Carnival Cruise Line is among the world’s most popular cruise lines, but there’s plenty to know before you sail… that most people don’t share.
From the truth about the ships that rarely gets mentioned, to the secretive adults-only cruises few know about, to the chaos that’s being unleashed by a new program that most cruisers hate — it’s all juicy stuff you’ll want to know.
Prices Have Gone Up (From Dirt Cheap to Merely Affordable)
Carnival is almost universally known as an affordable cruise line, and it is. That doesn’t mean, however, that it’s not pushing prices as much as it can.
Now, Carnival is still a pretty good deal and you can find some amazing prices. But my take is that instead of being dirt-cheap, it’s moving into the affordable category. Earnings calls with analysts often mention growth of the company due to higher ticket prices.
Since the pandemic, I’ve really seen it with onboard items. The price of wi-fi has gone up sharply. Today the most expensive plan runs about $24 a day. The drink package has gone up sharply on shorter cruises when there used to be a less expensive option. There’s also been a bump in drink menu prices.
And a 12-pack of water delivered to your cabin used to be $5 is now all the way to $15.
Sure, inflation is to blame in some spots, but in general it’s more expensive to sail than it used to be.
There Is a Major Difference in Ships
If you look at any sort of cruise marketing — Carnival or otherwise — they always show how much fun everyone has on the ships. But what you need to know is that with any line, but especially Carnival, there’s a big difference between all those ships.
Carnival’s oldest ship — Carnival Sunshine — dates back to 1996. Other ships date to 1998. That’s nearly 30 years old, which in cruising is a lifetime. Someone who sailed on one of these ships as a baby could be married with kids by now.
There’s nothing wrong with an older ship, but there’s no arguing that it’s a completely different experience than something built in the past few years. Carnival’s newest and biggest ships are like nothing else in the fleet from style to things to do to places to eat.
Now some people like these older ships. I personally like the vibe onboard as the style is more unique than the newer ships. But it’s also heavily dated, especially when it comes to cabins. For most people, the newer ships are going to be better.
What to Know About Visiting Celebration Key
Celebration Key is Carnival’s new private destination. I recently went and it was pretty nice if you’re looking for a pool and beach day, which to be honest is the entire point of a Caribbean cruise.
If you go, there are a few things you should know. First, there’s two sides to the area. If facing from the ship, the left side is the adult side and the right side is the kid’s side. If you want calmer, try the kid’s side, also known as Starfish Lagoon, around on the back side of the pool.
Yes, Starfish Lagoon is meant for kids and families. During my visit, however, I found it was much more chilled out than the adult-focused Calypso Lagoon where loud thumping bass was hitting from the swim-up bar area.
I’d also suggest breaking up your single day into two days.
You can head out in the morning, hit the beach or the pool, and then grab your included lunch before heading back to the ship in the middle of the day. This gives you a respite from the heat and humidity in the cool of the ship. And you can also grab a drink onboard or reapply sunscreen or even take a nap.
After a rest, you can then head back to shore in the afternoon and have plenty of time for round two of Celebration Key.
Where to Find the Cheapest Beer on the Ship
This one used to be a way better deal, but it seems Carnival might have caught on. Beer prices on the ship run about $8 a pop. But the cheapest beer on the ship is one that doesn’t get advertised much.
Check in the buffet and you’ll find the Beer Station. Here, there is Carnival’s branded beer on tap. You grab a glass, scan your card, and pour. You pay by the ounce. At last check, the price was $0.50 per ounce, meaning a 12 ounce beer is $6. That’s pretty good for a cruise ship, though only a few years ago it used to be just $0.29 per ounce.
Now I will say that the beer station machines are limited on choice. It’s usually just one or two options. As well, it seems like the machines are out of order a lot. But if you can find one that’s working, it’s the cheapest beer on the ship.
Carnival’s Little-Known Adults-Only Cruises
Carnival is known as a family cruise line, but did you know they also offer adults-only trips? They are rare and not widely advertised, but it’s true. They are called “SEA” cruises or “Sailing Exclusively for Adults.”
At last check, there were six cruises we saw mentioned for 2026 so far. Generally they are off-schedule trips that are likely harder to fill. For instance, in January there’s a 12-day trip aboard Carnival Conquest. And there’s a March 2026 Transatlantic trip aboard Carnival Glory.
Now, it’s unlikely many kids would be on these cruises anyway just given that they are longer trips. Even so, for some it’s a big draw to sail adults-only.
Why You Might Feel Crowded on the Ship
One thing to know about Carnival is that if the ship feels crowded, it’s not your imagination. Now a lot of factors go into a ship’s feel. It’s a factor of design and there’s even a science to moving crowds through areas efficiently.
But for a quick measure, I used something called the space ratio. This measure takes a ship’s gross tonnage and divides it by the number of people at double occupancy. A ratio above 40 is pretty good and signifies some elbow room.
Carnival ships? They come in much lower. Many are in the 33-35 range. My personal take is that the space in general is fine, but I have noticed some tight points around the ship during busy times, especially on the newer ships like Celebration. That seems to be a design issue more than an overall space issue, however.
The Drink Package Isn’t Unlimited
Drink packages on a cruise are always popular, especially on the shorter cruises headed to warm places.
Carnival offers one of the most simple in that there aren’t different drink package levels to worry about and it has one set price no matter when you sail.
The only thing that’s in the fine print is that it’s good for only 15 drinks a day. Now, I say “only,” but for most people 15 drinks will be more than enough, and non-alcoholic drinks aren’t included in the number.
Still, for people that love to drink, that limit can be a headache and come as a surprise.
How to Save Big at the Arcade
If you have kids — or you’re just a kid at heart – then you’ll likely spend some time in the arcade. The arcades on Carnival are usually tucked away so they take some hunting to find. But the games are all new and modern, from racing to shooting to claw machines to air hockey.
If like me you grew up going to arcades when a game cost a quarter, that’s definitely not the case now. On my last Carnival cruise, they had changed over to a credit system where you buy credits and then swipe your card to play something. The costs were pretty high — seems like it came out to $1.50 to $2 for a single game, and more for some.
But, Carnival often has a “power hour” — you can find it in the daily planner — when the games are half off. If you’re going to play games, this time literally doubles the amount of play you get for the same amount of money.
Major (Unpopular) Changes Coming to the Loyalty Program
Even if it’s your first time sailing Carnival, you’re automatically enrolled in the cruise line’s loyalty program. What you may not realize is that there is a huge controversy surrounding it right now.
For years the program was simple. Sail a night, get a point. The more nights sailed, the higher up the ladder you moved in the program and the more perks you received. Passengers love the perks included and the boost that comes with having high status.
But the cruise line is in the middle of implementing a new loyalty program that’s much more based not on the nights you sail but how much money you spend. If you don’t cruise often or spend as much, then it’s about to get much harder to maintain status.
It’s led to some uproar and Carnival has already made some tweaks in the face of criticism. Even so, the occasional cruiser is still going to have a tough time building up a higher status. If you want to read more about the changes, I’ve put some links in the description so you can get up to speed.
Yes, There Are Drug Dogs
No cruise lines lets you bring on marijuana or CBD or any other sort of hemp-derived items. That even goes if you are sailing from a state where it is legal. The cruise lines follow federal law, plus they sail from country to country, where laws are different. So it’s just not allowed.
But of all the cruise lines I’ve sailed, nobody has been as prominent in their concern as Carnival. As you enter the terminal there are large signs telling you that it’s not allowed. And it’s not just a sign.
Once inside the terminal and going through security, Carnival is the only line where I’ve seen dogs actually sniffing every passenger as they pass.
Skill Games in the Casino? Maybe Not.
When you sail, there’s no doubt that you’ll spend time in the casino. Even if you don’t gamble, they are located to where you will almost always have to pass through occasionally going from one spot to another.
And in these casinos you’ll find some eye-catching games you don’t see on land. I’m talking about the skill cranes for stacks of cash or one that I love seeing where you have to cut the string to win a huge ball of money.
It seems like if you are sharp on the controller you can position things just right and win. Well, not so fast.
Look at the manuals for these sorts of games online and you’ll find that they are not entirely skill based. Often players can only win after a certain amount of money has been played through the machine. So have fun, but if you don’t win, don’t feel like it’s because you weren’t skilled enough.
More on Sailing Carnival:
- 47 Best Carnival Cruise Line Tips & Tricks For Your Next Cruise
- Complete Guide to Sailing Carnival Cruise Line (What It’s Like)
