What Carnival announced
Carnival Cruise Line has launched FunPacks, which it calls its largest set of packages yet. Each one bundles add-ons like drinks, Wi-Fi, specialty dining and shore trips into one pre-cruise purchase. Carnival says they save guests 35% to 55% compared with buying each item on its own. FunPacks replace Carnival's older Value packages.
The bigger news may be in the last lines of the release. Starting Dec. 1, 2026, Carnival will use dynamic pricing for its beverage packages and Wi-Fi plans. Prices will vary by sailing length, itinerary and season.
The four FunPacks and their prices
Carnival's own chart lists these prices per person, per day:
| FunPack | Price per day | Carnival's savings claim |
|---|---|---|
| Kidstarter | $25 | Up to 50% |
| Zero Proof | $50 | Up to 35% |
| Social | $60 | Up to 50% |
| Epic | $99 | Up to 55% |
Kidstarter is only for guests ages 3 to 17. It has Bottomless Bubbles (unlimited soda and juice plus a souvenir cup), Social Wi-Fi, 1,000 arcade tokens, a free lanyard and 50% off bulk candy at Cherry on Top.
Zero Proof has CHEERS! Zero Proof unlimited non-alcoholic drinks, Value Wi-Fi, a $50 shore excursion discount and a $25 specialty dining discount.
Social is the new one to watch. It comes with CHEERS! Social, a new drink plan sold only in this pack. You get unlimited non-alcoholic drinks plus three alcoholic drinks a day. It also has Premium Wi-Fi, one shore excursion worth up to $100, one specialty dinner worth up to $55, and 50% off spa treatments and Dreams Studio photos.
Epic has the full CHEERS! plan, with 15 alcoholic drinks a day plus unlimited non-alcoholic drinks. It adds Premium Wi-Fi, two shore excursions worth up to $100 each, two specialty dinners worth up to $55 each, 50% off spa and photos, a bottle of sparkling wine and one laundry bag service.
Carnival says service charges for the drink and dining parts are included.
The catch: a short window
You can only buy FunPacks in My Cruise Manager on Carnival.com from Oct. 13 to Oct. 30, 2026. They cover sailings that leave from Oct. 31, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2027. Carnival calls them a limited-time offer.
So if you have a Carnival cruise booked for next year, you have days, not weeks, to decide.
Why dynamic pricing matters
Today, many cruisers plan their budget around a set daily price for drinks and Wi-Fi. From Dec. 1, that number will depend on your trip. Carnival has not said whether prices will go up or down, or by how much. It only says they will vary by length, itinerary and season.
That makes the FunPack window more interesting. A FunPack bought now locks in a daily price for a sailing up to the end of 2027. If peak-season drink prices rise under the new system, that could look like a good deal later. If they fall, it may not. Carnival has not published what dynamic prices will look like, so nobody can say yet.
How to decide
Start with what you would buy anyway. If you were going to get a drink package and Wi-Fi, a FunPack bundles both, plus extras. If you only want one item, a single package may still be the better buy. Read Carnival's terms before you click, since the release points guests there for details.
Want to know if a drink plan pays off at all? Try the calculator below.
A glass of house wine costs about $12.50. Cruise.Blog (Carnival menus, 2026) ↗
Per person, a day, as the line quotes it.
A glass of house wine on Carnival Cruise Line.
Optional. Count coffees and sodas if the package covers them.
The days the package is charged for.
To make the drinks package pay for itself
6drinks a day
A $75-a-day package costs the same as 6 drinks at $12.50. Over 7 days that's $525, or 42 drinks for the cruise.
Pay as you go
At 5 drinks a day, buying drinks one at a time costs about $87.50 less than the package.
- Drinks package, 7 days
- $525
- Drink by drink, 5 drinks a day
- $437.50
Break-even is a target for your wallet, not a dare for your liver.
Source: Carnival's Oct. 14, 2026, release and the FunPacks price chart Carnival published with it. See all Carnival ships on Cruise Frog.
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