Embarkation Day Drinks on Carnival: CHEERS!, Taxes & What You Need to Know

Embarkation day is finally here! You’ve checked in, made it through the cruise terminal, stepped onboard and now there’s one very important question:

Can I get a drink yet? 🍹 The short answer is yes!

But if you’re sailing with Carnival, there are a few things worth knowing about drinks on embarkation day, especially if you purchased the CHEERS! beverage package.

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Depending on where your cruise departs, there can be different rules for when CHEERS! becomes active. You may also notice taxes on your drinks while you're still in U.S. waters, and things can work a little differently during those first few hours onboard.

Here’s what you need to know before ordering that first vacation drink.

🍹 Quick Answer: Can You Drink on Embarkation Day?

Yes! You can purchase drinks after boarding your Carnival cruise.

If you have CHEERS!, the package generally works on embarkation day. The major exceptions are cruises departing from Texas, Virginia, and New York, where CHEERS! currently begins at 6:00 AM on Day 2 because of state laws.

You may also see applicable state or local taxes charged while using CHEERS! in U.S. waters, even when the drink itself is covered by your package.

Now, let's get into the details.

Can You Get a Drink as Soon as You Board a Carnival Cruise?

Yes! You don't have to wait for your cabin to be ready or for the ship to sail before heading to a bar.

Once you're onboard, you can start enjoying the ship, and that includes ordering a drink. For us, that first embarkation-day drink is one of those little moments when the vacation officially feels real. 🚢🍹

If you purchased CHEERS! before your cruise, you can generally begin using it once you're onboard.

However, there is one very important exception depending on where your cruise departs.

Important: CHEERS! Starts on Day 2 From Texas, Norfolk & New York

If your Carnival cruise departs from:

• Texas

• Norfolk, Virginia

• New York

your CHEERS! package does not begin on embarkation day.

Instead, CHEERS! becomes active at 6:00 AM on Day 2 of your cruise.

You can still head to the bar and order drinks on embarkation day. The difference is that you'll purchase those drinks individually, and they'll be charged to your Sail & Sign account.

Why Doesn't CHEERS! Start Until Day 2?

This isn't simply Carnival deciding to make cruisers wait an extra day for their drink package. It has to do with state alcohol laws.

Carnival states that due to state laws, it cannot sell CHEERS! until the second day of cruises departing from its Texas, New York and Virginia home ports.

For guests who purchased CHEERS! ahead of time, the package is also held until 6:00 AM on the second day on these sailings.

The good news is that if CHEERS! is purchased on Day 2 on one of these cruises, Carnival says you're charged for the remaining days of the cruise only, rather than paying for embarkation day when the package wasn't available.

So if you're sailing from Texas, Norfolk or New York and your CHEERS! package isn't working when you board, don't panic. There's nothing wrong with it.

You'll simply pay individually for drinks you order on Day 1, and CHEERS! will take over beginning at 6:00 AM on Day 2.

One important note: Plan on paying for those Day 1 drinks. Carnival's current policy specifically states that drinks purchased on the first day of these cruises are charged to your Sail & Sign account in the usual manner.

Why Am I Paying Tax When I Have CHEERS!?

This one can be confusing, especially the first time you see a small charge appear in your onboard account.

You ordered a drink that's included with CHEERS!, so why are you being charged?

It may simply be the tax. Carnival charges applicable state and local taxes when CHEERS! is used within U.S. waters.

Here's the important part: the tax is calculated on the price of the individual drink, not the daily cost of your CHEERS! package.

For example, if a drink would normally cost $10 and the applicable tax were 7%, you'd see a 70-cent charge on your Sail & Sign account even though CHEERS! covered the drink itself.

This doesn't apply only to embarkation day. Carnival says these taxes can apply at U.S. embarkation ports and U.S. ports of call.

So if you see a few small charges on your account while using CHEERS!, don't immediately assume your package isn't working. Take a closer look because you may simply be seeing the applicable taxes.

How Do You Pay for Drinks When You First Board?

Embarkation day can operate a little differently because you may be onboard before you have access to your stateroom.

Keep your boarding documents handy during those first few hours. You will use your boarding pass to buy drinks until you get your Sail & Sign card.

Once you have your Sail & Sign card, it becomes your main onboard card for drinks, purchases, accessing your stateroom and other transactions throughout the cruise.

I also recommend checking your onboard account in the Carnival HUB App periodically. It's an easy way to keep an eye on drink purchases, taxes and any adjustments appearing on your account.

Didn't Buy CHEERS! Yet? You Can Purchase It Onboard

If you didn't purchase CHEERS! before your cruise, Carnival does allow you to purchase it once you're onboard. However, there's a financial reason to decide before your cruise if you already know you want it.

Carnival currently advertises CHEERS! at a lower daily price when purchased before sailing than when purchased onboard.

And this is where I want to share something that actually happened to us on a Carnival cruise departing from Florida.

We purchased drinks individually after boarding and then decided to add CHEERS! onboard. When we purchased the package, our eligible drink purchases from earlier that day were credited back to our onboard account.

That essentially gave us a chance to see how much we were actually drinking before deciding whether CHEERS! made sense for us.

However, I would not count on this happening on every Carnival cruise.

This was our personal experience, not a published Carnival guarantee. Carnival's policies and onboard procedures can change, and the way earlier drink purchases are handled may vary by sailing or departure port.

If you're thinking about purchasing CHEERS! after you've already bought drinks onboard, ask Guest Services or a bartender how those earlier purchases will be handled before purchasing the package.

And remember that this is different from cruises departing from Texas, Norfolk and New York, where CHEERS! doesn't begin until Day 2. Carnival specifically states that drinks purchased on Day 1 of those cruises are charged individually.

How Many Alcoholic Drinks Can You Have With CHEERS!?

Here's another Carnival rule that's important to know.

CHEERS! currently allows up to 15 alcoholic drinks per 24-hour period, with Carnival defining that period as 6:00 AM to 6:00 AM.

Once you reach 15 alcoholic drinks, Carnival says you will not be served additional alcoholic beverages.

Also, 15 isn't a guaranteed target. Carnival can stop alcohol service earlier if its crew determines that a guest should not be served additional alcohol.

Qualifying non-alcoholic drinks do not count toward your 15-alcoholic-drink limit.

CHEERS! isn't just about cocktails, beer and wine, either. It includes a variety of qualifying non-alcoholic beverages, which can make a difference when you're deciding whether the package is worth it.

Beverage	Included with CHEERS!?*	Counts Toward 15 Alcoholic Drink Limit?
Cocktails	✅	✅
Beer	✅	✅
Wine by the glass	✅	✅
Spirits	✅	✅
Soda	✅	❌
Specialty coffee & tea	✅	❌
Bottled water	✅	❌
Energy drinks	✅	❌
Zero-proof drinks	✅	❌

Can You Bring Wine or Champagne Onboard?

Yes.

Carnival currently allows each guest 21 or older to bring one sealed, unopened 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne per person at the beginning of the cruise.

The bottle must be brought onboard in your hand luggage/carry-on.

If you'd like to drink your own bottle in the main dining room, a specialty restaurant or a bar, Carnival currently charges a $15 corkage fee per 750 ml bottle.

If you bring a corkscrew and enjoy your wine or champagne in your stateroom instead, Carnival's current corkage policy says the corkage fee doesn't apply.

And remember, the carry-on allowance is specifically for wine or champagne. You can't substitute a bottle of liquor for your bottle of wine.

A Few Embarkation Day Drink Tips

Know the rules for your departure port.

If you're sailing from Texas, Norfolk or New York, CHEERS! currently won't activate until 6:00 AM on Day 2.

Keep your boarding documents handy.

Don't immediately bury everything at the bottom of your carry-on once you make it through the terminal.

Check your Carnival HUB App.

Keep an eye on your onboard account so you can see drink purchases, taxes and any adjustments.

Don't panic over a small charge.

If you have CHEERS! and see a small amount charged after ordering a covered drink, it may simply be an applicable state or local tax.

Buy CHEERS! ahead of time if you already know you want it.

Carnival currently charges less for CHEERS! when you purchase it before sailing than when you purchase it onboard.

Remember the 15-drink rule.

The limit applies to alcoholic beverages. Qualifying non-alcoholic beverages don't count toward those 15 drinks.

And drink some water, too! Embarkation day can mean an early morning, airports, shuttles, luggage, cruise terminals, lines and plenty of sunshine. That frozen cocktail may look more exciting than a bottle of water, but your Day 2 self might have opinions about that decision. 😄

Is CHEERS! Worth It?

This really depends on how you drink.

One mistake people make is looking only at alcoholic beverages when deciding whether CHEERS! is worth the cost.

Think about everything you might drink throughout the day.

Maybe you start with a specialty coffee in the morning, grab bottled water before leaving the ship, have a cocktail by the pool, order a glass of wine with dinner and finish the evening with another drink or two.

Those beverages can add up quickly.

On the other hand, if you only have one or two alcoholic drinks a day and mostly drink the complimentary beverages available onboard, CHEERS! may not make financial sense.

It's worth doing the math based on how you actually drink, rather than feeling like you need to drink enough to "beat" the package price.

You're on vacation. It shouldn't turn into a beverage spreadsheet with a hangover. 🍹📊

The Bottom Line

Yes, you can get a drink after you board your Carnival cruise.

On most Carnival sailings, guests who pre-purchase CHEERS! can begin using the package on embarkation day.

The big exception is cruises departing from Texas, Norfolk, Virginia, and New York. Due to state laws, CHEERS! currently doesn't begin until 6:00 AM on Day 2, and drinks purchased on embarkation day are charged individually.

Even when CHEERS! is active, you may see applicable state or local taxes charged while you're in U.S. waters. A small charge on your account doesn't necessarily mean your package isn't working.

And if you didn't buy CHEERS! ahead of time, you can purchase it onboard. On one of our Florida cruises, we bought drinks first and later added CHEERS!, and our earlier eligible drinks were credited back to our account. That's something we personally experienced, but because it isn't something Carnival currently guarantees in its published policy, ask onboard before assuming the same thing will happen on your sailing.

The best thing you can do is know the basics before you board, understand the rules for your particular departure port and check with Carnival if you're unsure.

Then comes the fun part.

Find a bar, pick out that first vacation drink and enjoy the moment when the terminal is behind you, the ship is beneath your feet and your cruise has officially begun. 🍹🚢

Carnival's beverage-package rules, pricing, taxes, eligible beverages, purchase deadlines and port-specific restrictions are subject to change. Always check Carnival's current CHEERS! terms and beverage policies for your specific sailing before departure.