On May 1, Carnival Cruise Line will be raising its prices significantly, as Cruise Hive reported earlier in the month for onboard services such as WiFi, specialty dining, and gratuities. The cruise line received a good amount of backlash when it announced the changes just a few weeks ago.
Perhaps the most significant increase will be the onboard beverage program. The Cheers! Beverage package will see increases of $8 per day on both pre-purchased and onboard pricing. Another significant change is the daily gratuities.
Price Hikes Start from May 1
Essential commodities and fuel prices have seen significant price increases in recent months, affecting both individuals and corporations such as Carnival Cruise Line.
The worldwide surge in pricing has forced Carnival to put substantial price hikes on its onboard services starting May 1.
Before Sunday, guests still have the chance to avail themselves of the old pricing. If ordered before May 1, purchasing a drinks package could save 15% vs. online pre-purchase pricing after May 1 and more than 20% vs. onboard pricing.
The same counts for WIFI pricing ( savings between 25- and 32%) and specialty dining (savings up to 20%). Guests also have the chance to lock in the current gratuity rate before that sees a significant increase of 0.51 cents per guest per day.
If guests have an onboard credit available to them now, they can use that to lock in the current pricing.
Cheers! Beverage Package
Cheers! is Carnival’s all-inclusive beverage program that allows guests to enjoy up to 15 alcoholic and unlimited non-alcoholic beverages by paying a flat daily rate. The beverage program offers significant savings for those guests who do not want to worry about their bar tab at the end of a cruise.
Those savings will be significantly lessened now Carnival has decided to increase the amounts by $8 per person per day. Effective May 1, 2022, the pre-cruise price will be $59.95, per person, per day, and the onboard price will be $64.95 per person for all cruise departures.
On top of the higher pricing, Carnival also adds an 18% service charge to all beverage purchases. The beverage package could cost as much as $76 per day.
The Bottomless Bubbles package, which covers fountain sodas and juices, will increase to $6.95 for guests 17 years old and younger and $9.50 for adults, an increase of 11%.
Gratuity Rates and Other Increases
It’s not just the Beverage packages that are seeing an increase. Nearly all onboard services, and gratuities, will see some cost increase.
While guests will be happy to see more money going to the hardworking crew members, the increase will be significant. For voyages from May 1, gratuities will be $14.50 per person, per day, for standard staterooms and $16.50 for suites.
Specialty dining prices will also see price increases. As we reported on April 7, the following are the prices starting this Sunday, May 1:
- Steakhouse / Fahrenheit 555 increasing from $38 to $42 per person (+10%)
- Steakhouse Selections in main dining rooms increasing from $20 to $23 (+15%)
- Cucina del Capitano is increasing from $15 to $18 per person (+17%)
- Bonsai Teppanyaki is increasing from $32 to $35 per person (+9%)
- JiJi’s Asian Kitchen is increasing from $15 to $18 per person (+17%)
- Rudi’s Seagrill is increasing from $38 to $42 for adults and $12 to $13 for kids (+11%/+8%)
- Green Eggs and Ham event breakfast increasing from $6 to $7 (+16%)
- Chef’s Table premium dining experience increasing from $80 to $99 per person (+24%)
Internet prices will also go up; the Social plan will increase to $8.50 per day when pre-purchased, increasing 25%. The Value plan rises to $11.05 when pre-purchased, an increase of 8%. The “Premium” plan, priced at $13.60 per day, is not anticipated to increase.
For all these options, guests have the opportunity to pre-purchase them at the current pricing. After May 1, guests will be expected to pay the new pricing as pre-purchase and while purchased during the voyage.
