What Drinks Can You Bring With You On A Carnival Cruise
On a Carnival cruise, each adult can bring one 750ml bottle of wine or champagne in their carry on luggage. Each person can also bring 12 cans or cartons of non-alcoholic beverages such as water, soda, energy drinks, juice or milk.
You can drink your own wine in your stateroom. If you wish to drink it in a bar or restaurant, you will be charged a corkage fee of $15 per bottle.
Enjoy Free Champagne At The Art Auction
If youd like to sip on a complimentary glass of champagne, then head on over to the art gallery. Nearly all ships will have multiple art auctions during the cruise, which usually extends a free glass of sparkling wine. Youre not required to bid. So just sit back, learn something about the art, and watch others fight for those limited-release prints.
It can be an entertaining experience. But if you get bored, theres no shame in making a quiet exit. So perhaps be sure to pick an aisle seat in case you do want to leave early.
How Many Drinks Can I Buy At One Time
You can only purchase one beverage at a time. There is a five-minute waiting period between drinks.
If you want to purchase more than one drink, you can charge one to your drink package and simply pay for the others on your onboard account. Or just wait five minutes to get another beverage included with the package.
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What About Liquor Rules In Texas And New York
If you are sailing from Galveston or New York, you might have heard there are strange laws affecting alcohol sold on cruise ships. Due to state laws, Carnival cant activate the CHEERS! package until the second day of the cruise.
If you purchase the package when sailing from one of these ports, you wont pay for the package on the first day of the trip, but you also will have to purchase drinks instead of having them included. The package will activate at 6:00 a.m. on the second day of the cruise. For more on alcohol rules on a cruise from Texas, click here.
How To Determine If Drink Package Is Worth It For You
All of the above cheap cruise drink hacks and tips will help to keep your bar bill low on your next sailing. But youll certainly need to put in some effort and strategizing to accomplish that. If you instead just want to enjoy your vacation and not have to worry about sneaky tactics or a growing bar bill, then a drink package may be the way to go. And they are often great value!
So this cheap cruise drink tip helps to carefully break it down whether the drink package may be worth it for you.
These unlimited drink packages can seem expensive on the surface, but all-you-care-to-drink alcohol packages can actually be fantastic value for those who tend to tip back a few while cruising. Cruise drink packages are a trend in the cruising industry that cruise lines like to promote. Now Celebrity, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, most Norwegian ships, and many Carnival ships offer some sort of alcohol drink package.
Each cruise drink package varies on exactly what alcohol is included. But most of these cruise drink packages tend to be generous in their offerings, even including top-shelf liquors. Some of the cruise drink packages further include specialty coffees, soft drinks, and other non-alcoholic drinks to help you recover the next day.
But cruise drink packages can be costly. So how much?
Cruise drink package daily prices and policies:
Note: above prices are current as of October 2022 and reflect online prices purchased prior to sailing.
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Is A Cruise Drink Package Worth It
Often the hefty cost of a drink package is not worth the expense. But it certainly can be!
We recommend splurging on drink packages in the following instances:
- moderate and heavy drinkers: your bar bill will be higher than the cost of a drink package.
- shorter cruise itineraries: fewer nights = less total expense.
- cruises with many sea days and/or short port calls: more time on the ship, more time youre using the drink package.
- when ports include private island: some cruise lines allow drink packages to be at bars on their private islands.
- when the cost of a drink package is within your budget and think you might enjoy 6+ drinks daily.
Simply consider how much you may drink on the cruise and then do the math.
Typically those who may drink an average of at least 6+ drinks or so each day, cruise beverage packages will likely result in significant savings. An associated benefit not having to be concerned about your growing bar tab on a cruise.
Lets do the math! Lets use Carnival for example, which currently promotes its CHEERS drink package for: $59.95 per day + 18% gratuities = $70.74 daily *7 days of the cruise = $495.19 *2 people per stateroom = $990.38 total cost of CHEERS! drink package on a 7-day Carnival cruise.
Spending nearly $1,000 for the privilege of 15 daily drinks may seem quite pricey, particularly for budget-conscious passengers. And it is! For those who are only going to have a few drinks per day, stay away from drink packages. It wont be worth it.
Worth It Everything About Cruise Line Drink Packages
Cruise line drink packages are a big deal. Thats because when it comes to taking a cruise, people like to have a good time. And that good time usually involves alcohol flowing freely. No wonder there are so many bars on a modern cruise ship.
In fact, over 20% of cruisers report spending more than $200 on alcohol on their trip.
Thats why many people are interested in all you can drink packages that cruise lines now offer. The appeal of these packages is easy to see. You pay one set amount and then you dont have to worry about running up a huge bar tab.
Instead, you simply head to the bar, order whatever you want, and get back to the fun. Want a beer? A glass of wine? A cocktail ? You only need to flash your room key and youll get it.
But before you rush out and buy the drink package, there are some things you should know. Weve rounded up some of the biggest questions and answers about the cruise line beverage packages to help you get a better idea of if its the right thing for your next cruise.
In This Article…
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Norwegian Cruise Line Drops A Drink Package
Norwegian charges the most for its drink packages and those prices have actually recently gone up. The cruise line offers the Unlimited Open Bar Package, which includes all drinks up to $15, now costs $109 per person per day . The Premium Plus Beverage Package, which includes pretty much every drink the cruise line serves, has climbed from $128 to $138 per person per day.
The cruise line did, however, have a cheaper alternative. It offered a “Corks and Caps” package for $65 per passenger per day which included beer and wine, but no hard liquor. The cruise line has not made any comment on the change, but it has taken the beer and wine drinks package off of its website.
Norwegian does bundle drink packages with some of its cruise fares as part of its “Free at Sea” deals.
Are There Limits In How Many Drinks I Can Get
The only cruise lines we know to have any limits on the number of drinks you can order is Carnival and Princess . They have a 15-drink limit on alcoholic beverages during the 24-hour period that runs from 6 a.m. to 6 a.m. Non-alcoholic drinks aren’t included in the 15-drink total.
So if you have 15 alcoholic drinks, you can’t order another until the next day, but you can have all the waters or sodas that you want.
While other cruise lines may not set explicit limits, if you are obviously intoxicated then don’t be surprised if you are cut off from ordering any more drinks.
As well, there are often waiting periods between drink purchases.
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Does It Work On Carnivals Private Islands Or In Ports
No, the package only works for drinks served on the ship. Even though Carnival has private islands for its guests, the drink package doesnt work there. It also doesnt work in ports of call like Cozumel or Nassau.
But that doesnt mean you are out of luck on port days. As long as you are on the ship, you can use the CHEERS! package from the ships bars. So if you decide to hang out on the ship during port days , you can still get drinks, even though the ship is docked.
How Do You Buy A Carnival Cruise Line Drink Package
Before your cruise, you can pre-purchase Bottomless Bubbles or CHEERS! online at www.carnival.com/Funshops or by calling 522-7648. The cut-off time for online pre-purchase is 11:59 PM EST the day before embarkation. The call center closes at 9:00 PM EST, so their cut-off time is a bit earlier.
Both packages will also be available for purchase on the ship on embarkation day and the first full cruise day. You can get Bottomless Bubbles at the lobby, casino, and pool bars.
Tables will be set up around the ship on embarkation day and the next day where you can buy the CHEERS! package.
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Get A Cruise Beverage Package Included For Free
Sometimes cruise lines will run special deals and offer these all-you-can-drink packages for free as an incentive for you to book the cruise. That is how we drank for free when we sailed on a Norwegian cruise on two different occasions. It was fantastic! It was open bar the entire cruise and nearly the entire drink menu was included, even most top-shelf brands!
Search around to find cruise deals that include the unlimited beverage package. We tend to see such promos offered by Norwegian and Celebrity most often Call a good travel agent who can let you know which cruise lines may be currently running such a beverage package promotion.
Just beware that these free drink packages sometimes require passengers to pay an extra gratuity charge for the bar service. Depending on the cruise line, this may cost range from $11 to $20 per person, per day. Even if paying $20 per day for the gratuities on a free drink package, thats still a heck of a deal for all-you-can-drink top-shelf alcohol!
Wine Package Cruise The Vineyards
Carnival wine packages can be ordered prior to departure or can be purchased on board . Either way, youll be charged 18% gratuity and you will not have to select the actual wines until youre ready to drink one of them.
For related information see our Carnival wine packages/policy/list/prices an extensive review and info on the Carnival Cruise Wine subject, including how much is wine by the glass and bottle. Here well just list the package cost the selections are at the above link. All the below prices are inclusive of 18% gratuities.
- 3 Wine Package prices Basic , Deluxe and Premium .
- 5 Wine Package prices Basic , Deluxe and Premium .
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Does Carnival Cruise Drink Package Do Black Friday
When it comes to Black Friday shopping extravaganza, buyers can always receive economical bargains from their most-liked stores. Carnival Cruise Drink Package is no exception. Each year, the vendor gives more than just unbeatable Black Friday bargains. Carnival Cruise Drink Package also offers pre-Black Friday savings and bargains for Cyber Monday.
What Is Excluded From The Cheers Beverage Package
Although the Carnival CHEERS! drink package is very inclusive, but there are some restrictions. For example, drinks found in your cabins minibar or ordered through room service are not covered.
Interestingly, Carnivals website lists food items as an exclusion. Something that should seem evident from the term beverage package.
The CHEERS! package doesnt include the following:
- Beverages promoted and sold in souvenir glasses
- Bottles of liquor
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Purchase On Board *most Expensive*
If you neglected to purchase ahead of time, or could not make up your mind until the day of the cruise, you are still in luck! However, when purchasing the day of the cruise, you have to pay a bit more.
Once you get on board, there will be numerous tables set up with information about signing up for the CHEERS! program.
You can also head to the bars and purchase it right there.
Can I Share The Drink Package
You cannot share either Carnival drink package. Carnival mandates that every adult sharing a cabin must purchase the same drink package to prevent sharing.
If a cruise ship employee catches you sharing the drink package with other passengers, the cruise line will cancel your package without a refund.
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What Is Included In The Drink Package
To start, you should know that each drink package on each cruise line is a little different. There will be slight variations on what all they include.
But in general, if you get a drink package then you’ll get alcoholic drinks, including beer, wine, and cocktails up to a certain dollar limit per drink. This limit is normally around $15, depending on the cruise line. This covers most drinks on the ship, but some high-end beverages may still be an extra cost.
Most drink packages also include a number of non-alcoholic drinks including soda, bottled water, and juices. There are usually no price limits and few restrictions on non-alcoholic drinks included with your package.
Can You Share Drink Packages On A Cruise
It’s tempting with unlimited drinks to do what we’ve all thought — one person buys the package and just gives a drink to the person they are traveling with.
Every cruise line has rules against this. If you are caught, you could lose your drink privilege.
That said, unless you are blatantly ordering drinks and then handing off to other people, it’s almost impossible for you to be caught sharing drinks. If you are discreet, the chances of your being caught are minimal.
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Exploit Cruise Ship Happy Hours
Many cruise lines offer a happy hour at certain bars and at certain times, so passengers can enjoy reduced-priced drinks. Sometimes these cruise happy hours are stated in the daily newsletter. In other instances, cruise happy hours are simply listed on the bar menus themselves or on tabletops.
Sometimes cruise happy hours are only subtly advertised. Passengers must be observant and seek out these money-saving cruise drink deals. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for happy hour promotions on tabletop signs at cruise bars.
Tip: find cruise happy hours on Day 1. Whenever we board a cruise ship, we tend to scout out each bar to sleuth around which bars on our ship do indeed have a happy hour. After getting on a ship, take some time to go on a little bar crawl to determine if any of the ships bars have happy hours. It can be a fun way to figure out the happy hours at the start of your voyage. Then you can then plan your drinking accordingly to save!
Know that cruise happy hours vary greatly by cruise line, ship, and even each sailing. Cruise happy hours change constantly. Cruise happy hours even change from bar to bar on the same ship.
Despite ongoing changes, here are each cruise lines happy hours:
Do I Have To Pay Gratuity On The Drink Package
Gratuity is added on to the cost of the package. So when you purchase the package, you’ll see an additional gratuity charge tacked on to the total . So a $60 package will end up costing around $71 per day.
When you use the package at the bar, you aren’t charged an additional gratuity. It’s already taken care of with the cost you paid for the package. There may be a line for an additional tip on the receipt if you are feeling generous.
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Bottomless Bubbles Package Price:
Carnival Cruise Lines unlimited soda package costs $8.50 per day for adults and $5.95 per day for kids. Theres an 18% gratuity on top, plus a 10% sales tax on any drinks purchased while the ship is in US waters.
| Kids | |
|---|---|
| $5.95 | $8.50 |
For a 7-day cruise, if you pre-purchase a soda package, you can expect to pay $ 70.21 per adult or $49.15 per child for unlimited sodas and juices.
Carnival Cruise Line Drink Packages Available For 2022 And Beyond
Although Carnival offers a small selection of complimentary beverages around the clock , you might want to expand your drink options without having to pay each time you order.
Unlike some cruise lines that offer a wide range of drink packages, Carnival makes their prepaid beverage packages simple. There are only two options: one for soft drinks only, and one for both alcohol and soft drinks.
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Is It Worth It To Get A Drink Package On A Carnival Cruise
When deciding if its worth it to buy a drink package on Carnival, it all depends on how much you think youll be drinking. If youre sure youll only have a couple of drinks each day, its a far better deal to just pay as you go.
For the average cruiser, five alcoholic drinks per day is about where the break-even point is for the CHEERS! package. If you like to drink higher-end wines or spirits, your break-even point could be lower. Remember, the package includes drinks that normally cost up to $20 each!
Your soft drinks, bottled water, and specialty coffees are also included, so factor those costs into your decision as well. Those little purchases can add up over the length of your cruise.
But if you have a cabin-mate who doesnt drink much, it might not be worth having to buy an expensive package for someone who wont get their moneys worth.
If youre a soda drinker, Bottomless Bubbles can be a money-saver. Know youll have at least three soft drinks each day? Then it really makes sense to buy this package.
Want to learn more about cruise line beverage packages? Read my article Are Cruise Drink Packages Worth It? to learn more.
Dont forget to check out these resources before your Carnival cruise:
Karen
Sunday 10th of April 2022
Cruising with an adult special needs grandchild who will not drink alcohol. Want to purchase Cheers package for me and my son. Doesn’t sound like they will grant a waiver for my grandchild? Should I get a letter from her doctor?
Carrie Ann
Tammy
