Carnival Cruise Line has made several changes in recent months that resulted in services being reduced or offered at an increased cost. Carnival Cruise Line detailed the addition of another change.
In the future, guests will no longer be allowed to pre-purchase bottles of liquor before the start of the cruise. In a reaction posted online, Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald said the cruise line made the decision to cut down on over-consumption onboard.
Another Policy Change Onboard Carnival Cruise Ships
Being able to pre-purchase a bottle of liquor before the start of the cruise has long been a standard option for most cruise lines, with some even providing one or two bottles for free. However, this will no longer be possible onboard Carnival Cruise Line’s ships.
Brand Ambassador John Heald confirmed the change, saying Carnival has removed the option for pre-ordering from the booking process. It has done so to be able to cut down on over-consumption of alcohol onboard its ships.
John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador: “You will have seen that we no longer have full-bottle liquor sales available on pre-order. Hard liquor is no longer available for pre-order on our Fun Shops. All existing sales will be honored and guests can still pre-order up to two bottles of wine for onboard delivery and consumption.”
“This is not a cutback. Not when it affects our revenue can this be called cut back. The decision has been made so that we can more safely monitor alcohol consumption and for reasons which I’m sure you understand. Thank you so much, and of course, I really do hope to see you soon.”
Carnival made several cutbacks in recent months and increased the cost for several onboard services. However, this should not be seen as a cutback, but as a way in which the cruise line hopes to curb several altercations that have happened onboard.
Carnival has been trying to find a solution, including fining people not able to behave themselves onboard. In late June, there was an incident onboard Carnival Magic sailing from New York and a second altercation aboard Carnival Elation sailing from Jacksonville in July of this year.
Limiting the amount of alcohol guests drink in the privacy of their cabins, and being able to monitor consumption in the bars and restaurants, seems to be the next step in this process.
Carnival’s Onboard Shops Will Still Deliver
Guests can still purchase liquor bottles in the onboard shops or even ashore during the cruise. However, as has been Carnival Cruise Line’s policy for a long time, anything purchased in the shop or ashore is not for consumption onboard.
“You can still of course purchase from the shops on board and ashore and these, of course, are not for use on board. I know this may be frustrating for a few of you but I am sure everyone will understand why we need to do this,” Heald said.
The shop will hold any liquor purchased in the FunShops. Any liquor purchased ashore will be confiscated when returning to the ship until the evening or morning before leaving the vessel.
As Heald stated, the new policy only applies to pre-ordering bottles of hard liquor and does not apply to pre-ordering wine, beer, or soda, for consumption in guests’ cabins. Any existing pre-orders will still be honored.
While many will be disappointed they will not be able to have their nightcap in their cabin before retiring, it is a direct result of the incidents that have happened. Guests can still purchase a drink from one of the bars onboard and bring this back to their cabin should they wish to do so.
