Carnival "Cheers!" All-inclusive Drink Package Questions

[okgirl]

So, if I'm going on a quick 5 day cruise, would it be best to buy cheers on day 2? Then I'd be charged for 4 days?

 

Technically yes it would be cheaper to purchase on day 2 UNLESS you think you will have more than 5 or 6 drinks on embarkation day/evening.

 

If you are like me....I usually have a double bloody mary upon embarkation or even 2.......then later with lunch a margarita or red frog beer, then a couple of glasses of wine with dinner and a couple more drinks during the evening show or in the casino........

 

In the above case I would actually spend more on drinks on the 1st day than the daily program cost would be.

[Naomi John]

If you are on a 5 day cruise you will pay the $57/person per day price at $285. If you decide to wait until the second day of your cruise you will pay the $57/person per day price at $228 (4 day price). Same goes for longer cruise vacations buying on the second day. You have to purchase by the 2nd day at the latest.

Hope this helps.

 

Is this confirmed?

 

 

4) No, you cannot purchase additional drinks once limit is reached. However, BEFORE you hit 15, you can buy drinks that are not included in the program (beer buckets/tubes, souvenir cups, bottles of wine, drinks over $10) and it won't affect your count. Once you hit 15 though, game over until 6am.

 

Is this also confirmed? If I buy a bucket of beer before the 15 limit, it will not count as long as I have not hit 15?

[LONGTIME WAIT]

not certain if this is helpful, but our experience was good. the only bad part for my DH was that they would not honor the cheers program on Half Moon Cay even though they tell you anything you use your sail and sign card will apply to that ... don't think you can use the card at the private islands. Now you can use it if you stay on the ship...

One evening my DH had 17 drinks on his, and was not charged, but I believe he wasn't charged because my limit was not close to the actual limit. The program was worth it even though I am not the big drinker, because if he had wanted more he could have had me get the drinks.

[racegrrl]

Is this confirmed?

 

 

 

Is this also confirmed? If I buy a bucket of beer before the 15 limit, it will not count as long as I have not hit 15?

 

Yes, I can confirm both of these things. We were on the Conquest last week, bought the cheers program.

 

If you can smuggle enough to get you by the first day or you just don't drink a lot that first day, then by all means wait until the second day. On our seven day cruise, we were charged 689.32 on Monday (embarked on Sunday) which is 599.40 (6 days x 2 people @ 49.95 per day) plus 15% gratuity. On Sunday we bought 2 rounds of drinks on board and those are on the bill separately.

 

I am going to figure out this morning if it was financially worth it as close as I can, but I know I really think it was worth it for our vacation experience. There was no worrying how big the bar bill was going to be, I knew we couldn't "overdrink" because it would cut us off (I don't think we ever got close between us) and we loved getting to "experiment", trying things we might not have otherwise.

 

We actually got to know a couple of the bartenders very well, and they were more than happy to serve us. I also would add a dollar or two, especially at Alchemy, and I am sure that didn't hurt the service we got, but we tipped because we had already received great to extra great service, they earned the extra tip!

[racegrrl]

Ok, I just did the math. We had an average drink cost of $5.87. $599.40 divided by 102 drinks for the week. We didn't come close to the limit, we could have had 180 drinks in that time period. I know probably half of the drinks that we ordered were at least 7.25 each, and many were 8.95 at Alchemy as we went there every night before and after dinner. Hubby rarely drank a beer, it was usually at least a rum and coke. I had all the foo-foo umbrella drinks all the time. The Sail and Sign bill does not break down the original cost, it just shows what bar and zero dollars unless you left an extra gratuity, so I cannot tell you exactly what was purchased. But it did save us some money in addition to all the other benefits we had.

 

Something else to note, we only got off the ship for two hours in Cozumel, that's it. So we were on board almost the whole cruise to use it.

 

Another thing I will confirm. Order classic cocktails with it at the casino bar and ask for a receipt and you will get the match play even with the cheers program! A bonus we took advantage of and won some $$ with too! :D

Edited October 6, 2013 by racegrrl

[bwink23]

Hi,

 

I have a question about the program. If there is a no show in a cabin will the person still there be charged for both people if they purchase the program? we are going on the breeze if that matters

[iconoclast]

There are a couple of threads about this, but since this is the most recent, I'll just throw this in here...if my partner and I buy the Cheers program, and we happen to be lounging somewhere and don't want to both get up, can I take his S&S card and get drinks for both of us? Thanks.

[racegrrl]

There are a couple of threads about this, but since this is the most recent, I'll just throw this in here...if my partner and I buy the Cheers program, and we happen to be lounging somewhere and don't want to both get up, can I take his S&S card and get drinks for both of us? Thanks.

 

Yes, I did this many times as my husband has issues walking and it's just easier for me to go get them. This is where getting to know your bartenders/servers comes in handy. Those that got to know us, or at least saw my husband with his cane/scooter knew what was up and didn't question me. When we encountered a new bartender, I would always get asked "where is Alex" and I would point to the lounger or hot tub or table where he was. No problem, but had to explain or show. They are just doing their job asking....

[BDAN8V]

My only qualm with the program was that it has to be purchased for everyone registered to the cabin. . . I would have gladly bought it, but my girlfriend is not a drinker and it would have been silly to get it for her, I on the other hand, had a hell of a bar tab at the end.

[Monalis]

My only qualm with the program was that it has to be purchased for everyone registered to the cabin. . . I would have gladly bought it, but my girlfriend is not a drinker and it would have been silly to get it for her, I on the other hand, had a hell of a bar tab at the end.

 

Well if your bar tab was more than $100 a day, it might have been worth getting it for both of you. She still could get virgin cocktails and sodas.

[latitude918]

1) It is actually $49.95 pp/pd now, on almost all ships (there are maybe 2 that are still $42.95)

 

2) Service/liquor quality - depends on how polite you are, how well you tip imo

 

3) Yes, it is strict.

 

4) No, you cannot purchase additional drinks once limit is reached. However, BEFORE you hit 15, you can buy drinks that are not included in the program (beer buckets/tubes, souvenir cups, bottles of wine, drinks over $10) and it won't affect your count. Once you hit 15 though, game over until 6am.

 

So if I wanted to "stretch" the package, I could get 2-3 buckets, and then have 15 drinks before being cut off?

[smartravel]

what is the cost of the frog beer? per glass?

[BDAN8V]

Well if your bar tab was more than $100 a day, it might have been worth getting it for both of you. She still could get virgin cocktails and sodas.

 

Yeah, had I known in advance the damage I did, I would have just got it for her. At least I'll know for next time!

[Lovefuninthesun]

Yes, I can confirm both of these things. We were on the Conquest last week, bought the cheers program.

 

If you can smuggle enough to get you by the first day or you just don't drink a lot that first day, then by all means wait until the second day. On our seven day cruise, we were charged 689.32 on Monday (embarked on Sunday) which is 599.40 (6 days x 2 people @ 49.95 per day) plus 15% gratuity. On Sunday we bought 2 rounds of drinks on board and those are on the bill separately.

 

I am going to figure out this morning if it was financially worth it as close as I can, but I know I really think it was worth it for our vacation experience. There was no worrying how big the bar bill was going to be, I knew we couldn't "overdrink" because it would cut us off (I don't think we ever got close between us) and we loved getting to "experiment", trying things we might not have otherwise.

 

We actually got to know a couple of the bartenders very well, and they were more than happy to serve us. I also would add a dollar or two, especially at Alchemy, and I am sure that didn't hurt the service we got, but we tipped because we had already received great to extra great service, they earned the extra tip!

 

Thanks, Beth for the very helpful info!:D

[Monalis]

Yeah, had I known in advance the damage I did, I would have just got it for her. At least I'll know for next time!

 

Thats exactly why we are getting the Unlimited option on our next cruise... on our last cruise the Husband spent almost $600 himself on alcohol, I think our total was almost $800. So the $788 its going to cost us will be well worth it, just because I'll be more willing to drink now that I don't have to worry about liking what I ordered.

[HO HO]

Well, Ho Ho's experience is certainly different than ours when doing Cheers on The Valor earlier this year.

 

Originally Posted by Voyager2025

Hello, Im not new to cruising with Carnival but I am recently hearing about the packages offered by the cruise line which include alcohol. I'm specifically interested in the "Cheers!" program, which is 42.95 pp/per day. Ive read about the drink limit, and that every 21+ in each cabin must purchase the package (if one person purchases the package). My questions at this point are;

 

-Does service drop? Do the bartenders treat you with less promptness and care? (often times with the "Soda" package I was treated a lot different than other guests paying per drink). No, they don't know that you're any different than anyone else. It's all going on your S&S card, it's just that accounting will charge yours to the Cheers program.

 

-Does the liquor quality drop off? (Typically Carnival's drinks are good quality and i worry that with this package the cruise line does what the resorts do and begin mixing bottom shelf liquor). No, there's no difference -- unless you order top shelf, and then if it goes over a certain $ amount you are charged the difference

 

-Is the 15 drink limit per day strict? Im in my early 20s and I can put quite a few away in a day. Yes . 15 in a 24 hour period (6 AM to 6 AM). You have to wait 10 minutes between drinks, and you can be cut off

 

-Can you purchase additional drinks once the limit is reached?Yes...anything over the Cheers limit will go on your S&S card

 

Our experience was:

 

Of course they know that you are on Cheers. On every drink receipt it prints CHEERS! dsct 100% $0.00. To show your discount. The register also tells the bartender which drink # you are on. The original question was does service drop, and do you get treated any different because you're on Cheers. My response was, no, (yes, they know you're on Cheers, but the service is the same whether you are or not)

 

If the drink is more than Cheers covers, you do not pay the difference, but you get a 25% discount off the full price. This still counts as one of your 15 drinks. The original question was does the liquor quality drop off My response was no.

 

You only have to wait 5 minutes between drinks. On our last cruise, two different roving waiters up on deck told people near us they had to wait 10 minutes before ordering their next drinks on their Cheers cards.

 

You can not purchase additional drinks at any price over the 15 drink limit, but you can have unlimited soda or virgin drinks. I was under the impression that you could not, but I observed it happen in the casino. Right or wrong..

 

gary

 

HO HO is back...

[cruisin2ccu]

It does cost less because you are not paying sales tax on it on the 2nd day. But as far as I know they do charge for the entire length of the cruise.

You are not charged sales tax on the program. When you order a drink while still in US waters, there is a sales tax added to the drink... it looks something like

 

drink .......................... 5.75

CHEERS discount 100%. -5.75

 

subtotal ...................... 0.00

tax ............................. 0.57

total ........................... 0.57

[cruisin2ccu]

also i was told by a couple of bartenders that if i told them to charge me for a drink it would not go against my total, so if i was at drink 14 i could order as many as i wanted to by telling them to charge me for them, but as soon as i hit *free* drink number 15 i was cut off until the next day and could not buy any more

 

that being said...i only hit 15 one night out of a 7 day cruise

[gtaylor]

HO HO is back...

 

Let's begin with just one:

 

Your statement:

 

No, they don't know that you're any different than anyone else. It's all going on your S&S card, it's just that accounting will charge yours to the Cheers program.

 

My comment was:

 

Of course they know that you are on Cheers. On every drink receipt it prints CHEERS! dsct 100% $0.00. To show your discount. The register also tells the bartender which drink # you are on.

 

Do you disagree?

 

gary

[kac13090]

I have noticed a "look" sometimes from a busy bartender especially when the same kid is coming up for 50th soda in last hour, but never for the Cheers program. They do put a sticker on your S&S card which comes off visit time you get it wet. So most time they don't know you are on Cheers until they run the card. There is a 15% gratuity when you buy the card & they don't add any extra,like when you purchase a drink. But if you expect good service, tip some extra especially on first few drinks & you will see great service especially if you are going back to the same bartenders. Most of them know my name & wife's by the 3rd day, what we drink and rush to get it for us.

 

It's too bad the kids have to go to a bar for a soda :(

[wahooker]

Here's another question on this. SDo they charge you for the last day of the cruise even though we are usually off the ship by 8 or 8:30am? that would suck because I have no plans to drink $50 worth of alcohol before 7am!

 

That's College Mode!

[5Hawkeyes]

Let's begin with just one:

 

Your statement:

 

No, they don't know that you're any different than anyone else. It's all going on your S&S card, it's just that accounting will charge yours to the Cheers program.

 

My comment was:

 

Of course they know that you are on Cheers. On every drink receipt it prints CHEERS! dsct 100% $0.00. To show your discount. The register also tells the bartender which drink # you are on.

 

Do you disagree?

 

gary

 

Not to be nosey but didn't HoHo answer that question in their prior post? He said yes they know it's part of the Cheers program. You seem like you're trying to start a fight with a retired Navy man. Weird!

[barbaraanne]

Good grief, this thread is giving me a hang over just reading it!

 

How in the world does anyone drink 15 drinks and still need more on a given cruise day? Yikes, 8 days of this and you are going to have a swollen, sore liver!

 

Sorry, I know will get pelted for this, but I am just thinking of health here. How about an excursion or two?

[Swayde]

Good grief, this thread is giving me a hang over just reading it!

 

How in the world does anyone drink 15 drinks and still need more on a given cruise day? Yikes, 8 days of this and you are going to have a swollen, sore liver!

 

Sorry, I know will get pelted for this, but I am just thinking of health here. How about an excursion or two?

 

We had planned on snorkeling in ports on our cruise, however I broke my knee and had to have surgery and recovery is taking longer than anticipated. So no snorkeling or much walking which eliminates a lot of options. Because it has been a very stressful and painful time we decided to just stay on board and truly relax. You don't have to drink 15 drinks in a day to break even. 6-7 is all it would take and I can do that in a day easily without even really feeling it. Mimosa at breakfast, cocktail at lunch, 2 frozen daiquiris or similar in the afternoon out by pool, glass of wine with dinner, 2-3 cocktails during shows and comedy. Completely reasonable, sober, plenty of time for body to process and would save us a bit of money compared to buying each drink without program. My husband can drink 2 drinks for every 1 I drink, easily and still barely feel it.

[domi411]

i buy the cheer program for the first time and i love it, i take some drink or jamaican coffee that normally i will not buy because it too expensive.

 

Just a small thing, the small shooter in a souvenir glass is not include, so you have to paid for....