Carnival Drink Package Prices Change From 1 December: Should You Buy CHEERS! Now?

The Walking Cruiser

Oct 18

6 min read

Carnival is moving CHEERS! and WiFi to dynamic pricing by sailing, and launching FunPacks bundles you can only book until 30 October

So, the price of a Carnival drink package is about to stop being one fixed number. From 1 December 2026, Carnival will price its beverage packages and WiFi plans dynamically, so what you pay will depend on your sailing's length, itinerary and season. Carnival hasn't published a single new price yet, which is exactly why this matters now. If you already know you'll want CHEERS! on your next Carnival cruise, today's price is the only one you can actually see.

Key Facts

What's changing: Carnival drink packages and WiFi plans move to dynamic pricing from 1 December 2026
How prices will be set: by sailing length, itinerary and season, according to Carnival
Today's CHEERS! price: $69.95 per person per day bought before your cruise, or $74.95 onboard, plus a 20% service charge
New FunPacks: four bundles from $25 to $99 per person per day, combining drinks, WiFi and other extras, with savings of 35% to 55% according to Carnival
FunPacks booking window: 13 to 30 October 2026, for sailings departing 31 October 2026 to 31 December 2027
Still unconfirmed: what happens to packages already bought, and whether 1 December means purchase date or sail date

What is Carnival changing about drink packages and WiFi?

Carnival announced the change in its press release on 14 October. Right now, a Carnival drink package costs the same per day whether you're on a three night Bahamas run in February or a week in the Caribbean over Christmas. That flat price is going.

From 1 December, beverage packages and WiFi plans will be priced sailing by sailing. As Carnival put it to Cruise Hive, "Pricing will vary based on sailing length, itinerary and season."

That's all Carnival has said about it. There's no price range, no minimum, no maximum, and no word on whether this is permanent or a trial.

How much does a Carnival drink package cost right now?

These are the current prices, before dynamic pricing kicks in, as reported by Cruise Hive:

Drink packages (per person, per day):

CHEERS! (alcoholic, up to 15 alcoholic drinks a day plus unlimited soft drinks): $69.95 pre-cruise, $74.95 onboard
CHEERS! Zero Proof (non-alcoholic, includes premium coffees and smoothies): $29.99 pre-cruise
Bottomless Bubbles (unlimited soda and juice): $6.95 per child, $11.99 per adult

All of these carry a 20% service charge on top. So CHEERS! bought online is really about $83.94 a day. On a seven night cruise, that's roughly $588 per person before you've ordered a single drink.

WiFi (per person, per day, bought online before sailing):

Social: $20.40
Value: $23.80
Premium: $25.50
Premium Multi-Device (up to four devices, online only): $90 per day

Carnival's own figures say buying WiFi in advance saves around 15% on average versus onboard, and up to 25% on the Multi-Device plan.

Now, here's the honest bit. Dynamic pricing doesn't automatically mean higher prices. A short, off-peak sailing could, in theory, come out cheaper than today. But when a cruise line switches from a fixed price to a variable one for its single most popular add-on, I wouldn't bet on the average going down. Expect peak weeks, school holidays and longer sailings to cost more.

What are Carnival FunPacks and are they worth it?

Alongside the pricing news, Carnival launched FunPacks. They replace the old Value packages and bundle drinks, WiFi and other extras into one pre-cruise purchase. Carnival says they save 35% to 55% compared with buying each item separately. According to Cruise Critic, here's what's in each, priced per person per day:

Kidstarter ($25): for ages 3 to 17. Bottomless Bubbles, Social WiFi, 1,000 arcade tokens, a lanyard and 50% off bulk sweets at Cherry on Top
Zero Proof ($50): CHEERS! Zero Proof, Value WiFi, $50 off a shore excursion and $25 off specialty dining
Social ($60): the new CHEERS! Social package (three alcoholic drinks a day plus unlimited soft drinks, only sold in this bundle), Premium WiFi, one shore excursion up to $100, one specialty dining meal up to $55, and 50% off spa treatments and photos
Epic ($99): full CHEERS!, Premium WiFi, two shore excursions up to $100 each, two specialty dining meals up to $55 each, 50% off spa and photos, a bottle of sparkling wine and a bag of laundry

Carnival says the service charges on the drinks and dining parts are included.

So do the sums actually work? Let's take Epic. Full CHEERS! with its 20% service charge is about $83.94 a day. Add Premium WiFi at $25.50 and you're at $109.44 a day, which is already more than the $99 Epic price. And that's before you count two excursions, two specialty meals, the sparkling wine and the laundry.

The same pattern holds lower down. CHEERS! Zero Proof plus service charge (about $35.99) and Value WiFi ($23.80) comes to $59.79 a day, against $50 for the Zero Proof FunPack. Bottomless Bubbles for a child plus Social WiFi comes to about $28.74, against $25 for Kidstarter.

My verdict: if you were going to buy a drink package and WiFi anyway, the matching FunPack is cheaper than buying them separately at today's prices, and the extras are a bonus. If you only want the drinks and nothing else, it's still worth doing the sums for your own sailing. If you don't drink much and don't need WiFi, none of this changes anything for you.

The catch is the deadline. FunPacks can only be booked from 13 to 30 October 2026 in My Cruise Manager, for sailings departing 31 October 2026 through 31 December 2027. That's less than two weeks.

Should you buy your Carnival drink package before 1 December?

Here's what isn't clear yet, and it matters. Carnival hasn't said whether 1 December refers to the date you buy or the date you sail. And it hasn't said what happens to packages bought before then.

So here's how I'd think about it:

Booked, and you know you want CHEERS! or WiFi? Look at your cruise in My Cruise Manager before 30 October. At today's prices, the FunPack is the better deal, and right now that price is known. After 1 December, you're buying blind.
Sailing in 2027 on a peak week (school holidays, Christmas, summer)? These are the sailings most likely to price higher under a seasonal model, so locking in early makes the most sense here.
Short, off-season sailing and on the fence? There's a real chance dynamic pricing works in your favour. Waiting is a reasonable gamble, as long as you accept you won't get FunPack pricing after 30 October.
Travelling with other adults? Check the terms before you buy. Carnival's CHEERS! rules have required all adults in the same cabin to buy the package, so do the sums for everyone in the room, not just yourself.

And whatever you do, don't leave it until you're onboard. CHEERS! is already $5 a day more onboard than online, before the service charge. Buying the moment you step on the ship has always been the most expensive way to get it.

FAQ

When does Carnival's dynamic pricing for drink packages start?

Carnival says dynamic pricing for beverage packages and WiFi plans starts on 1 December 2026. It hasn't yet confirmed whether that date applies to when you buy the package or when your cruise sails, so check My Cruise Manager for your own booking.

How much is the Carnival CHEERS! drink package now?

CHEERS! currently costs $69.95 per person per day if bought before your cruise, or $74.95 onboard. A 20% service charge is added on top, which takes the pre-cruise price to roughly $83.94 a day. From 1 December, prices will vary by sailing length, itinerary and season.

What is a Carnival FunPack?

FunPacks are limited-time bundles that combine drinks, WiFi and extras like shore excursions and specialty dining in one pre-cruise purchase. There are four: Kidstarter ($25), Zero Proof ($50), Social ($60) and Epic ($99), all per person per day. They can be booked from 13 to 30 October 2026 for sailings from 31 October 2026 to 31 December 2027.

Is the Carnival Epic FunPack worth it?

If you'd buy CHEERS! and Premium WiFi anyway, yes. Those two alone cost about $109 a day at today's prices with the service charge, while Epic is $99 and also includes two shore excursions, two specialty meals, a bottle of sparkling wine and a bag of laundry. If you don't drink enough to justify CHEERS!, it's not the right pick.

Will my already-purchased Carnival drink package change price?

Carnival hasn't said. It has not confirmed whether packages bought before 1 December keep their current price, so if you've already paid, keep your confirmation and watch for an update from Carnival.

The bottom line

So, Carnival is taking its most searched-for add-on and making the price a moving target. Nobody can tell you yet whether your sailing will come out cheaper or dearer after 1 December, because Carnival hasn't published a single dynamic price. What you can see is today's price, and a FunPack deal that beats buying drinks and WiFi separately. If you're booked and you know you'll want the package, I'd sort it before 30 October rather than gamble.

Are you buying your Carnival drink package now or waiting to see the new prices? Tell me in the comments, share this with anyone with a Carnival cruise booked, and subscribe to The Walking Cruiser on YouTube for more honest cruise news and money-saving tips.

By The Walking Cruiser