Carnival Addresses Concerns About Alcohol Consumption Onboard

John Heald, the official brand ambassador for Carnival Cruise Line, is addressing one onboard controversy once and for all. 

Apparently, some of Heald’s 585,000 Facebook followers have developed a fixation on how the crew members onboard Carnival’s 27 ships monitor alcohol consumption onboard – with some suggesting that cruisers who purchase the Cheers! Drink package are treated differently. 

While guests can purchase drinks a la carte during their sailing, many opt in for the Cheers! Drink package, which starts at $70.74 per passenger and is available to guests over the age of 21.

The program allows guests to consume up to 15 alcoholic drinks per day (i.e., wine, cocktails, beer) and unlimited non-alcoholic beverages (i.e., soda, water bottles, energy drinks, coffee, tea). 

Of course, the cruise line keeps track of drink consumption for guests in this program to make sure they don’t exceed their daily limit, but this definitely does not mean the crew members don’t keep an eye on passengers drinking a la carte – and Heald shared a statement from Chief Communications Officer Chris Chiames affirming as much. 

“We monitor the alcohol consumption of all guests.The actual consumption is combined with other monitoring tools where servers, bartenders and security are trained to look for behavioral signals that a guest has reached his/her limit of safe consumption,’” reads the statement, in part, which Heald posted on Facebook. 

As Chiames points out, “not all consumption is equal.” Indeed, everyone metabolizes alcohol differently depending on factors like their height, weight, and how much they’ve had to eat that day.

People who become too intoxicated risk becoming a nuisance, or even a danger, to themselves or others – which is why it’s important to keep tabs on guests who choose to consume alcoholic beverages. 

Because guests can order alcohol in a variety of different locations and ways, such as buying a bucket of beers or a full bottle of wine that may or may not be shared, the security team onboard joins the bartenders and restaurant staff to make sure everyone drinks responsibly. 

“That’s why we use a combination of factors to monitor consumption. Now some guests might be creative and figure out ways to drink and never or rarely interact with a server or bartender. That’s why the security team is also part of this plan,” continued the statement. 

Fellow cruisers are also encouraged to notify the onboard security team if they have concerns about another guest’s alcohol consumption. 

Signs to look out for that may indicate someone is heavily intoxicated include mental confusion, difficulty remaining conscious, loss of coordination, slurring words or losing the ability to speak, or becoming physically ill. 

Should Carnival Change the Daily Drink Limit?

No one needs to worry about going thirsty on a Carnival Cruise – and passengers would likely have to try to become dehydrated. 

The 15 daily drinks (per person) included in the CHEERS! Package is generally seen as a good amount, especially considering guests who go over their limit still have the ability to enjoy non-alcoholic drinks like water, iced tea, juices, and coffee. 

Even so, there are always going to be guests who think the limit is too high or too low. In response to Heald’s post, some were calling for Carnival to eliminate the daily limit altogether.

“An unpopular opinion I’m sure, but this is the exact reason why Carnival needs to eliminate the daily limit on the Cheers package,” commented one Facebook user.

“Most people (myself included) rarely or never hit the daily limit, but in Chris’s own words, everyone handles their alcohol differently. If all of the practices are in place, an unruly passenger due to overconsumption will be taken care of,” the comment continued.

Per Carnival policy, cruisers who appear too intoxicated may be cut off before they reach the daily drink package limit – with many in the comments saying it had happened to them on past sailings. 

Read Also: How to Stay Safe and Enjoy Your Cruise Vacation

But the commenters calling for the drink limit to be lessened or eliminated are likely still in the minority – perhaps only coming out of the woodwork due to the theme of alcohol safety. Earlier this summer, Heald was actually fielding many requests to raise the daily limit. 

As an example, one person commented: “The 15 drinks a day maximum on your drink package is for amateurs. I’m a professional so can we please get an upgrade.”

Heald addressed the barrage of comments he got demanding the limit be increased with the following post on his Facebook page:

“We are not changing anything despite the barrage of requests I have every week. We will stay at 15 drinks in a 24 hour period (unlimited non-alcoholic drinks) and despite requests like this I wanted to save you the trouble of writing to me and say again we will not be changing anything,” Head wrote. 

The brand ambassador made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that Carnival’s alcohol policy won’t be changing anytime soon. Whether guests agree with this decision or not, it’s important for passengers to know their limits and to drink responsibility.