Talk about Nickel and Diming!

[hancogran]

I normally bring every type of first aid or medication I have on hand but never used to pack any type of cold or allergy medication. On our last cruise, I ended up with the sniffles (which later got much worse) and had to buy a small bottle of Dristan from the ship's store. Cost was $16.95 but when you're feeling crappy, you're willing to pay whatever is necessary to feel better! :mad: Lesson learned! I will bring my own cold meds on our next cruise.... and of course, likely won't need them! :rolleyes:

[TheCalicoCat]

We typically carry OTC meds with us, but we got caught short this time. From now on, we'll carry everything we can possibly think of with us whenever we cruise, and we suggest everyone do the same!

 

This is exactly why I started the thread on those over the door storage things - & I have already started to fill it with OTCs!

[PA Dutchman]

Whats new about paying more for anything when you go on vacation anywhere, go to Europe or Asia, lifes a bitch when you need something you pay for it when your not at home. Don't really matter what it is. Its not just on a cruise ship.

[Smithkids5521]

We just got home from a great cruise on Carnival Pride. Only one thing marred an otherwise fantabulous week.

 

Well...on the bright side- it sounds like you enjoyed your cruise (aside from the overpriced dayquil) and at least he got sick on Friday instead of being ill the whole week...;)

[Chigirlcruzin]

CVS has in excess of 8000 stores. Cough/cold is a core category for them, so they move a lot of product. CCL has 20 some ships, and they probably sell a bottle or two a week...the volume is low. P&G sells the meds to CVS at a much lower cost than CCL. Plus, when you buy the meds on a ship, you have an acute need, so the ship can charge more.

[MsTabbyKats]

The ships just carry things as a convenience. I'm sure that you also will pay top dollar for tooth paste, floss, mouthwash etc........

 

The premium price is for "the convenience" of having things available.

 

Certainly...they cannot stock every pharmacy item...at the price of CVS.com.

 

Not nickel and diming at all......

 

(If anything...you should be grateful that they had the product!)

[foxesden1]

We just got home from a great cruise on Carnival Pride. Only one thing marred an otherwise fantabulous week.

 

Mal came down with the "ship crud" on Friday. I had a little Dayquil, which he quickly went through.

 

I went to the sundries store to get some Dayquil and Nyquil. To my disbelief, each six ounce bottle cost $17.99. I can get a twelve ounce bottle of each of them on cvs.com for $8.99!

 

I'm sorry, but that mark-up is outrageous.

 

We typically carry OTC meds with us, but we got caught short this time. From now on, we'll carry everything we can possibly think of with us whenever we cruise, and we suggest everyone do the same!

 

LOL just like a hotel, or a gas station, or anywhere else where you are stuck. And I take TONS of stuff with me - just because you never know!

[Calico Jack Sparrow]

There was another thread I remember reading recently. The poster said you can get things like Aspirin, band-aids, cough medicine etc down in the ships infirmary and the prices were reasonable.

 

We have a travel kit with just about everything we could need, as well.

The motto of a boy scout: Be prepared.:D

[StillPooh]

at least he got sick on Friday instead of being ill the whole week...;)

Isn't Friday also a port day? Could have gone ashore to a drug store, and maybe paid less.

 

Convenience is expensive.

[jerzigal]

Well...on the bright side- it sounds like you enjoyed your cruise (aside from the overpriced dayquil) and at least he got sick on Friday instead of being ill the whole week...

 

We did, indeed, enjoy our cruise, and we were very lucky it didn't hit until Friday.

 

Thanks for all the comments. All points are well taken. I guess maybe I didn't look at the total picture. I still think the price was way over what it should be, so I'll be sure and pack as many OTCs as I can next time. It's a lesson well learned!

[StillPooh]

I'll be sure and pack as many OTCs as I can next time. It's a lesson well learned!

I had a similar experience when I got a blister from my dive fin on a remote island in Fiji. I had to pay $18 for a tiny tube of antibiotic cream. Since it had been imported from Australia, I wasn't all that surprised.

 

On our Pride cruise, I got hideous heartburn from the Indian buffet on the first day. They didn't have Pepto in the shops, but I was lucky they had some overpriced Rolaids. I'd have been miserable waiting till we hit port on the 3rd day!

[LorrieB]

On our very first cruise I searched everywhere for a single bottle of clear fingernail polish. I even tried to get the nail salon on the ship to fix my smudge but they wanted to charge me a full price. I ended up buying a $32 5-pack of nail polish. Most expensive nail polish I have ever owned. I will never do that again. I now carry my own. A very expensive lesson.

We also bring our own first aid kit which includes all the important stuff like bandaids, anti-nausea meds, anti-diarrhea meds, tylenol, prescription pain meds, itch meds, and just about anything else you can think of. We try never to be caught lacking again. It's too darn expensive!!!!

[Dee777]

We learned the hard way too. DH came down with a VERY runny nose about 10 days into our 14 day Panama Canal cruise. Had to go buy him some meds at the gift shop on the Pride to the tune of $15.00 (this was a bit ago). He felt bad because he was sick, I felt bad for him because he had to use that really rough and crappy Kleenex lol I have also been diagnosed with Celiac disease since then too, so we travel with mega drugs now... pain relievers, cold meds, antiemetics, anti diarrheal, Benadryl, you name it I bring it. On top of DH's normal prescription meds that is... AND I also take with us a nice big wad of Puffs with Lotion tissues lol I just take them all out of the box and put them in a Ziploc bag and toss them in the suitcase.

[H82seaUgo]

We just got home from a great cruise on Carnival Pride. Only one thing marred an otherwise fantabulous week.

 

Mal came down with the "ship crud" on Friday. I had a little Dayquil, which he quickly went through.

 

I went to the sundries store to get some Dayquil and Nyquil. To my disbelief, each six ounce bottle cost $17.99. I can get a twelve ounce bottle of each of them on cvs.com for $8.99!

 

I'm sorry, but that mark-up is outrageous.

 

We typically carry OTC meds with us, but we got caught short this time. From now on, we'll carry everything we can possibly think of with us whenever we cruise, and we suggest everyone do the same!

 

actually, it's still a free market. anyone can charge anything they like. you then decide whether to purchase it or not.

 

it's the monopoly they are taking advantage of.

[GlendaleCruiser]

It's always better to be prepared - I always try to bring along my personal 'pharmacy' but of course I will probably forget the one thing I really need! (last cruise got sunburned and did not have anything with me! nothing in the gift shop - ended up at the dr's office and lo and behold they had some aloe with lidocaine - big bottle for a very reasonalbe $9 - and I would have gladly paid more cuz I was in pain! :D)

 

 

That is interesting because I paid $8 for the aloe vera gel TWENTY YEARS AGO on the Jubilee. Was appalled because it went for about $3 at home.

 

I try very hard to anticipate anything I might need. I even have OTC meds that get old and have to be replaced but it's still cheap in comparison to having to visit the on board doctor or get quarantined because I needed a little Tums or Pepto:eek:. It happens.

 

I agree, though. Sometimes the thing you need is the one you didn't bring.:(

[cruiser-007]

If only I knew about this forum before our first cruise. I'm glad this type of thread comes up sometimes because it helps the first timers prepare. I'm starting to stock-pile the medication arsennal right now to take with. And the one thing I learned on my last cruise was to slip a few candybars in the luggage as well. I was really jones'n for them last time but could break down and pay that much for them, I just went without.:)

[FlipFlopCruiser]

I would gladly pay $18.00 for meds to make me or a loved one feel better on vacation.
I would be relieved and happy that it was available if it was really needed.
On our 1st ever cruise, my then 9 yr old got sick the 2nd day on the ship, he's one of those kids who is perfectly fine one day....wakes up stuffy and with a sore throat the next and by that afternoon it's already obvious that he needs antiobiotics! We took him to the ships Dr. right away and 30 minutes and $80.00 later he was back in the cabin with prescription meds.
To be honest i was shocked that it was only 80 bucks for the visit and the meds. I don't remember if we had to pay cash or if it went on our sail n sign card.
I have to say, i would have paid double or triple that and still been happy that it was available and my son didn't have to suffer all week.
You can't always have everything with you that you might need....but it is nice to know you can get it.

[KrystalWaters]

[quote name='FlipFlopCruiser']I would gladly pay $18.00 for meds to make me or a loved one feel better on vacation.
I would be relieved and happy that it was available if it was really needed.
On our 1st ever cruise, my then 9 yr old got sick the 2nd day on the ship, he's one of those kids who is perfectly fine one day....wakes up stuffy and with a sore throat the next and by that afternoon it's already obvious that he needs antiobiotics! We took him to the ships Dr. right away and 30 minutes and $80.00 later he was back in the cabin with prescription meds.
[B]To be honest i was shocked that it was only 80 bucks for the visit and the meds. [/B]I don't remember if we had to pay cash or if it went on our sail n sign card.
I have to say, i would have paid double or triple that and still been happy that it was available and my son didn't have to suffer all week.
You can't always have everything with you that you might need....but it is nice to know you can get it.[/quote]
Wow $80 for meds and doctor's visit. That's waaaaaaaaaay cheaper than home. Just a doc visit is $141 not including meds. :eek:

[Warm Breezes]

[quote name='TheCalicoCat']This is exactly why I started the thread on those over the door storage things - & I have already started to fill it with OTCs![/quote]

The whole top row of my over the door is OTC and First Aid.

[Elmer McCurdy]

$18 for two kinds of OTC cold meds? That's effectively the same thing as buying the name brand instead of the store brand where I live.

[martinchem]

I hope everyone is healthier on your next cruise, otherwise just make sure you pass it around, I seem to pick up a cold easy while on a cruise.

[Elmer McCurdy]

[quote name='martinchem']I hope everyone is healthier on your next cruise, otherwise just make sure you pass it around, I seem to pick up a cold easy while on a cruise.[/quote]

Recirculated air will do you in every time!

[T. Advisor King]

I see both sides of this.

Comparing what you pay on board to what you pay at a massive discount chain is probably not fair. What would you pay at a 7-Eleven?

On the other hand, if you are captive (which you are) and you have little choice but to buy (which is true) then that's pretty much the definition of gouging.

The actual price isn't outrageous. If you'd said it was $28 or something, I think I'd agree. But all that said, I don't see that Carnival makes or loses much profit one way or another on these things. Far better for them to sell at a break-even or nominal margin and to earn all sorts of goodwill than to make a gross margin of 50 cents per passenger per sailing on toiletries, medicine and supplies and have it leave a bad taste in peoples' mouths.

We ran out of sunscreen a day early and paid something like $20 for a spray can of sunscreen the last time out on the Conquest. It was outrageous, but we didn't have much choice.

[ddcile5]

Too bad we can't share with other families with all the stuff we carry on! Seems like we can have a system for trading for stuff you may need. Come on were all one in a family on the cruise!! Just kidding but it is almost true and wouldn't you lend a fellow passenger a cold med if you had it and they needed it?? Just a thought!!

[FlipFlopCruiser]

[quote name='KrystalWaters']Wow $80 for meds and doctor's visit. That's waaaaaaaaaay cheaper than home. Just a doc visit is $141 not including meds. :eek:[/quote]

The medicine was amoxicillan which is very cheap and this happened 6 years ago, so i'm sure it costs more now, but it was still waaaaaaaaaaaaay cheaper than i expected it to be!
They could have charged us anything....and we would have paid it.
Carnival definately earned our respect on that 1st cruise.