Cheers Comparison Chart

[Rowan555]

In all honesty I only saw one person in our group drink more than 15 in one single day. That is alot of drinks. And on the port days Carnival made money on the card.

 

Some people are saying sodas counted towards the 15 drinks - which is beyond unacceptable. If my 13 year old son can pay $35 for the whole week for a soda card and have 50 sodas a day if he chooses, but I can pay $50 a DAY and be limited to 15 SODAS on that card, then there is a big problem.

[gfy012]

Some people are saying sodas counted towards the 15 drinks - which is beyond unacceptable. If my 13 year old son can pay $35 for the whole week for a soda card and have 50 sodas a day if he chooses, but I can pay $50 a DAY and be limited to 15 SODAS on that card, then there is a big problem.

 

Yeah that makes no sense. I would think they would only track the alcohol. We don't drink sodas.

[mkgcars]

I've seen a number of posts (here and other places on web) that the cost is: $42.95 per person per day, plus a 15 percent gratuity (for a total of $49.40 per person per day).

 

 

I'm pretty sure the 15 gratuity is per drink based on the normal cost of the drink, rather than a single daily gratuity charge based on the $42.95 per day cost.

 

Can someone verify this with their bill?

 

thanks

matt

 

PS: I could see a couple frozen drinks around noon, then a couple of beers in the afternoon, couple of wines with dinner, drink after dinner, couple drinks later in the night...that's 9 drinks on a sea day, 5-6 on a stop. Hmm. I'll have to start a spreadsheet and crunch the numbers. ;-)

[Rowan555]

I've seen a number of posts (here and other places on web) that the cost is: $42.95 per person per day, plus a 15 percent gratuity (for a total of $49.40 per person per day).

 

 

I'm pretty sure the 15 gratuity is per drink based on the normal cost of the drink, rather than a single daily gratuity charge based on the $42.95 per day cost.

 

Can someone verify this with their bill?

 

thanks

matt

 

 

It's simply a 15% gratuity based on the 42.95 per day price. It's not a per drink charge. You can always add extra tips on your receipt though.

[spikester]

See so many different experiences with this 15 drinks or so Limit. Some say you have to pay, some say the manager will take a look and see your level of intoxication. JH says no limit nor a mention of anything, I am inclined to believe him more then anything.

 

I would believe the experiences of people that have been on the ship you are planning to sail on.

 

JH posts corporate policy, but each ship does their own thing, which makes Carnival look incompetent.

Edited January 5, 2013 by spikester

[smokey haze]

Hey smokey,

 

We're you able to take a pic or scan the flier they gave you? Just curious as we will be on the pride in 9 days! Can't wait!

 

The picture didn't turn out nice so I typed it out, word for word. It's on page #8 post #158

[smokey haze]

Good afternoon everyone. Can someone clarify the “…beer and wine by the glass…” statement. That can easily be interpreted to mean only draft beer is included, and NOT bottle/can beers. And if that is the case, count me out. So, can someone please let me know if the 16oz aluminum bottle Bud Lights are included in the program? Thanks!

 

Go to page #7 post #129if you want to see the break down of the drinks my husband & I ordered & drank

[smokey haze]

It's simply a 15% gratuity based on the 42.95 per day price. It's not a per drink charge. You can always add extra tips on your receipt though.

 

There was no room on the reciept to add any tips so we carried cash with us for tipping out.

[LOVECRUISING100%]

I found this information online and thought it would be useful for anyone debating if the cheers program would be worth it to them or not.

 

The question many are asking: "Is it worth it?"

 

Program Cost = $49.40 per day with gratuity

 

Sample 1

5 - Martinis

($8.95/per)

= $51.50 with gratuity

 

Sample 2

7 - Top Shelf Vodka Drinks

($7.50/per)

= $53.63 with gratuity

 

Sample 3

8 - Domestic Beers

($5.75/per)

= $52.96 with gratuity

 

Sample 4

4 - Domestic Beers

3 - Sodas

2 - Drinks of the Day

= $50.43 with gratuity

 

 

If you can drink on average one of the samples above in a day, this program will save you money.

LOL .. All I say "stay near a bathroom"

[SNJCruisers]

I know energy drinks are not included in this, but we REALLY would love to know if you can get a cocktail with red bull in it, since it's really not much more than a splash out of the can. If anyone is cruising soon and gets the plan, would you please ask the bartenders if Vodka/Red Bull cocktails are part of the program? It's my husband's favorite drink, so he's going to be bummed if he can't get at least a few of those in between sampling the various specialty offerings at Alchemy, Blue Iguana, etc.

They are not officially on any of the bar menus that Carnival has as a mixed drink with Vodka, only offered as an energy drink by itself. But, since you are allowed to bring on board up to twelve 24 oz sodas per person....just make them Red Bulls and then you can take them to the bar, use your Cheers sticker for your Grey Goose, and your DH is good to go. ;)

[Bobbicat]

For me it will save a lot of money. It's not unusual for me to have a couple of bloody mary's or mimosa's in the morning, 2 or 3 beers in the afternoon and several glasses of wine in the evening.

 

Yeah but Janey you will have the casino card very soon if not on embark:)>

[SNJCruisers]

Most the people that I know that bought it said it wasn't worth it because they didn't drink that many drinks. Especially on port days.

 

In port we were gone all day drinking cheap port drinks with the locals. So those days they didn't get their monies worth.

The people in your group were the exact target audience that Carnival wants for the program. On sea days, they'll drink and get their monies worth on the program, but on port days..they will go ashore and do what they always do, drink cheap beer with the locals in the sun all day, come back on board and maybe have 2 drinks the rest of the night and Carnival makes out, even though they have the opportunity to drink from say 5:00PM-1:00AM and it's easy to drink five $9.00 drinks over the course of 8 hours.

 

If you're going to purchase the Cheers program and you want to make sure you get your monies worth, all you need to do is adjust your drinking patterns when in port, meaning....drink water or soda. You have an open bar waiting for you back on board and if you're back by 5:00, you could drink for the next 10 hours....why sacrifice that opportunity and spend more money ashore on cheap beers or not so cheap alcohol at Margaritaville...Senor Frog's...etc.

 

You gotta have a game plan....people are on CC to gain knowledge and map out a strategy when it comes to shore excursions, alternative dining and other aspects of their cruise. Be smart and use the Cheers program wisely and you'll save yourself money, or go blow it at Senor Frog's or Margaritaville and even though you'll have your 3 foot plastic yard glass, Carnival will be the ones laughing all the way to the bank.

[SNJCruisers]

Yeah but Janey you will have the casino card very soon if not on embark:)>

I don't like to make Casino donations...but isn't the "drinks are on us card" only good while you're gambling in the casino?

[Rowan555]

The people in your group were the exact target audience that Carnival wants for the program. On sea days, they'll drink and get their monies worth on the program, but on port days..they will go ashore and do what they always do, drink cheap beer with the locals in the sun all day, come back on board and maybe have 2 drinks the rest of the night and Carnival makes out, even though they have the opportunity to drink from say 5:00PM-1:00AM and it's easy to drink five $9.00 drinks over the course of 8 hours.

 

If you're going to purchase the Cheers program and you want to make sure you get your monies worth, all you need to do is adjust your drinking patterns when in port, meaning....drink water or soda. You have an open bar waiting for you back on board and if you're back by 5:00, you could drink for the next 10 hours....why sacrifice that opportunity and spend more money ashore on cheap beers or not so cheap alcohol at Margaritaville...Senor Frog's...etc.

 

You gotta have a game plan....people are on CC to gain knowledge and map out a strategy when it comes to shore excursions, alternative dining and other aspects of their cruise. Be smart and use the Cheers program wisely and you'll save yourself money, or go blow it at Senor Frog's or Margaritaville and even though you'll have your 3 foot plastic yard glass, Carnival will be the ones laughing all the way to the bank.

 

We're not getting off the ship this cruise except to buy bottles of tequila in Cozumel to bring home. We're going to do just fine :-)

[gfy012]

I don't like to make Casino donations...but isn't the "drinks are on us card" only good while you're gambling in the casino?

 

Yes only in the casino. Got mine on the second night. Me and hubby had free drinks every night after that.

[gfy012]

The people in your group were the exact target audience that Carnival wants for the program. On sea days, they'll drink and get their monies worth on the program, but on port days..they will go ashore and do what they always do, drink cheap beer with the locals in the sun all day, come back on board and maybe have 2 drinks the rest of the night and Carnival makes out, even though they have the opportunity to drink from say 5:00PM-1:00AM and it's easy to drink five $9.00 drinks over the course of 8 hours.

 

If you're going to purchase the Cheers program and you want to make sure you get your monies worth, all you need to do is adjust your drinking patterns when in port, meaning....drink water or soda. You have an open bar waiting for you back on board and if you're back by 5:00, you could drink for the next 10 hours....why sacrifice that opportunity and spend more money ashore on cheap beers or not so cheap alcohol at Margaritaville...Senor Frog's...etc.

 

You gotta have a game plan....people are on CC to gain knowledge and map out a strategy when it comes to shore excursions, alternative dining and other aspects of their cruise. Be smart and use the Cheers program wisely and you'll save yourself money, or go blow it at Senor Frog's or Margaritaville and even though you'll have your 3 foot plastic yard glass, Carnival will be the ones laughing all the way to the bank.

 

Yeah drink water in ports LOL! Not! That is why I would not purchase it.

[Rowan555]

Yeah drink water in ports LOL! Not! That is why I would not purchase it.

 

We actually rarely drink at all in ports, unless we do an all inclusive, which is rare. I'd rather drink water all day and do ATV, snorkeling, and other such excursions, then drink cocktails all night on the ship. This cruise is all about relaxation, as I am recovering from two surgeries - so no active excursions are possible for us anyway - I think hanging out on board and enjoying tasty beverages will be the perfect way to spend 7 days.

[gfy012]

We actually rarely drink at all in ports, unless we do an all inclusive, which is rare. I'd rather drink water all day and do ATV, snorkeling, and other such excursions, then drink cocktails all night on the ship. This cruise is all about relaxation, as I am recovering from two surgeries - so no active excursions are possible for us anyway - I think hanging out on board and enjoying tasty beverages will be the perfect way to spend 7 days.

 

Hope you feel better surgery sucks :)

Edited January 5, 2013 by gfy012

[SNJCruisers]

Yes only in the casino. Got mine on the second night. Me and hubby had free drinks every night after that.

It's just like any casino in Vegas or Atlantic City....you gamble and they comp your drinks.....now, if they gave you free drinks the rest of the day poolside or at the piano bar or comedy club at night, that would be really getting something, but in reality, you're paying for those drinks through your casino donations.

[SNJCruisers]

Yeah drink water in ports LOL! Not! That is why I would not purchase it.

Yea....to each his or her own....but I would rather spend 50 bucks a day on an open bar package than buy overpriced liquor in the ports and make nightly donations at the casino. Between the bar tabs in the ports and the money dropped at the casino, I would have to wager that you dropped over 350.00 over the course of the week.

But of course, that's why they make vanilla and chocolate, different people have different tastes.

[SNJCruisers]

We actually rarely drink at all in ports, unless we do an all inclusive, which is rare. I'd rather drink water all day and do ATV, snorkeling, and other such excursions, then drink cocktails all night on the ship. This cruise is all about relaxation, as I am recovering from two surgeries - so no active excursions are possible for us anyway - I think hanging out on board and enjoying tasty beverages will be the perfect way to spend 7 days.

Sounds exactly like what we will be doing for 6 days on the Breeze next week.

[bjd2]

I am really enjoying this conversation on the Cheers program. We are trying to decide if we want to try it next month. By the examples given I think we would save money. I can't find our past S&S receipts but I know that even if we didn't spend as much, we always felt a "cha-ching" with every receipt we signed and would check our account on the tv with one eye open for fear of what it would show we had done the previous evening. Even if we don't get our "monies worth" every day, I think the overall feeling of all inclusiveness is worth trying it out for us.

[Rowan555]

Even if we don't get our "monies worth" every day, I think the overall feeling of all inclusiveness is worth trying it out for us.

 

That's our take as well. I tend to be a bit overly frugal, which is great in that it allowed us to pay off our house within 10 years, but not so great on vacation when my husband would like me to not worry so much about the price tag of things. Since we haven't had a vacation in a year, and we REALLY need this one, I'm liking the idea of turning the cruise into an all-inclusive vacation where I can order silly drinks I would never normally pay for. Our bar tab has never been over $250 or so for the both of us for the week, and I usually order from the Classics menu so he can use the casino match play that comes with those drinks. We will certainly not save money with this - but we'll have a very different cruise experience than we normally have, and I think that will be worth the price tag.

[SNJCruisers]

I am really enjoying this conversation on the Cheers program. We are trying to decide if we want to try it next month. By the examples given I think we would save money. I can't find our past S&S receipts but I know that even if we didn't spend as much, we always felt a "cha-ching" with every receipt we signed and would check our account on the tv with one eye open for fear of what it would show we had done the previous evening. Even if we don't get our "monies worth" every day, I think the overall feeling of all inclusiveness is worth trying it out for us.

That's a great attitude to take with regards to the program. It gives you piece of mind knowing what your alcohol costs are going to be and it also gives you the flexibility to experiment and try new concoctions that you never would have tried to consume in the past.

 

I've done research and between the Red Frog Rum Bar, Red Frog Pub, Blue Iguana Tequila Bar, Library Bar, Punchliner's Comedy Lounge and Punchliner's Brunch, there are 23 different drinks that I am going to "sample" on the Breeze. This is in addition to the generic bar menu that is good at all of the other regular bars on board.

[thephantomsgirl]

You know, that is exactly what is making the Cheers program so interesting to me. I am not a heavy drinker, but if I had to pay for each drink, I might not even get one. I can be cheap with myself. Granted, yeah, with the Cheers program I would be putting out a hefty amount - but in my mind - it'll already have been allocated. Sort of like travel insurance and tips. It's just part of the cruise cost.

 

That way, I'd be likely to try things I wouldn't have before. Now if I knew I'd only do one or two drinks a day - then no, this would be a not smart move.

 

But I do like wine with dinner, I do like mimosas, and frozen margaritas. I'd like to try out a Appletini, or a Cosmopolitan. Add a shot of Patron to those frozen drinks (with appropriate 5 minute wait) then I've made it doable for me. Even if some days I'll never get the break even cost. So I am considering it.