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

[teacherkim]

I guess the difference to me is that most people who talk about bringing soda/water on board mention bringing one or more cases (or at least 12 packs), while the other items that you mentioned are small and fit in the nook and crannies of your luggage. I personally would not want to lug a case on a plane or have to make an extra stop on the way to the port.

But honestly as I said I only drink one or two sodas a week anyway so not an issue for me. If you drink a lot, and don't mind bringing it with you then I understand the cost savings appeal.

[#1packerfan]

The main reason I bring my own soda is I absolutely HATE diet coke, plus I don't like caffeine, so I bring my own Diet Caffeine Free Pepsi. It is well worth the extra hassle to bring it to have something I like. I usually just buy a couple of bottles of water and refill them, but my soda I am extremely picky about so the only way to get what I want is to bring my own. It has nothing to do with not wanting to buy it. If they ever got Pepsi products instead of Coke products on board, I would consider getting a soda package. But I don't see that ever happening.

[NEMMRRC]

If it were up to me the free juice at the self-serve stations is more than plenty. Just bring your favorite insulated mug from home and you are all set.

 

However, my lovely bride must have a Diet Dr Pepper with her meals. Therefore, we stop at a Walgreens prior to boarding and we buy her some DDP.

 

She is happy and that makes me happy.

 

See you all on the Lido deck. I'll be the one with the giant insulated mug full of free juice.

[bluegirlum]

Everyone brings things on their cruise to avoid buying this-or-that on the ship: Sunscreen, disposable cameras, batteries, asprin . . . the details may vary, but we all bring these things because we know they're very inexpensive at home, but they'll demand a premium price onboard. Why are sodas different?

 

 

That's a good point. We always bring all that stuff--we know we can get it on board if we need it but we'll pay so much more. We're planning to go to the Cayman Islands in October and we're going to stuff our suitcases full of food and booze because it's ridiculously expensive down there. A hassle? Sure, a little bit. But worth the money? Absolutely.

 

We fly to the port. It's not worth it to us to carry on pop, and we make good use of the soda card. But if you can do it and find it worth it, then it's a great option. I think you can watch what you spend and still have a great time. We splurge on balcony cabins because we don't like to do excursions. We balance it out.

[robinm918]

I don't drink soda, but my son does on a cruise and I have an over-abundance of soda cups. I bring one for me and fill it with ice and either lemonade or iced tea from the Windjammer. I have also brought the cup to a pool bar and asked for ice water and the bartenders are nice enough to fill up. If your wife can do without soda for a week, this is another alternative.

 

Like MrsPete, we have a new driver in the house and he will be going to college in a few years. Just finished paying for the braces that were in his mouth for years, so saving a few bucks here and there on every cruise makes a difference for us.

 

 

Robin

[Havingfun2010]

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!

 

IF you got one stateroom, instead of two you could buy a few extra beers, and go on an excursion. Also get inside stateroom. Works for us, and I don't fly either and I still buy the kids soda cards.....

[fwacruiser]

IF you got one stateroom, instead of two you could buy a few extra beers, and go on an excursion. Also get inside stateroom. Works for us, and I don't fly either and I still buy the kids soda cards.....

 

Yes and we've done that, we just don't find it very comfortable. It's a matter of personal preference. For my DW and I, having plenty of space to be comfortable is a requirement for us to really relax. When everybody is stepping over one another and having to walk sideways to get around the room while trying to get ready for dinner, frustration sets in (particularly for my DW, who is a tad claustrophobic), nerves get frazzled, tempers can flare between DW and DS1/DS2, which makes it just like being at home when school's out for the summer. :D

 

If it came down to taking a cruise or staying at home, I'm sure everybody would "man up" and deal with a single stateroom for all of us, but I'd need to spend some time getting DW in the right mindset for that ahead of time.

 

Having plenty of alcoholic beverages, taking numerous excursions, etc. are certainly enjoyable things, but we can still relax and have a great time without spending a lot of money on those.

[Lysingers]

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.

 

 

Does anyone know if Royal Carribbean out of the Port of Baltimore will allow a case of Coke to be loaded on board Enchantment of the Seas? Last year we had no trouble doing it with Norwegian Majesty for a trip to Bermuda, but I wonder if R.C. is less accommodating of such things. Has anyone gotten away with it lately?

[MrsPete]

So you are saying people that don't think like you guys are fools with there money:rolleyes::rolleyes:

I wasn't the original poster, but what I think is foolish is spending without thinking about your own priorities, or thinking that since you have it you should just go ahead and spend it. (and that's true for way more than sodas)

 

None of us can spend on EVERYTHING, so how important is it to you -- how important when weighed against everything else -- that you buy sodas onboard?

We splurge on balcony cabins because we don't like to do excursions. We balance it out.

Whereas our balance is different: We like the balcony cabin AND we love doing things on the islands that aren't available at home. We're able to get the things we want -- without breaking the bank -- by watching pennies on things like drinks, and by avoiding the ship's over-priced excursions.

IF you got one stateroom, instead of two you could buy a few extra beers, and go on an excursion. Also get inside stateroom. Works for us, and I don't fly either and I still buy the kids soda cards.....

I wouldn't cram everyone into one cabin so we could pay for sodas onboard! That's not the way we'd prioritize in my family.

 

Sure, we sometimes share one room. We did it the night before our recent cruise: We had one suite at Hyatt Place, and the six of us were quite sardine-like. The real problem was sharing one bathroom. But that was one night. We knew we'd arrive late and leave early the next morning. It's not like we were doing it for the whole week. If I said, "Hey, kids, let's all share a room so we can splurge on sodas and other drinks all week!" I'd have a mutiny on my hands.

 

On the other hand, if I said, "We can afford to do a short cruise IF we all share a room", or "Would you rather cram into one room OR have no money for excursions?" . . . then we'd probably have a discussion about the pros and cons.

[drrich2]

There's a perspective I'm surprised hasn't come up on this thread already.

 

Many of us grew up working/middle class, and had parents who grew up poor by today's standards, and grandparents who caught the tail end of the Great Depression.

 

Many have been indoctrinated with what I suppose you could call a Philosophy of Frugality; a belief that fiscal conservatism & demanding good value for money is highly esteemed, and waste is at best foolish, generally contemptible and possibly sinful (I've seen this viewpoint come up on the topic of wasting food, so it's not always about money). Knowingly letting people rip you off is also contemptible from this viewpoint.

 

From that viewpoint, the issue is not whether you can afford to pay for a soda card without leaving a family member home or downsizing to a stateroom with no balcony. It might not matter whether you were wealthy enough to roll your own cigarettes using $20 bills for rolling paper. At issue is whether you are getting good, or at least fair, value for the money - whether $5, $50 or $5,000.

 

Whether & to what extent a person does or should hold these views is a matter of individual free will. I'm not trying to insult people who do or don't. Just present a perspective I believe drives some folks' practices.

 

Richard.

[ehfl]

I don't drink soda, but my partner does, so we always get him the soda package. I don't need all my drinks to taste like candy, so I'm fine with iced tea, water, or lemonade.

 

Brining soda seems to be like such a hassle....why do it? It's a vacation!

[KEIA]

Great posts!! Love reading how different people do things! I drink a lot (A LOT) of pop, so I usually buy the soda card. I get my money's worth and I would need to bring a lot with me on a 7-10 day cruise. However, if I didn't drink enough to pay for the soda card, I would pack my own...for sure! People slap luggage tags on diapers and special nursery water (just as big and bulky) and it's EASY to do!

 

I've actually traveled to Germany for a few weeks and had (yes HAD :) ) to bring my own Diet Pepsi!! Has anyone ever had Diet Pepsi from Germany?!?! :eek: At least I had a lot of room on the way back for gifts!

[dmdiver]

There's a perspective I'm surprised hasn't come up on this thread already.

 

Many of us grew up working/middle class, and had parents who grew up poor by today's standards, and grandparents who caught the tail end of the Great Depression.

 

Many have been indoctrinated with what I suppose you could call a Philosophy of Frugality; a belief that fiscal conservatism & demanding good value for money is highly esteemed, and waste is at best foolish, generally contemptible and possibly sinful (I've seen this viewpoint come up on the topic of wasting food, so it's not always about money). Knowingly letting people rip you off is also contemptible from this viewpoint.

 

From that viewpoint, the issue is not whether you can afford to pay for a soda card without leaving a family member home or downsizing to a stateroom with no balcony. It might not matter whether you were wealthy enough to roll your own cigarettes using $20 bills for rolling paper. At issue is whether you are getting good, or at least fair, value for the money - whether $5, $50 or $5,000.

 

Whether & to what extent a person does or should hold these views is a matter of individual free will. I'm not trying to insult people who do or don't. Just present a perspective I believe drives some folks' practices.

 

Richard.

 

Richard, you hit the nail on the head for me. I want good value for my money, doesn't matter how much I have.

[bigque]

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!

 

Exactly! We know the cost going in! Know that the drinks are not cheap, so we plan on all that, not just the price of paying for the cruise! We save for the cruise expenses in advance and use the debit card and cash. No credit cards so that when it's over it's over, with no credit cards to pay off! We don't drink that much where we will go over budget just on the bar bill!

[nannybeth]

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!

Well said. I'm in the same boat as you and it does cost a lot of money just to get on the ship! Enjoy your family vaca!!!

[nannybeth]

So is mine! On the other hand, for some it is, "A fool and his money are soon parted"!;)

I always though a food and his money were a great date! lol

[booze brothers]

There's a perspective I'm surprised hasn't come up on this thread already.

 

Many of us grew up working/middle class, and had parents who grew up poor by today's standards, and grandparents who caught the tail end of the Great Depression.

 

Many have been indoctrinated with what I suppose you could call a Philosophy of Frugality; a belief that fiscal conservatism & demanding good value for money is highly esteemed, and waste is at best foolish, generally contemptible and possibly sinful (I've seen this viewpoint come up on the topic of wasting food, so it's not always about money). Knowingly letting people rip you off is also contemptible from this viewpoint.

 

From that viewpoint, the issue is not whether you can afford to pay for a soda card without leaving a family member home or downsizing to a stateroom with no balcony. It might not matter whether you were wealthy enough to roll your own cigarettes using $20 bills for rolling paper. At issue is whether you are getting good, or at least fair, value for the money - whether $5, $50 or $5,000.

 

Whether & to what extent a person does or should hold these views is a matter of individual free will. I'm not trying to insult people who do or don't. Just present a perspective I believe drives some folks' practices.

 

Richard.

 

Thank you, that's exactly how I feel ~~ good post Richard

[sandinmypants]

I don't care for Evian water - and I like having bottled water at hand, so I'm planning to bring a case on board. It doesn't have to be ice-cold for me.

 

As for soda, we don't drink much so if we do want one or two it's no big deal to pay for it. They do have CANNED soda, right? I prefer not to have the soda fountain stuff unless it's the only thing available.

[moviestar600]

My husband and I are "empty nesters" (never heard that term before Richard but love it :)) so we dont have the worries of catering to children who drink incessant amounts of soda and even if we did we are so health conscious that if we had kids, soda would be a special occasion for them LOL! To be honest, I wish less kids on the cruise had those soda packages because I'm sure they are drinking more than is neccessary and that is probably why quite a few of them are on those out of control "sugar highs"....im just saying :(.....

 

My husband and I do drink tons of water. At a minimum I drink 1 gallon per day. We purchased quite a few bottles of Avian to mix our morning protein drinks with :o, and to carry around ports and the pool decks. But for the most part we drank the FREE water that is offered at all the bars, restaurants and dining rooms. And its purified water to boot. I guess I don't understand the need to bring your own.

 

I am not knocking those that feel they need to bring water and soda I just can't imagine lugging something so ackward along with 2 seven dayers and 2 carry ons :eek: :D.

[griffy116]

We do both. We carry on the drinks and we buy the soda card. We take a vacation with family, which requires total of 4 staterooms (kids, grandkids, sister, mother, nephew, me and daughter). For YEARS, we rented condos on the beach. The first day was pure hell. We had to go to the store, stock up on every conceivable food for breakfast and lunch and snacks. We had to put the dishes through the dishwasher and re-wash the bed linens (germs). Last day, clean out all the wasted food, rewash linens and dishes..pure hell. Two completely wasted days of vacation. When we discovered cruising, we fell in love with it and we have progressively gone more and more toward being pampered. If the port is near enough like Port Canaveral, we drive, otherwise we fly on the cheap flights. We run by a Walgreens or like store to grab a case of cokes, label them and then split them between the cabins. The cokes are for late, late at night and early morning when we need one and room service is at it's busiest. We buy the soda card for the days at the pool, dining room, windjammer, etc. We've even gone so far as to use the laundry wash and fold special toward the end of the cruise to make sure we aren't spending all of the first day home having to do laundry. Doesn't cover it completely, but cuts down on that shockingly horrible day when no one brings the food and places it in front of me and puts the napkin in my lap. If we have drinks left in the frig, we give them to the room steward.

[bigque]

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

 

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.

 

Yes! That is exactly why it was so many years before we took our first cruise! We as a family of four could not put a cruise vacation into our budget. But now the kids are grown and better jobs and pay have come over the years, so now we are making up for the lost time. The grown kids are coming with us on a cruise next year and .................Paying their own way! :D

[MrsPete]

There's a perspective I'm surprised hasn't come up on this thread already.

 

Many of us grew up working/middle class, and had parents who grew up poor by today's standards, and grandparents who caught the tail end of the Great Depression.

 

Many have been indoctrinated with what I suppose you could call a Philosophy of Frugality; a belief that fiscal conservatism & demanding good value for money is highly esteemed, and waste is at best foolish, generally contemptible and possibly sinful (I've seen this viewpoint come up on the topic of wasting food, so it's not always about money). Knowingly letting people rip you off is also contemptible from this viewpoint.

 

From that viewpoint, the issue is not whether you can afford to pay for a soda card without leaving a family member home or downsizing to a stateroom with no balcony. It might not matter whether you were wealthy enough to roll your own cigarettes using $20 bills for rolling paper. At issue is whether you are getting good, or at least fair, value for the money - whether $5, $50 or $5,000.

 

Whether & to what extent a person does or should hold these views is a matter of individual free will. I'm not trying to insult people who do or don't. Just present a perspective I believe drives some folks' practices.

 

Richard.

Yep, you've hit the nail on the head. I spend on what matters to me -- for example, private excursions -- because I feel that those things are worthwhile. On the other hand, the 10 minutes trouble involved in packing a 12-pack of sodas is well worth the $25 or so that it saves. If I suddenly won the lottery, I might cruise more often, but I would still bring my own 12-pack of soda.

[akcruz]

My husband and I are "empty nesters" (never heard that term before Richard but love it :)) so we dont have the worries of catering to children who drink incessant amounts of soda and even if we did we are so health conscious that if we had kids, soda would be a special occasion for them LOL! To be honest, I wish less kids on the cruise had those soda packages because I'm sure they are drinking more than is neccessary and that is probably why quite a few of them are on those out of control "sugar highs"....im just saying :(.....

 

My husband and I do drink tons of water. At a minimum I drink 1 gallon per day. We purchased quite a few bottles of Avian to mix our morning protein drinks with :o, and to carry around ports and the pool decks. But for the most part we drank the FREE water that is offered at all the bars, restaurants and dining rooms. And its purified water to boot. I guess I don't understand the need to bring your own.

 

I am not knocking those that feel they need to bring water and soda I just can't imagine lugging something so ackward along with 2 seven dayers and 2 carry ons :eek: :D.

 

Two comments, we always buy the soda package for our kids, not so that they can go crazy drinking soda the entire cruise, but for convenience sake. Personally I think it is easier for them to show their card and get a soda than to have to sign for something each time they want a drink. Yes, they can go get water or lemonade or whatever, but that means they need to leave their friends to go get it. Ain't gonna happen. Then, I have heard of too many times (teens especially) of having their drinks "spiked" by someone else. One of our rules is if your drink goes out of yur sight, toss it and get another. With the soda card this makes it a lot easier. Again, they could go get another water or lemonade but "That ain't gonna happen". For my peace of mind the soda card cost is well worthwhile for my kids.

 

Second, we do brink some bottle water on board as well as some diet caffeine free soda. These are used late at night after getting back to the cabin, or to take on excursions with us. We don't brink a lot but do bring enough for the 4 of us for the week. We put it in a duffel bag and check with the rest of our luggage. It shows up at our cabin quite easily. If I wasn't allowed to do this, oh well we'd figure out something else.

 

We do drink our share of 'free' water and other beverages on board, believe me RCI is making out quite well with our onboard spending!

[uk-ladies]

fwacruiser I smiled when I read your piece, fair play to you for it. I've only cruised twice and my third is coming up soon, it will be my first holiday for three years and I'm only going on it by the grace of a very generous daughter who has treated me to it. I don't consider myself a stingy person but careful yes. I'll buy the soda package because I drink that more than wine or cocktails but my daughter who maybe drinks about half a glass of soda a day is welcome to have a sip from mine. I make no apology for this as my son who will also be with us will plough through his bucket of beer and my daughter her wine package. I don't want to cheat, beg or steal from anyone but I don't think that just buying one soda card is wrong for us.

[whyrlygig]

DH and I are the "sandwich generation". We have a college age son at home and elderly parents who need daily care and attention. We are most certainly on a budget! The one and only thing we do for ourselves is the occasional vacation (usually a cruise). We know that part of that cost is beverages. The cost on board is pretty much in line with what we would pay here in the Twin Cities area, however we imbibe much more than at home! :o Hey, we don't have to drive! Anyhow, it's just part of our vacation budget.