Carnival complimentary drinks oddity

[Stick93]

Carnivals rates to book are the lowest of any cruise line. They won’t give you anything and the loyalty of staying with carnival is just to brag that you have survived that many days (I learnt the hard way it’s not that easy). The value of what loyalty of any of the cruise line is worth is whatever an individual feels it’s worth. In my opinion 4-5 free drinks a day is a greater perk than a  gift of a luggage tag - although the blanket/beach bag and cross chest bag was nice. 

[RoperDK]

As an avid Carnival AND Royal cruiser, I am always surprised about the way each line's loyal cruisers circle the wagons.  No one does that about other cruise lines.  Perhaps it's because the two lines are more alike than different.  I enjoy both cruise lines.  Each has positives and negatives. Royal does have great loyalty and suite benefits, however their prices are crazy right now.  Carnival has better pricing and, to me, a more fun atmosphere.  Food is in flux right now.  I used to prefer Royal, but Carnival is trending higher. There are so many variables... old ships, new ships, different ports of embarkation, and cruise length.  It's truly hard to get an apples to apples comparison.        

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, RoperDK said:

As an avid Carnival AND Royal cruiser, I am always surprised about the way each line's loyal cruisers circle the wagons.  No one does that about other cruise lines. 

The oddity is loyal royals complaining that Carnival isn't more like Royal. Stick with Royal if that is what you like, and leave Carnival alone.

[Stick93]

I think getting a cheap fare, a small gift, free laundry and one drink that you can redeem from one hour on the last night of the cruise is a great loyalty gimmick. I think free drinks speak louder as its a tangible that you get daily and feel you have saved without buying.

 

Carnival has nailed the levels well by giving different card colors out. A silver and white card look good even if you are traveling in an inside cabin on deck one. I really like carnival - I just cannot stand the rough behavior that I have only encountered on their ships and have stopped feeling safe at times. They do very little to help this and don’t enforce rules enough. Now I know there will be one or two people with links to fights on royal and NCL - but the links are not what WE the passengers have seen with our own two eyes. Being threatened with violence and having security do nothing is a very poor business model. Cheap fares bring many things….

[BlerkOne]

Given that alcohol plays a large role in criminal activities and fights, and that Carnival limits adult beverages to 15 per day, whereas neither Royal nor NCL have such a limit, it is self-evident that Carnival is the most socially responsible cruise line of the three.

 

We keep hearing how Carnival does not have the cheapest fares and so the riffraff is obviously migrating to the other two.

[sparks1093]

10 hours ago, RoperDK said:

No one does that about other cruise lines. 

They absolutely do. Go to any other cruise line forum on this site and within the first page or two you'll find at least one post where the OP reports a negative experience and numerous posts defending the cruise line. Never underestimate the power of loyalty. 

[Paelos]

The price of 4 drinks a day on RCL is about $65 including the mandatory fees. Run that out over 7 days and you're looking at about $450 on value from that perk, $900 for two adults.  However if you run comps of balcony to balcony on an Oasis class and Excel class right now? You will be very quickly that RCL is more than building that cost into the price. And you'd have to take quite a few cruises to be eligible for that perk unless you gamed it during covid. 

 

The other area I'd point to is on board spend on RCL went up a ton in other places. Their dining costs are up 50% from what I saw in 2019, and their private island water park prices are absolutely insane, almost double in that same time. When you compare complimentary dining options on excel class versus how much is paid dining on Oasis, you are better off just buying the 4 drinks on carnival. 

Edited March 15 by Paelos

[Stick93]

We can summit up like this:

Royals prices are definitely higher across-the-board than Carnival right now. However, Carnival would love to lick their chops and get these prices as well. The name of the game is filling the ships and getting people to spend as much as possible. it’s a bonus if you can get a higher fair because you’re starting at a much higher price point and the profits are that much greater.

 

Whether you can game the system or not to get perks would be a great debate? I started cruising in 2018 and have reached diamond status. I’ve always compared the prices between Carnival., NCL and Royal and I’ve never felt that I paid that much more to be on one ship over the other. I think that if you’re starting to cruise in 2024, and you want to game the system to get perks, you probably will be paying a premium - and those free drinks that they’re giving out to their loyal customers are priced into that.

 

The last thing is, there’s no difference between drinking 15, 20 or 25 drinks in a day. Firstly, if you know how to get 15 drinks on Carnival, you probably could get more. I’ve also seen firsthand that people are way more inebriated on Carnival as compared to at least royal. NCL stands out to me as the most drunks - but they boast the all inclusive.  

[Stick93]

We are also talking about 4-5 complementary drinks a day VS one free drink the last night of the cruise as a perk. Is there a debate which one somone would like? 

[BlerkOne]

7 hours ago, Stick93 said:

We are also talking about 4-5 complementary drinks a day VS one free drink the last night of the cruise as a p chugerk. Is there a debate which one somone would like? 

The complementary drinks are from a limited menu and a cutback from the all you can chug era.

 

I'll take the one, please, because frankly, I don't care to associate with those who fall for bribes. I don't even look at Royal cruises and haven't for years.

[KansasK]

RoyalC said at the end of his post: Wish Carnival did similar but I'm sailing on Carnival soon. Looking forward to see how the food offerings compare.

 

I am also hoping Carnival has better food and is the reason I am trying Carnival again.  I saw Carnival's new main dining room menus a while back, and they look better than what Royal served in the main dining room on our last cruise.  

[RoperDK]

18 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

The oddity is loyal royals complaining that Carnival isn't more like Royal. Stick with Royal if that is what you like, and leave Carnival alone.

That's funny, I don't think many Royal loyals think that much about Carnival.  They are loyal to Royal, just like others are loyal to Carnival.  Those that have tried both are free to compare and discuss and decide what line they prefer.  I don't get upset when someone criticizes either line.  That's their opinion according to their experiences. I will admit that it does irk me when people defend their preferred cruise line at all costs.  I've never experienced anything in my life that was perfect.         

[BlerkOne]

37 minutes ago, RoperDK said:

That's funny, I don't think many Royal loyals think that much about Carnival.  They are loyal to Royal, just like others are loyal to Carnival.  Those that have tried both are free to compare and discuss and decide what line they prefer.  I don't get upset when someone criticizes either line.  That's their opinion according to their experiences. I will admit that it does irk me when people defend their preferred cruise line at all costs.  I've never experienced anything in my life that was perfect.         

Of course they think about Carnival as somehow inferior, as they guzzle the "free" swill that Royal bribes them with. Meanwhile Royal is jacking prices and cutting back on the quality and variety of food in the MDR. Royal has to charge more because their fixed costs just keep going up and they pump out new ships to make things worse. Quite the shell game.

[JMAE]

On 3/13/2024 at 12:50 PM, DukeASUGirl said:

 

I keep hearing about how Carnival's customer base are the booze cruisers, especially on the short cruises. But I saw way more and way rowdier drunks on my one Royal cruise (which was a 7-day) than on either of my Carnival short cruises (a 3-day and a 4-day). Obviously anecdotal, but hey.

 

For us, we found that we prefer the food on Carnival and prefer the pricing on Carnival. Royal does beat Carnival when it comes to entertainment, but my kids already live at the ice rink at home (figure skater and hockey player), so the idea of skating on a cruise ship holds no appeal at all. 

I know it has been a long time ago for us, our first cruise was a 7 day on CCL, our second was a 7 day on RCCL, based on what we experienced, we thought RCCL had a much more "rowdier" group of guests than CCL. Along with the fact that the onboard CCL staff was much more attentive to my family's which promoted another positive experience.  We also preferred CCL food over RCCL offerings.  Since this time, we have been CCL loyalist.  We know RCCL and other lines may have newer venues and things to do on their ships, we are at a point in life that we cruise for RR and not things to do on the ship.  In the coming year we are thinking of trying different brands but will always come back to CCL.  

[Stick93]

4 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

The complementary drinks are from a limited menu and a cutback from the all you can chug era.

 

I'll take the one, please, because frankly, I don't care to associate with those who fall for bribes. I don't even look at Royal cruises and haven't for years.

Its any drink up to $14 which is what the drink package covers as well. 

 

One trinket vs 4-5 drinks a day….

Edited March 15 by Stick93

[Stick93]

2 hours ago, RoperDK said:

That's funny, I don't think many Royal loyals think that much about Carnival.  They are loyal to Royal, just like others are loyal to Carnival.  Those that have tried both are free to compare and discuss and decide what line they prefer.  I don't get upset when someone criticizes either line.  That's their opinion according to their experiences. I will admit that it does irk me when people defend their preferred cruise line at all costs.  I've never experienced anything in my life that was perfect.         

You speak the truth. It’s funny how there are a certain posters who cannot handle the preferences. 

[Stick93]

2 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

Of course they think about Carnival as somehow inferior, as they guzzle the "free" swill that Royal bribes them with. Meanwhile Royal is jacking prices and cutting back on the quality and variety of food in the MDR. Royal has to charge more because their fixed costs just keep going up and they pump out new ships to make things worse. Quite the shell game.

I don’t understand - they pump up the price and yet their ships are sailing at 100%. Are so many people that bribed and unable to see the cheaper prices on the Fun Ships?? I could only think that just like people have choices between inside cabins and suits, economy and first class - people see a difference between Royals high priced product and carnivals lower priced products and still feel value in the higher priced product.  There is no cruise line that would not want higher priced fares to sell vs lower price. 

[BlerkOne]

Just now, Stick93 said:

I don’t understand - they pump up the price and yet their ships are sailing at 100%. Are so many people that bribed and unable to see the cheaper prices on the Fun Ships?? I could only think that just like people have choices between inside cabins and suits, economy and first class - people see a difference between Royals high priced product and carnivals lower priced products and still feel value in the higher priced product.  There is no cruise line that would not want higher priced fares to sell vs lower price. 

Sometimes inside cabins cost more than balconies. Perception and reality aren't always the same.

[Stick93]

5 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

Sometimes inside cabins cost more than balconies. Perception and reality aren't always the same.

We agree perception and reality are not the same. It’s a variable in the eye of the beholder. 

[Stick93]

Reality is if I get 4-5 drinks a day on a cruise for free I get more free things the longer the cruise is. 11 day cruise would be 44-55 drinks. If you get a good cruise fare it’s a good value. Carnival does not offer this but if I get a really cheap fare I may get value and still be ahead with a drink package that will run about $130 a day for two people. 

Edited March 15 by Stick93

[BlerkOne]

7 minutes ago, Stick93 said:

Reality is if I get 4-5 drinks a day on a cruise for free I get more free things the longer the cruise is. 11 day cruise would be 44-55 drinks. If you get a good cruise fare it’s a good value. Carnival does not offer this but if I get a really cheap fare I may get value and still be ahead with a drink package that will run about $130 a day for two people. 

I am not motivated by free drinks. Others seem to be.

[mamiamjo]

38 minutes ago, Stick93 said:

I don’t understand - they pump up the price and yet their ships are sailing at 100%. Are so many people that bribed and unable to see the cheaper prices on the Fun Ships?? I could only think that just like people have choices between inside cabins and suits, economy and first class - people see a difference between Royals high priced product and carnivals lower priced products and still feel value in the higher priced product.  

Royal can charge higher prices because they sell Coke Products 😉

[SRF]

On 3/13/2024 at 2:48 AM, DallasGuy75219 said:

In the Crown Lounge drinks are not complimentary, and only Diamond Plus and Pinnacle are allowed during evening hours.  You have to use a drink voucher or charge your SeaPass if you don't already have the premium drink package.

 

Only if you're among the top Pinnacles on your sailing do you have access to the Suite Lounge, which does have complimentary drinks.

 

But you get 4 - 5 or 6 drink vouchers at the Diamond level or higher.

[BlerkOne]

Why are Royal loyals so upset that Carnival cruisers are happier? Stay in your lane, bro.

[sparks1093]

11 hours ago, Stick93 said:

I don’t understand - they pump up the price and yet their ships are sailing at 100%. Are so many people that bribed and unable to see the cheaper prices on the Fun Ships?? I could only think that just like people have choices between inside cabins and suits, economy and first class - people see a difference between Royals high priced product and carnivals lower priced products and still feel value in the higher priced product.  There is no cruise line that would not want higher priced fares to sell vs lower price. 

Of course their ships are sailing 100%, that's one thing loyalty does. They aren't looking at the price.