Cheers, is it worth it?

[jerseyjjs]

If you're sailing out of NYC and have a stop at Half Moon Cay, I would have to say the Cheers Package is not worth it.

[Joebucks]

21 minutes ago, jerseyjjs said:

If you're sailing out of NYC and have a stop at Half Moon Cay, I would have to say the Cheers Package is not worth it.

 

As someone who is not for Cheers, I don't understand why these make it any different. Is it because a competitor has drink packages on their private island, so Carnival must or their whole package has no use? 

 

I get that it's a bummer to not be able to use it night 1 out of NYC. Is that enough to throw in the towel for an entire cruise?

[ProgRockCruiser]

22 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

 

As someone who is not for Cheers, I don't understand why these make it any different. Is it because a competitor has drink packages on their private island, so Carnival must or their whole package has no use? 

 

I get that it's a bummer to not be able to use it night 1 out of NYC. Is that enough to throw in the towel for an entire cruise?

I can only assume the poster spends a lot of time on HMC (where Cheers doesn't work) the day they are there, and drinks not as much on the ship to make up for the "loss" that day and other days, and if out of NYC, you have one less "drink a bunch at no extra cost" days.  If sailings out of NYC to HMC (and other ports, I presume) are 5 days or so, that could be a (personal) justification.

 

:shrug:

[1kaper]

26 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

 

As someone who is not for Cheers, I don't understand why these make it any different. Is it because a competitor has drink packages on their private island, so Carnival must or their whole package has no use? 

 

I get that it's a bummer to not be able to use it night 1 out of NYC. Is that enough to throw in the towel for an entire cruise?

it is frustrating to spend the money on Cheers, be required to use my S$S card on HMC to purchase a drink from Carnival but it is not included in Cheers. 
 

That said, I sailed from Galveston (same rule as New York) and had a stop at HMC, still worth it for us. 
 

Edited April 20, 2022 by 1kaper

[Thenagers]

3 minutes ago, 1kaper said:

Never sailed out of NYC or Galveston but agree that private islands were frustrating.  Did Royal last summer to CocoCay and it was nice to go to the swim up bar and get CocoLocos all day.  It was also interesting to not have to sign anything.  I did tip periodically but it is implied to tip on top of pre paid gratuities with Carnival.  My friend with the bubbles felt that way even for a soda.  I think I would skip the package with a heavy port schedule.  No way to make up the days/money on that kind of itinerary.  I did a 7 night with 4 ports(one of which HMC)  got the package but not worth it in the long run.  Would do is if a lot of sea days!

 

it is frustrating to spend the money on Cheers, be required to use my S$S card on HMC to purchase a drink from Carnival but it is not included in Cheers. 
 

That said, I sailed from Galveston (same rule as New York) and had a stop at HMC, still worth it for us. 
 

 

[jerseyjjs]

2 hours ago, Joebucks said:

 

As someone who is not for Cheers, I don't understand why these make it any different. Is it because a competitor has drink packages on their private island, so Carnival must or their whole package has no use? 

 

I get that it's a bummer to not be able to use it night 1 out of NYC. Is that enough to throw in the towel for an entire cruise?

 

 

     Well, for starters.....they're charging you for 7 or 8 days/nights, when in essence you're only going to use it for 5 or 6.   And it's an absolute cash grab since the private island is an extension of the ship as far as sales.

[ray98]

8 minutes ago, jerseyjjs said:

Well, for starters.....they're charging you for 7 or 8 days/nights, when in essence you're only going to use it for 5 or 6.   

 

How so?  We are always back on the ship by 3pm, usually earlier.  I could have enough alcoholic drinks to cover the cost for the day and still be in bed by 10pm if I wanted.

[1kaper]

13 minutes ago, ray98 said:

 

How so?  We are always back on the ship by 3pm, usually earlier.  I could have enough alcoholic drinks to cover the cost for the day and still be in bed by 10pm if I wanted.

Also they do not charge for the day out of New York or Texas that you can’t use it. 
 

[Joe817]

20 minutes ago, 1kaper said:

Also they do not charge for the day out of New York or Texas that you can’t use it. 
 

You are correct! 👍

[Joebucks]

16 hours ago, 1kaper said:

it is frustrating to spend the money on Cheers, be required to use my S$S card on HMC to purchase a drink from Carnival but it is not included in Cheers. 
 

That said, I sailed from Galveston (same rule as New York) and had a stop at HMC, still worth it for us. 
 

 

14 hours ago, jerseyjjs said:

 

 

     Well, for starters.....they're charging you for 7 or 8 days/nights, when in essence you're only going to use it for 5 or 6.   And it's an absolute cash grab since the private island is an extension of the ship as far as sales.

 

I still don't get it. If you were going to swap out any other port in place of HMC, you wouldn't be able to use Cheers anyway. There is no different outcome for Cheers other than the mental fear of missing out you've created because it uses Carnival systems on the island.

 

You're also not paying for Cheers on days you can't use it out of NYC. 

[sparks1093]

On 4/20/2022 at 12:01 AM, airvet said:

Hello, I will be going on my third cruise but I never purchased the Cheers package. I’m thinking about it for our next cruise but I just don’t know if it’s worth it. Any tips on how to maximize if I decide to purchase?

On our cruise in February we had our step-granddaughter along and I hesitated to buy Cheers since we wouldn't be drinking too much since we had to care for her, but finally decided to get it anyway. We had no problem with making it "worth it", which is about 6 mixed drinks per day. We'd start the day off with several specialty coffees (alcohol free) and then we would have a mixed drink of some sort every hour or so while on the ship. We may not have had 6 each on the day we visited HMC, but on average we did. So from now on we will budget for Cheers.

[1kaper]

2 hours ago, Joebucks said:

 

 

I still don't get it. If you were going to swap out any other port in place of HMC, you wouldn't be able to use Cheers anyway. There is no different outcome for Cheers other than the mental fear of missing out you've created because it uses Carnival systems on the island.

 

You're also not paying for Cheers on days you can't use it out of NYC. 

Not sure why I was quoted.  

I said I still felt it was worth it. 

I do disagree with Carnival's decision to not include Cheers on HMC as other lines do. If it was an island not owned and run by Carnival I would feel different.  But if Carnival is making me buy from them (no other options), at their inflated prices (not even a discount for having cheers), use my S&S card, they should at least let me use my Cheers package I'm paying for. Again, not enough to say it isn't worth it, but I don't like it. 

Going to another port at least allows me to buy drinks  at other venues, often for much cheaper than what Carnival costs.  

Edited April 21, 2022 by 1kaper

[sparks1093]

2 hours ago, Joebucks said:

 

 

I still don't get it. If you were going to swap out any other port in place of HMC, you wouldn't be able to use Cheers anyway. There is no different outcome for Cheers other than the mental fear of missing out you've created because it uses Carnival systems on the island.

 

You're also not paying for Cheers on days you can't use it out of NYC. 

It still rubs against the grain to be on the cruise line's private island, using your sail and sign to buy drinks and not be able to use Cheers. As I understand it this is because there is no connectivity between the island and the ship and the 15 day a drink limit on Cheers, but then there is a 15 day limit even without Cheers so I'm not sure this actually holds up that well as an argument for the practice. We still made it worth it but I could have done without spending $70 for the drinks on HMC.

[Dadofsix]

Is it worth it? As loaded a question as debating Inside Cabin/Oceanview/Balcony/Suite being worth it. 

 

From the $$$ standpoint it really depends on what and how much do you drink when on vacation. If you might have a couple drinks on the lido deck in the afternoon, maybe a cocktail at dinner, one in during the show in the theater and one at the comedy club the Cheers package could easily be worth it. Don't want to leave your chair to go back to the cabin and get that bottle of water you bought? Just ask the waiter to bring one and not have to spend your time walking back and forth. Feel like grabbing a soda same thing.  If you consider "heavy drinking" as one or two adult beverages a day then I would say it is NOT worth it.

 

Personally it is a convenience factor to buy the package. I can try drinks outside my comfort zone to see if I like them and not feel like i wasted money if I don't like them. I can grab bottles of water anywhere on the ship and not have to run back and forth to the cabin, same with even a soda. One of the biggest advantages personally is controlling my expenses without constantly having to check my account balance to stay within my budget. That piece of mind of not worrying about what I am spending at every turn is PRICELESS when I am trying to disconnect from the REAL WORLD. 

[crewsweeper]

On 4/20/2022 at 10:45 AM, Elaine5715 said:

Go to this page and answer the questions...

https://cruisespotlight.com/drink-package-calculator/

This is what you or anyone else deciding on CHEERS need to do.  OP has had 3 cruises so has an idea of how much the 2 adults in a cabin drink.  And can simply upgrade and include shakes and specialty coffees and sodas, if desired.

One rule of thumb is if your current/past drinking habits are within 80% of the cost of CHEERS, it's worth it.

[Retiredmedic]

On 4/20/2022 at 12:01 AM, n6uqqq said:

At age 35 I would say yes, But I am 55 now so I say no. My days of drinking 10 a day or even 5 or 6 on a consistent basis are in the rearview mirror! Father time has won 🤣

Few years older than you, while it does take longer to recover as you get older, I can still put down 8-10 alcoholic beverages on a cruise. Oddly I rarely drink at home though.

[Retiredmedic]

Worth it for me and girlfriend, she starts her day with two coffees from the shop, second loaded, energy drink for me, couple soda's for me, a few drinks on the lido catching sun, several Cuba Ice Tea's in the Havana bar, after dinner drinks. 

[Elaine5715]

3 minutes ago, Retiredmedic said:

Few years older than you, while it does take longer to recover as you get older, I can still put down 8-10 alcoholic beverages on a cruise. Oddly I rarely drink at home though.

I can pour a glass of wine or open a beer at home but I will be darned to make a tasty mojito at home. 

[SDPadreFan]

Another way to add value to the CHEERS program is to pay for it with discounted Carnival Gift Cards. I had recently bought $2500 in Carnival Gift Cards thru AARP (anyone can be a member by the way). So you can currently buy (5) $500 gift cards per month at a 10 percent discount from AARP (total cost was $2250 for $2500 value). I used 3 of those $500 gift cards (have a little cash left on one of them) to pay for CHEERS for next years 12 night Baltic Sea Cruise in July 2023. Total cost for the CHEERS package over the 12 nights was $1471.24 (including the 18% gratuities) Since those cards cost me $450 each. My approximate actual net cost for CHEERS was $55.05 per person per day. Normal cost including the automatic 18% gratuity is $61.30 per person per day. My total savings using this method was @ $150 over the duration of the 12 nights. Carnival's web site gives you the option to pay with Carnival Gift Cards when pre-booking the CHEERS package.

 

One other thing to note. When buying the gift cards, the transaction category code AARP uses against your credit card is shown as "charitable organization" (NOT TRAVEL). My Costco CitiBank VISA offers 4% cash back for travel related purchases but that doesn't work in this case because AARP doesn't code the purchase as travel related. So use your best reward card to get additional cash back. In my case - that means my Chase Double Cash Mastercard that pays out 2% cash back on anything. REMEMBER - AARP WILL NOT code this transaction as travel related.

[n6uqqq]

8 hours ago, SDPadreFan said:

Another way to add value to the CHEERS program is to pay for it with discounted Carnival Gift Cards. I had recently bought $2500 in Carnival Gift Cards thru AARP (anyone can be a member by the way). So you can currently buy (5) $500 gift cards per month at a 10 percent discount from AARP (total cost was $2250 for $2500 value). I used 3 of those $500 gift cards (have a little cash left on one of them) to pay for CHEERS for next years 12 night Baltic Sea Cruise in July 2023. Total cost for the CHEERS package over the 12 nights was $1471.24 (including the 18% gratuities) Since those cards cost me $450 each. My approximate actual net cost for CHEERS was $55.05 per person per day. Normal cost including the automatic 18% gratuity is $61.30 per person per day. My total savings using this method was @ $150 over the duration of the 12 nights. Carnival's web site gives you the option to pay with Carnival Gift Cards when pre-booking the CHEERS package.

 

One other thing to note. When buying the gift cards, the transaction category code AARP uses against your credit card is shown as "charitable organization" (NOT TRAVEL). My Costco CitiBank VISA offers 4% cash back for travel related purchases but that doesn't work in this case because AARP doesn't code the purchase as travel related. So use your best reward card to get additional cash back. In my case - that means my Chase Double Cash Mastercard that pays out 2% cash back on anything. REMEMBER - AARP WILL NOT code this transaction as travel related.

If you have BofA Cash rewards Visa you can choose online purchases for their 3% category and you get and additional amount for being a BofA customer which brings the percent to 3.3 So I buy AARP or Allstate cards with this card and I get the 10 percent off the gift card plus the 3.3 bringing the savings haul to 13.3 percent. The limit for this though is $2500 per quarter.

[n6uqqq]

20 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

It still rubs against the grain to be on the cruise line's private island, using your sail and sign to buy drinks and not be able to use Cheers. As I understand it this is because there is no connectivity between the island and the ship and the 15 day a drink limit on Cheers, but then there is a 15 day limit even without Cheers so I'm not sure this actually holds up that well as an argument for the practice. We still made it worth it but I could have done without spending $70 for the drinks on HMC.

If I had cheers and was going to HMC I would fill my 40 ounce double insulated metal bottle with Long Island ice teas prior to getting off the ship. There's more than one way to skin a cat! I am going to HMC next Feb but my cousin has booked The Oasis cabana which includes all you can drink. 

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, n6uqqq said:

If I had cheers and was going to HMC I would fill my 40 ounce double insulated metal bottle with Long Island ice teas prior to getting off the ship. There's more than one way to skin a cat! I am going to HMC next Feb but my cousin has booked The Oasis cabana which includes all you can drink. 

Now that is an idea right there (or even get some beer ahead of time and stock up).

[mdin]

On our 8 day cruise last month, my wife and I did not buy the drink package but decided to get a drink anytime we wanted, not hold back. It was our way to see if the drink package would be worth it to us in the future. We averaged 5-6 drinks each on sea days, however only 2-4 drinks on board on port days. The end result was we saved $150 by not buying the drink package.

[1kaper]

1 hour ago, n6uqqq said:

If I had cheers and was going to HMC I would fill my 40 ounce double insulated metal bottle with Long Island ice teas prior to getting off the ship. There's more than one way to skin a cat! I am going to HMC next Feb but my cousin has booked The Oasis cabana which includes all you can drink. 

 

Something we considered far too late.  I had the perfect container for it, that I didn't take on the cruise. 
Also, we were being served beers that were still closed (I noticed that on days we were in port they'd make sure to open them, but at other times we would get them still closed).  We ended up buying the cooler bag on HMC with 6 beer in it.  Next time I would take that and fill it with my own as well.  

Side note - we were super impressed with the Carnival cooler bag.  it did keep the ice for a long time and it was hot. 

 

[MisterOJ2]

6 minutes ago, mdin said:

On our 8 day cruise last month, my wife and I did not buy the drink package but decided to get a drink anytime we wanted, not hold back. It was our way to see if the drink package would be worth it to us in the future. We averaged 5-6 drinks each on sea days, however only 2-4 drinks on board on port days. The end result was we saved $150 by not buying the drink package.

 

My wife are going to do this on our next cruise and I suspect we will see similar results. On the last couple cruises, when we had Cheers, we'd find ourselves ordering drinks (and usually finishing them) when we didn't even really want one. We just did it because we could/it was included. And that struck me as not great.