• Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
    • My Daily Blog List
  • FOOD
    • Breakfast Recipes
    • Lunch Recipes
    • Dinner Recipes
    • Cocktail Recipes and Experiences
    • Appetizers Recipes
    • Dips
    • Salad Recipes
    • Soup Recipes
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Cookie Recipes
    • As seen on Facebook
    • Vegan Recipes
  • FASHION & BEAUTY
    • Fashion with A Labour of LIfe
      • A Labour of Fashion
      • Men’s Fashion
    • BEAUTY & Health
  • CATs,CRAFTS & LIFE
    • Crafts by A Labour of LIfe
    • Decor at A Labour of Life
      • Wreath DIY’s with A Labour of LIfe
    • Tablescapes
      • Fun Napkin Folds to try
    • Product Reviews
    • CATS
    • dogs
  • HOLIDAYS & EVENTS
    • HOLIDAYS with A Labour of Life
      • Valentine’s Day with A Labour of Life
      • st Patrick’s Day
      • Easter at A Labour of Life
      • Thanksgiving with A Labour of Life
      • Halloween with A Labour of Life
      • Christmas at A Labour of Life
      • Superbowl Celebrations
    • Parties Planned by A Labour of Life
    • Events I have Attended
      • Sports Events and Games
      • Music Events
  • travel of A Labour of Life
    • Canada
      • ONTARIO Travel
    • USA Travel
      • Harry Potter Experiences
    • Cruise Advice
    • Mexico Travel
    • Caribbean Travel
  • Contact A Labour of Life
    • About
    • PR Info from A Labour of Life
    • Privacy Policy

A Labour of Life

A Boomers View of Food, Fashion and Fun

Home » Cruise Advice » Carnival CHEERS Drink Program

Carnival CHEERS Drink Program

02/11/20 | Cocktail Recipes and Experiences, Cruise Advice, travel of A Labour of Life

Sharing is caring!

418 shares
  • Share215
  • Tweet
  • Yummly
  • Mix.com
carnival cheers package copy
carnival cheers package copy

I use to debate cruising vs all inclusive vacations, and then I went on a cruise. Prior to our first cruise I did a lot of research on the Carnival CHEERS Drink Package.  Research was necessary because I really wanted to understand the pro’s and con’s of the CHEERS Drink Program.

Updated Feb 11, 2020 to include new rules and new prices.


cheers drink package display

Carnival CHEERS Drink Program

We spent years going on all inclusive vacations so I was a tad worried about heading on a cruise and paying for drinks.  Kent and I do like to indulge a bit while vacationing.  Luckily Carnival (and many other cruise lines) implemented a CHEERS Drink program.  Plus every year the program just keeps getting better and better.

Kent and I opted into the program before we even hit Miami ( paid in advance) and did not regret it at all. Before leaving port we decided to try and monitor the alcohol closely so that we could provide a true evaluation.  Tipping with each drink allowed us to know exactly how much we had been drinking each day.

How does the CHEERS Package Work

CHEERS! is an all-inclusive beverage program that allows guests to enjoy a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages by paying a flat daily rate. Guests must be 21 or older to purchase CHEERS! and each adult assigned to the same stateroom must purchase the program. 

Special bonus, as I said the program gets better every year. they have enhanced the CHEERS Drink program to include a greater variety of non-alcoholic beverages, as well as a wider selection of high quality brand-name spirits and wines by the glass.

  • The cost to pre-purchase CHEERS! prior to your cruise is $54.95 USD per person/day for short cruises and 51.95 a day for longer cruises, plus 18% gratuity. As a bonus if you purchase in advance you can save 10%.
  • CHEERS! can be purchased online at www.carnival.com/Funshops or by contacting ‘The Fun Shops’ Department . Cut-off for pre-purchase is at 10:00pm ET, the evening prior to the cruise departure.
  • Once on board your ship, you can sign up for CHEERS! at a bar location and the cost is $56.95 USD per person (or 59.95 for 3/4 day cruises.
  •   drinking on Carnival

What is included in CHEERS

Non-bottled water, lemonade, unsweetened iced tea, hot chocolate and non-specialty coffee and tea are all free on your cruise. But you will need CHEERS Drink Program if you wish to have:

  • All spirits, including cocktails, cognacs, whiskies and other spirits, as well as beer and wine (and Champagne) by the glass, with a $20 USD or lower menu price per serving ( it use to be restricted to $10.00 usd)
  • Zero-Proof frozen cocktails (including smoothies), sodas (including specialty sodas) and juices
  • Specialty coffees and hot tea served in the main dining rooms, specialty restaurants and coffee bars (use to be not included)
  • Milkshakes, where applicable
  • RockStar energy drinks, Powerade, Vitamin Water, Coconut Water and Honest Tea
  • 500ml bottled water and other non-alcoholic bottled beverages served in bars and lounges
  • Large format (1 liter and 1.5-liter) bottles of water in the main dining rooms and specialty restaurants (new)
  • A 25 percent discount off the menu price for any spirit, cocktail or wine by the glass, costing above $20 USD per serving
  • A discount of 25% off the menu price for wine and champagne by the bottle and larger format water bottles purchased outside the main dining rooms or specialty restaurants
  • and a 25 percent discount off beverage seminars and classesgreen drinks on carnival

 Carnival Cruise Drink Costs

Fifteen drinks limit? Even when the program was restricted to 10.00 per drink I believe it was worth it.  Now even if you are not a “spirit and wine” person is it worth it?  At $6.00-7.95 per beer you would need to drink maybe 9 beer per day.  Can you do that? If you like wine, well after 8 glasses you are even. Actually with wine, order the 14.00 glass and you only need 4-5  drinks to be ahead.

Let’s examine our normal day on a cruise.  Even if you only have a few drinks poolside, then maybe a pre-dinner cocktail, a glass of wine with dinner and then a few drinks at the Casino or a show you have made it worthwhile.

A margarita will cost you $8.95 or maybe a pina colada for the slightly lower price of $8.25. Let’s try hard liquor ranging from $6.95 to $20.00.  Have I convinced you yet?

Of note buckets of beer are not covered, so don’t start sitting poolside and order buckets for the pals.

Pro’s of CHEERS Drink Package

  1. One solid price that can be pre-purchased before leaving
  2. all liquor is included now even high end spirits
  3. $20.00 per drink means you do not need to purchase bottles of wine, enjoy high end wines all night
  4. 15 drinks is pretty close to All-Inclusive
  5. No additional fees and expenses popping up on your bill at the end of the cruise

Con’s of CHEERS Drink Package

1) everyone in the Cabin over 21 must purchase

2) only 15 drinks, but actually Carnival’s rule is 15 drinks maximum even if you are not on the CHEERS drink program so is this really a con?

3) not included drinks served in the souvenir glasses or served through room service are not included, nor are bottles of liquor. And those buckets of beers you see groups ordering on the lido deck? Those are out, too.

4) No buying rounds or drinks for your buddies.  You are restricted to one drink per person and I believe the time limit is 5 minutes. This was a bit of a pain on our first cruise because they would not let Kent go get each of us a drink at the bar if I wasn’t there.  Subsequent cruises once they knew us and as long as he had my card all was good.

cheers from Carnival

My Evaluation of CHEERS Drink Program

Honestly the con’s are not even con’s.  Purchasing the CHEERS drink package was the smartest option.  If you both like to drink even moderately this is well worth the price.  However, if one of you does not drink then I would not recommend the purchase.

The only change or recommendation I would make to Carnival about the current program is an exception to the Cabin rule in special circumstances.In the event that one of the Cabin mates is pregnant or a card carrying AA member they should be excluded from purchasing.  Just one small little item I would change.

Other than that, purchase the program and enjoy your cruise worry free,

drinks on the Carnival

fun cocktails

 

 

 

Carnival Cruise Tips and Tricks

For more on Carnival Cruise travel, check out Serenity, The Burger Bar and a Trip around Deck.  I mean cruising is the way to go baby.  Worried about what to take with you now that you have the drinks taken care of? Maybe a few tips and tricks to help you reduce luggage size and mayke the cabin comfortable? I have discovered the secret to productive packing and I don’t mind sharing.

 

 

 

You may also love

  • Carnival Life

    Quick update, cruise life is my life.  I am loving the cruise. Wait for the All inclusive life vs Cruise life review comparison when I…

  • Serenity Oasis, The Adult Area on Carnival Ships

    Somebody at Carnival knows just what you need, and it's pretty much exactly the Serenity  Oasis Adult-Only Retreat. Look, you'll still be on the same…

  • drinks on the Carnival

Comments | Be the first!

« Yellow Floral Target
Valentines Decor for the Mantle »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

logo
Food Advertisements by

Hello World

linda from a labour of life

Hey! It is nice to meet you!

ABOUT MOI

A Labour of Life is my view of the world from a Boomer’s perspective. Life begins at 50, a time where travel, food, wine and fashion merge together guilt free.
winner graphic
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
logo
Food Advertisements by

Never miss a post

Search by Category

Archives

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Never miss a post

Popular Reads

Christmas Ornament Cocktail Glass

Cranberry Margarita for the Holidays

Halloween Cocktails- The Blood Sucker

Easy Brownie Cheesecake Pie (5 Ingredient)

Skor Bar Squares

logo
Food Advertisements by
 Please note that some of this site’s links are affiliate links, and alabouroflife.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. At NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU, I will earn a small commission, if you purchase them. Please note that these are products I know/use and recommend to my customers. I recommend them as they are good products.

Copyright © 2023 · Tasteful theme by Restored 316

Copyright · A Labour of Life

  • 215Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
418 shares