Carnival Cruise Line Teases Major Beverage Package Change

Drink packages inspire passion among the fans of the different cruise lines. 

Multiple Facebook groups are devoted to Royal Caribbean's Deluxe Beverage Package, where people debate everything from the price to which drinks you should order to whether the drinks are strong or not.

For many people beverages, both the adult and nonalcoholic kinds, are an important part of the cruise experience. One of the oft-shared justifications for buying Royal Caribbean's (RCL) - Get Free Report deluxe package is that it includes fresh-squeezed juice, specialty coffees, milkshakes, soda, and more or less every drink offered on board.

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In addition to its adult-beverage package, Royal Caribbean offers what it calls a Refreshment Package, which at root is the deluxe beverage package minus the alcohol. It includes mocktails, juice, coffee drinks, bottled water, soda, and shakes and costs less than half what the DBP costs.

Royal Caribbean also offers a Classic Soda package, usually for $10 a day per person, which offers only soda (not bottled water). 

Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) - Get Free Report has its Cheers package for people looking for an unlimited alcoholic-drink experience, and Bottomless Bubbles, which offers soda and juice but not specialty coffee, bottled water, or anything else.

Now, Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald has teased the idea of his cruise line offering a second nonalcoholic-beverage package and asked his Facebook followers whether they would want that.

Carnival Cruise Line Considers a Third Drink Package       

Heald made clear in his Facebook post that he was simply polling his audience and that he couldn't promise binding results.

"While I can’t promise anything will change, I will ask because so many and I mean so many people ask for [this. Which] of these would you be most interested in?"

He then lists the following choices:

• A drinks package for nonalcoholic drinks, coffee, water, and milkshakes.
• A coffee and water package.
• None of these, thank you.

"Please choose, which is most important to you and I will let the beards know," Heald added.

After two hours, the first choice, which looks a lot like Royal Caribbean's Refreshment Package, led the way with three-quarters (74%) of the vote. None actually was in second place at 21%, while the coffee and water package garnered 5% of the support.

A lot of the comments supported the idea of a broadly inclusive nonalcoholic package.

"A package including all nonalcoholic drinks would be greatly appreciated. Sodas, water, specialty coffees, milkshakes," wrote Carole Blondin.

"Definitely the nonalcoholic drink package. I’d still get [Cheers] but that would be perfect for my teenager. He’ll drink sodas, but he’s on a cruise and wants the fancy drinks and coffees," Danielle Justice said.

A lot of comments also asked Carnival to change a rule regarding its Cheers alcoholic beverage package.

"You need to change it from mandatory for each adult in the room to buy the Cheers Package. Some adults do not drink, while their partner might," Carol Ann Painter wrote.

Carnival and Royal Caribbean both require adults sharing a room to each buy an alcoholic-drink package if one is going to do it. That's likely to stop people from sharing a drink package. Getting caught sharing a drink package can result in it being immediately taken away.  

Royal Caribbean will enable the second adult to buy a Refreshment Package instead of the deluxe beverage package, but that transaction can't be made online. Passengers have to call to make that change.