TORN about CHEERS package...

[KKB]

I purchased it before prices went up for our upcoming 14 day Hawaii cruise. That 14 day price tag is a tough pill to swallow (tho we did have some OBC to offset)

We ALWAYS get the "all-inclusive" plan on NCL/Princess/Celebrity so not accustomed to paying out of pocket--ouch!

It is about $65/day including gratuity, so approx. $52/day cost each.

I KNOW DH will get his moneys worth & then some...mostly beer but he will move more towards frozen cocktails as the cruise goes on.

He will drink the same whether we have the package or not.

I'm more hit & miss. One day I will have several cocktails/glasses of wine, the next one or none.

I will have coffee daily (how is that buffet coffee--NOT so good on other lines, but I will drink if OK), an occasional soda.

I'm the $ one in the family...so no package would make me a lot more conscious of my drink choices (from sodas to cocktails)

2 long days on Oahu & Maui make it really 12 days...

If it's a break even (or even close), it's worth it.

Keep it? Cancel & see what happens?

 

 

[ray98]

It's a math exercise.  All you can do if you are unsure is estimate what and how much you would drink using one of the online calculators and see what it says on average.  If you actually stick to that estimate is the second part of the equation.

[ObstructedView2]

Hi @KKB🙂

 

Give the drink package calculator a try. Click on the link below. 

 

Drink Package Calculator Located @:

https://cruisespotlight.com/drink-package-calculator/

 

 

 

🍷🍹🍺🍾🥂🍸🍹🍺🍷

[sgttami]

It's like anything else.

 

You never know till you give it a try!

 

Those so called all inclusive cruises are anything but.  You are definitely paying for your drinks and the other stuff they offer.  They are merely inflating your cruise fare.

 

If it's paid for, I'd just do it and analyze it later.

 

Cheers!  Enjoy!

 

 

[ray98]

10 minutes ago, sgttami said:

You never know till you give it a try!

 

Yup.  Many aren't honest with themselves.  Lots of 'oh I only have 2 drinks a day' turn into anything but that on vacation. 

 

We cruised with a couple over the spring who did not buy Cheers for that reason.  They ended up paying just as much as we did with Cheers at the end and that was with them worrying about the budget as the cruise progressed.

[Mic101680]

1 hour ago, KKB said:

I will have coffee daily (how is that buffet coffee--NOT so good on other lines, but I will drink if OK), an occasional soda.

I'm the $ one in the family...so no package would make me a lot more conscious of my drink choices (from sodas to cocktails)

 

Buffet and MDR coffee is meh - very mixed reviews from friends of mine who are avid coffee drinkers. Pretty sure it's just instant coffee (but we've never asked).

Remember that you don't have to get alcohol - many of the virgin cocktails are also included, so it's possible you could still very well get your money's worth.

 

36 minutes ago, ObstructedView2 said:

Hi @KKB🙂

 

Give the drink package calculator a try. Click on the link below. 

 

Drink Package Calculator Located @:

https://cruisespotlight.com/drink-package-calculator/

 

🍷🍹🍺🍾🥂🍸🍹🍺🍷

 

^^^This is very helpful!

 

36 minutes ago, sgttami said:

Those so called all inclusive cruises are anything but.  You are definitely paying for your drinks and the other stuff they offer.  They are merely inflating your cruise fare.

 

 

Not always true. I had been pricing cruises for Hawaii for about 6 months. When I first looked, no deals, no extras, no all inclusives. Cost was looking around $10K for me. Same cruise line(s) with same cabin type selection, 6 months later with a sale, plus a ton of things included dropped down to about $5500. You just don't know until you track the pricing for awhile.

[Purvis1231]

To be honest the coffee shop, soda, and water that are included in Cheers are a nice benefit but Cheers is about the booze. If your family plans to partake several alcoholic drinks everyday you probably should get it so at least you know how much you will spend on drinks. Enjoly! 

 

[KKB]

2 hours ago, ObstructedView2 said:

Hi @KKB🙂

 

Give the drink package calculator a try. Click on the link below. 

 

Drink Package Calculator Located @:

https://cruisespotlight.com/drink-package-calculator/

 

 

 

🍷🍹🍺🍾🥂🍸🍹🍺🍷

THANK YOU for this...

I put in a conservative estimate for me (as opposed to DH's far less conservative expectations) & it said even for that, get the package!

Even a coffee, soda, pre-dinner cocktail, wine at dinner, post-dinner cocktail, bottle of water is a wash.

I feel a lot better about our decision! (and we got it a bit cheaper than it is now!)

[ray98]

35 minutes ago, KKB said:

THANK YOU for this...

I put in a conservative estimate for me (as opposed to DH's far less conservative expectations) & it said even for that, get the package!

Even a coffee, soda, pre-dinner cocktail, wine at dinner, post-dinner cocktail, bottle of water is a wash.

I feel a lot better about our decision! (and we got it a bit cheaper than it is now!)

We fought it mentally when Cheers first came out even though we knew what our prior bar tabs ran and that was with us still being budget conscious. It was a NCL cruise with open bar that opened our eyes. It can be hard to swallow the package price lump sum but by the drink we ended up with the same result with more mental gymnastics.  Cheers really made the overall experience much more enjoyable for us.

[ninjacat123]

I think getting Cheers also depends on who you are sailing with.  When I sail with my mom, the two of us are minimal with alcohol.  When I'm with my two DDs (22 & 20) a little more partying going on.  When I'm with DH the party goes on and on!  Cheers is definitely worth it then!🍸😄 

[Flash harriet]

I am booked on the 22 day Brisbane to Seattle on Luminosa, and with a heap of seadays, we will probably get good value.

I did originally think about putting the same value as the cheers package as a cash deposit with guest services to see how far it went, and then of course if any was left over at the end, we would be ahead, but then I thought...Yeah...Nah...too hard.

[SDPadreFan]

We did the CHEERS package on a 10 day Alaska cruise in June and then skipped it on a 7 day Mexican Riviera cruise in Nov/Dec. What we learned is that we are generally not CHEERS people. While it was nice to have no surprise cruise bill at the end, what I/we didn't like was having to continually think about having a drink in order to maximize the CHEERS value (forced consumption). On our 7 day, we still had drinks when we wanted them but found it was much more enjoyable to not have to do a daily drink count. I will mention that we did take advantage of Carnival's 2 bottles of wine allowance (per couple) in our carry-on bags for the 7 day cruise. So we had a glass of wine for dinner each night for 4 of our nights without any added cost and paid for a glass the other nights. Because our daughter is one of San Diego's Top Wedding Planners, we rarely have to actually buy any wine for ourselves. We were fine with the Lido/MDR coffee for a week and I can easily survive for a week or two with just iced tea or lemonade for lunch and during the day. After dinner, we would have a couple of cocktails at the comedy club or stage productions.

 

We have CHEERS paid for (pre price hikes) for next years 12 day Baltic Sea cruise but I will probably just cancel it and spend that money on excursions instead.

[ninjacat123]

1 hour ago, SDPadreFan said:

We have CHEERS paid for (pre price hikes) for next years 12 day Baltic Sea cruise but I will probably just cancel it and spend that money on excursions instead.

We are on a 10 day Mediterranean cruise and from what I understand, you can bring wine/liquor back on board on port days and have it in your room. I'm not planning on having Cheers that cruise but we usually do on our other Caribbean cruises.

[AHS123]

Honestly, you're torn? 

Torn between two cocktails, feeling like a fool
Loving both of you is breaking all the rules
Torn between two ways to pay, feeling like a fool
Loving you both is breaking all the rules

 

[Jasonsterling]

19 hours ago, KKB said:

I purchased it before prices went up for our upcoming 14 day Hawaii cruise. That 14 day price tag is a tough pill to swallow (tho we did have some OBC to offset)

We ALWAYS get the "all-inclusive" plan on NCL/Princess/Celebrity so not accustomed to paying out of pocket--ouch!

It is about $65/day including gratuity, so approx. $52/day cost each.

I KNOW DH will get his moneys worth & then some...mostly beer but he will move more towards frozen cocktails as the cruise goes on.

He will drink the same whether we have the package or not.

I'm more hit & miss. One day I will have several cocktails/glasses of wine, the next one or none.

I will have coffee daily (how is that buffet coffee--NOT so good on other lines, but I will drink if OK), an occasional soda.

I'm the $ one in the family...so no package would make me a lot more conscious of my drink choices (from sodas to cocktails)

2 long days on Oahu & Maui make it really 12 days...

If it's a break even (or even close), it's worth it.

Keep it? Cancel & see what happens?

 

 

It is a tough one because of the length. Figure on 11.00 for a "frozen" style drink/glass of wine or champagne, 5.00 for a coffee at the cafe (w/o a shot), I think 5.00 for a soda (hard to remember as it's been a while since I haven't had Cheers/Bubbles) as a start and realistically decide if it makes sense. In my case my coffee would have Baileys so it's like 8-9 dollars and I usually have a milk shake as well 8-10, then a mimosa, frozen drink in the afternoon, something for during dinner and two in the evening as an example- then throw on a bottle of water as well 4-5. And that's not a crazy heavy day but pretty easy going and it's around 70 dollars so in my case different worth and I do like the more all inclusive feel. 

[Jenner9]

Get it! I think of it as part of the cost of vacation. You  will not have to worry or watch what you drink then. One less expense to track once it is paid for!

[KKB]

18 hours ago, ray98 said:

We fought it mentally when Cheers first came out even though we knew what our prior bar tabs ran and that was with us still being budget conscious. It was a NCL cruise with open bar that opened our eyes. It can be hard to swallow the package price lump sum but by the drink we ended up with the same result with more mental gymnastics.  Cheers really made the overall experience much more enjoyable for us.

Exactly...if it is even CLOSE to break even, worth it for the simplicity.

[KKB]

14 hours ago, Flash harriet said:

I am booked on the 22 day Brisbane to Seattle on Luminosa, and with a heap of seadays, we will probably get good value.

I did originally think about putting the same value as the cheers package as a cash deposit with guest services to see how far it went, and then of course if any was left over at the end, we would be ahead, but then I thought...Yeah...Nah...too hard.

8 sea days...one short port day...2 short enough we will be back for dinner & evening events...

[KKB]

13 hours ago, SDPadreFan said:

We did the CHEERS package on a 10 day Alaska cruise in June and then skipped it on a 7 day Mexican Riviera cruise in Nov/Dec. What we learned is that we are generally not CHEERS people. While it was nice to have no surprise cruise bill at the end, what I/we didn't like was having to continually think about having a drink in order to maximize the CHEERS value (forced consumption). On our 7 day, we still had drinks when we wanted them but found it was much more enjoyable to not have to do a daily drink count. I will mention that we did take advantage of Carnival's 2 bottles of wine allowance (per couple) in our carry-on bags for the 7 day cruise. So we had a glass of wine for dinner each night for 4 of our nights without any added cost and paid for a glass the other nights. Because our daughter is one of San Diego's Top Wedding Planners, we rarely have to actually buy any wine for ourselves. We were fine with the Lido/MDR coffee for a week and I can easily survive for a week or two with just iced tea or lemonade for lunch and during the day. After dinner, we would have a couple of cocktails at the comedy club or stage productions.

 

We have CHEERS paid for (pre price hikes) for next years 12 day Baltic Sea cruise but I will probably just cancel it and spend that money on excursions instead.

No forced consumption...reverse your thinking.

I can order coffee, soda, bottle of water, glass of wine, cocktail & NOT WORRY ABOUT IT.

Reminds me of my husband's attitudes on buffets "I'll never eat that much" HUH?

Whatever you eat is "enough"!

Edited December 25, 2022 by KKB

[SDPadreFan]

3 hours ago, KKB said:

No forced consumption...reverse your thinking.

I can order coffee, soda, bottle of water, glass of wine, cocktail & NOT WORRY ABOUT IT.

Reminds me of my husband's attitudes on buffets "I'll never eat that much" HUH?

Whatever you eat is "enough"!

I respectfully disagree. In our case, we just don't feel the need to consume liquids every waking minute of the day. Coffee - I generally only drink coffee in the morning and I can have it with or without alcohol (I like it either way). Soda - it's fine for lunch or in the afternoon but I'm also fine with the free iced tea or lemonade provided. Having a soda (or 6) really doesn't improve my cruise experience. Water is free up on the Lido Deck. So that leaves us with dinner and afterwards, and for that - we are perfectly fine with a glass or two of wine for dinner and a couple of drinks at the comedy club or main showroom.

 

So OUR reality is that on sea days, we are perfectly happy with 4-6 alcohol drinks per day. In-port days we will generally consume even less (on board). So for US - we are just not CHEERS people.

 

It's not because we don't drink alcohol, it's because our lifestyle doesn't revolve around the constant daily consumption of alcohol. At home - we might have 3-4 drinks A WEEK (wine, etc.). On some vacations (like our annual timeshare week in Cabo San Lucas) our consumption does increase because we pay for an all-inclusive plan that covers all food and drink. That particular plan generally cost's us between $75-$90 per day (as owners) and it includes all food as well as most top shelf alcohol. The food is not buffet style either. Our timeshare resort has 8 different restaurants to choose from (including 1 buffet style).

 

A little about me. In my 24 years in the Navy, I held many different jobs. One of them was as a Drug & Alcohol Advisor/Counselor which I did for 4 years in the late 80's. In that capacity - I was also an educator on Drug and Alcohol Abuse for both junior enlisted all the way up to mid level officers (05 and below). So I know a little bit more than the average person about alcohol and other drugs and what they slowly (or quickly) do to the body. The side benefit of that knowledge is that I know how to drink without doing something stupid or even worse killing myself (or someone else). But to each their own. Every adult has the right to determine their own lifestyle and level of alcohol consumption. We are perfectly happy with our choices as I'm sure you are happy with yours, and that is the way it should be.

Edited December 25, 2022 by SDPadreFan

[EngIceDave]

On 12/24/2022 at 12:32 PM, KKB said:

I purchased it before prices went up for our upcoming 14 day Hawaii cruise. That 14 day price tag is a tough pill to swallow (tho we did have some OBC to offset)

We ALWAYS get the "all-inclusive" plan on NCL/Princess/Celebrity so not accustomed to paying out of pocket--ouch!

It is about $65/day including gratuity, so approx. $52/day cost each.

I KNOW DH will get his moneys worth & then some...mostly beer but he will move more towards frozen cocktails as the cruise goes on.

He will drink the same whether we have the package or not.

I'm more hit & miss. One day I will have several cocktails/glasses of wine, the next one or none.

I will have coffee daily (how is that buffet coffee--NOT so good on other lines, but I will drink if OK), an occasional soda.

I'm the $ one in the family...so no package would make me a lot more conscious of my drink choices (from sodas to cocktails)

2 long days on Oahu & Maui make it really 12 days...

If it's a break even (or even close), it's worth it.

Keep it? Cancel & see what happens?

 

 

In my view, if you may come close to full use or not, I'd like to have it. I wouldn't want to ration myself or worry about individual per drink math....forget it, splurge, it's vacation, have what you want and as much or little as you want (as long as it's less than 15 alcohol drinks) and not worry about it....get that half caff 2% half whip caramel crunchy peppermint mocha coffee, why not? Bottle of water? Coming right up, no math needed, paid for.

Pepsi with dinner? Coffer for after? Late night espresso?

No problem and no one is saying you can't....

 

Splurge, it's vacation, don't worry about it.

 

[mz-s]

It takes a lot of milkshakes or Pepsis to make a Cheers purchase make sense. It's really an alcohol package, and there's no emotion about it. It's purely math. Either the math makes sense or it doesn't. It's not as complicated as you're making it out to be.

[ninjacat123]

2 hours ago, SDPadreFan said:

I respectfully disagree. In our case, we just don't feel the need to consume liquids every waking minute of the day. Coffee - I generally only drink coffee in the morning and I can have it with or without alcohol (I like it either way). Soda - it's fine for lunch or in the afternoon but I'm also fine with the free iced tea or lemonade provided. Having a soda (or 6) really doesn't improve my cruise experience. Water is free up on the Lido Deck. So that leaves us with dinner and afterwards, and for that - we are perfectly fine with a glass or two of wine for dinner and a couple of drinks at the comedy club or main showroom.

 

So OUR reality is that on sea days, we are perfectly happy with 4-6 alcohol drinks per day. In-port days we will generally consume even less (on board). So for US - we are just not CHEERS people.

 

It's not because we don't drink alcohol, it's because our lifestyle doesn't revolve around the constant daily consumption of alcohol. At home - we might have 3-4 drinks A WEEK (wine, etc.). On some vacations (like our annual timeshare week in Cabo San Lucas) our consumption does increase because we pay for an all-inclusive plan that covers all food and drink. That particular plan generally cost's us between $75-$90 per day (as owners) and it includes all food as well as most top shelf alcohol. The food is not buffet style either. Our timeshare resort has 8 different restaurants to choose from (including 1 buffet style).

 

A little about me. In my 24 years in the Navy, I held many different jobs. One of them was as a Drug & Alcohol Advisor/Counselor which I did for 4 years in the late 80's. In that capacity - I was also an educator on Drug and Alcohol Abuse for both junior enlisted all the way up to mid level officers (05 and below). So I know a little bit more than the average person about alcohol and other drugs and what they slowly (or quickly) do to the body. The side benefit of that knowledge is that I know how to drink without doing something stupid or even worse killing myself (or someone else). But to each their own. Every adult has the right to determine their own lifestyle and level of alcohol consumption. We are perfectly happy with our choices as I'm sure you are happy with yours, and that is the way it should be.

Your timeshare sounds awesome!!  Down the road, DH and I will probably try out AI properties.  Have a Merry Christmas!!🎄

[Joebucks]

I know my views could cause WW3, but it's a huge no from me. I've done it a few times on a 4 day, and even then I felt like garbage. I could count on one hand the amount of people I personally know that would legitimately make the $2,000 for drinks for 2 weeks worth it. Ironically, they're all beer drinkers.

[BoozinCroozin]

We debate the cost as well. The way I see it, I prepay for it I no longer think about it. If I pay by the drink, every time I go get a drink I think if I am spending my money wisely. I am on vacation and don't want to think if it a drink is needed or wanted. It no longer becomes vacation. I am back in money saving mode and debating the cost. Buy it, use it, forget about it.