Soda Cards

[cruisingready]

I have heard that on the Amsterdam When you buy a soda card it is only good for 20 sodas. Someone said they had just started that. Does anyone know if they have changed it on Princess or is it the same as always.

[paul929207]

I don't know about HAL, but on Princess there is no limit to the number of sodas you can get with the soda sticker.

[Toto2Kansas]

If it has changed on HAL, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Princess was to follow shortly. As of now, there hasn't been any reports from those returning that tell that the way the soda card is purchased and used has changed from unlimited. But my guess, it will be coming very soon. Too many take advantage and share the soda card, so it would be one way for them to limit the useage. ;)

[paul929207]

If it has changed on HAL, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Princess was to follow shortly. As of now, there hasn't been any reports from those returning that tell that the way the soda card is purchased and used has changed from unlimited. But my guess, it will be coming very soon. Too many take advantage and share the soda card, so it would be one way for them to limit the useage. ;)

Princess would have to change their procedures. The way they do the soda sticker, they are not keeping count.

[Toto2Kansas]

Princess would have to change their procedures. The way they do the soda sticker, they are not keeping count.

 

Isn't that what I just said? :confused:

[rdsqrl]

Punch card like the coffee card, maybe? What a royal pain in the patootie that will be for barstaff/waiters -- a lot of extra work. I feel sorry for them.

20 sodas doesn't sound like much for a one-week cruise -- that's fewer than 3 a day, which is not a lot of fizz for your $4.25! I guess Toto's right; the abuse of the stickers has, at least on HAL, come back to bite people big time. Not me, of course, as I don't drink soda, so I'm merely pulling up a chair and enjoying the spectacle . . .

[Times Prince]

Punch card like the coffee card, maybe? What a royal pain in the patootie that will be for barstaff/waiters -- a lot of extra work. I feel sorry for them.

 

20 sodas doesn't sound like much for a one-week cruise -- that's fewer than 3 a day, which is not a lot of fizz for your $4.25! I guess Toto's right; the abuse of the stickers has, at least on HAL, come back to bite people big time. Not me, of course, as I don't drink soda, so I'm merely pulling up a chair and enjoying the spectacle . . .

I've done the math on the pricing since they started the soda cards and the "break even" point has always been about 3 sodas a day. If I drink less than that it is less expensive to buy soda by the can (and better tasting in my opinion ;)). The soda card really becomes cost effective if one drinks over three sodas a day, so if there was a 20 soda card for a 7 day cruise, likely the persons who would buy one would have to buy a second, or start ordering 12 oz. cans.

 

Maybe that's part of the reasoning besides limiting the people who pay for an "all you can drink for 1" and then use it as an "all you can drink for 2". It had to come back and bite us all sometime.

[1 HappyCruiser]

Oh no ! What's next? No more coffee card with unlimited brewed coffee for life?

[cruisingready]

Thanks all for the info. I know on my last cruise they weren't limited but things keep changing!

[Coracii]

I've never bought the soda or coffee card, so it doesn't matter how they change them I won't see the effect. My wife and I just bring what soda we need onboard, other than that it's water, iced tea, or lemonade for us. I think between us we may drink a dozen alchoholic beverages per year, so the bar tab doesn't exactly run up very high either. Personally, I prefer how Disney handles soda, it's free from the top deck fountains any time I choose (although it's Coke and I prefer Pepsi).

[Toto2Kansas]

Oh no ! What's next? No more coffee card with unlimited brewed coffee for life?

 

I would venture to guess, that quite soon, the coffee cards will have a date stamp on them so they can only be used for the cruise that they were purchased on. Easy to do, and they wouldn't have to reprint them all, just stamp a date on them. (although I must say, you would think that brewed coffee would be included in the cruise price, even if they charge for specialty coffees, the brewed coffee should be something not charged extra for, as it used to be at the coffee bars).