Carnival Guests Are Getting a New Cost Notice: Gratuities + Soda Packages Go Up April 2026

Cruise fares can look like a steal… right up until you start adding the “little stuff” that isn’t really little. If you’re sailing Carnival in 2026, two of the most common add-ons are getting more expensive: daily gratuities and the Bottomless Bubbles soda package.

Here’s what changes on April 2, 2026, plus what you can do now if you want to keep today’s pricing.

What Carnival Told Guests

Carnival has started notifying guests that recommended daily gratuities are increasing on April 2, 2026. At the same time, Bottomless Bubbles (their unlimited soda + juice package) is getting a price bump for adults.

Carnival says this change is meant to help support the crew who take care of guests every day.

How to Lock in Today’s Pricing Before the Change

If your cruise is after April 2, 2026, you still have time to protect your budget.

• Prepay gratuities now (if you plan to prepay at all). Prepaid gratuities are run through your booking, so check the rate shown at checkout for your sailing.
• Buy Bottomless Bubbles before April 1, 2026. Carnival says it will honor the current price for pre-purchased packages through April 1, 2026.

I always tell people this: if you already know you’ll buy a package, buying early is usually the least stressful play.

Bonus tip: if you’re sitting on onboard credit, gratuities post to your Sail & Sign account when they aren’t prepaid which means onboard credit can sometimes cover them. (Not every type of onboard credit works for gratuities, so double-check your fine print.)

Related read: Don’t Waste Your Carnival Onboard Credit – Here’s How to Use It Wisely

New Gratuity Rates

Starting April 2, 2026, Carnival’s daily gratuities are going up by $1 per person, per day. If you’re in a regular stateroom, the new rate will be $17 per person, per day (up from $16). If you’re in a suite, it will be $19 per person, per day (up from $18).

On most sailings, Carnival adds these tips to your onboard account automatically (unless you prepaid them before the cruise). These tips are meant to support many different crew members, not just one person you see every day.

Carnival also says you can change the tip amount if you really want to, but you have to do it while you’re still on the ship, usually by going to Guest Services. Once the cruise is over and you’ve gotten off the ship, it’s too late to change it.

Bottomless Bubbles Price Increase

Bottomless Bubbles is Carnival’s unlimited soda-and-juice plan for the full length of your cruise. Carnival notes it’s sold for the full voyage and can’t be used for room service or at ports (including Celebration Key).

Bottomless Bubbles is getting more expensive for adults starting April 2, 2026. The price for kids remains the same at $6.95 per day. The base price for adults goes from $9.50 to $11.99 per person, per day, and Carnival also adds a 20% service charge when you buy the package.

That means the real daily cost is higher than the listed price: current price of $9.50 becomes $11.40 with the service charge, and the new price of $11.99 becomes about $14.39 with the service charge. So even though the listed increase is $2.49 per day, after the 20% service charge it works out to about $2.99 more per day for each adult who buys it.

This Isn’t Just a Carnival Thing

Carnival’s move fits a pattern cruise fans have watched for years: gratuities and add-ons tend to inch upward, even when base fares look tempting.

Carnival’s announcement didn’t come as a big surprise, since the last time the line increased gratuities was on April 1, 2023. In the cruise world, it’s not very common for a company to go almost three years without raising these rates.

Royal Caribbean, for example, raised daily gratuities by $0.50 starting November 1, 2024 — after another increase the year before.

And it’s not only U.S.-based brands. MSC updated its hotel service charge rules in 2024, with changes taking effect July 2, 2024 (and with “grandfathering” language for bookings made before that date).

The takeaway: when you’re pricing a cruise for 2026 and beyond, build a cushion for tips and packages, then grab the pre-purchases you know you want while the lower rate is still sitting there.

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