Carnival and Royal Caribbean both have this surprising extra charge
No matter which cruise line you sail, there's no shortage of food included in your fare.
Passenger meals are unlimited in most onboard dining venues and cruisers can typically find food available at all hours.
Related: CDC says throw this food out after salmonella sickens cruisers
When it comes to snacking, cruisers can hit up the onboard buffet as often as they like, and enjoy unlimited soft-serve ice cream cones poolside, too.
Not every food served on board is included, however. Certain meals, snacks, and desserts are available for an extra charge on a cruise, but most of those are upgrades like specialty dining experiences and gourmet treats.
With so much food included in a standard cruise fare, many cruisers are surprised to find out that one popular snack that costs very little to make will cost you extra on some cruise lines' ships.
The seemingly unnecessary charge for this snack leaves a bad taste in the mouths of some cruisers, often leading to accusations of cruise line nickel-and-diming.
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Although popcorn was once offered at no additional cost during Carnival Cruise Line's Dive-In Movies under the stars, passengers now have to pay $4 to enjoy popcorn with their poolside movie.
Similarly, on Royal Caribbean cruises, popcorn that's offered for shows and events on board costs around $3.50.
Even on Disney Cruise Line, which doesn't even charge extra for sodas like other lines do, popcorn isn't included.
Related: Royal Caribbean makes key change to answer Disney's challenge
On Disney Cruise Line ships, popcorn is available for purchase at a snack bar located outside of the main theater as well as the onboard movie theater. A regular cup of popcorn costs around $4.
Disney Cruise Line also offers souvenir popcorn buckets, which usually range in price from $8 to $25, depending on their design. Popcorn bucket refills cost around $1.50.
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Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald regularly receives questions and complaints about the cruise line's popcorn charge on his popular Facebook page, where he responds to hundreds of questions and concerns from passengers every day.
"I remember the good old days on Carnival when there wasn't an up-charge for every little thing," Penny Kinder Strate recently wrote to the brand ambassador. "I actually got the 2 cups of popcorn in the little bags while watching the outdoor movie for free. Now it is a ridiculous $4.00."
Although Heald could choose to ignore comments like this, he and his colleague Jacinta endeavor to respond to every cruiser who comments on a dedicated Facebook post that the brand ambassador opens for questions and requests each day.
"Thank you, well hopefully you won't base your cruise experience on popcorn, and I mean that with the greatest respect," Heald replied. "You don't have to buy it and there is so much complimentary food, especially [in the Lido] deck area."
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Heald also explained why the cruise line began charging for popcorn some time ago.
"And the reason we charge is when it was free, it became a mess with people grabbing so much and wasting most of it," Heald noted.
Whether on the Lido deck or in a theater, popcorn can easily create big messes, especially when it's served to kids.
Royal Caribbean and Disney Cruise Line haven't publicly explained why they charge for popcorn like Carnival has, but some passengers speculate that it's for a similar reason.
(The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.)
Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me's Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@postcardtravelplanning.com or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
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