I am a bit confused about the purchase of the beverage cards for our 2 teenagers. Does the purchase of this card mean that EVERY drink that our kids drink will be covered on this card? I read somewhere that a 15% gratuity was added to each drink, does this apply only if you do not purchase the beverage card and just order your drinks on your sail & sign card? And......are there any beverages that are free on Carnival? Hoping to find some more info or advice on purchasing the beverage cards vs. not.

The beverage card can be a little confusing. No, it does not cover every soda that your kids order, namely the dining room, or soda bought in the shop. The 15% gratuity is added to beverages on your sail and sign card. It was originally that you could only get fountain drinks in a glass, but policies on this are changing constantly. We were on Princess recently, and they had a "sippy mug" type of thing. You can get drinks free around the buffet and pool area, iced tea, coffee, juice, lemonade and water from the
fountain. Bottled water you must pay for. We take bottled water with us, and then refill when needed to have something to drink when you go ashore. Don't drink the water anywhere off the ship, or have a drink that has ice cubes either. Many people don't think of that, and end up paying the consequences. Happy sailing!

I was on the Carnival Victory in January. The soda cards are good at all bars and lounges for a glass of soda. You can drink as many glasses as you want. You can only order one glass at a time. The tip is already included in the price of the card so there is NO additional tip added once you buy the card.

Yes there are some free beverages onboard Carnival ships mainly in the buffet area. There was juice, lemonade, milk, coffee and tea both hot and cold on the Victory.

I just sailed Carnival. The drink card is available for unlimited sodas any where on the ship (via a waiter or bar), but not for the stuff in your cabin or gift shop (bottles). The cost varies by the length of your cruise. I didn't go with the program because I didn't want to give my kids free run to order and drink gallons of soda. No tips are posted on the card because it is paid in advance. Most people said they didn't tip the waiter of bartender, but I am not sure how fair that is. I mean the guy/girl is running back and forth bring you a service. I guess that is up to you. There is plenty of free drinks, lemonade, punch, ice tea, milk available around the clock. If the kids wanted something to drink that was it. We did pay twice for a can of Sprite at $1.50, but that was well below the $20 for the card.

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