UNITED STATES — A Carnival Cruise passenger says a room upgrade offered over the phone cost her the drink package she had already secured for her trip. TikTok user Kirsten, who posts as @kkiiirsss, shared the experience in a video that has drawn more than 30,000 views. She says no one warned her the upgrade would cancel her perks, and she never received a refund. Her post has drawn similar complaints from other cruisers.
Upgrade for a Friend’s Birthday Ends With a Canceled Drink Package
In the video, Kirsten stares sadly out of her cabin window while her roommate laughs and asks if she is okay. The on-screen text says she had just found out Carnival canceled their drink package.
In the comments, she said the cancellation happened because she upgraded her room. She wrote that Carnival called to offer the upgrade for her friend’s birthday and never said she would lose her perks. In her caption, she said she will never cruise with the line again.
Drink package cancelation
byu/Illustrious-Fix6848 inCarnivalCruiseFans
Other Passengers Report the Same Problem
Drink packages matter to many cruisers. One survey found over 80% of cruise passengers buy alcohol on their trips, compared with about 54% of American adults who drink at all. Kirsten is not the only one this has happened to. One Reddit user said an unexpected email from Carnival told them their drink package had been canceled because of a room upgrade. Their original booking came with an onboard credit that paid for the package, and the new room did not include it.
Another user in the same thread had put a $50 onboard credit toward a drink package, and it disappeared after a phone upgrade. They said no one warned them. When they tried to get the package back, they were told the promotion had ended.
What Carnival’s Booking Terms Say About Upgrades
Carnival’s website terms say guests who move their reservation to a different promotion may lose benefits tied to the original booking. Those benefits can include purchased packages and onboard credits.
An upgrade can move a passenger out of the promotion they first booked under, and the perks attached to it can disappear. Many travelers don’t find out until after the change is made, sometimes not until they are already planning around those perks.
Refund Questions and Advice From Fellow Cruisers
Why Kirsten got no refund is still unclear. Carnival’s CHEERS! beverage program says packages bought before sailing are refundable until 10:00 p.m. ET the night before departure. If her upgrade came before that deadline, she may have qualified for a refund.
Other commenters shared close calls. One stopped partway through an upgrade after seeing that existing reservations would be canceled. Another was told a free drink package would be lost by moving to a higher deck. One user advised anyone accepting an upgrade to confirm first that their perks carry over.
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