$48.50 for a 7 day soda card? No thanks.

[NordicPrince]

Not wanting to sound cheap (okay we are..) but ice water, ice tea, juices, coffee etc. is FREE at the Windjammer Cafe, all day long and well into the evening. The money we would otherwise spent on soda packages, goes towards our daily Martini in the Schooner Bar.. :D:D

 

I can not drink alcohol and tend to take cruises where it is hot. Can't drink fruit juices and tea and coffee have lots more caffeine.

 

Sometimes only a Coke (diet only now) will do it for me. Coke is Americana. I will reveal my age and admit I was one of the ones who hit the roof when New Coke was introduced.

 

Ah, the good ole days when I could drink regular Coke all day.

 

For the price of that martini you only get 1 drink. I get an never ending

fountain of effervescence.

[Citizen Jane]

Not wanting to sound cheap (okay we are..) but ice water, ice tea, juices, coffee etc. is FREE at the Windjammer Cafe, all day long and well into the evening. The money we would otherwise spent on soda packages, goes towards our daily Martini in the Schooner Bar.. :D:D

 

Bag, not cheap, just sounds like if you have the need for daily caffeine intake you don't do it with soda.;)

 

While I do like unsweetened iced tea and water, juice is too sweet (and full of tons of empty calories and acidic if it is citrus) for me. I've also never liked coffee. Finally, I really like carbonated beverages (yummy fizzy lifting stuff). So, nothing against yor approach, it just wouldn't work for me.

 

Like others I didn't drink soda as a kid (my ki doesn't either except for gingerale when sick with a stomach ailmet and the occasional Shirley Temple as a treat. I didn't actually drink soda until highschool--I grew up in Florida and my parents were only occasional Tab and Diet Pepsi drinkers and I didn't like the taste. We mainly consumed unsweetened Iced Tea. In highschool, however, I started drinking grape soda then regular coke. In fact, I drank the sweet stuff until grad school when I began consuming so much for the caffeine that I started gaining weight. It was a tough switch.

 

Years later I found out that part of the reason was that I never liked New Coke. As I posted earlier in the thread we have a friend who is a former Coca Cola exec. Turns out that regular Coca Cola is made with the Classic formula, but Diet Coke is made with the New Coke formulation.:eek:

 

My biggest problem on the ship will be that I actually prefer Diet Cherry Coke and that is all I drink at home.:(

[oldguysandgalls]

Good point.;)

And we're more likely to have a Diet Coke (or three) than a martini! I guess it all works out. ;)

[Citizen Jane]

Just curious...does the real sugar version taste different??

 

Thanks

Yes. See my post earlier in the thread it tastes different AND can vary from country to country depending upon the type of sweetener (regional varieties of sugar e.g. cane, etc.) used.

[John Henry on CC]

Bag, not cheap, just sounds like if you have the need for daily caffeine intake you don't do it with soda.;)

 

While I do like unsweetened iced tea and water, juice is too sweet (and full of tons of empty calories and acidic if it is citrus) for me. I've also never liked coffee. Finally, I really like carbonated beverages (yummy fizzy lifting stuff). So, nothing against yor approach, it just wouldn't work for me.

 

Like others I didn't drink soda as a kid (my ki doesn't either except for gingerale when sick with a stomach ailmet and the occasional Shirley Temple as a treat. I didn't actually drink soda until highschool--I grew up in Florida and my parents were only occasional Tab and Diet Pepsi drinkers and I didn't like the taste. We mainly consumed unsweetened Iced Tea. In highschool, however, I started drinking grape soda then regular coke. In fact, I drank the sweet stuff until grad school when I began consuming so much for the caffeine that I started gaining weight. It was a tough switch.

 

Years later I found out that part of the reason was that I never liked New Coke. As I posted earlier in the thread we have a friend who is a former Coca Cola exec. Turns out that regular Coca Cola is made with the Classic formula, but Diet Coke is made with the New Coke formulation.:eek:

 

My biggest problem on the ship will be that I actually prefer Diet Cherry Coke and that is all I drink at home.:(

Jane, take on a six pack or so of Diet Cherry Coke and make your cruise that much better!

[oldguysandgalls]

True..Nordic Prince true..., and martini's tend to be dearer, but just even one perfectly chilled dry martini is so rewarding after a long hard day at sea. ;) Yes times have changed, what was once Coke is now "whoknowswhat" I am drinking.:confused:

 

I can not drink alcohol and tend to take cruises where it is hot. Can't drink fruit juices and tea and coffee have lots more caffeine.

 

Sometimes only a Coke (diet only now) will do it for me. Coke is Americana. I will reveal my age and admit I was one of the ones who hit the roof when New Coke was introduced.

 

Ah, the good ole days when I could drink regular Coke all day.

 

For the price of that martini you only get 1 drink. I get an never ending

fountain of effervescence.

[ummgood]

Jane, take on a six pack or so of Diet Cherry Coke and make your cruise that much better!

 

Call me weird but in restaurants that have diet coke and diet dr. pepper I mix the two 50/50 and it tastes real close to Diet Cherry Coke. Don't ask me why I don't know but my wife is hooked in it too. Now if the cruise ships had diet dr. pepper. I wonder if the bars have grenadine syrup and if you could get them to put it in your coke for free?

[mjldvlks]

I wonder if the bars have grenadine syrup and if you could get them to put it in your coke for free?

 

I don't know but bet they would -- but on the other hand that kind of defeats the "diet" part of it doesn't it?

[akcruz]

Call me weird but in restaurants that have diet coke and diet dr. pepper I mix the two 50/50 and it tastes real close to Diet Cherry Coke. Don't ask me why I don't know but my wife is hooked in it too. Now if the cruise ships had diet dr. pepper. I wonder if the bars have grenadine syrup and if you could get them to put it in your coke for free?

 

Now that sounds interesting, diet coke and diet dr pepper, will have to give that a try :D.

 

Anyway, to answer your question, the ships do have grenadine but as usual for RCI it tends to depend on which ship you are whether you can have it added to your coke or sprite free of charge (or with the soda card). My kids were able to on Mariner last summer, but have heard on Freedom its not allowed with the soda card, you need to purchase separately. :(

[ummgood]

I don't know but bet they would -- but on the other hand that kind of defeats the "diet" part of it doesn't it?

 

Maybe but a little dab can make a difference and it is 30 calories instead of 100. So I could drink 3 instead of 1 :)

[ummgood]

Now that sounds interesting, diet coke and diet dr pepper, will have to give that a try :D.

 

Anyway, to answer your question, the ships do have grenadine but as usual for RCI it tends to depend on which ship you are whether you can have it added to your coke or sprite free of charge (or with the soda card). My kids were able to on Mariner last summer, but have heard on Freedom its not allowed with the soda card, you need to purchase separately. :(

 

I'll have to try it out. I am booked on Voyager. Could I get away with smuggling on a small bottle of grenadine? I know they make low calorie versions.

 

As far as the diet coke and diet dr pepper the reason I figured it out is I think diet dr pepper is too sweet but I wished coke was a tad bit sweeter so I mixed the two and frankly it really works for me.

[novellaherman]

Ok I have been followiing this thread along with the alcohol smuggling ones, it seems that very recently in the last couple weeks RCI has been really cracking down on sodas being brought on board, along with alcohol and soda even in checked luggage. I would most likely go ahead and purchase a soda card as I have done in the past but I have always "smuggled" (in my checked luggage) a 12 pack or two of diet coke to have in the room. I really enjoy getting up first thing in the morning and going out on the balcony to enjoy my diet coke (coffee) as I watch the sun come up. The last thing I want to do is get dressed run up to the nearest bar get my mug refilled and go back to my room. So here is the question, is my only optionto enjoy a early morning diet coke, is to buy several cans from the bar at 2.25 and then take them to my room? Maybe RCI should consider a bucket of soda that I could buy and still be legal, better yet offer me the option of buying a whole 12 pack of diet coke from guest services and mark it up accordingly, perhaps even double the price of a 12 pack 10-12 $'s I would pay that. But a 12 pack at the cost of 2.25 is $27.00 that is outrageous.

I shoud clarify that all of my past smuggling experience has been with carnival (8 times) and this is our first time on RCI. This latest development is making me second guess our choice of cruise lines.

[csoud]

tea and juice is fine for me...i drink a beer a day and no carbonated drinks while on a cruise..whoopee.