The Carnival CHEERS! beverage package costs $59.95–$79.95 per person, per day in 2025, depending on your sail date and when you purchase — plus an automatic 18% gratuity that pushes the real daily cost to $70.74–$94.34 per person.
Photo: Carnival Cruise Line
The Carnival CHEERS! package looks like a flat daily rate until you notice the 18% gratuity tacked on automatically. That friendly-looking $59.95/day suddenly becomes $70.74/day before you've ordered a single rum punch — and it's required for every day of the cruise, not just the days you plan to drink heavily.
What Carnival CHEERS! Actually Costs in 2025
Carnival prices the CHEERS! package on a tiered system based on sail date and demand. Purchasing pre-cruise online is almost always cheaper than buying onboard.
| Purchase Timing | Base Price/Person/Day | +18% Gratuity | Real Daily Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-cruise (online, early) | $59.95 | $10.79 | $70.74 |
| Pre-cruise (peak/holiday sailings) | $69.95 | $12.59 | $82.54 |
| Onboard purchase | $79.95 | $14.39 | $94.34 |
For a 7-night cruise, two people buying pre-cruise at the standard rate: that's $70.74 × 2 people × 7 days = $990.36 total. On a peak sailing buying onboard, the same couple pays $1,321.76. That's a $331 difference for waiting until you board.
Photo: Carnival Cruise Line
What's Included (and What Isn't)
CHEERS! covers a wide net — but it has hard limits that catch people off guard.
Included:
- Cocktails, beer, wine, and spirits up to $20 per drink (most standard drinks qualify)
- Specialty coffees, mocktails, juices, sodas, and energy drinks
- Bottles of water (up to 500ml)
- 15 alcoholic drinks per person per day (hard cap — the bar literally cuts you off)
Not included:
- Bottles of wine at dinner (only by-the-glass)
- Room service drinks
- Any drink over $20 (you pay the difference)
- The mini-bar in your stateroom
- Souvenir cups and bottles
That 15-drink daily cap is real and enforced through your sail & sign card. After drink 15, you're paying out of pocket regardless of what you spent on the package.
Key Factors That Drive the Price
1. Sail date and demand Holiday sailings (Christmas, New Year's, spring break) consistently hit the higher $69.95 base tier. Shoulder season sailings in January–February or September–October more often land at the $59.95 base.
2. When you purchase Onboard pricing runs $15–$20/day higher than pre-cruise pricing. There is zero advantage to waiting. Buy online as soon as you've decided you want it.
3. The gratuity is non-negotiable Carnival automatically adds 18% — it's not optional and it's not a suggested tip. Factor it in from the first calculation.
4. The package must be purchased for all adults in the stateroom If you share a cabin with another adult, they must also purchase CHEERS! — Carnival won't sell it to just one person per cabin. This is a dealbreaker for couples where one person barely drinks.
5. Port days vs. sea days CHEERS! works on the ship on port days, but you're off the ship for hours. That compresses your drinking window and drives down your effective value on port-heavy itineraries.
Photo: Carnival Cruise Line
Is CHEERS! Worth It? The Break-Even Math
At the standard pre-cruise price of $70.74/day, you need to consume enough drinks to exceed that value. Here's what a realistic day looks like:
| Drink | Approx. Retail Price Onboard |
|---|---|
| Cocktail (margarita, rum punch, etc.) | $12–$14 |
| Draft beer | $8–$10 |
| Glass of wine | $10–$13 |
| Specialty coffee | $5–$7 |
| Bottled water | $3–$4 |
Break-even at $70.74/day: roughly 5–6 alcoholic drinks per day, assuming you also grab a few waters and coffees. If you're a 2-drinks-at-dinner, one-beer-at-the-pool type of cruiser, CHEERS! will cost you more than paying as you go.
For context: a moderate drinker having 3 cocktails ($13 avg), 2 beers ($9 avg), and 2 waters ($3.50 avg) hits $73 in a la carte spending — barely above break-even and only if you drink consistently every single day.
How to Get the Best Value from CHEERS!
Buy pre-cruise, not onboard. Log into your Carnival booking and add it before you sail. The savings versus onboard pricing are real — up to $20/day per person.
Check for sales before booking. Carnival periodically runs promotions (especially around major holidays) where CHEERS! is discounted or bundled. Stack this with their early saver fares.
Choose sea-day-heavy itineraries. A 7-night Caribbean sailing with 4 sea days gives you far more value from the package than a port-intensive itinerary where you're ashore 6 out of 7 days.
Skip it if one person in your cabin doesn't drink. The mandatory same-cabin purchase rule kills the math when one person is a teetotaler or light drinker. You'd be paying $70–$94/day for someone who'll drink $15 worth of juice.
Use it for specialty coffees and water too. Many CHEERS! holders forget that bottled water, Perrier, Red Bull, and specialty lattes are included. These small daily additions legitimately improve your break-even calculation.
Compare against buying a soda package separately. If you primarily want soft drinks and coffee, Carnival's Bottomless Bubbles soda package runs around $9.50–$11.50/day — a fraction of CHEERS! and a smarter buy for non-drinkers.
Who Should (and Shouldn't) Buy CHEERS!
| Traveler Type | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Consistent 5–8 drinks/day drinker | Buy it — you'll come out ahead |
| 2–3 drinks/day drinker | Skip it — pay as you go |
| Couple where one person barely drinks | Do not buy — mandatory for both |
| Sea-day-heavy itinerary (4–5 sea days) | Strong buy candidate |
| Port-intensive itinerary (6–7 ports) | Marginal value at best |
| Holiday/peak sailing buying onboard | Almost never worth $94.34/day |
The CHEERS! package is a genuinely good deal for the right traveler on the right itinerary. For everyone else, it's an expensive convenience that Carnival has carefully priced to profit from optimism. Run your own numbers before you click purchase.
Use CruiseMutiny to calculate whether CHEERS! is actually worth it for your specific sailing — plug in your itinerary, your drinking habits, and see the real break-even before Carnival sees your credit card.