Drink Packages

[kermie1963]

Is it worth it to get the bottomless bubbles or Cheers?

[mamiamjo]

Sure if you drink enough, it's worth it. We figure to break even on Cheers around 7-8 drinks (depending on what you're drinking).

[mz-s]

https://www.cruzely.com/cruise-line-drink-package-calculator/

[Mangrove Snapper]

I can only speak for the non-alcoholic drinks.  Bottomless Bubbles was worth it for us.  It's $3.25 per soda onboard (including the 18% gratuity).  In addition to soda, Bottomless Bubbles also included the cans of Bubly. 

 

I calculated what we spent on specialty coffees, milkshakes, and other drinks onboard and from that I can see that we would not get our money's worth from Cheers.  We will definitely get Bottomless Bubbles again. 

[bg2310]

No, not Cheers anyway. Unless you drink a LOT (6-8+ alcoholic drinks per day AT LEAST) then it might be, but just not worth it when considering you're forced to get it the entire cruise.

 

On port days when I go to my excursions, many of which are all-inclusive, I would hardly use it but for a couple drinks maybe.

 

After a couple cruises when I've totaled up and reviewed all the drinks I just paid for a la carte, the cost for Cheers just didn't make sense for me. I save by paying for each one as I go.

 

I think I would only get it on a shorter cruise that wasn't port-intensive, or which I wasn't interested much in the ports. It would be more worth it for me then since I'd really put it to use every day.

Edited February 7 by bg2310

[Theosprey247]

Depends on how much you drink, and how long (and how many port days there are) your cruise is.  For me 3-4 cruises I think it is worth it FOR ME, however anything longer than that it isn't worth it FOR ME.

 

An other thing to think about is specialty coffee, milkshakes, soda, mocktails, bottled water, Gatorade type drinks, and energy drinks are included with CHEERS! (but don't count towards your limit of 15).

[kermie1963]

2 hours ago, Mangrove Snapper said:

I can only speak for the non-alcoholic drinks.  Bottomless Bubbles was worth it for us.  It's $3.25 per soda onboard (including the 18% gratuity).  In addition to soda, Bottomless Bubbles also included the cans of Bubly. 

 

I calculated what we spent on specialty coffees, milkshakes, and other drinks onboard and from that I can see that we would not get our money's worth from Cheers.  We will definitely get Bottomless Bubbles again. 

Does the bottomless bubbles apply to shakes?

[bg2310]

57 minutes ago, kermie1963 said:

Does the bottomless bubbles apply to shakes?

Nope, soda and juice only. Only Cheers! includes milkshakes, along with specialty coffee and spiked coffees/shakes from the cafe.

[kermie1963]

21 minutes ago, bg2310 said:

Nope, soda and juice only. Only Cheers! includes milkshakes, along with specialty coffee and spiked coffees/shakes from the cafe.

Thanks.

[VentureMan_2000]

Use this calculator to decide:

Drink Package Calculator - Cruise Spotlight

[stobe1]

6 hours ago, kermie1963 said:

Is it worth it to get the bottomless bubbles or Cheers?

That depends on what "worth it" means to you.

 

If you are a two or three drink per day person then no it isn't

 

If you are a steady drinker like me on vacation then yes it is. A bloody mary or mimosa or two in the morning with breakfast, a michelada or two after, maybe a spiked Irish coffee, a few beers by the pool in the afternoon, a pre dinner cocktail or two at Alchemy before dinner, a glass of wine or two with dinner, then finish up in the night club or piano bar with a shot or two of tequila...then add in sodas and water and gatorade throughout the day to stay hydrated, then yes Cheers is worth it.

Edited February 8 by stobe1

[Hoosierpop]

5 cocktails and 3 sodas, you’ve paid for it. More than that, and it’s bonus. 

Edited February 8 by Hoosierpop

[casinostreer]

First - it will depend on the length of your cruise. Buying the Cheers package at $59.95 plus gratuity for a 12 night cruise PER PERSON can be breathtakingly expensive. However - for us - it it always 100% worth it. I build it into the "cost of the cruise" - and it's still usually cheaper than a Disney or Celebrity cruise. 

 

I start with some Baileys in my cappuccino (both included in cheers) . . . . . maybe two.

I usually have my first cocktail around 10 or 11am as I'm starting to think about lunch. 

Rum and Diet Pepsi (meh) with lunch . . . maybe two

Something fruity or margarita-y on the pool deck or at the casino on sea days mid afternoon.

When they kick in - I'm always up for an espresso martini. (I get a double espresso from Java Blue and bring it to the Alchemy Bar if they're open.) 

Vodka martini just before dinner. 

Glass of wine with dinner

After dinner aperitif (Drambuie, Frangelico, Amaretto, etc.) with coffee

Nightcap cocktail in the casino or at the production or comedy show. 

 

Plus all the soda, premium coffee, bottled water and milkshakes I can drink throughout the day. 🙂

 

If that's not your typical(ish) day - don't get the Cheers package. 

[cacruisin]

I get my moneys worth with Cheers too....Between alcoholic drinks, water bottles, coffee's, milk shakes etc its cost effective for me, but certainly not for everyone.  I too look at it like if you drink 5 alcoholic beverages each day and will supplement that with other beverages then it might be worth it for you too.

[firefly333]

I've done cheers twice and for me it wasnt worth it. I thought maybe I'd drive I more but I didnt. Only you know how much you think you will drink a day.

[sparks1093]

22 hours ago, bg2310 said:

No, not Cheers anyway. Unless you drink a LOT (6-8+ alcoholic drinks per day AT LEAST) then it might be, but just not worth it when considering you're forced to get it the entire cruise.

 

One of the fallacies about Cheers is that you only break even by drinking only alcoholic drinks. Generally 6 mixed drinks on average will be the break even point but one isn't limited to only mixed drinks with Cheers. And I stress average because as you point out there are port days to consider (and also taking into account time spent on any of the private islands, since Cheers doesn't work there). We could do without Cheers, for sure, but we are on vacation and we don't like to limit ourselves or feel like we're scrimping. I have gone cruises without having any specialty coffees, but being able to order them when I want to makes the trip that much better. I could go an entire cruise just sipping on beer, but being able to order any number of cocktails when I want a change, again, just makes the trip that much better. 

[Earthworm Jim]

22 hours ago, bg2310 said:

No, not Cheers anyway. Unless you drink a LOT (6-8+ alcoholic drinks per day AT LEAST) then it might be, but just not worth it when considering you're forced to get it the entire cruise.

 

Keep in mind that's averaging 6-8 drinks a day for each person in the cabin, since both of you need to buy it if one does.

 

As other's have said, there's no one answer as to whether it's worth it. It depends upon how much you and your travel companion are likely to drink.

[tha sista]

The price of convenience should also be considered.  It is nice knowing that your drink cost regardless of the type of drink is covered.  I get the cheers package and I tend to fall a little short of breaking even but not enough to quibble about.  I like the convenience therefore I get it.

[cacruisin]

I agree with Sparks1093, I am financially frugal all year long munis when I am on vacation, so it's nice to have a week where I can splurge and have specialty coffees every morning and I don't worry about what something cost or how much I am consuming.  It's nice if I don't like a drink, I don't feel obligated to finish it, I try more "new" drinks with the package due to this.  I like paying for it months in advance so that it isn't an actual expense "on" my vacation.  I like not having to lug a bottle of wine on the ship in addition to all else I carry etc.  Sure, these are all little things but that's my point I don't like stressing about the little things while on vacation.

[bg2310]

1 hour ago, sparks1093 said:

One of the fallacies about Cheers is that you only break even by drinking only alcoholic drinks. Generally 6 mixed drinks on average will be the break even point but one isn't limited to only mixed drinks with Cheers. And I stress average because as you point out there are port days to consider (and also taking into account time spent on any of the private islands, since Cheers doesn't work there). We could do without Cheers, for sure, but we are on vacation and we don't like to limit ourselves or feel like we're scrimping. I have gone cruises without having any specialty coffees, but being able to order them when I want to makes the trip that much better. I could go an entire cruise just sipping on beer, but being able to order any number of cocktails when I want a change, again, just makes the trip that much better. 

Well that's your calculation. As I said, this is how I see it. I don't generally get specialty coffee but for 1 or 2 times maybe on a cruise as I am fine with the included coffee on Lido and in MDR. And I have no problem paying the $5 one or two times a cruise if I do want a latte or something. 

 

So, for me and my calculations Cheers! is only worth it if I'm getting enough of the alcoholic drinks out of it each day, a specialty coffee or milkshake would simply be the icing on the cake for me.

[kermie1963]

12 minutes ago, bg2310 said:

Well that's your calculation. As I said, this is how I see it. I don't generally get specialty coffee but for 1 or 2 times maybe on a cruise as I am fine with the included coffee on Lido and in MDR. And I have no problem paying the $5 one or two times a cruise if I do want a latte or something. 

 

So, for me and my calculations Cheers! is only worth it if I'm getting enough of the alcoholic drinks out of it each day, a specialty coffee or milkshake would simply be the icing on the cake for me.

I do not drink enough to warrant it then.

[mdin]

Last March, my wife and I were on Mardi Gras without Cheers. On sea days, we averaged 6 drinks each. On port days, we averaged 3-4 drinks. Drinks were almost all cocktails. After adding up all the drinks, we saved a total of $150 vs Cheers. However, we purchased 1 or 2 bottles of wine during the week and had 2-12 packs of bottled water delivered to our stateroom, which I didn't take into account. We also didn't order any specialty coffees or soda. 

 

We have purchased Cheers (1st time) for our next sailing. We will buy wine by the glass this trip. I feel it will be worth it for us, but we shall see. 

[sparks1093]

33 minutes ago, bg2310 said:

Well that's your calculation. As I said, this is how I see it. I don't generally get specialty coffee but for 1 or 2 times maybe on a cruise as I am fine with the included coffee on Lido and in MDR. And I have no problem paying the $5 one or two times a cruise if I do want a latte or something. 

 

So, for me and my calculations Cheers! is only worth it if I'm getting enough of the alcoholic drinks out of it each day, a specialty coffee or milkshake would simply be the icing on the cake for me.

I wasn't being critical of you or your post, I was using it as a springboard to post thoughts for other people to consider, since there are other people reading this thread who haven't made up their minds. A lot of people will look at the "6 alcoholic drinks per day" and say "well, I don't drink that much so it's not worth it", without looking at everything else. I mean, it doesn't matter a wit to me whether or not they consider everything because it isn't my money, but we do try to be helpful here (at least sometimes🙂). At the end of the day we all have to make this determination for ourselves based on our own patterns. 

[nwcruiselover]

22 hours ago, kermie1963 said:

Does the bottomless bubbles apply to shakes?

No, only soda and juice.

[ineedadisplayname1Vbbjhju]

On 2/7/2024 at 3:35 PM, Theosprey247 said:

Depends on how much you drink, and how long (and how many port days there are) your cruise is.  For me 3-4 cruises I think it is worth it FOR ME, however anything longer than that it isn't worth it FOR ME.

 

An other thing to think about is specialty coffee, milkshakes, soda, mocktails, bottled water, Gatorade type drinks, and energy drinks are included with CHEERS! (but don't count towards your limit of 15).

so is cheers good when you order speciality coffees at the coffee place on celebration ?