No, Carnival’s Cheers Package Isn’t Cheaper – Just Back to Old Tricks
If you’ve been browsing Carnival’s website recently and noticed a drop in the price of their Cheers! beverage package, you’re not alone. But don’t celebrate just yet. Despite what it looks like, Carnival hasn’t reduced the price of their unlimited drink package, they’ve just reverted to an old pricing tactic that many thought had been retired for good.
A Brief Shift Toward Transparency
In 2024, Carnival made a rare move toward pricing transparency. For the past year, the listed prices for the Cheers! package (along with several other onboard extras) included the mandatory 18% gratuity right in the advertised price.
This wasn’t a goodwill gesture. It was in response to California Senate Bill 478, which went into effect on June 1, 2024. The law aims to eliminate “drip pricing” by requiring businesses to display the full price of a product or service upfront, including all unavoidable fees. While primarily targeted at hotel resort fees and online checkout gimmicks, Carnival interpreted the law to apply to onboard purchases like the Cheers Drink Package as well.
Not All Cruise Lines Followed
Interestingly, Carnival was the only major cruise line to adjust onboard pricing displays in this way. Competitors like Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line continued to show pre-gratuity prices for drink packages and other onboard offerings, although they did tweak how base cruise fares are shown to comply with the same law.
Carnival Back to Business as Usual
Now, just a year after the change, Carnival has quietly gone back to its old method of listing the Cheers! package price without gratuity, and adding the 18% fee at checkout. For example, a package that appears to cost $69.95 per day actually totals $82.54 per day after gratuities, the same as before the transparency update.
Current Carnival Cheers package pricing (increased in December 2024).
- The pre-cruise price $69.95 plus 18% gratuity or $82.54 per person per day.
- The onboard price is $74.95 plus 18% gratuity or $88.44 per person per day.
Nothing about the actual cost has changed, just the way it’s presented.
Why It Matters
This pricing reversal may seem small, but it has a big impact on how customers perceive the value of their cruise. By advertising a lower price and tacking on gratuities later in the booking process, Carnival can make onboard packages look more competitive at first glance. But in reality, it’s the same price as before, just a bit more hidden.
So, if you thought you were scoring a better deal on the Cheers! package lately, you’re not. It’s just Carnival going back to its old pricing playbook.
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