Did you wish you’d purchased the Cheers package?

We tried it on a Blues Cruise, just to see if it was worth it, figuring if ever there was a cruise we'd get our money's worth, that would be it. Even with getting off the ship only one day, we still didn't save money, we figure we broke even. If you have several ports, remember that you will be off the ship and NOT using it, even less opportunity to get your money's worth. In my opinion, it is NOT worth it. You can't (or are not supposed to) buy drinks for others, the cost is per person. It's a money maker for the cruise line. In fact, one time I was on a cruise without the package, bought a glass of wine, and when the bartender realized I didn't have the package, he poured MORE wine in my glass when he realized I was paying for it! So I guess they also measure out the alcohol to make sure they make money.

Not really we can cruise without drinking so much.

Can someone explain what all the hype is about the Alchemy Bar? Is it the brands they carry....never went there for a drink!

Can someone explain what all the hype is about the Alchemy Bar? Is it the brands they carry....never went there for a drink!

The Alchemy Bar serves martinis, old fashioneds, and the like. No pina coladas, margaritas, or beer. So they are pretty well exactly the opposite of the Redfrog and Blue Iguana bars. And yes, they use top-shelf stuff, no wells.

Also, the mixologists (bartenders) do a really good job explaining the drinks (if you want) and put on a great show making them.

We drank there every night, usually 4 or 5 drinks each, maybe more.

In my opinion, it is NOT worth it. You can't (or are not supposed to) buy drinks for others, the cost is per person. It's a money maker for the cruise line.

Agreed, for you it is not worth it.

For my wife and me, it was very definitely worth it, even on our port day. We drank the equivalent of $120 worth of drinks per person per day, probably, maybe more (had a couple high-end scotches one night). At ~$50 per person per day, it saved us $70 per person per day.

Raging alcoholics and professional drinkers here. We always get cheers. Sometimes we get close to our 15 drink limit and “buy rounds for our friends” so we can stash booze around the ship for later. Plus the convenience of being able to order a free Bloody Mary in the morning from whatever bar we passed out next to in a lounge chair/life boat is worth the convenience. Once the hangover shakes are gone, we head over to the coffee bar to get energized for another day of out of control drinking fueled by a strict 2 shots followed by a monster energy drink (also free) ratio to maximize our package. On port days we wake up an extra 30 minutes early to get a shot every 5 minutes so we can get in 6 shots before leaving for port. That way we’re ready for a fun day in the sun and warmed up for our all inclusive drinking and nacho excursion. On port days we rarely get in our full 15 but we will hit the bar before bed to fill our free water bottles up with booze for the morning (we pour that nasty water stuff out).

Cheers is totally worth it. ;p

 

(Sorry couldn’t resist...but we do get cheers ;) and love the convenience and ability to try whatever we want and not care about the bill )

:loudcry::loudcry: This is perfection

Agreed, for you it is not worth it.

 

For my wife and me, it was very definitely worth it, even on our port day. We drank the equivalent of $120 worth of drinks per person per day, probably, maybe more (had a couple high-end scotches one night). At ~$50 per person per day, it saved us $70 per person per day.

Have never been to Achlemy Bar , but I will try it in May. The "Deal Closer" looks like a great drink.

The misconception people have is you have to drink constantly to get money's worth which can't be any farther from the truth. Achlemy Bar drinks, Martini's , Top shelf liquor will get you to your total quickly.

Heck I think the Steakhouse Bar has a 40.00 glass of Champagne. Live a little.

Even port intensive cruises many are only off the ship for 6 hours or so. You still have 8-12 hours on the ship.

Like many have said it's the piece of mind knowing

1) No bill at the end.

2) You can try new things

3) You dont have to watch/keep track of your spending

4) Drink gets watered down/ice melts by the pool get a new one

My experience is that we drink less than we thought when port days are factored in. I do not think over the entirety of the cruise that I could ever make Cheers worth the price. Same with bottomless bubbles, when we do the real numbers only sea days are a good buy. An adult has to drink like six cokes a day to break even and we are better off just buying a coke when we want one.

When on earth did they start charging over $12/day for the soda pkg ?? :o Last time we got it, the price was around $6.

I am the opposite of many of the people responding. Husband and I love to get our drink on while cruising. We drink maybe three to four times per month at home. We both have pretty high tolerance for alcohol so, not that we drink the full fifteen, but we do put them away on a cruise. Our first two cruises our bar bill was well over $800 so after that, not matter when cruise line, we purchase the package.

It is always a matter of what works best for you.

Raging alcoholics and professional drinkers here. We always get cheers. Sometimes we get close to our 15 drink limit and “buy rounds for our friends” so we can stash booze around the ship for later. Plus the convenience of being able to order a free Bloody Mary in the morning from whatever bar we passed out next to in a lounge chair/life boat is worth the convenience. Once the hangover shakes are gone, we head over to the coffee bar to get energized for another day of out of control drinking fueled by a strict 2 shots followed by a monster energy drink (also free) ratio to maximize our package. On port days we wake up an extra 30 minutes early to get a shot every 5 minutes so we can get in 6 shots before leaving for port. That way we’re ready for a fun day in the sun and warmed up for our all inclusive drinking and nacho excursion. On port days we rarely get in our full 15 but we will hit the bar before bed to fill our free water bottles up with booze for the morning (we pour that nasty water stuff out).

Cheers is totally worth it. ;p

 

(Sorry couldn’t resist...but we do get cheers ;) and love the convenience and ability to try whatever we want and not care about the bill )

Finally - someone who told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth! Loved it! :halo:

The Cheers package is too expensive for us.

Never have bought cheers! My bar tab is never that bad.We have bought the wine package though!

We get free drinks in the casino, they usually send us a bottle of Bubbly to our room during the cruise, we bring on 2 bottles of wine, and the free brunch drink are plenty for us, no need for the cheers program!

We have purchased Cheers! on 3 (soon to be 4) of our cruises. I think it is worth it. I only hit my 15 alcoholic drinks maybe twice, but I still got my money's worth. I grab a bottle of water or PowerAde multiple times a day, including one or two to take ashore on port days. I like nice tea, and it is an extra cost if you want anything other than Lipton, but the Cheers! program cover it. I like to try fun new cocktails, and as others have said, if I don't like what I order, I don't have to stress over the $7 I just spent, but instead just order something else. Also, there are some nice higher end rums, tequilas, and other alcohols that you can choose as long as each drink is independently less than $50 per serving. Remember to ask the bar staff to use a specific topshelf alcohol. You don't need to settle for the well stuff.

I have now purchased a (wholly unregulated) portable breathalyzer, and have a log book app. I am going to test several times throughout the days, and keep a detailed chart of my BAC throughout the cruise, and enjoy it. In the interest of Science of course.

WOW, after reading some of the posts, if you drink 15(+) alcoholic drinks a day for 7 days, you may not be a drunk, but you sound like an alcoholic!-))

WOW, after reading some of the posts, if you drink 15(+) alcoholic drinks a day for 7 days, you may not be a drunk, but you sound like an alcoholic!-))

I know you are mostly joking around, but in some seriousness:

I wouldn't typically drink 15+ drinks per day for 7 days, but I will very likely hit 10+ drinks per day. As mentioned, even skipping the breakfast mimosa or bloody mary: 2 drinks at lunch, 3 drinks pool side in the afternoon, 1 martini or similar pre-dinner early seating, 2 glasses of wine with dinner, and 2 martinis or similar after dinner. Bang, 10 drinks. And that is a huge under-estimate for the afternoon of three "cocktails" - 5 hours from "after lunch" to "pre-dinner"! I'll sober up with only three drinks!

Being an alcoholic means I "need" my booze. I can, and have, not had a drink for days if I have had the wherewithal. If my doctor told me to quit, I would. That's why I don't have a doctor. :D

But I enjoy a nice drink, especially wine with a meal, and I would easily consume the "value" of a Cheers! package most days: with the nice not inexpensive wines we like and the not-cheap Alchemy Bar drinks we favor, I only need to drink about 5 or 6 to make Cheers! worthwhile. So I may as well enjoy a few more, if they are essentially "free" at that point.

I've known true alcoholics. I can safely say I am not one. Not even really a "binge" drinker - I know a few of those, too. A practiced heavy drinker? Sure, I'll cop to that.

WOW, after reading some of the posts, if you drink 15(+) alcoholic drinks a day for 7 days, you may not be a drunk, but you sound like an alcoholic!-))

Who said that or are you just stretching the truth to make some point?

Have never been to Achlemy Bar , but I will try it in May. The "Deal Closer" looks like a great drink.

 

The misconception people have is you have to drink constantly to get money's worth which can't be any farther from the truth. Achlemy Bar drinks, Martini's , Top shelf liquor will get you to your total quickly.

 

Heck I think the Steakhouse Bar has a 40.00 glass of Champagne. Live a little.

 

Even port intensive cruises many are only off the ship for 6 hours or so. You still have 8-12 hours on the ship.

 

Like many have said it's the piece of mind knowing

1) No bill at the end.

2) You can try new things

3) You dont have to watch/keep track of your spending

4) Drink gets watered down/ice melts by the pool get a new one

Anyone know the name of the $40.00 glass of Champagne?

I'd like to try the $40.00 glass of Champagne. Name?

I know you are mostly joking around, but in some seriousness:

 

 

 

I wouldn't typically drink 15+ drinks per day for 7 days, but I will very likely hit 10+ drinks per day. As mentioned, even skipping the breakfast mimosa or bloody mary: 2 drinks at lunch, 3 drinks pool side in the afternoon, 1 martini or similar pre-dinner early seating, 2 glasses of wine with dinner, and 2 martinis or similar after dinner. Bang, 10 drinks. And that is a huge under-estimate for the afternoon of three "cocktails" - 5 hours from "after lunch" to "pre-dinner"! I'll sober up with only three drinks!

 

 

 

Being an alcoholic means I "need" my booze. I can, and have, not had a drink for days if I have had the wherewithal. If my doctor told me to quit, I would. That's why I don't have a doctor. :D

 

 

 

But I enjoy a nice drink, especially wine with a meal, and I would easily consume the "value" of a Cheers! package most days: with the nice not inexpensive wines we like and the not-cheap Alchemy Bar drinks we favor, I only need to drink about 5 or 6 to make Cheers! worthwhile. So I may as well enjoy a few more, if they are essentially "free" at that point.

 

 

 

I've known true alcoholics. I can safely say I am not one. Not even really a "binge" drinker - I know a few of those, too. A practiced heavy drinker? Sure, I'll cop to that.

That’s about the same with me. We don’t really drink much when we are home but on a cruise or at all-inclusive it’s very easy to drink a good amount.

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I know you are mostly joking around, but in some seriousness:

 

I wouldn't typically drink 15+ drinks per day for 7 days, but I will very likely hit 10+ drinks per day. As mentioned, even skipping the breakfast mimosa or bloody mary: 2 drinks at lunch, 3 drinks pool side in the afternoon, 1 martini or similar pre-dinner early seating, 2 glasses of wine with dinner, and 2 martinis or similar after dinner. Bang, 10 drinks. And that is a huge under-estimate for the afternoon of three "cocktails" - 5 hours from "after lunch" to "pre-dinner"! I'll sober up with only three drinks!

 

Being an alcoholic means I "need" my booze. I can, and have, not had a drink for days if I have had the wherewithal. If my doctor told me to quit, I would. That's why I don't have a doctor. :D

 

But I enjoy a nice drink, especially wine with a meal, and I would easily consume the "value" of a Cheers! package most days: with the nice not inexpensive wines we like and the not-cheap Alchemy Bar drinks we favor, I only need to drink about 5 or 6 to make Cheers! worthwhile. So I may as well enjoy a few more, if they are essentially "free" at that point.

 

I've known true alcoholics. I can safely say I am not one. Not even really a "binge" drinker - I know a few of those, too. A practiced heavy drinker? Sure, I'll cop to that.

Don't take offence, it was only a joke!;)

Hubby and I like cocktails and most days on our cruise only had 4-5 drinks, but adding the non -alcoholic drinks and bottles of water we saved a ton of money!!

I am in the minority here. I had one alcoholic drink the entire cruise, and it was the free one that I got for being gold.

I drink the free coffee and the free water. I have a refillable tumbler, and fill it with a fresh Carnival cup(hate to see people using their own cups to get refills, very unsanitary).

So, in conclusion, Cheers makes no sense for me

These threads make me laugh!

Common sense says if you only drink 1 or 2 a day NO it isn’t worth it.

Drink 5-6 plus non alcoholic drinks PROBABLY worth it.

Any amounts over YES it is worth it!

Not really a “gray” area.

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