Stainless Steel Straws

[cruisin4dhr]

We're planning on waving the Green flag on our next Carnival cruise in a few weeks by bringing reusable stainless steel drinking straws.  Has anyone had any problems with these items at airport Security?  Did you pack them in your carry-on or checked bags?  TIA.  

[xDisconnections]

It shouldn’t be an issue...

[joepeka]

We took some with us last Summer on Legend - we packed them (and some metal stir sticks) in our checked luggage. No problems with security at all.

[finoky]

We brought telescopic ones on our last cruise with no problems at all through the airport or on the ship.

[havanadaydreaming]

Checked luggage last week. 

 

They're fantastic, 100x better than paper. 

[SDPadreFan]

Just my opinion, but a stainless steel straw is just an unfortunate accident away from doing some serious damage to your mouth. I'll either bring my own plastic straws or purchase some food grade silicon ones for cruising, etc.

[VentureMan_2000]

3 hours ago, SDPadreFan said:

Just my opinion, but a stainless steel straw is just an unfortunate accident away from doing some serious damage to your mouth. 

 

1 hour ago, grandmarnnurse said:

As a retired RN, let me tell you the injury that a stainless steel metal straw can cause to your mouth, or ANY part of your body if you trip and fall is horrible! I would never advise anyone to use them. 

 

Yeah... this sums up what I've been thinking all along, regarding metal straws -- just never articulated it...

...which is why I've inquired about paper straws on CC.   I could bring my own plastic, but I truly believe cruise lines, as well as Cities, Counties, and States have deemed them environmentally problematic.  I really don't think the cruise lines are doing this to save money.  I can purchase 25 plastic straws at Sam's Club for 10 cents.  Carnival's cost would likely be closer to 25 plastic straws for 1 cent.

 

[Saint Greg]

34 minutes ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

 

 

Yeah... this sums up what I've been thinking all along, regarding metal straws -- just never articulated it...

...which is why I've inquired about paper straws on CC.   I could bring my own plastic, but I truly believe cruise lines, as well as Cities, Counties, and States have deemed them environmentally problematic.  I really don't think the cruise lines are doing this to save money.  I can purchase 25 plastic straws at Sam's Club for 10 cents.  Carnival's cost would likely be closer to 25 plastic straws for 1 cent.

 

whatever the cost is it adds up when you multiply it by 4,000 passengers on 27 ships that are sailing 365 days a year. 

[VentureMan_2000]

Was keeping the math simple...  you know I like doing the math.

$2,500 straws for $10.

[naxer]

4 hours ago, SDPadreFan said:

Just my opinion, but a stainless steel straw is just an unfortunate accident away from doing some serious damage to your mouth. I'll either bring my own plastic straws or purchase some food grade silicon ones for cruising, etc.

 

Any more dangerous than the stainless steel forks and knives that are all over the ship?

[VentureMan_2000]

4 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

whatever the cost is it adds up when you multiply it by 4,000 passengers on 27 ships that are sailing 365 days a year. 

 

Lets use the Miracle.  Holds about 2000 passengers.  Say, 4 drinks a day per passenger on average, so that's 8000 straws.  Cost is likely $10 / day. I wouldn't consider that a significant amount or a reason to eliminate straws.  I wonder how much those sugar straws cost... I bet a bundle compared to the cost of plastic straws.  Paper straws seem to be priced about the same as plastic.

[Saint Greg]

40 minutes ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

 

Lets use the Miracle.  Holds about 2000 passengers.  Say, 4 drinks a day per passenger on average, so that's 8000 straws.  Cost is likely $10 / day. I wouldn't consider that a significant amount or a reason to eliminate straws.  I wonder how much those sugar straws cost... I bet a bundle compared to the cost of plastic straws.  Paper straws seem to be priced about the same as plastic.

You keep lowering that straw price don’t you? On your post before that you said 2,500 for $10. Now 8,000 is $10. I think 4,000 passengers is a good average across the fleet. At 4 straws per day and 27 ships that’s 157.7 MILLION straws per year. I don’t care what the per straw cost is. That’s going to add up to a significant number. And we’re not even taking into account the possibility that they previously provided straws for tens of thousands of employees as well. 
 

 

Edited December 10, 2019 by Saint Greg

[SDPadreFan]

It's really all about personal choice. If you like the idea of a stainless steel straw, then by all means go for it. Some people think (like me) that it's an unnecessarily risky choice when there are other options. And that is fine as well. I'm certainly not going to tell someone not to use a stainless steel straw if that is their choice. It's just not my choice. Ordered my food grade silicon straws today.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZHW9MBJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

May also bring a few plastic ones as well. Been collecting/hoarding (unused) straws for a couple of years now because CA always wants to lead the nation when it comes to taking away personal freedoms. But we do have AWESOME weather.

[jimbo5544]

2 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

You keep lowering that straw price don’t you? On your post before that you said 2,500 for $10. Now 8,000 is $10. I think 4,000 passengers is a good average across the fleet. At 4 straws per day and 27 ships that’s 157.7 MILLION straws per year. I don’t care what the per straw cost is. That’s going to add up to a significant number. And we’re not even taking into account the possibility that they previously provided straws for tens of thousands of employees as well. 
 

 

The straw market must be dropping

[VentureMan_2000]

3 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

You keep lowering that straw price don’t you? On your post before that you said 2,500 for $10. Now 8,000 is $10. I think 4,000 passengers is a good average across the fleet. At 4 straws per day and 27 ships that’s 157.7 MILLION straws per year. I don’t care what the per straw cost is. That’s going to add up to a significant number. And we’re not even taking into account the possibility that they previously provided straws for tens of thousands of employees as well. 
 

 

No... read my  last sentence in my post above ( to SDPadreFan ).  I said, "Carnival's cost would likely be closer to 25 plastic straws for 1 cent."  So I was actually giving Carnival the benefit of doubt in suggesting 8,000 for $10.  I should have kept to my numbers and said $25,000 for $10, and then worked the math.  

So you can roughly divide by 3, the profit I suggested Carnival would make.  😁

[RWolver672]

I don't understand all the hoopla about the straws hurting the environment.  The powers that be should be more worried about all the plastic bags and six pack rings that are floating in our waters.

 

As for the "discussion" on how much the straws are costing, it's a drop in the bucket with the prices they charge for the drinks.  Believe me, they're still coming out ahead.   The fruit that they put in the drinks costs way more than those straws do.

[grandmarnnurse]

10 hours ago, joepeka said:

I have to think about all the stuff people walk around with every day that, if they should slip/trip and fall that could cause injury. The list is probably limitless. I'm as conservative and risk-averse as they come but metal drinking straws are not high on my list of hazardous objects.

Well, then, I can just assume you’ve never seen the damage that they can do. Believe me, it’s not pretty. Just speaking from my experience as an RN. There is no way in hell I’d ever let any of my loved ones use a steel straw. 

[Eliot Ness]

I don't see how Carnival is saving any money by eliminating plastic straws.  The sugar and/or paper straws are bound to cost as much if not more, and I don't see enough pax toting around their own personal straws to make much of a cost savings for Carnival. 

 

Sure, there will be a few who bring their own stainless, silicone, or hemp straws but I figure they will be few in numbers and at least some will tire of schlepping around a sticky straw and just use the paper straws Carnival provides. 

 

I use a silicone straw daily in my (generic) Yeti mug of water, and while I love my silicone Bubba straw I don't think I want carry it into the bathroom after every drink to rinse it out so I'm not sticking a sticky straw in my pocket:

 

As far as stainless straws go I just think that would be uncomfortable on my teeth, but that's just my personal opinion so if folks want to mess with a stainless or silicone straw and brush that's fine with me, but I'll just make do with a paper straw, after all, that's all we used to have, and if it goes limp I'll just ask for another one.

 

Edit:  The silicone straws SDPadreFan linked to looks promising, they are collapsible into a small case you could clip to a belt loop and it comes with a cleaning brush that also fit into the case:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZHW9MBJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

Edited December 10, 2019 by Eliot Ness
added info

[coevan]

40 minutes ago, Eliot Ness said:

I don't see how Carnival is saving any money by eliminating plastic straws. 

 

 

who said they were saving money? Plastic is by far the cheapest straws

[momof3cruisers]

4 hours ago, 10Jan54 said:

First off who really needs a straw?

it has nothing to do with the cost,  lets take one step at a time to help our earth.  Plastic bags are not going to be in stores in 2020 where we live so expect it in other parts of the country as well. 

"4Oceans"

There is definitely a difference between NEED and WANT. Not a single one of us NEEDS to go on a cruise and yet here we are. No one NEEDS to drink anything other than water to survive. But I personally LIKE to use a straw with drinks that are either frozen or have ice. 
 

That said, I will be bringing my own silicone straws on my cruise. They are also going to WDW with us the week before. I don’t mind washing them up as I wash my hands a LOT on cruises so I’ll just wash the straw too. Sanitary enough for 4 days. And they have a little case with a carabiner to carry them in so no bulk to worry about.

[Saint Greg]

6 hours ago, coevan said:

 

 

assuming everyone uses straws, which is not true

Some use more than others which would make up for the ones that don’t. I use a lot more than 4 in a day for instance.