Carnival’s New FunPack Bundles Are Legit Good Deals

October 14, 2026 Randy Young

We all know cruise lines can get a little creative with their deals. Don’t get me started on Royal Caribbean’s “% off” sales, where a bigger discount doesn’t always mean a lower price, or Norwegian’s “free” specialty dining that still comes with gratuity charges. So when a cruise line advertises savings of up to 55%, I’m usually a little skeptical.

But Carnival’s new FunPacks actually look like some legitimately good deals.

For years, Carnival wasn’t interested in offering any discounts on its Wi-Fi and drink packages other than the pre-cruise discount. But in December 2025, they finally started experimenting with them, introducing two bundles that combined drinks, internet, and other onboard perks. Those packages have returned a few times since then.

Now, Carnival is expanding the idea with four new “FunPacks,” offering even more flexibility and potentially bigger savings.

The new FunPacks are available for cruises departing between October 31, 2026, and December 31, 2027. However, you’ll need to purchase them between October 13 and October 30, 2026.

4 Different FunPacks to Choose From

Carnival’s FunPacks bundle cruise add-ons that many guests already purchase separately, including drink packages, Wi-Fi, specialty dining, and shore excursions.

There are four different packages, each targeted toward a different type of cruiser. Carnival claims the packages can save guests between 35% and 55% compared to buying everything separately, with the Kidstarter package advertising savings of up to 50%.

One nice thing is that Carnival includes the applicable beverage and specialty dining service charges in the advertised FunPack prices. You won’t get hit with an additional 20% service charge on top of the listed daily package price for those included benefits, making these even better deals.

Zero Proof FunPack: $50 Per Day

The Zero Proof FunPack is essentially a renamed version of Carnival’s previous Essentials Value Package.

For $50 per person, per day, guests receive:

CHEERS! Zero Proof beverage package with unlimited non-alcoholic drinks
Value Wi-Fi Package
$50 discount on one shore excursion
$25 discount on one specialty dining experience

This package is designed for guests who don’t drink alcohol but still want to enjoy specialty coffees, bottled water, smoothies, milkshakes, and mocktails throughout the cruise.

The savings are pretty good here. Carnival’s CHEERS! Zero Proof package currently costs $35.99 per day, including the service charge, while Value Wi-Fi starts at $23.80 per day.

That comes to $71.75 per day after the 20% service charge is added, compared to $50 with the FunPack. On a 7-day cruise, that’s about $152 in savings before even factoring in the $75 in dining and excursion discounts.

Social FunPack: $60 Per Day

This is probably the most interesting addition to Carnival’s lineup.

The Social FunPack costs just $10 more per day than Zero Proof and introduces a new drink package: CHEERS! Social. Social.

For years, Carnival’s alcohol package has been an all-or-nothing proposition. Either you pay for the full CHEERS! package, or you pay for each alcoholic drink individually. Now, the Social FunPack offers a middle ground.

Guests get three alcoholic beverages per day, each valued up to $20, along with unlimited eligible non-alcoholic drinks. If you want more than three alcoholic drinks, you can still purchase them at regular menu prices, up to Carnival’s daily limit of 15.

That could be a great option for cruisers who enjoy a cocktail by the pool, a glass of wine with dinner, and another drink in the evening, but don’t drink enough to justify the full CHEERS! package.

The package includes:

CHEERS! Social with three alcoholic drinks per day and unlimited eligible non-alcoholic drinks
Premium Wi-Fi Package
One specialty dining experience valued up to $55
One shore excursion valued up to $100
50% off one eligible spa treatment
50% off eligible Dreams Studio photo packages

And the fact that it includes Premium Wi-Fi, rather than the lower-tier Value plan, makes it even more appealing.

It’s also worth pointing out that CHEERS! Social cannot be purchased separately. It’s exclusive to this bundle.

Epic FunPack: $99 Per Day

For guests who typically purchase the full CHEERS! package, the Epic FunPack offers some substantial savings.

At $99 per person, per day, it includes:

Full CHEERS! beverage package with up to 15 alcoholic drinks per day and unlimited eligible non-alcoholic drinks
Premium Wi-Fi Package
Two specialty dining experiences valued up to $55 each
Two shore excursions valued up to $100 each
50% off one eligible spa treatment
50% off eligible Dreams Studio photo packages
One bottle of sparkling wine
One complimentary bag of wash-and-fold laundry

A lot is included here.

Just purchasing CHEERS! and Premium Wi-Fi separately would currently cost around $109.44 per person, per day, including the drink package’s service charge.

So even before considering the other benefits, you’re saving $10.44 per day. On a 7-day cruise, that’s roughly $73 in savings per person.

But the real value comes from the included dining and excursions.

If you use the full value of both shore excursions and both specialty dining experiences, that’s another $310 in benefits per person. Add in the spa discounts, photo discounts, sparkling wine, and laundry, and the value can add up quickly.

This is a significant improvement over Carnival’s previous Ultimate Value Package, which cost $90 per day but only offered a $50 excursion discount and a $25 dining discount rather than including those experiences.

Kidstarter FunPack: $25 Per Day

Carnival hasn’t forgotten about younger cruisers. The Kidstarter FunPack is available for children and teens ages 3 through 17.

For $25 per person, per day, it includes:

Bottomless Bubbles package for unlimited soda and juice
Social Wi-Fi Package
1,000 arcade tokens
Souvenir drink cup
Complimentary lanyard
50% off bulk candy at Cherry on Top

For kids who spend their cruise in the arcade and want to stay connected to social media, this could be a pretty good deal.

FunPack Rules and Guidelines

Of course, there are some restrictions. The biggest one is that all guests ages 21 and older sharing a stateroom must purchase the same FunPack if any adult in the room purchases one. That means one person can’t purchase the Epic FunPack while their spouse purchases the Social FunPack. Both must purchase the same option.

Guests under 21 aren’t required to purchase a package, although they can choose an eligible Kidstarter or Zero Proof FunPack.

Other important things to know:

Packages must be purchased before sailing. They are only available online through Carnival’s My Cruise Manager and cannot be purchased onboard.
You must purchase the package for the entire cruise.
Book dining, excursions, spa, and photo benefits before sailing.
Not all dining venues are eligible. Bonsai Teppanyaki and The Chef’s Table are excluded.
Existing purchases aren’t automatically credited. If you’ve already booked an excursion or specialty dining, you may need to cancel and rebook to use the FunPack benefit.

There’s also one important exception for cruises departing from Galveston, New York, and Norfolk.

Because Carnival’s alcoholic beverage packages don’t begin until the second day of those cruises, the Social and Epic FunPack prices are adjusted accordingly.

You can see the full details and restrictions on Carnival’s FunPacks website.

Learn more about Carnival FunPacks

Only a Good Deal If You Were Booking Drinks and Internet Anyway

While these bundles offer some legitimate savings, there’s one important thing to remember. You’re only saving money if you’re purchasing things you actually wanted in the first place.

Are you someone who completely unplugs during a cruise but still purchases the CHEERS! drink package?

The Epic FunPack might not be the best option for you. You’ll pay roughly $15 more per day than if you buy CHEERS! alone. Sure, you’re getting Premium Wi-Fi and a bunch of other extras, but if you weren’t going to use them anyway, are you actually saving money?

It’s the same with the spa and photo discounts. If you weren’t planning to get a massage or purchase professional photos, a 50% discount doesn’t necessarily make it a good deal.

There’s also the question of how much you’ll actually use the included specialty dining and shore excursions.

The Hidden Catch: Say Goodbye to Set Pricing

There’s one part of Carnival’s announcement that deserves a lot more attention, and it’s not exactly good news.

Tucked away in the announcement is the fact that starting December 1, 2026, Carnival is getting rid of its set pricing for beverage and Wi-Fi packages. Instead, it’s switching to dynamic pricing, where prices vary based on the cruise length, itinerary, and season.

It’s a similar approach that Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises have been using for years. You might pay $70 per day for a drink package on one sailing and $100 on another, even though you’re getting the exact same drinks.

They’ve touted these price management strategies on investor earnings calls as key to increasing revenue. Great news for Carnival investors, not great for Carnival cruisers.

To be fair, dynamic pricing doesn’t automatically mean higher prices. Some sailings could have cheaper packages, especially during less popular times of the year. But let’s not pretend cruise lines are making these changes solely to help guests save money.

So What Does This Mean for the FunPacks?

For this promotion, nothing. Carnival has set the FunPack prices, and you must purchase them by October 30, 2026, before the new pricing system takes effect.

But if Carnival brings these bundles back in the future, figuring out how much you’re actually saving could become more difficult. The advertised savings could look impressive simply because the standalone packages are more expensive on your particular sailing.

I’m giving Carnival credit for these new FunPacks because, at today’s prices, they really do offer some good value. But I’m much less enthusiastic about the move to dynamic pricing.

Hopefully, Carnival doesn’t follow Royal Caribbean’s lead with constantly changing prices and confusing “% off” promotions. Unfortunately, that’s exactly the direction this seems to be heading.