Did you know you can bring your own drinks on a Carnival cruise?
While I've brought wine on cruise ships before, it took me over 30 sailings to finally haul a 12-pack of soda onboard.
Instead of buying Carnival's pricey CHEERS! package, I decided to keep my costs as low as possible by buying soda at a local supermarket en route to the terminal on embarkation day.
Usually, a drink package is a must-have for me. However, since I was on an Alaskan cruise, I wanted to budget more money toward the ports, whether for excursions or fresh seafood. This turned out to be the right decision, as I splurged on fresh crab in Skagway that was $100!
While soda isn't as expensive as alcoholic beverages, it can still add up over a weeklong cruise. By bringing my own, I avoided paying $3.25 for one can of Pepsi or Starry — or over $11 per day for the Bottomless Bubbless unlimited soda package.
The morning of embarkation, I ordered an Uber to my pre-cruise hotel near the Seattle airport with a pre-arranged stop at a Safeway.
I kept my trip inside the grocery store short, heading straight to the soda aisle. In total, I spent $11.56 on a 12-pack of Diet Coke, which breaks down to less than $1 per can, including tax.
Carnival doesn't have Coca-Cola products
I'm a loyal Diet Coke enthusiast through and through, so when I learned that Carnival has an agreement with PepsiCo in the United States, I was disappointed.
Although I can go a few days without a crisp Diet Coke, not having the option makes me crave it even more (like Chick-fil-A on Sundays).
Instead of limiting my Diet Coke fix to whenever I found Coke products ashore, I figured I might as well bring a 12-pack of soda onboard.
Here are some of the soda brands you can expect on a Carnival cruise departing from the U.S.:
- Pepsi
- Mountain Dew
- Schweppes
- Starry
- Mug Root Beer
- Bubly Sparkling Water
So, if you're a fan of beverages like Coke, Sprite, or Fanta, plan ahead and bring your own soft drinks onboard.
I don't drink enough soda to break even with the soda-only package
Although I love — and I mean love — a good Diet Coke, I don't drink an average of three sodas daily. They're my go-to drink during lunch, but they're not something I constantly reach for throughout the day.
I contemplated the Bottomless Bubbles package until I realized it would cost over $70 for my weeklong sailing. If lucky, I'd maybe drink one soda a day, or two tops, so the math didn’t add up.
By the end of the trip, only three cans were left from my 12-pack. A few times, I brought an extra Diet Coke to dinner or a show instead of spending extra money on a cocktail or glass of wine.
In terms of my cost savings, I would have spent nearly $30 on 9 Pepsi products aboard Carnival Luminosa. Instead, my out-of-pocket cost was just $11.56, which is less than four sodas on a Carnival cruise.
Having a stocked mini-fridge was convenient
While at Safeway, I grabbed a 750ml bottle of wine to bring onboard, meaning I had a fully stocked fridge for my 7-night cruise!
The mini-fridge worked great during my cruise, keeping all my beverages perfectly chilled. I've had some fridges that could barely be called a cooler, so this was appreciated since warm soda doesn't go down the same way.
However, because my stash was hidden away in my stateroom on Deck 1, I'd usually go for a drink while getting ready for dinner, rather than return to my cabin in the middle of the evening's entertainment line-up.
Read more: What's the cost of a drink package on Carnival?
The pros of bringing a pack of soda onboard a Carnival cruise outweigh the cons
I wasn't eager to board the ship on embarkation day because I didn't want to be stuck lugging a 12-pack of soda around until cabins were ready. As such, I didn't arrive until 1:00pm.
The boarding process was quick, and I was onboard by 1:15pm. I settled into a comfy chair in the Ocean Plaza lounge and waited until the highly anticipated announcement that staterooms were ready came on around 1:30pm — the timing was perfect!
Although returning to my cabin to grab a soda at night was a little inconvenient, it was worth saving over $2 per drink. Plus, I'm glad I have my preferred soda onboard, rather than settling for Diet Pepsi.
In the end, I'd definitely consider bringing soda onboard another cruise, especially if I'm sailing with Carnival.
Read more: Are cruise drink packages worth it?
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 traveled frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas during her freshman year of high school. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
