Guests With Disabilities

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Service Dogs

Carnival only permits service dogs on board. A service dog is legally defined and individually trained to meet the specific needs of a person with a disability.

Pets, or service dogs in training, are not allowed aboard. Emotional support dogs, which are not recognized by the US Department of Justice, are also not permitted on Carnival ships.

If you are traveling with a working service dog that meets the requirements described above, please review the below carefully to ensure your dog meets these requirements to accompany you on your cruise.

  • The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued new, mandatory requirements, effective August 1, 2024, for all dogs arriving in the United States. These requirements are applicable irrespective of whether the dog left the U.S. and is returning and regardless of the country it is traveling from.
  • Dependent upon countries visited in the last six months, completion of additional forms may be necessary. Forms may also be required based upon whether the dog was vaccinated against rabies in the United States or another country.
  • We recommend using the CDC’s online tool, DogBot on their website at www.cdc.gov/DogTravel for the most up-to-date information regarding CDC’s dog entry requirements based on your dates of travel and where your dog is traveling from.
  • All dogs must:
  • Be healthy upon arrival.
  • Be at least 6 months of age.
  • Have an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) compatible microchip implanted prior to any required rabies vaccinations.
  • Have a CDC Dog Import Form receipt (the CDC Dog Import Form is available on CDC’s website starting July 15, 2024). Upon successful completion of the form, a receipt will be autogenerated and immediately emailed to you. There is no charge for submitting this form.
  • Many of our ports of call have established strict entry requirements for animals. Therefore, guests traveling with working service dogs must visit the Department of Agriculture website , or their service animal’s veterinarian, to determine each destination country’s policy regarding admission of working service dogs.
  • Many of the ports you may visit will only accept annual rabies vaccinations and do not recognize three-year rabies vaccination.
  • Mexican ports require service dogs to have received an ecto-parasite and endo-parasite treatment no more than 15 days prior to arrival to port and this information should be included in the dog’s health certificate. If you have any questions, please consult with your veterinarian.
  • If your itinerary includes a visit to Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands requires all service dogs to travel with the necessary documentation (including an import license) regardless of whether or not the service dog will disembark in Grand Turk. Grand Turk also has breed restrictions as per their Dogs Control Ordinance 2014. No import license shall be issued for the restricted breeds. Any restricted breed service dog, or any service dog without all the proper documentation, will not be able to board the ship at embarkation.
  • Some ports will charge a fee for an agricultural representative to issue a landing permit for your dog.
  • Carnival is not responsible for limitations imposed on services dogs by entities or shore excursion providers in foreign ports of call.
  • You must hand-carry (not packed in your baggage) all required documents, along with your working service dog’s current vaccination records, which must show the service dog’s microchip number. Please have your CDC Import Form receipt with you as well. You will be asked to present the original records at embarkation. Once on board, documentation will need to be submitted to Guest Services to ensure all ports of call have the information prior to arrival.
  • Failure to have the required documentation may result in your service dog not being able to travel with you and/or be able to disembark at a port of call. No compensation will be issued in this regard.

Please submit copies of your vaccine records to access@carnival.com no later than one week prior to sailing. This will allow us the opportunity to confirm with the port authorities if there is anything else needed and get back to you.

Care, Feeding and Relief Areas

  • You will be required to bring your own food for your service dog
  • A relief area in a non-guest traffic area of the ship using Second Nature Dog Litter will be set up on board by our team. Should you (or your service dog) prefer another material, you must receive approval from our Guest Access department prior to sailing in order to bring it aboard. Service dogs are not to use any areas other than the assigned area to relieve themselves.
  • Service dogs are not to be fed in the ship’s dining room, buffet dining areas, or specialty restaurants.
  • Service dogs are not permitted on furniture, or in food preparation areas, pools, whirlpools, saunas, or steam rooms. Service dogs are permitted in all other public areas of the ship, including dining areas, while on a leash.
  • Service dogs may not be left unattended in your stateroom and our ship’s staff cannot care for the dog.
  • For safety reasons, service dogs must be on a leash and in “uniform” when in common areas of the ship.

So that we may provide you with the additional information you will need in order to sail with your working service dog, please email our Guest Access Department at access@carnival.com, or call 1-800-438-6744 ext. 70025 or 1800 072 670 ext. 70025 if calling from Australia.

If you need general information about accessibility before you cruise, or have an ADA complaint, please call our Guest Access team at 1-800-438-6744 ext.70025, or 1800 072 670 ext. 70025 if calling from Australia. You can also email us at access@carnival.com. All post-cruise ADA concerns will be responded to within 30 days. Carnival's designated ADA Responsibility Officer is Clarisa Stollenwerck, Vice President, Guest Operations.