Carnival generally offered a better deal on its all-you-can-drink beverage package compared to its chief rival, Royal Caribbean.
That’s because while Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing, which means that the cost can vary by cruise and it can change multiple times per day, Carnival sells its Cheers package at set prices, with it being cheaper on shorter voyages.
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It’s possible to book Royal Caribbean’s Deluxe Beverage (DBP) package for less than Cheers, but it’s normally more expensive. Many passengers also don’t appreciate having to keep checking prices.
Royal Caribbean does allow passengers to cancel the DBP and buy it again if the price drops. That, however, ties up hundreds, maybe even thousands of dollars while the passenger waits for a refund.
The cruise line will not adjust the price if it goes lower, which often leads to passengers being angry that they didn’t get the best deal possible.
Carnival’s Cheers package has generally been considered a better deal than the DBP, with one major caveat. Cheers buyers are capped at 15 alcoholic drinks per day, while Royal’s package is truly unlimited.
Both cruise lines reserve the right to cut passengers off if they’re visibly intoxicated, but if you can appear sober, Royal Caribbean places no limit on how much you can drink.
Carnival limits all passengers to no more than 15 alcoholic drinks per day.
Image source: Carnival Corp.
Carnival raises the price of its beverage package
Drink packages, in a broad sense, have been creeping higher. Carnival previously offered Cheers at $70.74 per night for cruises that were six nights or longer, while it charged $82.54 per night for trips that were five nights or less.
All packages now include taxes and an 18% gratuity in the advertised price.
If you waited until being onboard to purchase, the price rose to $76,64 per night on the longer cruises, while the shorter ones were listed at $88.54 per night.
Carnival rarely offers sales or deals on the Cheers package, and now, it has increased the price. If you visit the Carnival website, here’s what you see now:
CHEERS!: Starting at $82.54* / Person per Day
*Price includes service charge
The lower price for longer cruises has been dropped and Cheers is now being sold only at the higher price. Carnival also shared that prices would be 10% higher onboard.
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It does not appear that any other changes have been made, and the package still includes:
All spirits (including cocktails), as well as beer and wine by the glass with a $20 or lower menu price Sodas, Zero-Proof frozen cocktails, energy drinks, specialty coffee, hot tea, 500ml bottled water and other non-alcoholic bottled beveragesPackaged water in the Dining Room and Specialty Restaurants25% discount off the menu price for any spirit or wine by the glass above $20.0025% discount off the menu price for wine and champagne by the bottle25% discount off beverage seminars and classes
The 15-drink limit remains, and unlike Royal Caribbean’s package, Cheers does not work on Carnival’s private island destinations.
Normally, when a cruise line raises a set price it gives passengers some warning. That allows people with a booked cruise who had already set a budget time to make the purchase at the old price.
In this case, Carnival raised its beverage package price without telling anyone in advance.
Carnival passengers respond to price hike
Some passengers, as they learned about the change, were not happy and posted their displeasure to Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald’s page.
“I wish Carnival would go truly unlimited with the latest price change! It would be a win win for Carnival and the customer…plus it would be the best option considering the price is now in line either way with other cruise lines,” shared Elizabeth Pride.
Jessica Ann seemed very displeased.
“It is very bad business to give no warning. 2 years ago I was given a warning of a change and a date. Now I am just 29 days away from sailing, planning on finalizing all the small details, and got hit with this. It’s not right,” she posted. “Sailings within 30 days should have been exempt without notice.
She said that the increase would impact her cruise plans.
“It’s Xmas time and a hard hit for some. Now, we will NOT get the package. We are not big drinkers and never spend that much anyway, but the safety net was nice. I am now also cancelling my Sept cruise with Carnival and going with NCL. So they are out about 6K in those 2 things just for us,” she added.
Others were more forgiving.
“One stride at a time. Obviously, the sudden price change wasn’t the news we wanted to hear either, but hopefully, Carnival can pull something off to put some smiles back on. Can’t make everybody happy these days,” wrote Janette Hylton.
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