First cruise from Norfolk: questions and answers

These are the questions people ask before a first cruise from Norfolk, answered from Carnival's own pages and from the schedule on this site. Carnival is the only line that starts cruises here, so its rules are the ones that apply. We are an independent schedule, not Carnival or the port.

Which cruise lines and ships sail from Norfolk?

Only Carnival, with one ship at a time. Carnival Sunshine sails from Norfolk until her one-way crossing to England on 15 May 2027, and Carnival Freedom's sailings on our schedule start on 23 May 2027. All 89 sailings we list are Carnival departures, and no other line starts a cruise in Norfolk in any source we check.

The Carnival guide compares the two ships, and the ship pages for Carnival Sunshine and Carnival Freedom list every date.

Where do cruises from Norfolk go?

To the Bahamas, the Eastern Caribbean, Bermuda and Atlantic Canada, on round trips that come back to Norfolk. One more voyage, Carnival Sunshine's 15-night crossing of 15 May 2027, ends at Dover in England. These were the routes and lowest fares on 3 November 2026, per person, taxes and port fees included:

Route	Sailings	Ports of call	Lowest fare	Lowest per night
Bahamas	27	Celebration Key on every trip, with Nassau, Half Moon Cay, Bimini or Princess Cays	$441	$74
Eastern Caribbean	36	Grand Turk and Amber Cove, with Half Moon Cay or San Juan	$567	$71
Bermuda	17	Bermuda, with an overnight stay	$621	$104
Canada	8	Halifax and Sydney, with Saint John or Charlottetown	$769	$96
Transatlantic	1	Sydney (Nova Scotia), Greenock, Belfast and Cork, ending at Dover	$945	$63

Bermuda trips run from 11 April 2027 to 22 October 2028 on our schedule, and Canada trips from 4 September 2027 to 28 October 2028. The Bahamas trips mostly run from late fall to early summer, and the Eastern Caribbean trips sail in most months. The season guide shows what leaves in each month.

How long are cruises from Norfolk?

From 5 to 15 nights. Almost every trip is either 6 nights, leaving on a Sunday and back on Saturday, or 8 nights, leaving on a Saturday and back on the Sunday a week later. Our schedule has 42 6-night trips and 44 8-night trips.

The names can mislead. Cruisebound's catalogue calls the 6-night trips "6 Day Bahamas" or "6 Day Bermuda", and the number counts nights: the 3 January 2027 trip leaves Norfolk on Sunday 3 January and is back on Saturday 9 January.

By our count, the 6-night and 8-night trips both use five weekdays, Monday to Friday. The 8-night trip adds the weekend days at each end. There is no 3-day or weekend cruise from Norfolk, and the short cruises guide covers the shortest trips there are.

How many days at sea are there on a cruise from Norfolk?

Two to four on most trips. Every itinerary we read starts with at least one full day at sea after leaving Norfolk, and the round trips are back in Norfolk at 8:00 AM on the last morning. These are the patterns in the itineraries Cruisebound showed on 3 November 2026:

Trip	Days at sea	Days in port
6-night Bahamas, Carnival Sunshine	2	3 islands
6-night Bahamas, Carnival Freedom	3 on most dates, 2 in May and June 2027	2 islands, or 3 in May and June 2027
6-night Bermuda	3	2, with a night docked in Bermuda
8-night Eastern Caribbean	4, two each way	3
8-night Canada	4	3
5-night Bahamas or Bermuda, May 2027	2	2
15-night transatlantic, 15 May 2027	9	5, then Dover

Carnival Freedom's 6-night Bermuda trip of 26 September 2027 is typical. She leaves Norfolk at 4:00 PM on Sunday and spends Monday and Tuesday at sea. She docks in Bermuda from 10:00 AM on Wednesday until 4:00 PM on Thursday, then spends Friday at sea and is back on Saturday morning. Ports and times change from one date to the next, so check the itinerary for yours.

What is included in a Carnival cruise fare from Norfolk?

Your cabin, your meals in the main dining rooms and the Lido Restaurant, and a short list of drinks. Carnival's page names non-bottled water, lemonade, unsweetened iced tea, hot chocolate and non-specialty coffee and tea as included, served in the main dining room and around the clock in the Lido Restaurant.

In the main dining room, menu items are included apart from the Steakhouse Selections. Carnival says you can order a second entrée, and a third costs $5. These cost extra, by Carnival's page on 3 November 2026:

• Specialty restaurants. Carnival says specialty dining may carry a charge, and it adds a 20% service charge to specialty dining and other paid food.
• Most drinks. Drinks not on the list above, such as alcohol, sodas, bottled water and specialty coffee, cost extra, with a 20% service charge on drinks. A 12-pack of bottled water ordered before the cruise and delivered to your cabin was $19.20, delivery fee included.
• Room service drinks. Juice, coffee, tea and milk from room service may be charged after 10:00 am.
• Wi-Fi and gratuities. Both are daily charges, covered below.

Add parking or the ride from the airport when you compare fares. The fares on our schedule are per person for the cheapest cabin listed, with taxes and port fees included.

Is a Carnival cruise from Norfolk all-inclusive?

No. The fare covers meals in the main dining rooms and the Lido and the basic drinks above, but alcohol, sodas, specialty restaurants, Wi-Fi and gratuities cost extra. Carnival sells drinks packages for a flat daily rate, and from Norfolk the alcohol package cannot start until the second morning, under Virginia law as Carnival explains it.

How much are gratuities on a Carnival cruise from Norfolk?

Carnival's recommended amount was $17 a day for each guest in a standard cabin and $19 a day in a suite when we checked on 3 November 2026, for every guest aged 2 and older. For two adults in a standard cabin, that is $34 a day between you, by our arithmetic.

You can prepay the gratuity when you book, by calling Carnival before you sail, online until 11:59 p.m. ET two days before sailing, or through your travel advisor. If you do not prepay, Carnival adds the recommended amount to your Sail & Sign account during the cruise.

The 20% service charge on drinks and specialty dining is separate. Carnival says the crew who share it are not part of the gratuity program, and the bill for drinks and specialty dining has a line for an optional extra tip.

Can you buy a drinks package on a cruise from Norfolk?

Yes, but the alcohol package does not start on the first day. Carnival says state law stops it selling CHEERS! until 6:00 am on the second day on sailings from its Virginia home ports, so drinks on day one are charged as you order them. Bought on day two, CHEERS! is charged for the remaining days only.

If you buy CHEERS! before the cruise, Carnival activates it at 6:00 am on day two on these sailings. These were Carnival's prices on 3 November 2026, per person, per day, with the 20% service charge included:

Package	Bought before the cruise	Bought on board	What it covers
CHEERS!	$83.94	$89.94	Alcohol up to a $20 menu price a serving, sodas, juices, specialty coffee, bottled water
CHEERS! Zero Proof	$35.99	$41.99	Sodas, juices, specialty coffee and tea, bottled water, alcohol-free cocktails and beer
Bottomless Bubbles	$14.38 for adults, $8.34 for 17 and under	The same	Fountain soda and juice

Each adult in a cabin must buy CHEERS! if one does, and it allows up to 15 alcoholic drinks in 24 hours. None of the three packages covers drinks bought at Celebration Key, Half Moon Cay or Princess Cays.

You can bring a little on board yourself. On embarkation day, each guest aged 21 or older may carry on one sealed 750-ml bottle of wine or champagne, and each guest up to 12 cans or cartons of soda, juice or similar drinks of 12 ounces or less. Carnival charges $15 a bottle to serve your own wine in a dining room or bar.

Is there Wi-Fi on a Carnival cruise from Norfolk?

Yes, for a daily fee. On 3 November 2026 Carnival's page listed three plans: Social at $20.40 a day bought before the cruise or $25.00 on board, Value at $23.80 or $32.00, and Premium at $25.50 or $35.00. Each plan works on one device at a time, and Carnival says prices can change without notice.

The Social plan covers social media apps and airline sites but not email, video streaming or Wi-Fi calling. Value adds email and browsing, and Premium allows streaming. A Premium Multi-Device plan for up to four devices was $90.00 a day, sold only online before the cruise.

A plan bought before the cruise must cover the whole trip, and you can buy one online until 11:59 pm ET the day before you sail. Carnival suggests putting your phone in airplane mode on board and connecting to its Wi-Fi, so your carrier does not charge you roaming fees.

What time should you arrive at the Norfolk cruise terminal?

At the arrival appointment you choose during Carnival's online check-in. Carnival says everyone in your cabin should be at the terminal within that appointment, and that online check-in must be done by midnight Eastern time the night before you sail. Bags can be checked until 2 hours before the ship's published departure time.

Cruisebound's itineraries show the ship leaving Norfolk at 4:00 PM on most dates. Your boarding pass has a Final Boarding time, and Carnival says guests who are not on board by then will not sail. If you arrive before 1:30 PM, Carnival says you usually hand your bags to a porter and have lunch on the Lido Deck until the cabins open.

The terminal guide covers where the terminal is and how drop-off works.

Do you need a passport for a cruise from Norfolk?

Not for a round trip, if you are a U.S. citizen. Carnival accepts a U.S. birth certificate with a government-issued photo ID on cruises that begin and end at the same U.S. port, and every Norfolk sailing does except Carnival Sunshine's crossing of 15 May 2027 to Dover. Carnival still highly recommends a passport book for everyone.

The cruise documents guide has the rules for the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, children and non-U.S. citizens.

What should you pack for a Carnival cruise from Norfolk?

Carnival suggests no more than two bags per person on cruises of 6 days or longer, and one bag per person on cruises of 3 to 5 days. Each bag should weigh 50 pounds or less and measure no more than 16 by 24 inches lying flat. Leave it unlocked for screening.

Carry your documents, medication and valuables yourself, because your checked bags reach your cabin later. The dress code in the main dining rooms is "cruise casual" on most nights. Carnival says cruises of 6 days or longer have two Cruise Elegant evenings, and select cruises of 5 days or shorter have one.

One rule matters for the Bahamas trips. Carnival warns that in some ports, The Bahamas among them, it is against the law for anyone, children included, to wear army-style camouflage clothing.

How can you avoid seasickness on a cruise from Norfolk?

Carnival's own advice, in an article from March 2018, is to pack an over-the-counter seasickness medicine before you go, or ask your doctor about scopolamine patches or pills. On board, it suggests looking at the horizon, resting with your eyes closed rather than reading, and asking for a cabin with a window.

If you do feel sick on board, Carnival says the Medical Center or room service has motion sickness pills.

How do you get from the airport to a Norfolk cruise?

On your own. Carnival's page says it does not offer airport transportation for cruises sailing from Norfolk, so you arrange the ride to the terminal yourself. The Norfolk Airport guide compares the options, and the parking guide covers driving to the terminal.

If you are flying in, the hotels guide helps with a night in Norfolk before you sail.

Where do you start if you have not picked a Norfolk cruise yet?

Start with the full schedule, which lists 89 sailings from 14 November 2026 to 28 October 2028. If the dates matter most, the 6-night and 8-night pages list each length, and the season guide shows what sails in each month.

If the price matters most, the cheap and last-minute guide shows which trips cost least per night on our list.