For many people, the price of their next cruise on Carnival will be higher… and it could add up to hundreds more out of pocket.
We’ve noticed two big pricing changes to popular packages on the ship. This includes changes to both the popular CHEERS! drink package and a big price increase to the cost of internet access onboard.
CHEERS! Becoming More Expensive for Longer Cruises
Carnival’s CHEERS! drink package is seeing a revamp that for many will result in higher costs. We noticed a change on the Carnival website that removes a lower price for the packages on longer cruises.
Previously, Carnival offered two prices. On cruises of 3-5 days, the cost was $82.54 per day (gratuity included) if the drink package was bought ahead of sailing. The cost was only $70.74 per day for cruises of 6+ days if bought ahead of time.
Instead, now everyone will have to pay the same price, no matter the cruise length:
For someone on a 7-day cruise, this is a substantial increase in cost. A couple traveling together and buying onboard would see a price jump from $1,072.96 for the trip to $1,238.16. That’s an increase of $165.20 in the cost of the drink package.
(Note: Drink packages are required to be bought by all adults traveling in a cabin if one person purchases.)
Wi-Fi Seeing Price Increases of up to 22%
In addition to the cost increase for some, the cost to stay connected on a Carnival cruise is rising considerably.
The cruise line, which last raised wi-fi prices one year ago, now shows another boost in cost for internet onboard. For some users, the price will be more than 20% higher.
If you go to Carnival’s website, you’ll see the new prices posted for each of the three wi-fi plans the cruise line offers. Compared to the previous prices, every plan is up considerably.
Carnival offers a discounted price if booking before your cruise and a higher onboard price for each plan. Below, you can see just how much prices have jumped with this increase:
As you can see, all prices are seeing a substantial bump that ranges from roughly 12-22%. Over the course of a 7-day cruise the cost of the highest-tier Premium plan will be an extra $21 if bought onboard compared to the old pricing.
It would now also cost a total of $196 to stay connected with that plan for a 7-day cruise when bought on the ship.
Wi-Fi Costs up Considerably in a Short Time
Price increases are nothing new in cruising as it’s common for things like drink packages, wi-fi, and gratuities to creep up year after year.
What’s a bit surprising about this move from Carnival — which is a line long known for offering considerable value compared to rivals — is that this big increase in internet pricing comes on top of another big increase this time last year.
In late 2023, all the plans increased in price by 13-20%. For example, before the 2023 increase, you could purchase the highest-tier Premium plan onboard for $22 per day. The latest pricing puts that cost at $28 per day, or a 27% increase in just over a year.
But that jump is even more pronounced in the lowest-tier Social plan. Purchase onboard before the 2023 price hike and it cost just $15.00 per day. With this latest increase, it’s now priced at $22.00 per day — a jump of nearly 47% in just over a year.
Go back to 2022 and the difference is even more pronounced. Before October 2022, the Premium plan was just $17.00 per day when bought on the ship. Now the cost is 65% higher.
The Social plan cost just $10.00 per day onboard in 2022. Now it’s $22.00 per day when bought onboard — a 120% increase in just over two years.
