Cheers program out of Galveston

I have a couple questions about Cheers out of Galveston for anyone that has actually purchased it. I get Texas has their own liquor laws that effect the purchase and start day. My question is simple If I am on a 7-day cruise how many actual days am I purchasing and is it a per day purchase. Meaning if I can only use it for 6 days is that what I pay (at the going rate of course). Or am I actually on paying for 5 days since day one and the last day should not count? Thanks in advance.

You will pay for 6 days and it will start on day 2. Any drinks purchased while in Galveston will be from a modified bar menu and will be charged by the drink.

You would pay for 6 days on a 7nt cruise. Say your cruise is Sunday to Sunday. You are paying for - M, T, W, Th, F, S

Thanks for the replies

You pay for 6 days on a 7 day cruise (start on day 2). The morning you debark the ship back in Galveston is not considered a day of your cruise, it's the 1st day of the guests that will be getting on the ship.

Keep in mind that it's cheaper to purchase Cheers online in advance than wait until you are on the ship.

I heard that sometimes they will start serving you through your Cheers Program late at night on Day 1 of the cruise, but not sure if that is true.

$344.66 if pre-purchased

$379.16 if purchased on board

You will pay full drink price PLUS taxes and gratuities on embarkation day (up until 6am.)

Or am I actually on paying for 5 days since day one and the last day should not count? Thanks in advance.

Is this true .... You can't use Cheers the last day of the cruise? What about the morning of debark?

Is this true .... You can't use Cheers the last day of the cruise? What about the morning of debark?

CHEERS! Ends at 6am on debarkation day.

I'm also wondering about morning of debarkation. It seems to me that it ought to be good until 6:00am that day, since the ship has not officially docked into port. Let me know if I'm incorrect please.

I'm also wondering about morning of debarkation. It seems to me that it ought to be good until 6:00am that day, since the ship has not officially docked into port. Let me know if I'm incorrect please.

It starts at 6am on 2nd day. If you embark on Saturday, 6am Sunday it starts. It ends at 6am on debarkation day.

I heard that sometimes they will start serving you through your Cheers Program late at night on Day 1 of the cruise, but not sure if that is true.

In my experience out of Galveston it started on day 2. You don't pay for day 1 so don't expect it to start early

You will pay for 6 days and it will start on day 2. Any drinks purchased while in Galveston will be from a modified bar menu and will be charged by the drink.

Just curious about the "modified" menu. What is the issue with Texas and what do they have to modify.

Just curious about the "modified" menu. What is the issue with Texas and what do they have to modify.

The drink offerings are more limited. I believe it has to do with Texas law requiring the alcohol offered to have been purchased in Texas from a Texas distributor.

The drink offerings are more limited. I believe it has to do with Texas law requiring the alcohol offered to have been purchased in Texas from a Texas distributor.

Texas is very stringent regarding liquor and beer taxes and a few other rules that limit quantities served per person. Carnival keeps a bunch of tax stamped liquors in stock for while in port and until they get to that 12 mile mark. Once out of range though they switch over to their preferred liquor that wasn't taxed by Texas.

New York does the same thing btw. Most other states have exclusionary zones that include cruise ships.

Beers are a little different since they aren't taxed per container and don't have individual tax stamps. What Carnival does for those is they have a segregated area in their cold storage for Texas sourced beers. These are supposed to be sold first.

It'll be interesting to see how they'd handle the Vista if it ever comes to Texas though seeing as how it has an actual brewery on board. On land they'd be taxed for whatever comes out of the bright tank. That's not really going to work with a mobile brewery though. They could fill all their kegs at sea.

I am so puzzled by this whole Texas liquor thing on cruise ships. Why can NCCL and RCCL serve their guests adult beverages who have purchased a "cheers" type of drink package on their cruise ships on day one? Do these lines pay taxes on all the booze they purchase in Texas therefore they can serve day one? I am guessing that all lines out of Texas provision their ships with booze from Texas. Is the answer that Carnival only agrees to pay taxes on a certain amount of bottles and only those bottles will be served in Texas waters? I see pallets of booze loading onto the ship on day one. Is it that that stamp is only put on so many bottles and only those that have been stamped & taxed can be served. The other bottles loaded onto the ship have not had the tax paid on them therefore they can't be served? Maybe someone here on Cruise Critic works for the state of Texas and can explain?

I am so puzzled by this whole Texas liquor thing on cruise ships. Why can NCCL and RCCL serve their guests adult beverages who have purchased a "cheers" type of drink package on their cruise ships on day one? Do these lines pay taxes on all the booze they purchase in Texas therefore they can serve day one? I am guessing that all lines out of Texas provision their ships with booze from Texas. Is the answer that Carnival only agrees to pay taxes on a certain amount of bottles and only those bottles will be served in Texas waters? I see pallets of booze loading onto the ship on day one. Is it that that stamp is only put on so many bottles and only those that have been stamped & taxed can be served. The other bottles loaded onto the ship have not had the tax paid on them therefore they can't be served? Maybe someone here on Cruise Critic works for the state of Texas and can explain?

I was on NCL Jade last fall out of Houston and they had a limited selection - I could get a Corona but not a Corona Light. I had to wait until we were in international waters before getting a Corona Light. And out of Houston that was a few hours. I didn't have a drink package so I don't know how that worked.

I am so puzzled by this whole Texas liquor thing on cruise ships. Why can NCCL and RCCL serve their guests adult beverages who have purchased a "cheers" type of drink package on their cruise ships on day one? Do these lines pay taxes on all the booze they purchase in Texas therefore they can serve day one? I am guessing that all lines out of Texas provision their ships with booze from Texas. Is the answer that Carnival only agrees to pay taxes on a certain amount of bottles and only those bottles will be served in Texas waters? I see pallets of booze loading onto the ship on day one. Is it that that stamp is only put on so many bottles and only those that have been stamped & taxed can be served. The other bottles loaded onto the ship have not had the tax paid on them therefore they can't be served? Maybe someone here on Cruise Critic works for the state of Texas and can explain?

I don't work for the state of Texas, but, if you are really interested in understanding it, good luck, google TABC. Lot's of our state's laws etc... Personally, I have never understood, why, when we are clearly out of Texas waters, we can't start Cheers! It is easy to see when it happens, as your receipt will no longer have tax added to it. The duty free shops are open. But, on the other hand, people would be complaining that they don't have a full 24 hour usage of it. I feel they could prorate it. Guess it is too much hassle for them. I do, notice, that only 12 oz beers are offered until you get "out of the zone" Galveston cruises sometimes get landlocked here when it is really foggy. We saw 2 women walking to the Stand area and they said they were looking for a bar. They had been on the ship almost 24 hours and booze was running out. (As only Texas tax paid could be sold) I will always wonder if they got back on the ship as the fog was lifting and they were told that to leave would be at their own risk.:eek:

Texas is very stringent regarding liquor and beer taxes and a few other rules that limit quantities served per person. Carnival keeps a bunch of tax stamped liquors in stock for while in port and until they get to that 12 mile mark. Once out of range though they switch over to their preferred liquor that wasn't taxed by Texas.

 

 

 

New York does the same thing btw. Most other states have exclusionary zones that include cruise ships.

 

 

 

Beers are a little different since they aren't taxed per container and don't have individual tax stamps. What Carnival does for those is they have a segregated area in their cold storage for Texas sourced beers. These are supposed to be sold first.

 

 

 

It'll be interesting to see how they'd handle the Vista if it ever comes to Texas though seeing as how it has an actual brewery on board. On land they'd be taxed for whatever comes out of the bright tank. That's not really going to work with a mobile brewery though. They could fill all their kegs at sea.

This is correct and a lot better than I could have worded it LOL.

Beer selection is different. Cans and bottles instead of the pint aluminum cans. Also smaller selection. They also have Texas beers but they have these throughout the cruise too

I am so puzzled by this whole Texas liquor thing on cruise ships. Why can NCCL and RCCL serve their guests adult beverages who have purchased a "cheers" type of drink package on their cruise ships on day one? Do these lines pay taxes on all the booze they purchase in Texas therefore they can serve day one?

It's illegal to offer an "all you can drink" package in Texas. I've never sailed on those lines but I'd imagine they start that package once they hit international water. Maybe they just don't switch out the bottles?

It is a whole lot cheaper for the cruise lines to buy their liquor outside of the United States, just like it is for passengers. It's a fairly closely guarded secret how they buy their booze but a company the size of Carnival could pretty easily get it distributed directly from manufacturers and pick it up wherever it's cheapest for them. So much cheaper that Carnival thinks it's cost effective to switch out bottles. While the Texas stamped bottles would have come from a local distributor in the county the ship was docked at.

I was on NCL Jade last fall out of Houston and they had a limited selection - I could get a Corona but not a Corona Light. I had to wait until we were in international waters before getting a Corona Light. And out of Houston that was a few hours. I didn't have a drink package so I don't know how that worked.

We were on NCL Jade last January, with the drink package...it started as soon as we ordered...still in port...we were just taxed on every "free" adult beverage til we hit open waters....showed up as 76 cents, 53 cents, etc on our shipboard account

Carnival seems to be the only one following Texas liquor law. Fine with me. I'd rather not have to pay for Cheers on a half day (embarkation). That's the only day I didn't get my money's worth when we sailed on Princess earlier this year.

Carnival seems to be the only one following Texas liquor law. Fine with me. I'd rather not have to pay for Cheers on a half day (embarkation). That's the only day I didn't get my money's worth when we sailed on Princess earlier this year.

One thing I've learned about dealing with the TABC is that they are very inconsistent with their enforcement. Like when they setup the tax booth in Galveston but not in Houston. I'd imagine Carnival has been fined while the others haven't yet. Or maybe they just don't care and ignore the laws. They seem to be more concerned with tax revenue than law enforcement anyway.

bptex and xteach281,

I have heard before here on cruise critic that "all you can drink" packages are against the law in Texas. I just can't imagine why a cruise line would break the law so that just can't be it. I, like xteach281, have used my "cheers" package on day one as soon as I boarded the ship. I paid for a package on RCCL Navigator of the Seas/Galveston and had the free package on Norwegain Jade from port of Houston. They only thing these two cruise lines had in common is that the list of drinks I could order was limited and yes, the bottles they poured from had the TX stamp on them. There is a reason Carnival doesn't offer "cheers" on day one. I just have to figure out why. I will be on the Breeze in January and I will have to ask the bar manager. Maybe I will be enlightened.

I read something a while back that said the difference is how the drink packages are listed in the cruise line accounting ledgers, that RCI and NCL list them as part of the booking and Carnival doesn't. In other words it's a bookkeeping loophole or something along those lines that skirts Texas ABC law. I'm not saying that is true, just something I read (and I think it was in the RCI forum here).