Carnival is dedicated to offering the finest cruising experience to our guests with special requirements. Our 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 if perfect for people who have a special need for fun!  Fun for all, all for fun! Click here for our Special Requirements Information form.

General Access

Carnival has made substantial modifications to enhance your ability to move about our ships. Our ships feature Accessible Elevators at each elevator bank with tactile controls within reach of guests who use wheelchairs and auditable signals for guest who are blind or with low vision.

Accessible Routes are available thought most areas of the ship and signs are posted to assist you in locating these pathways.

A diagram of accessible routes and emergency exit routes for your ship, as well as a diagram which indicates the location of accessible seating within your ships restaurants and lounges are available at the Guest Services desk on board, or by contacting our Guest Access Services Department.

Accessible Accommodations

An entry doorway which is 32” in width; a 36” wide accessible path through the stateroom; accessible closet rods and shelves; safe, telephone, desk, and bathroom with a roll-in shower, grab bars and accessible lavatory.  Here are the deck plans and the accesible routes by ship class:

As with all Carnival reservations, staterooms within each category are assigned on a first-come/first-serve basis. Therefore, it is advisable to reserve an accessible or modified stateroom in advance. Please contact our Guest Access Services Department for reservations.

Wheelchair Users:

Mobility Scooters: Passenger scooters must be stored and batteries recharged in your cabin. Due to safety considerations, wheelchairs and scooters cannot be stored in the corridors. Your personal scooter should be able to fit in a standard cabin: a 21” entry doorway. If your scooter needs to be larger than 21”, you must purchase a modified cabin or rent a smaller scooter. Please contact the Guest Access Services Department if you need information on rental procedures or require a modified cabin. Segways and other similar vehicles are not permitted on board our vessels.

• Wheelchair accessible public restrooms are located throughout our ships. Please contact Guest Access Services for our accessible route deck plans.
• At certain ports of call, small boats known as tenders are used to transport passengers from the ship to shore. Some of these tenders may not be accessible to individuals using wheelchairs and mobility scooters. Or, the status of the tendering process at a particular port under certain weather conditions may prove difficult for a safe transfer to take place.  In each case, it will be the decision of the 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. In order to safely board tenders, guests must be able to take steps and use a collapsible fold up wheelchair. Motorized wheelchairs and mobility scooters cannot be taken on tenders. *Note—Tendering ports are Cabo San Lucas, Catalina, Belize, Half Moon Cay, Grand Cayman, Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa (Mexico), Kona (Hawaii), Lahaina (Hawaii), Sitka (Alaska), Newport, RI and possibly Cozumel, St. Marteen.
• Facilities in ports of call vary significantly; wheelchair accessibility may not be available for shore tours or in certain ports of call. Carnival is not responsible for accessibility in its ports of call, which are not under Carnival's control.
• For transportation from the airport to the pier, Hydraulic Lift Transfer is available for guest with mobility impairments, if requested in advance. Standard transfer charges apply; there is no additional cost for the lift. Please advise your Guest Access Representative if you require this service. 
• For wheelchair assistance at the airport terminals, please contact the air carrier directly.

 Furthermore, the wheelchairs onboard are used for emergencies and time-to-time usage, therefore, Carnival Cruise Lines is unable to confirm the exclusivity of a wheelchair for the entire duration of the cruise.  Additionally, wheelchairs from the ships cannot be taken off shore in ports-of-call. If you require the regular use of a wheelchair, Carnival Cruise Lines respectfully asks that you bring your own or rent one from a service provider.

Diabetes/ Medicine storage

Staterooms are equipped with mini bars which are designed to maintain the temperature of beverages. Please do not use them to store medications that have specific temperature requirements. Should you need to store medicine that needs proper refrigeration, please visit Guest Services where access to a refrigerator is available 24/7. 

For your reference, not all ships have mini-bars, so this impacts only the following ships:

• Carnival Conquest
• Carnival Dream
• Carnival Freedom
• Carnival Glory
• Carnival Legend
• Carnival Liberty
• Carnival Miracle
• Carnival Pride
• Carnival Spirit
• Carnival Splendor
• Carnival Valor

Additionally, the suites in some of our ships have refrigerators. These refrigerators are adequate for medicine storage, but guests are always welcome to contact Guest Services for assistance.

Dietary Needs

Carnival Cruise Lines can provide meals to our guests with the following special dietary needs: vegetarian, low-cholesterol, low-fat, low-carbohydrates, low-sugar, gluten free, and Kosher. If you have food allergies, please advise your dining staff once on board, or contact a Guest Access Services Representative to discuss your requirements.

Dialysis

Carnival does not supervise dialysis machines for those guests who require Hemo-Dialysis. We do allow guests who require Peritoneal (self Dialysis). Guests must travel with all medical supplies and medications and self-administer in their stateroom.

Oxygen

Guests using oxygen and other breathing apparatuses are responsible for traveling with their own supply of oxygen and medications. Guest need to bring enough oxygen to last the duration of the cruise. Oxygen supplies on board the vessels are for emergency use only.

If you choose to hand carry your oxygen, packing oxygen cylinders and/or tanks in your luggage, as well as putting them through security x-ray machines, is strictly prohibited. Please hand carry your oxygen machines (BiPAP, CPAP, Concentrator, Nebulizer, etc.) and do not place them in your checked luggage. 

Deaf /Hard of Hearing

In-cabin alert systems are available upon request. These kits include: bed shaker, smoke alarm, and door. Our in-cabin telephones are equipped with an amplifier.

Infrared systems are available in the main show lounges on board some ships.

Blind/Low Vision

Braille Signage is available on board some ships. Braille and large print format is available with advance notice for the following documents: In-Cabin Directories, Cruise Ticket Contract, and Welcome Aboard Booklets. We also provide an audio format for our Carnival Capers. 

Service Animals

Carnival Cruise Lines does permit guest to travel on board with specially trained service animals (e.g., dog guides, hearing-ear dogs, working dogs). Please note that many of our exciting ports of call have established strict entry requirements for animals. Therefore, guests with service animals who wish to disembark in ports of call should contact the Department of Agriculture to determine the policy of each destination regarding admission of service animals to the particular country. Pets are not permitted onboard.