Carnival rolls out cheaper internet packages

Carnival Cruise Lines has rolled out cheaper Internet service on half of its fleet and is rapidly expanding the number of ships where it is offered.

The next three ships to get Carnival's new suite of Internet packages are Carnival Glory, Carnival Conquest and Carnival Dream, according to a blog post from Carnival's social media guru John Heald.

Carnival's packages include a $5 a day option that allows access to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, but not the entire internet. A more comprehensive package for $16 a day includes everything but heavy bandwidth applications such as Skype or music streaming. A $25 a day package includes those features as well.

The packages can be purchased on a day-by-day basis or for the duration of the cruise.

Ships already offering the new packages include Carnival Freedom, Breeze, Sunshine, Ecstasy, Sensation, Paradise, Fascination, Victory, Elation, Pride, Imagination and Inspiration. Other ships remain on the old minute-metered plan where Internet costs range from 75 cents a minute to $159 for a bundle of 480 minutes.

Heald said Carnival expects to complete the rollout of new Internet service to the balance of its fleet by October. For a deck-by-deck look inside a Carnival ship, click through the carousel below.