms.
Assistive Devices and Other Services
- TTY kits, which are available if requested prior to boarding, include a Text Telephone, Bed Shaker, Smoke Alarm, Door Knocker and Phone Amplifier.
- Guests using electric wheelchairs should contact the Information Desk for details on how to charge their batteries.
- Guests may bring their own oxygen tank for personal use, but should have their CruiseCheap.com Cruise Specialist notify Guest Access Services with quantity, quality and type prior to boarding. Also see Information Desk for Storage.
- Medically related special dining requests should also be communicated to Guest Access Services upon booking your reservation.
Service Animals
Carnival is pleased to permit guests to travel on board with specially trained service animals (e.g., seeing-eye and hearing-ear dogs). Please note that many of their exciting ports of call have established strict entry requirements for certain animals. Therefore, guests with service animals who wish to disembark to visit ports of call should contact the Department of Agriculture to determine the policy of each destination regarding admission of service animals to that country.
Special Transfers
For transportation from the airport to the pier, Hydraulic Lift Transfers are available for guests with mobility impairments, if requested in advance. Standard transfer charges apply; there is no additional charge for the lift. Please have your CruiseCheap.com Cruise Specialists contact Guest Access Services to arrange for special transfers.
Shore Excursions
At certain ports of call, small boats known as tenders are used to transport passengers from the ship to shore. Whenever possible, Carnival will attempt to permit guests using wheelchairs to proceed. However, certain of these tenders may not be accessible to individuals using wheelchairs, or the status of the tendering process at a particular port of under certain weather conditions may prove difficult for a safe transfer to take place. In each case, it will be the decision of ship officials to determine, based on their evaluation of safety issues for our guests and crew, whether or not a guest using a wheelchair may board a tender.
To obtain information about ports of call that require tendering, please have your CruiseCheap.com Cruise Specialist contact Guest Access Services. Some ports of call may not be fully accessible to users of wheelchairs or for individuals with mobility impairments. Carnival will make every effort to work with you to help you identify shore tours to meet your needs.
Booking a Cruise for Passengers with a Disability
If you do indeed require special assistance on your cruise, please do not book your cruise online. Accessible cabins are not always shown online. Please call and speak to a CruiseCheap.com Cruise Expert and we will do our best to make sure your needs are taken care of before, during and after your cruise.
