Royal Caribbean treats its Deluxe Beverage Package (DBP) passengers better than Carnival treats people who buy its comparable (but not the same) Cheers beverage package.
While the Carnival package has a set price while Royal Caribbean uses variable pricing. Cheers, however, can sometimes cost more than what Royal charges. The cruise line explained how it prices the Cheers package on its website:
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“The beverage package can only be purchased for the entire voyage at a rate of (5 days or less) $82.54 USD per person, per day including 18% service charge or (6 days or more) $70.74 USD per person, per day including 18% service charge via Carnival’s website and (5 days or less) $88.44 USD per person, per day including 18% service charge or (6 days or more) $76.64 USD per person, per day including 18% service charge, if purchased once on board.”
Royal Caribbean’s DBP prices can drop below $60 per day (although that’s very rare) to about $110 per person, per day. In all cases, an 18% gratuity is added.
Aside from price, there are two big differences between Royal Caribbean and Carnival’s beverage packages. The first is that the DBP has no limit as long as the passenger isn’t visibly inebriated while Cheers has a strict 15-drink limit per day when it comes to alcoholic beverages.
In addition, Royal Caribbean’s DBP works on its CocoCay and Labadee, Haiti private island destinations. Carnival’s Cheers package does not work on its private island.
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Carnival’s Alchemy bar is a mixology bar.
Image source: Carnival Corp.
Carnival passengers face a double whammy
A Carnival Cruise Line passenger recently asked Brand Ambassador John Heald if the cruise line might change its private island beverage package policy. She also brought up something many passengers don’t realize.
“Is there any CHANCE the cheers package will ever be honored at HMC? And if not, why do drinks PURCHASED there count towards your 15 per day? You don’t count drinks purchased in say Cozumel?” posted Marylee Martin Pope.
What she’s saying is that on Half Moon Cay, one of the cruise line’s private destinations, the cruise line does not allow you to use your drink package but does still track how many drinks you have. That’s not the case in a private port.
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Heald’s colleague, Jacinta, confirmed that the Cheers package is not accepted at its private destinations and there are no plans to change that.
Carnival, it should be noted, limits all passengers to 15 alcoholic drinks per day. It tracks every passenger onboard and where it can on shore.
The cruise line considers the 15-drink limit a safety practice. It reserves the right to shut off any passenger who appears intoxicated.
“Carnival has a number of procedures in place to monitor guests’ alcohol consumption and bartenders are trained to look for signs of intoxication and will discontinue serving guests who appear to be intoxicated. Certain flags have been built into the system that are designed to monitor guests’ alcohol consumption and encourage responsible use of the program,” the cruise line shared on its website.
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