Carnival Cruise Line Reinstates Priority Check-In, Increases Food Prices

Carnival Cruise Line revealed recent updates regarding the company’s priority check-in options, price increases for certain dining options and new food-waste initiatives.

For Diamond and Platinum VIFP guests, Carnival’s priority check-in and boarding has officially been reinstated across all of its homeports and ships departing from North America and Europe.
The cruise line is also informing passengers that online check-in will continue to open 48 hours earlier for Diamond and Platinum guests. Once passing through the priority check-in lane, travelers can drop their bags off in their staterooms and congregate in public areas.

Priority luggage delivery has also been reinstated for checked bags.

Due to the impact of inflation, higher fuel prices and supply chain challenges, Carnival announced that steakhouse prices across the fleet would increase to $48 per person, up from the current price of $42 per person.

“While I completely understand that the price of food has skyrocketed over the past year, I applaud Carnival for making a modest increase to the cost of a steakhouse meal,” Scott Lara of TheCruiseGenius.com said. “Food waste has always been a problem on cruise ships, so any effort to reduce waste is a plus.”

In addition, per-person prices at specialty dining restaurants on specific ships—including Rudi’s Seagrill and Bonsai Teppanyaki—are also increasing to reflect the higher costs the cruise line pays for the fine menu items.

Carnival also introduced several initiatives to help minimize food waste, including limiting the hours of operation for the complimentary self-serve ice cream and frozen yogurt service and adding a $5 charge for a third entree.