Drinks on us anywhere on the ship and cheers program

[StephPS79]

17 minutes ago, Eli_6 said:

I saw a post in a facebook group where a woman was complaining that she went on a Carnival cruise and had "DOU" everywhere.  She thought it applied to her and a guest (because that was the deal she had had in the past...also what I have had had in the past) but then she and her guest found out once they were on board that the DOU everywhere ONLY applied to her!  I am guessing this is something new Carnival is doing to save money. Only the one with the casino offer gets the free drinks everywhere, I guess. Sigh. 

There are many different offers, so in this case, I am going to fault her for not reading thoroughly.  An offer that includes it for you and guest will say "for you and a companion."  There are some that work this way, there are some that don't, and the ones that do still exist. The fine print on most offers will tell you DOU is for the VIFP person only.  

[d12j28]

There are different offers and not everyone gets the same offers. It's really not that hard.

 

Drinks On Us! included for you while playing in the casino. 

Drinks On Us! included while playing in the casino for you and a companion.

Drinks On Us! included for you everywhere on board the ship.

Drinks On Us! included everywhere on board the ship for you and a companion.

 

 

 

 

[joeb483]

I know this is an old post, but after getting off the phone with carnival cruise lines today, I hope this clears it up. I am cruising this July to Alaska and the casino rate code they gave me (FED) included

• FREE* Suite. Excludes taxes, fees, port expenses and deposit
• Drinks On Us! included everywhere on board the ship for you and a companion. Terms apply
• Available on a wide variety of sailings through December 2024. Applies to select room categories only; Inventory is limited. Not applicable on Australia sailings.
• Reserve your cruise with a non-refundable deposit of $200 per room and get $200 to spend on board
• Book by May 1, 2023
• Rate Code FED will be automatically applied at checkout
• Eligible VIFP Club^® Member must sail to qualify for this offer

 

So I called to clarify what it meant and they stated on the phone that it is pretty much like the cheers package for myself and my companion (wife) in the same room. Free drinks that cost less $20 each. discount if drink is higher than $20. It also included all coffees, milkshakes, sodas, etc. But they did not state it had a limit per day of drinks like cheers does.  I also asked if it had to be triggered by playing in a casino and they stated, "no". Just go anywhere on the ship and use the sign/sail card. That is all you have to do. I called twice to make sure I was hearing this right. lol. Hope this helps others.

[weezal]

can review your own offer terms (by changing the URL, such as FED here)
https://www.carnival.com/cruise-deals/vifp-club/past-guest-offers-FED/terms.aspx

[mz-s]

31 minutes ago, joeb483 said:

I know this is an old post, but after getting off the phone with carnival cruise lines today, I hope this clears it up. I am cruising this July to Alaska and the casino rate code they gave me (FED) included

• FREE* Suite. Excludes taxes, fees, port expenses and deposit
• Drinks On Us! included everywhere on board the ship for you and a companion. Terms apply
• Available on a wide variety of sailings through December 2024. Applies to select room categories only; Inventory is limited. Not applicable on Australia sailings.
• Reserve your cruise with a non-refundable deposit of $200 per room and get $200 to spend on board
• Book by May 1, 2023
• Rate Code FED will be automatically applied at checkout
• Eligible VIFP Club^® Member must sail to qualify for this offer

 

So I called to clarify what it meant and they stated on the phone that it is pretty much like the cheers package for myself and my companion (wife) in the same room. Free drinks that cost less $20 each. discount if drink is higher than $20. It also included all coffees, milkshakes, sodas, etc. But they did not state it had a limit per day of drinks like cheers does.  I also asked if it had to be triggered by playing in a casino and they stated, "no". Just go anywhere on the ship and use the sign/sail card. That is all you have to do. I called twice to make sure I was hearing this right. lol. Hope this helps others.

 

You are limited to 15 alcoholic drinks per person per day no matter how they are paid for. Drinks on Us, Cheers, or a la carte.

[MrMarc]

If you get DOU for 1 person, you can buy the cheers package for your companion onboard.  Otherwise you will have to buy it for everyone in the room.  So just wait until you get onboard.

[MJR817]

I received the DOU for myself and a companion everywhere on the ship. Booked two cruises with it, Magic in August and Celebration in February.  I called Carnival to find out the details, and when I asked what the difference was between drinks on us and Cheers!, the representative told me DOU includes everything the Cheers! package does, but that we would have to pay the 18% gratuity on each drink, whereas the Cheers! package includes gratuity.  So we did the math and decided the DOU would still cost less (with our average cruise drinking habits) than the Cheers! package. Hope this helps! ( yes, I know the OP was from several years ago, but since people are still responding and the offers are still out there, thought it might be helpful to share what I've learned)

[minniegidget]

On 9/1/2020 at 9:50 AM, my kids mama said:

That would great!  Didn't think about asking for them to comp my husband's drinks too.  I will ask.  The worst that can happen is that they say no, right?

The answer is always no unless you ask

[Elaine5715]

1 hour ago, MJR817 said:

I received the DOU for myself and a companion everywhere on the ship. Booked two cruises with it, Magic in August and Celebration in February.  I called Carnival to find out the details, and when I asked what the difference was between drinks on us and Cheers!, the representative told me DOU includes everything the Cheers! package does, but that we would have to pay the 18% gratuity on each drink, whereas the Cheers! package includes gratuity.  So we did the math and decided the DOU would still cost less (with our average cruise drinking habits) than the Cheers! package. Hope this helps! ( yes, I know the OP was from several years ago, but since people are still responding and the offers are still out there, thought it might be helpful to share what I've learned)

That is not accurate at all.  The casino includes a small gratuity payment with both the DOU (Drinks in the casino only) and the DOU-EVERYWHERE (CHEERS).  You only pay 18% gratuity on a drink when you charge them directly to your sail and sign.   

[MJR817]

1 hour ago, Elaine5715 said:

That is not accurate at all.  The casino includes a small gratuity payment with both the DOU (Drinks in the casino only) and the DOU-EVERYWHERE (CHEERS).  You only pay 18% gratuity on a drink when you charge them directly to your sail and sign.   

This is good to know, I have asked carnival twice about this specifically,  and both said gratuities would be charged, the second one (in casino services) said 18%. So any idea what the charge is? Does it vary based on drink price? Thanks for the info!

[hapytobehr]

We get DOU everywhere and I do not remember seeing any additional charge on the receipt that i have to sign. (except when we are still in port)

 

I believe the gratuity is already included in the price for the drink.  My receipt always shows "0".

[Elaine5715]

3 hours ago, MJR817 said:

This is good to know, I have asked carnival twice about this specifically,  and both said gratuities would be charged, the second one (in casino services) said 18%. So any idea what the charge is? Does it vary based on drink price? Thanks for the info!

There are no gratuities charged for the casino DOU or DOU-Everywhere. There is a space for you to add in something extra.  I always add in $1 per drink.  

[lazydayz]

4 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

There are no gratuities charged for the casino DOU or DOU-Everywhere. There is a space for you to add in something extra.  I always add in $1 per drink.  

 

This has been my experience as well.  If it has changed, I will find out on Friday and report back! 

[Elaine5715]

1 hour ago, lazydayz said:

 

This has been my experience as well.  If it has changed, I will find out on Friday and report back! 

There has been no change.

[kwokpot]

10 hours ago, MJR817 said:

This is good to know, I have asked carnival twice about this specifically,  and both said gratuities would be charged, the second one (in casino services) said 18%. So any idea what the charge is? Does it vary based on drink price? Thanks for the info!

Totally WRONG. There's no extra gratuity unless you CHOOSE to give more.  

[theArtC1]

On 6/27/2023 at 1:48 PM, Elaine5715 said:

There are no gratuities charged for the casino DOU or DOU-Everywhere. There is a space for you to add in something extra.  I always add in $1 per drink.  

Absolutely correct. On both accounts- tipping is always appreciated, and when you do well &/or up front, it pays dividends. 

I have had offers which included Drinks on Us in the Casino (only) and Elite offers which included Drinks On Us- Everywhere.  I have never been charged anything (exactly $0.00) with the Drinks On Us- either type.

EXCEPT when sailing from Galveston where you pay sales tax for TX, which ended up being 67¢ or so for a drink-- and cannot start using either of the drink packages the first day- but you also don't pay for the first day of Cheers! (Same in NY from what I see, but never sailed from there.)

Which was genuinely surprising, because I thought it was essentially the same as Cheers! (It is in so many if not all other ways.)

But of course I tip well. 

And the first time I was there, I didn't even know I was going to get free drinks later in the evening, but they said based my casino points... obviously very nice. 

[theArtC1]

On 6/27/2023 at 8:06 PM, kwokpot said:

Totally WRONG. There's no extra gratuity unless you CHOOSE to give more.  

You're correct. It's exactly the opposite. Drinks on Us (in casino or Everywhere) charged nothing for drinks, unless TX or NY where you pay tax. Cheers! adds 18% gratuity. 

Edited September 28, 2023 by theArtC1

[Elaine5715]

2 hours ago, theArtC1 said:

You're correct. It's exactly the opposite. Drinks on Us (in casino or Everywhere) charged nothing for drinks, unless TX or NY where you pay tax. Cheers! adds 18% gratuity. 

The CHEERS 18% grat is based on the CHEERS price which is considerably less than the 18% add per drink when charged individually,  

[Colorado Beach Bum]

12 hours ago, theArtC1 said:

EXCEPT when sailing from Galveston where you pay sales tax for TX, which ended up being 67¢ or so for a drink-- and cannot start using either of the drink packages the first day- but you also don't pay for the first day of Cheers!

Not our experience.  Cheers is not available day 1 out of Galveston but drinks on us everywhere is. 

[theArtC1]

11 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

The CHEERS 18% grat is based on the CHEERS price which is considerably less than the 18% add per drink when charged individually,  

No doubt. The Cheers vs not is a separate topic. Once you decide it's worth it, it's only more so with gratuities. 

[theArtC1]

1 hour ago, Colorado Beach Bum said:

Not our experience.  Cheers is not available day 1 out of Galveston but drinks on us everywhere is. 

Wow. Hard to prove a negative, so maybe I was just given incorrect information on board. But still, you'd think when they go to run your card, it would be apparent. Maybe I chose not to buy drinks, and used the liquor in my room. Now I'm intrigued, because I'm all over the little details. 

[NYcruzzer]

On 4/13/2023 at 7:32 PM, MrMarc said:

If you get DOU for 1 person, you can buy the cheers package for your companion onboard.  Otherwise you will have to buy it for everyone in the room.  So just wait until you get onboard.

Good to know. Does this apply if the 1 person gets DOU while only playing in the casino vs DOU everywhere ?

[bafinegan]

7 minutes ago, NYcruzzer said:

Good to know. Does this apply if the 1 person gets DOU while only playing in the casino vs DOU everywhere ?

yes.  The person who has DOU in the casino will have to buy cheers onboard.  Can't get it ahead of time.  AND ther is no discount for cheers for have the DOU in the casino.

[Elaine5715]

2 minutes ago, bafinegan said:

yes.  The person who has DOU in the casino will have to buy cheers onboard.  Can't get it ahead of time.  AND ther is no discount for cheers for have the DOU in the casino.

If you have DOU in the casino only you can buy CHEERS ahead with the discount.  I do it all the time.  

[bafinegan]

Just now, Elaine5715 said:

If you have DOU in the casino only you can buy CHEERS ahead with the discount.  I do it all the time.  

My comment was in response to post #72 who asked how it works if one person has DOU everywhere and your cabin mate only has DOU in the casino.    And BOTH people in the cabin have to buy it ahead of time.  But Thank you anyway.