Drinks at dinner?

[sc507]

I'm sorry if this has been asked a million times before - I did a search and couldn't find what I was looking for :o

 

We are new to Carnival (and have only sailed once before on Disney) and from what I can figure out, coffee, tea, lemonade, water (not bottled) are included and available on the Lido. Are these options also available (and included) in the dining room or would there be a charge for them at dinner? Trying to figure out our drinks budget :) Thanks!

[ncovert]

I'm sorry if this has been asked a million times before - I did a search and couldn't find what I was looking for :o

 

We are new to Carnival (and have only sailed once before on Disney) and from what I can figure out, coffee, tea, lemonade, water (not bottled) are included and available on the Lido. Are these options also available (and included) in the dining room or would there be a charge for them at dinner? Trying to figure out our drinks budget :) Thanks!

 

There is no charge for those drinks in the MDR as well. Happy sailing

[Velvetwater]

I'm sorry if this has been asked a million times before - I did a search and couldn't find what I was looking for :o

 

We are new to Carnival (and have only sailed once before on Disney) and from what I can figure out, coffee, tea, lemonade, water (not bottled) are included and available on the Lido. Are these options also available (and included) in the dining room or would there be a charge for them at dinner? Trying to figure out our drinks budget :) Thanks!

 

The lido also has ice tea which is free and free fruit juices from the same machines at breakfast.

 

Regular coffee and tea etc are free but any specialty coffees are charged (lattes, espresso and cappuccinos etc are around $2.95 each).

[sc507]

Thank you so much for your replies! Am I correct that sodas run about $2.00 plus gratuity? Adult beverages around $6-$8?

[cbhbutler]

Thank you so much for your replies! Am I correct that sodas run about $2.00 plus gratuity? Adult beverages around $6-$8?

 

 

 

Depending on what ship and length of cruise, you may want to look into the Cheers! program.. it comes with unlimited sodas and up to 15 drinks per day.. theres alot of info about it on the forum.. its about $575 for 2 people on a 5 day cruise...

[gacat93]

There is also an Endless Bubbles program that gets unlimited soda. Around $5.50 per day for kids and I think $6.50 pet day for adults (you have to buy it for the whole cruise)

 

Sent from my XT1030 using Forums mobile app

[sc507]

Thanks again! We are debating the Bubbles program - we don't drink enough to buy the Cheers. Decisions, decisions!

[srjones1]

Quick tip... I prefer milk when I eat even if I've been drinking adult beverages all day. Except at breakfast they don't leave it out but if you ask they will get it for you. I spent 7 days on the Sunshine and never drank the tea or juices. I took my own Pepsi as well.

 

 

Just in case you were interested...

[falkcor]

also for the 'free' lemonade and tea. i hate the lemonade, it is so sweet / sour. the tea is kinda bland. mix the two, aka arnold palmer type drink, and it's the most palatable thing on lido lol. it's like lemon sweetened tea.

 

and yes, soda about 2.00, alcoholic drinks 5 or 6+

[sc507]

Quick tip... I prefer milk when I eat even if I've been drinking adult beverages all day. Except at breakfast they don't leave it out but if you ask they will get it for you. I spent 7 days on the Sunshine and never drank the tea or juices. I took my own Pepsi as well.

 

 

Just in case you were interested...

 

Good to know - I'd like milk for the kids. They of course would prefer soda :rolleyes:

[sc507]

also for the 'free' lemonade and tea. i hate the lemonade, it is so sweet / sour. the tea is kinda bland. mix the two, aka arnold palmer type drink, and it's the most palatable thing on lido lol. it's like lemon sweetened tea.

 

and yes, soda about 2.00, alcoholic drinks 5 or 6+

 

That mix sounds great! Thanks for the tip - will definitely try it. :)

[lisanj1329]

We take crystal light (to go) packets and add a little to the lemonade. We've used strawberry, raspberry and fruit punch. Tastes really good. I don't like tea but I imagine you can flavor it this way too. Easy to carry and adds a little variety.

[sparks1093]

We take crystal light (to go) packets and add a little to the lemonade. We've used strawberry, raspberry and fruit punch. Tastes really good. I don't like tea but I imagine you can flavor it this way too. Easy to carry and adds a little variety.

 

This. There are a multitude of brands and flavors available and the packets take up very little space. We have flavored our water this way.

[maggieworkman]

Just an FYI, since Carnival went to the 3 person wait team, it has been extremely difficult to get drinks in the dining room. On our first Dream cruise, we went several days without seeing the drink waiter and only had the water available. Even after we asked about drinks, the regular waiter said the drink waiter "would be right there", but they never came. We started bringing in our own drinks to the dining room. It wasn't that big of a deal because we had Your Time Dining and usually had to wait with a beeper for several minutes (15 or so if we wanted to eat alone). We Just used that time to go and get drinks in the lobby bar. This was for both alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks.

 

When we have managed to get someone to take our drink order, it has often arrived at dessert time!!

 

On our second Dream cruise, we managed to get our drink order taken relatively early (due to our seating location) and my DH tipped the guy really well, so he did manage to come back after that! :)

 

Last year on the Splendor, we didn't have great drink service so we brought in our own drinks from the bars before heading to the dining room. But DH & my sister had no trouble getting the shot drinks that the guy walks around with in the big ice blocks. Those are really easy to get!!

 

 

So, what I am saying to the OP, is maybe see how it goes the first night of the cruise. Then if it doesn't seem to work well, stop at the bars or lido deck and get your own drink and bring it in.

 

 

Maggie

[Sparky2]

also for the 'free' lemonade and tea. i hate the lemonade, it is so sweet / sour. the tea is kinda bland. mix the two, aka arnold palmer type drink, and it's the most palatable thing on lido lol. it's like lemon sweetened tea.

 

and yes, soda about 2.00, alcoholic drinks 5 or 6+

 

I agree with you. The mixture of both ice tea & lemonade is very good.

[riffatsea]

If you bring a bottle of wine on board( each person over 21 is allowed 1 bottle) you can pour yourself a glass and bring it with you to dinner if you like. We get wine glasses from our room steward or from a bar on board.