CHEERS & HALF MOON CAY ?

[WIFamily]

On 1/13/2019 at 10:46 AM, Cruisegirl6 said:

Hello,

 

I am coming back to Carnival sailing in three weeks, my question:

 

Rumor has it when you have the Cheers program when you are in port/port days there is no limited (15 alcoholic drinks) per day, is this true?

 

In half moon cay I recall a bar there is the Cheers package included there?

 

Does anybody know what they serve for lunch on Half Moon Cay, anything besides burgers and hot dogs and fries?  

 

With regards to Cheers and ports... it depends on the port.  I know at Galveston, the Cheers package is not valid while in port - due to Texas laws.  If you're sailing out of Galveston, your Cheers package starts day 2, and your price is adjusted to reflect that.  There might be other ports like that.

[Retired_to_Cruise]

On 4/10/2019 at 7:24 PM, coevan said:

 

 

This is exactly what we do, 4 beers in a cooler.

 

 

 

 

I have no idea what you are talking about. We use it on our boat to pick up free wifi and some hotels where the wifi is weak.  I can pick up a signal from a restaurant or hotel ashore, we go in, buy a drink, and get the wifi password and bring it back to the boat. 

Think about the number of individual transactions that would be processed per hour on HMC when a Carnival ship is there. Each transaction would have to get back to the ships system to check if this was a Cheers transaction and then send validation back to the terminal on the island and allow the transaction  to be completed and then send the completed transaction back to the ships S&S system  Having been in IT for 30+ years, I know that your $20 wifi widget wouldn't be able to handle  anything like the kind of volume that happens on HMC. By the fact that you stated that you had no idea what I was talking about clearly shows that you probably have no idea what you are talking about

[coevan]

2 hours ago, Retired_to_Cruise said:

Think about the number of individual transactions that would be processed per hour on HMC when a Carnival ship is there. Each transaction would have to get back to the ships system to check if this was a Cheers transaction and then send validation back to the terminal on the island and allow the transaction  to be completed and then send the completed transaction back to the ships S&S system  Having been in IT for 30+ years, I know that your $20 wifi widget wouldn't be able to handle  anything like the kind of volume that happens on HMC. By the fact that you stated that you had no idea what I was talking about clearly shows that you probably have no idea what you are talking about

 

 

You are completely missing the point. I never said my booster would work with Carnival. I use it at a hotel with poor wifi to boost my signal. You clearly did not read or understand my post. I also use it on my sailboat while at anchor, nothing to do with Carnival. Point is Carnival can accept Cheers if they chose to.

[SNJCruisers]

On 4/9/2019 at 12:54 PM, ray98 said:

 

 

However, I certainly cannot look at one line and say that is where all the trashy people cruise or make a list of trashy behavior and claim it is commonplace, it simply isn't.

Are you sure Ray?  Because if you're right, there are many Loyal Royals over on their board that have never sailed on Carnival and bad mouth the "Walmart of the Seas" all the time and thus they must all be wrong.😉

[CruzerDeb]

On 1/13/2019 at 12:38 PM, Cruisegirl6 said:

Thank you all for the help, we will stay on the ship.

I can't imagine going to such a beautiful place and staying on the ship!

[coevan]

On 1/13/2019 at 10:38 AM, Cruisegirl6 said:

Thank you all for the help, we will stay on the ship.

 

 

why would you stay on the ship? If you have Cheers grab a beer, wait 5 minutes, grab another beer, put in cooler and head to a beautiful beach.

[Retired_to_Cruise]

18 hours ago, coevan said:

 

 

You are completely missing the point. I never said my booster would work with Carnival. I use it at a hotel with poor wifi to boost my signal. You clearly did not read or understand my post. I also use it on my sailboat while at anchor, nothing to do with Carnival. Point is Carnival can accept Cheers if they chose to.

Your statement: " they could set up a wireless server in an hour. I have a wireless booster that could easily reach the ship from the island, the booster was $20. This is not a technology issue. " It is a little simplistic to "assume" that because you have a $20 wifi booster on your boat Carnival should be able to hook up to HMC easily with very little cost. As in the past, your simplification of issues reflect your failure to understand the complexities of the issue. Your little wifi booster is wide open to being hacked and having your and your targets information stolen and used. Handling thousands of peoples' personal and financial information over a wireless connection is no "simple" task. You obviously do not understand that when you are hooked to the wifi of a hotel, you are not in a safe data transfer environment. You are on an open network that is imminently hackable. Do not belittle the possible implications of doing this by comparing it to you ordering a drink over a $20 wifi booster from your boat or boosting a hotel's signal. Not even close!  

Edited April 13, 2019 by Retired_to_Cruise

[coevan]

I'm not that paranoid😎 I have used it all over the world.

[Retired_to_Cruise]

17 hours ago, coevan said:

I'm not that paranoid😎 I have used it all over the world.

But my point is that it comes nowhere near the scale that is required to safely operate all of the transactions that would be processed in the interactions between a Carnival Cruise ship and HMC while protecting the privacy and accuracy of those transactions.. The situation you keep touting is like a firecracker compared to a nuclear blast. But go ahead with your premise. People that understand large scale computing requirements will continue to laugh at your attempts to pretend that it represents any kind of realistic representation of what goes into solving the HMC computer issue.

[jwjax]

On 4/12/2019 at 9:29 AM, Retired_to_Cruise said:

Think about the number of individual transactions that would be processed per hour on HMC when a Carnival ship is there. Each transaction would have to get back to the ships system to check if this was a Cheers transaction and then send validation back to the terminal on the island and allow the transaction  to be completed and then send the completed transaction back to the ships S&S system  Having been in IT for 30+ years, I know that your $20 wifi widget wouldn't be able to handle  anything like the kind of volume that happens on HMC. By the fact that you stated that you had no idea what I was talking about clearly shows that you probably have no idea what you are talking about

 

Hmmm....   Other islands and I think even HMC have systems setup to use the S&S cards.   It is Carnival that is not using them for some reason?   Oh???  Yes !    $$$$$ 

[ShakyBeef]

According to my IT expert / company owner DH, it is certainly possible to put a functioning network in place for this.  It would cost at least $20,000 to $40,000 to do it properly.  But why would Carnival spend that money, just so that they could lose more money on all those drinks being purchased (that would otherwise be covered by Cheers!) on the island?  It makes no $en$e for them to do so.🤑

[coevan]

6 hours ago, Retired_to_Cruise said:

But my point is that it comes nowhere near the scale that is required to safely operate all of the transactions that would be processed in the interactions between a Carnival Cruise ship and HMC while protecting the privacy and accuracy of those transactions.. The situation you keep touting is like a firecracker compared to a nuclear blast. But go ahead with your premise. People that understand large scale computing requirements will continue to laugh at your attempts to pretend that it represents any kind of realistic representation of what goes into solving the HMC computer issue.

 

 

please read my posts again, I clearly say it's for personal use and nothing to do with Carnival. It was just a silly example. I am not touting anything but getting a better signal on my boat or hotel, gheez

[jwjax]

6 hours ago, ShakyBeef said:

According to my IT expert / company owner DH, it is certainly possible to put a functioning network in place for this.  It would cost at least $20,000 to $40,000 to do it properly.  But why would Carnival spend that money, just so that they could lose more money on all those drinks being purchased (that would otherwise be covered by Cheers!) on the island?  It makes no $en$e for them to do so.🤑

 

There is already a network on the island ( and other islands), and it works for other ships.....   But for CCL, it is a $$ thing.   A $20 network would work fine,  if Carnival chose to actually use it!😎

[Retired_to_Cruise]

10 hours ago, jwjax said:

 

Hmmm....   Other islands and I think even HMC have systems setup to use the S&S cards.   It is Carnival that is not using them for some reason?   Oh???  Yes !    $$$$$ 

Every one of Carnival Corporation's Cruise Lines has a different computer approach and they are not all the same S&S card approach.. They are separate companies within the parent company that were purchased at different times, and there is really no reason to spend the kind of money necessary to put them all on exactly the same system. Carnival Cruise Lines uses HMC when it is available and does not seem inclined to build an IT infrastructure there for the limited times they use the port. 

[Retired_to_Cruise]

On 4/12/2019 at 11:24 AM, coevan said:

 

 

You are completely missing the point. I never said my booster would work with Carnival. I use it at a hotel with poor wifi to boost my signal. You clearly did not read or understand my post. I also use it on my sailboat while at anchor, nothing to do with Carnival. Point is Carnival can accept Cheers if they chose to.

 

[Retired_to_Cruise]

On 4/12/2019 at 11:24 AM, coevan said:

 

 

You are completely missing the point. I never said my booster would work with Carnival. I use it at a hotel with poor wifi to boost my signal. You clearly did not read or understand my post. I also use it on my sailboat while at anchor, nothing to do with Carnival. Point is Carnival can accept Cheers if they chose to.

No I am not missing the point. As usual you are throwing out something you do, pretending that it has something important to say about a totally different issue. The fact that you can use a $20 wifi enhancer on your little boat has nothing to do with the discussion. If you recognize that it has "nothing to do with Carnival" then why did you keep bring it up as if it does? Point is, Carnival does not want to spend the money to put infrastructure on a port that they do not own and use infrequently. The system there is a Holland American system that is not compatible with the Carnival system. You are absolutely right. Your discussion of your wonderful $20 solution has nothing to do with this issue, yet you keep repeating it in this discussion. Your statement that the "Point is Carnival can accept Cheers if they chose to" is correct. My point is that they have chosen not to spend the money  (much more than $20) to put their system into another Cruise Lines port.

[ProgRockCruiser]

On 4/15/2019 at 7:19 AM, Retired_to_Cruise said:

No I am not missing the point. As usual you are throwing out something you do, pretending that it has something important to say about a totally different issue. The fact that you can use a $20 wifi enhancer on your little boat has nothing to do with the discussion. If you recognize that it has "nothing to do with Carnival" then why did you keep bring it up as if it does? Point is, Carnival does not want to spend the money to put infrastructure on a port that they do not own and use infrequently. The system there is a Holland American system that is not compatible with the Carnival system. You are absolutely right. Your discussion of your wonderful $20 solution has nothing to do with this issue, yet you keep repeating it in this discussion. Your statement that the "Point is Carnival can accept Cheers if they chose to" is correct. My point is that they have chosen not to spend the money  (much more than $20) to put their system into another Cruise Lines port.

 

Sigh.

 

His point was that the distance is not so large that it cannot be solved with wireless technology.  He then gave an example of how a cheap $20 widget could cover the distance, so assuming Carnival had the right tech at each end (w/ encryption, etc), there is no technological barrier to solving this issue.

 

In no way did I interpret his posts to say that Carnival should use something like his $20 wifi booster as the be-all and end-all to the solution.

[coevan]

Thank you, ProgRock, exactly what I was saying.

[jwjax]

On 4/14/2019 at 9:35 PM, Retired_to_Cruise said:

Every one of Carnival Corporation's Cruise Lines has a different computer approach and they are not all the same S&S card approach.. They are separate companies within the parent company that were purchased at different times, and there is really no reason to spend the kind of money necessary to put them all on exactly the same system. Carnival Cruise Lines uses HMC when it is available and does not seem inclined to build an IT infrastructure there for the limited times they use the port. 

 

Again....hmmmm.....    A wireless xmitter/rec'r  is chump change to Carnival. 

 

The post above about getting more $$ on the islands without it, is the reason!  

 

I still can't fathom a large corp like CCL not combining their IT staff and using a single solution for all ports (when feasible).   It reduces duplicated efforts to achieve the same thing?

[Retired_to_Cruise]

On 4/16/2019 at 12:08 PM, jwjax said:

 

Again....hmmmm.....    A wireless xmitter/rec'r  is chump change to Carnival. 

 

The post above about getting more $$ on the islands without it, is the reason!  

 

I still can't fathom a large corp like CCL not combining their IT staff and using a single solution for all ports (when feasible).   It reduces duplicated efforts to achieve the same thing?

Based on the research I have done, even Holland American, the owner of Half Moon Cay, does not allow the use of their ship's beverage program on the island. It appears that there are no computers and support of any kind on the island. All the consumables that are needed on the island are brought from the ship that is ported that day. So, all of the computer support equipment that would be needed would also have to be brought to the island that day as well. And it would have to be supported by the ships wifi as well. And we all  know how incredibly robust wifi support is on Carnival Ships.

 

Edited April 18, 2019 by Retired_to_Cruise

[coevan]

so how are they charging your S&S card?

[Retired_to_Cruise]

6 hours ago, coevan said:

so how are they charging your S&S card?

They write it down when they take your card and key it all in when they get back to the ship. Every ship that goes to HMC does it this way because there is no computer support there and they have to bring everything the need from the ship - booze, food, etc.. HMC is an island that has no full time residents. Only 2% of the island has been developed and that is where the cruise ships anchor for tendering. It is the only place with structures. There is no wifi infrastructure or coverage on the island. So coeven should bring his $20 wifi booster so he can boost the ship's signal and play his games while he is there. 

[SNJCruisers]

The fact that everything is hand written on the island and then keyed into the on board computer system once back on the ship is the built in excuse why Cheers is not accepted.  Since there is no computer to verify things, basically any male could use the card and ring up drinks all day long.  With the 15 drink limit on Cheers, the number of drinks left can't be verified with no on island computer system.

Don't know if things are hand written or computer verified on Labadee, but I know from first hand experience that Royal and Celebrity both allow their drink programs to be utilized on Labadee.  Even if everything is hand written, it's allowed since neither of those lines have a 15 drink limit.

Edited April 18, 2019 by SNJCruisers

[Joebucks]

Amazing that so many people base their vacation around fees/alcohol and would miss out on HMC because of this.

 

On 4/14/2019 at 11:12 AM, ShakyBeef said:

According to my IT expert / company owner DH, it is certainly possible to put a functioning network in place for this.  It would cost at least $20,000 to $40,000 to do it properly.  But why would Carnival spend that money, just so that they could lose more money on all those drinks being purchased (that would otherwise be covered by Cheers!) on the island?  It makes no $en$e for them to do so.🤑

 

You can most certainly put a network there, and one day, they will. Even if they have to use crappy satellite network. Isn't there already something there? Don't they already charge your S&S card?

 

They could easily profit by adding Cheers to HMC. HMC doesn't even have that many expensive drinks. Plus, they could charge a few more dollars for cheers if demand is that much higher. They need to get rid of fixed Cheers pricing. A 4 day Cheers with HMC should cost more per day than a 7 day.

[jwjax]

14 hours ago, Joebucks said:

Amazing that so many people base their vacation around fees/alcohol and would miss out on HMC because of this.

 

 

You can most certainly put a network there, and one day, they will. Even if they have to use crappy satellite network. Isn't there already something there? Don't they already charge your S&S card?

 

They could easily profit by adding Cheers to HMC. HMC doesn't even have that many expensive drinks. Plus, they could charge a few more dollars for cheers if demand is that much higher. They need to get rid of fixed Cheers pricing. A 4 day Cheers with HMC should cost more per day than a 7 day.

 

There is already a network there! It is CCL choosing not to use it to get more $$!