Cheers package vs DOU casino

[havanadaydreaming]

Just came off a 12 nighter and had mixed success on DOU casino.  Drink service a challenge due to jam packed casino.  

 

Headed on a 6 nt next month with two cabins of adult kiddos and bff's.  Cheers gonna run me $840 cabin (x2) since we didnt purchase at booking.  

 

We have the DOU again but only casino.  And while the casino can giveth it usually taketh away.  I debated getting Cheers for us also so we can congregate together at sailaway bar and Alchemy.  

 

In the end gonna roll the proverbial dice.  I might stick to beer first night.  Im not sure i can compensate for wife's smaller consumption rate for six consecutive days. 

 

Sailaway and first sea day? Sure.  But the three port days prolly not so much.  And last sea day (day before debark) is a slower drink day for me.  I like feeling 100% on flight home.  

[Elaine5715]

Just now, havanadaydreaming said:

Just came off a 12 nighter and had mixed success on DOU casino.  Drink service a challenge due to jam packed casino.  

 

Headed on a 6 nt next month with two cabins of adult kiddos and bff's.  Cheers gonna run me $840 cabin (x2) since we didnt purchase at booking.  

 

We have the DOU again but only casino.  And while the casino can giveth it usually taketh away.  I debated getting Cheers for us also so we can congregate together at sailaway bar and Alchemy.  

 

In the end gonna roll the proverbial dice.  I might stick to beer first night.  Im not sure i can compensate for wife's smaller consumption rate for six consecutive days. 

 

Sailaway and first sea day? Sure.  But the three port days prolly not so much.  And last sea day (day before debark) is a slower drink day for me.  I like feeling 100% on flight home.  

On the ships with multiple specialty bars, getting CHEERS is a no brainer for me.  I love Havana Bar. 

[edrussell]

Far from an expert here, with only 1 Carnvial sailing under my belt, but we will continue to purchase Cheers even though we have DOU.  We came over to Carnival from RCCL and was quite surprised (I did know this before we sailed) that on some ships there isn't even a bar in the casino and drinks had to be ordered from servers.  We are VERY used to just walking up to the bar in the casino and partaking.  On Venezia there was a distinct lack of servers and tipping big DID NOT help.  Heck when I tipped one of them larger than normal he actually told me that he is so busy that he won't be back for a long while.  Bottom line is for us DOU is of little appeal.  Now we do like to drink when we gamble.

[n6uqqq]

47 minutes ago, edrussell said:

Far from an expert here, with only 1 Carnvial sailing under my belt, but we will continue to purchase Cheers even though we have DOU.  We came over to Carnival from RCCL and was quite surprised (I did know this before we sailed) that on some ships there isn't even a bar in the casino and drinks had to be ordered from servers.  We are VERY used to just walking up to the bar in the casino and partaking.  On Venezia there was a distinct lack of servers and tipping big DID NOT help.  Heck when I tipped one of them larger than normal he actually told me that he is so busy that he won't be back for a long while.  Bottom line is for us DOU is of little appeal.  Now we do like to drink when we gamble.

Casino bars and libraries are an endangered species on Carnival. Every dry dock seems to involve removing these.

[ray98]

DOU was always too much of a hassle for us.  I do enjoy spending time in the casino but there is so much more to do than be there all week.  I found having my drinks tied to playing was a drag and then even when playing the service was usually a disappointment.

[edrussell]

21 minutes ago, n6uqqq said:

Casino bars and libraries are an endangered species on Carnival. Every dry dock seems to involve removing these.

 

Libraries, well ya  (tongue in cheek of course), but I don't get the logic behind removing the casino bar.  Sure they want you playing, I get that.  However we like sitting at the casino bar on RCCL and we are more apt to actually stay in the casino and go back to our gamble because of that.  If we are forced to leave the casino to find a bar we won't go back.  Also I often find the casino bartenders are some of the nicest onboard.  A bad trend if you ask me.  

[1025cruise]

1 hour ago, edrussell said:

Far from an expert here, with only 1 Carnvial sailing under my belt, but we will continue to purchase Cheers even though we have DOU.  We came over to Carnival from RCCL and was quite surprised (I did know this before we sailed) that on some ships there isn't even a bar in the casino and drinks had to be ordered from servers.  We are VERY used to just walking up to the bar in the casino and partaking.  On Venezia there was a distinct lack of servers and tipping big DID NOT help.  Heck when I tipped one of them larger than normal he actually told me that he is so busy that he won't be back for a long while.  Bottom line is for us DOU is of little appeal.  Now we do like to drink when we gamble.

DOU is very specific that you need to be playing to get a free drink. You could never just belly up to the bar for a drink, even when there was a casino bar. And unfortunately, what you are saying about service is pretty well reported. If you get DOU Everywhere, that is the Cheers package. 

[tj2806]

Could split the difference and get a liquor bottle if it's a 7+ night sailing, plus your DOU casino offer. Plus you're not waiting around for a bartender to serve you all day this way

[cynt]

My husband gambles and usually qualifies for the free drinks at the casino after the first evening. We usually cruise RCCL so he wasn't aware he had to be playing in order to get a drink in the casino under this promotion. No problem, he's a regular at the casino.

 

Last week, We were sailing on the Breeze and he gambles in the Smoke Free Casino. He loves it because it is on a separate floor away from the smoking casino. Choctaw in OK has us completely spoiled with their smoke free casino. It's huge and fabulous. Anywho. So he gambles the first evening. He awoke the second day, a sea day and the HubApp alerted him that he has free drinks. Cool. Later that morning he went to the smoke free casino bar to get a bloody mary and the bartender said he had to be actively gambling. No problem. We started gambling and after about 15 minutes a bar server came by. This was late morning around 11AM. 7 People max in casino. So the server finally makes he way to my DH and pushes the button on the machine and sees yes my DH gets a free drink. He takes the order. 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes. We are looking at the bar and the bartender. No customers. It is a very slow morning. OMG! What's taking so long. So the bartender finally comes back with the drink after 30 minutes. We just could not understand why the bartender couldn't serve us. I understand they want you to gamble and we have no problem gambling, but taking 30 minutes to get a drink is kind of crazy. Especially, when we are looking at the bartender and she's twiddling her thumbs waiting on the server to bring her the drink orders. If you have been on the Breeze you know the smoke free casino is small. You can stand at the bar and see the whole casino. So we have no idea why it took so long. My husband said it was like that every day. It took 30+ minutes to get a drink in a fairly empty smoke free casino. SMH! 

 

Carnival could definitely improve in this area. The bartender should be able to swipe the card and be alerted OK to serve drink they have played for a certain amount of time. When you want a drink, you want a drink. Waiting 30+ minutes is ridiculous and a bit much.  We would rather cruise RCCL where we can go to the Casino bar, order a drink and be served in a timely fashion and peruse to our next slot machine. 

[lazydayz]

It is hit or miss with us, except on the Mardi Gras where the service was usually fast. However, I agree with the previous poster.  I would pick the offer with free drinks everywhere and lesser Fun Play, if I have the choice.  

[LatinaInTexas]

I don't drink alcohol when I'm in the casino but sometimes I want a coke, I have yet to be served a coke in the casino. Either I move on after waiting forever or they just ignore me because it's not alcohol and they might not get a tip? Heck if I know but it's only happened on Carnival.

[john91498]

We no longer get cheers due to DOU. Only limitation is the 15 drink maximum...

[Elaine5715]

7 hours ago, edrussell said:

 

Libraries, well ya  (tongue in cheek of course), but I don't get the logic behind removing the casino bar.  Sure they want you playing, I get that.  However we like sitting at the casino bar on RCCL and we are more apt to actually stay in the casino and go back to our gamble because of that.  If we are forced to leave the casino to find a bar we won't go back.  Also I often find the casino bartenders are some of the nicest onboard.  A bad trend if you ask me.  

Casino bars are a magnet for smokers, like 4-5 people deep.  

[dbrucern]

12 hours ago, john91498 said:

We no longer get cheers due to DOU. Only limitation is the 15 drink maximum...

FYI, 15 drink limit is whether you have a package or not.

[ryanpatricksmom]

I won't take an offer with DOU in the casino.  It's a wasted perk.  Every drink ends up costing $50 because you either spend so much money actively playing while waiting for a drink, or you sit at the machine and other patrons are infuriated because you're not actively playing.