Soda Card Question

[CruisinTeach]

Does anyone know how much an individual soda costs? I'm thinking the card wouldn't be worth it for me since I really don't drink soda - too much caffeine irritates my stomach (who needs that on a vacation) and since I've basically cut it out if I drink it after like 4 keeps me up ALL night. But yet I might want one here or there and just wondered how much it would cost me. If in between meals I was thirsty would I be able to get an iced tea or ice water somewhere if I wasn't wanting an alcoholic beverage?

[hawkfish]

Now, I am not sure how many sodas the kids drank. They aren't the biggest soda drinkers at home, so not sure if they "got their money's worth" or not. But I was happy to know that they could get a drink if they wanted and not have to hunt me down and ask if they could buy a soda.

 

Maggie

 

 

Agreed - you are definitely paying a bit more for the convenience factor. I don't even have kids - I just didn't want to have to sign for a soda everytime I was thirsty. Plus, having the cup and getting ice refills encourages me to stay hydrated with water/juice/Sprite. To each his own.

 

And I understand about the sharing argument that the other poster. Do I think RCI is losing money if you do share? No. But that's not the point. Turbosol - you say 'I purchased one soda package for two of us. It does not include juice anymore which I found out after I bought the dang thing' and then complain that you feel ripped off because you only used it to get ice, since juice was no longer available. But from the sounds of it, had juice been available, you would have gotten juice for the two of you with one package. And while you still would probably have not been ripping off RCI, it's still not fair to the other pax who play by the rules.

 

One other thing that you could have done was just get ice in your cabin and fill your bottles there. You could also get more ice at lunch time in the WJ, or just get a plastic cup of ice at any bar.

[MJShore]

i am 17 and get a soda card every cruis. it costs 4 dollars per day. say a soda is 2 dollars, that means i would have to drink soda only twice a day to make it work for me. i happen to drink it more than twice a day so it really works.

[turbosol16]

Turbosol - you say 'I purchased one soda package for two of us. It does not include juice anymore which I found out after I bought the dang thing' and then complain that you feel ripped off because you only used it to get ice, since juice was no longer available.

 

I dont feel ripped off I am just pointing out that we only used it 3 times so whoever feels like we contribute to the cost of the package can kiss my arse. I was expecting to get juice but I was also expecting to buy 2 packages which didn't happen because their was no juice included in the package anymore. We brought 36 bottles onboard in our carry on planning on buying two drink packages so she could go when she wanted to and get some juice.

 

They didn't have juice so their was no point on buying another one. We dont drink Coke products because they suck, it would of been a waste. I got my ice all the time and I filled it myself with Pepsi and bottled water, I dont feel ripped off and I sure as hell dont feel like we contributed to the rising cost of the packages.

 

Next time like you said I will get my own ice and just skip buying it, I am sure that wont drive the cost up any. Sooner or later you wont be able to bring your own drinks onboard because they aren't selling enough overpriced crappy soda.

[Maxiecat3]

Does anyone know how much an individual soda costs? I'm thinking the card wouldn't be worth it for me since I really don't drink soda - too much caffeine irritates my stomach (who needs that on a vacation) and since I've basically cut it out if I drink it after like 4 keeps me up ALL night. But yet I might want one here or there and just wondered how much it would cost me. If in between meals I was thirsty would I be able to get an iced tea or ice water somewhere if I wasn't wanting an alcoholic beverage?

 

Cans of soda are $2.01 (includes tip). For those others that asked, the cost, including tip, for the card is $4.60/day up to 17 yr old and $6.90/day for 18+. You would need to drink about 6-7 sodas, that they give you, a day for it to pay for itself as an adult. When we were on the Liberty OTS, I was able to buy bottled Coke (16 or 20 oz?) for $2.00, which was nice because if you do not finish it all you can reseal and put into you refrigerator.

Gregg

[dc-snoopy]

We only get one for DW. I don't drink much soda and what I do drink (Diet Dr Pepper), they don't carry, so I just stick with iced tea and water. Although DW only drinks borderline enough to get a reasonable return on investment, there are several reasons we like to get one for her. DW does not drink quickly or a lot at a time. A can of soda will last long enough for it to get warm. To finish it, she would have to hunt down a glass of ice and carry the soda around with her. Instead, she gets a smaller glass of diet coke, leaves the glass, then when she wants another, she can find another anywhere on-board (it's rarely very far to a bar, lounge or the WJ). It's a convenience issue for her to be able to get when she wants and not have to tote the leftovers in the can around or "waste" it.

 

For me, the opposite would hold true. When I drink, I tend to drink in large quantities, so I get 3 glasses of ice tea at a time or something like that. I hate small portions. DW likes smaller portions. So, to each his/her own and we get one for her and none for me.

[ColoradoMom!!]

We are considering the card for the kids for ease of use. I'll probably have to haul my own Diet Dr. Pepper on board myself.

 

How easy is it for kids to get soda's? I don't want them to be ignored at the barif they are poolside and want one. I don't want to have to go up with them everytime either.

[dc-snoopy]

We are considering the card for the kids for ease of use. I'll probably have to haul my own Diet Dr. Pepper on board myself.

 

How easy is it for kids to get soda's? I don't want them to be ignored at the barif they are poolside and want one. I don't want to have to go up with them everytime either.

 

I've never noticed kids having troubles getting service at the bar provided they have their Seapass card handy. The bartenders just have to see the sticker to know that they get sodas. The only time I have seen any wait for the kids is when the bar is filled with adults sitting around the bar and all the seats are filled. Even then, a simple "excuse me" to get to the bartender should suffice.

[TheEngineer]

I've always gotten this package whenever I have cruised in the past and have had no problem making it pay for itself, but I usually get juice at the bars. If they have cancelled that portion of the card, I will no longer purchase one. Their website still says (as of 5 seconds ago) juice and soda. Do they have any issues with people bringing a 12 pack of soda or juice aboard?

[Chawoobie]

I've sailed on Grandeur three times and have always bought the card. On our first cruise, my wife and daughters also bought the card, but they don't drink much soda. For me, I drink Coke regularly throughout the day and have at least two with dinner, so it is definitely a good deal for me.

[beachchick]

So I paid $65 for 3 soda's (2 Sprite - 1 Diet Coke) and you are saying that I ripped them off? You can think what you want but trust me we didn't purchase one with the intent of abusing the system.

 

We dont drink Coke we purchased it to get ice all the time, if they will fill up a water bottle you bring with you let me know and I will be sure not to puchase the $65 cup next time so I dont rip them off. You can think what you want but if you ask me we didn't take advantage of it at all. 3 sodas is worth about $3 so I paid $21.66 per soda I think RCI won!

 

No I am not. I was simply pointing out the way that the soda package is designed and how RCI expects it to be used. Honestly, if you only got three sodas, the soda package was indeed a horrible deal for you. Now you know that next time you'll bring some soda onboard to have available or buy a can as needed (or both).

 

As far as I know (and in our personal experience), getting a glass or cup of ice has never been a problem and has never incurred a charge--and we were certainly never asked to show our soda sticker to get it. If one of the bartenders wanted to charge you for a cup of ice, then it was that bartender who ripped you off! That is just wrong. If you want to use your own water bottle, what you should do is ask for cups of ice (or get it at the Windjammer) and transfer to your water bottle. That's what is recommended, but other members have also reported that the bartenders will fill personal containers. (I desperately hope that those same bartenders do not, under any circumstances "scoop" personal containers or the ones that come with the soda package into the ice bins. That's a thoroughly unsanitary procedure and violates CDC regulations. They can scoop the ice into a clean cup or container and transfer it to the "used" one.)

 

So, my answer is that you definitely should not purchase the soda package next time because you don't need it (IMO).

 

No question it was a bad deal for you.

 

beachchick

 

p.s., I completely agree with you about the quality (that is, lack thereof) of the fountain sodas. We only get the stickers because we are club soda fiends and the "base" soda from the fountains has been consistently good on the ships. Just don't add any of those horrid "syrups"--Yuck.

[cruise_lover]

To get back to the original poster's questions; You can bring water on-board and soft drinks but only if it is not the same brand (sodas) that is not sold on the ship. Unless you drink more than 4 sodas a day save your money for something else. Bring an insulated mug and fill it up with filtered water, ice tea, or punch in the Windjammer during the day. You can probably get the restaurant to fill it up for you with juice during the breakfast times. We bought the soda card on our two last cruises and also lost money on it. Personally I find that the soda gun at the bars have a different taste than the cans that I can buy at any of the bars for about $1.25.

[reallyitsmema]

p.s., I completely agree with you about the quality (that is, lack thereof) of the fountain sodas. We only get the stickers because we are club soda fiends and the "base" soda from the fountains has been consistently good on the ships. Just don't add any of those horrid "syrups"--Yuck.

OT but I bought the soda card too for club soda and our asst waiter said it wasn't available in the dining room???? Granted, this was the same person who didn't get drinks to the table until the entrees arrived and he constantly filled sprite glasses with water:rolleyes: I spoke to our waiter and she made sure I got club soda with a lime. Just wondering if you have had similar problems in the dining room.

[zuscruiserz]

If club soda is available on the soda card, I'll get one! I've been avoiding buying the soda card because I *hate* coke products (and am not much of a soda drinker anyways - 1 per day max), but I love fizzy soda water :p ! Can anyone verify that club soda is available in the dining room at lunch/dinner??? If so - I'm sold!

[reallyitsmema]

If club soda is available on the soda card, I'll get one! I've been avoiding buying the soda card because I *hate* coke products (and am not much of a soda drinker anyways - 1 per day max), but I love fizzy soda water :p ! Can anyone verify that club soda is available in the dining room at lunch/dinner??? If so - I'm sold!

I was able to get it in the dining room after our waiter spoke to the asst waiter. I had no trouble getting club soda anywhere else on the ship and always with a lime:p I really think it was our asst waiter, he was "new" according to our waiter. He had only been on the ship for 2 months?????? Luckily we had an excellent head waiter who was around constantly.

[jmmcruiser]

We have always carried on water and soda with no problem (any brand), is this still an option?. Also in the past we have brought a small flexible cooler and asked the cabin attendant to please keep it iced for the week (with a $10.00 tip when we meet the first day - always has seemed to provide continued excelent service). Anyone else done this or is this "not allowed".

[beachchick]

[quote name='reallyitsmema']OT but I bought the soda card too for club soda and our asst waiter said it wasn't available in the dining room???? Granted, this was the same person who didn't get drinks to the table until the entrees arrived and he constantly filled sprite glasses with water:rolleyes: I spoke to our waiter and she made sure I got club soda with a lime. Just wondering if you have had similar problems in the dining room.[/quote]

We've never had a problem getting club soda with the soda sticker in the dining room. Sounds like your asst waiter wasn't up to par.

[quote name='zuscruiserz']If club soda is available on the soda card, I'll get one! I've been avoiding buying the soda card because I *hate* coke products (and am not much of a soda drinker anyways - 1 per day max), but I love fizzy soda water :p ! Can anyone verify that club soda is available in the dining room at lunch/dinner??? If so - I'm sold![/quote]

Yes, we definitely can. I think we'd be lost without it. They will add a lime wedge to it unless you ask for it plain, and they'll usually do "light ice" when requested.

beachchick

[crookedhalo]

Well, even if they've eliminated the juice aspect, I'll probably still get the card for my kids - it was a breeze last year. They both got hooked on cranberry juice with soda water and a twist - LOL. I'm guessing that would still be covered. If it's not, guess who'll be at the pursers desk getting a refund? LOL;)