General (Policies)	9 Months Ended
Aug. 31, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation The Consolidated Statements of Income and the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the three and nine months ended August 31, 2018 and 2017, the Consolidated Balance Sheet at August 31, 2018 and the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the nine months ended August 31, 2018 and 2017 are unaudited and, in the opinion of our management, contain all adjustments, consisting of only normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair statement. Our interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes included in the Carnival Corporation & plc 2017 joint Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Form 10-K”) filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on January 29, 2018. Our operations are seasonal and results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results for the entire year.
Accounting Pronouncements	Accounting Pronouncements The Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued amended guidance, Compensation - Retirement Benefits - Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost, which requires the bifurcation of service costs and other components of net benefit cost. The presentation of the other components of net benefit cost have been recorded in other income. On December 1, 2017, we adopted this guidance using the retrospective transition method for the presentation of the service cost component and other components of net benefit cost. The impact of adopting this guidance was immaterial to our consolidated financial statements, and as such, prior period information was not revised. The FASB issued guidance, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. When effective, this standard will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”). The standard also requires more detailed disclosures and provides additional guidance for transactions that were not comprehensively addressed in U.S. GAAP. This guidance is required to be adopted by us in the first quarter of 2019. We have elected the modified retrospective adoption method which requires entities to apply the new revenue standard only to the current period consolidated financial statements and record a cumulative-effect adjustment to the December 1, 2018 opening balance of retained earnings, if any. We are substantially complete with our evaluation of changes to our revenues using the model supported by the new revenue standard. The adoption of this guidance will result in the gross presentation of prepaid travel agent commissions, shore excursions and other onboard revenues and costs, all of which were historically presented net, and will require additional disclosures. It is not expected to have a material impact to the timing of our recognition of revenues. The FASB issued amended guidance, Business Combinations - Clarifying the Definition of a Business, which assists entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. This guidance is required to be adopted by us in the first quarter of 2019 on a prospective basis. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. The FASB issued amended guidance, Statement of Cash Flows - Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, which clarifies how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. The amendments are aimed at reducing the existing diversity in practice. This guidance is required to be adopted by us in the first quarter of 2019 and must be applied using a retrospective approach for each period presented. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. The FASB issued amended guidance, Statement of Cash Flows - Restricted Cash, which requires restricted cash to be presented with cash and cash equivalents in the statement of cash flows. This guidance is required to be adopted by us in the first quarter of 2019 and must be applied using a retrospective approach to each period presented. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. The FASB issued amended guidance, Service Concession Arrangements, which clarifies that the grantor in a service arrangement should be considered the customer of the operating entity in all cases. This guidance is required to be adopted by us in the first quarter of 2019 and can be applied using either a retrospective or a modified retrospective approach. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. The FASB issued guidance, Leases, which requires an entity to recognize both assets and liabilities arising from financing and operating leases, along with additional qualitative and quantitative disclosures. This guidance is required to be adopted by us in the first quarter of 2020 and must be applied using a modified retrospective approach which allows entities to either apply the new lease standard to the beginning of the earliest period presented or only to the current period consolidated financial statements. Early adoption is permitted. The initial adoption of this guidance is expected to increase both our total assets and total liabilities, reflecting the lease rights and obligations arising from our lease arrangements, and will require additional disclosures. We are currently evaluating if this guidance will have any other impact on our consolidated financial statements. The FASB issued guidance, Derivatives and Hedging, which targeted improvements to accounting for hedging activities such as hedging strategies, effectiveness assessments, and recognition of derivative gains or losses. This guidance is required to be adopted by us in the first quarter of 2020 and must be applied using a modified retrospective approach. Early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact this guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements.

Accounting Pronouncements

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued amended guidance, Compensation - Retirement Benefits - Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost, which requires the bifurcation of service costs and other components of net benefit cost. The presentation of the other components of net benefit cost have been recorded in other income. On December 1, 2017, we adopted this guidance using the retrospective transition method for the presentation of the service cost component and other components of net benefit cost. The impact of adopting this guidance was immaterial to our consolidated financial statements, and as such, prior period information was not revised.

The FASB issued guidance, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. When effective, this standard will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”). The standard also requires more detailed disclosures and provides additional guidance for transactions that were not comprehensively addressed in U.S. GAAP. This guidance is required to be adopted by us in the first quarter of 2019. We have elected the modified retrospective adoption method which requires entities to apply the new revenue standard only to the current period consolidated financial statements and record a cumulative-effect adjustment to the December 1, 2018 opening balance of retained earnings, if any. We are substantially complete with our evaluation of changes to our revenues using the model supported by the new revenue standard. The adoption of this guidance will result in the gross presentation of prepaid travel agent commissions, shore excursions and other onboard revenues and costs, all of which were historically presented net, and will require additional disclosures. It is not expected to have a material impact to the timing of our recognition of revenues.

The FASB issued amended guidance, Business Combinations - Clarifying the Definition of a Business, which assists entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. This guidance is required to be adopted by us in the first quarter of 2019 on a prospective basis. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

The FASB issued amended guidance, Statement of Cash Flows - Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, which clarifies how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. The amendments are aimed at reducing the existing diversity in practice. This guidance is required to be adopted by us in the first quarter of 2019 and must be applied using a retrospective approach for each period presented. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

The FASB issued amended guidance, Statement of Cash Flows - Restricted Cash, which requires restricted cash to be presented with cash and cash equivalents in the statement of cash flows. This guidance is required to be adopted by us in the first quarter of 2019 and must be applied using a retrospective approach to each period presented. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

The FASB issued amended guidance, Service Concession Arrangements, which clarifies that the grantor in a service arrangement should be considered the customer of the operating entity in all cases. This guidance is required to be adopted by us in the first quarter of 2019 and can be applied using either a retrospective or a modified retrospective approach. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

The FASB issued guidance, Leases, which requires an entity to recognize both assets and liabilities arising from financing and operating leases, along with additional qualitative and quantitative disclosures. This guidance is required to be adopted by us in the first quarter of 2020 and must be applied using a modified retrospective approach which allows entities to either apply the new lease standard to the beginning of the earliest period presented or only to the current period consolidated financial statements. Early adoption is permitted. The initial adoption of this guidance is expected to increase both our total assets and total liabilities, reflecting the lease rights and obligations arising from our lease arrangements, and will require additional disclosures. We are currently evaluating if this guidance will have any other impact on our consolidated financial statements.

The FASB issued guidance, Derivatives and Hedging, which targeted improvements to accounting for hedging activities such as hedging strategies, effectiveness assessments, and recognition of derivative gains or losses. This guidance is required to be adopted by us in the first quarter of 2020 and must be applied using a modified retrospective approach. Early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact this guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements.