I am one of those people who gets excited about checking in for a cruise as early as possible. It is a sign that my trip is really happening. For Carnival online check-in, though, it is actually really important to do it as early as possible. That is because you will select your pier arrival time, which matters much more than it used to. So when, exactly, can you start online check-in, and what else is involved?
Carnival allows most guests to check in 14 days before your cruise. For guests staying in suites and with elite status in the Very Important Fun Person loyalty program, it is 16 days. However, that isn’t 14 or 16 days before the moment your ship departs. It is that many days before midnight in Miami on the day your ship will depart. I live in the Central time zone in Texas, so I was able to actually check in at 11:02 p.m. 17 days before my cruise. Because I did that, I could make any pick I wanted about when to arrive at the pier. Being me, I selected 10 a.m.– the first possible moment I could get on the shop.
One person can check in for everyone on the reservation. Before you log in, please be sure to have your passports and known traveler numbers (Global Entry, etc) ready. You will need to enter that information as part of the Carnival online check-in process. Also, be prepared to answer health questions, select whether you want a king bed or two twin beds, and confirm your dining time. When you are done, you will be able to print out your boarding pass and luggage tags.
COVID policies
You will be asked to acknowledge the COVID policies that apply at that time. As of today, that means that guests must have been vaccinated unless they specifically received an exemption from the cruise line. The second round of that vaccination must be administered at least 15 days before the cruise. If you are vaccinated, you may take your COVID test two days before the cruise. Antigen, NAAT, and PCR tests are all acceptable. Home tests are also acceptable, although they must be a proctored test. You cannot simply take the test on your own without someone watching it. If you are eligible for a booster and have had at least one round, you can take your test up to three days before the cruise. That means a boosted passenger leaving on Saturday could take the test as early as Wednesday.
Showing up at the pier now happens on an appointment system, so I encourage you to do online check-in as early as possible so you can select your preferred time. Please consider watching the video for even more details, and happy travels!
