Making cheers on a 14 day cruise worth it?

[Brooke71991]

I am more just curious about the thoughts of others on this one. I am going on an 14 day hawaiian cruise. There will be 8 sea days and 5 port days. There will be a 13 and 14 hour port day, which we probably will not drink much at all. Then we have two 9 hour port days in which I may end up drinking maybe 5 drinks and the spouse 3. We have one 5 hour port day, but that will likely not be much different except we will take a later dinner. On sea days, I will likely have 8-10 drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and the spouse, who drinks much less than me will likely only drink 5-6 on any given day. What has me worried is that while I mostly only drink water, hot tea, and black coffee on land, when on vacation, I like sweet alcoholic drinks. I have never drank so many over such a sort time frame. Previously it has been at most only 5 days at a time. From experience, do the drinks start to wear on you halfway through the cruise? Or do you continue to enjoy it that long? I want to at least break even with the $1600 I would be paying for cheers. Does this seems feasible on a 14 day cruise? Thanks in advance for your thoughts!!

[SNJCruisers]

No, don't do it.....7-8 days is about the max and then you'll start to teeter out and you'll not get your monies worth on a 14 day itinerary. The only way it would be worthwhile is you will utilize the peripheral drinks alot. If you go through many bottles of water, hot and cold espresso based coffee drinks, milkshakes, energy drinks, etc, then maybe. But if you're primarily going to be using it for alcohol, it's a real tough call. You would have to go real strong with the alcohol consumption on the 8 sea days since you'll be real light on the five port days. Only you know your tolerance. Good luck.

[Brooke71991]

My tolerance for strong alcohol is very, very low. This is why I typically like sugary drinks because there is not quite as much alcohol. I like a nice little buzz, but I do not like being drunk. I do typically drink about 6 bottles of water daily. I may get an energy drink or two as well daily because it is unlikely I will like the coffee on the ship. I do not care much for Soda, but I may get 1-2 a day if I have cheers. I would not miss it though. My spouse though loves Dr. Pepper and can drink a few per day. I keep going back and forth on whether I would get my worth with it.

[nh2820]

Hi I definitely get my monies worth. Whilst I don't get over the top drunk, I probably can have about 7 drinks a day plus a couple of waters and 3 cups of coffee that are on the package. Also like just getting my card swiped without the hassle. Even over 14 days I still cannot cruise without one.

 

 

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[hftmrock]

keep in mind it also includes non alcoholic drinks. it might be worth it if you drink these or take a few of these (energy drinks, vitamin water, etc ) off the ship in ports

 

• Zero-Proof frozen cocktails (including smoothies), sodas (including specialty sodas) and juices
  
• Specialty coffees and hot tea served in the main dining rooms, specialty restaurants and coffee bars
  
• Milkshakes, where applicable
  
• RockStar energy drinks, Powerade, Vitamin Water, Coconut Water and Honest Tea
  
• 500ml bottled water and other non-alcoholic bottled beverages served in bars and lounges
  
• Large format (1 liter and 1.5-liter) bottles of water in the main dining rooms and specialty restaurants
  

[meatloafsfan]

My tolerance for strong alcohol is very, very low. This is why I typically like sugary drinks because there is not quite as much alcohol. I like a nice little buzz, but I do not like being drunk. I do typically drink about 6 bottles of water daily. I may get an energy drink or two as well daily because it is unlikely I will like the coffee on the ship. I do not care much for Soda, but I may get 1-2 a day if I have cheers. I would not miss it though. My spouse though loves Dr. Pepper and can drink a few per day. I keep going back and forth on whether I would get my worth with it.

 

Your 6 bottles of water and your 2 energy drinks a day come to about $19 (if purchased at a ship's bar) assuming it's regular water and not vitamin water. Specialty coffee is also included in the package (lattes, cappuccinos, etc.).

 

It's tough to say because $700 a person for drinks (cost of cheers) for the 2 weeks feels excessive. OTOH, if you do indeed drink that much water and energy drinks, it's only $434 more for Cheers - which is about 54 drinks so divided by 14 days is an average of about 4 drinks per day (based on $8 per drink; if you have a couple of drinks at the Alchemy bar, your cost per drink goes up and the number of drinks to break even goes down).

[blainesterrr]

I'd do it for the worry free! Im with another poster.. "14 days and I will still need cheers".. I usually reach my 15 on the daily basis, so I know I'd get my monies worth the first few sea days. I'd be content to know I can drink specialty coffee, soda, and liquor whenever I want for 14 days.

[Melissalcsw]

Yikes, that's crazy!! Good luck, we couldn't do it. We barely good cover our 5 day cruise.

[coevan]

keep in mind just because the ship is docked for 12-14 hours doesn't mean you will off the ship that long. we are going a 14 Journey Panama Canal cruise. We are definitely buying cheers. I was feeling bad one day and just drank water, gatorade, and other non alcoholic drinks for the day, it's not always about the $$$

[happy cruzer]

Wow, $1600 is a significant amount of money. I think I would put $1000 of it in an IRA and have regular bottled water and pay per drink. Plus avoid the calories in the sugary drinks. That's what we did before there were drink packages and still had great cruises. JMHO

[Brooke71991]

Thanks everyone for the responses!!

 

I am tempted to do it because I like not having to worry about a bottom line. I also have not considered the fact that I could get virgin drinks. This might make it more tempting when I am feeling the alcohol. Also I could always drink a lot of waters to feel better. On hot days, I may go through 10-12 bottles. I am not a sipper, I am a gulper. This is partially where I wished carnival let someone do cheers for one person, but I can definitely see why they do not. My spouse is a sipper. I am also worried about driving her crazy by telling her to drink more. I am prepaying for everything as much as possible. I have even planned excursions for almost every moment we are at ports, so less chance to just go out and blow money. I do believe I will do it for the peace of mind. This is going to be the first vacation we have taken in three years due to me finishing school and starting a new nursing career. I feel like at this point I would rather drink whatever I want, whenever I want, than worry about a bill later. Reading these responses makes me feel better. While I may not make it with alcoholic drinks, it is likely I will at least get close with other drinks because I am always drinking something.

 

Thanks again!!!

[meatloafsfan]

Thanks everyone for the responses!!

 

I am tempted to do it because I like not having to worry about a bottom line. I also have not considered the fact that I could get virgin drinks. This might make it more tempting when I am feeling the alcohol. Also I could always drink a lot of waters to feel better. On hot days, I may go through 10-12 bottles. I am not a sipper, I am a gulper. This is partially where I wished carnival let someone do cheers for one person, but I can definitely see why they do not. My spouse is a sipper. I am also worried about driving her crazy by telling her to drink more. I am prepaying for everything as much as possible. I have even planned excursions for almost every moment we are at ports, so less chance to just go out and blow money. I do believe I will do it for the peace of mind. This is going to be the first vacation we have taken in three years due to me finishing school and starting a new nursing career. I feel like at this point I would rather drink whatever I want, whenever I want, than worry about a bill later. Reading these responses makes me feel better. While I may not make it with alcoholic drinks, it is likely I will at least get close with other drinks because I am always drinking something.

 

Thanks again!!!

 

I think that's a great attitude to take.

 

Don't forget to grab a vitamin water or energy drink (or powerade or bottle of honest ice tea) before you leave the ship at a port. It's easy to get dehydrated in the hot sun and starting off with a drink is a good idea.

[naxer]

Wow, cool discussion. I've always appreciated Cheers! and have always gotten it (and will get it) for my 7 and 8 day cruises. But I also have a 14 day cruise booked to Alaska next year, and was rolling Cheers! around in my head. I decided that I won't get it. My cruise buddy and I will probably just relax, bring on our wine, and get beer buckets for the warmer sea days. Plus our port itineraries are pretty intensive and expensive. I usually cruise for the ship experience--the loungers, hot tubs, drinks, and heat--and the ports are secondary. But for Alaska, it will be about Alaska. Now, if I were going to Hawaii, with the sea days and the warmth, I'd have to think harder about Cheers! :)

[Brooke71991]

Yes, I learned the hydration thing the hard way when I was 18. Woke up in the hospital getting fluids lol. I had spent a little too much time in the sun doing sports and not enough time hydrating. I apparently passed out cold. I made sure when I booked my excursions that they included either being in water or a promise of bottled waters. That is one of those things that you only want to happen once. I felt my stomach drop before I passed out. Which is actually part of why I drink so much water now.

[Brooke71991]

Wow, cool discussion. I've always appreciated Cheers! and have always gotten it (and will get it) for my 7 and 8 day cruises. But I also have a 14 day cruise booked to Alaska next year, and was rolling Cheers! around in my head. I decided that I won't get it. My cruise buddy and I will probably just relax, bring on our wine, and get beer buckets for the warmer sea days. Plus our port itineraries are pretty intensive and expensive. I usually cruise for the ship experience--the loungers, hot tubs, drinks, and heat--and the ports are secondary. But for Alaska, it will be about Alaska. Now, if I were going to Hawaii, with the sea days and the warmth, I'd have to think harder about Cheers! :)

 

If I had more port days, I would have more difficulty with it. It is a little easier knowing that I have 8 full sea days, a port day for only 5 hours (3-8), and embarkment day to drink as much as I want. It is likely I will at least break even.

 

I am going to keep all my receipts of the drinks I get and I will give a run down of whether I broke even or not upon my return. It may make it easier for others to make the decision if nothing else.