Citing Safety and Security, Carnival Restricts Bottled Water

Carnival Cruise Line will prohibit cruisers sailing from June 9 onward from bringing any bottled beverages onboard Carnival vessels. The cruise line cites safety concerns as the rationale behind the policy change.

Carnival, of course, hopes to sell cruisers their own brand of spring water at a reduced cost.

“We know some of our guests are accustomed to bringing on their own supply of bottled water so as part of this new policy we have significantly reduced the pricing for spring bottled water which will be conveniently delivered directly to your stateroom,” reads a recently-updated CCL statement.

Carnival will now charge $2.99 plus tax for a pre-purchased pack of 12 500ml water bottles, and $4.99 for the same package purchased while onboard.

Guests will still be allowed to bring a dozen cans of a non-alcoholic beverage onboard, along with one 750ml bottle of wine subject to a $15 corkage fee.

Coolers, as well, will continue to be permitted. Items confiscated by the staff, however, will be discarded.

A smart move?
Travel agents said the move may actually save cruisers money in the long run.

“This is a win-win for consumers,” said Chuck Flagg, owner of The Flagg Agency, a Cruise Holidays franchise in Canton, Ga.

“[Cruisers] do not have to bother lugging water with them, the price as compared to before the announcement has gone down and this will speed up the boarding process as [Carnival] doesn’t have to check for tampered water bottles which may contain alcohol.”

Others said the changes are long overdue.

“I think Carnival should have done this a long time ago,” said Marlys Aballi, owner of Connection to Cruise, a NEST agency in Redlands, Calif.

“My experience has been that our customers are not even aware that they could bring their own bottled beverages,” she said. “The Carnival cruisers that are aware may not like it at first, but I think they will get over it quickly.”  

Aballi doesn’t expect the changes to deter Carnival’s primary market of cruisers.

“I don’t believe that it will affect those Carnival past cruisers that are still looking for a lesser-priced vacation,” she said. “For those guests, it’s still an overall great vacation value.”

Ralph Santisteban, owner of CruiseOne of Miami in West Kendall, Fla., agreed.

“It is unlikely that cost conscious consumers will go elsewhere,” he said. “By going elsewhere, they will likely be spending much more money on the cruise itself. Paying 25% or higher cruise fare in order to be allowed to bring bottled water on board will likely not be a better option for these consumers.

“It’s likely some will complain at the change but savvy consumers will likely continue sailing Carnival despite their dislike of the new policy.”

Safety concerns
Carnival said the changes won’t create any additional revenue for the cruise line.

“We do not anticipate any increase in revenue as a result of this policy change, particularly given the significant reduction in price we have instituted for 12 packs of bottled water.”

The policy change suggests that irresponsible cruisers have been sneaking booze onboard in water bottles and becoming dangerously intoxicated during their cruise.

Prior to the change, cruisers could bring a dozen bottles of any non-alcoholic beverage onboard besides wine.

“The volume of bottled beverages being brought onboard by guests is excessive and is causing multiple issues,” said Carnival in a statement.

“The first issue is the impact on the boarding process,” the statement continued. “Bottled beverages are the most common means by which guests attempt to smuggle alcohol on board which necessitates that bottles be individually examined by security personnel.

“This bogs down the embarkation process and requires security resources dedicated to checking bottled beverages.  Most importantly, when behavioral issues occur on board and are ultimately investigated, smuggled alcohol often appears to be a factor.”