Why is Lemonade Free But Not Soda Beverages?

[harryw]

Is the price differential that great?

(Oceania never charges for diet cokes.)

[Scrapnana]

The lemonade is made from a mix just as the iced tea is.  I am sure it is much cheaper than a name brand soda.

[GUT2407]

9 minutes ago, harryw said:

Is the price differential that great?

(Oceania never charges for diet cokes.)

Probably because people will pay for a Coke but not for syrup made lemonade.

 

just a guess.

[CruiserBruce]

I am sure many more cruise lines charge for soft drinks as opposed to those who don't. So the fact that Oceana doesn't isn't really a statistical reason that HAL shouldn't. 

[crystalspin]

1 hour ago, harryw said:

Is the price differential that great?

 

Yes.

[mudscraper]

Dam profit mongers.

[colbe]

2 hours ago, harryw said:

Is the price differential that great?

(Oceania never charges for diet cokes.)

Nothing is free. You will be paying for it in the price of your cruise.

 

[AtlantaCruiser72]

2 hours ago, harryw said:

Is the price differential that great?

(Oceania never charges for diet cokes.)

 

Compare the average per day rate of Oceania to HAL. You are paying for the sodas, bottled water and specialty coffees/teas as part of your cruise fare. Sure it’s nice to not be charged for them individually once onboard , but like everything on a cruise, you ARE paying for them one way or another!!!

Edited July 15, 2019 by AtlantaCruiser72

[Krazy Kruizers]

Lemonade is cheap to make -- especially since it is made from a powered mix.

 

As mentioned, have you ever priced Oceania's cruises?  Much higher than HAL's. Same thing with Disney -- higher prices but soda is free.

[terrydtx]

No main stream cruise line, that I have been on, has free soda drinks. Oceania is not a main stream or mass marketed cruise line. We are booked on a Viking cruise next year and not only are sodas free but house wine and beer is free with meals. Even our PV category cabin has free beer, wine and spirits in the mini bar. However like Oceania, VO is not a mainstream cruise line but a premium cruise line. If you want diet coke bring it onboard with you at no charge by the cruise line.

Edited July 15, 2019 by terrydtx

[ontheweb]

Please don't give the bean counters the idea that passengers might be willing to pay extra for lemonade.

 

And that cold lemonade sure does taste good after coming back to the ship after a day at an extremely warm port. Nice when they have it available as you are about to board.

[harryw]

I love having the lemonade with a customized pizza! 

[Paulinda]

I don't remember the free lemonade being all that great.  I recall it tasting more like flavored water than a sweet, throat quenching drink.   Don't set your expectations too high.  Just saying.   

[Sir PMP]

It's just sugar water with a lemon flavor, stick with iced water, better for you...

[RedneckBob]

6 hours ago, terrydtx said:

No main stream cruise line, that I have been on, has free soda drinks. Oceania is not a main stream or mass marketed cruise line. We are booked on a Viking cruise next year and not only are sodas free but house wine and beer is free with meals. Even our PV category cabin has free beer, wine and spirits in the mini bar. However like Oceania, VO is not a mainstream cruise line but a premium cruise line. If you want diet coke bring it onboard with you at no charge by the cruise line.

 

Ditto; let see I can get free Diet Cokes and bottled water on Oceania and I only pay $300 a day per person for a balcony while on HAL I pay for the drinks and pay $130 a day for a balcony. Economic 1 on 1!  Say hello Walmart. 

[Hawaiidan]

13 hours ago, crystalspin said:

 

Yes.

NO.....   not when you add up the total you spend on a HAL cruise at the end.    O is maybe 10-15% more.

The difference is the fare you pay with Oceania is inclusive of everything, soda, waters, coffees, all specialist  restaurants,..  everything but liquor.    You pay up front with O,   You pay at the end with HAL very close to what O charges.       Do the math..... great urban  myth  that its wildly more expensive...

[terrydtx]

11 minutes ago, RedneckBob said:

 

Ditto; let see I can get free Diet Cokes and bottled water on Oceania and I only pay $300 a day per person for a balcony while on HAL I pay for the drinks and pay $130 a day for a balcony. Economic 1 on 1!  Say hello Walmart. 

$300 per day I wish, our VO Penthouse Veranda Suite is $610pp/per day for a 10 night cruise. I think even on Oceania $300 per day only gets you a outside no balcony cabin, but soda and water is included, not what I would call free, the passengers are paying for them in the cruise fare.

[Hawaiidan]

22 minutes ago, RedneckBob said:

 

Ditto; let see I can get free Diet Cokes and bottled water on Oceania and I only pay $300 a day per person for a balcony while on HAL I pay for the drinks and pay $130 a day for a balcony. Economic 1 on 1!  Say hello Walmart. 

Gee On my last O cruise  it was only 226 a day pp  balcony. 15 day....   And  there was a value of being on a ship with only 650  rather than 2500.......     Dollars only tell part of the story

Edited July 15, 2019 by Hawaiidan

[kazu]

4 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

NO.....   not when you add up the total you spend on a HAL cruise at the end.    O is maybe 10-15% more.

The difference is the fare you pay with Oceania is inclusive of everything, soda, waters, coffees, all specialist  restaurants,..  everything but liquor.    You pay up front with O,   You pay at the end with HAL very close to what O charges.       Do the math..... great urban  myth  that its wildly more expensive...

 

Respectfully, I disagree.

 

I’ve done the math and we don’t pay what O charges (and yes, I’ve sailed O).

 

specialty restaurants are of little benefit if the food is not good and the service is poor.

 

Mind you, my opinion is a bit tarnished in light of the  service and specialty restaurants (except Jacques) that we experienced. 

 

The only ship even comparable in cost if you do the math is the Prinsendam and frankly, her staff could have taught that O staff a few things 😉. Just my experience though.

[cat shepard]

Totally off the wall, but I could not help but think that the OP was asking an existential question. A mystery of life kind of thing....

 

I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.😉

[TAD2005]

5 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

NO.....   not when you add up the total you spend on a HAL cruise at the end.    O is maybe 10-15% more.

The difference is the fare you pay with Oceania is inclusive of everything, soda, waters, coffees, all specialist  restaurants,..  everything but liquor.    You pay up front with O,   You pay at the end with HAL very close to what O charges.       Do the math..... great urban  myth  that its wildly more expensive...

On "O" you pay for most things upfront, with the cruise fare (except alcohol), even if you don't use them.  On HAL, you pay ala-carte, only paying for the items or services that you want.   I would rather pay for the things I really want and value instead of paying for it all upfront and not using much of it.

[sammiedawg]

5 hours ago, kazu said:

 

Respectfully, I disagree.

 

I’ve done the math and we don’t pay what O charges (and yes, I’ve sailed O).

 

specialty restaurants are of little benefit if the food is not good and the service is poor.

 

Mind you, my opinion is a bit tarnished in light of the  service and specialty restaurants (except Jacques) that we experienced. 

 

The only ship even comparable in cost if you do the math is the Prinsendam and frankly, her staff could have taught that O staff a few things 😉. Just my experience though.

 

We did the math onboard Prinsendam and didn’t see the value.  Pretty much same food and service as other Holland ships.    Not even a small bottle of water was added in as complimentary.   Even an interstate Days Inn throws in a couple generic bottled waters in the room. .

I won’t get into the mechanical and cabin issues. .   

 

I did the math for Oceania years ago before my first booking, have not cared since to  run the numbers.  . I evaluate the overall product for a generic per diem and by far it is our best value and most enjoyable.   We’ve been on. One lines. 

 

We’ve done family Disney cruises and their per diem is stiff but you are paying for the characters and the entertainment.  But if you see your child or grandchild with Minnie it is all worth it.

I was irritated at the last minute Disney push for cash tips, even after we paid the daily gratuity pp.   I would not sail Disney as solo adults. 

 

[kazu]

1 hour ago, sammiedawg said:

We did the math onboard Prinsendam and didn’t see the value.  Pretty much same food and service as other Holland ships.  

 

Sorry for your experience - sounds like mine on Oceania 😉 

Sadly it looks like things change on any cruise line from week to week and ship to ship.

 

Over half my cruising days are on Prinsendam and I have never have anything less than stellar service, good food, extras on Gala night, etc.  they do it (did it now, I guess) up right.

 

A lot of lines could have learned a lot from them.  I, for one, will miss the ship, it’s itineraries and fabulous crews.  

[DAllenTCY]

You are welcome to bring sodas onboard at embarkation.....or leave them with a porter with your room tag on them.

 

Most cruise lines have a similar policy.

 

Purchasing sodas onboard, or even pre-purchasing in some cases is an option

 

David

 

 

[crystalspin]

11 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

NO.....   not when you add up the total you spend on a HAL cruise at the end.    O is maybe 10-15% more.

The difference is the fare you pay with Oceania is inclusive of everything, soda, waters, coffees, all specialist  restaurants,..  everything but liquor.    You pay up front with O,   You pay at the end with HAL very close to what O charges.       Do the math..... great urban  myth  that its wildly more expensive...

My "Yes." was in answer to this question:

"Is the price differential [between not real lemonade and brand-name soda] that great?"

 

When I answered, the pit-bull fight over Oceania vs HAL had not reared its head.

 

But on that question, if Oceania was even close to what we pay for what we get on Holland America, believe me, we'd be sailing with them, dr'spin would be sure of that.