Carnival Quietly Raised Mandatory Service Charge to 20%

December 4, 2025 Randy Young

Carnival has increased its mandatory service charge to 20%, a fee that is automatically added to drinks, specialty dining, spa services, and most other extra-cost purchases on board. Every major cruise line (except Virgin Voyages) uses a similar charge, and it is separate from the daily gratuities added to your stateroom account. Carnival’s increase went into effect on December 1 and raises the rate from the previous 18%. The last time Carnival updated this fee was in 2019 when it moved from 15% to 18%.

What the Charge Applies To

The higher 20% service charge is added to a wide range of purchases, including:

Drinks ordered on the ship
Beverage Packages like Cheers and Bottomless Bubbles
Specialty dining venues
Spa treatments
Pre-cruise orders like soda packages and bottled water

Unlike daily gratuities, which currently range from $16 to $18 dollars per person per day and can be removed at Guest Services, the service charge on purchases cannot be waived.

How Much More Will Guests Pay?

The increase is noticeable but small on a per-item basis. Here are a few examples to put the change into perspective:

A seven night Cheers package now costs about $10 more
A family of four at Bonsai Teppanyaki would pay roughly $4 more

Over the course of a week, the higher charge will raise the total bill a bit, but not dramatically for most guests.

One of Several Recent Price Adjustments from Carnival

This service charge increase is not the only update Carnival has made. On December 1, the line also raised Wi-Fi rates by about 7% to 9%. Drink prices often go up early in the year as well, usually sometime between January and March.

These changes reflect the steady rise in add-on costs that many travelers have seen across the cruise industry and beyond since COVID. While the increases are not extreme, they are part of a broader trend that guests should keep in mind when budgeting.