Coke Freestyle Machine

[DrivesLikeMario]

6 hours ago, jenf22 said:

On Royal the cup has to be sitting on the base for the RFID to activate the machine.  The dispenser is inches from the top of the cup.  Not to mention the lid is off the cup and most people drink with the lid on.  There were 16 of us on Allure last October and no one got sick... didn't see anyone sick on the ship the whole trip. 

 

LOVE the Freestyle machines!  Hope it's on Regal next summer!

With the others I've seen, the cup has to be pushed against a silver bar to get ice.  The side of the cup is dirty and germy.  That's what I was talking about, not the spigot that actually dispenses the drink.  Still grosses me out.  With the cruise lines' fear of noro, you'd think they wouldn't encourage cups that aren't single-use.  

[antsp]

Obviously on Princess it will be tied to your medalion and not the cup

[Jeter02]

I don't drink soda, so the freestyle machines have no meaning to me. I see no harm in keeping up with the Joneses, if other lines have rolled the machines out. It's all about keeping up with competition, especially if they think it will beneficial for them and their passengers.

Edited August 2, 2019 by Jeter02

[Colo Cruiser]

8 hours ago, voljeep said:

I hope you realize who made the ONLY post about the machines currently being onboard ... right ? ...

 

7 hours ago, Jeter02 said:

And we still were never told which ship it was on. Hmmm.

😂

[Daniel A]

2 hours ago, DrivesLikeMario said:

With the cruise lines' fear of noro, you'd think they wouldn't encourage cups that aren't single-use.  

With the emphasis Princess has for environmental responsibility, the exact opposite is true.  From Princess' website:

 

By the end of this year, we intend to eliminate or replace with a recycle-friendly alternative the following items:

• Plastic cutlery, straws, cups, lids, stir sticks, cocktail garnish picks, toothpicks, butter foil wraps and condiment sauce packets, as well as plastic bags in our boutiques and retail outlets
• Styrofoam cups
• Paper napkins
• Plastic cutlery on Princess Cays

[ErLee]

20 hours ago, Pierlesscruisers said:

 

Do you really believe that the minuscule amount of the particular flavor that will remain on the spigot will really be tasteable?  Doubt it.

 

Tom

 

Yes, really it does affect the taste...I hate the freestyle machines and just order water or iced tea if I'm in a fast food restaurant that has them!

[land lover]

I love the machines the first one I saw at a McDonald's in NYC almost 15 years ago...one of my kids gng to school there introduced me.

 

I am not a soda drinker but love the flavored water selections.

 

We have received the soda package as TA perks on RCI, unfortunately when a machine breaks down, it's bad news....

 

So from reading this thread.............no one has experienced the machine on any princess ship...correct????

[Shmoo here]

3 hours ago, Daniel A said:

With the emphasis Princess has for environmental responsibility, the exact opposite is true.  From Princess' website:

 

By the end of this year, we intend to eliminate or replace with a recycle-friendly alternative the following items:

• Plastic cutlery, straws, cups, lids, stir sticks, cocktail garnish picks, toothpicks, butter foil wraps and condiment sauce packets, as well as plastic bags in our boutiques and retail outlets
• Styrofoam cups
• Paper napkins
• Plastic cutlery on Princess Cays

Oh, goody, now we can pollute the water with the soap/detergent necessary to wash all the extra, re-usable cutlery, glasses, cups.  Plus what do you substitute paper napkins with?  Oh, yeah, maybe cloth?  Now there's another load of laundry soap.  Not to mention the extra water necessary.

 

 

[Pierlesscruisers]

23 hours ago, Shmoo here said:

And how many "minuscule amounts" will be passing through that same spigot?  How often will it be really cleaned?  Not to mention that a "minuscule amount" of an allergen could be really bad for someone.  

 

First of all, go back and see what you were talking about at that point and what I referred to.  I quote your comment here to save you some time. " Not to mention, since all the varieties of sodas available will be dispensing through the same spigot, I'm not a fan of lingering "off" flavors being in my drink. "

 

So my question at that point was whether you really felt that some of those "off" flavors would even be taste-able to you and had nothing to do with allergens, cleanliness or such. 

 

I would guesstimate, however, on the subject of cleanliness, that the spigots on such machines will probably be cleaned about as often as the spigots on the current dispensers at the various bars that dispense cokes on the ship (which also dispense more than one type of liquid although certainly not nearly as many types as would be dispensed on one of the machines of which we are speaking in this thread.)

 

Tom

[MsSoCalCruiser]

22 hours ago, Thrak said:

OMG!!! I tipped up my chair the other day to vacuum under it and found a chocolate chip. I scarfed that sucker right down. Whatever have I done??? GAH!!! I will likely DIE!!!!! ---- Or not. People boggle my mind. There are germs everywhere. If you breathe the air - especially on a ship!!!!!! - you will likely suffer a horrible fate. Sigh... Maybe I'm just old but I really can't worry about all the stuff others seem to stress over.

Thrak... OP here... Are you laughing/teasing me about the germs?  You know that saying crud happens???  In August 2015, I  somehow inhaled a bacteria.  I spent one month in the hospital.  I was on life support and was not expected to survive.  I had two or three major surgeries within a week and they removed a large portion of my lung.  They have no idea where, how, or why this happened to me... but it did.  I still cruise and go everywhere else but I do travel with Lysol wipes and spray, LOL  We always wipe down and spray the cabin. I also try not to touch the railings and I use my elbow on the elevators.  I guess I’m one heck of a fighter.  People please wash your cups, LOL  Stuff happens but I will probably still drink the soda... not sure.  

[Thrak]

I always use my knuckle on the elevator buttons and I wash my hands when I get to my cabin, before I leave my cabin, and at the sinks outside the buffet. I'm actually fairly germ conscious onboard. At home... Not so much. 

 

EDIT: Oh, yes. I was being a total poop and picking on you. Sorry about that. I can't always be nice!

Edited August 3, 2019 by Thrak

[MsSoCalCruiser]

11 minutes ago, Thrak said:

I always use my knuckle on the elevator buttons and I wash my hands when I get to my cabin, before I leave my cabin, and at the sinks outside the buffet. I'm actually fairly germ conscious onboard. At home... Not so much. 

 

EDIT: Oh, yes. I was being a total poop and picking on you. Sorry about that. I can't always be nice!

I’m tough; I can take it!  You are ALWAYS nice 😊 and besides what are the odds that the one person you say that to actually had that happen???  Hurry, buy a lottery ticket!

I also use soap and water every chance I get.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

16 hours ago, voljeep said:

I hope you realize who made the ONLY post about the machines currently being onboard ... right ? ...

😊 thank you Voljeep 😊

[MsSoCalCruiser]

11 hours ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Soon chips removed from the cups will be available on eBay.  

Sad but probably true.

[donaldsc]

6 hours ago, ErLee said:

 

Yes, really it does affect the taste...I hate the freestyle machines and just order water or iced tea if I'm in a fast food restaurant that has them!

 

So fill the cup a little bit to get rid of the leftover soda in the tip.  Then pour it out and refill the cup with the pure stuff.  Simple solution.

 

DON

[SinbadThePorter]

4 hours ago, Shmoo here said:

Oh, goody, now we can pollute the water with the soap/detergent necessary to wash all the extra, re-usable cutlery, glasses, cups.

 

It's a lot easier to make biodegradable detergents than it is to make biodegradable plastics.

[MissP22]

16 hours ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Soon chips removed from the cups will be available on eBay.  

You might be able to buy one but they won't do you much good. The coding will change for each person, each cruise.

You don't think Princess is that naive to allow unlimited access to their soda machines? 

[Colo Cruiser]

2 hours ago, MissP22 said:

You might be able to buy one but they won't do you much good. The coding will change for each person, each cruise.

You don't think Princess is that naive to allow unlimited access to their soda machines? 

The consumer trying to save $2 will most likely not know that. Blinded by the killer deal they got. 

[ErLee]

8 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

So fill the cup a little bit to get rid of the leftover soda in the tip.  Then pour it out and refill the cup with the pure stuff.  Simple solution.

 

DON

 

Don, it would seem like that wouldn't it?  But for whatever reason that just doesn't work. To me soda just doesn't good taste out of those machines.... not a problem for me on a cruise at all though, I don't even buy the beverage package! 😂

 

Really any incentive to choose extra water over a soda is a good thing, so bring on the freestyle machines!

[Coral]

21 minutes ago, ErLee said:

 

Don, it would seem like that wouldn't it?  But for whatever reason that just doesn't work. To me soda just doesn't good taste out of those machines.... not a problem for me on a cruise at all though, I don't even buy the beverage package! 😂

 

Really any incentive to choose extra water over a soda is a good thing, so bring on the freestyle machines!

I doubt this will be the case on the ship but at restaurants where I live that have this - I have to get water from these machines.

[geocruiser]

As for the germs, maybe Princess could have a crew member fill the glasses?  How would this work (filling the glasses) if the ship had a out break of noro virus  on it?

[Iamcruzin]

On 8/1/2019 at 10:22 PM, DrivesLikeMario said:

The idea of all those people using the same cup every day for a week (or more) without washing it in hot, soapy water after each use grosses me out.  I'd love all those caffeine-free options but not at that risk.  Seems a great way to spread Norovirus.  I don't know how RCI and others avoid spreading all kinds of germs with that program.  If you could use the regular cups for every use, it'd be a totally different thing.  

I agree. I don't know how many times I read posts giving advice to use a cup to fill your reusable container. This is even worse. I  had the deluxe drink package on Royal and refused to walk around with the juvenile amusement park cup. I don't know how anyone cleans the plastic straw full of sugary sticky residue  properly. 

 

 

[Iamcruzin]

14 hours ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

Sad but probably true.

I have 3 unused cups from Royal Caribbean. May be I should auction them off.

[Iamcruzin]

5 hours ago, ErLee said:

 

Don, it would seem like that wouldn't it?  But for whatever reason that just doesn't work. To me soda just doesn't good taste out of those machines.... not a problem for me on a cruise at all though, I don't even buy the beverage package! 😂

 

Really any incentive to choose extra water over a soda is a good thing, so bring on the freestyle machines!

The machines also dispense plain and flavored water.

[Iamcruzin]

On 8/2/2019 at 4:08 PM, antsp said:

Obviously on Princess it will be tied to your medalion and not the cup

I'm not sure about that. It didn't work with the wow bands on Royal. The cup has to sit on the platform under the spigot.