Price of Soda's onboard?

[texasnana]

What is the price of a coke etc on the ship? Also is there a % add for tip like other cruise lines?

[jtl513]

A can is $1.95 + 15% service charge, and a glass "fountain drink" (half ice) is $1.50 + 15%

 

A "soda card" gives you $50 worth for $25.

[AZNative2000]

A can is $1.95 + 15% service charge, and a glass "fountain drink" (half ice) is $1.50 + 15%

 

A "soda card" gives you $50 worth for $25.

jt ... does the soda card work for cans or just the "fountain drinks"??

 

Thanks.

[jtl513]

jt ... does the soda card work for cans or just the "fountain drinks"??

 

Thanks.

I don't know, never having purchased one. I would think that if you ordered a soda not available from a fountain they would have to give you the can. Maybe you can choose the can in either case.

[Shmoo here]

jt ... does the soda card work for cans or just the "fountain drinks"??

 

Thanks.

 

It used to be the cans. Now it's fountain drinks. Not as good a deal.

 

But, you're still getting $50.00 worth for $25.00.

[Typhoon1]

jt ... does the soda card work for cans or just the "fountain drinks"??

 

Thanks.

 

Just fountain soda. If you get to know one of the waiters, he may slide you an occasional can.

[Krazy Kruizers]

$50.00 Soda Card cost $25.00

The ships have now changed from giving you a can to just about 6 ounces of fountain soda.

Your soda card is charged $1.50 + 15% gratuity ($0.23) for a total of $1.73 for each “glass” of soda.

 

Without a soda card, you can buy a “can” of soda for $1.95 + 15% gratuity ($0.30) for a total of $2.25 per can.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Just fountain soda. If you get to know one of the waiters, he may slide you an occasional can.

 

Has this personally happened to you?

[Cruizer Bill]

HAL is fine with you bringing soda on board. We stock up at one of the ports and bring it back to the cabin.

[vtcman]

A can is $1.95 + 15% service charge, and a glass "fountain drink" (half ice) is $1.50 + 15%

 

A "soda card" gives you $50 worth for $25.

 

I just got off the Zuiderdam and the soda card was good, it was half price fountain soda basically. They would always only give me a glass, but the price is still cheaper, you can fill 2 glasses with a can and lots of ice for 2 bucks or you can get a glass and ask for less ice if you like, in the end it is really only 75 cents per. No refunds on unused portion of soda card unless it is over 25 dollars left on the card.

[AZNative2000]

It used to be the cans. Now it's fountain drinks. Not as good a deal.

 

But, you're still getting $50.00 worth for $25.00.

 

HAL is fine with you bringing soda on board. We stock up at one of the ports and bring it back to the cabin.

Thanks for the info Shmoo! Sounds like it will work for us.:D

 

Thanks, Cruiser Bill ... we have done that in the past but trying to bring enough soda on in Italy or Spain for a 15-day TA is the happy challenge. So, the soda cards may be the ticket this time.:)

 

I don't know how much Coke or Pepsi or Dr. Pepper costs in Italy.

 

Cheers!

[Shining Clem]

Are the soda and non-alcoholic bev cards for the exclusive use of the purchaser? Or can say, one of a couple go to a bar, or hand a card to a pool waiter and get 2 glasses of soda debited from the same card?

 

Likewise can one presentation of a card which includes wine & beer, be used to purchase 2 glasses of wine at the same time? Or are the cards personalized and it is obvious when John presents Joan's card, that he isn't Joan?

 

Thanks for the previous, helpful bits of information on this subject.

[Linda&Vern]

The cards are like "gift cards." No names on the cards if you purchase on the ship in one of the bars. DH and I changed back and forth as to who was the keeper of the "soda card" (pay $25/get $50 worth of soda). DH, however, always had the "any beverage card" (pay $200/get $200 of his Grolsch beer :D). No problem with two people sharing. Those problems were back when HAL had the "all you can drink soda cards." Whole families shared - HAL took away that card.

[jtl513]

Or are the cards personalized and it is obvious when John presents Joan's card, that he isn't Joan?

What Linda&Vern said is correct (no names on the cards when purchased on the ship), BUT: if you pre-order the cards on-line then they will have the purchaser's name on them, and the first time they are used (i.e. "activated") that person must be present. If you are ordering more than one on-line it would be better to do it in two steps, with different names.

[RuthC]

Are the soda and non-alcoholic bev cards for the exclusive use of the purchaser? Or can say, one of a couple go to a bar, or hand a card to a pool waiter and get 2 glasses of soda debited from the same card?

 

Likewise can one presentation of a card which includes wine & beer, be used to purchase 2 glasses of wine at the same time? Or are the cards personalized and it is obvious when John presents Joan's card, that he isn't Joan?

 

Thanks for the previous, helpful bits of information on this subject.

Yes, it will be obvious to the server as to who the card is registered to. Either a name will be on it (pre-purchased), or the name will appear in the computer when the card is run. Sometimes, the steward will stick a little message tape on a card, and write a name on so the card won't get misdirected.

 

However, if John presents Joan's card, it will also show in the computer that they are both on the same account, so the card will be accepted.

Since the card is paid for, it can be used to purchase for anyone and everyone, all at the same time. There are no restrictions, except for the underage one on alcoholic drinks.

[Tarpeian Rock]

It used to be the cans. Now it's fountain drinks. Not as good a deal.

 

But, you're still getting $50.00 worth for $25.00.

 

 

 

Agree the soda card isn't so great anymore. The ratio of ice to soda in the glasses covered by the card is pretty high. You can always ask for less ice, but that can get to be a hassle, and the request isn't always conveyed by the waiter, and then the bartender gets to decide just what "less ice" means. Ordering soda then becomes a "Bubba Gump" experience ("You never know what you're gonna get.") I think forgetting the card and just buying cans is the way to go.

[OVgirl]

In the past if we bought a soda card for $25, we often would have some credit left on the card at the end of the cruise. On the last day we would basically get the balance of soda cans that were covered by the card and gift them to one of our stewards.

 

Since HAL changed the policy and only allows glasses of soda, that is no longer possible. I wonder if this played into the change from cans to glasses of soda.

 

Just throwing this out for consideration.

[hvsteve1]

We had the soda card on our recent Maasdam cruise. We brought a 12-pack of soda on board but wanted the soda card to order a little something when in a lounge or showroom. It just seems unnatural to sit in a lounge for two hours and keep telling the server, "no thanks.", so this is a cheap way to at least have a couple of glasses in front of us. Also, if you want a "free" glass of cheap sparkling wine, show up for open seating when the restaurant is busy. Every time we went to the podium they told us it would be a short wait, give us a pager and coupons for free sparkling wine in one of the lounges. It was nothing I would buy but, hey, free is free. :p

[Typhoon1]

Has this personally happened to you?

 

I can say it has. One of our regular waiters would periodically bring me a can. That said, it was fountain soda most of the time.

 

Don't expect to see cans all the time.

[Shining Clem]

We had a final session with our TA yesterday, and removed our pre-purchase of drink cards, as a result of the info from this thread. We'll buy them on board. Undoubtedly the weather forecast for the coming week in Alaska will play a part. New to HAL, we were under the impression that one had to purchase a soda card, prior to boarding.

 

I think this is a much better system than Celebrity's. If one doesn't use a card much, one can get a partial refund, if there is a chunk of it still left. And at a mid-point, or whenever, one can assess how much the card is being used and get another or decide to buy sodas by the drink or can, for the remainder of the voyage.

 

Thanks!

[Krazy Kruizers]

I can say it has. One of our regular waiters would periodically bring me a can. That said, it was fountain soda most of the time.

 

Don't expect to see cans all the time.

 

We don't drink sodas.

But I don't think the bar staff should break the rules.