On Carnival cruise ships the best rooms are suites. If you’re trying to decide whether to book a balcony room or a suite, you’ll need to know what are the benefits of a suite so that you can decide whether it’s worth the upgrade or not.
Some suites have much better perks than others, so this is also worth factoring into your decision-making.
In this guide to Carnival cruise suites, I’ll show you the amenities and perks that you get with each type of suite, as well as some perks that you might expect to be included, but aren’t.
What Are the Carnival Suite Benefits?
On Carnival cruise ships, suites have separate areas for sitting and sleeping. Depending on the suite, you’ll also get perks such as priority check-in, boarding and debarkation, your first choice of dining times and free laundry. Suites are served by only the best room attendants, so you can expect better service.
There are many different types of suites, and the perks you’ll get vary depending on which suite you book. You can read more on this and see a full list of perks further down in this guide.
Is it Worth Upgrading to a Suite on a Carnival Cruise?
If you value the extra space, the separate sleeping and living areas and the extra perks, then an upgrade to a suite on your Carnival cruise can be well worth it. However, if you’re concerned about your budget, you should know that suites can easily cost twice as much as balcony rooms.
When deciding between a suite versus a balcony room on a Carnival cruise, it’s wise to take note of the difference in price, as well as learning exactly what you can expect for your money.
Savvy cruisers will also consider the cost of gratuities as well as the ticket price. On Carnival cruises, gratuities cost $18 per person, per day for suite guests and $16 per person, per day for everybody else.
Suggested read: How to Upgrade Your Cruise Cabin After Purchase
The Different Suites on Carnival Cruise Ships
There are many different types of suites on Carnival cruise ships. These vary depending on the ship.
New ships Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration feature new ‘Excel’ suite types which come with the best perks of all.
List of all Carnival cruise suites and categories:
- Excel Presidential Suites (SV)
- Excel Aft Suites (LS)
- Excel Corner Suites (KS)
- Excel Suites (DS)
- Captain’s Suites (CS)
- Grand Vista Suites (GV)
- Grand Suites (GS & ES)
- Vista Suites (VS)
- Ocean Suites (OS ans OT)
- Junior Suites (JS and OB)
- Cloud 9 Spa Suites (SS)
- Family Harbor Suites (FS)
- Family Harbor Ocean View Suites (FP)
- Havana Cabana Suites (HS)
- Havana Cabana Corner Suites (HU)
To help you avoid these worst cabins on Carnival Cruise, I’ve created a cabin checklist that you can get for free. Just enter your email address below and you’ll receive it in your inbox straight away.
Carnival Suite Perks: What You Get
On Carnival cruise ships, there are some suite perks that you can expect whichever type of suite you choose. These seven perks are the same whether you choose the cheapest suite, or the most expensive.
The cheapest suites on Carnival cruise ships are Junior Suites and these also include the perks. This is different to Royal Caribbean, as Royal Caribbean Junior Suites don’t include anywhere near as many perks as Royal Caribbean’s Grand Suites and above. Princess Cruises Suite perks also differ between Mini-Suites and Suites.
1. Guaranteed Dining Time Preference
When you book your Carnival cruise you can choose from Early Dining at 5.30 pm, Late Dining at 7.45 pm or Anytime Dining, where you just arrive whenever you like between 5.30 pm and 9.00 pm. While Anytime Dining is great, you may need to wait up to 20 minutes for a table to be ready.
You can request your preferred dining time (Early, Late or Anytime), but this is not guaranteed for most guests. However, Carnival suite guests are guaranteed to receive their first choice of dining preference.
2. Priority Check-In and Express Boarding
On Carnival cruises, suite guests have special check-in privileges. Your cruise documents will be stamped with ‘Priority’ and when you arrive at the port you can head to the Priority Lounge where you’ll be expedited through the check-in procedure as quickly as possible.
3. Priority Debarkation
On Carnival cruises, suite guests are allowed off the ship first, both in ports of call and at the end of the cruise. In ports that require a water shuttle, suite guests have a priority service from ship to shore. For ports where the cruise ship docks, suite guests have a special priority line.
4. Free Laundry
Suite guests on Carnival cruises may enjoy one free bag of laundry per person, per cruise.
While this seems like a good deal, the usual price for a bag of laundry to be washed and folded is only $15. If you want dry cleaning or pressing, you’ll have to pay extra for this, whether you’re staying in a suite or not.
Suggested read: Guide to Laundry on Cruise Ships
5. Free Water
On Carnival cruises, each suite comes with two complimentary bottles of water.
While these are large bottles of water and it’s a nice touch, it’s not too expensive to order water from room service or from the bar. The tap water is also perfectly safe to drink.
6. Service From The Best Stewards
Only the best Carnival room stewards are allowed to service the suites. So when you stay in a suite, you can be sure that your room attendant has many years of experience and is the very best at their job.
You can therefore be sure that your suite will always be perfectly clean and that your room attendant will be eager to help you wherever they can.
7. Bathrobes
Carnival suite guests are given complimentary Carnival bathrobes to wear during the cruise.
A semi-secret Carnival cruise tip is that anyone can get one of these bathrobes, even in a cheap inside room! All you need to do is ask your stateroom attendant and they will bring you the bathrobe to wear with no extra charge (although you may want to tip them).
NEW DEALS JUST RELEASED!
See the latest Carnival cruise offers…
Suite Perks for Specialty Suites
As well as the standard suite perks above, Carnival Cruise Line offers some specialty suites that come with additional perks and amenities. These are listed below…
Carnival Excel Suite Perks
- Free access to Loft 19 plus priority cabana reservations
- Dedicated concierge phone line
- Guaranteed reservations and most specialty restaurants
- Sparkling wine and fruit bowl
- Bottomless Bubbles soft drink package
- Free room service
- Upgraded bathroom amenities
- Free movies on-demand
- Unlimited free laundry
- Access to Thermal Suites and Havana Pool (Presidental Suite Only)
Carnival Cloud 9 Spa Suite Perks
- Unlimited access to thermal suites
- Priority spa reservations
- Discounted spa treatments on port days
- Two free fitness classes per person
- Free body composition analysis
- Spa-braded bathrobes and slippers
- Upgraded Elemis toiletries
Read more: Carnival Cloud 9 Spa Rooms – Worth It Or Not?
Carnival Family Harbor Suite Perks
- Access to the Family Harbor Lounge with daily breakfast and snacks, board games, family movies and video games
- Kids eat free in most specialty restaurants
- Free evening of Night Owls babysitting
Carnival Havana Suite Perks
- Daytime access to the Havana Pool area
The Following Perks Are NOT Included for Suite Guests…
There are some Carnival VIP perks that you might expect suite guests to be able to access. However, these are only for VIFP Diamond or Platinum loyalty guests or those that have purchased a Faster To The Fun package.
1. Priority Luggage
Carnival Cruise Line has to process thousands of bags, delivering each one to the right stateroom. Guests with a Faster To The Fun package and VIFP Diamond and Platinum guests will get their luggage first, but suite guests are not prioritised.
2. First Access to Stateroom
There’s no guarantee that your suite will be ready for you as soon as you board the ship. You may need to relax in the ship’s public areas while you wait. If you want to freshen up as soon as you board and you’re not a VIFP Diamond or Platinum guest, you’d need to buy a Faster To The Fun package.
3. Priority Line and Dedicated Phone Number for Guest Services
On Carnival cruises, the guest services team can get very busy. There’s a priority line at the desk and a VIP phone number, but this isn’t for suite guests. It’s only for VIFP Diamond or Platinum guests and those who have purchased the Faster To The Fun package.
There’s no guarantee that your suite will be ready for you as soon as you board the ship. You may need to relax in the ship’s public areas while you wait. If you want to freshen up as soon as you board and you’re not a VIFP Diamond or Platinum guest, you’d need to buy a Faster To The Fun package.
Do You Need Faster To The Fun if You Have a Suite?
You don’t really need Carnival’s Faster To The Fun package if you have a suite, as many of the perks that you get with Faster To The Fun come for free with a suite anyway. The only real Faster To The Fun extras you get on top are first access to your stateroom, faster luggage delivery and a priority line at guest services.
Many of the Faster To The Fun perks like the first choice of dining times, faster check-in and boarding, priority water shuttles services and faster debarkation are things that you’ll already get with your suite.
So, you can get Faster To The Fun as well, but it’s probably not worth it.
Suggested read: Is Faster To The Fun worth it?
Carnival Suite FAQs
Carnival’s largest suites are Presidential Suites. These suites are 475 sq feet with a 645 sq ft balcony and space for five guests. There are two Presidential Suites on Mardi Gras and two on Carnival Celebration.
On Carnival cruise ships, some suites accommodate up to five guests. For larger families, you can book two connecting rooms with a door between them. Not all suites sleep five, some sleep only two, three or four.
Junior Suites are the smallest suites on Carnival cruise ships. They’re usually slightly larger than balcony rooms and come with extra perks like priority boarding, debarkation and dining time assignment. The category is JS or OB. 
Ocean Suites are the standard suites on Carnival Cruise ships. They usually feature amenities like bathtubs, walk-in closets and large balconies and come with perks like faster check-in, debarkation and guaranteed dining time preferences. The category is OS or OT.
Final Thoughts
Carnival Cruise Line’s suites come with many benefits compared to balcony cabins. You’ll get upgraded amenities in your room like a bathtub, walk-in closet and separate living space. Plus, there are service perks like VIP check-in and water shuttles, so you can walk straight to the front of the line.
The perks vary depending on the suite, with Excel suites on the newest ships having the most perks of all.
NEW DEALS JUST RELEASED!
See the latest Carnival cruise offers…
To make your decision, it’s always a good idea to look at the deck plan for your chosen ship to see where the room is located relevant to other things on the ship.
Here are some links to the deck plans:
- Carnival Breeze
- Carnival Conquest
- Carnival Dream
- Carnival Ecstasy
- Carnival Elation
- Carnival Freedom
- Carnival Glory
- Carnival Horizon
- Carnival Legend
- Carnival Liberty
- Carnival Magic
- Mardi Gras
- Carnival Miracle
- Carnival Panorama
- Carnival Paradise
- Carnival Pride
- Carnival Radiance
- Carnival Sensation
- Carnival Spirit
- Carnival Splendor
- Carnival Sunrise
- Carnival Sunshine
- Carnival Valor
- Carnival Vista
Related Posts:
- Carnival Cruise Ships by Size
- Carnival Cruise Ships By Year
- 12 Ways to Use Your Carnival Onboard Credit Like a Pro
Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
How much would a suite cost for 4 adults and 2 children?
How can I get boarding assistance? I tried to sign up for early boarding but was too late.
My husband is 74, I am 72 and we are both in the disabled category. We will be on Carnival Dream 08/Sep/2023. For traveling we need to have 2 walkers for mobility issues, oxygen & refrigerator meds, CPAP equipment, diabetes & blood pressure equipment. All of this will be in addition to the other types if ‘carry-on items we will have with us.
Any information you can provide that will help and be greatly appreciated.
Hi. If you call your travel agent (if you have one) or Carnival, they will be able to arrange assistance for you. Jenni
Is obc per stateroom or per passenger Thank you for your time Steve
It’s usually given per stateroom.
How much does a balcony cabin cost for Sunshine?
I am a 75 year old traveling with my niece and her 14 year old son.
Can we get a cabin with beds for 3?