Anyone regret purchasing the Cheers program

[CA_Cruzing]

wife and i don't buy cheers. we cruise bringing two bottles when we board (wine and or bubbly), and maybe in a 7 day cruise we'll drink a total of 12-14 drinks in addition to our two bottles we bring on board. the math just doesn't work out for us at all. we usually drink more when in port either free on an excursion or at a local restaurant enjoying local food.

[katstoy]

I find that yes, I do drink more with Cheers, but it is vacation after all and I'm not driving!  The things I like about Cheers are you can ask for top shelf liquor (mmm a Grey Goose dirty martini with blue cheese olives from Alchemy and Patron silver shots by the pool), I don't have to worry about how much I am spending, I always grab a bottle of water from a bar on my way to and from the room (big water drinker - i can go through 3 -4 bottles per day) and I can try lots of drinks that I would hesitate to try if I am paying per drink (if I don't like it I can wait 5 minutes and try something else). 

 

That last option is my favorite part of Cheers.  On our last cruise my DD and I tried several different cocktails that we have been dying to try, some we liked, some we didn't.   Absinthe cocktail and a chocolate martini were two we did not like.  But we were able to try things and not worry about the cost.  You may find your new favorite cocktail!

 

Even on a port day 5 -6 drinks to break even is doable.   Bottled water to take off ship, fancy coffee with breakfast, cocktail before dinner, 2 or 3 glasses of wine with dinner and 2 or 3 cocktails after dinner.

 

 

Edited March 5, 2019 by katstoy

[xostacylee]

19 minutes ago, chellencrette said:

Does anyone know how much the specialty coffee and bottles of water run on the ship?  Factoring in the "extras" that aren't alcoholic it seems it may be worth it for us but still trying to decide.

 

I've attached an Excel grid that someone posted on this forum. Prices may not be 100% accurate but it also helps you judge if Cheers is worth it. Just adjust accordingly.

 

1505515654_CarnivalBeveragePackageEvaluator.xls

 

11 minutes ago, mapman_2004 said:

And I just don't get people's response to they can now not worry about their budget.  huh?

 

If you budget for Cheers before the trip (and pay for it), you don't have to worry about budgeting on the trip. That's the biggest reason we're thinking of getting it to be honest.

 

Edited March 5, 2019 by xostacylee

[crzndeb]

I would be interested to know if those that always buy it, would do so on longer cruises?  Would people still buy on TA’s, TP’s or longer cruises over 10 days? 

 

I have been on ships for 20 plus days, and know that after a few days, I need a break from alcohol. But, I also rarely have more than a couple in the evening and an occasional beer if it’s hot. For my upcoming TP cruise on the Splendor, I will probably just buy a bottle.

[n6uqqq]

Do people really " worry " about their bill? Is sleep lost at night thinking about bar tabs?

[xostacylee]

3 minutes ago, n6uqqq said:

Do people really " worry " about their bill? Is sleep lost at night thinking about bar tabs?

 

To each their own. Some people may not know all the "hidden costs" of cruising and don't realize how much extra things cost onboard. I know my bf and I drink a lot on vacations, and we were working to budget how much we were going to drink - but it's much more relaxing to walk on the ship feeling like it's truly all inclusive.

[l8cruiser]

7 minutes ago, n6uqqq said:

Do people really " worry " about their bill? Is sleep lost at night thinking about bar tabs?

 

I do . I can’t help it 

[mapman_2004]

I'm not judging others, but man, I can't imagine the calorie and alcohol intake it takes to make Cheers worth your money.  I like to splurge a bit now and then, but no way can I drink 5-6 alcohol drinks a day for 6 days in a row.  I'm still feeling the effects of having 6 beers over 5 hours Saturday night.  Yeah, we could take advantage of the coffee drinks and water bottles, but I think we can still drink a lot over the cruise and still come nowhere near having Cheers make it worth it.  Yeah, I won't be buying water bottles 3 times a day, but I'll drink a ton of water from the fountains, and will refill bottles.  We'll bring on our bottles of wine and enjoy those too.

 

Just can't imagine we are going to rack up a $940.81 bar and coffee tab between the two of us.

[Carlys_chaos]

We skip Cheers. We would never make up for the drinks "lost" on Port Days. We don't drink soda and always leave the ship on port days. We might get 1 or 2 coffees a day, but I've always felt their coffee prices are very reasonable. We don't do milkshakes. What we will purchase for our anniversary cruise is the wine package. The wine package, the 2 bottles you can bring on board, and the misc cocktails/coffee will still come way under for us. 

[xostacylee]

2 minutes ago, mapman_2004 said:

I'm not judging others, but man, I can't imagine the calorie and alcohol intake it takes to make Cheers worth your money.  I like to splurge a bit now and then, but no way can I drink 5-6 alcohol drinks a day for 6 days in a row.  I'm still feeling the effects of having 6 beers over 5 hours Saturday night.  Yeah, we could take advantage of the coffee drinks and water bottles, but I think we can still drink a lot over the cruise and still come nowhere near having Cheers make it worth it.  Yeah, I won't be buying water bottles 3 times a day, but I'll drink a ton of water from the fountains, and will refill bottles.  We'll bring on our bottles of wine and enjoy those too.

 

Just can't imagine we are going to rack up a $940.81 bar and coffee tab between the two of us.

 

Again I do think the length of the cruise makes a difference. We do country music festivals and kickball tournaments where we drink 4 days straight LOL

[Carlys_chaos]

I agree with this! We went on a NCL all inclusive and I felt gross from alcohol after the first day. Lol. I had to hit the gym and do a detox. 

Pro though: no surprise bill and it was fun to try new drinks. 

[xostacylee]

1 minute ago, Carlys_chaos said:

We skip Cheers. We would never make up for the drinks "lost" on Port Days. We don't drink soda and always leave the ship on port days. We might get 1 or 2 coffees a day, but I've always felt their coffee prices are very reasonable. We don't do milkshakes. What we will purchase for our anniversary cruise is the wine package. The wine package, the 2 bottles you can bring on board, and the misc cocktails/coffee will still come way under for us. 

 

What wine package?? 

[dmet0225]

My only "regret" is that I'm the only one in our room who drinks alcohol, so I can't buy the Cheers package.  It's not so that I can get hammered every day, it's the ability to try multiple drinks that I otherwise wouldn't purchase.

[Carlys_chaos]

Search Carnival Cruise the Vineyard.

Not sure I can link it?

 

It's overpriced wine, but still a lot more reasonable than Cheers for us!

[ricew001]

24 minutes ago, n6uqqq said:

Do people really " worry " about their bill? Is sleep lost at night thinking about bar tabs?

Well I was a young whipper snapper on my first cruise and when I got the $700 bar bill slid under the door on my last night it made me a little crazy.

[ray98]

58 minutes ago, mapman_2004 said:

And I just don't get people's response to they can now not worry about their budget.  huh?

 

....because I don't have to worry about the final tally or limit purchases when I find we need to stretch our budget out to make it to the end.

[bingomamma19]

4 hours ago, l8cruiser said:

I am curious if anyone thought they made a mistake purchasing the Cheers program. I was thinking on port days , if we would be away too long to get our moneys worth. It would be nice to have mimosas in the morning along with special coffees. I would kick myself though if we didn’t drink enough to make it worthwhile. 

I tried the drink package on the Allure---at that time (a year and a half ago), it was not required for all adults to purchase, so I did for just myself.

 

I really tried drinking even 5 drinks a day, and simply could not.   I am not a coffee or specialty non alcohol drinker.    We bring our own 12 packs of pepsi on board and 1 bottle of wine per adult.  So..no more alcohol packages for me.

[n6uqqq]

20 minutes ago, mapman_2004 said:

I'm not judging others, but man, I can't imagine the calorie and alcohol intake it takes to make Cheers worth your money.  I like to splurge a bit now and then, but no way can I drink 5-6 alcohol drinks a day for 6 days in a row.  I'm still feeling the effects of having 6 beers over 5 hours Saturday night.  Yeah, we could take advantage of the coffee drinks and water bottles, but I think we can still drink a lot over the cruise and still come nowhere near having Cheers make it worth it.  Yeah, I won't be buying water bottles 3 times a day, but I'll drink a ton of water from the fountains, and will refill bottles.  We'll bring on our bottles of wine and enjoy those too.

 

Just can't imagine we are going to rack up a $940.81 bar and coffee tab between the two of us.

 

I am with you on this. Cheers would have been great in my twenties, but at 52 I don't drink as much any more. And some of these posts make me think of diabetic shock

[cruiser4305]

In my twenties it would have made great sense if I could afford it (usually I'd just bring enough booze back in my belly from port to carry me through the evening and drink lightly on the ship). Nowadays, there's no way it would work out for me. I like 3-4 drinks a day maximum, and generally just prefer La Croix around the pool. If I do feel like partying it up I just do it on a port day and drink the local drinks.

[SandiLynn]

We always get the Cheers package! We both drink higher priced drinks and have always saved money purchasing the package. Our friends drink only beer and don't get the package because it would not be cost effective. 

We have also done the wine package because we like to drink on our balcony. I like to repurchase as much as I can before I cruise. I am a worrier and would be doing the math all cruise. 

[jdemps]

Never regret buying Cheers.  If you are leaning toward not getting it, just save that amount of cash in your account to pay off the credit card when you get back.  If you don't spend that much, you win and you know for next time.  If you spend more, you know for next time.

 

We always leave a buck on the tip line so the charge comes up on the billing so we count them and know we get good value with Cheers even if we don't have one drink on some days - the other days make up for it. 

 

We're going to low altitude from Denver too so it seems like you can drink at least 30% more - a real factor when budgeting!  

 

I'm wondering if you get a billing list like that if you don't leave an extra tip.  How do you know how many drinks you've ordered?

Does it just come up as zero on the bill?

 

Thanks everyone.

  

[jdemps]

1 hour ago, l8cruiser said:

 

I do . I can’t help it 

can't you just keep track of that on the HUB app so there aren't surprises at the end?

[SandiLynn]

Yes , I have printed mine and done the math at home. We save money buying package.

[bdever]

No regrets. I Brake even on non-alcoholic beverages alone, alcoholic drinks 🍹 are simply the icing on the cake. My son is my cruise partner and he buys the package to order drinks 🍹 for women he meets onboard while he sticks to mainly bottled water. 🙄

Edited March 5, 2019 by bdever

[Cruiser_1977]

4 minutes ago, bdever said:

No regrets. I brak even on non-alcoholic beverages alone, alcoholic drinks 🍹 are simply the icing on the cake. My son is my cruise partner and he buys the package to order drinks 🍹 for women he meets onboard while he sticks to mainly bottled water. 🙄

I applaud his pick-up skills and ability not to get shot down by the bartenders. 

Edited March 5, 2019 by JennyB1977