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Just as one of the busiest sailing times of the year gets underway, Carnival Cruise Line has quietly hiked the price of its wildly popular Cheers! Beverage Program.
The increase removes the lower daily rate that has previously been charged for longer sailings, and instead, all passengers will now be paying the higher per-day price no matter what length of the cruise they enjoy.
The price change has been noted on Carnival's official website, where both prices were previously listed. Guests on sailings of 6 nights or longer could prepay $70.74 (USD) per night compared to $82.54 per night for itineraries of 5 nights or less.
When purchased on board, longer sailings would pay $76.64 per night, while shorter sailings would pay $88.45 per night. All prices already include the mandatory 18% service charge.
Now, only the higher prices are listed and any reference to the discount for longer sailings has been removed.
No other changes are noted with the program, such as what types of drinks are included or excluded. The $20 or lower menu price per beverage still applies, as does the firm 15-per-day drink limit.
This change represents a roughly 16% per day increase for travelers on longer sailings. Because of the duration of the cruises that are impacted by the change, this can be a significant extra expense for travelers.
For example, on a 7-night cruise - the most common longer sailing length offered by Carnival Cruise Line - guests will now pay $82.60 more per person for the drink package.
The cost will be even higher if more than one cruiser is over the age of 21 in a stateroom, as all adults must purchase the package if one person does.
Carnival does not make any exemptions for this rule, even with medical documentation that guests cannot drink, a point the cruise line's Brand Ambassador, John Heald, has been very firm about. The restriction is in place to prevent sharing the package and to monitor guests' individual consumption as needed.
It should be noted that the price of the Bottomless Bubbles soda package has not changed, nor has the price of bottled water available for purchase through Carnival's website. None of these options, however, had any price discount based on sailing length.
It isn't necessarily the cost increase of the drink package that is most surprising and upsetting to guests. After all, the Cheers! package has never been inexpensive, and guests budget for the cost based on their own ability to indulge.
Read Also: What Is the Carnival CHEERS! Package?
What is frustrating most travelers, however, is that no warning was given for this price increase, and therefore booked guests cannot "lock in" savings before the higher price takes effect.
When the Cheers! package last had a price increase in late 2023, travelers were notified of the change several days before the price was changed and urged to purchase their packages without delay to take advantage of the savings.
This latest move by Carnival Cruise Line is similar to other recent price increases, such as higher charges for several specialty dining restaurants, that have been quietly put into effect without notifying guests.
Most cruisers are relatively understanding about increased costs - after all, we all see such prices change in our daily spending, regular bills, and land-based recreation. What is irksome to cruisers, however, is that no notice is given and the higher prices simply appear in their check-out carts.
These types of surprises can be avoided, of course, by simply purchasing drink packages, wi-fi access, and pre-paid gratuities as soon as possible if the price is acceptable, rather than waiting and watching for a possible sale or price decrease.