Putting the squeeze on this basic drink may have you rethinking how you quench your thirst on your next cruise
Carnival Cruise Line Is Suddenly Charging for These Popular Beverages—And Passengers Are Fuming
Published on Apr. 28, 2025
A common complaint with the cruise industry is passengers feeling nickel-and-dimed for everything—and in my nearly 30 years of frequent cruising, I’ve witnessed this time and again. A lot of these new rules are changing the whole experience of cruising too.
As cruise ships look to maximize their revenue, the extra fees add up. Want to ride that insane waterslide or go-karts? It’ll cost ya. And sure, you can bring your own bottle of wine to the main dining room, but there’s a $15 corkage fee to drink it. Want to order the surf and turf on the regular menu? That’s an extra $20. And, of course, even the price of automatic gratuities is rising.
Now, Carnival is suddenly (and quietly) charging for something that’s always been free: beverages that many consider a staple. Read on to find out which drinks fall under this umbrella and if there’s any way around this pricey new rule.
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Which drinks will you now have to pay for on Carnival cruises?
Effective immediately, Carnival is charging extra for a number of juices—specifically, tomato, pineapple and grapefruit. Previously, these juices were free during breakfast in the main dining room and in the Lido Marketplace buffet. In a five-minute Facebook video, Carnival brand ambassador John Heald explains that this follows the same reasoning as if you were ordering a juice from the bar, where there’s always been a charge.
How much will this cost you?
While Carnival didn’t respond to our request for a comment, a Cruise Critic thread provided some specifics. The price of a single glass of juice in 2024 (the most up-to-date info we could find) was $5 plus an automatic 18% service charge, bringing the total to $5.90. For easy math, we’ll call that $6 per glass.
If your family of four wants one glass of tomato, pineapple or grapefruit juice every day, that’s $24 a day—or $168 for a seven-day cruise. That’s pretty expensive, considering it’s not even a mimosa you’ll get a buzz from!
What are passengers saying about this?
Passengers are unhappy, to say the least—especially about the main dining room (MDR) changes.
One avid cruiser, Robert Townsend, replied to Heald’s Facebook video with this comment: “Gotta say that I’ve been cruising a long time with Carnival and I’ve seen a LOT of cutbacks and downgrades that detract from the cruise experience. I’d honestly rather pay an extra $100 per cruise and still have those little things that have gone the way of the dinosaurs.”
Another said emphatically, “My husband always ordered the tomato juice. We won’t be paying extra for it.”
And yet another Carnival fan, Rhona K. Sara, said: “Good grief. I go to the dining room because I don’t like the Lido deck juices and food. I always get tomato or cranberry in the MDR. Next they’ll charge me for milk.”
Are any juices still free?
Yes. According to Heald, you can still get orange juice and apple juice for free in the main dining room, as well as the orange-passionfruit-guava juice cocktail—a cult favorite—on the Lido deck.
According to the cruise line’s website, the following beverages are also included in the price of your cruise and are served in the main dining room and 24/7 in the Lido Restaurant: non-bottled water, lemonade, iced tea, hot chocolate, and non-specialty coffee and tea.
Is there a more cost-effective way to get juice?
It’s no surprise that beverage upcharges are a big money-maker for most cruise lines—specialty coffees, cocktails, mocktails, beer, wine and bottled water have always cost extra. To help defray the cost of a la carte beverage selections, Carnival offers four beverage packages. While three include alcohol, if you just want access to juices and sodas, check out the Bottomless Bubbles option. This unlimited soda program includes all-you-can-drink Pepsi sodas and, yes, juice for the full length of your cruise.
Pricing starts at $8.20 per child per day or $11.21 per adult per day, and it must be purchased for the entire duration of the cruise. Just note that this pricing is for a three-day cruise and varies by cruise length. The good news is that unlike the other packages that include alcohol, where everyone in the cabin over age 21 has to participate, you can buy a Bottomless Bubbles package for as many (or as few) people on your booking as you want. So if you anticipate drinking at least two juices (or sodas) per day, this package makes good financial sense.
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Sources:
- Facebook: “John Heald: Juice”
- Cruise Critic: “Juice prices”
- Carnival: “What Does the Price of My Cruise Include?”
- Carnival: “Bottomless Bubbles”
