Clarification on soda package/water availability

[Katekinss]

Hi all! I was just hoping to get some clarification on the prices of soda/water on the ship, so I can decide whether to buy the soda package or water package.

 

Where is water free? I have read some posts that indicate it is only free in the Windjammer Cafe (on the Brilliance) and that you have to pay for it on the deck and in specialty restaurants if you don't get the water package. I assume water is free in the main dining room with dinner.

 

What kind of soda comes with the soda package? Specifically, is club soda available? I don't drink much caffeine or sugar.

 

If you get the soda package, do you get unlimited soda at all locations around the ship, or is it limited to certain areas?

 

Would you recommend getting the water package? It seems to me that this is more water than we need and that we'd be better off buying it on shore and getting glasses of it where it's free on the ship.

 

Can we bring empty water bottles on board, like Nalgenes, to fill up on board and take with us during the day?

 

Thanks for your help!

[HorrorFan]

Hi all! I was just hoping to get some clarification on the prices of soda/water on the ship, so I can decide whether to buy the soda package or water package.

 

Where is water free? I have read some posts that indicate it is only free in the Windjammer Cafe (on the Brilliance) and that you have to pay for it on the deck and in specialty restaurants if you don't get the water package. I assume water is free in the main dining room with dinner.

Yes, the water is free and available lots of places including the eating venues. Yiou only pay for bottled water.

 

What kind of soda comes with the soda package? Specifically, is club soda available? I don't drink much caffeine or sugar.

It is fountain soda, not cans or bottles...Coke, Diet Coke and a couple others, not sure about club soda but I would guess yes.

 

If you get the soda package, do you get unlimited soda at all locations around the ship, or is it limited to certain areas?

Yes unlimited and available in all bars and dining venues, etc.

 

Would you recommend getting the water package? It seems to me that this is more water than we need and that we'd be better off buying it on shore and getting glasses of it where it's free on the ship.

No, I wouldn't recommend it. The ships water is really good.

 

Can we bring empty water bottles on board, like Nalgenes, to fill up on board and take with us during the day?

Yes you can.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Whether the soda package is worth it depends on how much you drink, but I would personally never buy the water package.

[Katekinss]

Thanks for the reply, that is so helpful! Also, can you buy sodas a la carte at meals? For example, if I don't think I will drink $6 worth of soda per day but would like a soda with dinner one night, can I buy one individually? If so, do you know about how much it would cost?

[bigeagle12]

Individually purchased sodas are in a can for around $2.25 including 15% gratuity.

[AF-1]

If u purchase a soda package it will be per person per day; plus 15% gratuity added; when u show your card at any bar, dining facility, the waiter will get u a fountain soda; it can taste watered down or the fizz is gone. You have to drink a lot of soda per day to make the package worthwhile.

[DonnaK]

Does Royal Caribbean offer an ultimate drink card like Princess does, which includes mocktails, smoothies, juice, milkshakes, etc, in addition to soda (we paid $9 per day on Princess, and certainly got our money's worth)

[akcruz]

Does Royal Caribbean offer an ultimate drink card like Princess does, which includes mocktails, smoothies, juice, milkshakes, etc, in addition to soda (we paid $9 per day on Princess, and certainly got our money's worth)

 

No, the soda card is only good for fountain soda. You can get the water package, juice package, or wine package (for bottles not glasses). The rest are pay as you go.

[thomarvin]

The bottled water on the ship was Evian and they where very big. Both my kids and I thought was terrible. The water served in the DR and WJ was fine (and free). I would bring a water bottle and fill as needed. We only used the bottled water when we went ashore but wished I had waited and bought it off the ship. Probably would have gotten a better deal.

[katz]

The soda package for a 12 day cruise is $82.80. This is for unlimited Coke products. Regular and Diet are easy to get. We could not get non-caffeinated sodas. My husband bought a package on our July cruise. He only drinks Diet Coke, but he said he wouldn't buy another package on future cruises. They use the same fountain "hose"--don't know what it is called, and the soda would taste of whatever went through the hose before they filled his glass. He had a lot of soda that tasted like beer. A can of soda, which tasted fine, was $2.25 with the 15% tip. The best thing to do is figure out how many sodas you will drink each day and then do the math.

 

As for the water, I would bring some water bottles and fill them before you leave the ship. I am very fussy about water and I don't have a problem with the ship's water. The water that you find in your cabin's fridge will cost $4.55 each. I "smuggled" in a few bottles in our carry-on and regular suitcase. They were in the suitcase when they arrived in our cabin.

 

Another thing-----since I am a fussy-water person. I only use bottled water to brush and rinse my toothbrush. There were two mornings when the tap water had a slight orange color to it.

 

Have a great cruise.

[akcruz]

The soda package for a 12 day cruise is $82.80. This is for unlimited Coke products. Regular and Diet are easy to get. We could not get non-caffeinated sodas. My husband bought a package on our July cruise. He only drinks Diet Coke, but he said he wouldn't buy another package on future cruises. They use the same fountain "hose"--don't know what it is called, and the soda would taste of whatever went through the hose before they filled his glass. He had a lot of soda that tasted like beer. A can of soda, which tasted fine, was $2.25 with the 15% tip. The best thing to do is figure out how many sodas you will drink each day and then do the math.

 

As for the water, I would bring some water bottles and fill them before you leave the ship. I am very fussy about water and I don't have a problem with the ship's water. The water that you find in your cabin's fridge will cost $4.55 each. I "smuggled" in a few bottles in our carry-on and regular suitcase. They were in the suitcase when they arrived in our cabin.

 

Another thing-----since I am a fussy-water person. I only use bottled water to brush and rinse my toothbrush. There were two mornings when the tap water had a slight orange color to it.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

Maybe I am wrong (don't think so but. .), however as far as I know beer does not get served throught he same 'foutain hose' as the sodas do. It is either bottled or from a tap :confused:. My kids always get the soda package and have never had a problem with it. Maybe it had too much seltzer and not enough syrup in the mix??? That I have heard of.

[twonkdog]

I have taken my own bottled water on RCI cruises, not smuggled just taken as luggage in a wheely case and in full view, the room attended even commented onit and got us ice every day and evening for it, as I dont like soda etc. i think its only alcohol you cant bring on board and on board found plenty of places for fresh iced water which tastes fine, if you can forget about how it "made"!

[sweetz]

Iam new to the whole cruising world and CC but from what I have read you can bring your own bottle water and pop onto the ship if you like which sounds like would save lot of money

[I cruise 4 cheap]

Iam new to the whole cruising world and CC but from what I have read you can bring your own bottle water and pop onto the ship if you like which sounds like would save lot of money

 

you can bring it with you, but depending on the person working security it might make it on board or it might not. It is a violation of rules to bring it on, but it is a rule that is often over looked! :eek:

[PattyG12]

I can see bringing a little water but to bring all of your own drinks seems excessively cheap. I don't understand why people want to lug all that around on embarkation day. If you don't like what's offered (tea, water, lemonade, coffee, milk) and you can't afford to buy a soda, maybe cruising isn't the right type of vacation.

[fi'fi]

Hi all! I was just hoping to get some clarification on the prices of soda/water on the ship, so I can decide whether to buy the soda package or water package.

 

Where is water free? I have read some posts that indicate it is only free in the Windjammer Cafe (on the Brilliance) and that you have to pay for it on the deck and in specialty restaurants if you don't get the water package. I assume water is free in the main dining room with dinner.

 

What kind of soda comes with the soda package? Specifically, is club soda available? I don't drink much caffeine or sugar.

 

If you get the soda package, do you get unlimited soda at all locations around the ship, or is it limited to certain areas?

 

Would you recommend getting the water package? It seems to me that this is more water than we need and that we'd be better off buying it on shore and getting glasses of it where it's free on the ship.

 

Can we bring empty water bottles on board, like Nalgenes, to fill up on board and take with us during the day?

 

Thanks for your help!

I my dh and I bring our own water and soda in it's own suitcase. 

[fi'fi]

I can see bringing a little water but to bring all of your own drinks seems excessively cheap. I don't understand why people want to lug all that around on embarkation day. If you don't like what's offered (tea, water, lemonade, coffee, milk) and you can't afford to buy a soda, maybe cruising isn't the right type of vacation.

Wow. Well said. But I still bring my own type of water and my own type of soda. 

[thomarvin]

I bring Caf Free/Diet for my son. RCC doesnt serve it. Last year I was told they (Carnival) were serving him Caf free/diet. Wrong. We paid the price. He was up all night. Wont risk it again. I bring my own for him. He has autism. WONT drink the other stuff (lemonade, milk, etc.) Buy soda cards for the rest of us though.

[mjldvlks]

I have always gotten the soda package and have never felt the product was watered down or tasted funny. At $6.90 a day [incl. tip] it is fairly comparable to what I would pay in a restaurant around here [2.25 or more plus tip -- for one meal]. For me, it is worth it since I would otherwise be drinking more than 3 cans a day. I don't drink alcohol [maybe an occasional glass of wine] so when all my cruise companions are drinking their foo-foo drinks or whatever, I am getting another diet coke. For others, it may not be. Depends on your preferences and habits. But to not buy it because of quality is -- in my experience -- baseless.

[read52]

My dh and I always get the soda cards. We don't drink alcohol. I don't drink coffee or tea. The lemonade is ok and now they have a kind of punch drink. We can go anyplace on the ship or private beaches to get a cold drink. Not all the rooms have frigs. For us it is convienent and a lot cheaper than other people's bar bills.

 

They use different hoses to dispense soda and beer. They can not be from the same hose. I have never had a problem with it being watered down. If you let it sit in the ice and the ice melts, it could happen. When we went on Carnival, they served you from a can but one can did not fill a cup. So they would let the can sit open until the next person ordered. Soda that sits open looses its carbonation.

[bigeagle12]

This has been a topic of discussion on these boards forever. Below is the new RCL policy which applies to alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. It appears this policy is being enforced more stringently than the old policy.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do;jsessionid=0000xOP38MyXgruR6ku5Yok8oRR:12hbiodf7?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&pnav=5&pnav=2&faqSubjectName=Onboard+Policies&faqId=260&faqSubjectId=333&faqType=faq

[seahawkfan]

I do drink a lot of soda, so I'm going to get the soda package. Can I use the soda card in the Cafe Promenade?

[thomarvin]

Yes. Anywhere on the ship. All bars, resteaurants and clubs on board.

[Katekinss]

Thanks, this is all really helpful! Based on the responses, I have definitely decided against the soda package, since I drink maybe one soda every other day: seems like a la carte is the way to go.

[princessh]

Is there any place onboard that does not offer fountain soda? I only drink diet coke ( type 1 diabetic and milk and juices mess with my sugar too much) We will be sailing on the Serenade.

[damosen]

If you drink 3 or more sodas per day, its better to buy the soda package. If you think so its little because you can drink one at lunch, another one at dinner and one at the pool and you "drink it all"

 

I bought this package but I have one question, can I have coke in a closed can? Or this package only include the fountain?