Question for legit drinkers: Is Cheers worth it?

We are drinkers and we have gotten the cheers package on both of my cruises. We love having cheers because we don’t feel restricted and we don’t have to worry about the large bill at the end. When my wife went on a cruise a few years before we got together she had major sticker shock at the end of the cruise and cheers is worth being able to know exactly how much it will cost you before you even step foot on the ship! I enjoyed specialty coffees and milkshakes in addition to multiple alcoholic beverages a day and loved every minute of it! I don’t foresee myself cruising without it ever!

 

 

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This is why we decided to get it this time, we did pay as you go last time and we tried to stick to the drink specials and limited how much specialty coffee and other for fee beverages we had so we wouldn't run up too big of a tab. Still ended up spending somewhere between $700-800 on beverages on a 7 day, so I know being unrestricted and not worrying about the tab, Cheers is definitely worth it for us.

Illegitimate drinker here. I like to get a good buzz on, but my DW does not. I am very frugal and we plan every dime we spend to make sure we are getting a good deal for what we spend. Not afraid to splurge but there must be good value first.

I am sure plenty of people just don't worry about spending during a cruise, but I have to because watching money is in my DNA. Every dollar wasted is a dollar further from retirement, or the next cruise.

The sad fact is, on a 7 day cruise I would have to part with over $800 and no amount of buzz for a week is worth that much. So, I just smuggle and buy the occasional beer onboard and in port. It just works.

Cheers!

Because it means my wife, who does drink, butnot drink as much as me, also has to purchase and I have to drink her share and mine to break even. 😂 😂

LOL....makes sense!:D

What's up with cheer and NYC?? I read on your vlog that isn't allowed on day one from NY ?? We're on the horizon in may and took the cheers! We won't be able to use it before sail away??

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What's up with cheer and NYC?? I read on your vlog that isn't allowed on day one from NY ?? We're on the horizon in may and took the cheers! We won't be able to use it before sail away??

 

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No....NY and TX have strange alcohol laws.

Beyond the alcohol .... if you buy lots of bottled water and powerades to stash for port days and excursions its even more so. If you drink specialty coffees and shakes .... again. If you just drink beer then probably not. We always get Cheers.

Gotcha! I understand now why the price seemed low! Its 3 days charge only!

Kinda sucks though!!

Totally worth it for my husband and myself! And plus I like knowing it's already payed for... no outrageous bar tabs at the end of our cruise! [emoji4]

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Totally worth it for my husband and myself! And plus I like knowing it's already payed for... no outrageous bar tabs at the end of our cruise! [emoji4]

 

 

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DITTO.

The last thing I want to worry about on the ship is a ballooning bar bill. That peace of mind makes the program worth it!

We usually leave the ship with under $100 on our s/s account

Bigger question: Where on board do I purchase the illusive $49 beverage??

Illegitimate drinker here. I like to get a good buzz on, but my DW does not. I am very frugal and we plan every dime we spend to make sure we are getting a good deal for what we spend. Not afraid to splurge but there must be good value first.

 

 

 

I am sure plenty of people just don't worry about spending during a cruise, but I have to because watching money is in my DNA. Every dollar wasted is a dollar further from retirement, or the next cruise.

 

 

 

The sad fact is, on a 7 day cruise I would have to part with over $800 and no amount of buzz for a week is worth that much. So, I just smuggle and buy the occasional beer onboard and in port. It just works.

 

 

 

Cheers!

We usually go that route too. If only one person had to purchase we would get it every cruise. So we bring on our own and just purchase a few drinks.

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You're not able to use Cheers at HMC. I have a drink calculator on my blog that may help you. http://www.love2cruise.org/drink-packages/

This calculator makes me feel in need of an intervention...:o:o

I think so. (I'm a legitimate drinker too. My daddy's on my birth certificate.)

DITTO.

The last thing I want to worry about on the ship is a ballooning bar bill. That peace of mind makes the program worth it!

We usually leave the ship with under $100 on our s/s account

 

Bigger question: Where on board do I purchase the illusive $49 beverage??

I think the Steakhouse Bar has a 40.00 glass of Champagne 🥂

You're not able to use Cheers at HMC. I have a drink calculator on my blog that may help you. http://www.love2cruise.org/drink-packages/

really cool work sheet

You're not able to use Cheers at HMC. I have a drink calculator on my blog that may help you. http://www.love2cruise.org/drink-packages/

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I like the ability to try different things and to buy a fresh drink if one starts to melt down. I borrowed this calculator from someone on CC. I like it because it breaks it down very specifically. I'm a Cosmo drinker so it was important to see that specific drink.

Carnival Beverage Package Evaluator (2).xls

If you take out the alcohol, add in the insane prices they charge for, soda, bottled water, specialty coffee/tea, milk shakes, PowerAde drinks and so on and that adds up to a great deal as well. So in this case, it is not only about the alcohol, I think the extra stuff Cheers gets you may be worth it.

water is $1.25 and soda is $2.00, would not call those insane prices.

If you like to drink, Cheers is worth it. You are allotted 15 alcoholic drinks per day. You are allowed unlimited sodas, waters, coffees, juices, and milkshakes. When you are figuring out if it is worth it, don't forget to factor in those items. It's easy for me: 5 drinks at Alchemy, or 5 "good" Scotches and I'm already saving money!

We love the freedom of being able to order ANY drink we want at any time we want without having to keep one eye on the S&S bill. I enjoy my wine and my DH loves his rum, high end shots and fancy coffees. Last cruise I estimated out what we would have spent on beverages and it was near $1500. We came out way ahead and just a tiny S&S bill at the end of the cruise for a few extras.

We are not heavy drinkers but always get cheers. The break even point is like 4-5 for me, I typically drink from the alchemy bar, and start every morning with a coffee from the coffee shop. I really don't focus on breaking even, as I know it will happen. Even on vacations with our kids, when we drink much less, I feel certain I break even. There are some days when we only have 3 drinks but others we will have 8-10. I also just like to know that it's paid for and not worrying about tracking!

I like the ability to try different things and to buy a fresh drink if one starts to melt down. I borrowed this calculator from someone on CC. I like it because it breaks it down very specifically. I'm a Cosmo drinker so it was important to see that specific drink.

The problem is those look like that are most likely Princess Cruises drink prices rather than Carnival drink prices. The names of some of the drinks give it away as well as the fact that they are using the International Cafe for their coffee drinks. I'm not sure if there is much difference in price but there might be some.

Perhaps not a legit “drinker” but a “legit” vacationer... I am frugal by nature so buying Cheers gives me the permission to order things I might pass on to save money, or get the top shelf stuff, AM Bloody Mary and an extra glass of wine in the MDR (I usually bring a glass I poured from the carry on bottle in the room and sip throughout dinner). So I figure it into my cruise cost and it turns it into an all inclusive vacation without me “calculating” everything. So I don’t necessarily worry about breaking even.

The argument "We have xxx ports days" we won't get our monies worth. YOU are still ON the ship 8-9 hrs a day port days.

Start the day with coffee with Bailey's, Mimosas, or Bloody Mary's with breakfast.

A person can't drink 1 drink an hour?

We bought it last cruise. Got our moneys worth. If you have a lot of port stops I probably would pass.

True, but lots of times a port will get canceled, especially on a week cruise with 4 port days.

Best cruise spending decision we ever made was getting the beverage package on a week long Princess cruise that was supposed to have 4 port calls. It ended up being a 7 day cruise to Cozumel. More included drinks then planned helped numb the pain of missing 3 out of 4 ports of call.

I think the calculator is great, but after using it if you are still on the fence due to port day / sea day usage consider that it’s somewhat likely that you might have a cancelled port and not at all likely that they will add a port.

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