Cheers Drink Package

[OkieRican]

I am sure I have missed it. I am wondering if the beers at the brewery are included in the cheers package. I know that drinks from the automated machines are not. This is our first time on the Vista and our previous ships haven't had the brewery.  TIA

[txgal08]

Yes, beers at the brewery are included from what I recall on the Vista in 2019. The reason they don’t include the self pour taps is because they actually limit you, timewise, between drinks. But you can order a drink as a double to get around this if you’re into mixed drinks. And cheers doesn’t start until the second day. When I had the package, I felt like I drink a lot more just to justify the money I spent. 

[Pellaz]

42 minutes ago, txgal08 said:

Yes, beers at the brewery are included from what I recall on the Vista in 2019. The reason they don’t include the self pour taps is because they actually limit you, timewise, between drinks. But you can order a drink as a double to get around this if you’re into mixed drinks. And cheers doesn’t start until the second day. When I had the package, I felt like I drink a lot more just to justify the money I spent. 

 

I think that's only a Texas requirement, as it starts the moment you board on, e.g., Florida departures.    But you have to pay local sales tax until the ship is 12+ miles offshore.  

[ray98]

15 hours ago, OkieRican said:

I am wondering if the beers at the brewery are included in the cheers package. 

Yes.....including 4 variety flights at P&A.

[BoozinCroozin]

24 minutes ago, wkucrprez said:

You can order a double? I've had the Cheers package a couple of times and assumed that wasn't allowed... so I never even tried. 

You can't. You have to wait 5 minutes before you can order a second drink.

[txgal08]

3 hours ago, wkucrprez said:

You can order a double? I've had the Cheers package a couple of times and assumed that wasn't allowed... so I never even tried. 

My ex did it when we were on the vista in Dec 2019. We did make friends with the bartender though so that may have been the difference?

[canes20]

I thought I read on a post that the self-serve beer was included. Maybe that was just the self-serve pepsi machines.

[vwrestler171]

The only thing that isn't included in Cheers are the drinks from your room and the drinks in the souvenir cups, including the shots in the MDR in the colored shot glasses.

[canes20]

Saint Greg said self-serve beer included on Mardi Gras, but could have been due to the new pepsi drink stations being incorporated into Cheers so it allowed the beer stations also. He is on Panorama now and going to check.

[ray98]

Good to know about the self-serve stations on MG.....we are on her in a month or so.

[hurricane0226]

51 minutes ago, ray98 said:

Good to know about the self-serve stations on MG.....we are on her in a month or so.

Yes, good to know that will be on the Thanksgiving Mardi Gras cruise.

[K_e_short]

5 hours ago, canes20 said:

Saint Greg said self-serve beer included on Mardi Gras, but could have been due to the new pepsi drink stations being incorporated into Cheers so it allowed the beer stations also. He is on Panorama now and going to check.

 

Great question and great information.

 

I was wondering if there is a time limit between drinks if you are using the self serve machine and if you have cheers/bottomless bubbles if there is a limit to how much you can take?

I know if you are buying it there is a specific amount that comes out.

 

And if there is a limit is it affected by buying alcoholic drinks?

 

I'm asking because I would be one to fill up on diet pepsi ALOT but then occasionally get an alcholic drink.

 

[Virga]

When we used the self serve beer on MG, it picked the limit for us - a certain number of seconds?  It would not have given us more than a glass full.  We did not try it again immediately, so I can't weigh in on that part.

[Pellaz]

4 hours ago, K_e_short said:

 

Great question and great information.

 

I was wondering if there is a time limit between drinks if you are using the self serve machine and if you have cheers/bottomless bubbles if there is a limit to how much you can take?

I know if you are buying it there is a specific amount that comes out.

 

Yes, there is a 5-minute time limit between drinks at the soda station.  Be careful when you use it -- put your card firmly against the reader and pull it away quickly.  Otherwise it might scan it twice and now you have to wait 5 minutes.  That happened to my friend Ashley several times.  

 

It will say "Bottomless Bubbles" or "Cheers" and then you have 13 seconds to fill your cup, so get your ice first and THEN use the card-reader.   It will count the number of ounces you pour but you won't be charged except sales tax if the ship is within the 12-mile limit.  

There are supposed to be 10 oz. clear plastic glasses by the soda machines but in practice these were often depleted and I had to double-fist and fill two sodas quickly using those little green and yellow plastic cups they have nearby for water, tea and lemonade.  🙂  

 

 

4 hours ago, K_e_short said:

 

And if there is a limit is it affected by buying alcoholic drinks?

I think the minimum 5-minute limit applies to all drinks on either Cheers or Bottomless Bubbles, but one bartender was able to get me an alcoholic drink and a soda simultaneously, saying "I'll ring this  [soda] through later."  

 

4 hours ago, K_e_short said:

 

I'm asking because I would be one to fill up on diet pepsi ALOT but then occasionally get an alcholic drink.

 

 

That was pretty much MY m.o. their entire cruise.  🙂  

 

Edited October 25, 2021 by Pellaz

[Virga]

Fwiw, I never had any trouble being given an alcoholic drink and non-alcoholic drink at l without a delay, or even on the same ticket.  I noticed several times, my Jameson and ginger beer mixed drink would be rung up as a shot and a ginger beer.  At least on MG, the system appears to have no trouble with that situation.  Other times, I ordered an alcoholic drink and a water or red bull - always on the same receipt, never charged.

[teacher2cruiser]

On 10/23/2021 at 8:52 PM, Pellaz said:

 

I think that's only a Texas requirement, as it starts the moment you board on, e.g., Florida departures.    But you have to pay local sales tax until the ship is 12+ miles offshore.  

That's how it's done out of New Orleans too.  You must pay the sales tax until the ship is out into open waters.

[K_e_short]

14 hours ago, Pellaz said:

 

Yes, there is a 5-minute time limit between drinks at the soda station.  Be careful when you use it -- put your card firmly against the reader and pull it away quickly.  Otherwise it might scan it twice and now you have to wait 5 minutes.  That happened to my friend Ashley several times.  

 

It will say "Bottomless Bubbles" or "Cheers" and then you have 13 seconds to fill your cup, so get your ice first and THEN use the card-reader.   It will count the number of ounces you pour but you won't be charged except sales tax if the ship is within the 12-mile limit.  

There are supposed to be 10 oz. clear plastic glasses by the soda machines but in practice these were often depleted and I had to double-fist and fill two sodas quickly using those little green and yellow plastic cups they have nearby for water, tea and lemonade.  🙂  

 

 

I think the minimum 5-minute limit applies to all drinks on either Cheers or Bottomless Bubbles, but one bartender was able to get me an alcoholic drink and a soda simultaneously, saying "I'll ring this  [soda] through later."  

 

 

That was pretty much MY m.o. their entire cruise.  🙂  

 

 

Thank you for that information. Very helpful.

[SNJCruisers]

On 10/24/2021 at 2:39 PM, canes20 said:

I thought I read on a post that the self-serve beer was included. Maybe that was just the self-serve pepsi machines.

Both of them are included on the Mardi Gras.  The Mardi Gras is the only ship in the fleet with the self serve Pepsi machines on the Lido as well as in Guy's Flavortown.

[SNJCruisers]

15 hours ago, teacher2cruiser said:

That's how it's done out of New Orleans too.  You must pay the sales tax until the ship is out into open waters.

That's how it's done in every embarkation port.   Until the ship hits international waters, prevailing state sales taxes are charged.

Edited October 26, 2021 by SNJCruisers

[SNJCruisers]

On 10/24/2021 at 3:32 PM, vwrestler171 said:

The only thing that isn't included in Cheers are the drinks from your room and the drinks in the souvenir cups, including the shots in the MDR in the colored shot glasses.

As well as floaters,  fish bowls, beer tubes, beer pitchers, sangria pitchers, fresh squeezed juice at the Havana Bar, large format water at the bars, drinks at the gangway in ports and a few other things I can't remember off the top of my head are all excluded from Cheers.

[vacruisin]

8 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

As well as floaters,  fish bowls, beer tubes, beer pitchers, sangria pitchers, fresh squeezed juice at the Havana Bar, large format water at the bars, drinks at the gangway in ports and a few other things I can't remember off the top of my head are all excluded from Cheers.

Correct.  All of the above are excluded from the Cheers package.  Add to that buckets of beer.  

[txgal08]

On 10/24/2021 at 10:24 AM, BoozinCroozin said:

You can't. You have to wait 5 minutes before you can order a second drink.

I just figured out how my ex was ordering a double.  He drank a lot faster than me, so the bartender charged the 2nd shot for his drink to my cheers account since I wasn't ready for another drink. 

[Don Kehote]

On 10/26/2021 at 9:40 AM, vacruisin said:

Correct.  All of the above are excluded from the Cheers package.  Add to that buckets of beer.  

I *still* don't know if, as a Cheers Enabled passenger, I am able to just outright purchase any of those things.  I get mixed answers,  Sometimes yes, sometimes no.  Lots of folks just refer to the website, but I still think it's unclear.  Is a fishbowl just forbidden if you have Cheers even if you want to pay money for it?  Science may never know.  But...I'm going to try it and report back come December.

[Schoifmom]

14 hours ago, Don Kehote said:

I *still* don't know if, as a Cheers Enabled passenger, I am able to just outright purchase any of those things.  I get mixed answers,  Sometimes yes, sometimes no.  Lots of folks just refer to the website, but I still think it's unclear.  Is a fishbowl just forbidden if you have Cheers even if you want to pay money for it?  Science may never know.  But...I'm going to try it and report back come December.

 

You can purchase "shareables," but they do count toward your drink count.