Cheers: Not about breaking even for us

[zabaco]

I'll report back after the cruise and let everyone know if/how it helped my husband relax (which I am pretty sure it will--after 25 years of marriage, I know him pretty well.) :)

 

I'll also report on whether we came close to breaking even.

 

Thanks to everyone who replied. Some of you made some excellent points and I appreciate the reminders, and these are specific ways I know that I personally will enjoy having Cheers vs. if I didn't have it:

 

*I will make sure to upgrade my liquors frequently and whenever possible (to Grey Goose, higher level tequilas in margaritas, better rums in frozen drinks, etc.)

 

*I won't worry if I try something and don't like it

 

*I will be adventurous at the Alchemy Bar! (I am most excited about that)

 

*I will drink champagne with breakfast if I want to. Ha! In a mimosa or not.

 

8 days to sailing!

[DnD_Cruisin]

At Alchemy Bar the martini flights aren't covered under Cheers. However ... you can work thru the list and try each full sized! If you don't like one, give it back and try the next.

 

Word of warning though ... you might want to do that over a few days not all at once! haha

[zabaco]

At Alchemy Bar the martini flights aren't covered under Cheers. However ... you can work thru the list and try each full sized! If you don't like one, give it back and try the next.

 

Word of warning though ... you might want to do that over a few days not all at once! haha

 

Ha! Great tip!

[billfish]

And just to clarify--I predict he will drink a LOT MORE than his typical at home (where he has one beer or one glass of wine per night). He will probably have 3-4 drinks per day, plus bottled water. Maybe more, but I'm not going to know until we are there.

 

While we won't break even, we will have a much more relaxed and enjoyable vacation because of the Cheers package. That's worth $500 to me.

 

And maybe we will surprise ourselves and find that we DO break even.

 

It's our 25th anniversary and we are going to relax, have our first kid-free vacation in years, and not think about how much every drink costs because we have already paid for it.

 

I have to tell you this makes no sense to me. We recently cruised on the NCl Escape and one of the perks was a drink package I consider myself a moderate drinker and did not go crazy to take advantage of the drink package.. Maybe had two or three more drinks per day....But it sure was nice to not worry about what the bill was going to be at the end of the cruise....... I guess what I'm trying to say is if you can afford it and it makes you HAPPY....Go for it and enjoy your vacation

[zabaco]

I have to tell you this makes no sense to me. We recently cruised on the NCl Escape and one of the perks was a drink package I consider myself a moderate drinker and did not go crazy to take advantage of the drink package.. Maybe had two or three more drinks per day....But it sure was nice to not worry about what the bill was going to be at the end of the cruise....... I guess what I'm trying to say is if you can afford it and it makes you HAPPY....Go for it and enjoy your vacation

 

Ha! I absolutely knew some people would find my attitude/approach to be nonsensical, and that is okay. :) It takes all types to make the world go around.

 

I am not referring to you--but the people who pack a rum runner (or two) and analyze every choice around how or what they drink for the financial breakdown--I know that I sound like a crazy person to them.

 

If we didn't get Cheers, I'd probably spend $300 on drinks just for me in 5 days and my husband would spend $0. As I spent that $300, I would question purchases and look for "bargain" drink choices along the way. I would be afraid to try something in case I didn't like it.

 

For another $200, we get Cheers and my husband will break out of his comfort zone. And so will I! (The extra $200 is because Cheers cost us about $500 for a 5 night cruise, and $200 is the difference between what I would probably spend without Cheers and what Cheers is costing us.)

 

We will only have one 25th anniversary cruise, and I plan to make the most of it!

[FTLCruiseGal]

I like the idea of knowing what my bill is going to be at the end and not having any surprises. You forget how much money you are spending when all you have to do is hand over your card. I also like to have a glass of wine with dinner and have always been hesitant to get one (or two) because I don't want to have that huge. One time, I ended up with a 3-page bill and had no idea that I had spent that much money! :eek:

 

Now that the waters and coffees are thrown in, I will come very close to breaking even on my upcoming 4-day cruise!

[Shih-tzu]

Worry free is a good vacation strategy and I hope it works out for you.

 

We don't get the drink packages although I would like to if they had one suited to our needs. We don't drink alcohol so the Cheers package makes no sense for us to buy. The Bottomless Bubbles also doesn't meet our needs as we like to have the "mocktails "..... I love the Miami Vice and other ones lead -free. If they came out with a package that covered those and perhaps speciality coffee I might consider using your strategy.

 

Let us know how it worked out. Happy anniversary!

[poobears]

Worry free is a good vacation strategy and I hope it works out for you.

 

We don't get the drink packages although I would like to if they had one suited to our needs. We don't drink alcohol so the Cheers package makes no sense for us to buy. The Bottomless Bubbles also doesn't meet our needs as we like to have the "mocktails "..... I love the Miami Vice and other ones lead -free. If they came out with a package that covered those and perhaps speciality coffee I might consider using your strategy.

 

Let us know how it worked out. Happy anniversary!

 

I've been saying the same thing, they need a mid range card, I think they are missing a huge market, those of us that don't drink alcohol or those that don't drink enough and don't want soda cards either so we skip the packages. If they came out with a mid range alcohol free card the non alcoholic options they have on the cheers card plus specialty coffee and hot chocolate. I think they'd hit a huge market of people they are missing now.

 

They could put the same drink limits in place even restrict it to keep little kids from buying it so they don't have open access to the monster drinks etc. Keep it teens and up or adults only like cheers whatever.

 

I don't think they realize how many people they are missing, it's an untapped market.

[tandemcruzr]

OP -- Enjoy your 25th Anniversary cruise. :-)

 

We may do the same for our 50th in 4 years. :D

Edited June 25, 2016 by tandemcruzr

[christyran1228]

We aren't big drinkers, but it really wasn't hard having 7-8 drinks ... especially when there are so many to sample!

 

Now that they have added more than just alcohol, it makes it even easier. 😊

[patrice1]

With the drink prices, we've found that our break even is around 6-7 drinks/day, especially with a martini and wine with dinner. I love the new additions and get lattes every morning and have San Pellegrino in the MDR for the table at all times. Go for it - I bet you'll find you do break even! Besides, we do more in the evening than we do at home and stay up later, too, giving us more opportunity to have a few drinks we wouldn't at home.

[RTRMom]

We just got back from an 8 night cruise with Cheers. We probably just broke even. Maybe a little under....but we loved it. It was great to not worry about the cost of it. So near the end of the cruise where we decided to not spend that much...it didn't stop us from getting drinks. Plus being able to use my coffee drinks on it were a plus. We will definitely do it again.

[Krystm]

OP are you my wife lol? But in all seriousness I am the same way... and it sucks. I totally get that I will most likely NOT drink as much to hit the limit, and the issue is that if I don't have Cheers, I will pass on ordering drinks because I hate spending the cash. On top of that, it then becomes well if I don't order this I won't have to pay for it at the end. Compound this against the peer pressure of "why aren't you ordering one" from the (wife, she does drink more than myself) so it just makes sense.

 

So to me, first and foremost it's all paid for whether I use it all or not is great as it's one less thing to worry about. I will as a few others said, will try new drinks I would never pay for usually, and with all the new specialty drinks as well as soda included I feel I will get my moneys worth even if I don't hit 5-7 alcoholic drinks a day. Plus I think my DW would have more drinks and the cost would be a wash if we didn't get Cheers in the first place.

 

Honestly it's a matter of preference is what it comes down to, and it's more than just getting your moneys worth. Since less stress, and letting loose / having a better experince is worth it to me.

[GUT2407]

Totally agree, whilst I know I'll break even there's more to a drinks package than just that.

[n6uqqq]

Most overused word on CC is " worry " :rolleyes:.

[zabaco]

OP are you my wife lol? But in all seriousness I am the same way... and it sucks. I totally get that I will most likely NOT drink as much to hit the limit, and the issue is that if I don't have Cheers, I will pass on ordering drinks because I hate spending the cash. On top of that, it then becomes well if I don't order this I won't have to pay for it at the end. Compound this against the peer pressure of "why aren't you ordering one" from the (wife, she does drink more than myself) so it just makes sense.

 

So to me, first and foremost it's all paid for whether I use it all or not is great as it's one less thing to worry about. I will as a few others said, will try new drinks I would never pay for usually, and with all the new specialty drinks as well as soda included I feel I will get my moneys worth even if I don't hit 5-7 alcoholic drinks a day. Plus I think my DW would have more drinks and the cost would be a wash if we didn't get Cheers in the first place.

 

Honestly it's a matter of preference is what it comes down to, and it's more than just getting your moneys worth. Since less stress, and letting loose / having a better experince is worth it to me.

 

 

I enjoyed reading that from your perspective!

 

There is something to that "it's all included" mindset, isn't there?

[BamaCruisers2011]

Thank you for your post as I have never been able to justify in my mind paying for Cheers when we both only drink 4 to 5 drinks a day and mostly on sea days - I am rethinking things. I really wish they had a Cheers Light package that was $30 a day for 6 or 7 drinks - I bet Carnival would have a lot of takers!

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[MCFTJCH2V]

We are cruising in a week (yay!) and even though I don't think we will "break even" on Cheers, we bought it. Let me explain.

 

My husband is not a big drinker at all, but he does drink. At home, he drinks a beer pretty much every night and enjoys a glass of wine with dinner. There is NO WAY he will drink enough to make up for the cost of Cheers (me, on the other hand....I love those fruity concoctions on vacation!)

 

So why in he world would we get Cheers? Without Cheers, he won't drink at all on the cruise because he hates to spend money on a drink by drink basis. Even if he would enjoy a beer or a glass of wine, he won't order one because of the cost.

 

So for us, Cheers is my way of getting him to loosen up and enjoy himself during the cruise. That is worth the extra cost, right there.

 

It might sound stupid, but psychologically there just something different about the fact that it's paid for up front so you can relax and enjoy yourself without having to worry.

 

I'll keep track and see how we do. I'm not going to TRY to break even (because that doesn't sound fun, either) but I am interested to see how we do. The addition of the bottled waters and coffee drinks, etc. really made the difference--I'm looking forward to having as much bottled water as I want plus San Pelligrino in the MDR.

 

So--even if we don't "break even", I think Cheers will enhance our vacation experience so much that it will be worth the cost. And THAT is worth paying for.

 

This makes no sense. So he'd rather spend $55 a day on two drinks instead of $14. Higher education helps people with these math problems.

[ANONOMUS_1]

Yep I don't fault anyone for over paying to have an all inclusive, it's like going to a beaches resort when you know you don't drink much. You are paying for the alcohol even though you won't be drinking much of it (which is why I don't go to the all inclusive resorts). If that's what works best for your vacation go for it. I'd rather toss $100-$200 on the sign and sail before the cruise to cover that beer and wine every day so it's prepaid, then get back any that's left over but whatever works.

 

Exactly! My plan is to put $500 on a gift card for my drinks. My SO doesn't drink much, maybe 3 glasses of wine on an 7-8 day cruise. Cheers for 2 would cost us $919.08 for the 8 days. That's like giving away $400! I like the specialty coffees so I can't wait to see if I reach my $500 allotment. However to each it's own, JUST HAVE FUN!!

[Vagabond Knight]

We are another couple who are getting Cheers so we can relax and not think about the cost of our drinks, and think it will likely be a little better than break even for us. Will we have a few higher prices drinks that we may have skipped without the package? Yes. However, we're not going to purposely order the most expensive items just because they're the most expensive. The juices, specialty coffees, bottled water (and a milkshake our two during the week), again without having to think about the cost, will be nice. Two bloody marys to start the day, two glasses of wine at dinner, one other drink at some point in the evening along with the other non-alcoholic items I mentioned and it's worth it for us. Your mileage may vary, of course.

[zabaco]

This makes no sense. So he'd rather spend $55 a day on two drinks instead of $14. Higher education helps people with these math problems.

 

 

Thank you for your kind concern about our educational level. You're a lovely person to care.

 

I clarified how many drinks my husband will probably drink on the cruise later on the thread, if you would like to read a bit further. He'll get a lot more than $14 a day out of Cheers, just maybe not $55, which is okay. We aren't going to be guzzling the most expensive drinks we can find just to break even, though.

 

And I do believe you missed the whole point of my post.

 

Still--have a wonderful day and I hope you are cruising soon, in whatever style you prefer.

[denatravels]

Thank you for your kind concern about our educational level. You're a lovely person to care.

 

I clarified how many drinks my husband will probably drink on the cruise later on the thread, if you would like to read a bit further. He'll get a lot more than $14 a day out of Cheers, just maybe not $55, which is okay. We aren't going to be guzzling the most expensive drinks we can find just to break even, though.

 

And I do believe you missed the whole point of my post.

 

Still--have a wonderful day and I hope you are cruising soon, in whatever style you prefer.

 

 

Very nice response.

I feel the way you do on cruises with limited port stops (or yucky ports that I stay on the ship). And I do find myself holding back when I don't have drink plans-- not always the way that I want to vacation!

 

 

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[riffatsea]

It is quite interesting to read this thread and learn how differently people look at their spending while cruising!

There are a few cruise lines who have a more all inclusive price and they are more expensive usually than a Carnival cruise. It is good that Carnival offers this liquor add on for those who want that "all inclusive " feeling. We like to pay as we go but I don't see anything wrong with folks who prefer to pay differently.

I have just never thought about it this way before reading this thread.

[artypharty]

Yep I don't fault anyone for over paying to have an all inclusive, it's like going to a beaches resort when you know you don't drink much. You are paying for the alcohol even though you won't be drinking much of it (which is why I don't go to the all inclusive resorts). If that's what works best for your vacation go for it. I'd rather toss $100-$200 on the sign and sail before the cruise to cover that beer and wine every day so it's prepaid, then get back any that's left over but whatever works.

 

^ that is exactly what we do. it's prepaid, no worries and we often get money back. I'm not a fan of spending money for nothing in return!!

Different strokes. :)

[ncshp955]

^ that is exactly what we do. it's prepaid, no worries and we often get money back. I'm not a fan of spending money for nothing in return!!

Different strokes. :)

 

Some of you all are missing our point. We do get something in return. Peace of mind and the enjoyment of trying new things without regret. I have never and will not ever criticize those who try and find ways to save a buck or two and hope those in return won't try and make those of us that are willing to spend the extra money feel like we are stupid. Think of it this way, we are the ones helping keep the cost of your cruise down a little.