Cheers or a' la carte?

[cindyg1963]

This will be my first cruise, and after reading all these posts, I have to ask, what does a bottle of water cost on board? Coffee? Gatorade? I had looked at the Cheers program and couldn't see how my daughter and I could possibly spend $800 on drinks. Now, however, I'm starting to wonder. Can anyone give me some idea what the individual drinks cost?

[Computer Nerd]

This will be my first cruise, and after reading all these posts, I have to ask, what does a bottle of water cost on board? Coffee? Gatorade? I had looked at the Cheers program and couldn't see how my daughter and I could possibly spend $800 on drinks. Now, however, I'm starting to wonder. Can anyone give me some idea what the individual drinks cost?

 

Coffee is free. Specialty coffee is in the $5 range. Soda is about $2.50 a can. You can get a case (12) of bottle water delivered to your cabin for I think it's $4.95 now. A beer is about $8 and a foofoo drink is about $12. Glass of wine in the $10+ range.

[VASOXFANN]

We do a la' carte on Carnival. Cheers is WAY overpriced for us.

 

We bought discounted drink packages on a Royal Caribbean during which we didn't get off the ship on port days. RC lost a lot of money on us. With our Carnival cruises, they are port-intensive, and we tend to get off to sight-see and do excursions. Cheers is never discounted, and with the time lost while in port, it's hard to break even, so la carte works better for us.

[cruisenovice2017]

We consumed plenty of alcohol and drank coffee every morning and came out about $200 or so less than what we would have paid with Cheers....

[Can'tWait2SetSail]

Having cruised pre-Cheers, we have experienced quite the bar bills, so it is a no brainer for us!

[jen&samcantwait]

Have a great time on your first cruise!!!

 

Thread with a spreadsheet breakdown & menu pics here. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2452705

 

For us, Cheers worked out great, not just the price comparison, but prevents the sticker shock on the last day when you get your print-out.

[bobbyandali]

In my younger days when I cruised with a bunch of friends, I'd have 6 drinks before lunch sometimes, so made sense to do the Cheers program. However, they didn't offer it then.

 

Going on cruise at the end of the month with just my wife, and it would be hard to imagine us averaging 6 drinks each every day.

[13cheermom]

I think everyone is different and should try one cruise without cheers and see what your normal bar/drink/water tab would actually be. Then next time compare it to the cheers package and see if you would come out ahead or not. We've added it up before and it just would be a loss for us. We drink whenever we want and don't even think about how many or how much we've spent. But it still is better for us to buy a la carte. :D

[funkidd]

I drink quite a bit and I never get the cheers. I find after doing the math that me and the wife do not drink 30 drinks a day and with port days. I usually get a all you can drink excursion or resort. I'm pretty wasted when I get back so I tend to take it easy until like 2 the next day. So it doesn't usually make too much sense for me.

 

 

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[Sillyjilly]

As the other poster said, pre-order your water. So much cheaper.

 

I've done both the Cheers and without and I pretty much break even either way. I'm a beer drinker and they are less expensive than mixed drinks. ( I find I drink more with Cheers, which I don't need to do, so no more Cheers for me.):D

 

Unless you are party animals, I would pay as you go.

[jdemps]

It really depends on what you like to drink. We typically drink top shelf spirits in our drinks for about $10 each. You don't need to even come close to 15 drinks per day, per person for it to break even when purchased in advance for the $49.95 cost. I may have 4 drinks from alchemy bar one day and a couple in the other bars + bottled water and an energy drink. The next day a bloody mary with breakfast, a few drinks outside, a few before dinner and those all add up to savings with cheers.

 

We always cruise with a group of friends we don't see that often so we go hard that first night and my husband hits his 15....practically pays for cheers by day 3. lol

 

Whatever you decide, have fun!

[dawnjam1]

Not only have I paid those $1500 plus bar bills (back in my younger years), but it makes sense to not have the worry that I had on those cruises! It isn't that we can not afford to cruise, but I have, since becoming a Mom, reveled in the knowledge and been able to sleep at night knowing that my cruise is paid, IN CASH, before I take it. I don't want any of it on my cc afterward! I am getting married the day before we leave this time to a man who can drink 10+ beers a day and never blink or seem even tipsy. He is a big guy. He won't drink that many every day. And on my last cruise I don't know if I broke even or not, and didn't care. It is very convenient! I secretly like that there is a cutoff! 15 drinks, no matter your size, is alot of alcohol! It also makes it so stress free!

[SNJCruisers]

It all depends on what you like to drink. If the ship you're cruising on has an Alchemy Bar, which is the best bar afloat, IMHO, it only takes a few to break even. The drinks there are 10.95 each. Have four of them and you're at 44 bucks, only six from breaking even. Add bottled water, hot or cold espresso based drinks, vitamin water, bottled iced tea, milkshakes, soda and juice and you're way ahead of the game.

And the people that talk about port days must not realize that you're back on board by 400 pm, so that still gives you 8 hours to drink if you crash by 12. And why pay for drinks at a port stop when you have an open bar on board?

This has been debated ad nauseum on the boards. Only you can decide if it's right for you.

 

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[Cruisegirl6]

If you drink beer just know there is a 15 drink maximum for alcoholic drinks per day.

[coevan]

I drink quite a bit and I never get the cheers. I find after doing the math that me and the wife do not drink 30 drinks a day and with port days. I usually get a all you can drink excursion or resort. I'm pretty wasted when I get back so I tend to take it easy until like 2 the next day. So it doesn't usually make too much sense for me.

 

 

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first of all it's not a contest, do you drink 7 or 8 drinks a day? Then you are ahead of the game. I never have tried to equate 30 drinks a day. Do you spend more than $50 a day is the question.

[swscruiser]

I drink quite a bit and I never get the cheers. I find after doing the math that me and the wife do not drink 30 drinks a day and with port days. I usually get a all you can drink excursion or resort. I'm pretty wasted when I get back so I tend to take it easy until like 2 the next day. So it doesn't usually make too much sense for me.

 

 

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15 is the most you can get with cheers the break even point is 6-7 if you only drink wine and spirit drinks

[VASOXFANN]

It all depends on what you like to drink. If the ship you're cruising on has an Alchemy Bar, which is the best bar afloat, IMHO, it only takes a few to break even. The drinks there are 10.95 each. Have four of them and you're at 44 bucks, only six from breaking even. Add bottled water, hot or cold espresso based drinks, vitamin water, bottled iced tea, milkshakes, soda and juice and you're way ahead of the game.

And the people that talk about port days must not realize that you're back on board by 400 pm, so that still gives you 8 hours to drink if you crash by 12. And why pay for drinks at a port stop when you have an open bar on board?

This has been debated ad nauseum on the boards. Only you can decide if it's right for you.

 

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Yes, I do realize there are more hours in the day than those spent in port. I just do not choose to spend those hours binge drinking at this point in my life, so a la carte works best for me :)

[tlwg04]

a la carte is the way for me.

 

A) I usually cruise with my mom and two under 21 daughters. Being that my mom is diabetic, no point in her having to be forced to purchase Cheers also.

 

B) i'm somewhat of a lightweight drinker. My limit is usually around two drinks if they are strongly made. I have found though, that my beloved pina colada's are kind of weak (or they were on the conquest last year), so maybe I could drink a bit more without having to call Earl.

 

C) I only take 7 day cruises...........the price is prohibitive to me. May I be blessed one day to be able to have it and not worry about the costs (would have loved to be able to have it on my cruise in a few weeks just to try it out), but that isnt my current reality unfortunately. I am blessed just being able to finance the cruise.

 

Now, if some kind benefactor wanted to donate Cheers to me, I would not sqawk in protest too loudly. Haha! lol

[SNJCruisers]

Yes, I do realize there are more hours in the day than those spent in port. I just do not choose to spend those hours binge drinking at this point in my life, so a la carte works best for me :)

Four drinks from the Alchemy Bar over an eight hour period which correlates to one drink every two hours is FAR from binge drinking.

 

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[SNJCruisers]

If you drink beer just know there is a 15 drink maximum for alcoholic drinks per day.

If 15 is too low of a number, there are options. If you insist on sailing on Carnival, you can drink 15 Foster's Oil Cans @ 25 oz each, which is the equivalent of over 31 12 oz 🍺. Or you can cruise on other lines that do not have the 15 drink limit.

 

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[texasgirl73]

I have done both Cheers and a la carte. I preferred a la carte. I hated feeling like I had to drink to justify the purchase. Sometimes I've had enough, if the waters are rough I might feel queasy, if I've been at an all-inclusive beach I might be tired of alcohol, or maybe I just want to pick a bottle of wine off the Steakhouse menu. I like keeping my options open. I couldn't add a rum floater to my Pina coladas with Cheers. A la carte just suited us better.

 

 

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[Dilligaff]

Only you know how much you drink.

There are many of ways to see which is worth it for you.

 

Me and my wife have been on one cruise and we had cheers. We will get cheers on our future cruises.

 

1- We don't have to worry about how much we spend.

2- most days we did drink 7-12 alcoholic drinks each

3- bottles of water are $1.25 coffee is about $5 the free coffee was not to our liking so we went to the specialty coffee bar any time we wanted coffee.

 

On our last night we got a print out and did price comparison on everything that cheers covered.

 

$460 Cheers for 2 of us

$580 without cheers

 

Most only think about the alcoholic drinks but it includes this

Sodas, Zero-Proof frozen cocktails, energy drinks, specialty coffee, hot tea, bottled water and other non-alcoholic bottled beverages, milkshakes

[adatex]

I purchase the Cheers program not because I'll consume 15 drinks in one day, but because of the type of drinks I get.

I don't drink beer.... My drinks are with liquor so those usually are over $10... so in just five drinks there goes my $50. Not only that but I'm able to get specialty coffee and yummy milkshakes!

[VASOXFANN]

Four drinks from the Alchemy Bar over an eight hour period which correlates to one drink every two hours is FAR from binge drinking.

 

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Thank you for assuming to know my alcohol intake habits, how it affects me, my weight and food intake while drinking, what I drink, that I like the drinks at and/or choose to spend my time at the Alchemy Bar, that I even choose to cruise on ships that have Alchemy Bars, and that all of my ship time on port days involves sitting at a bar.

 

As I've typed a few times already, a la carte works best for ME, and that's what I chose to do. If buying Cheers works for YOU, then mazel tov, but you don't get to make that decision for me.

 

The OP asked for opinions, and that's what he got. Cheers!

[villagenut]

Does the 15 drink limit only apply to drinks with alcohol? Or is it a combination of everything including water, milkshakes, etc?