Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line go after the same passengers with their namesake cruise lines: They want families and they cater to people looking to party.
The party aspect is something Carnival has tried to play down, given its not-entirely-fair reputation for hosting unruly passengers. Royal Caribbean has actually embraced the party idea with its newest ship, Utopia of the Seas, which offers short three- and four-day "weekend" sailings.
Related: Carnival Cruise Line quietly made a major cabin change
And while you certainly can have a wonderful time on either cruise line without alcohol, drinking is a big feature on their ships. Both companies offer an array of bars on every ship and have focused on having truly distinctive bars on their newest ships.
For many cruisers, the wide array of bars and drinks makes getting a beverage package an important part of their trips.
Royal Caribbean's Deluxe Beverage Package offers unlimited beer, wine, spirits, and cocktails along with fresh-squeezed juice, specialty coffee, soda, and milkshakes. Carnival's Cheers package is similar, but it cuts customers off after 15 alcoholic beverages a day while all other drinks are unlimited.
That's a significant edge for Royal Caribbean as its package is truly unlimited (although visibly intoxicated passengers will be shut off). It's not, however, the only advantage Royal Caribbean has when it comes to selling passengers its drink package.
Image source: Carnival Cruise Lines
Royal Caribbean's drink package works in more places
In addition to being truly unlimited (as long as you remain coherent), Royal Caribbean's Deluxe Beverage Package has another major advantage over Carnival's. In addition to being accepted on the cruise line's ships, it can be used on RCL's private islands, including Perfect Day at CocoCay and the currently closed (because of the political climate) Labadee, Haiti.
It's widely expected but has not been confirmed, that the Deluxe Beverage Package will be accepted on Royal Caribbean's upcoming Royal Beach Clubs in Cozumel and Nassau. Those will be private-island-style destinations that cost extra to visit (CocoCay and Labadee are included).
Being able to use the Deluxe Beverage Package at RCL's private islands makes it more valuable. On port days people generally consume fewer drinks since many of them are on shore for much of the day. CocoCay (and Labadee when it's operational) offer multiple bars and waiters bringing you drinks pretty much everywhere.
Including those drinks in the Deluxe Beverage Package saves passengers money and likely entices some people to get off the ship or stay off the ship longer because they won't have to pay extra for drinks. (That's not just about alcoholic beverages; the DBP also includes water, soda, and mocktails.)
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Carnival has not changed its Cheers package
Carnival does not make clear where its Cheers beverage package will be accepted. In fact, its private islands are not mentioned on the current page, which shares what's included and what's excluded in the package.
An older version of that page shows: "Beverages purchased off the ship at any port of call including Celebration Key, Half Moon Cay, and Princess Cays,” Cruzely reported.
That language is no longer on the Carnival website, at least on the page first found when you go to book Cheers, but the cruise line's media-relations team said that its policy has not changed.
The media team also denied that its website had changed and did not answer a request to clarify its policy.
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"We haven’t made any changes to that page," the cruise line shared in an email response to Come Cruise With Me.
But, while it no longer says so on its website, Cheers is not accepted on any Carnival private island or destination.
Celebration Key, the cruise line's newest private destination, is expected to open in August 2025.
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