Carnival Passengers Outraged After Cruise Line Increases ‘Insane’ Beverage Program to $82 Per Day ‘Without Warning’

Carnival Cruise Line passengers are expressing their disappointment over the company’s latest changes to its beverage program.

The cruise company is now offering its CHEERS! beverage program to passengers over the age of 21 at a new price of $82.54 per day, according to its official website. The package was previously $70.74 per day, according to USA Today.

Per Carnival’s website, “each adult assigned to the same stateroom must purchase the program” even if just one person was planning to opt for the package. It also states that “no sharing is permitted” and guests can only order one drink at a time.

PEOPLE has reached out to Carnival Cruise Line for comment but has not yet received a reply.

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Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador John Heald addressed the backlash to the price increase and acknowledged that the company “didn’t send out any information in advance” in a Facebook post on Dec. 5.

“I do understand your disappointment that I did not advise you of the increase in some of the services that we are offering such as the cheers program,” he wrote.

In response to a comment, Heald noted that the new initiative was put into effect after their previous beverage program was “pure and simply abused.”

He added, “The only way we can fairly control the program now is to do it like this and require everybody age 21 or over to use it. I realize then it doesn’t become something that everybody can do so for that, I do apologize, but at the moment we have no plans on changing anything at all.”

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Cruisers immediately took to the comments section under Heald’s post to express their anger, especially after Heald wrote that the new package is "affordable” in one of his responses.

“No it’s not affordable when it costs as much or more than the cruise. What is making people upset is there wasn’t a warning at all,” one person wrote. “We have always been an advocate for the cheers program, but lord it’s insane and when it’s without warning.”

They continued, “There needs to be an option if somebody in your cabin doesn’t drink alcohol and they can opt out. That needs to change. I get it, people break the rules, but come on!!”

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Another echoed their disappointment over how the company went about the change right before the holidays.

“John, this cheers increase is outrageous. I don't care about the increase, I understand, but you've set precedent in the past by announcing increases and have allowed people time to buy them at the old rate,” the comment read. “Extremely disappointed in the way this was handled.”

One user added, “Please address the insane increase on CHEERS with no warning and right before Christmas. This is the second increase in a year. And the last one, we were given a heads up if already booked. This time we were blindsided and during the holidays.”

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