In recent days, Carnival quietly raised the prices for what many deem essential onboard amenities – and cruisers are NOT happy about it.
First, and perhaps most controversially, Carnival raised the price of its popular Cheers! Drink package – increasing the cost by 16% per day for travelers on longer sailings.
There used to be a lower daily rate that had been charged on longer sailings (six nights or more), but the change eliminates this discount.
The same day, it also came to light that Carnival has increased the cost of its Wi-Fi packages by a minimum of 12% over previous pricing – regardless of if guests purchase their internet service in advance or once onboard.
The Social Wi-Fi plan, which includes access to social media websites and apps, originally cost $15.30 per day when purchased in advance and $18 per day onboard. But now, the cost has risen to $18.70 when pre-purchased and $22 once onboard.
The middle tier Value Wi-Fi plan rose from $19.55 pre-cruise to $22.10 per day when purchased in advance – with the onboard price increasing from $23 to $26 per day.
The highest quality Premium Wi-Fi Plan increased the least – but still rose from $21.25 pre-cruise to $23.80, with the onboard price rising from $25 to $28.
Naturally, many were upset about the price hikes – especially as Carnival is largely viewed as a budget-friendly cruise line and because the changes came without notice.
Brand Ambassador John Heald tried to explain the reasons behind the increase on his public Facebook page, but still was met with much rage in the comments of his posts.
“I do understand your disappointment that I did not advise you of the increase in some of the services that we are offering such as the cheers program. I have scheduled comments with my colleagues and the beards,” Heald posted.
“We’re proud of the quality and value a Carnival cruise vacation provides our guests. Recent nominal price adjustments to help cover higher costs and our investments in on board offerings allow us to continue providing the high-quality experiences our guests know and love,” Heald continued.
This initial response, however, was not enough to stop the barrage of angry comments from flooding in.
Guests Lash Out Against Bad Timing and Poor Communication
Believe it or not, most passengers were less upset about the price changes than they were about the timing of the news and the lack of warning.
With Christmas just weeks away, many folks found that their holiday spirit was dampened by the surprise increase – especially among those that already find themselves overextended buying holiday presents.
If anything, many were expecting holiday related discounts from the cruise line – not to have to shell out extra cash for their next vacation.
“Please address the insane increase on CHEERS with no warning and right before Christmas. This is the second increase in a year. And the last one, we were given a heads up if already booked. This time we were blindsided and during the holidays,” one person wrote on Heald’s Facebook page.
“And here I was hoping for a Black Friday or Travel Tuesday deal for it and BAM!! Just kidding, best I can do is INCREASE IT,” she continued.
Read Also: What is the Carnival CHEERS! Package?
However, the bigger issue at hand wasn’t the holiday timing, but rather that the change wasn’t communicated as previous price increases have been in the past – which would have allowed future guests to take advantage of the old prices.
“I was waiting until next week to pay for the cheers package (I know my fault) so it was a very unpleasant surprise to find out they raised the price. While I understand that prices are rising and they are not obligated to say anything, a day or 2 notice would have been great,” one future guest wrote.
However, not everyone was so friendly in the way they expressed their frustration – with Heald actually having to make another post to address the onslaught of cyberbullying that came his way.
“Anything that involves some of the name calling and personal attacks that were posted today, well, please, I respectfully ask you to refrain from that,” Heald wrote.
It likely also doesn’t help that the price increases came at a time where there has been a growing annoyance about overcrowding on Carnival ships – which was already seen as taking away from the value of cruising.
