When you’re in vacation mode, it’s normal to relax and drink more than you usually do. This is why, for one TikToker, a Carnival Cruise drink package was especially worth it.
In a viral TikTok, which has garnered 73,400 views, Sierra (@frumpymomofthree) made it clear that she thought the expense was worth it.
She explained that the drink package she bought was $69.95 per person, for 5 days. This came to approximately $840 for both, including tax and gratuity charges. In turn, this broke down to $420 per person.
Sierra then took viewers through her expenditure for the cruise. On the first day, she got nine drinks, which cost a total of $72.75. Four of those drinks were alcoholic. The second day, she got seventeen drinks that cost $122, seven of which were alcoholic. On the third day, it was fifteen beverages at $116.25, six of which were alcoholic. Then, on the fifth day, she got nine beverages, five of which were alcoholic, for $79.25.
This worked out to 28 beverages over the course of the week. Out of pocket, that would’ve been 495.25. But her drinks package included Red Bulls, sodas, milkshakes, and tea.
Was It Worth It?
“Even as a non-heavy drinker, it was worth it to me,” she said. “It was also very nice to just walk up to the bar and order a drink and not have to worry about how much money I was spending because I already spent the money.”
Sierra added that her husband “100%” got his money’s worth. Apparently, he got cut off twice with the 15-drink maximum. She says he had “at least” 10 alcoholic beverages a day. With this in mind, she implored people to go for the drink package.
“Somebody told me they never heard anyone say they regretted getting the drink package, and after going and getting the drink package, I agree,” she said. “Was not a regret in any way, shape, or form.”
BroBible reached out to Carnival Cruise via email.
What Did Commenters Think?
Some commenters were thankful for the tip. “This was the journalism I need,” one wrote. “Going in my first cruise w my kids in a few weeks and I think I’m going to add them all a soda package and get the drink pack for me.”
“I have said this for years,” a second added. “A mimosa or two with breakfast, 3-5 drinks while hanging by the pool from 10-4pm, I always have a late dinner so a drink before dinner at a lounge, two glasses of wine with dinner and maybe a 1-3 after dinner at the club. Plus 5-7 water bottles. Even without excessive alcohol consumption it pays off.”
Others appeared shocked by the cost and consumption.
A fourth suggested, “It seems like the drink package encourages you to drink more to make sure you are getting value out of what you paid for.”
To which Sierra replied, “I don’t agree. At no point did I think I better drink more to get my moneys worth. I actually never looked up what I had drank until the morning we got off the ship and made a list then. I was shocked at how much I had actually drank but I knew all along that my husband would be enough to make it worth it so I wasn’t trying to drink more to get my moneys worth.”
Elsewhere, a fifth added, “$840 for drinks is mind-boggling to me. I didn’t even get the soda package.”
“Omg!! Y’all drink a lot,” a sixth said. “I don’t think I even drink 15 total drinks during a 6 day cruise. With the exception of water. And regular coffee. I never do specialty coffee.”
Addressing The Criticism
In her first follow-up, Sierra noted how “people are mad in the comments.”
“They really don’t like the way I spend my money, and that’s OK because it’s my money, not yours,” she said.
She then reiterated that she doesn’t regret her decision. As a waitress, it was a week’s worth of work for her. But it was worth it. Sierra then added that in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t that expensive. The cruise in total costs $3,000.
If it weren’t for the drinks package, she says she would have been “miserable” and anxious about the drinks cost. Ultimately, she called it the “best vacation I’ve been on as an adult. Will 100% do it again.”
How Much Did Her Husband’s Drinks Cost?
In her third follow-up, Sierra remarked how the commenters were angry about “everything.” So, she decided to share her husband’s alcoholic drink consumption. The first day consisted of 11 beverages at $97.50. The second was 15 for $135.50. As for the third day, they spent most of it in Nassau. But even then, the husband drank 14 for $122.50. The fourth day was the same amount. As for the fifth day, it was another 15 drinks for $135.50.
This tallied up at $613.50 excluding gratuity and $723.93 including gratuity. Adding her own drinks, the non-gratuity total was $1,113, while the gratuity total was $1,313.34.
So, by buying the drinks package, Sierra and her husband saved a total of $473.34. Despite what commenters said, she says she didn’t feel pressured to get her money’s worth.
“You know what? We were on vacation, we had a great time,” she said. “If you guys don’t drink that much, that’s OK.”
She added that she was trying to give perspective to those who were on the fence, and that she isn’t usually a big drinker.
“It’s OK for me to splurge on vacation and drink a little bit,” she said.
Why Did She Share The PSA?
In a TikTok direct message to BroBible, Sierra said she was trying to be informative.
“I went back and forth for months on the drink package because I knew that I am not a heavy drinker,” she explained. “I just didn’t know if it was worth the money.”
She explained that she “couldn’t really find any real reviews on the package that broke it down.” So, she made a video and figured “a few hundred people would see it.”
“I never imagined it would get the traction it did,” she said.
Sierra added that the reception was “overall positive,” with viewers asking questions and thanking her for the advice.
“Tons of people have agreed with me,” she explained. “But there has also been a good amount of hate. People calling me an alcoholic, judging how I spend my money, making fun of my sunglasses, judging how much liquid I drink in a day just in general etc.”
She continued, “At the end of the day it’s just a TikTok. I want them to take away what they want from it. If someone is going back and forth about a carnival drink package maybe they will see my TikTok and save themselves some money. Or maybe they won’t listen to me and end up with huge bill getting off the ship. In the end, the drink package saved us nearly $500 so I don’t regret buying it. And it was by far the best vacation we have ever taken as a family.”
Sierra also said she would “100%” go on a Carnival Cruise again. “It was our first time cruising and we had the absolute best time,” she said.
“I know Carnival gets a lot of hate, but we had a great experience,” she added. “We got a super cheap room and crammed our family of five in it like sardines but you know what, the room was clean. And as a mom, I enjoyed not having to do ANYTHING. All of our meals were cooked for us, I didn’t have to clean up a single mess the entire time, our room was cleaned daily, there was free childcare. It was a literal dream as an exhausted, overwhelmed mom, and I cannot wait for our next Carnival cruise.”
What Are The Carnival Cruise Drink Packages?
There are five different types of Carnival Cruise drink packages. The Cheers! package, which includes all spirited drinks, starts at $69.95 per person per day. The Cheers! Zero Proof package, which includes all non-alcoholic drinks, begins at $29.99 per person per day.
In addition to this, there was the Bottomless Bubbles package, which was for soda. This package started at $6.95 per child per day and $11.99 per adult per day.
The final two packages are the Cruise the Vineyard wine packages. The standard package starts at $81, while the premium starts at $124.
Still, if you decide to go for these packages, it’s probably best to proceed with caution. There have been cases where customers have claimed they were “overserved” or had their doorknob taken away by cruise staff when they got too drunk.