The cost of sailing Carnival Cruise Line looks to be getting a little more expensive…
While we’ve seen no official update just yet on the Carnival website, multiple members of the popular CruiseCritic message board report that the cruise line is sending an announcement to passengers alerting them to an increase in the cost of gratuities.
In a “Guest Notice” posted by one member, the letter states:
“We are writing to let you know that we will be changing the price for Bottomless Bubbles (for adults only – there is no price change for children) and adjusting the onboard gratuity guidelines, effective April 2, 2026, as outlined below. However, we will honor the existing price for both if purchased prior to the adjustment.”
The notice then goes on to say that the price of Bottomless Bubbles (the cruise line’s soda package) is rising from $9.50 per day for adults to $11.99 per day.
The gratuity charge is said to bump up from $16 per person, per day for a standard room to $17 per person, per day. Passengers staying in suites will reportedly have prices move from $18 per person, per day to $19 per person, per day.
For a couple traveling in a balcony cabin on a 7-day cruise, this price increase would mean total service gratuity charges increasing from $224 to $238 for the trip. That’s a 6.25% increase.
At $17 for most rooms, Carnival’s new rate would be in line or lower than many other rivals. For instance, Royal Caribbean charges $18.50 per person, per day for most rooms. Norwegian changes $20 for most cabins. And MSC Cruises currently has a $16 per person, per day charge for most rooms on the ship.
Gratuity Increase Would Be Another Price Pushed Higher in Recent Months
This reported price increase shouldn’t be a surprise. It’s common that gratuity rates on most lines steadily increase. The last increase was in 2023 when the rate for standard staterooms moved from $14.50 per person, per day to the current $16.
Moreover, Carnival has steadily increased the price on a number of items around the ship as people have also seen on land.
For instance, in December 2025, we noticed a bump in the service charge on beverage purchases from 18% to 20%. At that time we also noted that the daily wi-fi charge also rose by 7-9% depending on the package and when it was purchased.
The cruise line also significantly bumped up the price of the drink package for cruises of more than five days a little more than a year ago.
Of course, adding a dollar or two here or there isn’t likely to break the bank for any passengers. It does, however, tie into our feeling that Carnival is moving from being an inexpensive cruise line to simply being affordable.
