When you board a cruise ship, you lose the ability to pop by a store and buy anything you might be missing.
That can be frustrating if you forget your over-the-counter allergy medicine or your favorite shampoo. To a certain extent those items are sold on board, at fairly hefty markups. The selection varies heavily by not just cruise line but by cruise ship.
Some Royal Caribbean Oasis-class ships, for example, have a selection of vending machines that offer a wider array of products ranging from sunblock and moisturizer to toiletries and feminine hygiene products.
Related: Carnival Cruise Line risks a Bud Light-style backlash
Many ships, however, operate outlets more like hotel gift shops, where a small area is dedicated to a limited array of products. You might be able to buy a razor or a toothbrush, but you will have only one choice.
You might be able to find what you need in port, but you face many restrictions regarding what you can bring on board. In some cases, like alcohol, soda and bottled water, cruise lines have very strict rules about what you can bring on board.
Carnival and Royal Caribbean have similar policies.
"On embarkation day, a small quantity of non-alcoholic beverages (i.e., sparkling water, sodas, energy drinks, juice, and milk), packaged in cans or cartons, may be brought on board and must be in the guest's carry-on luggage," Carnival says on its website. "A small quantity is considered a maximum of 12 sealed, unopened cans/cartons of 12-ounces/354-ml each or less, per person."
Image source: Carnival
Carnival wants to sell you more
Carnival and Royal Caribbean make roughly as much money from onboard and presail purchases as they do from ticket sales. Onboard beverage sales are a big piece of that. In addition to being able to bring the boxed or canned beverages listed above, Carnival (and Royal Caribbean) have one other exception:
"At the beginning of the cruise during embarkation day only, guests (21 years of age and older) may bring one 750-ml bottle of sealed/unopened wine or champagne, per person, in their carry-on luggage," Carnival added.
"Outside this exception, all liquor, beer, and other forms of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are strictly prohibited in both carry-on and checked luggage and such items will be confiscated and discarded and no compensation will be provided."
Both cruise lines provide water, basic coffee, and tea, as well as some flavored waters in various onboard locations. Passengers who want bottled water, however, will have to pay for it.
You can buy bottles as you need at the many bars onboard or you can preorder water to your cabin.
Carnival has recently angered some passengers by raising the price of its in-cabin water packages that are booked precruise.
Carnival water prices are rising
The cruise line offers a 12-pack of bottled water (16.9-ounce bottle/500-ml bottle) for $14.95.
"This is the third price increase on this popular beverage product since November 2022," Cruise Hive reports. "Initially, the 12-pack was $4.95 ($0.42 per bottle), but at that time, it was doubled to $9.95 ($0.83 per bottle). Then, in December 2023, the price was increased again, to $11.95 per 12-pack (a drop under $1 per bottle)."
Royal Caribbean has a similar package that's almost twice the water, as it offers 12 one-liter (33.8 oz.) bottles of Evian for $30.99. That's roughly comparable to Carnival's cost on an ounce-by-ounce basis.
Both cruise lines also sell bottled water at every bar on the ship with 16.9-ounce bottles selling for $2.50 to $3.50 apiece (prices and brands available can vary).
Both cruise lines also add an 18% charge (which Carnival calls a delivery fee and Royal Caribbean calls a gratuity), as they do on all beverages and beverage packages.
Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald addressed the water-price increase and the customer pushback it created in a recent video blog.
"So, I've had about a thousand comments about water. I'm not going to say too much, we've increased the price," he said. "Some of you understand, some of you don't."
Heald said he'd collected all the comments and sent them to the appropriate people at the cruise line.
"I don't really have anything else to say on that specifically. It's still far more affordable than airports and hotels and resorts and theme parks," he added. "I'm glad to be here to be vented at and I certainly have been."
Not everyone has been nice.
"One lady, a lady, told me to take a bottle of water and shove it up my, well, you know where," he said.
