Carnival Tests New Bundled Value Packages for Drinks, Wi-Fi, and Onboard Extras

December 12, 2025 Randy Young

Carnival Cruise Line has been getting more aggressive with bundle discounts. While previously Carnival would never discount their CHEERS alcohol package or Wi-Fi, this year they’ve toyed with bundles that offer a discount when purchased together.

Now, for a limited time, Carnival is offering two pre-cruise bundles that can be added directly to a sailing. The approach is similar to what sister brand Princess Cruises offers with its Plus and Premiere packages, although Carnival’s version is more limited in scope and overall value.

carnival redfrog bar with rum runner drink

Carnival Value Packages Overview

Carnival is currently offering two bundle options:

“Essentials Value Package”
“Ultimate Value Package”

Both packages combine drinks, internet, and onboard discounts into a single purchase.

Carnival’s Essentials Value Package – $50 per day

The Essentials Value Package is designed for guests who want a drink package and Wi-Fi but not necessarily the top levels of either.

It includes:

CHEERS! Zero Proof non-alcoholic beverage package
Value Wi-Fi Plan
One-time $50 discount on a pre-purchased shore excursion
One-time $25 discount on specialty dining purchased pre-cruise

See the details on the Carnival website

Carnival’s Ultimate Value Package – $90 per day

The Ultimate Value Package upgrades both the beverage and internet offerings and adds a few additional incentives.

Guests receive:

CHEERS! alcoholic beverage package
Premium Wi-Fi Plan with streaming access
One-time $50 discount on a pre-purchased shore excursion
One-time $25 discount on specialty dining purchased pre-cruise
50% off spa treatments booked onboard
50% pre-cruise photo package

See the details on the Carnival website

Limited-Time Promotion Details

These packages are only available to add between 12/12/2025 and 12/18/2025.

If purchased during that window, they are valid on sailings departing from 1/1/2026 through 12/31/2026.

Are Carnival’s Packages a Good Deal?

Whether these packages are a good deal depends entirely on what you were already planning to buy.

If you were only interested in the drink package and internet, these bundles actually cost 6–7% more than purchasing those items separately. The value comes from the added perks, not the core inclusions.

The biggest contributors to savings are the $50 discount on one shore excursion and the $25 discount on one specialty dining reservation. On the Essentials Value Package, using both of those benefits can result in overall savings of 14–42%, depending on the length of the sailing. Shorter cruises tend to see higher percentage savings.

With the Ultimate Value Package, adding in the spa discount and photo package increases potential savings to 19–53%, assuming you would have purchased those items anyway.

That said, this is still a marketing strategy designed to increase onboard spending. If you typically do not book spa treatments or photo packages, but choose the Ultimate Value Package primarily for the CHEERS! drink package, the effective savings drop to 6–22%. In that scenario, you are also paying roughly $85 more to receive the spa and photo perks, even at the discounted rate.

The naming of the Essentials Value Package can also be misleading. A first-time cruiser might assume it is the minimum needed to enjoy a Carnival cruise. In reality, CHEERS! Zero Proof and Wi-Fi for every guest in the cabin may be unnecessary for many travelers. Unlike Princess Cruises’ bundled offerings, Carnival’s packages also do not include the $16 per person daily gratuities.

Personally, when sailing Carnival, I usually purchase the Bottomless Bubbles package, pay per alcoholic drink, and share a single Wi-Fi plan. That approach saves me hundreds compared to booking either bundle.

Rules and Restrictions

Several important rules apply. Packages cannot be mixed within a single cabin. All guests must choose the same option.

For the Essentials Value Package:

Everyone in the cabin aged 3 and older must purchase the package

For the Ultimate Value Package:

Everyone aged 21 and older in the cabin must purchase the package

All the rules of the individual packages still apply (ie, the 15 alcholic drink limit, no sharing, etc).

It is also unclear how these bundles will be handled on sailings departing from Texas, Norfolk, and New York. On those itineraries, the CHEERS! package cannot be sold on embarkation day due to state regulations, and Carnival typically does not charge for the package on day 1. Carnival has not yet clarified how the bundled pricing will be adjusted for those departures.

Our Take: Bundling Is the New Focus

Onboard revenue has become a major focus during cruise line earnings calls over the past few years. With ships largely sailing full, cruise lines are now looking to maximize revenue once guests are onboard. Bundling is one of the most effective ways to do that.

Royal Caribbean has also been quietly testing bundle-style offers in 2025, and Carnival’s move suggests this strategy is gaining traction across the industry.

That said, these packages only make financial sense if you were already planning to use everything included. Guests who skip spa treatments, specialty dining, or excursions may not see meaningful savings.

There is also a longer-term concern. If these bundles prove successful and Carnival makes them permanent, base prices for individual items could increase. Norwegian Cruise Line’s “Free at Sea” promotion includes a $50 excursion credit, but as a result, Norwegian’s shore excursions are often priced noticeably higher than those offered by competing cruise lines.

For now, these bundles represent a new experiment. Whether they remain a good value will depend on how Carnival prices individual add-ons in the future.