Carnival to Move Drink and Wi-Fi Packages to Dynamic Pricing on Dec. 1
If you plan to sail with Carnival and want a drink or Wi-Fi package, watch the prices from Dec. 1, when they begin to vary by cruise length, itinerary and season. Carnival says that once you buy a package, your confirmed price is locked in and will not change, even if pricing is adjusted later. The article does not say whether prices will rise or fall, so compare the price for your specific sailing before you buy. The pricing applies only to individual beverage and Wi-Fi packages.
My read is that Carnival is bringing airline-style pricing to onboard extras, and burying it near the bottom of an Oct. 14 announcement about FunPacks tells you how it expects the news to land. The article gives no reason for the move, so I will not invent one. The line calls it "greater flexibility," but flexibility for a seller usually means price adjustments for the seller. The lock-in is the real consumer protection: once you buy a package, the confirmed price will not change. That rewards people who decide early and penalizes the procrastinators. Reddit was split, with some people worried about budgeting and others saying it could be cheaper on longer or port-heavy cruises. Princess's $5 per person per day increase to $70 and $105 shows these extras are a pricing battleground across the industry. In your shoes, I would check the price for my specific sailing and buy once I see a number I can live with, since that price is locked.