Norwegian Dawn---beverage questions

[Tarheelbelle]

I searched the boards and found some threads that mentioned these items, but will cut to the chase and simply ask the specifics!

 

1] How much is the soda card/sticker on the Dawn for an 11 night cruise?

 

2] Do the soda cards/stickers include all the fountain sodas like coke, diet coke, sprite, club soda, ginger ale, and tonic water? Does NCL use Coke or Pepsi products?

 

3] Are cappucinos/expressos free in the dining venues after dinner?

 

4] Were you stopped in NYC from bringing onboard bottled water, sodas, and wine and/or beer in your carryon luggage?

 

5] Any idea how much the bars or room service onboard charge on average for a fifth of premium spirits for consumption onboard?

 

Thanks!

[johnql]

1) The Adult Soda Program: Prepaid @ $5.00 per day per person x cruise days, which entitles you to unlimited fountain soda. The entire cruise must be purchased and it's non-refundable. $55 for an 11-night cruise

 

2) All fountain sodas that are served at the bars are covered. Coke products only.

 

3) Not sure about the cappucino/espresso. I think I've read here on CC that they are available upon request in the main dining rooms (no charge).

 

4) There is no problem bringing soda and/or bottled water onboard. I don't think beer is allowed. Wine is a grey area. I've read that if it's a wine that isn't available onboard that you can bring it and pay a corkage fee.

 

5) Can't help you with the bar set-up charges.

[Pic22]

2) It also includes club soda and what they call soda water (like seltzer), I was on the Dawn 7/24/05 and my parents had the soda card, which is a sticker on your room/charge card. For children, it is a wrist band, which I purchased for my daughter ($16.00 for my cruise, and about $22 for yours) and many times forgot in the room, but the crew was very liberal with the fountain soda.

 

3) Cappucinos and Espresso are both free in the dining rooms, for lunch or dinner, and actually quite good. One night we eat around 9:30 and you could taste it was a little burnt, but all other times it was very good. Then again many people complain about the regular coffee on board (folgers), but I enjoyed that as well.

 

4) Beer is defininetaly not allowed, but as I have seen from Shoreguy's posts: Wine is allowed, not sure on how much, but you are subject to a $15 corkage fee especially if used in the dining room. If you use it in your cabin sometimes you may not be charged. It is not illegal to bring these things on board, it is just against NCL policy, so they will confiscate (sp?) anything that is against thier policy and return it to you/or you will have to pick it up on the morning of disembarkation. Shoreguy, please elaberate if I left anything out or am incorrect on any of this.

[shoreguy]

I will answer question 5 - a whole lot of $. But you can pre-order a bar setup with a liter of spirits. Depending on brand either $40 or $55. It will be in your cabin when your arrive.

 

Bar service 1-866-625-1159

[babywewe]

The one thing that fustrated me about the Dawn was the lack of free drink options.

 

The "ice tea" is nasty. I would'nt have minded if it was the powdered sweet stuff... but this is unsweetened nasty syrip mix...UGH .... they do leave out lemons to dress it up.

 

I got the soda card. I thought it was worth it for me... Just having the option of going up to the bar and order and coke and not have them print out a receipt and then sign for it.

 

I did realize that at the Kids cafe (kids area in the garden buffet) they serve juice all day!

[LI new cruiser]

The $15 corkage fee is applied to any wine brought on board. If you don't pay it, they keep the bottle until you arrive back in NY. It doesn't matter if you drink it in the dining room or in your stateroom. I speak from experience.........LOL!

[goldmom]

An earlier post mentions that the Adult pre-paid soda card is $5 a day. Does that mean they purchased it before boarding or that you have to buy it for the whole week ie: pre-paid for week? Don't mean to sound stupid, but wondering if you pre-purchase before boarding if the price is different. Thanks

[immargaret]

I believe the base price is the same if you book before or on your cruise. I have seen posts that say the 15% gratuity is only added if you purchase on the ship. I can't confirm this information, yet.

[johnql]

An earlier post mentions that the Adult pre-paid soda card is $5 a day. Does that mean they purchased it before boarding or that you have to buy it for the whole week ie: pre-paid for week? Don't mean to sound stupid, but wondering if you pre-purchase before boarding if the price is different. Thanks

You can only purchase the soda card for the whole cruise. The "pre-paid" part is not a reference to having to purchase the card before the cruise. It means all of the soda will be "pre-paid".

[Tarheelbelle]

Thanks for the info, everyone. How disappointing!:mad: Just to show how different cruiseline policies are, on every Princess and RCI cruise I have been on, we were able to bring bottles of wine onboard at the originating port for in-room pouring and no problem--no corkage fee--nothing! We just put it in our carryons and through the security screening macine and on we went. We have even gone off the ship and out to stores after embarkation and carried shopping bags of wine/soda back on with no problems. As to prices of liquor onboard, we purchased a liter of Bombay Sapphire onboard from room service last fall on the Coral Princess for $27 plus the 15% gratuity [total ~$31], which was about the same as the cost in the local liquor stores in the embarkation port of Ft. Lauderdale. So the NCL prices seem way inflated to me. [On the other hand, Princess just started charging for expresso and capuccino last year so look forward to the freebies on NCL.]

I really appreciate the warning as this will be my first NCL cruise.

[babywewe]

my bag was'nt searched when i got onboard at any of the ports.... even if it was... you could buy two bottles of wine.... then when they find it ... go over to the "check in" guy... and only "chick in" one bottle.

 

liquor was SOOO cheap in nassau....

[airgirl]

How can they tell if you have bottles of wine or beer in your checked luggage. Will the room steward rat you out?

 

The first time I went on Carnival I was caught with cans in my CARRY ON luggage. Some CC posters told me do the bottles in checked luggage and I did with no problem on my 2nd Carnival cruise - the Legend. The room steward did not say anything about the booze in fridge. I was thrilled with that cruise. In the ports, people were going to liquor stores and filling up non - descript containers with booze to get around Carnival's tight no booze policy.

 

Yes, they want to make money on the drinks and they do, they really do. Trust me, we will have a fat bar bill at the end of the cruise no matter what.

[jamesgjr]

Is this an option? I dont drink anything else, HELP!:)

[johnql]

Is this an option? I dont drink anything else, HELP!:)

I'm pretty sure they don't have the caffeine-free Diet Coke available. I would suggest taking some cans onboard.

[dongordon]

I am bringing wine onboard for each evening's dinner. Do I pay the corkage fee at dinner or at time of boarding?

 

Don

[TrinaLC]

About bringing wine on board - it is truly random whether they 'catch' you and impose the corkage fee. Don, I *think* if they do, they impose it then and you get a receipt which you can use in the dining room if they want to also add a fee. But I could be wrong!

 

It is also random whether they impose a fee in the dining room; depends on the waiter, how busy it is etc. While it is of course a different line, we never had the fee imposed on carnival.

 

Re. bar set up - as someone noted, these are the full liter bottles - 25% larger than the 750 ml bottles that folks usually purchase at home. We were not able to finish up what we had (and that despite some help, right Benmom/Judy?!)

[crisvow]

does it include bottled water or just fountain soda? and do you only purchuse this once your on-board or is this something you can buy prior like on the website? thanks

[immargaret]

It doesn't include bottled water. It can be purchased before the cruise, or once you get on the ship. Here is the link for pre-purchasing information. The price may have recently increased, so you may want to call them to place the order.

 

http://ncl.com/more/bon_voyage_list.htm