To Cheers? Or not?

[MsMercury]

I read a bunch of pages of the Cheers thread that convinced me to get Cheers. We aren't huge drinkers, but do like sparking water with dinner, drinks at the shows, and a drink or 2 during the day (and specialty coffees too). See why I want it? Well, my husband isn't convinced. What made you decide to get it (or not- maybe I can be swayed the other way)?

[singbluesilver1]

We got it on our last two cruises because we liked knowing we wouldn't have a big bill at the end of our trip

 

 

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[A&Jfamily]

I read a bunch of pages of the Cheers thread that convinced me to get Cheers. We aren't huge drinkers, but do like sparking water with dinner, drinks at the shows, and a drink or 2 during the day (and specialty coffees too). See why I want it? Well, my husband isn't convinced. What made you decide to get it (or not- maybe I can be swayed the other way)?

 

It's pretty easy. Add up what you are going to spend..if it is under $115 per day, you are wasting your money. Water is about $2 (I think), lg coffee $4, and each standard fru fru drink about $10-11.

 

We did not think it was worth it; with the port of call, it made it very hard as we didn't have a drink at breakfast (renting car), and when we got on board and showered and ready for dinner it was 6. We needed to each put away 6 drinks before bed to break even/get ahead - and when our favorite drinks have multiple shots, that's just way too much alcohol for us.

 

It's easy for DH to pass on the specialty coffee, I certainly don't need the juice/soda extra calories, and drinking included drinks and whatever adult beverages we wanted, we haven't gone over $400 in a week long cruise.

[trish4801]

We got it on our last two cruises because we liked knowing we wouldn't have a big bill at the end of our trip

 

 

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That's why I get it. The peace of mind knowing I won't have a drink bill when we get off at the end of our cruise. I enjoy drinking Rockstar energy drink. Have about 2 16oz cans most days. On our last cruise it was $18 for 4 8oz cans. Plus an occasional mixed drink. I'm truly not afraid of not breaking even and not worrying about how much I'll owe at the end allows me to enjoy my time on the cruise better.

 

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[jdemps]

If you can afford to not worry about the cost, get it. If you are on a tight budget, don't. It just depends on how you vacation and what you normally drink.

 

We like to get a mimosa or bloody mary at breakfast, an energy drink, 3 or 4 drinks at night on port days. On sea days, we meet the $50 per day easy! We don't drink cheap drinks so we always end up spending between 10-15 for each drink no matter where we are on vacation.

 

We always buy ahead so it's $5 less per day. Its nice to try the fun drinks they are offering at each bar and not worry about the cost or even if I like it.

 

have a great cruise!

[Max Circus]

On a short cruise of 3 or 4 nights in the Caribbean (such as our upcoming Thanksgiving cruise on Valor) we always get it. We have been to most of the ports so usually spending most of our time on the ship. Definitely save money. On a longer port intensive cruise (like our 7/1 Vista sailing in Europe) we didn't get it and it was a great decision. In at least three ports we were gone from 7:30 until dinner time. So you really have to take a look at each cruise separately and decide how much time you'll be on the ship.

 

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[Skidinkydink]

We got it on our last cruise and really enjoyed the freedom of ordering what we wanted...when we wanted it. We enjoyed the specialty coffees each morning and sparking water with dinner. We are not big drinkers but we like to name our liquor of choice while trying new cocktails without having to worry about the price. It was especially fun trying out all the different bars. Will definitely get it again.

[Pom Lover]

We chose not to purchase it on our upcoming Cruise on the Breeze mostly because I am afraid we will feel pressured to drink enough to get our money's worth. We like the specialty coffee and other perks but those just won't add up to the cost.

[pblack]

My husband and I were going to purchase it on our Triumph cruise back in October, but then decided at the last minute not to and to just order whatever we wanted anyway. Really glad we didn't purchase it seeing as we didn't even spend $200. He drank more than I did, but in the last year or so my stomach has become really sensitive and I was afraid I wouldn't end up using it to it's advantages.

 

I also wasn't very impressed with the specialty coffee I ordered one of the days, it just sucked. The only person who can decide if it's right for you is you. :)

[cruiser4305]

"Help me rationalize spending $115/day on beverages."

 

Do you and your spouse normally spend more than $115/day on beverages? Then go for it.

 

If not, then just buy them a la carte. It's not rocket science.

 

I will say I've never left a cruise ship wishing I had drank more.

[ray98]

For us it works out. We always ended up with a bar tab around $500-$600 but that was after being fairly selective in when and what we consumed due to budget. Cheers cost a bit more than that but the freedom is completely worth it. The ability to order what I want, when I want, adds a lot to my vacation experience. Actually more than I thought it would.

[asalligo]

I have to agree with your husband and not buying cheers is an easy choice for me. I might have a drink at dinner and one or two more after dinner which puts me squarely on the side of not spending the $49 a day on drinks.

 

Many people feel that Cheers makes a cruise care free as they have already spent all they will on drinks. For me this would be the opposite, any day I did not drink at least $51 dollars, I would feel I had wasted my money.

[mamajules]

Honestly I think it is what you prefer.

 

In the past we have taken bottled wine and sodas on board, ordered bottled water to the room, and watched my daily sail n sign as far as drinks. Just this past cruise, an 8 day on Conquest, we decided to splurge on Cheers. We purchased in advance, so it was $50 per day. After experiencing it, we will definitely be getting it again. We did not lug any extra drinks on board (wine or soda). I tried drinks I have not before, had a specialty coffee every morning, got bottled water about every other time i ordered a drink at a bar, got sodas, and large bottled water in the dining room. It was nice not worrying about my budget once on board.

 

Did I drink more than i have in the past? A bit. Did I worry about getting in enough to break even? No. I think between the drinks (Bloody Mary at brunch, drinks around the pool, wine at dinner, drinks at Alchemy or comedy club in the evenings) coffees, bottled water and sodas, i definitely got my money's worth.

Edited November 14, 2016 by mamajules

[originalgeek]

If they'd let us share, I'd probably get it. Our last cruise was 7 days so it would have been 700 dollars for the two of us. I'm just not gonna drink anywhere near that much. I like beer and the beer on board was fine (even if Red Frog is made by Budweiser). There were also cans of Cigar City beers which I love.

 

So, I drank whenever I felt like it. I had beers at the lobby bar all throughout our trip. We had cocktails in the casino. Got a discount card from our room steward for a bottle of wine so we had that one night at the Steakhouse. I had beers at dinner whenever I wanted. (not every night but I would have had I wanted). I had beers at lunches on excursions. (I love finding beers from other countries I can;t get at home. Enjoyed Belikin in Belize and a couple different ones in Cozumel and Salva Vida in Roatan)

 

I never once felt like I was getting cheated out of valuable drinking time. I maintained the buzz I liked when I liked it. And ended up spending less than half of what cheers would have cost us. The bar bill at the end didn't hurt my feelings one bit.

 

So unless they get an intermediate plan, I'm not interested in cheers.

[skrams]

If they'd let us share, I'd probably get it. Our last cruise was 7 days so it would have been 700 dollars for the two of us. I'm just not gonna drink anywhere near that much. I like beer and the beer on board was fine (even if Red Frog is made by Budweiser). There were also cans of Cigar City beers which I love.

 

So, I drank whenever I felt like it. I had beers at the lobby bar all throughout our trip. We had cocktails in the casino. Got a discount card from our room steward for a bottle of wine so we had that one night at the Steakhouse. I had beers at dinner whenever I wanted. (not every night but I would have had I wanted). I had beers at lunches on excursions. (I love finding beers from other countries I can;t get at home. Enjoyed Belikin in Belize and a couple different ones in Cozumel and Salva Vida in Roatan)

 

I never once felt like I was getting cheated out of valuable drinking time. I maintained the buzz I liked when I liked it. And ended up spending less than half of what cheers would have cost us. The bar bill at the end didn't hurt my feelings one bit.

 

So unless they get an intermediate plan, I'm not interested in cheers.

 

Pretty much that. We bring a bottle of wine each on board, that's two dinners, at least. We're not big drinkers anyway, though, and I'm not going to bother with beer on a cruise - frozen cocktails all the way! We both drank last cruise (8 days), and still spent less in total than if we'd bought Cheers - actually, less than the cost of Cheers for one. And we weren't skimping for our level of drinking.

[hockeyluver]

I also am trying to decide if I want to purchase it for our next cruise. We are doing an 8 day cruise with 4 sea days. I am thinking this one time it might be worth it.

[riclop]

I read a bunch of pages of the Cheers thread that convinced me to get Cheers. We aren't huge drinkers, but do like sparking water with dinner, drinks at the shows, and a drink or 2 during the day (and specialty coffees too). See why I want it? Well, my husband isn't convinced. What made you decide to get it (or not- maybe I can be swayed the other way)?

 

If you are not big drinkers then it;s a waste of $$$.

[n6uqqq]

My husband and I were going to purchase it on our Triumph cruise back in October, but then decided at the last minute not to and to just order whatever we wanted anyway. Really glad we didn't purchase it seeing as we didn't even spend $200. He drank more than I did, but in the last year or so my stomach has become really sensitive and I was afraid I wouldn't end up using it to it's advantages.

 

I also wasn't very impressed with the specialty coffee I ordered one of the days, it just sucked. The only person who can decide if it's right for you is you. :)

 

I like your take on this. And you get bonus points for not using the word "worry" in your statement :D. All the poor souls up late at night " worrying " about their bar bill !

[funinthesun1964]

I like your take on this. And you get bonus points for not using the word "worry" in your statement :D. All the poor souls up late at night " worrying " about their bar bill !

 

But she did say "afraid" - almost same thing. lol :D

[Bookbug53]

No worries, try what we want, order top shelf, and just relax.

 

Gratuities are added up front and not to every little thing you buy. Tip as you want.

 

Not just the cocktails, but having specialty coffees, soda, waters, milk shakes (including those delish spiked ones!), and never having to think of it at all.

 

Don't forget that the NA frozen goodies are included.

 

It is simply a matter of what would you drink and how much would you spend.

 

No one can figure this out but you.

[venym19]

That's why I get it. The peace of mind knowing I won't have a drink bill when we get off at the end of our cruise. I enjoy drinking Rockstar energy drink. Have about 2 16oz cans most days. On our last cruise it was $18 for 4 8oz cans. Plus an occasional mixed drink. I'm truly not afraid of not breaking even and not worrying about how much I'll owe at the end allows me to enjoy my time on the cruise better.

 

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That's how I vacation. Not worried about breaking even either. I want to drink at my leisure without counting pennies.

[JaniceB]

Sure wish the decision could be an easier one but I will buy it for a care free vacation, peace of mind.

[CJHAN]

We dont get it. The reason is its vacation and if i did't have to worry about the cost of drinks then i would try my best to lets say maximize the benefits of the drink package and that might not be good for anyone. So simply putting it, its a way to keep tabs on my alcohol intake. Dont get me wrong we put them away like nobody business but i dont think even on our most alcohol laden cruise we didn't spend the "break even" amount of money and i would have to even include the bottomless bubbles package for the teen. So in short to us its not really worth it.

 

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Edited November 15, 2016 by CJHAN

[Julienatul]

We tried it and it never added up to the amount we would spend so for us it is not worth it. We even went heavy and drank more than we normally would just to see if it would benefit us and it never did.

[Bahbert]

My wife and I were planning to get Cheers for our 5-day cruise this December but I discovered AFTER buying gift cards that they can't be used to purchase Cheers online prior to the cruise (you can only apply them after you get onboard). You're supposed to be able to get the pre-purchase Cheers rate instead of the $5/day extra they charge when purchasing it on the ship, but many people say it's difficult or impossible.

 

With that in mind (and knowing we weren't always going to get our money's worth with Cheers, such as on port days), we decided to just apply those gift cards to our account and order as little or as much as we want. If we don't use all of it, then we'll have a little extra for photos or other onboard purchases. If we do use it all, then we won't owe nearly as much at the end of the cruise.