Cruising With Carnival? Here’s Why It Will Now Cost More

(KMDL-FM) Carnival Cruise Line, the Fun Ships, they, in my opinion, along with the TV show The Love Boat, are the reason that so many people in Louisiana and Texas love cruise vacations. Carnival has been a mainstay in the ports of New Orleans and Galveston, and is now back again in Mobile, Alabama.  And while they bring the fun, it does come with a cost, and for Louisiana and Texas cruisers, that cost is going up.

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I know, that's not a look of shock on your face, yet. Until you see how much and where exactly the price increases are coming from. And yes, even if you've prepaid your cruise, these price adjustments could still hit your "Sign and Sail" card before they let you off the boat, er, ship. You have to call them ships, or the guys in the fancy uniforms get uncomfortable.

Carnival Cruise Guests Can Expect to Pay More For These Services

Actually, comfort is the main reason why your Carnival Cruise will cost you a little bit more for sailings. There are also increases in other aspects of your cruise that, if I were sailing, I'd want to know about as well. So, let's get you caught up before you get on board and lose all your money in the Dragon Link slot machines onboard.

For those of you who don't drink alcohol excessively and want to spend way too much for soda pops on your cruise, the Bottomless Bubbles soda package for adults will now be $11.99 per person per day, plus a 20% service charge.

Are Drink Packages on Cruises A Good Value?

Ask yourself this question before you buy this package: Can I really drink a 12-pack of soda every day while I am on this ship? At a dollar a can, that's what your "package" would entitle you to.

The good news, if there is such a thing as good news involving a drink package, can you tell I am against them, is that the price for the Bottomless Bubbles package for kids will remain the same price. That's $6.95 per day for kids 17 and under.

The real hit to your fanny pack and the credit card you have attached to your stateroom card comes in the form of gratuities. That's one of the "hidden costs" that a lot of us don't factor into our cruise vacation pricing as we are choosing our vacation.

Carnival Raising The Cost of Daily Gratuities on All Sailings This Spring

Because cruise lines are like restaurants and don't believe the staff deserves a living wage, we, the passengers, make up that difference through gratuities or tips. As of April 2, 2026, Carnival is recommending an increase of $1 per day on gratuity rates. That equates to about $17 per person per day in a standard stateroom. If you're staying in a suite, your rate will be about $18 per person per day.

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Let's do the math. You have four people in your state room at $17 per day. Your cruise is a seven-day cruise. Your gratuities for the cabin would equate to just under $500. I am not saying stateroom attendants are not worth that, but that's an awful lot to pay somebody to make up your bed in the morning and turn down the covers at night.

Okay, they do vacuum the room, asses you charges in your mini-bar, and clean the bathroom, but they spend about ten minutes in your stateroom in the morning and probably a lot less than that in the evening. So, don't feel bashful about calling them to assist you. You are paying for their services.

Now, I don't begrudge the stateroom guys this money. It's hard work, and they take care of a lot of entitled SOB's, so don't be one of those. But you can negotiate your tips at the ship's customer service counter. If you don't require a lot of services, it might behoove you to explore that option.

What if I have prepaid for my Carnival Cruise - Will the Prices Still Go Up?

Carnival has mentioned that guests who prepaid for drink packages and daily gratuities before the price increase was announced will be grandfathered in at the lower rate. But most of us don't prepay those aspects of our cruises, so get ready to spend a little more than you planned. Stil there are ways to save thousands on a cruise just by "knowing stuff".

And, you're going to need that money for Dragon Link in the casino. Seriously, play that one, you'll be surprised at how much it can add to your cruise enjoyment. And if you like saving money on a cruise, here are some Jim Dandy swell ways, yeah, I made that up, to do that.