Cheers, I am buying but . . .

[Woody14]

I am going to be buying the cheers package as I love the connivence of having it all prepaid and not worrying about how much I spend or drink.   BUT it is amazing that it costs $858.22 for the 2 of us for 7 days.    That is only just less than I paid for the cruise with gratuities in.  

[crewsweeper]

Enjoy!   Not really understanding convenience as a rationale.  you still have to show card and sign a receipt (and add extra tip--Always good for service if you have Cheers).  I would do Cheers if DW drank. But she doesn't,  and there's no ay my normal drinking would even come close to covering my Cheers let alone both of ours.

 

Some folks try to keep score, cost f individual drinks vs the drink package.  Always interesting to read.

[tntinftw]

We're getting the Cheers program on our Western European cruise this September, but only because it cost us another $70 total for using the special fare over the one we previously booked at.  We're not big drinkers anymore, but we will recoup the difference in specialty coffees alone.

[Hoosierpop]

3 minutes ago, tntinftw said:

We're getting the Cheers program on our Western European cruise this September, but only because it cost us another $70 total for using the special fare over the one we previously booked at.  We're not big drinkers anymore, but we will recoup the difference in specialty coffees alone.

Good point. Yeah, coffee matters. Whether Cheers is a good deal is simply based on expected usage, so it boils down to math. But I think some people focus on the alcohol. But sodas and the coffee bar can add up too.  Not enough to make it worth it by itself. But factors in.

Edited March 31, 2022 by Hoosierpop

[ray98]

I agree, it is crazy when you look at it lump sum but depending on how and what you drink it can be a big money saver.  The real issues is the high prices of drinks on a cruise ship.

[icft]

That sticker shock really doesn't have to do with Cheers but rather with the cost of alcoholic drinks. Mixed drinks START at $10. Drink six of those and you have paid for Cheers for the day.

Edited March 31, 2022 by icft

[hapytobehr]

8 minutes ago, icft said:

That sticker shock really doesn't have to do with Cheers but rather with the cost of alcoholic drinks. Mixed drinks START at $10. Drink six of those and you have paid for Cheers.

HUH? 6 drinks at $10 each would be $60.  How would that pay for cheers that costs about $800 for a 7 day cruise?  Even if you drank 6 per day, it still would not add up to the $800.  

 

 

 

 

[icft]

1 minute ago, hapytobehr said:

HUH? 6 drinks at $10 each would be $60.  How would that pay for cheers that costs about $800 for a 7 day cruise?  Even if you drank 6 per day, it still would not add up to the $800.  

 

 

 

 

My bad. I edited my comment to add "for the day."

[Amy Paperlady]

5 minutes ago, hapytobehr said:

HUH? 6 drinks at $10 each would be $60.  How would that pay for cheers that costs about $800 for a 7 day cruise?  Even if you drank 6 per day, it still would not add up to the $800.  

 

 

 

 

For 2 people it would.

[MistyRo76]

36 minutes ago, crewsweeper said:

Enjoy!   Not really understanding convenience as a rationale.  you still have to show card and sign a receipt (and add extra tip--Always good for service if you have Cheers).  I would do Cheers if DW drank. But she doesn't,  and there's no ay my normal drinking would even come close to covering my Cheers let alone both of ours.

 

Some folks try to keep score, cost f individual drinks vs the drink package.  Always interesting to read.

I think the convenience factor is, for me anyway, having it paid upfront, knowing what I'm spending, and having the added flexibility to try drinks that I normally wouldn't because if I don't like it, I can just wait 5 minutes and get another one! I don't think it's a convenience as far as the process of getting your individual drink each time. 

[ray98]

22 minutes ago, icft said:

That sticker shock really doesn't have to do with Cheers but rather with the cost of alcoholic drinks. Mixed drinks START at $10. Drink six of those and you have paid for Cheers for the day.

 

 

.....and I don't think there has ever been a day I didn't have 5 or 6 drinks for the day on a cruise.  Ever.

[StolidCruiser]

15 minutes ago, icft said:

My bad. I edited my comment to add "for the day."

$800 is the cost for 2 people

 

6 x $10 x 2 x 7 = $840

Edited March 31, 2022 by StolidCruiser

[RenoNanaOz]

17 minutes ago, hapytobehr said:

HUH? 6 drinks at $10 each would be $60.  How would that pay for cheers that costs about $800 for a 7 day cruise?  Even if you drank 6 per day, it still would not add up to the $800.  

 

 

 

 

If you drink 15, then it's $150 a day. Easy to do especially on sea days with speciality coffees, coconut water, mimosas, etc 🙂

[Saint Greg]

$50/day per person goes fast at the alchemy. On a sea day I can be halfway there by breakfast. A mocha, a coffee, a couple bloody marys.

[jerseygirlinAZ]

We never got Cheers until our last cruise.  We decided to give it a go because we had onboard credit to use and it was just a three-day cruise.  Both hubby and I drink moderately.  We enjoyed having it.  We tried some new drinks and were happy to be able to get some higher end liquor.  We also had some coffees and milkshakes and lots of bottled water and soda. 

 

We're going to do Cheers on our next cruise, which is seven days and three days in port.  This time though we plan to bring some cash so we can tip using that rather than charging our card.  

 

To each their own.  🙂

[Saint Greg]

40 minutes ago, hapytobehr said:

HUH? 6 drinks at $10 each would be $60.  How would that pay for cheers that costs about $800 for a 7 day cruise?  Even if you drank 6 per day, it still would not add up to the $800.  

 

 

 

 

 

If you drink six $10 drinks a day you're getting your money back and a little more. Part of that $800 is gratuities x 2.

[TrqoisWtrs]

1 hour ago, Woody14 said:

BUT it is amazing that it costs $858.22 for the 2 of us for 7 days. 

Agree.  I only buy Cheers if its a cruise where I've already been to the ports and plan on staying on the ship.  Otherwise it is cheaper for me to just buy as I go because there will be full days where I will be out in the ports and won't even come close to getting my money's worth in drinks.  And if its a European cruise, don't buy it at all since you can purchase alcohol in the ports to enjoy onboard instead of having to hold until the end of the cruise.  Love being able to pick up good local wines.

[Bulldogsoc]

 

I had a short getaway with a buddy for four days on the Radiance.  We drink.  I bought the Cheers for $439.60 ($54.95 per day x 2) for the four day cruise.  I kept a list on my phone of everything we ate and drank over the four days.  I might have missed a few items on my list. When I looked at our printout and compared it to my notes, we had a total of 111 beverages over the four days, of which 104 were alcoholic, including spiked coffees.  Looking at what we drank I would say $9.75 would have been the average for the alcohol and $5 for the non-alcoholic ones.  That is a $1,014 for the alcoholic drinks and $35 for the non. 

 

We got our money’s worth!

 

[Woody14]

8 minutes ago, Bulldogsoc said:

 

I kept a list on my phone of everything we ate and drank over the four days.  I might have missed a few items on my list. When I looked at our printout and compared it to my notes, we had a total of 111 beverages over the four days, of which 104 were alcoholic, including spiked coffees. 

You get a print out of all the drinks you consumed?

[Matco]

We are in the same boat, just booked our 7 day for under $450, having to spend double that just for cheers seems like a lot but we drink a lot on cruises. For both of us our bar tab would easily be over $1500, especially with lots of trips to the alchemy bar and they wife likes her specialty coffees. That being said we have always purchased cheers and have always saved money in the long run. Plus not having to worry about a huge tab to settle up at the end is always nice too.

Edited March 31, 2022 by Matco

[Matco]

3 minutes ago, Woody14 said:

You get a print out of all the drinks you consumed?

you can get a copy of your S&S account which will show trips the the bar for each drink

[cruiserbrianj]

20 minutes ago, cruisin*tigger said:

Agree.  I only buy Cheers if its a cruise where I've already been to the ports and plan on staying on the ship.  Otherwise it is cheaper for me to just buy as I go because there will be full days where I will be out in the ports and won't even come close to getting my money's worth in drinks.  And if its a European cruise, don't buy it at all since you can purchase alcohol in the ports to enjoy onboard instead of having to hold until the end of the cruise.  Love being able to pick up good local wines.

I agree on if it's a port intensive, European cruise but for the Caribbean cruises the port days doesn't impact us buying it whatsoever.  There are exceptions, but a good bit of the time you're back on board by 3 or 4pm so still plenty of time to enjoy some cocktails.  Even if you only had 3 or 4 and technically fall below the "daily limit" I'm sure there's plenty of people like me that make it up on other days.  For us, we don't look it at on a per day basis, it's does this benefit us over the course of the entire cruise and thus far, it has.

[ray98]

At the end of the day....not matter what the cruise fare costs....drink prices remain the same.

[beerman2]

29 minutes ago, cruisin*tigger said:

Agree.  I only buy Cheers if its a cruise where I've already been to the ports and plan on staying on the ship.  Otherwise it is cheaper for me to just buy as I go because there will be full days where I will be out in the ports and won't even come close to getting my money's worth in drinks.  And if its a European cruise, don't buy it at all since you can purchase alcohol in the ports to enjoy onboard instead of having to hold until the end of the cruise.  Love being able to pick up good local wines.

Can never understand the logic behind I will be in port(s). Most ports/itineraries you are back ON the ship by 3 or 4. That’s gives you 7 hours to drink. Having 1 drink an hour is fairly easy to do.

Plus start the day with a couple of Mimosas or Baileys and Coffee or Spiked Coffee from the coffee shop.

[Hoosierpop]

1 hour ago, jerseygirlinAZ said:

We never got Cheers until our last cruise.  We decided to give it a go because we had onboard credit to use and it was just a three-day cruise.  Both hubby and I drink moderately.  We enjoyed having it.  We tried some new drinks and were happy to be able to get some higher end liquor.  We also had some coffees and milkshakes and lots of bottled water and soda. 

 

We're going to do Cheers on our next cruise, which is seven days and three days in port.  This time though we plan to bring some cash so we can tip using that rather than charging our card.  

 

To each their own.  🙂

You bring up another benefit to cheers. Trying drinks you may not otherwise get. It’s tough to pay $10 for a new drink and then force it down even though it takes terrible.