I know Soda Cards and Beer are Expensive But!!!

[frito58]

If I have to go to the all the trouble to take enough soda to last my wife all week and beer for me, I might as well stay home and sit on my patio. I like to save money when I can I booked our up coming cruise a while back save at least $200 over the going rate. But when I get on the ship I want my buckets of beer and my wife wants a soda whenever she wants it with out counting how many.

 

Does anyone feel like I do. I guess when it comes down to to it I like to enjoy my vacation. I just keep reading all these post about all the trouble people go to , to save a few bucks , I am not slamming you and don't want to be slammed just find it interesting.

[linedancer]

If I have to go to the all the trouble to take enough soda to last my wife all week and beer for me, I might as well stay home and sit on my patio. I like to save money when I can I booked our up coming cruise a while back save at least $200 over the going rate. But when I get on the ship I want my buckets of beer and my wife wants a soda whenever she wants it with out counting how many.

 

Does anyone feel like I do. I guess when it comes down to to it I like to enjoy my vacation. I just keep reading all these post about all the trouble people go to , to save a few bucks , I am not slamming you and don't want to be slammed just find it interesting.

 

Well said. We are on vacation. Relax, why would you want to pack and carry all that stuff.

[cb at sea]

We know we're going to have a big bar bill when we book a cruise....it's not a "surprise" and it's an expense that's planned for!

We usually fly to port, so lugging anything that's available on the ship is not something we'll do...too much trouble. I can do without a soda for a week, but the beer/cocktails....therefore, the big bar bill!

[loppy]

too right ........yes i would love to not be ripped off by the drinks prices however we are on the ship that we chose and will enjoy it without worrying too much, worry about something that is really important.

[aldewitt]

Does anyone feel like I do. I guess when it comes down to to it I like to enjoy my vacation. I just keep reading all these post about all the trouble people go to , to save a few bucks , I am not slamming you and don't want to be slammed just find it interesting.

 

It is somewhat amazing that people will spend $1900 per person on a suite and tote 2 twelve packs of soda on board (or worse, bring a bottle of vodka in their Listermint bottle). It seems, as you so aptly put it, counterintuitive to the notion of taking a vacation.

 

But, here is where I have the problem. The costs of soda have risen dramatically, and in the port intensive cruises like the Southern Caribbean 5 and 6 port day cruises, you are almost guaranteed to not get your $51 out of the soda card. If you took the $51 you pay for the soda card and bought canned pop with it, you could bring 3 cases of soda on board for that amount. If you wanted to go "Sams choice" you could likely get four cases. If they made the soda card a little bit less expensive, fewer people would be going to all the trouble. I think when you see people whining about this issue, that's what they're saying. I know that's what I'm saying.

 

I don't drink ETOH on the cruise ship because it is disproportionately expensive, and because my wife and I are just not big drinkers. We have from time to time gotten a bottle of wine on board and enjoyed that with dinner. At home most of the time we drink iced tea, but they make the iced tea out of a mix on board the ship and it tastes like earthworm urine. So because we like it better (not because it's cheaper) we wind up making our own iced tea at dinner with a cup of hot tea and a couple of glasses of ice. But, if you could buy a glass of real iced tea made the real way for $3 a glass, we'd happily do that.

 

Generally we prepay our excursions and prepay our gratuities and then just relax and enjoy ourselves on board. I admire your attitude. I think you probably have a lot more fun that those people who are worried about every nickel and dime. Life's too short (and vacation even shorter) for that.

[LiveLoveCruise]

I think that it really depends. We are a very large group. My 4 children are easy... they don't need soda. They drink Arnold Palmers. But, the rest of us? Well, let's just say that bill could easily become more than a few dollars. We learned that lesson.

 

Our last cruise, we drank Arnold Palmers at dinner and free drinks at the gatherings. We drank our beers and alchohol on the islands. I wonder if I can pull that off this time.

[fwacruiser]

Does anyone feel like I do. I guess when it comes down to to it I like to enjoy my vacation. I just keep reading all these post about all the trouble people go to , to save a few bucks , I am not slamming you and don't want to be slammed just find it interesting.

 

Here's why I nickel and dime (a little - I'm not as extreme as others):

 

I'm in my late 30s and my wife is a stay-at-home mom. I make a good salary, but we're not an independently wealthy family. Like a lot of people here, cruising is my family's favorite vacation and I don't even know what the runner-up would be. However, if we were to go crazy with on-board spending on our upcoming cruise, we will find out next summer. :)

 

We can only cruise in the summer when the kids are out of school, which of course is when fares are at their peak. We also don't have anyone to watch the kids so mom and dad can go alone, and it's a family vacation anyway. Still, that doubles our fare. We live in the midwest, so we don't have the luxury of a 60-minute drive to the nearest port.

 

By the time I pay for airfare and cruise fare for four, in two adjoining oceanview rooms (no balcony), I'm already in for about $5,600. Throw in tips, dad's soda card, and one specialty dinner for my wife and I, and it's an even six large.

 

I can manage that, but it really red-lines my discretionary spending budget for the year. If I go crazy and rack up a bar tab that costs several hundred dollars and sign the whole family up for a few excursions, a cruise vacation would immediately become prohibitively expensive for us.

 

We enjoy ourselves on the cruise. I tip in accordance with the guidelines and I don't try to be cheap. Rather, I try to be frugal because (a) we can still have a TERRIFIC time without spending a lot of money on board and (b) the whole family wants to come back each summer.

 

A good many folks on here are empty-nesters and retirees whose kids are off on their own. And good for them, I say. Theirr years of hard work and child rearing are now paying them back. But some of us are still in the midst of that and have not yet reached our peak earnings period. It seems that perhaps some are far enough removed from that period of their lives to remember what it's like trying to do everything you want to do, but still pay the mortgage, save for two college educations, and put money away for a nice retirement. Believe me, when that day comes for my wife and I, you come find me on the ship and I'll buy you a couple drinks. ;) Until then, I gotta go easy!

[aldewitt]

Here's why I nickel and dime ...

We enjoy ourselves on the cruise. I tip in accordance with the guidelines and I don't try to be cheap. Rather, I try to be frugal because (a) we can still have a TERRIFIC time without spending a lot of money on board and (b) the whole family wants to come back each summer.

 

 

What you do makes excellent sense. If I had to take my kids along, etc., I couldn't do the suite; I'd be stuck in an inside cabin.

 

I admire people like you who have found that balance between not going and going and not blowing your entire yearly budget. Sounds like you have it down. I say good for you!

[InsideCruiser]

It's not any trouble at all. I have a case of soda in the house, I'll put a luggage tag on it and throw it in the car. Hand it to a porter and I'm done.

 

Saves a few bucks for sure. But if you are a die hard soda drinker the quality of fountain soda can be hit and miss.

[frito58]

:D:D Wow I didn't get slammed LOL . Hey I love happy hour prices always try to sniff out a deal if they offer a beer special I'm there. I hardly ever drink soda /pop and no I don't drink my wife's since we payed for one card. I am an ice tea drinker or water. She rarley drinks , I know the soda card is expensive but so easy for her to use by the pool. We usually find a waiter we like tip him an extra few bucks to keep her cup full , and she is happy and you all know the saying when mommy is happy everyone is happy.

 

I should say we are not rich , but we like to enjoy our vacation. And you are right life is to short to sweat the small stuff. I am a cancer survivor so I live every day to its fullest:).

 

 

I should say we are empty nesters now the kids are through college and have jobs. So I see what you mean if you have kids.

 

I guess I was thinking more of the lines the people withe suites that do it.

[didiaust]

Well said fwacruiser

 

When I had my kids at home we holidayed in a caravan

 

Some people also forget that everyone is not in the same income bracket

 

I don't even lash out with my wardrobe onboard anymore - I just love to kickback and be casual

 

Your kids are lucky they get to cruise

 

Di

[ryano]

Its a good thing Im not a big drinker or cruising would certainly be out of the question for me. I think I had 3 drinks on my last cruise totaling less than 25.00 including gratuity.

 

I do not drink sodas at all so thats no biggie either.

 

I "slapped a luggage tag on" a case of water on my last cruise but found that the ships water was just as good and I wound up carrying HALF the case off the ship :o

[didiaust]

Also forgot to add - I will never drink out of those sodas- some are filthy ( had a friend who use to service them and he said some NEVER get cleaned) . I am not saying that is the case on the ships but I don't take the chance

[capnjoe]

Very well stated fwacruiser, I totally agree with your assessment and understand. I myself really dont care if someone wants to go through the trouble of "sneaking" a bottle of wine or puts a little vodka in a listermint bottle, I myself couldnt be bothered but I do understand the cruise lines over charge for "adult beverages" among other things. Cruise lines have the right to charge whatever the market will allow.

It is still my favorite vacation.

I wish you smooth sailing and sunshine on your upcoming cruise.

Capn

[katiel53]

My husband and I are retired, but far, far from being rich. For many cruises my husband has purchased a soda card as he is one who drinks soda from the minute he wakes up until he goes to bed.

 

He also likes to drink beer, but we never bring beer with us. Smuggling hasn't been our thing. I like to drink wine with dinner and if we go on a cruise line that allows us to bring a bottle per person, we do that. Otherwise, if traveling with my brother-in-law and sister, he and I buy a wine package and share our wine.

 

I also like to have a couple of drinks during the day, usually scotch & soda or sometimes a Pina Colada. I guess what I am trying to say is that when we are on vacation, we are on vacation and buy what we want. I have always been of the thought that if I have to watch every penny when on vacation, I'd rather not go. I would wait until I could go and not worry about it. I have to say though, I am not a spendthrift.

 

I know this isn't the mindset of many people. It has been mine for a long time. I was a divorced Mom for many years and vacations were the times I valued, and I guess I needed to feel for one week a year, I (and my son) could do whatever we wanted and not worry about it.

 

fwacruiser,

I think you have the right idea for your family. Each of us has to do what is comfortable and I think you are kinda, lol, like me in that you want to have a good time.

[luvscruising2007]

We just returned from our 1st Carnival cruise and packed out 2 allotted bottles of wine. It was difficult because I had to pack them in a carry-on, so wrapped them in beach towels. We ended up with 2 carry-ons because of this. Then during check-in I had to remove the carefully wrapped bottles so security could examine the seal to make sure they were unopened.

Long story short, we were so busy we brought one of the bottles home, unopened. These were legal bottles, not smuggled and it just was not worth it us.

We don't do the soda card, but we drank alot of water; it was really hot.

We drank what we wanted from the bar but didn't go over board.

Had a great cruise as always.

[toxicfairy]

My husband makes a good living and well lets just say I work for the medical insurance ...LOL. My DH likes to drink and I only drink when we are on vacation. However I do drink alot of soda and water.

On our wedding cruise my DH did bring on a bottle of vodka (not in a mouth wash bottle LOL just wrapped in a towel). I don't think it really took away from the cruises money since we still have 4 scrap book pages FULL of bar reciepts :o. This time even though I purchased soda pkgs for our DDs and me and a wine pkg for my DH, I think I will still bring on some other soda. I would like something besides just coke and my DD and I drink diet. Our last cruise our on board account was high but not as high as our wedding cruise..lol..it was well over a thousand dollars:eek:.

[codyboy]

What you all said is very very true. We are from WIsconsin - near Milwaukee going on Mariner of the Seas on August 14. Couple of times we almost drop the trip due to our jobs situation has change. My husband no more over time and goes home early on Fridays, My position is gone so I been shift to anywhere they can put me. He works in fastern and I work full time in retail.

 

We decided we will go but less spending less sighting. Just relax sight seeing the ocean, tips are paid. SO will be bringing under 500.00 for the week. This should control my drinking.....sigh....of the day.

[Texas2steppers]

Here's why I nickel and dime (a little - I'm not as extreme as others):

 

I'm in my late 30s and my wife is a stay-at-home mom. I make a good salary, but we're not an independently wealthy family. Like a lot of people here, cruising is my family's favorite vacation and I don't even know what the runner-up would be. However, if we were to go crazy with on-board spending on our upcoming cruise, we will find out next summer. :)

 

We can only cruise in the summer when the kids are out of school, which of course is when fares are at their peak. We also don't have anyone to watch the kids so mom and dad can go alone, and it's a family vacation anyway. Still, that doubles our fare. We live in the midwest, so we don't have the luxury of a 60-minute drive to the nearest port.

 

By the time I pay for airfare and cruise fare for four, in two adjoining oceanview rooms (no balcony), I'm already in for about $5,600. Throw in tips, dad's soda card, and one specialty dinner for my wife and I, and it's an even six large.

 

I can manage that, but it really red-lines my discretionary spending budget for the year. If I go crazy and rack up a bar tab that costs several hundred dollars and sign the whole family up for a few excursions, a cruise vacation would immediately become prohibitively expensive for us.

 

We enjoy ourselves on the cruise. I tip in accordance with the guidelines and I don't try to be cheap. Rather, I try to be frugal because (a) we can still have a TERRIFIC time without spending a lot of money on board and (b) the whole family wants to come back each summer.

 

A good many folks on here are empty-nesters and retirees whose kids are off on their own. And good for them, I say. Theirr years of hard work and child rearing are now paying them back. But some of us are still in the midst of that and have not yet reached our peak earnings period. It seems that perhaps some are far enough removed from that period of their lives to remember what it's like trying to do everything you want to do, but still pay the mortgage, save for two college educations, and put money away for a nice retirement. Believe me, when that day comes for my wife and I, you come find me on the ship and I'll buy you a couple drinks. ;) Until then, I gotta go easy!

 

 

Congrats to you for taking your family on your vacation and letting everyone enjoy themselves. It sounds like you're frugal and that's perfectly ok. My DH and I have been frugal all of our lives and now that we are empty nesters we have the $$ to enjoy cruising and are now able to enjoy the Coke card and some drinks while we cruise.

 

Enjoy the cruises to come!

[CruiseLover15]

DH likes diet coke so we get him a soda card. I like diet Dr. Pepper so I have to bring 6 or 8 of them.

[cruisinleelee]

We haven't cruise in 6 years.... the only drinkers back then were my husband and myself. Kids got soda cards or smoothie card and we were good to go. We are cruising on the Liberty over New Years. The cost is mind blowing but we are celebrating a few milestones so we're biting the bullet. Will will however now have 4 people of legal drinking age aboard! Our 2 sons have now joined the ranks- one is still a student and therefore not yet gainfully employed. We are pretty concerned about the bar tab and have been discussing limiting beer drinking while on board. DH loves his bucket of beers but he has agreed to go lightly so the boys will do the same. I like the frozen drinks which add up quite quickly. I'd love to throw caution to the wind and say "hey, we're on vacation" but this time around I could make a down payment on home for what we are paying:p. Sobriety aboard may be our motto!!

[gmacruiser418]

I usually pack about a half dozen sodas and waters to have in the cabin while we're there to save a few $$. I don't bring a lot (at least I don't think so) we spend plenty on our bar bill, but to pay more than $2 for a soda or water to have in the room, I bring a few. yes, I only save about $30, but I can spend that on other things like tipping more to our cabin steward and wait staff.

[NEMMRRC]

Do they serve guava juice out of the buffet fountains (self-serve) on Royal Caribbean? They have it on Carnival and I drank it all the time on our last Carnival cruise.

[mek]

I usually take a 2 liter of Caffeine Free Diet Coke because that is what I like and it isn't always available.

[griffy116]

We buy a soda card, but bring canned drinks to keep in the frig, and here's why. Late at night, I'm in my pj's an get thirsty..or wake up thirsty; early in the morning in the pj's and I need something to drink before getting ready for breakfast; middle of the night and I decide to sit on the balcony with a drink; just before dinner and I'm still getting ready and I decide to mix a drink.......so we check a case of cokes at the port and buy a soda card as soon as we get to the Windjammer entrance. We usually don't drink them all and we tell the cabin steward to take them, leave them, whatever he/she chooses. It's vacation and I want to have these situations handled.