are soda's free or not on cruises?

[chaserdog53]

i am going on the Carnival Victory next saturday. i heard that we have to pay for drinks onboard but if i purchase some sort of soda card that it is unlimited soda but only given one drink at a time per person

i don't know i just got this off of carnival's website

 

what is the real deal with soda's on the cruise

 

also when i pack my luggage can i lock it and do i have to do it with special locks or not?

 

thanks

[caribbean dreams]

Sodas cost extra, you can buy a soda card and receive unlimited sodas.

Tea, punch, coffee & juices are free.

 

If you lock your luggage and it is searched, they will cut the lock off, most people just use zip ties.

 

[Curt Jerome Wild]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=6369386&postcount=10

Soda Card prices

[ItaliaAmerCruzLady]

I dont know how many people you have going, but if its just you and a partner, one soda card purchased is sufficient , except at dinner. You only get one soda at a time, but you can both go up with the card, one at a time. There are plenty of other things to drink that are free, and of course you pay for your alcoholic drinks,

I have never locked my luggage, just use a twist tie or clip to keep it from opening on its own. Trust me, they throw our luggage around like gorrillias, so wrap anything breakable very carefully. one of our mugs got broken on our last cruise.

I did manage to bring on a bottle of Bailey`s that was bubble wrapped and then wrapped in clothing without incident. hope this helps, and please, Let us all know how you liked the Victory, I am sailing on her in Aug.

[salty dingo]

I don't buy the soda card anymore - just can't drink enough soda to justify the price.

 

But when I did get one, I got just one, since DW likes sodas a lot, and I not so much. I would go up and get her a soda quite often, sometimes I would bring it back to the cabin for her. And once in a while I would get one for myself and "spike" it with a miniature on deck.

 

However, all things considered, it was just easier to pack some sodas and enjoy them in the cabin. We brought a case in plastic 0.5 liter bottles and that was perfect for wandering out on deck. Some people asked us where we got the sodas!

[Cotton]

... i heard that we have to pay for drinks onboard ...

 

Hi. If you're talking about ONLY soft drinks, yes you'll have to pay for them. The soda cards are suppose to be for one person only, not shared. There will also be some Coke products in your cabin, but there's a charge there as well.

 

If you drive to the ports, you could take your own 'reasonable amount' on board, and pick up some more at the ports you visit. Carnival allows you to do this. Could save quite a bit.

 

If you're talking about ALL drinks/beverages, this might help:

 

Included in the cost of your cruise:

 

Lido buffet area - Iced tea, hot water & tea bags, coffee, decaf, hot chocolate, juice varieties, lemonade, fruitpunch. On buffet, milk, skim milk, chocolate milk.

 

Dining room - Iced tea, hot tea, coffee, decaf, milk, chocolate milk, juices, espresso and cappuccino.

 

Room service - MOST of the beverages that are available on Lido, but not lemonade or fruitpunch.

 

.....also when i pack my luggage can i lock it and do i have to do it with special locks or not?

 

Carnval says to make sure you lock your luggage before handing it over to the porters at the pier, and then again before putting it in the hallway the night before debarkation.

You can use any type locks...many folks use the plastic 'cable ties'. I use the little locks that came w/my luggage. You can also pick up a package containing three little locks from WalMart in the luggage dept...$1.29.

[BallFour4]

I dont know how many people you have going, but if its just you and a partner, one soda card purchased is sufficient , except at dinner. You only get one soda at a time, but you can both go up with the card, one at a time. There are plenty of other things to drink that are free, and of course you pay for your alcoholic drinks,

I have never locked my luggage, just use a twist tie or clip to keep it from opening on its own. Trust me, they throw our luggage around like gorrillias, so wrap anything breakable very carefully. one of our mugs got broken on our last cruise.

I did manage to bring on a bottle of Bailey`s that was bubble wrapped and then wrapped in clothing without incident. hope this helps, and please, Let us all know how you liked the Victory, I am sailing on her in Aug.

 

A two'fer of bad advice, and both are against the host of your vacations policy.

 

First, the soda cards are never worth the pure cost of the card. What does justify the expense is the benefit of speedy service at the bars, dining room and in the theatre. All you need to do is flash the card and order your soda. If you don't have the card then you must wait for the transaction to be rung up and posted to your sign and sail card.

 

The card allows you to also get juices at the bars after exercise in the mornings. We use them to get pineapple juice and fruit juices during the day, and after our morning run.

 

The theatre and the dining room beverage service also make it easy, as your dining waiter will have your soda waiting for you each evening after you show the card to he/she and place your order the first night.

 

Ask yourself a question based on the logic from the response above. Let's say you and a friend go to a buffet and both of you are not very hungry. Can you and that friend go through the line one at a time, and then justify that you ate only as much as one hungry person? If you can live with that answer then do what you wish...

 

Finally, the cost of the actual soda is a fraction of the expense of serving a drink to cruise passengers. The shipping costs, human costs of labor involved and the entire expense is probably a small profit for Carnival.

 

The second bad advice is bringing alcohol aboard. While legions of cruisers do this, all they need to do is scan your luggage or do a hand search and you get to explain to the ships security dept. The posters on these boards only brag about the successes, none come on and tell the bad experiences about getting caught or having alcohol all over their clothes.

 

A Tylenol costs about $2 at one of my hospitals by the time it gets to a patient. The difference is the expense of handling, dispensing and human cost to get it to the floor.

 

Internet advice is often worth just what you paid for it.

[TXParrothead]

blusry

 

Well said! You better watch it people might think that you have morals and standards. That would disqualify you from running for congress.