sparks1093

I hope that your healing process continues. I think it is more likely than not that Carnival did handle it correctly so I would do the same thing you are doing.

I guess he never read any of the stories of the toddler who fell to the pier 11 decks below when she slipped out of her grandfather's hands.

Here is a link to a drink package calculator https://cruisespotlight.com/drink-package-calculator/. Remember to factor in the non-alcohol drinks that you will be having through the day. You don't need to come anywhere near 15 per day to break even. Remember also that you are working with averages, so if you have more on a sea day and less on a day in port it will average out. If one starts at noon and has one drink per hour until midnight that's 12 and for most people one drink per hour won't lead to intoxication.

Probably so, but the consequences if caught can be severe, up to and including removal from the ship in the most egregious cases. OP as stated depending on your itinerary he might be able to imbibe in port.

We had a good sense of what cruising is all about after a 2 night cruise to nowhere. The experience itself was exactly as you describe it, pretty much over before it started, people crowding the bars to get as many drinks as possible, etc. But we saw in that small taste that cruising overall was something we could sink our teeth into. Our next two cruises were 4 day ones, but only because of the time involved to get to Miami by car (with 5 teenaged boys). Again, they were only a shadow of what cruising could be, but nonetheless we could tell that cruising was for us and we couldn't wait for our first 7 night cruise. (It did help that our 4 day cruises happened during the week, which tended to mute the booze cruise feel.) When we finally took it we then knew that we were right in our assessments made during the shorter cruises. Sometimes one only needs to take a bite of a dish to know whether or not they like it, they don't need to clean the plate.

@2wheelin All you are likely to get is a "maybe" because it's not something that can be universally applied. The answer is too fact dependent to allow an answer for everyone.

Actually the check in folks would need to get a supervisor involved in order to get a definitive answer and quite possibly the Ship's Documentation Officer as well. Not something that I would do.

Following along since we'll be on Mardi Gras next year. I was diagnosed with gout as well, but the meds keep it in check.

The rules say that one needs a photo ID coupled with a birth certificate in order to board a closed loop cruise, and this is the expectation. What people fail to take into consideration is that exceptions are made to rules all of the time and sometimes exceptions are made for people who for whatever reason don't have exactly what's required, such as in the OP. One needs to remember what the documents are being provided for- to prove identity and citizenship. A photo of a license in this regard has the information necessary for CBP to verify the passenger's identity through the government databases that are checked while the cruise is ongoing. The bottom line is that what the OP's friend had might just work to board a closed loop cruise (I am glad that the license has been found in this case). I know that if I were in the same position I would go to the port with what I had and hope for the best. It might not work, boarding might be denied, but it also might work. Of course if I still had to pay a lot of money to get to the port then I would have to weigh that consideration, but if transportation had already been paid for (which is normally the case for us) there would be nothing to lose. Best case we go on the cruise, worse case we have a vacation in the departure port. OP, that first drink of the day will taste extra sweet.

They've always opened any cases we bring, so I just pack the lose sodas in a carryon since it saves time.

I hope you find it because it sounds like getting from Carnival after the fact is a real PITA.

You can use the calculator that I just linked to in order to find out but if you are drinking enough of the non-alcohol offerings it can still save money. Since Cheers needs to be purchased by all adults one needs to combine what both people are drinking in order to see if it is worthwhile.

Sorry, no, one does not need to be a heavy drinker to break even. Using the calculator https://cruisespotlight.com/drink-package-calculator/ if one has 6 cocktails each day (or averaged out) then they save money. On a sea day it's fairly easy, but even on a port day it isn't too difficult. Start at 5pm, end at 11pm and have one drink per hour throughout the evening. And that isn't taking into consideration the other beverages covered under Cheers. A specialty coffee or two each day, a few bottles of water and some sodas or fresh juice just adds to the savings. Everyone should look at their realistic consumption and determine if it is worthwhile or not. Blanket statements don't work since everyone's drinking patterns are different.

The app only works onboard. I can't remember, did they stop handing out printed invoices at the end of the cruise?

There is a discount for bottles of wine if I recall correctly, unless they changed that too.

I also think this has something to do with the upsell fairy being hard at work.

I don't know why you can't purchase wine from a bar. I have never seen a limit and don't know how they are counted toward the 15 a day limit.

Emuster is the norm since COVID on all ships as I understand it. Whether or not it will continue is up to the regulatory authorities.

Might be a few guys claiming it as well.😆

It's a choice. It isn't punitive at all.

That is all very true, but the fact remains that one can make it work. Everyone needs to do the analysis for themselves using their own drinking patterns.

My wife does it all of the time. Of course, I'm the room service person in that case. 🙂 (And as hard_eight points out room service isn't available for anything other than juice and coffee, I don't even think you can order soda.)

All disputes of onboard charges need to be resolved onboard, AFAIK. You can try taking up with shoreside guest services but you may not receive any satisfaction.

Very true, but even with only one person drinking alcohol it is still possible to save money with Cheers as long as the non-drinker has enough non-alcohol drinks. 8 alcohol drinks per day for the drinker, 2 each of specialty coffee, mocktails and sodas per day for the non-drinker would do it.

From a consumer's point of view it makes sense, but Carnival sells these packages in order to make money, not to save the passenger money (although it is marketed that way). Obviously selling two packages makes them more money than selling only one. I would have foregone Cheers in your situation because there's no way I could drink enough to save money with buying two packages.