It doesn’t take long for a rumor to spread online, and when it sounds like a sneaky trick to save money, it can travel even faster. But before a rumor about using fake medical documents to con the cruise line travels too far, Carnival is nipping it in the bud.
Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador John Heald took to Facebook Live this morning to address a wave of social media posts about “beating the system” with the cruise line’s drink package. These posts claim passengers can bypass the CHEERS! beverage program’s strict purchasing rules with medical exemptions—even fake ones.
Heald Calls Out the ‘Nonsense
The video comes after a growing trend of incorrect content about a sneaky method rumored to trick Carnival following the program’s price hike to $82.54 per day (pre-purchased) in December 2024.
“Anyway, CHEERS! program, so lots of you will have seen all these posts flying around yesterday, today, from, based on a, on a somebody who’s a moderator of a, of a Facebook or YouTube or one of those—but what they’re saying is that they were able to get a medical exemption for them and their family for the CHEERS! program,” Heald began.
“Some also wrote that they were able to scam this by having false medical documents. It’s all absolute…nonsense.”
The rumor appears tied to a recent, unspecified YouTube video or Facebook post that gained traction recently, likely from a cruise influencer or group moderator.
While Heald didn’t name the source, his comments suggest it’s a response to claims that passengers successfully avoided Carnival’s rule requiring all adults aged 21 and over in a stateroom to purchase the CHEERS! package if one does—a policy designed to prevent drink sharing.
The alleged workaround? Presenting medical documentation, real or fake, to excuse non-drinkers from the rule.
Heald was quick to shut down the idea.
“Listen, I know, I know not everybody agrees with this, and I totally understand, I really do, but the CHEERS! program is designed so that everybody in the cabin aged 21 or over, regardless of some very honest people writing to me saying my husband’s diabetic and my wife isn’t well, etcetera, etcetera, then the reasons that they can’t drink—and I understand them all—but at the moment, the only fair way that we can honestly control the program is by saying, without exception, including medical ones, that you must be 21 and over. If you’re in the cabin, everybody of that age must purchase the program.”
No Exceptions, No Workarounds
The CHEERS! package, which includes up to 15 alcoholic drinks per day plus unlimited non-alcoholic beverages, has sparked debate since its latest price increase.
Online forums YouTube vlogs have been filled with tips to maximize value or skirt rules, with some suggesting medical exemptions as a loophole. Heald acknowledged the complaints:
“And then people say, well, we’re forced to do it. Well, you’re not forced to do anything, obviously. It is up to you whether you decide to do it. You may agree, you may disagree, and I respect your disagreement, I really do.”
But he urged followers to dismiss the rumors.
“Please don’t believe what you’re reading on these pages over the last couple of days and what this YouTuber is saying because it is not true. If you go to guest services where they pretend, for indeed a totally legitimate medical reason for you not to be able to have the CHEERS! program, you would still be refused that.”
Carnival’s website reinforces this: no exceptions, medical or otherwise. The crackdown follows years of passengers testing workarounds—like discreet sharing or timing drinks to stretch the 15-drink limit—prompting stricter oversight via the Sail & Sign system and staff training.
Whether this puts a stop to the online drink package tricks or fuels more creative attempts remains to be seen—but for now, Heald’s message is clear: don’t bet on a doctor’s note, fake or not, to beat the system.
