Anyone regret purchasing the Cheers program

[l8cruiser]

I am curious if anyone thought they made a mistake purchasing the Cheers program. I was thinking on port days , if we would be away too long to get our moneys worth. It would be nice to have mimosas in the morning along with special coffees. I would kick myself though if we didn’t drink enough to make it worthwhile. 

[LJN22]

Never!  I always get the Cheers package.  I love the cost certainty it provides.  I never have to worry what I am charging to my S&S account.  I always average at least five drinks per day.

[BoomerSoonerCruisers]

We purchased it once and regretted it on port days. I'm not a big drinker but my SO is. On vacation I will typically have 3-4 mixed drinks a day and he will have a few mixed drinks and a bunch of beer. We felt like we got our monies worth on the sea days but port days we did not. We found ourselves some nights sitting at the Piano Bar ordering drinks just trying to "get our monies worth".

[maryhou]

1 minute ago, BoomerSoonerCruisers said:

We purchased it once and regretted it on port days. I'm not a big drinker but my SO is. On vacation I will typically have 3-4 mixed drinks a day and he will have a few mixed drinks and a bunch of beer. We felt like we got our monies worth on the sea days but port days we did not. We found ourselves some nights sitting at the Piano Bar ordering drinks just trying to "get our monies worth".

Us too........... however we cruise in a few days and still can't decide to buy or not to buy . LOL . I love being able to drink whatever whenever we want......... decisions decisions

 

 

[l8cruiser]

We enjoyed the all you can drink at the resorts in Mexico. The cheer program would give you the Resort feel of being able to almost drink all you want. It’s kind of like gambling. You are taking a chance on if you can drink enough to at least break even.  Our last cruise bar tab was only 350 dollars for the week. Now if I knew that I could have 15 drinks a day , I would certainly drink more. In Mexico , I was drinking tequila sunrises and mimosas for breakfast simply because they were free. I would do the same with cheers and order mimosas along with premium coffee. 

Edited March 5, 2019 by l8cruiser

[VolzCruiser]

Just back from my first cruise using the Cheers package and I have to say I think we did get our monies worth but I only had one port day. If we had multiple port days I might have to consider if it was going to be a good choice for me. 

[ricew001]

We did Cheers last time and I've already paid for it next time. I used the discounted gift card and bought it at the discount price prior to boarding so it was all paid for. I don't like the surprise of a bar bill so that is what keeps me coming back. Now granted I've been on short cruises with Cheers so we will have to see what I decide on a longer one.

[ray98]

Nope....I always have plenty of time to enjoy myself.  The all inclusive feel of Cheers adds value to my vacation above the dollars and cents of the drinks.

[thanna]

For us it is not about breaking even (although we always do), it just makes for a more relaxed cruise knowing what that cost will be. For a planner like me being able to prepay for one of our biggest expenses and knowing exactly how much it will be is worth the money even is we didn't break even. We debated about it when we took the cruise out of San Juan that had 6 port days, but in the end even on that cruise it was worth it.

 

[l8cruiser]

19 minutes ago, thanna said:

For us it is not about breaking even (although we always do), it just makes for a more relaxed cruise knowing what that cost will be. For a planner like me being able to prepay for one of our biggest expenses and knowing exactly how much it will be is worth the money even is we didn't break even. We debated about it when we took the cruise out of San Juan that had 6 port days, but in the end even on that cruise it was worth it.

 

Did you find yourself drinking more than you normally would , especially on port days trying to break even. 

[l8cruiser]

28 minutes ago, l8cruiser said:

Did you find yourself drinking more than you normally would , especially on port days trying to break even. 

 

[villagenut]

I have not regretted it.  On port days i may not make the 5-6 drinks to break even but i more than made up for those on sea days when i would have 10-12.  If you think the cost will be "close" then get it.  If you don't think you will be anywhere close, then don't. I have always taken the approach that even if i overpay by 50-100 bucks, its worth the ease of mind that i can have what i want, when i want it.

[JaniceB]

When I am cruising with my husband I don't regret it.  I am cruising with "the girls" and pretty sure I will be getting cheers, not sure if I will regret it.  

[ProgRockCruiser]

43 minutes ago, l8cruiser said:

Did you find yourself drinking more than you normally would , especially on port days trying to break even. 

 

I think I would drink less if I didn't have Cheers, because I would want to be more careful with my funds - but I would bet I would easily exceed the cost of Cheers even being careful.

 

Therefore, Cheers is worth it to me.

 

But I am not a light drinker.

 

If you struggle to down four or five drinks a day on a sea day, I would say Cheers is not for you.

[ray98]

Even on port days I am usually back on by 3....that leaves many hours in the day.

[crewsweeper]

Don't forget that Cheers includes specialty coffees and milkshakes frappes, etc.  Also remember, higher price point for wine at dinner, no more bottom shelf stuff for cocktails, no need to swill cheaper beer.  And no need to drink 15 alcoholic drinks a day.  Takes 5-6 to break even.  That's doable even on a port intensive cruise, but agree more sea days are better for Cheers buyers.

[l8cruiser]

Are you automatically given better alcohol if you are cheers or do you have to ask for it. 

[villagenut]

2 minutes ago, l8cruiser said:

Are you automatically given better alcohol if you are cheers or do you have to ask for it. 

You have to ask

[yaddayaddayadda]

I've never regretted it. Even on port days, I'm usually back on the ship mid-afternoon.  I'll have a cocktail as soon as I board or 2, then a few drinks before/during dinner, and a couple after.  I'll still get 7-8 drinks in.

[lennythenose]

I am a moderate drinker. DH might have 2-3 drinks all cruise and doesn’t drink coffee, sports drinks, etc. So obviously Cheers doesn’t work for us. BUT on a cruise last year we were booked in separate cabins for booking reasons. Since I was the only adult in my cabin I was able to purchase Cheers. I loved the freedom of it and did drink more than I would have without it just because I’m frugal by nature. I came just a little short it actually breaking even but didn’t drink just to get my moneys worth either. Just relaxed and had fun. If a similar situation ever comes up again I would definitely buy it even if I spend a little extra. Exactly where that line is obviously varies by each person. 

[bjd2]

We are both drinkers (mainly weekends) here at home. Pinching pennies and worrying about what we're spending isn't my idea of a carefree vacation. I will purchase it every time just to not worry about the bill at the end. I don't worry about whether we've broken even, but with the extras we have on sea days, even if there is a day that we have none (8 night cruises), I still think we break even. It's worth it to me to just not worry about it and enjoy what we want.

[chellencrette]

Does anyone know how much the specialty coffee and bottles of water run on the ship?  Factoring in the "extras" that aren't alcoholic it seems it may be worth it for us but still trying to decide.

[ray98]

7 minutes ago, bjd2 said:

Pinching pennies and worrying about what we're spending isn't my idea of a carefree vacation. I will purchase it every time just to not worry about the bill at the end.

 

Yup....it adds value to my vacation experience outside of the hard numbers.  I can try what I want when I want with no concern about budget.

[mapman_2004]

Maybe each person should have responded to this what their normal drinking habits are (weekdays vs weekends).  Whether they are with their kids or not.  One person above did admit they are already a heavy drinker, so that helped.

[mapman_2004]

And I just don't get people's response to they can now not worry about their budget.  huh?