Cheers Program help needed!!

[Tammyj0927]

My hubby and I have decided (really more my hubby) to purchase the Cheers program this cruise.  I am a red wine drinker with dinner and am looking forward to trying some of the more expensive options than I would normally order.  I also will dabble at some mixed drinks here and there but not really sure what to order.  I've also heard to request top shelf alcohol as that offsets the price paid for the better quality drink.  Your advice will prove to be invaluable to this novice!

[chipperberg]

I love the ting mojito. My favorite.  the best part of cheers, you can dabble and try and if you don't like it, don't drink it.  Honestly, I love cheers for this reason.  And go to the alchemy bar and try some new things.  Patron Margarita, another favorite.

[yaddayaddayadda]

"more expensive options" in Carnival's case at the MDR is standard wines that they charge a lot for. For example, a glass of layer cake is about $12.  

 

The beauty of Cheers is you can experiment with drinks...if you get one you don't like, you don't have to drink it.

 

Everyone has their favorite mixed drinks, mine is the Cruiser as well as just about anything from the Alchemy bar.

[Cruiser_1977]

Alcohol, like food, is subjective. I am also a red wine drinker, love champagne and good bourbon. Try a Bellini (schnapps and champagne). I also like a good old fashioned. I am not big on the sugary drinks. However, a Miami Vice or Daiquiri by the pool can be quite quenching!

Edited March 19, 2019 by JennyB1977

[mdsgu]

I'm a Cheers! fan.  Alchemy is a great little bar that seems to be almost never crowded (maybe because the drinks are a bit more expensive -- but still covered by Cheers).  Remember, too, that they recently lowered the dollar limit from $50 to $20 per drink, but I don't recall any drinks over $20.  There is also a limit on alcoholic drinks in a day, defined by Carnival as 6am to 6am; you can only get 15.  Most bartenders are pretty good at telling you when you are close to that limit.  If you need more, you can revert to paying for each drink when you are at 14 on Cheers, but once you hit #15, you are cut off until 6am.  You cannot even buy another drink.  Note that waters, sodas, and nonalcoholic drinks do NOT count toward your limit of 15.

[Animal Farm]

Try the Cucumber Sunrise at the Alchemy bar. It's not too sweet. You can also tell them what you like - ie. Key Lime Pie and they'll make something up that tastes like it. It was delicious! 

[splintz]

we usually get cheers and my wife likes to drink wine especially red wine.  wine by the glass at the bars is pretty much the same you might have only 2 red wine selections. the  dinning room has a better wine list and should offer more choices by the glass.  my wife often goes to the steak house and gets wine at the bar and takes it back to whatever bar i'm at.  the steak house house the best wine list and the most wine by the glass selections.  most people don't know about the bar at the steak house or don't think you can go to it unless you are dining at the steak house. 

Edited March 19, 2019 by splintz

[Bookbug53]

Don't forget that Cheers will get you that cappucino after dinner and that Irish coffee in the morning. Non-alcoholic when you want the enjoyment without the buzz. Bottled water from the bar when feeling thirsty. And all the soft drinks you want. Milk shakes for the kid in you. Vitamin waters and energy drinks when needed (or wanted). And when the evening winds down head to Alchemy for a Deal Closer or any bar for a Tiramisu martini. Both need a love of chocolate.....................

[PhillyFan33579]

53 minutes ago, mdsgu said:

If you need more, you can revert to paying for each drink when you are at 14 on Cheers, but once you hit #15, you are cut off until 6am.  You cannot even buy another drink.  Note that waters, sodas, and nonalcoholic drinks do NOT count toward your limit of 15.

 

The bartenders are not allowed to do what you mentioned about selling drinks once you hit 14, although some will do it.  When I was on Magic last year a bartender was fired for doing that. She was already off the ship when I asked where she was the next night. Of course she had the bad luck of doing it when the bar manager was in the area and saw her do it. I have been told by several bartenders that Carnival management is paying much closer attention to that these days. I don’t understand the reasoning behind it, but it’s their cruiseline, not mine. 

[Tammyj0927]

17 minutes ago, splintz said:

we usually get cheers and my wife likes to drink wine especially red wine.  wine by the glass at the bars is pretty much the same you might have only 2 red wine selections. the  dinning room has a better wine list and should offer more choices by the glass.  my wife often goes to the steak house and gets wine at the bar and takes it back to whatever bar i'm at.  the steak house house the best wine list and the most wine by the glass selections.  most people don't know about the bar at the steak house or don't think you can go to it unless you are dining at the steak house. 

Great tip!!!  I will have to do this!

[Cruiser_1977]

6 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

The bartenders are not allowed to do what you mentioned about selling drinks once you hit 14, although some will do it.  When I was on Magic last year a bartender was fired for doing that. She was already off the ship when I asked where she was the next night. Of course she had the bad luck of doing it when the bar manager was in the area and saw her do it. I have been told by several bartenders that Carnival management is paying much closer attention to that these days. I don’t understand the reasoning behind it, but it’s their cruiseline, not mine. 

That's terrible and not the experience I had on the Fantasy in January. Most of the people I met and drank with were 1) sharing Cheers! 2) allowed to put drinks on their account before hitting 15. 

 

I will say we were in our late 30s to early 40s (with a few 60 year olds for good measure ) All were not visibly drunk or acting like morons. They just started at breakfast and happily drank until the bars shooed us away (one night 3am).

Edited March 19, 2019 by JennyB1977

[ray98]

2 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

I don’t understand the reasoning behind it, but it’s their cruiseline, not mine. 

.....because they have an interest in minimizing their liability for over serving.   Allowing employees to violate an established policy isn't good practice.

[beerman2]

Cheers is a great opportunity to try/experiment new drinks. The Deal Closer at Achlemy Bar is a chocolate lovers delight as well as Tiramisu Martini.

 

Have that Mimosa / Bloody Mary / Bailey's and Coffee to start the day.

 

Don't let the port days cloud the picture, you are still ON the ship a good 8 hours a day.

 

Takes 5-6 mixed drinks to break even, plus you can have all the non alcoholic drinks you like.

 

Drinking  a higher end brand of liquor helps also. 

[Lizc7gb]

 Alchemy Bar!  

My favorite drink is the pineapple chipotle martini.  I tried making it at home but failed!!  46 more days until I can get one with my cheers package.  😁

[schazzy]

I agree with the others about the Alchemy bar, I know I plan to actually try a few more differant drinks there this time around.

 

I'm not much of a wine connoisseur, and the only red I like is Shiraz, so I don't know if I can be of much help there, but I can say the Australian Shiraz I had one night in the MDR was good.

[Joebucks]

Only you will know what you will like by looking at the menu. If you're going to do Cheers, try a few new things as well. Be adventurous!

 

The best ways to get the most expensive drinks is Alchemy like everyone said and the Steakhouse bar. They have some top-shelf items there.

[PhillyFan33579]

5 hours ago, ray98 said:

.....because they have an interest in minimizing their liability for over serving.   Allowing employees to violate an established policy isn't good practice.

 

Which would make sense except for the fact that passengers without Cheers do not have a hard predetermined limit when it comes to the number of drinks they can purchase. . 

[tonit964]

5 hours ago, ray98 said:

.....because they have an interest in minimizing their liability for over serving.   Allowing employees to violate an established policy isn't good practice.

No, it's all about the $$$$.

[ProgRockCruiser]

9 hours ago, tonit964 said:

No, it's all about the $$$$.

 

Well, that doesn't make much sense either - why cut someone off if you can extract another $10/drink out of them?

 

16 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

The bartenders are not allowed to do what you mentioned about selling drinks once you hit 14, although some will do it.  When I was on Magic last year a bartender was fired for doing that. 

 

Every time I have gotten to 14, the bartender has alerted me to that current state of affairs, and mentioned that, if I wish, I could buy additional drinks if I wanted to keep going, reserving the last "free" one at the end.  I always turned them down, because at 14, I was pretty well done for the day anyway - that last drink was my night cap to sip on the way back to the cabin and on the balcony.

 

Maybe that bartender was not being very discreet about it.  My bartenders just stated the facts.

[ray98]

9 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

Which would make sense except for the fact that passengers without Cheers do not have a hard predetermined limit when it comes to the number of drinks they can purchase. . 

 

 

Correct.  However those making individual purchases may be buying for others so there is no way to limit what they buy, you just have to rely on your bartenders to recognize and not over serve.  Those on a drink program are consuming the drinks themselves.  At the end of the day an 'unlimited' program is more apt to have problems arise.

[ray98]

9 hours ago, tonit964 said:

No, it's all about the $$$$.

 

No....if it was about the $$$$ they would limit the Cheers program to 15 drinks and then allow individual purchases from that point.  They do not do that, it is a hard limit.

[schazzy]

10 hours ago, Joebucks said:

If you're going to do Cheers, try a few new things as well. Be adventurous!

 

This! Since you've already paid for them, try them all!

[haply]

Does water, soda, etc. count towards the 15-drink limit?  Thanks

 

 

 

[mamiamjo]

10 minutes ago, haply said:

Does water, soda, etc. count towards the 15-drink limit?  Thanks

 

 

 

No, the 15 limit only includes drinks with alcohol, water and soda are unlimited 

[tonit964]

2 hours ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

 

Well, that doesn't make much sense either - why cut someone off if you can extract another $10/drink out of them?

 

 

Every time I have gotten to 14, the bartender has alerted me to that current state of affairs, and mentioned that, if I wish, I could buy additional drinks if I wanted to keep going, reserving the last "free" one at the end.  I always turned them down, because at 14, I was pretty well done for the day anyway - that last drink was my night cap to sip on the way back to the cabin and on the balcony.

 

Maybe that bartender was not being very discreet about it.  My bartenders just stated the facts.

 

2 hours ago, ray98 said:

 

No....if it was about the $$$$ they would limit the Cheers program to 15 drinks and then allow individual purchases from that point.  They do not do that, it is a hard limit.

Most people that get Cheers do not hit the 15 drink limit, if they did, they would have scrapped it. Those that do hit the 15 and want to buy additional drinks are probably suspected of sharing so they're cut off. I think they are watched closely.

 

Those that don't get Cheers can buy as many drinks as they want unless they are falling off the barstool.

 

It's always about the money.