Carnival Cheers Beverage Package

[CruzerDeb]

11 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

No to both. Buckets are not included in Cheers. You can order up to 15 beers a day obviously, and they'll give you an ice bucket if you ask, but you can only order a single alcoholic drink at a time, and at least 5 minutes between drink orders.

 

You can ask them to not open your drinks but they are supposed to open them to discourage hoarding.

Ugh. Thanks! I believed this to be the case. Do you know if they’ve changed their policy for Half Moon Cay - can we use the pkg there? The last time I was there, I couldn’t. 

[mz-s]

Just now, CruzerDeb said:

Ugh. Thanks! I believed this to be the case. Do you know if they’ve changed their policy for Half Moon Cay - can we use the pkg there? The last time I was there, I couldn’t. 

 

That is never going to change so you might as well stop asking or looking for a different answer.

[CruzerDeb]

Just now, mz-s said:

 

That is never going to change so you might as well stop asking or looking for a different answer.

Alrighty then. I consider myself chastised. 

[mz-s]

3 minutes ago, CruzerDeb said:

Alrighty then. I consider myself chastised. 

 

Didn't mean that to come off as ugly as it sounded, sorry. After I re-read that I realized it was too harsh sounding. I just meant to say "this is how it's going to be as long as Carnival goes to Half Moon Cay"

[CruzerDeb]

3 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

Didn't mean that to come off as ugly as it sounded, sorry. After I re-read that I realized it was too harsh sounding. I just meant to say "this is how it's going to be as long as Carnival goes to Half Moon Cay"

Thanks

[nc762shooter]

1 hour ago, CruzerDeb said:

For those with more Cheers experience than I - can I use the pkg for a bucket of beer? Can I order a beer and not have it opened so I can take it back to my room for later?

Not exactly... I've had servers on Lido who let me order 1 beer that counted towards my 15 and purchase 3 additional at the same time (like you are ordering a round of drinks for you and some friends) and bring them in an ice bucket. As far as them being opened or not I don't really recall, at the time what I had ordered came in the aluminum pint bottles with screw top caps and I'm pretty sure they all still had the caps, maybe just all with the seal broken. Not sure how "legal" that was or not or if I'm just imagining them having the caps from 7-8 years ago 😂.

 

Short answer, no you can't use Cheers to outright get a bucket of beer.

 

However, you may be able to still have an ice bucket with a few beers in it if you order them as a round and pay for them, but I would be prepared for all of them to come opened and it could very well be at the discretion of the individual server/bartender letting you do it if it not obviously for you and friends.

[sparks1093]

2 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

Didn't mean that to come off as ugly as it sounded, sorry. After I re-read that I realized it was too harsh sounding. I just meant to say "this is how it's going to be as long as Carnival goes to Half Moon Cay"

The reason Cheers doesn't work is a connectivity issue between the island and the ship, it isn't instant. So, it might change at some point when they upgrade the system. I am not holding my breath, though.

[1kaper]

2 hours ago, CruzerDeb said:

Ugh. Thanks! I believed this to be the case. Do you know if they’ve changed their policy for Half Moon Cay - can we use the pkg there? The last time I was there, I couldn’t. 

 

I have had success with them giving me unopened beer at different times during the cruise but I found the day before and day of HMC they will absolutely open it every time.  

[mz-s]

29 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

The reason Cheers doesn't work is a connectivity issue between the island and the ship, it isn't instant. So, it might change at some point when they upgrade the system. I am not holding my breath, though.

 

I understand that is their reasoning and it does make sense. But it is a solvable problem with very little cost to Carnival if they wanted to solve it.

[nc762shooter]

2 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

The reason Cheers doesn't work is a connectivity issue between the island and the ship, it isn't instant. So, it might change at some point when they upgrade the system. I am not holding my breath, though.

I'm sure they've also looked at the numbers regarding how many people with Cheers still buy drinks when on the island. Also how many people decide not to purchase Cheers simply because you can't use it on HMC? Probably not very many since it doesn't work in regular ports either.

[sparks1093]

2 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

I understand that is their reasoning and it does make sense. But it is a solvable problem with very little cost to Carnival if they wanted to solve it.

The main reason (as I understand it, anyway) is the 15 day limit. The POS used on Amber Cove does get uploaded to the ship's system, but that takes time. If they had the connectivity so the system on the island communicated directly to the ship instantly then that wouldn't be an issue. I know that changing the 15 day limit would be no cost, I have no idea how much it would cost to upgrade the systems, but I don't think it would be little. That said, this isn't a problem to CCL and while some customers may take exception to it most have found a way to adapt.

[stobe1]

1 minute ago, sparks1093 said:

The main reason (as I understand it, anyway) is the 15 day limit. The POS used on Amber Cove does get uploaded to the ship's system, but that takes time. If they had the connectivity so the system on the island communicated directly to the ship instantly then that wouldn't be an issue. I know that changing the 15 day limit would be no cost, I have no idea how much it would cost to upgrade the systems, but I don't think it would be little. That said, this isn't a problem to CCL and while some customers may take exception to it most have found a way to adapt.

 

They accept the sail and sign cards now at Amber Cove? I have always had to use credit cards or cash at that big pool bar. If they accept sail and sign now, I can leave cash in my stateroom now. Is that a recent change? Granted, it has been about a year since our last visit to Amber Cove.

[SDPilot]

20 hours ago, RLM77 said:

Thanks.  I never bothered with their (or most other) rewards program(s) - I hate being nagged to do stuff that I might be doing - or won’t ever do - anyway.  Guess I’ll have to join for this though.  10% on Cheers over 6-8 weeks per year on CCL ships adds up.  Thanks much for the tip!

Not just 10% off Cheers, but 10% off the cruise fare, as well... Any anything else you spend money on at Carnival (or Princess, Holland America, Royal Caribbean, or Celebrity).

[mz-s]

3 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

The main reason (as I understand it, anyway) is the 15 day limit. The POS used on Amber Cove does get uploaded to the ship's system, but that takes time. If they had the connectivity so the system on the island communicated directly to the ship instantly then that wouldn't be an issue. I know that changing the 15 day limit would be no cost, I have no idea how much it would cost to upgrade the systems, but I don't think it would be little. That said, this isn't a problem to CCL and while some customers may take exception to it most have found a way to adapt.

 

It's something the company could solve with not much outlay if they wanted to solve it. I work for a College of Engineering and our undergraduate seniors could solve it for them in a semester. But like you said, it's not a big enough issue to Carnival so it doesn't really matter.

 

That's why I say it will never change so there's no sense in looking for a different answer. It's an easily solvable problem but it's not a problem that Carnival wants to solve. It is what it is.

Edited April 9 by mz-s

[stobe1]

2 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

It's something the company could solve with not much outlay if they wanted to solve it. I work for a College of Engineering and our undergraduate seniors could solve it for them in a semester. But like you said, it's not a big enough issue to Carnival so it doesn't really matter.

 

That's why I say it will never change so there's no sense in looking for a different answer. It's an easily solvable problem but it's not a problem that Carnival wants to solve. It is what it is.

 

My thoughts exactly. Why would Carnival look for a solution to a problem that doesn't exist for them.

[n6uqqq]

All you cheers purchasers need to solve the "connectivity issue" is a big bubba full of your favorite mixed drinks before you head to HMC. One every five minutes will fill your bubba up fairly quickly before you go. 

[ninjacat123]

4 minutes ago, n6uqqq said:

All you cheers purchasers need to solve the "connectivity issue" is a big bubba full of your favorite mixed drinks before you head to HMC. One every five minutes will fill your bubba up fairly quickly before you go. 

When we were at Princess Cay last May, I remember an announcement made before the tenders were available stating no beverages being allowed off ship. Maybe Carnival didn’t want you walking off ship with an obvious cocktail in hand. Previous HMC and PC exits I don’t remember that announcement made.

[n6uqqq]

12 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

When we were at Princess Cay last May, I remember an announcement made before the tenders were available stating no beverages being allowed off ship. Maybe Carnival didn’t want you walking off ship with an obvious cocktail in hand. Previous HMC and PC exits I don’t remember that announcement made.

My guess is your second part about obvious drink in hand is the correct meaning of Carnival's announcement. Now,  if they start scanning everyone's backpack before they get off then we can interpret it to mean no beverages at all 😉 . I am a per drink person so I wouldn't have any skin in the game either way. My main problem is just getting to HMC. I have had two cancelled cruises going there and last year we got close and then it was a no go due to weather. 

[sparks1093]

14 hours ago, stobe1 said:

 

They accept the sail and sign cards now at Amber Cove? I have always had to use credit cards or cash at that big pool bar. If they accept sail and sign now, I can leave cash in my stateroom now. Is that a recent change? Granted, it has been about a year since our last visit to Amber Cove.

I was actually confusing Amber Cove with Half Moon Cay. Our first trip to Amber Cove is coming up. But it does raise a good point that Amber Cove is simply a private area within a country versus being an actual private island, so it would also make sense that Sail and Signs wouldn't work at all.

[mz-s]

1 hour ago, sparks1093 said:

I was actually confusing Amber Cove with Half Moon Cay. Our first trip to Amber Cove is coming up. But it does raise a good point that Amber Cove is simply a private area within a country versus being an actual private island, so it would also make sense that Sail and Signs wouldn't work at all.

 

Amber Cove is sort of like Grand Turk - Carnival built it and probably has an ownership stake in it, but they don't really operate it.

[Nlexi912]

So is Amber cove like a private island where you can buy drinks and carnival has lunch on the island?  Or do people venture away and do excursions?  I also read something about a pool?

[ninjacat123]

38 minutes ago, Nlexi912 said:

So is Amber cove like a private island where you can buy drinks and carnival has lunch on the island?  Or do people venture away and do excursions?  I also read something about a pool?

Amber Cove is a port on Dominican Republic that Carnival developed.  It is not a port with included BBQ lunch like Princess Cay or Half Moon Cay.  There is a pool that passengers can access.  Activities like the slides and zipline cost extra.  We have hung out by the pool (charge for umbrellas I believe) and we have booked excursions away from the pool and shops area.

[CruzerDeb]

10 hours ago, ninjacat123 said:

When we were at Princess Cay last May, I remember an announcement made before the tenders were available stating no beverages being allowed off ship. Maybe Carnival didn’t want you walking off ship with an obvious cocktail in hand. Previous HMC and PC exits I don’t remember that announcement made.

For my first cruise to HMC in 2013 (only 2nd cruise ever, so still a newbie), Carnival sold a soft-sided cooler with 4 bottles of Bud Light and an opener, which I purchased. I had my room steward fill it with ice and walked off the ship with it. I actually did that the next time I cruised also. Don’t see the problem, really. I bought the beer from them and then drank it on their island. Guess I’d get in trouble for that now. 

[1kaper]

22 minutes ago, CruzerDeb said:

For my first cruise to HMC in 2013 (only 2nd cruise ever, so still a newbie), Carnival sold a soft-sided cooler with 4 bottles of Bud Light and an opener, which I purchased. I had my room steward fill it with ice and walked off the ship with it. I actually did that the next time I cruised also. Don’t see the problem, really. I bought the beer from them and then drank it on their island. Guess I’d get in trouble for that now. 

 

That's what we did the last time on HMC. That was November 2022. 

[nc762shooter]

32 minutes ago, CruzerDeb said:

For my first cruise to HMC in 2013 (only 2nd cruise ever, so still a newbie), Carnival sold a soft-sided cooler with 4 bottles of Bud Light and an opener, which I purchased. I had my room steward fill it with ice and walked off the ship with it. I actually did that the next time I cruised also. Don’t see the problem, really. I bought the beer from them and then drank it on their island. Guess I’d get in trouble for that now. 

 

9 minutes ago, 1kaper said:

 

That's what we did the last time on HMC. That was November 2022. 

I wasn't aware that was an option, sounds like a good way to streamline getting drinks on the island. I also assume this would still not be covered by Cheers same as a bucket of beer which is fine.

 

I also would think the announcement about no beverages leaving the ship would be referring to people literally carrying a glass in hand which I can understand them not wanting to happen be it potentially dealing with broken glass or just from being unlikely any of those glasses would make it back onboard.