Drink package

[SNJCruisers]

3 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I read on here all the time people do that or go to cherry on top and buy gift certificates.  I never would, I spend it, but some post here they take it in cash all the time. Seems cheap to me, but I like to shop.

There  is a certain percentage of Carnival cruisers that are the cheapest of the cheap and only think of themselves.  That's why customer service is so jammed on the last sea day with hundreds of cheapskates lined up to remove their gratuities. 

The gift card purchase would at least assure that the monies would be allocated towards a future cruise.

[bury me at sea]

10 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

There  is a certain percentage of Carnival cruisers that are the cheapest of the cheap and only think of themselves.  That's why customer service is so jammed on the last sea day with hundreds of cheapskates lined up to remove their gratuities. 

The gift card purchase would at least assure that the monies would be allocated towards a future cruise.

 

I have always prepaid grats except for the upcoming cruise with 600. OBC.   If it sails I'll pay the grats from the 600. OBC.

 

I spend very little while on board and fail to see why I should feel obligated to spend the difference with Carnival.

 

I didn't cancel the cruise that generated the 600. OBC. Rather, highly anticipated plans were cancelled at not insignificant inconvenience to me.  I am having a hard time understanding why you think I somehow owe the OBC back to Carnival.

[Barsnikel]

I just got an RU2 offer, and had my PVP apply it to our 8 day cruise in December

 

We are not big drinkers, but on an 8 day cruise we certainly would have water, an Irish coffee and a glass of wine each day.

 

The cost was an additional $125/ person, which averages out to about $ 15 day... and since the Cheers offer includes sodas, specialty coffees, and bottled water,  I figure we will at least break even.  Maybe we'll even get a bottle of wine instead of just a glass 🙂

 

[SNJCruisers]

1 hour ago, bury me at sea said:

I am having a hard time understanding why you think I somehow owe the OBC back to Carnival.

That what OBC stands for.  On Board Credit.  It is to be spent on board on supplemental spending.  Food, drink, the spa, excursions, duty free shopping, etc.

If you're just going to cash it out at the casino, that is almost as bad as those that line up to remove grats on the last sea day.  Instead of sticking it to those who served you on your vacation, you're  sticking it to the company that bequeathed the OBC to you to spend on board.

Once again, we would not be having this discussion if the marketing geniuses at Carnival just gave 125% in FCC credit, that way there would be no loophole to take advantage of.

[d9704011]

3 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

you're  sticking it to the company that bequeathed the OBC to you to spend on board.

Hilarious!

[bury me at sea]

48 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

... Instead of sticking it to those who served you on your vacation, you're  sticking it to the company that bequeathed the OBC to you to spend on board.

 

 

Carnival did not bequeath the OBC.  They offered it as an incentive to rebook a cancelled cruise.

[SNJCruisers]

11 minutes ago, bury me at sea said:

 

Carnival did not bequeath the OBC.  They offered it as an incentive to rebook a cancelled cruise.

Once again, to be used to spend on board,  not cash out at the casino.  It's  free money to cover on board expenses,  not to be put back in your wallet to reduce the price of your cruise by 600.  

It was a miscalculation by the marketing geniuses at Carnival.   They should have just kept it simple and gave 125% in FCC like their competitors. 

[bury me at sea]

25 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

Once again, to be used to spend on board,  not cash out at the casino.  It's  free money to cover on board expenses,  not to be put back in your wallet to reduce the price of your cruise by 600.  

It was a miscalculation by the marketing geniuses at Carnival.   They should have just kept it simple and gave 125% in FCC like their competitors. 

 

Your opinion is duly noted.  Happy Sailing.

Edited January 8, 2021 by bury me at sea

[SNJCruisers]

42 minutes ago, bury me at sea said:

 

Your opinion is duly noted.  Happy Sailing.

BMAS....their is no opinion as to what OBC is.  It's the abbreviation for On Board Credit.  

[hurricane0226]

Should be able to use it anyway you want, I use mine in the casino

[SNJCruisers]

5 minutes ago, hurricane0226 said:

Should be able to use it anyway you want, I use mine in the casino

By gambling...or cashing out.

[d12j28]

9 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

By gambling...or cashing out.

If they cash out, they cash out. I'm sure Carnival is aware of how many would likely try and do that. I'm guessing most are going to spend it on Cheers, Specialty dining, pictures, shopping and the casino. 

[drsel]

12 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

By gambling...or cashing out.

On Celebrity, the OBC can be used in the casino only as promo cash, which is not encashable.

you have to spend it and lose it.

Only the winnings are encashable.

[drsel]

19 hours ago, Barsnikel said:

I just got an RU2 offer, and had my PVP apply it to our 8 day cruise in December

 

We are not big drinkers, but on an 8 day cruise we certainly would have water, an Irish coffee and a glass of wine each day.

 

The cost was an additional $125/ person, which averages out to about $ 15 day... and since the Cheers offer includes sodas, specialty coffees, and bottled water,  I figure we will at least break even.  Maybe we'll even get a bottle of wine instead of just a glass 🙂

 

if both of you together could consume 80 drinks in 8 days, it would be very good value.

Edited January 8, 2021 by drsel

[drsel]

I have seen Carnival Cruisers with the drink package stay on board at each and every port to maximize the value of their drink package, by sipping a variety of cocktails at the poolside whole day.

 

on one Cruise,  I met a couple who said that between them they consume 20 cans of beer everyday.

While a staff member told me that the crew have to pay only 50 cents for a can of beer

Edited January 8, 2021 by drsel

[Barsnikel]

1 hour ago, drsel said:

if both of you together could consume 80 drinks in 8 days, it would be very good value.

 

hmmm.. not sure where you're coming up with 80 drinks in 8 days...

 

For the sake of discussion, let's say alcoholic drinks average out to $10 each..  at $125 Cheers price, we would each need to drink about 12 drinks over the 8 day cruise, or about 2 drinks per day to break even.

 

If we got a bottle of wine at dinner for each night, even without individual drinks, we would easily recover our $125 cheers cost.

[drsel]

4 minutes ago, Barsnikel said:

 

hmmm.. not sure where you're coming up with 80 drinks in 8 days...

I was referring to Carnival's overall expense on alcoholic drinks ( compared to their income of $250 ) in my calculations.

Edited January 8, 2021 by drsel

[firefly333]

1 hour ago, drsel said:

I have seen Carnival Cruisers with the drink package stay on board at each and every port to maximize the value of their drink package, by sipping a variety of cocktails at the poolside whole day.

 

on one Cruise,  I met a couple who said that between them they consume 20 cans of beer everyday.

While a staff member told me that the crew have to pay only 50 cents for a can of beer

If you love a good drink thread, someone posted a paper from quantum ots which is going out of Singapore lmao. Started thread 5 hours ago, it already hit 9 pages. People posting so fast and some furiously it was hard to figure out what loyalty level the paper was from.

 

Right now diamond and up on rcl get 3 free drinks during happy hour or unlimited in the overcrowded diamond lounge. Apparently on quantum now, instead of 3 during happy hour, diamond (75 pts) gets 4 drinks (up to $12, pay difference on higher), diamond plus (175 pts) gets 5, pinnacle gets 6, any bar, any time during the day. 

 

If you drank 10 or more a day I think you are incensed, some are liking free drinks daily any time.

 

No one knows if rcl will do this out of usa, but you can just imagine the errrrrr lively thread. 

 

For anyone wondering how rcl might solve the problem of double pts leading to more diamonds in the already crowded diamond lounge. Hahahahaha. Well of course most go there to talk to like minded cruisers, not to drink as much as possible for 3.5 hours.

[SNJCruisers]

1 hour ago, Barsnikel said:

 

If we got a bottle of wine at dinner for each night, even without individual drinks, we would easily recover our $125 cheers cost.

Bottles of wine are not included with Cheers, only glasses with a dollar amount up to 20.00.

[Jamman54]

24 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

Bottles of wine are not included with Cheers, only glasses with a dollar amount up to 20.00.

With Cheers you get 25% off any bottle of wine or champagne. 😎

[ProgRockCruiser]

29 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

Bottles of wine are not included with Cheers, only glasses with a dollar amount up to 20.00.

Fortunately, the wine ends up in the wine glasses anyway, so you should simply have no qualms about ordering three glasses each - easily the equivalent of a bottle!

 

We ordered a bottle of wine in the Steakhouse to get an extra-special bottle, because it was half-off (first night of cruise).  Otherwise we just drink by the glass.  (And the glass, and the glass, and the glass...)

[SNJCruisers]

2 minutes ago, Jamman54 said:

With Cheers you get 25% off any bottle of wine or champagne. 😎

Knew that already since I have first hand Cheers experience on 4 different cruises, but I inferred that Barsnickel assumed that bottles were included.  Otherwise,  they would have to buy 80 dollar bottles of wine for 7 dinners to "easily cover the 125 Cheers cost", with the 25% discount.

 

[SNJCruisers]

13 minutes ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

Otherwise we just drink by the glass.  (And the glass, and the glass, and the glass...)

Even though we're not wine drinkers,  your method would make the most sense.  I can't see someone spending extra on a high end bottle just to get a 25% discount that Cheers provides. If someone wants to save, they can do what you did and go to the Steakhouse the first night and then go and buy another 6 bottles at the 50% off rate that they can drink each of the subsequent nights.  Read about a wine drinking couple that liked to imbibe in the higher end stuff and that is what they did.  Their name got placed on the six bottles and was delivered to wherever they had their dinner on a given night.

Edited January 8, 2021 by SNJCruisers

[mom2tcdx2]

We booked a cruise Wednesday with the Cheers on Us included.  I had a cancelled cruise still out that I hadn't rebooked yet.  The cheers included was another $400 more than without it, we tend to buy it anyway.  So for us the $400 is better than the $935 or so it would have cost us to buy it outright.  Though I am one that doesn't really spend much onboard besides the drinks, so the extra $600 as well we will use to pay our gratuity and then not really sure what else.  

 

Personally we haven't really had great experiences in the steakhouse to really opt to spend it there and the ship we are one really doesn't have much else, except for I think the Bonsai Sushi.  We too had considered using the extra to play in the casino a bit just because we would have it.  

[Jamman54]

34 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

Knew that already since I have first hand Cheers experience on 4 different cruises, but I inferred that Barsnickel assumed that bottles were included.  Otherwise,  they would have to buy 80 dollar bottles of wine for 7 dinners to "easily cover the 125 Cheers cost", with the 25% discount.

 

I'm sure you are,  just wanted to point out to those that aren't Cheers knowledgeable that bottles can be bought at a reduced price with Cheers