Using CHEERS! to "stock up" on a few beers for port use

[backnine05]

Has anyone had any luck (or bad luck) ordering a few beers the night before or the morning of a port day to stock up and take them ashore to enjoy on the beach? We would obviously need to take a cooler with some ice along.. We are stopping in Roatan and Grand Cayman, and it seems like this would be the best way to maximize CHEERS!'s value and save some $ when at port.

Edited April 19, 2017 by backnine05

[seashell4274]

Just tip your bar staff well. They will not open it if you ask them. It still counts for that day. You still have to wait 5 minutes in between orders.

[StolidCruiser]

Hundreds upon hundreds of people do exactly this without issue. Just plan an extra hour or so for the five-minute wait between orders and be sure to have a way to carry them back to your cabin (if using the night-before method) or your iced-up wheeled cooler along with you to drop the as-requested unopened beers in as they dole 'em out (if using the morning-of method).

 

You'll see quite a number of your fellow sailors doing the same thing which makes the five-minute waiting period a little more fun (you can converse about the upcoming activities!) and then you can "carpool" as a wagon train to the point of deboarding.

[BG18]

there are no issues carrying the beers off the ship?

[beerman2]

there are no issues carrying the beers off the ship?

Off the ship no, just be aware you aren't suppose to bring liquids ON.

[moondog73]

It is a crap shoot. Oh and beware the "Ethics Police" here on Cruise Critic. I got several unopened from a couple bartenders on the Sunshine in March. One particular bartender would not give them to me unopened for any reason. And I only wanted to take a couple back to my room to drink when we were getting ready after a shower.

[Je Souhaite]

there are no issues carrying the beers off the ship?

 

Nope.

[HillBilly Bob]

We would obviously need to take a cooler with some ice along.

 

Remember that your cooler will have to be small enough to go thru the embarkation scanner for security.

 

...from the CCL website: Coolers Guests are prohibited from bringing large coolers onboard since screening and movement of large coolers through embarkation is an impediment to the boarding and security process. However small, personal-sized coolers, no larger than 12” x 12” x 12” for the purpose of housing small quantities of non-alcoholic beverages and/or medications are permitted as carry-on luggage.

[RHilla619]

By Carnival employee rules the bartenders are supposed to open every drink, even if requested not to. The reason for this is to counter exactly what you are trying to do, I have done, and many others do as well. Simply put you just need to find the right bartender and reward them, some will say no, some will say I'm not supposed to but I will just this one time, and others will gladly oblige. Find the one that gladly obliges and throw him/her a couple bucks each time until you have enough to hold you over while off the ship.

[MoeDeckedOut]

We did it...we didn't bring a 12 pack off. The first time wasn't really planned but had intended to drink them in the room and didn't so thought hey lets take them with us to the beach. Worked the first time so we did it again. Never had a cooler, so those 2nd or 3rd ones were pretty warm ;p.

[hftmrock]

It is a crap shoot. Oh and beware the "Ethics Police" here on Cruise Critic. I got several unopened from a couple bartenders on the Sunshine in March. One particular bartender would not give them to me unopened for any reason. And I only wanted to take a couple back to my room to drink when we were getting ready after a shower.

 

only time I saw anyone have a problem with this is when a poster here said they got really mad at the bartender and went on a rant... all for the bartender doing their job.

 

if you ask the bartender and they give it to you... cool. if not... they are just doing their job and if you feel so inclined , find another bartender. don't get mad at any member of the crew for any reason that is just doing their job.

[GAMOM4]

We did this at Half Moon Cay .... we just got them unopened and before we got off at Half Moon Cay I asked the room steward if he would put ice in them on my cooler .... we had a bottle opener with us that we put in the side of the cooler... I think we had about 6 .... I asked the room steward if he knew of anyone that had a problem doing this .... and he said he had never heard of anyone taking them off the ship but he didn't see where it would be a problem ..... I sure didn't feel like it was breaking rules since they were part of my cheers program and I had paid for them ......

[hftmrock]

We did this at Half Moon Cay .... we just got them unopened and before we got off at Half Moon Cay I asked the room steward if he would put ice in them on my cooler .... we had a bottle opener with us that we put in the side of the cooler... I think we had about 6 .... I asked the room steward if he knew of anyone that had a problem doing this .... and he said he had never heard of anyone taking them off the ship but he didn't see where it would be a problem ..... I sure didn't feel like it was breaking rules since they were part of my cheers program and I had paid for them ......

 

it does state in the rules that all bottles must be given open... that is the rules but if a bartender gives them to you unopened then you personally aren't breaking the rules. technically, they are. Most of the time they will give you the bottle unopened if you asked but a few do stick to the actual written rules

[The Badger]

So you'll give a bartender $2 a time not to open a beer, yet in port a beer is about $3. Hardly seems worth it

 

 

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[TerReuv]

Or, you can just get a bucket of beer (yes you will pay vs Cheers and it will count against your daily count). They certainly are not opening every bottle in the bucket. That would be silly.

[hftmrock]

Or, you can just get a bucket of beer (yes you will pay vs Cheers and it will count against your daily count). They certainly are not opening every bottle in the bucket. That would be silly.

 

Beverages excluded from the program are:

• Beverages promoted and sold in souvenir glasses
  
• Bottles of liquor
  
• Beverages offered at the gangway
  
• Beverages offered through room service, mini bars and/or other in-stateroom beverage programs
  
• Sharing cocktails, floaters, pitchers, tubes and buckets
  
• Beverages offered through enomatic wine machines and self-serve beer stations
  
• All other beverage-related programs including merchandise, cigars and cigarettes
  

[TerReuv]

Beverages excluded from the program are:

• Beverages promoted and sold in souvenir glasses
  
• Bottles of liquor
  
• Beverages offered at the gangway
  
• Beverages offered through room service, mini bars and/or other in-stateroom beverage programs
  
• Sharing cocktails, floaters, pitchers, tubes and buckets
  
• Beverages offered through enomatic wine machines and self-serve beer stations
  
• All other beverage-related programs including merchandise, cigars and cigarettes
  

 

Which would be why I said in my post.... "yes you will pay vs Cheers and it will count against your daily count". ;)

[hftmrock]

Which would be why I said in my post.... "yes you will pay vs Cheers and it will count against your daily count". ;)

 

there is a great chance they will NOT allow you to purchase it at all. I have heard both mentioned on this site so YMMV

 

they may tell you that you simply are not allowed.

 

(and if you do pay, it will NOT count to your daily count. potentially they will make 1 going to your cheers and the rest will be from your S&S if they allow it at all)

[d12j28]

there is a great chance they will NOT allow you to purchase it at all. I have heard both mentioned on this site so YMMV

 

they may tell you that you simply are not allowed.

 

(and if you do pay, it will NOT count to your daily count. potentially they will make 1 going to your cheers and the rest will be from your S&S if they allow it at all)

 

Why would they not allow it? It says right on CCL you can do this with Cheers.

 

Guests may purchase a round of drinks for themselves and friends. One drink will count towards the CHEERS! program and the remaining drinks will be charged to the guest's Sail and Sign account.

[hftmrock]

Why would they not allow it? It says right on CCL you can do this with Cheers.

 

Guests may purchase a round of drinks for themselves and friends. One drink will count towards the CHEERS! program and the remaining drinks will be charged to the guest's Sail and Sign account.

 

 

yup.. that you can do if you are buying a round for your friends. This does NOT include buying a round using the bucket of beer.

 

If you tell them you are buying a round for friends they will charge one to your cheers and you purchase the rest on your S&S. I did say that this can happen. If you don't have 'friends' to buy for, this is gaming the system and not allowed , but bartenders do 'look the other way' (again, not the bucket of beers thing). They also have the option to open all the bottles since they say that all bottles on cheers will be opened.

[coevan]

or....... you can go ashore and buy beers for 1/2 the price as the cruise ships. As you exit the St.Thomas port there is a bar selling Carib, excellent for $2 a beer. Stay away from the resorts and you find beers under $3 most anywhere except Carnival

[HillBilly Bob]

or....... you can go ashore and buy beers for 1/2 the price as the cruise ships. As you exit the St.Thomas port there is a bar selling Carib, excellent for $2 a beer. Stay away from the resorts and you find beers under $3 most anywhere except Carnival

 

That makes a whole lot more sense to me! Trust me....CCL has seen it all and they KNOW all the stunts being tried and know how to make them fail. Why risk losing your entire Cheer's Package without any recourse or refund. Bon Voyage!!

[d12j28]

yup.. that you can do if you are buying a round for your friends. This does NOT include buying a round using the bucket of beer.

 

If you tell them you are buying a round for friends they will charge one to your cheers and you purchase the rest on your S&S. I did say that this can happen. If you don't have 'friends' to buy for, this is gaming the system and not allowed , but bartenders do 'look the other way' (again, not the bucket of beers thing). They also have the option to open all the bottles since they say that all bottles on cheers will be opened.

You can get a bucket of beer. You just don't get the discounted price as one goes towards Cheers. As far as them opening all YMMV. I've had them bring it with only 1 open and also with all open. A lot of stuff varies with the server you have.

 

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[tlwg04]

what does YMMV mean?

[bury me at sea]

what does YMMV mean?

 

Your mileage may vary.