Carnival Cheers Program: Considering it again?

[fendersrule]

Just booked my second Carnival cruise!

 

Being a pretty big drinker, last cruise I barely managed to make my money's worth by only a handful of drinks. But man, was it an uphill fight during the last few days!

 

What I've learned is that the biggest indicator that you should get the Cheers stamp or not is depending on what you're doing for port days. If you're staying on the ship and if you like drinking, the Cheers card actually makes more sense. For me, most port days were the toughest days to get "drinks in". I remembered that Cozumel I got zero drinks, because I was already so tired/smashed before getting back on the ship!

 

So for this upcoming cruise, I'm likely not going to get the Cheers card. But then I got thinking: "Wasn't it cool when you had it?" Sure, the perks is that you can order any drink, any where, without even thinking about it. Hitting the daily limit is pretty hard. Top shelf, no problem. The Alchemy Bar is the biggest secret: They make the best drinks, and it's all Cheers compatible. Not to mention that Coffee is included and doesn't count towards the "limit." If you like more than drip coffee as well, the Cheers does make some sense.

 

The problem however with the Cheers card is that it's pretty heavily slated in Carnival's favor. They are smart, and they know it. 🤣

 

Unless you're sailing out of Galveston, the cheers card will be active for 7 days (for a 7 day cruise). Meaning, you are being charged each and every one of those days for it. It would be absolutely wonderful if I could pick only sea days to have Cheers access! Plus, who really wants access the very last day? The very last day, you wake up, pack up and leave. :)

 

Sorry, just wanted to spill my experience and my thoughts a little bit. Maybe it will help someone out who is stuck in predicament for the first time.

 

Without cheers card, you can purchase roughly 5 mixed drinks, or 6 "beers" to come to the same price as what the Cheers gives you in one day. While this may seem "doable" to a lot of drinkers, remember that you will need to do at least this to break even, for 7 consecutive days, including port days, and including embark/debark days, including the fact that you can bring on a bottle of wine. It's harder than it sounds. :)

 

[ray98]

5 drinks a day isn't hard, especially for a 'big drinker'.

 

Also, the 'daily limit' has no bearing on overall value and the debarkation day is not charged for the package.

[fendersrule]

It definitely isn't hard, but on port days it can be very hard, especially if you are spending time at an all inclusive beach one day, and other port days you pound several in at restaurants for cheap, etc. By the time you get back on the ship, remember that on those days, you will still need 5-6 drinks minimum to break even. That could mean easily double digit drinks for port days, which is A LOT!

 

That's good to know about debarkation not being included. I may have forgotten that. 

 

My last cruise, I kept a running tally of my drink amounts on a dry-erase board that I brought with me. Being a big drinker, I was able to hit the "15" limit one day (which is harder than it sounds), and a couple days I came close. But the other days were like "0", "7", and "5".

 

If you like to rush out to excursions like I do, remember that drinking that many drinks the night before is going to affect how you feel when you wake up at 6-7 AM the next day on a port day. 🙂

 

Anyways, I felt like I drank like a fish in order to make it worth it. When I worked it all out, I came out 3 drinks ahead. I think I included the espresso coffee into that tally as well. It still feels very heavily rooted in Carnival's favor. I think when the Cheers is easily worth it is when you're a cruiser that does not leave the boat on port days. Your "excursion" is basically your Cheers package on the vessel. That seems to make the Cheers program more viable.

Edited February 5, 2020 by fendersrule

[ray98]

On a 7 night cruise you leave on the 8th day.

[Stick93]

Sorry man - you are overthinking this.
 

My impression is if you can write a long post about the pros and cons you should not get the card. I have purchased the card for myself and wife in multiple trips and have never thought about it or breaking even. I drank! 

If you are a thinker - you ain’t a drinker! 

[fendersrule]

Hey now, I make beer...lots of beer. I definitely am I drinker. 

 

There's probably others who have tallied this up for themselves. I'm curious to hear others that may have done this.

 

The BIGGEST problem with Cheers however, is that you're forced to place it on everyone in the room. My GF is a very light drinker. So that's actually one of the reasons why I should probably decline the Cheers this time. 

 

I forgot about that restriction. 

Edited February 5, 2020 by fendersrule

[Stick93]

FYI - you hit max one day and that’s 3 days worth of drinks. 
 

Enjoy whatever you do!  

[wesorbeth]

We saved about 300.00 on our last cruise using Cheers vs buying drinks individually, not once did I feel close to intoxicated.  We had a latte in the morning, a spiked coffee, maybe a mimosa, 2 beers by the pool, maybe a mojito a glass or wine with dinner 3 Alchemy drinks and 8 - 10 bottles of water each day.

[cruiseguy4567]

We did the drink package our last cruise.  Hit 15 once on a “at sea” day.  Didn’t take much to get there with an early 2 Bloody Mary breakfast, couple with lunch.  Had a few at the show along with the comedy club and ended with the piano bar.  
 

Wife isn’t a big drinker, but between the two of us, we ended up in the positive a drink or two.  Worth it knowing what my bar bill was going to be for the trip.  
 

On our upcoming cruise the end of the month we both qualified for the casino “Drinks On Us” program.  From what I was told when I called Carnival is that it puts you on a 15 drink limit and can only get the drinks while in the Casino.  Read you must be gambling, but they told me I could just use my card at the bar.  They also told me that I had to consume the drink in the Casino, that “they’d be watching” me if I left the Casino with the drink.

 

Anyone have experience with the “Drinks In Us”?  Would like to confirm the limitations. 

 

[VentureMan_2000]

It's not hard to drink 5 cocktails in one evening.  Having a whole day morning to evening on a ship, I could see drinking as much as 10 drinks on non port days... and 3 - 6 on port days.  For a 7 day cruise with 3 ports, 35 cocktails would be the break-even for the CHEERS.  So if 3 drinks on port days, then 6 or 7 drinks on sea days, and you break even.  Doesn't sound unreasonable.

    

 

 

[ray98]

9 minutes ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

Doesn't sound unreasonable.

 

It's not.  My wife is anything but a heavy drinker and she would even average that.  She has 2 glasses of wine with dinner every night, that only leaves 3 more over the other 23 hours to break 'even'.

Edited February 5, 2020 by ray98

[1019throw]

1 hour ago, Stick93 said:

FYI - you hit max one day and that’s 3 days worth of drinks. 
 

Enjoy whatever you do!  

Exactly this. Most people like to think of it as a drink per day, in order to conceptualize it. You need to think of total drinks and spending. Say break even is 5 drinks per day. As you stated, we might drink hard one sea day and have 10 drinks. I don't need to drink the next day to "break even", but likely will have coffee, water, or a few drinks. 

[ilovetotravel1977]

You don't have to get alcohol every time. When we were on the NCL Epic and had the UBP, during the afternoon we would get non-alcoholic frozen drinks too, just so we didn't over do it before dinner and nighttime festivities.

[Stacie.]

Maybe a dumb question but I’ll ask it anyways. I’m not a big drinker but love the fruity drinks. In the past (as I have never purchased cheers) I have gotten two of the same drink, like Kiss on the Lips, and had them make one zero proof and one with alcohol, and I dumped them both into a Yeti and mixed them together when I got to my lounger. This cut down the time I spent waiting at the bar and I was able to enjoy my larger, less alcoholic beverage while watching my kids at the water slides. 
 

If I got the cheers package would they allow me to get a zero proof drink and one with alcohol at the same time or would I have to wait the five minutes in between drinks? Also can I get a cocktail and a can of soda at the same time or would I have to wait?

[VentureMan_2000]

1 hour ago, Stacie. said:

If I got the cheers package would they allow me to get a zero proof drink and one with alcohol at the same time or would I have to wait the five minutes in between drinks? Also can I get a cocktail and a can of soda at the same time or would I have to wait?

 

No waiting for zero proof cocktails or sodas... and you can get unlimited zero proof drinks and sodas.  Bought individually, zero proof are $7.02 ($5.95 + $1.07 TIP).  Frozen Cocktails are $10.56, including TIP.   Soda is $2.95.

So you would have to average about 4 of your combo's a day over the course of the cruise to break even on the price of cheers.

Don forget, you can also get specialty coffees and bottled water with cheers.   

[Wanna_Cruize]

We had Cheers on an 8-night cruise out of Puerto Rico with only 1 sea day, and still managed to break even. It's not that hard to get in drinks on port days. Meet at the atrium bar for a morning mimosa (or two) and a coffee with Rumchata. One more Rumchata coffee to go as we leave the ship, with water bottles to take with us. So, that's 4 right there. Then 2-3 glasses of wine with dinner, and a nightcap after the show or casino. 

 

Also, buying it before we board, so didn't have to worry about the bill made it much more relaxing. Also, not having to have all the internal discussions when paying by the drink, "this wine is cheaper but will I like it", "Do I want a drink at the show or not...) 

 

Edited February 5, 2020 by Wanna_Cruize

[sanger727]

12 hours ago, fendersrule said:

 

The problem however with the Cheers card is that it's pretty heavily slated in Carnival's favor. They are smart, and they know it. 🤣

 

 

Yes, of course. Carnival is in the business to make money, not to give our free drinks. They have to make a profit on cheers or they wouldn't sell it. 

[PhillyFan33579]

Am I missing something here?  Several posters have mentioned a Cheers card. I always buy Cheers, but I have never gotten a Cheers card. The only time I have gotten a drink card is the few times I have booked a cruise using a casino offer that included a drinks on us card. 

[Stick93]

35 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

Am I missing something here?  Several posters have mentioned a Cheers card. I always buy Cheers, but I have never gotten a Cheers card. The only time I have gotten a drink card is the few times I have booked a cruise using a casino offer that included a drinks on us card. 

It’s a card that you can use to get into AA when you get back home. You probably never drank enough to be considered! 
(Just joking- there is no card, just a sticker that grants you admission to your 15 alcoholic drinks). 

[Joebucks]

I hear you on Cheers. I like a good drink and definitely have some heavy drinking days here and there. With that said, the program is just such an expensive chore for me. Saying all you need is 6 cocktails a day sounds easy. When in reality it's really over 80 cocktails between 2 of you within a week just to "break even". That's simply not your average pace. All of the drinking schedules of how to force down mimosas, coffees, milkshakes, wine, etc are a bit excessive. Sure I've hit 15 drinks on more than one occasion, but it was just too much.

 

For me, I'd much rather buy a bottle, a few cocktails here and there, bring wine, and enjoy myself at port when I want. Less than half price. Not gorging myself. Drink when I want.

[crewsweeper]

to the OP if you think you have to drink 15 alcoholic drinks a day to "get your money's worth", you need to rethink the math.

There are spreadsheets out there that can help determine what would be the "breakeven" and maybe 1 more drink above that to justify your expense.  

 

You are correct in noting that port intensive days are less likely to reach even the breakeven level.  That's why an itinerary with more sea days is better.   And using Cheers for Alchemy or top shelf at other bars is indeed a good use of the program.  But again, there is nothing in the Cheers package that mandates you to drink 15 drinks.  And only a few of the lushes or big party-hardy cruisers will reach that level. 

[kylesplash]

14 hours ago, ray98 said:

5 drinks a day isn't hard, especially for a 'big drinker'.

 

Also, the 'daily limit' has no bearing on overall value and the debarkation day is not charged for the package.

Not to mention all of the non alcoholic drinks you can get. I probably almost hit $50 a day in NA drinks. I would get a rockstar, a fancy coffee, bottles of water for the port, soda, maybe another coffee, and would usually end the night with a milk shake.  

[jbrooksodh]

Quick question- does this ever go on sale?  I am seeing $51.95 per person per day and thinking that is 5 mixed drinks per day not to mention coffee, water, and any zero alcohol drinks.  

[PhillyFan33579]

46 minutes ago, jbrooksodh said:

Quick question- does this ever go on sale?  I am seeing $51.95 per person per day and thinking that is 5 mixed drinks per day not to mention coffee, water, and any zero alcohol drinks.  

I have never seen Cheers go on sale except for the discount you get for purchasing it before the cruise for $51.95 per person. I actually like that the price is stable, unlike Royal’s deluxe drinking package, which constantly changes prices prior to a cruise. 

[Pyxie]

Don't approach it from a "I have to get my drinks in" goal. This is the same attitude I take with the Disney Dining Plan at their parks. Of course the plan is slated in Disney's favor and you are likely paying for way more food than you can eat, but the benefit is being able to enjoy your vacation without worrying about additional food cost. Same thing with Cheers. Now this is a benefit to some and to others, it doesn't make sense. That's fine. But consider it paying for convenience instead of actually saving money.