Carnival and Royal Caribbean’s 2025 age restrictions: Cruisers under the age of 21 need a guardian aged 25 or older. Exceptions for military and married travelers. Plan your trip to Galveston today!

Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean have changed their age restrictions for young travelers. Major cruise companies impose limitations on young passengers. There is a new travel regulation in force.

What does it mean for cruises leaving Galveston?

According to the new regulation, every visitor under 21 must be escorted by someone over. There are some exceptions.

Some cruise companies have implemented new minimum age regulations for unaccompanied guests. Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Lines have updated their policies for underage guests.

Starting March 2025, Royal Caribbean and Carnival will require a minimum age of 21 for solo sailing.

According to Christy Lyczkowski, a travel advisor with Pirate and Pixie Dust Destinations of Christy L Travel, if you are between the ages of 19 and 21, you must contact the cruise line or your travel advisor. Otherwise, you may need to reschedule or cancel your spring break vacation.

There are exceptions to the new regulation. “Married individuals aged 18-21 who can prove their legal marriage are permitted to sail.” You may sail if you are 18–21 years old and engaged in the military serving in the US or Canada, according to the author.

According to Lyczkowski, if you are under 21 and want to travel alone on a Royal Caribbean or Carnival cruise, you must take action before the cruise date.

She goes on: “If you show up to the port on that day, and you’re not legally 21, then they can turn you away, and they will turn you away, and they are not required to give your money back.”

Galveston, Texas— Travelers interested in booking a cruise from Galveston should be aware of a recent development concerning a major cruise company.

Carnival Cruise Line has amended its age policy to require lone guests to be at least 21 years old.

Under the rules, every visitor under the age of 21 must be accompanied by someone over the age of 25.

Exceptions: legally married couples and eligible military members.

According to ABC 11, all travelers traveling alone must be at least 21 years old. Previously, travelers had to be 18 years old or older.

If you have any questions, contact your travel agent or cruise operator immediately to avoid being turned away due to the new minor passengers’ policy.

However, there are several exceptions to the new rules by Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean.

“You can sail if you are legally married and between the ages of 18 and 21,” Lyczkowski said that active military personnel between the ages of 18 and 21 who can demonstrate active service in the US and Canada are eligible to sail.

Carnival’s policy requires all passengers under 21 to travel with someone aged 25 or older.

• Carnival Cruise Line just introduced their new Beach Club.
• No matter your age, you’re never too young to enjoy an exclusive beach club. That’s why Carnival Cruise Line.
• Celebration Key, Carnival Cruise Line’s exclusive beach area in the Bahamas, is nearing completion. With just five months before its launch, significant milestones have already been reached.
• Carnival Vista’s new venue will open to travelers on July 19 during its maiden port call.

An overhead image of Celebration Key’s expansion reveals the Calypso Lake Portal, which is exclusively accessible to adults.

The 5-gates destination’s major attraction, the 10-story Castle waterslide tower, can be seen in the distance, surrounded by scaffolding.

Guests under 21 or trying to board alone will be refused admittance and will not get a refund, according to Carnival policy.

The policy change takes effect immediately.

• Carnival operates five ships from Galveston: The Breeze, Dream, Jubilee, Legend, and Miracle.
• RELATED: Could Galveston’s waterfront undergo significant changes?
• This announcement comes as Galveston strengthens its position as a significant participant in the cruise industry.
• AAA predicts that 19 million Americans will take ocean cruises in 2025.

Galveston has become the fourth most popular cruise port in North America and the eighth busiest in the world, breaking previous records. In 2024, the port handled over 3.4 million passengers and 380 sailings over its three terminals.

According to Rodger Rees, port director of Galveston Wharves, “Cruising from Galveston has never been better.” “We’re providing more sailings to more locations on newer, bigger ships. In November, we will open our fourth cruise terminal, which will serve Norwegian and MSC Cruises.

Royal Caribbean International’s website states guests must be at least 21 years old to travel alone on North American cruises. Guests traveling from South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand must be 18 years old.

Please contact your cruise operator or travel agency if you need any clarification regarding the new policy.

During a recent site visit, Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy ceremoniously filled one of the Caribbean’s two biggest freshwater lagoons. An on-site system will desalinate about 7 million gallons of freshwater from the lagoons.

Celebration Key marks a new chapter for Carnival. Its construction shows our strong partnership with the Bahamas. Duffy said it’s wonderful to see the vision come to life.

Tips for Booking a Cruise

If you’re preparing to set sail, AAA suggests keeping these points in mind:

• Plan your activities ahead of time. Popular cruise excursions and onboard events fill up quickly.
• Consider travel insurance to protect your investment in case of an emergency.
• Arrive the day before—To avoid flight delays and cancellations, allow additional time.
• Choose your parking space—For added convenience, several cruise ports provide on-site parking.
• You can download the cruise line’s app and use it to check in, study the itinerary, and view daily schedules.
• Check parking limits—know which goods are forbidden. Before you pack.

The Carnival Cruise website states that customers must be 21 years old on embarkation day to cruise alone. Guests under 20 years must be accompanied by a guardian or relative over 25 (not necessarily a legal guardian).

“We started construction on this location less than three years ago, and in just five months, our first visitors will take advantage of the many experiences we designed for them to celebrate and enjoy this gorgeous place on the Grand Bahamas.”