There’s simply no way to please everyone – and the latest point of contention that’s angering cruise ship passengers is the price of bottled water on Carnival cruise ships.

According to brand ambassador John Heald, who spoke about this topic in a Video on his Facebook pageMany cruisers have expressed their frustration about the drink prices.

Currently, guests can pre-order a 12-pack of bottled water for $17.64 (USD) prior to embarkation day and have it delivered to their stateroom.

This equates to a value of $1.47 per water bottle – although this is already the fourth price increase for this item in about two years.

There was also outrage when Price increased to $14.95 per pack of 12 in April 2024 – which is about $1.25 per bottle. The 12-pack originally cost $4.95 ($0.42 per bottle).

But as Heald explained in his video, these are still some of the best prices in the travel industry – and cruise lines need to adapt to the current economic situation and inflation.

“We talked a lot about water because I think people were pretty adamant that we were charging too much for bottled water,” Heald began. “But it’s only a little over $1 a bottle. Compared to airports, resorts, etc., it’s the cheapest deal in the industry. It’s still a great, affordable deal.”

Part of the resistance may be due to the fact that guests have not been allowed to bring their own plastic water bottles on board since 2015.

“You have a pretty short memory! When Carnival banned people from bringing water on board, you stated on your Facebook page that Carnival would keep the purchase of water on the ship very affordable, and it was at first. What happened? It’s not a ‘cheap deal’ at all.” argued a Facebook user in the comments.

In fact, carnival guests are currently only allowed to bring small quantities of non-alcoholic beverages with them – a maximum of twelve sealed cans or cartons – such as lemonade, energy drinks, milk or juice. Plastic containers are not permitted.

Affordable water options on board

Of course, no one will be forced to pay for the water bottles if they don’t want to or think it’s not a good deal.

“You don’t need to, because you can drink ship’s water like me,” Heald said in the video, as a waiter on board Carnival Mardi Gras filled his glass with ice water. “So there you have it. I drink ship water and you can too.”

The “ship’s water” is free and included in meals and is available around the clock at beverage stations on all 27 Carnival shipsMany cruisers bring a refillable water bottle or hydroflask and refill it as needed with free water from the onboard stations.

However, some commenters on Heald’s post stated that they could not drink non-bottled water, either due to physical side effects or because they could not stand the taste.

“I find that the water on the ship is making me swell like crazy. I have to drink bottled water.” replied a Facebook user.

“I’m sorry, but usually the water doesn’t taste good when I cruise. It’s been a while, so maybe something has changed.” someone else intervened.

Read also: 15 Mistakes to Avoid on a Carnival Cruise

Another alternative for cruise passengers who want bottled water but not in 12-packs is to invest in the Cheers! Beverage Package. The Cheers! Package starts at $70.74 per person per day, but might still feel like a better deal as it allows guests to purchase up to 15 drinks per day at no additional cost.

This inclusive option includes bottled water, spirits (cocktails, beer and wine), lemonades, energy drinks, specialty coffee, hot tea and other non-alcoholic beverages.

But whatever guests do to get their daily dose of H2O, they shouldn’t try to cheat the system. A TikToker who went viral after tampering with the water bottles in her cabin was excluded from cruises with Carnival beginning of the year.

The female customer filmed herself refilling the water bottles she had drunk and then resealing them to make them look untouched, in an attempt to avoid paying.