Carnival Cruise Line Makes Significant Package Price Hike

Carnival Cruise Line has announced changes to its Wi-Fi package pricing, with rates increasing from Friday, December 8, 2023. Booked guests do have a few days to lock in lower rates if they pre-pay for an internet package before the rate increase takes effect.

Internet Prices Increasing on All Carnival Cruise Ships

Carnival Cruise Line has emailed booked guests and affiliated travel partners to alert them to an upcoming increase in Wi-Fi internet packages across the Carnival fleet, with new pricing starting on Friday, December 8, 2023.

All package prices will increase for both pre-cruise and onboard purchases. The rate changes are as follows (all in USD):

Social Plan

This is Carnival’s least expensive plan, allowing guests to stay connected to family and friends back home via social media and apps, including Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and several others. This plan also includes access to the most popular airline websites in case travelers need to check in for flights or make travel arrangements.

Current pricing is $12.75 per day when purchased before sailing, or $15 per day when purchased onboard. From December 8, the rate will increase to a pre-cruise price of $15.30 per day and $18 per day when purchased onboard, an increase of 20% regardless of when the package is purchased.

Guests should note that the Social Plan does not include access to email, streaming services, video chats, or most websites.

Value Plan

The most popular Wi-Fi plan is the Value Plan, which includes not only social media and airline websites, but also news, sports, weather, banking, and entertainment sites – though not streaming services. The speed for the package is faster, and guests can easily post pictures using the Value Plan.

Before the increase, this plan is $17.00 per day when purchased pre-cruise, or $20.00 per day when purchased onboard. After December 8, the price will increase to $19.55 per day when bought before sailing, or $23.00 per day when bought onboard after embarkation. This is an increase of 15% over the current pricing.

Premium Plan

The fasted internet speeds with the most access to social networking, email, websites, and apps, including several types of video calling and conferencing, the Premium Plan is a great option for passengers who must stay connected while at sea, either for their own enjoyment or for some work requirements or other obligations, though video and music streaming are still not supported.

Read Also: Carnival Cruise Line Has Good News for Guests Who Use Wi-Fi

Currently, Carnival’s Premium Wi-Fi Plan is available for $18.70 per day before cruises, or $22.00 per day onboard. From December 8, the new pricing will be $21.25 per day for pre-cruise purchases, or $25 per day when purchased onboard the ship. Either way, this is a 13.6% increase for the package price.

Savings Can Be Locked In

Booked guests – or those who complete a booking prior to Friday, December 8 – can still lock in the lower rates by pre-paying for internet packages before the rate increase goes into effect, regardless of when their cruise sets sail.

“Make sure to add your Wi-Fi package early to lock in the current package price for your upcoming cruise,” the notification email read.

Pre-booking before the price increase can be a significant savings depending on the package travelers choose and the length of their sailing, as longer cruises and stronger internet packages command higher savings.

These price increases follow similar price increases Carnival Cruise Line implemented in mid-October for Australia cruises.

Guests interested in booking internet packages should note that all packages must be purchased for the full length of a cruise, and are not available on a day-by-day basis.

Furthermore, no internet plan is necessary to use the Carnival Hub App, which is essential for keeping up with onboard activities, menus, showtimes, and announcements during each cruise.