How to Play CruiseQuest
A fan-made photo scavenger hunt for Carnival cruisers. Find spots on your ship, snap a photo, earn tokens, win medals.
The short version
- Join your sailing — pick your ship + departure date, choose a nickname, and you're in.
- Get a target — CruiseQuest picks a spot on your ship for you: a bar, a mural, a hidden plaque, a port landmark.
- Snap a photo — open your camera, shoot it, upload. Our AI checks whether it's the real thing.
- Earn tokens + medals — every verified find rewards points. Stack them to climb the leaderboard and unlock Captain's medals.
- Repeat — hunt for 5, 10, 25 targets. The more you catch, the rarer your medal.
Target categories
Every sailing comes with a full board of targets split across six categories. Each rewards different tokens based on difficulty:
🟢 Common
Everyday spots every cruiser walks past — the Atrium, the Lido pool sign, RedFrog Pub. 5 tokens each. Great for warming up.
🔵 Uncommon
Slightly off-path — specific decks, specialty bars, art you have to actually look at. 10 tokens each.
🟣 Hidden
Tucked-away gems — spots most passengers never see. Captain's ladders, photos behind the stage, kids'-club secrets. 20 tokens each.
🟡 Port
Only active on specific port-call dates. Photograph landmarks in Cozumel, Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, etc. 15 tokens.
🎭 Theme
Time-gated targets tied to themed nights — 80s Party, White Night, Gold Night. Active only during the event window. 25 tokens.
🏆 Mega
The crown-jewel targets. One or two per sailing — legendary spots, massive point swings, entry to the Hall of Fame. 50 tokens.
Difficulty tiers — pick your adventure
Not every cruiser wants to hunt 40 targets. When you sign up you're on Blue tier (gentle: 5 finds, 0.1–0.2 mi walking). You can switch tiers any time on your profile page:
- 🔵 Blue — 5 finds, Common-only. 10–15 min total. Perfect for a sea day.
- 🔴 Red — 10 finds, Common + Uncommon. Covers 3–4 decks.
- 🟡 Gold — 20 finds, adds Hidden targets. Expect to walk 4–6 decks.
- 💎 Platinum — 30+ finds, adds Theme + Port targets. Multi-day campaign.
- ✨ Diamond — unlocked after Platinum. Endless mode. Your finds reset, your run counter climbs, and your Hall of Fame slot gets brighter with every run.
Scoring + leaderboards
Every verified photo awards tokens (the category value) plus a speed bonus if you're one of the first on your sailing to catch it:
- 1st finder: +100% bonus
- 2nd finder: +50% bonus
- 3rd finder: +25% bonus
Three leaderboards run at all times:
- My Sailing — ranks cruisers against the other players on your ship right now.
- Global — every CruiseQuest player across every Carnival sailing, all-time.
- Speedrun — fastest time from first find to complete, by tier and by category.
AI photo verification
Every photo runs through Anthropic's Claude vision model. It reads your photo and checks whether it matches the target — the Alchemy Bar sign, the Captain's portrait, the exact Cozumel Playa Palancar shot. Verification is usually instant. Fabricated or screenshotted submissions will fail and can get you removed from the leaderboard.
Recovery codes — don't lose your progress
When you sign up, CruiseQuest generates a memorable code like ANCHOR-4729. This is your portable identity. Write it in your phone's notes, screenshot it, or have us save it on this device. If you clear cookies, switch phones, or join your next cruise, you sign back in with this code and your lifetime stats come with you.
One player, many cruises
Your CruiseQuest identity lives across sailings. Back on land after a cruise? Add your next one from your profile page — works on any Carnival ship. Your global rank, medals, and Hall of Fame entries all carry over.
Rules & fair play
- Each photo must be a real, in-the-moment shot taken by you on-board.
- Screenshots, internet images, or manipulated photos will be rejected.
- Don't upload photos of other guests without consent.
- Don't submit the same exact photo for multiple targets.
- Respect the ship's crew, venues, and rules — CruiseQuest does not override safety, staffing, or private-area restrictions.
Is CruiseQuest official?
No. CruiseQuest is an independent fan-made project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by Carnival Corporation & plc. "Carnival," ship names, and related marks are trademarks of Carnival Corporation.
Still have questions?
Email [email protected] or peek at the landing page, global leaderboard, and public gallery to see the game in motion.