It’s that time of year again, when morning becomes night and evening becomes afternoon – it’s Daylight Saving Time. For Carnival Cruise Line travelers, that means an hour lost on their vacations as clocks “spring forward” at 2 a.m. on Sunday morning, March 9, 2025.
Daylight Saving Time can already be confusing on dry land. When at sea onboard a ship that may already be sailing through various time zones it can be even more confusing.
To help ease that confusion, John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador, has confirmed that all Carnival ships (except two) will follow the convention of moving the clocks ahead.
“I wanted to confirm that we will follow the rest of the United States and that means the ship’s time will change to daylight saving time at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 9,” Heald said. “Please remember to set your clocks forward by one hour before you go to bed on Saturday night.”
The cruise directors onboard Carnival ships will likely make similar announcements to remind guests about the time change, and messages may be delivered to guests’ staterooms as an additional reminder to move clocks ahead.
This will be especially crucial for guests who will either be exploring ports of call on Sunday or who will be debarking or embarking their ships.
For example, Carnival Conquest departed PortMiami on Friday, March 7 for a 3-night Bahamas cruise and will be spending Sunday, March 9 in Nassau. Guests onboard will want to be sure their clocks are reset properly so they don’t miss out on shore tour departure times.
Even if guests aren’t taking a tour but will explore the port of call at their leisure, proper time is essential to return to the ship on time and not be a pier runner.
Likewise, guests who are debarking vessels on Sunday morning want to make sure they’re up and ready to vacate their staterooms at the right time to catch transfers to the airport or to get started on the drive home. Being late could unfortunately mean missed flights or other problems.
Similarly, guests boarding their Carnival cruise ships Sunday afternoon will want to be on time for their cruise terminal arrival appointments so they can check-in and embark smoothly to get their vacations underway. Being late to arrive could mean missing the delicious Funfetti cheesecake at the Lido Marketplace lunch buffet!
Two Carnival Ships Won’t Change Times – Yet
Only two ships in the Carnival fleet won’t be following Daylight Saving Time quite yet.
Carnival Luminosa and Carnival Splendor are both homeported in Australia, from Brisbane and Sydney, respectively. While Australia does follow Daylight Saving Time, the clocks there aren’t changed until early April, rather than in early March.
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Both ships will adjust their onboard clocks as necessary when the time comes, no pun intended.
Guests on every ship should be aware that their cell phones and smart devices may “spring forward” automatically with time adjustments. It is important to be sure that this matches the ship’s onboard time, as that is how shore tours, all aboard times, and onboard activities are scheduled.
