Straws

[fozzy1975]

Question about straws. Off and on I read or watch a review and see that straws are not given out or sometimes they are. Just curious if there is 1 right answer. Are there straws or not? Wondering if I should bring my own. Thanks we will

be on the Mardi Gras 

Edited November 6, 2022 by fozzy1975

[MichiganFisherman]

Bring your own plastic straws. The candy straws melt .

[ColeThornton]

4 minutes ago, fozzy1975 said:

Question about straws. Off and on I read or watch a review and see that straws are not given out or sometimes they are. Just curious if there is 1 right answer. Are there straws or not? Wondering if I should bring my son. Thanks we will

be on the Mardi Gras 

 

 

Bring your son, I'm sure he would enjoy a cruise.   😉

[fozzy1975]

Omg lol! That was suppose to see own not son! We are bringing him! I edited thanks 

[christyran1228]

We brought our own reusable straws ... a sticky PITA, IMO.  But the quickly dissolving sugar ones are gross.

Edited November 6, 2022 by christyran1228

[ShakyBeef]

It seems that sometimes you get sugar straws (which, IMO are gross), sometimes you get paper straws, and most times you get no straw.  I don't see any real consistency in how it's done.  I've been bringing my own for years.  I bought this box circa 2018 from Sam's club online, and have been slowly using it up cruise by cruise.  I take a gallon-sized Ziplock bag full of straws each cruise.  I never use them all, I end up bringing a lot home with me.  I intentionally got them long for tall boat drinks, and individually paper-wrapped for cleanliness in carrying them.

 

Edited November 6, 2022 by ShakyBeef

[Island Dog]

This is why I love reading Cruise Critic just before cruising. DW bought me a stainless reusable straw recently replete with a pipe cleaner/chimney sweep thingy to clean it. I just packed it after reading this. Thanks!

[ShakyBeef]

chimney sweep thingy! LOL🤣 Love it!

[Enggrl]

Buy a reusable silicone or metal straw. Bringing plastic straws onboard defeats the whole purpose of why Carnival got rid or disposable plastic straws. Unless, of course, you are taking them all home and recycling them. 

[ShakyBeef]

13 minutes ago, Enggrl said:

Buy a reusable silicone or metal straw. Bringing plastic straws onboard defeats the whole purpose of why Carnival got rid or disposable plastic straws. Unless, of course, you are taking them all home and recycling them. 

 

Rather than type all of it again, I went and found the thread from 2019 when I answered a post similar to yours.  Here's what I said then and is still true for me now:

 

Nope.  I'm not washing out a straw on my cruise.  I use reusable straws at home, but I wash them in the dishwasher, thus ensuring they are sanitized without an annoying effort on my part. 

 

I will not be green-guilted into more inconvenience on my vacation than I am wiling to go through.  Especially for an environmental effort red herring such as straws.   Straws are the low hanging fruit.  The poster child for The Evil of Single Use Plastic that the masses can glom onto and raise their pitchforks against.

 

I regularly clean up beaches on my vacations and at home.  I never litter.  I will go out of my way to find the proper trash or recycle can.  I always reuse plastic shopping bags, as well as all cardboard boxes from my online shopping.  I hate to waste and I reduce, reuse, recycle, re-assign, repair, and donate in my daily life, on a regular basis.  But I draw the line at reusable straws on vacation.  Good on y'all that are willing and going to do it, that's great, really. But I am not.  In this case, I am more concerned with proper sanitation and my valuable vacation time than the effect my properly disposed-of single-use plastic straws will make on the environment.

 

Oh, and to answer your question (sorry I rambled so much): I will discard the straws in the properly marked receptacle when out on Lido (assuming they still have those), in my suite's wastebaskets when in there, or will leave it on my table, in my empty glass at indoor venues, as usual, and as expected / requested by crew.

 

 

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com.au/topic/2670589-alright-curious-about-the-edible-straws/?do=findComment&comment=57678439

 

[JT1962]

13 minutes ago, ShakyBeef said:

 

Rather than type all of it again, I went and found the thread from 2019 when I answered a post similar to yours.  Here's what I said then and is still true for me now:

 

Nope.  I'm not washing out a straw on my cruise.  I use reusable straws at home, but I wash them in the dishwasher, thus ensuring they are sanitized without an annoying effort on my part. 

 

I will not be green-guilted into more inconvenience on my vacation than I am wiling to go through.  Especially for an environmental effort red herring such as straws.   Straws are the low hanging fruit.  The poster child for The Evil of Single Use Plastic that the masses can glom onto and raise their pitchforks against.

 

I regularly clean up beaches on my vacations and at home.  I never litter.  I will go out of my way to find the proper trash or recycle can.  I always reuse plastic shopping bags, as well as all cardboard boxes from my online shopping.  I hate to waste and I reduce, reuse, recycle, re-assign, repair, and donate in my daily life, on a regular basis.  But I draw the line at reusable straws on vacation.  Good on y'all that are willing and going to do it, that's great, really. But I am not.  In this case, I am more concerned with proper sanitation and my valuable vacation time than the effect my properly disposed-of single-use plastic straws will make on the environment.

 

Oh, and to answer your question (sorry I rambled so much): I will discard the straws in the properly marked receptacle when out on Lido (assuming they still have those), in my suite's wastebaskets when in there, or will leave it on my table, in my empty glass at indoor venues, as usual, and as expected / requested by crew.

 

 

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com.au/topic/2670589-alright-curious-about-the-edible-straws/?do=findComment&comment=57678439

 

AMEN!!! We bring our own plastic straws as well. I’m not going to be washing out and trying to keep up with a reusable straw while on vacation.

Edited November 6, 2022 by JT1962

[Island Dog]

IMHO I can see both of your points. I would assume candy straws cost more than plastic, so bravo to Carnival for taking a hit to clean up plastic waste. However, they haven't made the change to paper box water bottles that some other lines have switched to, and the plastic bottles are a way worse problem to me. As long as your disposing your plastic straws in the properly marked receptacles and not letting them blow overboard I see them as a non-issue. It is, however, heartbreaking to see marinelife suffering from inhaling/ingesting plastic straws.

 

Personal responsibility goes a long way in helping with this. Do your part in your own way. Just my opinion...

[mz-s]

35 minutes ago, Enggrl said:

Buy a reusable silicone or metal straw. Bringing plastic straws onboard defeats the whole purpose of why Carnival got rid or disposable plastic straws. Unless, of course, you are taking them all home and recycling them. 

 

How much plastic is wasted when Carnival throws away the literally thousands of photos they printed during the cruise?

[volfan22701]

we take plastic straw as well. they are not a problem if disposed of properly and way less a pollution problem than many other things all cruise lines do. our choice and if you don't agree just too bad. all about choices.

[Elaine5715]

2 hours ago, ShakyBeef said:

It seems that sometimes you get sugar straws (which, IMO are gross), sometimes you get paper straws, and most times you get no straw.  I don't see any real consistency in how it's done.  I've been bringing my own for years.  I bought this box circa 2018 from Sam's club online, and have been slowly using it up cruise by cruise.  I take a gallon-sized Ziplock bag full of straws each cruise.  I never use them all, I end up bringing a lot home with me.  I intentionally got them long for tall boat drinks, and individually paper-wrapped for cleanliness in carrying them.

 

Rookie...my stockpile will last until they put me on the final iceberg

[sammee]

I brought the retractable stainless steel straws, but it's also a pain running to clean them. I was big on the frozen margaritas last month.  They kept giving me the lime straws. So, I got a little inventive and didn't need my steel straw. When you peel the green wrapper off the straw, save about a 2-3 inch tape. Envision a twisty tie that you use on bread bags. Now take that little piece, wrap it around straw in the spot you're likely to grab on and twist it. No more sticky finger and you can give it alittle stir when it gets too thick at the bottom.

[ShakyBeef]

12 minutes ago, sammee said:

I brought the retractable stainless steel straws, but it's also a pain running to clean them. I was big on the frozen margaritas last month.  They kept giving me the lime straws. So, I got a little inventive and didn't need my steel straw. When you peel the green wrapper off the straw, save about a 2-3 inch tape. Envision a twisty tie that you use on bread bags. Now take that little piece, wrap it around straw in the spot you're likely to grab on and twist it. No more sticky finger and you can give it alittle stir when it gets too thick at the bottom.

I LOVE it!  👍

You get the cruise Macgyver award!😎

[Saint Greg]

I’m still working on these. They were $8 back when I bought them and they’re $15 now. But they’ve lasted me.

 

 

[psikic]

5 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

How much plastic is wasted when Carnival throws away the literally thousands of photos they printed during the cruise?

They don't print them anymore until you buy them -- at least on the ships that now have the Pixel gallery.  (Isn't that most of them?)

[ninjacat123]

2 minutes ago, psikic said:

They don't print them anymore until you buy them -- at least on the ships that now have the Pixel gallery.  (Isn't that most of them?)

No, last two cruises on Ecstasy and Sunshine, our pics were printed up "old skool" and you had to find them amongst allllll the others.  Definitely an environmental issue😠 

[mz-s]

16 minutes ago, psikic said:

They don't print them anymore until you buy them -- at least on the ships that now have the Pixel gallery.  (Isn't that most of them?)

I haven’t done the math on how many ships have been converted to digital but I wouldn’t say it’s most ships. Looks like if they actually cared about waste they would have made this a priority and converted all their ships by now. 

[mojavetex]

Has anyone tried bamboo straws? 

[ronrythm]

7 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

How much plastic is wasted when Carnival throws away the literally thousands of photos they printed during the cruise?

None. Photos are on paper.

[mz-s]

2 minutes ago, ronrythm said:

None. Photos are on paper.

resin-coated paper - aka paper coated in plastic

[MistyRo76]

I am just off the Valor and I packed a travel silicon straw after reading all of the negative comments about the sugar straws on here. That travel straw didn't leave my backpack once! The sugar straws honestly never even bothered me! And I didn't realize that they had different flavored ones. When I got a Mocha Choclate Getaway, I was given a chocolate straw! And when I got a fruity drink, it was a fruity flavored straw. I did have to ask for straws occasionally. But the sugar straws were not nearly as bad as I had heard. And I almost always drank my drink fast enough that I never had to worry about melting.