You absolutely can buy alcohol per drink on any Carnival ship — no package required. Individual cocktails run $11–$16 before gratuity, beers $7–$9, and wine by the glass $8–$22. The CHEERS! package only makes financial sense if you're drinking 5–6+ beverages per day.
Photo: Carnival Cruise Line
Here's the question Carnival's marketing doesn't want you Googling: do you actually need CHEERS!, or can you just pay as you go? The answer is you can buy every single drink individually — no package required. The real question is whether that's the smarter move for your wallet.
Buying Drinks Per Drink: What You'll Actually Pay
Every bar on every Carnival ship sells alcohol à la carte, all cruise long. You hand over your room card, they charge the drink plus 20% gratuity automatically added (Carnival raised to 20% in 2025–2026). Here's what that looks like in real money:
| Drink Type | Base Price | With 20% Gratuity | Daily Cost (3 drinks) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic Beer | $7.50 | $9.00 | $27.00 |
| Imported/Craft Beer | $9.00 | $10.80 | $32.40 |
| Well Cocktail | $11.50 | $13.80 | $41.40 |
| Signature Cocktail | $13.50 | $16.20 | $48.60 |
| Premium Cocktail | $16.00 | $19.20 | $57.60 |
| Wine by the Glass | $11.00 | $13.20 | $39.60 |
| Specialty Coffee | $6.00 | $7.20 | $21.60 |
Sodas at the bar run about $3.50 (with gratuity ~$4.20), though the buffet dispenses soda free — worth remembering if you're just thirsty.
Photo: Carnival Cruise Line
How CHEERS! Stacks Up Against Pay-Per-Drink
CHEERS! typically runs $59–$89/person/day when pre-purchased through the Cruise Planner before sailing — check your exact sailing for the live rate, as it's dynamic pricing. On board, it costs more. The package covers drinks up to $20 (including that 20% gratuity), up to 15 alcoholic drinks per day.
| Scenario | Pay Per Drink | CHEERS! (Pre-Cruise Avg) | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light drinker (2 drinks/day) | ~$27–$38/day | ~$70/day | Pay Per Drink |
| Moderate drinker (4–5 drinks/day) | ~$55–$80/day | ~$70/day | Toss-up |
| Heavy drinker (6+ drinks/day) | ~$83–$115/day | ~$70/day | CHEERS! |
| Mostly beer drinker | Lower totals | ~$70/day | Pay Per Drink |
| Sea-heavy itinerary, cocktail lover | High daily spend | Capped cost | CHEERS! |
The break-even point is roughly 5–6 drinks per day, factoring in that specialty coffees, mocktails, and some non-alcoholic beverages also count toward the package value. If you drink fewer than that on average across the whole voyage — including sea days AND port days when you might be off the ship — pay per drink.
Photo: Carnival Cruise Line
Key Factors That Drive the Real Decision
Port-heavy itineraries kill package math. If you're in port 6 out of 7 days and spending your afternoons at a beach bar in Cozumel, you might only drink on the ship for a few hours each evening. A 5-day Western Caribbean run with 4 port days? You'd need to slam drinks every single night to break even on CHEERS!.
Sea days flip the calculation. Trans-Atlantic crossings, Hawaii itineraries, longer Caribbean sailings with multiple sea days — that's when CHEERS! starts printing money in your favor.
You can't split a package. Both people in a cabin must purchase CHEERS! if either one does (Carnival's policy). If your travel partner barely drinks, that package price doubles instantly and your break-even math gets brutal.
The 20% gratuity is already baked into CHEERS! so there are no additional charges per drink when you have the package. That actually makes the package slightly more attractive than the base price comparison suggests.
Specialty coffee is NOT free at the buffet — it costs $4–$9 per drink at venues like Carnival's coffee bars. If you're a morning latte person, those drinks count toward your CHEERS! value.
Practical Tips: Getting the Best Value Either Way
If you're going pay-per-drink:
- Grab sodas, water, and juice at the buffet — always free, never put it on your card
- Pre-game smart: you can bring 1 bottle of wine per person on embarkation day (Carnival's policy as of 2025)
- Stick to well cocktails over premium — the taste difference rarely justifies an extra $4–$5 per drink
- Watch for happy hours — many ships run 2-for-1 or reduced pricing at specific bars during off-peak hours
- A case of water (12 bottles) runs about $5.99 through the Cruise Planner — much cheaper than $4/bottle at the bar
If you're leaning toward CHEERS!:
- Always buy pre-cruise through the Cruise Planner — on-board pricing is consistently higher
- Watch for Carnival sales — CHEERS! frequently goes on sale 30–60 days before sailing, sometimes 15–20% off
- Add up your realistic daily consumption including specialty coffees, not just alcohol
- Calculate for the whole trip, not your best drinking day
One honest reality check: Most cruisers overestimate how much they'll drink. Be honest with yourself about your port schedule and typical habits before dropping $400–$700 for a week's CHEERS! package for two people.
Bottom Line: Who Should Skip CHEERS!
- Light to moderate drinkers (fewer than 5 drinks/day)
- Anyone on a port-heavy itinerary spending most of their time ashore
- Beer-only drinkers — you'd need 8+ beers a day to break even
- Couples where one person barely drinks (both must purchase)
- Anyone who can stick to the free beverage options for hydration
Run the real numbers for your sailing — itinerary, port days, honest drink count — before you commit. A quick way to model it: use CruiseMutiny to compare your actual projected spend against the current package price for your specific cruise.