The best day of the week to visit Westminster Abbey is typically Wednesday or Thursday, specifically during the late afternoon. Most large tour groups and school trips tend to visit on Mondays and Tuesdays, and the weekend (Saturday) is consistently the busiest time for tourists. It is important to note that the Abbey is closed to tourists on Sundays and for most religious holidays, as it remains an active place of worship. To avoid the longest queues, you should aim to arrive about 20 to 30 minutes before the doors open in the morning, or wait until about 2:30 PM after the morning rush has cleared. In 2026, booking a "timed-entry" ticket online in advance is essential, as "walk-up" availability is limited. If you want a more spiritual and musical experience rather than a traditional tourist walk-through, attending Evensong (usually held at 5:00 PM on weekdays) is highly recommended; while you cannot wander the monuments during this time, it is free to attend and allows you to experience the Abbey's incredible acoustics and atmosphere without the standard daytime crowds.
For a 16-year-old traveling on a Carnival cruise, the required identification depends on the ship's itinerary and the "closed-loop" status of the voyage. If the cruise is a "Closed-Loop" sailing (starting and ending at the same U.S. port) to destinations like the Bahamas or Mexico, a U.S. citizen 16-year-old can technically travel with an original or certified copy of their Birth Certificate and a government-issued photo ID (such as a Learner's Permit or School ID). However, once a child turns 16, Carnival and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) strictly require that the photo ID be present alongside the birth certificate. For any cruise that is not a closed-loop (e.g., a one-way trip from Miami to San Juan) or for any international sailing to Europe or South America, a valid Passport is mandatory. Even on closed-loop cruises, travel experts strongly recommend a passport; if the 16-year-old had a medical emergency and needed to fly home from a foreign port, they could not board a plane without a passport, regardless of their age or the cruise line's birth certificate policy. A passport provides the most security and ease of travel for any teenager crossing international maritime borders.