Cheers cost analysis

[bartleby112]

So its been 7 years since our last cruise.  We are now family folks and the reason for cruising has changed a Tad.  When I last cruised the cheers program didn't exist. 

 

SO the last cruise i was on i feel like a Captain and Coke was like $5.25 with the built in tips.  roughly the same cost as a beer.  The cruise we just booked my wife and i got 2 rooms that  connect so its me and one child in my room, her another 2 in the other.  So if i get the cheers she is not forced to purchase (she doesn't drink much anyway).

 

Question 1.  What is the cost per drink these days? 

 

Question 2.  The stop in Grand turk is at the "cruise Center."  This is obviously part of carnival corp.  Does this mean that drinks in the port area are included?  I suspect this is wishful thinking on my part. 

 

I'll take any other tips or suggestions about the program.

Edited December 6, 2018 by bartleby112
misspelled stuff

[joepeka]

I can answer question #2: it is wishful thinking on your part. Same with HMC - the Cheers package does not apply there either.

On question #1, without dragging out our end of cruise final invoice from earlier this year and looking, your $5.25 number is now probably closer to $7.25 and remember the auto gratuities on drinks just increased to 18%. I'm sure others here will have more specific per drink prices to pass along.

Edited December 6, 2018 by joepeka

[bartleby112]

1 minute ago, joepeka said:

I can answer question #2: it is wishful thinking on your part. Same with HMC - the Cheers package does not apply there either.

On question #1, without dragging out our end of cruise final invoice from earlier this year and looking, your $5.25 number is now probably closer to $8 and remember the auto gratuities just increased to 18%. I'm sure others here will have more specific per drink prices to pass along.

Thanks JOe.  I found on another page the list of drink prices on a spread sheet.  you can add numbers per day of how many of each dirnk youll drink on port days and sea days.  Helps a little bit.  but I just realized that soda, coffee, bottled water etc is included. 

[joepeka]

2 minutes ago, bartleby112 said:

Thanks JOe.  I found on another page the list of drink prices on a spread sheet.  you can add numbers per day of how many of each dirnk youll drink on port days and sea days.  Helps a little bit.  but I just realized that soda, coffee, bottled water etc is included. 

You're welcome. A number of people in recent years here on CC have posted spreadsheets showing a breakdown of per drink prices versus the Cheers package - looks like maybe you found one of those.

Edited December 6, 2018 by joepeka

[Nic6318]

1 hour ago, bartleby112 said:

Thanks JOe.  I found on another page the list of drink prices on a spread sheet.  you can add numbers per day of how many of each dirnk youll drink on port days and sea days.  Helps a little bit.  but I just realized that soda, coffee, bottled water etc is included. 

Hi

 

There is also included milkshakes, juices, smoothies, and sports drinks as well. Pretty much anything you might want to drink. You also get discounts for things that might not be included, such as bottles of wine. 

[Jared100]

If you can drink about 5.5 drinks a day, it is worth it. It incldes powerades and milkshaks and bottle water too so that is the breakeven point really.

[Narcussist]

Here is the spreadsheet you was talking about to try out. I have modified it a bit to include the 18% auto gratuity. All you would have to do is change cruise length. Most prices for the drinks are close to actual if not actual, so it will give you a great ball park of if it is worth it for you.

 

I hope this helps, and I do not take credit for creating this.

Carnival Beverage Package Evaluator.xls

[Retired_to_Cruise]

14 hours ago, bartleby112 said:

So its been 7 years since our last cruise.  We are now family folks and the reason for cruising has changed a Tad.  When I last cruised the cheers program didn't exist. 

 

SO the last cruise i was on i feel like a Captain and Coke was like $5.25 with the built in tips.  roughly the same cost as a beer.  The cruise we just booked my wife and i got 2 rooms that  connect so its me and one child in my room, her another 2 in the other.  So if i get the cheers she is not forced to purchase (she doesn't drink much anyway).

 

Question 1.  What is the cost per drink these days? 

 

Question 2.  The stop in Grand turk is at the "cruise Center."  This is obviously part of carnival corp.  Does this mean that drinks in the port area are included?  I suspect this is wishful thinking on my part. 

 

I'll take any other tips or suggestions about the program.

Since your wife is in a separate room, she does not have to buy the Cheers program if she does not want it. What you have done with the rooms is the classic way to solve the problem with having everyone in the same room who is over 21 buy the Cheers package. 

[Burtonair01]

So if we have already bought the Cheers package before the price increase do we now pay the 3% increase on the sail and sign account at the end of our cruise? Or are we grandfathered in, thanks for the replies.

Edited December 7, 2018 by Burtonair01

[jwjax]

Just wanted to add our experiences here. 

 

We always order at least 1 bottle of rum for our cabin. expensive yes, but when you break it down.  It compares to Cheers quite well. 

 

1.  We can make a drink in our cabin and not have to go out to a bar and get one on Cheers.   Nice to have a fresh drink on the balcony!

 

We usually get about 16,  1.5 oz drinks out of the 1 liter bottle.  Maybe a little less?   16, even 14 x $9 equals $126.00 .  The bottle will last 2-3 days.  Sometimes we get a second bottle, but even then it is less than the Cheers costs and we have drinks available in the cabin.

 

2.  We buy a few drinks at the bars and dinner, so overall it usually cost less than the Cheers $59 x 2 x 5 = $590.

 

I am sure that there are a few more advantages to the Cheers program, but for it is not for us.   (Especially if you should get the DOU pkg from the Casino!)

 

 

 

[Crazy4Camping]

The only thing I would caution about is that many folks on here have stated that Carnival is very strict about sharing so even if you buy Cheers for yourself, every bottle of water, soda, etc. for the kids you are paying outright.  Unless you're buying bottomless bubbles for them.  So you may want to figure in all that to decide total cost of things.

[robc1972]

Take into account port days, last time I did the math I would have needed to drink 8 beers a day to break even.

With mostly port days it just didnt make sense.

Last time I was on Royal Caribbean at their private place in Haiti the drink package worked there on shore.

[stellarose]

we brought 2 bottles of wine (2 per adult) and did the rum bottle to the room. it was much much cheaper and if we wanted a splurge here and there, no biggie. 

 

it would have been almost 600 dollars for hubby and i for a week. way too much.

[crewsweeper]

3 hours ago, Retired_to_Cruise said:

Since your wife is in a separate room, she does not have to buy the Cheers program if she does not want it. What you have done with the rooms is the classic way to solve the problem with having everyone in the same room who is over 21 buy the Cheers package. 

But if on boarding you change to have both you and your wife in the same cabin, you could be charged for both.

I would buy Cheers in advance while you are still the only >21 person in the cabin.

[Cruiser_1977]

1 hour ago, stellarose said:

we brought 2 bottles of wine (2 per adult) and did the rum bottle to the room. it was much much cheaper and if we wanted a splurge here and there, no biggie. 

 

it would have been almost 600 dollars for hubby and i for a week. way too much.

Do you mean you brought 4 bottles? You say "2 per adult"?? How did you manage that? The policy is "On the day the cruise embarks, you are allowed to bring on board one standard 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne per person. Each person carrying on alcohol must be 21 years of age or older, and the bottles must be in your carry-on luggage."

[bartleby112]

so understand the rules.  Not supposed to get drinks and give them to my wife etc.  But is this really enforceable? 

 

I think their workaround is making every adult in the room get it.   This means me and my friends cannot get a room and i buy the cheers and get them drinks all day. 

 

What could they possibly do if i went up and get a mojito and walk around the corner and give it to my wife?  I guess if they followed me they could give me a little hell. But if i drink 10 drinks a day (not happening) and i slip a drink or 2 to the wife over the length of the cruise they probably wouldn't catch on.

[bartleby112]

if we are both at dinner and she wants a drink i would never consider ordering my drink, waiting the 5 minutes and order another and pass it across the table. 

[coevan]

I have seen guests turn in cheaters, yes they will suspend cheers with no refund. It's not a joke it is stealing.  

 

31 minutes ago, bartleby112 said:

and i slip a drink or 2 to the wife over the length of the cruise they probably wouldn't catch on.

 That is a $400 risk you might not want to take.

[j1d1]

6 hours ago, Narcussist said:

Here is the spreadsheet you was talking about to try out. I have modified it a bit to include the 18% auto gratuity. All you would have to do is change cruise length. Most prices for the drinks are close to actual if not actual, so it will give you a great ball park of if it is worth it for you.

 

I hope this helps, and I do not take credit for creating this.

Carnival Beverage Package Evaluator.xls

 

You included the required 18% gratuity in the calculation for the Cheers cost but not for calculating the non-Cheers total.  This will skew the totals in favor of not doing Cheers.  Unless I've misread, the 18% is also added to beverages purchased on board without the Cheers package.  So the 18% shouldn't really change anything until you've hit the daily cost of the Cheers program (56.95 purchased on board, 51.95 purchased before boarding).  Once you've hit that point, the 18% works in the favor of the Cheers program as you are only paying 18% on the Cheers cost.  You will be getting any Cheers drinks beyond the daily Cheers cost "free" of the required gratuity.  For most people, the 18% shouldn't play any role in the decision making whether or not to purchase Cheers.  For those people who are likely to go over the Cheers daily cost when purchasing beverages on board, the way the 18% is calculated with Cheers would favor them purchasing Cheers.  Otherwise it is a wash.  With that knowledge, I would strongly suggest extra tipping if you have Cheers and have gone above the daily cost of the program on any given day. 

[Narcussist]

2 minutes ago, j1d1 said:

 

You included the required 18% gratuity in the calculation for the Cheers cost but not for calculating the non-Cheers total.  This will skew the totals in favor of not doing Cheers.  Unless I've misread, the 18% is also added to beverages purchased on board without the Cheers package.  So the 18% shouldn't really change anything until you've hit the daily cost of the Cheers program (56.95 purchased on board, 51.95 purchased before boarding).  Once you've hit that point, the 18% works in the favor of the Cheers program as you are only paying 18% on the Cheers cost.  You will be getting any Cheers drinks beyond the daily Cheers cost "free" of the required gratuity.  For most people, the 18% shouldn't play any role in the decision making whether or not to purchase Cheers.  For those people who are likely to go over the Cheers daily cost when purchasing beverages on board, the way the 18% is calculated with Cheers would favor them purchasing Cheers.  Otherwise it is a wash.  With that knowledge, I would strongly suggest extra tipping if you have Cheers and have gone above the daily cost of the program on any given day. 

 

 

Thank you for pointing that out. I have updated the sheet to reflect the 18% grat for the single drinks, and set the Cost of Cheers to the pre-cruise price.

 

 

Carnival Beverage Package Evaluator.xls

[xostacylee]

8 hours ago, Narcussist said:

Here is the spreadsheet you was talking about to try out. I have modified it a bit to include the 18% auto gratuity. All you would have to do is change cruise length. Most prices for the drinks are close to actual if not actual, so it will give you a great ball park of if it is worth it for you.

 

I hope this helps, and I do not take credit for creating this.

Carnival Beverage Package Evaluator.xls

 

THIS. IS. AMAZING!! I always figured it wasn't worth it (for us), especially since we plan on getting off for port days. We're drinkers, but not to the extent you'd have to be to break even lol. Thank you to whoever created it!!

[Alaskan Joe]

To the OP, here what my DW and I say. If you drink beer and beer only it will take 9 of them a day to break even, not counting the in between stuff such as; Bottle water, pop, juices, ect. If you drink mixed drinks it will take about 6-7 of them to break even. However, with mixed drinks you can get "top shelf" and it will take only about 5-6 to break even.Furthermore, you can get up to a $50 drink, if high ended cognacs are your thing they have some that are $20 and up(easy way to break even).  My DW and I usually get Cheers however the last one we did not because it was two weeks, and it would have a long two weeks drinking that much. We saved about $500 not getting it. If we did a 3-6 day cruise we would for sure get it because we can hang that long... So only you can know how much is too much for you to drink, good luck on making the right choice.   

[j1d1]

2 minutes ago, Alaskan Joe said:

To the OP, here what my DW and I say. If you drink beer and beer only it will take 9 of them a day to break even, not counting the in between stuff such as; Bottle water, pop, juices, ect. If you drink mixed drinks it will take about 6-7 of them to break even. However, with mixed drinks you can get "top shelf" and it will take only about 5-6 to break even.Furthermore, you can get up to a $50 drink, if high ended cognacs are your thing they have some that are $20 and up(easy way to break even).  My DW and I usually get Cheers however the last one we did not because it was two weeks, and it would have a long two weeks drinking that much. We saved about $500 not getting it. If we did a 3-6 day cruise we would for sure get it because we can hang that long... So only you can know how much is too much for you to drink, good luck on making the right choice.   

 

Carnival recently changed Cheers so it only covers drinks up to $20.

[bartleby112]

17 minutes ago, Alaskan Joe said:

To the OP, here what my DW and I say. If you drink beer and beer only it will take 9 of them a day to break even, not counting the in between stuff such as; Bottle water, pop, juices, ect. If you drink mixed drinks it will take about 6-7 of them to break even. However, with mixed drinks you can get "top shelf" and it will take only about 5-6 to break even.Furthermore, you can get up to a $50 drink, if high ended cognacs are your thing they have some that are $20 and up(easy way to break even).  My DW and I usually get Cheers however the last one we did not because it was two weeks, and it would have a long two weeks drinking that much. We saved about $500 not getting it. If we did a 3-6 day cruise we would for sure get it because we can hang that long... So only you can know how much is too much for you to drink, good luck on making the right choice.   

Thanks for the tip.  I drink beer and Rum.  Every once in a while i'll get something mixed.  even with the spread sheet its showing a basic bacardi and coke at 5.50 a drink.  SO thats even cheaper than beer at 595 a drink.  i'd have to consider ordering more expensive drinks to make it worth my while.  The cruise we have is 7 days 4 in ports.  So i'd have to really pound them down to make it worth while if i'm drinking cheaper stuff. 

 

Are the flavors of the Caribbean the old drinks of the day?  With the cheers i'd be more likely to try new drinks.  If i don't like it i'd toss it out and get something i like.  (never had Brandy before)

 

I love this spread sheet but its hard to say "i'm going to drink 2 west coast IPAs on each day.  Honestly i'd probably be better of saying 2 days at sea, might have 15 beers over that 2 days.  might be 9 on day at sea one and 6 on the last day at sea for example. 

[bartleby112]

2 hours ago, coevan said:

I have seen guests turn in cheaters, yes they will suspend cheers with no refund. It's not a joke it is stealing.  

 

 That is a $400 risk you might not want to take.

Yeah.  if by chance i get the wife a drink i'd probably get something and go back to the room and give it to her there.  If she drinks at all it would be after the kids go to bed and we are relaxing in the room.