If you are sailing on a Carnival cruise soon, whether it is to the Bahamas, Caribbean, Alaska, or elsewhere, you might be debating on purchasing a drink package.
Carnival's drink package offers guests the option to enjoy up to 15 alcoholic beverages per day, as well as unlimited sodas and other applicable non-alcoholic beverages, on their cruise for a fixed daily rate, rather than worrying about paying for each drink individually.
It is a popular choice, especially for those who want to avoid racking up a large bill on their onboard account to be settled at the end, but just how much does the drink package on Carnival cost in 2023?
There's only one alcoholic beverage package: CHEERS!
Carnival's alcoholic package is known as CHEERS! If booked onboard the ship, Carnival's drink package costs $64.95 per day. Included in that price are up to 15 alcoholic beverages per day.
In terms of what beverages you can choose from, you'll have an extensive selection, as you can order any spirit, cocktail, beer, or glass of wine that is valued at $20 or less. In comparison, some cruise lines, such as MSC Cruises, have drink packages that only include drinks valued up to $10!
That being said, this package is not all-inclusive, as you have a cap of 15 alcoholic drinks per day. This differs from other mainstream cruise lines, like Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, which allow you to order as many drinks as you can responsibly tolerate. These packages, however, tend to be more expensive.
Additionally, you get a 25% discount off the menu price for any spirit or wine by the glass that is above $20, as well as any bottle of wine or champagne.
While you cannot order unlimited alcoholic beverages, the CHEERS! Package does include unlimited non-alcoholic beverages, such as sodas, zero-proof frozen cocktails, energy drinks, specialty coffee, hot tea, 500ml bottled water, and other non-alcoholic bottled beverages.
Moreover, it is important to note that if one adult purchases the package, all adults over the age of 21 in the same stateroom must also get it, so you will want to factor that into your budget. This is done to eliminate the possibility of people sharing packages.
Read more: 20 drinks to order if you have a cruise drink package
How much does Carnival's CHEERS! Package cost?
The price of a CHEERS! Package is determined by the length of your cruise and when you purchase the package. Sailings that are 3, 4, or 5 nights. The onboard price for a CHEERS! Package on shorter cruises in 2024 is $74.95 per person, per day, while the price for a package on sailings that are 6+ nights is $64.95.
If purchased in advance, you can save 10% on the Cheers! Package, bringing the daily cost down to $59.95 for cruises 6+ nights and $69.95 for those that are 5 nights or less.
Waiting until you board means that you'll pay more per day.
How much does Carnival's soda drink package cost?
Bottomless Bubbles is Carnival's other drink package that they offer to guests of all ages. For $9.50 per day per adult or $6.95 per day per child, you can enjoy all-you-can-drink soda and juice for the duration of your cruise.
The following sodas are included with Bottomless Bubbles:
- Pepsi
- Diet Pepsi
- Pepsi Zero Sugar
- Caffeine Free Pepsi
- Diet Pepsi Caffeine Free
- Sierra Mist
- Sierra Mist Zero Sugar
- Mug Root Beer
- Mountain Dew
- Diet Mountain Dew
- Bubly Lime Sparkling Water
- Bubly Blackberry Sparkling Water
Carnival Cruise Line does not offer a non-alcoholic package that includes mocktails and specialty coffees. You will have to pay for each drink individually if you purchase Bottomless Bubbles.
Carnival drink packages and gratuities
In addition to the base price of either drink package, you will have to pay an 18% gratuity, which is meant to cover the usage of the package for the entirety of your cruise. Whenever you order a beverage, you are not expected to leave an additional tip, unless you feel as though the service warrants it.
This means that the actual daily cost of the CHEERS! Package is about $76.64 for cruises that are 6 nights or longer. The daily price for sailings that are 3, 4, or 5 nights is $88.44. The daily price of Bottomless Bubbles with gratuity is $11.21 per adult and $8.20 per child.
If you want to save some money, you should consider buying the package before your cruise.
Note that if you skip the drink package and purchase each drink individually, you will have to add the 18% service charge on each drink that you buy.
How much do Carnival drinks cost a la carte?
To calculate if the drink package is worth it to you or not, you are probably wondering the price of each drink onboard a Carnival ship:
- Most beer is around $7.00-$8.00, including Blue Moon, Corona, TikiFrog Ale, Bud Light, and more.
- If you want to purchase wine by the glass, expect to spend at least $8.00 per glass in the main dining room. Premium selections can cost upwards of $15.00, though. If there is a specific wine that you enjoy, you will get a better value by purchasing the entire bottle instead of single glasses.
- The majority of cocktails are under $14.00. Depending on which bar you go to, you might be able to find a wide selection for $11.00 and under, including the Atrium Bar, which has offerings such as a Bahama Mama, Margarita, and Pirate Punch for $11.00. The RedFrog Pub also has some cocktails for under $11.00: Caribbean Iced Tea, Beachcomber, Ting Mojito, and more.
- Soft drinks are $2.50. Other non-alcoholic drinks, such as energy drinks, bottled water, and Gatorade, can be purchased for less than $3.00.
- Specialty coffees range from $1.95 for a simple brewed coffee to $6.50 for spiked beverages.
When is the best time to purchase a Carnival drink package?
If you are certain that you want a Carnival drink package, you will benefit from purchasing it in advance.
Carnival Cruise Line offers a 10% discount for all CHEERS! Packages that are purchased by 11:59pm the day before embarkation and 9:00pm EST through the call center. Rather than paying $64.95 per day, the drink package costs $59.95 per day. This comes out to about $5 in savings per day.
In other words, if you wait until you are onboard, you will pay more than if you purchased the package before the cruise.
Unfortunately, there are no discounts offered for Bottomless Bubbles, meaning that you can purchase it before your cruise or once onboard for the same price.
Since it does not matter when you get it, you have more time to debate whether or not this is something you want to splurge on. Plus, you can spend the money on other pre-cruise preparations, such as flights and securing the shore excursion that you really want to do.
If you buy the package onboard, it will be charged to your Sail & Sign account to be settled at the end of the cruise.
Read more: Carnival Cruises Tips & Tricks
Is the cost of a Carnival drink package worth it?
Drink packages have just as many fans as they do critics. Some people love the convenience of being able to order a drink without fearing receiving a large tab at the end of their vacation. Others do not see the point in drinking that much and would rather allocate the funds to other incidentals.
Personally, I am a fan of them. I love not having to worry about signing a check after each drink. Plus, I am really able to switch into vacation mode. Without a drink package, I often catch myself debating on whether I want to spend the money in that moment or not. Nobody wants to think about that stuff while they're trying to relax!
That being said, whether or not you should get a drink package is dependent on your personal preferences and habits.
Your itinerary should also be taken into consideration. If you are going to be spending most days in port with a few days at sea, you may not be able to fully maximize the program's benefits. Unfortunately, CHEERS! will not work at Half Moon Cay, Carnival's private island in The Bahamas.
If you plan on averaging at least six spirits, cocktails, and/or glasses of wine valued at $10.50 or more per day, you will save money by purchasing a Carnival drink package. The same goes for if you can drink at least ten beers valued at $6.50 or more per day.
Of course, if you take advantage of the non-alcoholic options, your breakeven point will be even less. Those who enjoy specialty coffees, for instance, will enjoy starting each morning with a handcrafted latte. Without the package, one would cost you $3.75.
Read more: 6 reasons why you should get a Carnival drink package
Is it cheaper to get the drink package on a Carnival cruise?
Compared to other mainstream cruise lines, Carnival has one of the cheaper drink packages, regardless of whether or not you buy it in advance or once on the ship. In fact, Carnival is actually known for having some of the cheapest cruise add-ons, including specialty restaurants.
Royal Caribbean, for instance, prices their drink package dynamically. This means that the ship, time of year, and itinerary will all impact how much a drink package is going to cost on your specific sailing.
On an upcoming 7-night Alaska cruise onboard Quantum of the Seas the Deluxe Beverage Package is currently priced at $70.99 per person per day before the 18% gratuity. If purchased onboard, it is valued at $95 per person per day!
Although I am a fan of drink packages, I would skip one while in Alaska onboard Quantum of the Seas, as it is a port-intensive cruise. I'd rather save my money for once-in-a-lifetime shore excursions.
Additionally, if purchased in advance, the Classic Soda Package tends to be less than Carnival's. Royal Caribbean charges $13.50 per person per day if purchased onboard; however, it can be found on sale on the Cruise Planner for around $8.99.
Similarly, Norwegian Cruise Line's Unlimited Open Bar Package begins at $109 per person per day. If, that is, you do not opt to include it as one of your "Free at Sea" offers.
The primary difference between Carnival Cruise Line and most other mainstream cruise lines is that they don't offer unlimited beverages. Carnival's drink package is fixed at 15 alcoholic beverages per day, which is why you will see a significant price difference.
Read more: The best cruise booking perks – and are they actually free?
How much does a Carnival cruise with a drink package cost?
The price of a cruise with a drink package is going to vary based on cruise length, and, of course, the overall price of your cruise itself is dependent on many different factors. Sailing on the newest ship in the peak of the summer will cost more than going on an older ship in October.
If you are going on a 7-night cruise, the total price for your drink package will obviously be more than if you were to go on a 3-night cruise. Note that with Carnival, you must pay for the drink package for the entire duration of your cruise.
Let's take a look at how much a CHEERS! Package will cost on cruises of different lengths and how purchasing it in advance will help you save some of your hard-earned money:
3-nights
If you wait until you are onboard, you will pay about $265.32. By buying the package in advance, you will save $17.70 and pay $247.62.
4-nights
On the ship, a 4-night package will cost $353.76 while it will only cost $330.16 if you get it prior to getting on the ship.
Drinking 6+ cocktails per day may seem more realistic to some on a 3- or 4-night cruise than a weeklong one. For that reason, you may feel as though you are able to maximize the package's value more.
5-nights
You will save close to $29.50 if you buy the CHEERS! Package prior to boarding a 5-night cruise, as it costs $442.20 on the ship and $412.70 in advance.
6-nights
For a 6-night cruise, you will pay $459.84 per person if you get the package on the ship or $424.44 per person if you get it in advance online or by directly calling Carnival.
7-nights
A drink package on a weeklong cruise will run you $536.48 onboard or $495.18 if you get it prior to your cruise.
8-nights
The longer the cruise, the higher the savings you will see by purchasing the CHEERS! Package in advance. On an 8-night cruise, you would save about $47 per person by getting it before the cruise, as it would only cost you $565.92 compared to $613.12.
If I wait until the cruise, when should I buy the drink package?
If you have boarded your cruise and decided that you actually do want a drink package, you will want to make sure that you visit a bar or dedicated CHEERS! kiosk as soon as possible, so you can start utilizing the package's benefits!
One upside to waiting until you are on the cruise is that you will be able to apply any onboard credit that you have toward the package's total cost. You cannot do this in advance through the online portal. Depending on how much onboard credit you have, you may find this to be more valuable than the 10% discount.
Another benefit is that you can also purchase a package on the second day of the cruise, meaning that this is one less day you will have to pay for. If you get the drink package online, you will have to pay for the entire duration of the cruise, whether it is a 3-night sailing or a 7-night one.
Note that if you are sailing out of New York City or Galveston, CHEERS! will automatically start the second day of your cruise vacation. Due to state laws, you will have to pay for each drink individually on embarkation day.
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she had the privilege of traveling frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas her freshman year of high school. She wanted to pursue a career that highlighted her passion for travel and strengths as a writer.
