Yet another soda card question...

[bassspanker]

Sorry, I know this is a much repeated topic. I asked this same question before but was buried in another thread so it didn't get answered.

 

Can anyone comment on the service you get with soda refills on a Carnival ship? Can you get them quickly & easily? On our last cruise (RCL) it was kind of a hassle, since there was often a line for soda, and servers didn't seem thrilled to fill my free soda refill when they could otherwise have been pushing paid drinks w/ tips. (Not to mention leaky soda guns that dispensed a mix of everything at once)

 

If I can easily get soda wherever & whenever I want it, I'll definitely buy in. But if it's a hassle, I'm not sure if we'll get our money's worth.

[Cruise Envy]

I've never had an issue with getting soda card refills.

[Disconnections]

Sorry, I know this is a much repeated topic. I asked this same question before but was buried in another thread so it didn't get answered.

 

Can anyone comment on the service you get with soda refills on a Carnival ship? Can you get them quickly & easily? On our last cruise (RCL) it was kind of a hassle, since there was often a line for soda, and servers didn't seem thrilled to fill my free soda refill when they could otherwise have been pushing paid drinks w/ tips. (Not to mention leaky soda guns that dispensed a mix of everything at once)

 

If I can easily get soda wherever & whenever I want it, I'll definitely buy in. But if it's a hassle, I'm not sure if we'll get our money's worth.

 

You'll have the same feeling on Carnival and if it is a younger guest with the soda card, it is much worse. At lounges with waiter service, sometimes they don't even bring it. If you are buying it for your kid, you should make sure they know to speak up and assert themselves or it can be an extended wait.

Edited July 11, 2014 by Disconnections

[snc_cam]

When my wife got one it wasn't a problem at all. Sometimes we waited for a waiter to come by and they usually returned within 5 minutes or so. Other times, she went up to the bar and just got a glass that way. When you do this, you just need to speak up and let them know. Best to do it where a bar is not with a lot of people milling about, and there are plenty of these, especially in the interior of the ship.

 

Steve

[firemanbobswife]

We get them every time and haven't had any issues - even my kids.

 

I usually scope out a bartender at every bar I think I'm going to frequent and give them a dollar or two upfront. Then when they see me coming, they are eager to wait on me. One of the best Carnival bar waiters I had was Sebastian at the aft pool bar on Conquest. As soon as he spotted me entering the area he started pouring my Diet Coke. He got a nice tip at the end!

[michiganredrose]

I never had a problem on any of our cruises getting soda refills. My kids used to have problems when they were little because they blended with the crowd and didn't speak up. Now that they are older they don't have an issue. After the first night at dinner there would always be a soda there waiting for them.

 

Now only my son gets them because my daughter and I gave up soda but he said that he didn't have any problem getting refills on our Valor cruise.

[nofishforme]

only used a soda card once and didnt have any problems

[thomarvin]

We have never had a problem. I use a refillable cup (Tervis style) so I go to the bar and they fill that. At dinner my son (who has autism) always had 2 cans waiting for him after the first night. We gave our bar waiter in the dining room an extra tip at the end for taking such good care of him.

[jsfromsc]

We've had problems in the past with bartenders ignoring us but on our last cruise we had no trouble at all. One difference might be the Carnival tumbler for the sodas. I don't remember those being available on our earlier cruises. Also, on our earlier cruises, the waiters in show lounge sometimes didn't bring me a soda when I ordered it. I always felt it was because they weren't getting an additional tip as they would if they had added the purchase to the sail & sign card. Can't say for sure. All I know is that the wait staff on our Legend cruise last summer couldn't have been nicer.

Edited July 11, 2014 by jsfromsc

[bassspanker]

Thanks for the feedback!

 

I use a refillable cup (Tervis style) so I go to the bar and they fill that.

 

Cool! You can do that? The Carnival FAQ makes it sound like they are stingy because they are very specific about only serving so many ounces in a glass at a time. Other reviews have noted that they might not pour the full can...

 

One difference might be the Carnival tumbler for the sodas.

This is the first I've heard of this for Carnival. All of the FAQs and reviews I've seen are very specific about it being served in a glass. On our last RCL cruise they gave you a tumbler, which was very convenient plus we had souvenirs to take home. Is Carnival doing this now?

[firemanbobswife]

Thanks for the feedback!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cool! You can do that? The Carnival FAQ makes it sound like they are stingy because they are very specific about only serving so many ounces in a glass at a time. Other reviews have noted that they might not pour the full can...

 

 

 

 

 

This is the first I've heard of this for Carnival. All of the FAQs and reviews I've seen are very specific about it being served in a glass. On our last RCL cruise they gave you a tumbler, which was very convenient plus we had souvenirs to take home. Is Carnival doing this now?

 

 

No. You can buy them for like $5. We have so many of the cups from Celebrity that I was a glad when they quit doing that. But for Carnival you have to buy them.

[QTPie68]

The only time I had issue getting soda with the card was in the mdr....bar service was slow there, even for those buying drinks.

 

I found the best place was the bars in the lobby area, usually not crowded unless a special event is there.

[thomarvin]

Yes, I always bring my own cup. I like having a cover and I have never had a hard time getting it filled. I bring a cheap on from TJMAxx or Marshalls. They were like $3. This way if I loose it or it brakes not big loss. Someone did bump me once, luckily it was the near the end of my cruise and the cup fell and broke. No great loss.

[bassspanker]

OP here reporting back after the cruise-

 

There was talk earlier in this thread of using your own tumbler, which sounded like a great idea to me so I tried it. Some bartenders were cool and filled it , but most bartenders I approached refused to fill it, saying they are only allowed to serve by the glass, or so many ounces at a time. After a couple of days it just wasn't worth it so I just used the tumbler for water & got my soda in bar glasses.

 

My tumbler looks oversized because it is insulated, but I don't think it actually held much more than the Carnival tumblers they were selling. Maybe that had something to do with it. Also, this was on the Imagination, and other ships may be different. Anyway, it wasn't that big of a problem, only mildly annoying that they were stingy about it. But I thought I should report back with the experience.

[snc_cam]

why not just take the glass they give you and pour it into your tumbler? I know it is not as easy as getting the tumbler filled, but you could then order a second glass and fill it the rest of the way.

[bassspanker]

why not just take the glass they give you and pour it into your tumbler? I know it is not as easy as getting the tumbler filled, but you could then order a second glass and fill it the rest of the way.

 

Yeah, that's exactly what I did- usually immediately right in front of them to try to make a point. But like I said, in the end it ended up being a hassle and I didn't like being treated like I was trying to get away with something.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

You'll have the same feeling on Carnival and if it is a younger guest with the soda card, it is much worse. At lounges with waiter service, sometimes they don't even bring it. If you are buying it for your kid, you should make sure they know to speak up and assert themselves or it can be an extended wait.

 

Novel concept but people can go to the bar themselves and get a refill also. In the comedy club the bar usually isn't too busy and if it is, hit the one right outside the lounge as there is rarely anyone ordering there. Of course it takes forever to get a soda delivered by a bar guy. It takes like 10 or more minutes to get an alcoholic drink at busy times and they aren't usually as good or as strong as if you order from the bar yourself, from my experience. I have never had to wait more than a few minutes to get a soda with the card anywhere. Sometimes lido bars get busy on sea days but still not a huge wait.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Yeah, that's exactly what I did- usually immediately right in front of them to try to make a point. But like I said, in the end it ended up being a hassle and I didn't like being treated like I was trying to get away with something.

 

On some ships they used to swipe your s/s card before pouring a soda, I guess so you could only order one soda every half hour or whatever but that kinda annoyed me. I don't think they do that much anymore. I ask for a soda with no ice, they will fill the whole 12 oz glass then with no problem, I get a cup with ice from the buffet drink station and put ice into the drink at the pace that I want to. Never bought a tumbler after they started charging an arm and a leg for them and never had any issues.

[Smiling Cruiser]

Always get a soda card, never a problem. Their containers hold ice and a full can of soda. I drink caffeine free diet coke and I don't have a problem getting it from almost every waiter. One young lady in the piano bar said they didn't have any at that bar so I asked her to please get some. 10 minutes later another waiter showed up with many cans. All was good. Extra tipping did occur.

 

 

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[FlyingCruiserNJ]

The only time I had issue getting soda with the card was in the mdr....bar service was slow there, even for those buying drinks.

 

I found the best place was the bars in the lobby area, usually not crowded unless a special event is there.

 

If you are clear with the beverage service person from the start they will make sure you are taken care of throughout the cruise. A little $5 or so helps too LOL but its worth it in the end because you are not aggravated looking for the drink guy every time your glass is almost empty. They often work in other venues also and they do recognize you and give you better service those times too.

 

Best bar is either atrium lobby, far aft lido or pool deck depending on class of ship, or promenade bar near the casino unless it is a very busy time for them. Main lido deck bars are the busiest imo.