Eager travelers often turn to social media for answers, but it is important to note that those answers aren’t often correct, even from people who claim to be in-the-know or have behind-the-scenes connections to a particular cruise line.
Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald regularly has to debunk rumors and incorrect information to reassure anxious guests.
One of the most persistent rumors about cruising recently surrounds correct travel documents with popular summer sailings to Alaska.
“Over the last week or so I have been answering multiple questions on the subject of a alleged passport requirement for Alaska,” Heald said. “Someone had posted on [social media] that everyone must have a passport to cruise to Alaska and yep, many believed her. I responded over and over again to everyone saying this was not correct.”
Carnival Cruise Line’s website discusses travel documentation, and while it is recommended that all guests travel with a passport, most sailings from US homeports do not require it. Instead, passengers may use a US passport card, state enhanced driver’s license, a certificate of US naturalization, a Native American Indian card, or a birth certificate with a government-issued photo ID.
While all Alaska cruises do include a stop in Canada to satisfy federal Jones Act requirements, US citizens do not need a passport to visit Canada. Citizens of other countries, however, may have different travel documentation requirements and should carefully investigate those guidelines to ensure they have the correct paperwork to set sail no matter where their Carnival ship is homeported.
Read Also: Do I Need a Passport to Go on a Cruise? – Full Guide
All Carnival transatlantic and transpacific cruises, as well as voyages in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, or Asia, do require guests to have valid passports. If a cruise includes a port of call in either Colombia or Greenland, a passport is also required, regardless of the ship’s homeport or overall itinerary.
Other Recent Rumors
Heald has also dismissed other online rumors recently, involving onboard charges, menu items, and acceptable clothing.
For example, Carnival Cruise Line does NOT charge guests $5 for losing their Sail & Sign Card (room key). Replacement keys, whether lost or damaged, are easily gotten from the Guest Services desk onboard, without any fee – even if a traveler needs to replace their card more than once on the same cruise.
Similarly, meat is not being served on the cruise line’s new vegan menu. The cruise line has revamped its main dining room menus over the past two years, and in late 2023, rolled out new vegan options across the fleet. Plant-based meat substitutes are offered as appropriate proteins in the dishes, such as a grilled tofu steak and a Hawaiian salmon poke bowl.
Finally, guests will not be “thrown off the ship for wearing a t-shirt supporting a certain politician,” Heald confirmed.
Carnival Cruise Line does have a dress code to ensure respect, however, but it does not prohibit political endorsements. According to the cruise line’s website:
“All guests are expected to ensure their clothing and accessories are respectful to fellow guests. Specifically, items worn during the cruise should not contain any message that may be considered offensive or contain nudity, profanity, sexual innuendos/suggestions. In addition, clothing and accessories should not promote negative ethnic or racial, commentary, hatred, or violence in any form.”
The idea of “respectful” clothing is certainly open to interpretation. Simply expressing one’s own views or support (or lack thereof) for a specific politician or political candidate is not considered disrespectful, provided the clothing does not include profanity or other prohibited words or imagery.
Other more persistent rumors Heald has also addressed include discontinuing the use of towel animals (not happening), whether or not cruising ducks are banned (they aren’t), and if there will be charges for the toppings at Guy’s Burger Joint (there won’t).
Rather than relying on social media posts and rumors, guests should always seek out accurate information through the cruise line’s website and other reputable sources to ensure they are properly updated and informed before setting sail.
