Thinking about going on a cruise with Carnival? Before you set sail, you might want to pay close attention to this viral TikTok.
Sporting over 19,000 likes, this video reveals a hidden tip experienced passengers use to make the most out of their ocean getaway—and it may be the difference between a few dollars saved, and a heap of added charges at the end of your vacation.
Cruise Blog’s (@cruise.blog) popular TikTok starts with the caption, “POV you’re boarding a Carnival cruise.” Music plays over several shots of waiting passengers with their carry-on luggage. But alongside every travel bag, passengers have something extra: Drinks. Soft drinks. From Dr. Pepper to Diet Coke, Mountain Dew to Grapico, it’s as if every other Carnival customer decided to bring soda for their trip.
This understandably confused TikTok users.
“Waitttt why would you bring a case of soda on a cruise?” one viewer wrote. “They have soda on the ship for free.”
Is soda free on Carnival?
Cruise Blog quickly corrected her response. “Not free on Carnival!”
That’s right. While Carnival cruises offer select complimentary dining options like free iced tea, lemonade, coffee, and water, you’ll have to pay as you go for soda—or buy a specialty plan to get your unlimited fix. Given the “Bottomless Bubbles” package costs $11.21 per day for each adult, $8.20 per kid, and both hold an 18% daily service charge, it makes way more sense to just buy a 12-pack at home and take advantage of the cruise’s free coffee instead. (Especially if you’re already spending for the pricey alcohol package “Cheers!” which will run you well over $70 per day).
And wait is there Dr. Pepper or Coke on this Carnival cruise?
Oh, and if you’re a fan of Dr. Pepper or A&W? Good luck finding any on your cruise. If you’re sailing as part of Carnival’s North American fleet, you’ll have to cozy up to Carnival’s exclusivity deal with PepsiCo. Don’t worry, you’ll enjoy an “unmatched” selection of “traditional sodas and non-carbonated drinks,” as long as you prefer Pepsi over Coke, Mug Root Beer over Barq’s, and Gatorade over, well, Powerade.
Regular and Diet Mountain Dew are also both available, making Carnival a fantastic option for President Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance.
Given Carnival allows passengers to bring soft drinks in cans or cartons with their carry-on luggage, it makes sense to come ready to depart with a 12-pack of Coke, Dr. Pepper, or any other non-Pepsi soft drink you want on your trip. So long as it’s limited to 12 sealed cans per cruisegoer, you’re good.
“Well, they don’t have Coke products now,” one TikTok user said. “I joined the bring your own club.”
Am I allowed to bring my own soda aboard Carnival?
Yes, you can bring up to 12 sealed (non-alcoholic) cans per person.
Even if you like Pepsi, you can still bring your preferred drink without paying a cent on the cruise, saving a little bit of cash in the process. Case in point, one passenger brought a whole pack of Mountain Dew in Cruise Blog’s viral TikTok, even though Mountain Dew is available on Carnival cruises.
“We do it all the time,” a user commented on Cruise Blog’s video. “One 12 pack at home is $5. Two cans of pop on the ship is $5.” That’s sound logic.
Luckily, not every cruise is as strict with soft drinks as Carnival. One commenter discussed the perks of cruising with Disney, given your package comes with soda for free. Which is a nice gesture, given Disney cruises generally cost thousands of dollars.
@cruise.blog Did you know you can bring cans of soda on a Carnival cruise? Lots of cruisers do! #cruise #cruisetok #cruiseblog #carnivalcruise #carnivalvalor #cruiselife #carnivalcruiseline #sodapop ♬ original sound – 2000spophits🔥
“I did the dream,” a user said, “It was $3,400 and I have the [Disney Wish] booked for spring break for the kids this year and already booked the [Disney Destiny] for 2026.” Each cruise, she said, was under $4,000 and “gives you years to pay on it.”
For that cost? Yeah, free soda should certainly be guaranteed.
The Daily Dot reached out to Cruise Blog and Carnival for comment.
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