Coke Freestyle Machine

[Jcr70]

I appreciate I’m in the minority here, but I’d love it if they introduced freestyle machines.  I’ve only cruised Princess once, (Sapphire last summer) so I realise my experience may have been unusual, but I purchased the soda package, I did not receive a reusable mug.  I don’t drink tea or coffee, and rarely drink alcohol. For medical reasons I only drink diet drinks, (no juice - and I was very thankful for the reasonably priced bottled water package) this meant the only drink available to me was Diet Coke.  Now apart from the fact I try to avoid caffeine in the evenings this would have been fine.  Except it tasted foul ... everything from the bars and restaurants on decks 5/6/7 tasted off ... almost drain like ... the pool decks were better but still not nice.  Now this hasn’t put me off sailing Princess (we’ve just booked the Crown for next summer) but my experience of Freestyle in both the US, the UK and at sea (RCCL) has been brilliant, and no, I don’t mind the amusement park cup at all!  I found it super easy to wash out the cup in my cabin (although resorts I have stayed at have had mug wash stations which was really great).  I realise it doesn’t work for everyone but I’d love it!

[JimmyVWine]

37 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

I can see the advantage to Princess in having soft drink customers going to the machine instead of standing in line at the bar waiting for their turn to order soft drinks when they could be selling more profitable alcoholic drinks and reducing the wait times at the bars.

 

In addition, every innovation has to be viewed from the lens of reducing staffing.  If bartenders are focused on mixing drinks instead of pouring sodas for teens, then perhaps the ships will need fewer bartenders.  Going back to Disney which pioneered a lot of this RFID experience, if you look at their patent applications for Magic Bands, their reasoning behind the innovation had more to do with reducing staffing than it did with guest experience.  Of course, they market it as enhancing the guest experience. But no one sat around a conference room table batting around ideas solely to that end.  The multi-billion dollar investment had to be justified through both short term and long term savings or revenue enhancement.  So whenever something new is added to a ship, the first instinct should not be: "How will this enhance passenger enjoyment?"  It should be "How will this raise revenue or lower overhead?"  Somehow, these Coke machines are going to lower overhead or raise revenue.   

Edited August 7, 2019 by JimmyVWine

[Potstech]

Or both.  So where is the big problem?

[JimmyVWine]

58 minutes ago, Potstech said:

Or both.  So where is the big problem?

 

None that I can see.  But there seems to be a bit of resistance here. 

[Potstech]

Resistance is futile.

[pablo222]

20 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

Just because the bar has a gun that dispenses soda for alcoholic drinks does not mean that they can't institute a policy that requires that sodas be obtained from a machine.  If Princess put one of these at the end of every bar,...every...single...bar...would it be so odd to have a policy that states that sodas are to be dispensed from the machine and not from the bartenders?

 

If I walked up to a bar, and asked for a soft drink...

And the bartender told me to do it myself at the machine...

 

I would consider that extreemly poor service.

 

So, I think you're right ... this is something that is in Princess' future.

[pablo222]

On 8/1/2019 at 3:27 AM, MsSoCalCruiser said:

 Has anyone heard when the Coke Freestyle Machines will be installed?  I am looking forward to having some caffeine free options.   I’m hoping they will be added before our cruise on the Royal Princess.

 

On 8/1/2019 at 10:34 AM, Kingofcool1947 said:

Yes.  It is on board now.

 

 

Has anyone else seen a freestyle machine on royal (or any other princess ship)?

 

 

[Hlitner]

If anyone wants to see (and use) a similar machine you can find them at "Five Guy" locations.  Now, if we could somehow get Princess to make burgers and fries similar to Five Guys.....I would be a very happy cruiser :).

 

Hank

[MsSoCalCruiser]

1 hour ago, pablo222 said:

 

 

 

Has anyone else seen a freestyle machine on royal (or any other princess ship)?

 

 

King of Cool stated that in error.  He had seen a freestyle machine but it was on Royal Caribbean, not on the Royal Princess.  

 

 I read about freestyle machine under the wording about the soda package.  I’m not sure but they may have removed that wording.  I’m still looking and hopefully they will change because I would like more variety for caffeine free diet sodas. 

[Colo Cruiser]

Just now, MsSoCalCruiser said:

King of Cool stated that in error.   

😂🤣

[MsSoCalCruiser]

But this is still posted on the Princess Cruises website...

 

[efremfan]

I just saw this on the website. Can anyone verify if it is on the Sky, or any of the older ships? We'll be on the Sky this month, and the Star in August. 

[Astro Flyer]

22 minutes ago, efremfan said:

I just saw this on the website. Can anyone verify if it is on the Sky, or any of the older ships? We'll be on the Sky this month, and the Star in August. 

Nothing on the Sky in November or any other Princess ship we’ve sailed. With the Sky’s inaugural sailings in October would think that would have been added during construction & not soon thereafter during cruises.

Edited March 2, 2020 by Astro Flyer

[Colo Cruiser]

1 hour ago, efremfan said:

I just saw this on the website. Can anyone verify if it is on the Sky, or any of the older ships? We'll be on the Sky this month, and the Star in August. 

As stated not on the Sky or any other Princess ship.  

[rsquirrel]

Have the machines made it on any of the ships now?

[caribill]

1 hour ago, rsquirrel said:

Have the machines made it on any of the ships now?

 

No.

[PrincessLuver]

7 hours ago, rsquirrel said:

Have the machines made it on any of the ships now?

 

I have not seen one on a Princess ships and hope I never do.....I do not need to feel like I am sailing McDonald's!!

[donaldsc]

3 hours ago, PrincessLuver said:

 

I have not seen one on a Princess ships and hope I never do.....I do not need to feel like I am sailing McDonald's!!

 

Totally agree.  What next - replace the menus and wait staff with the slowpoke computerized ordering machines that  are now being put into fast food places.  Or else eliminate menus and make you bring them up on your cell phone QR reader app.  I am a bit (actually a lot) of a luddite but I hate all of that stuff.

 

DON

[MsSoCalCruiser]

I wanted this so I could have more diet soda choices. Princess does not have any caffeine free, diet cola drinks or diet root beers.  Some of us need to cut caffeine and sugar.

[VibeGuy]

3 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

Totally agree.  What next - replace the menus and wait staff with the slowpoke computerized ordering machines that  are now being put into fast food places.  Or else eliminate menus and make you bring them up on your cell phone QR reader app.  I am a bit (actually a lot) of a luddite but I hate all of that stuff.

 

DON

Well, get ready to chuck your wooden shoes in the loom, because QR codes for the bar menus are the current reality. 

[Buckeye10640]

5 hours ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

I wanted this so I could have more diet soda choices. Princess does not have any caffeine free, diet cola drinks or diet root beers.  Some of us need to cut caffeine and sugar.

I am right there with you. And i comment on the lack of diet caffeine free soft drinks on every post cruise survey. As well as the lack of a single sugar-free flavored  coffee syrup in IC.

[stoneharborlady]

On 8/1/2019 at 11:18 PM, Shmoo here said:

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.

 

We just bring our own sodas onboard.  

You are very wise to do just that.  It is not very widely known, but these machines are often contaminated with mold and other bacteria that can make you very sick.  Try googling them online.  They are supposed to be cleaned externally daily, and internally monthly, and they are not.  I will take my soda from a can, or just plain water thank you!

Edited April 17, 2022 by stoneharborlady

[MsSoCalCruiser]

7 minutes ago, stoneharborlady said:

You are very wise to do just that.  It is not very widely known, but these machines are often contaminated with mold and other bacteria that can make you very sick.  Try googling them online.  They are supposed to be cleaned externally daily, and internally monthly, and they are not.  I will take my soda from a can, or just plain water thank you!

Now that’s gross. If they would just offer some caffeine free diet cola drinks or diet root beer then we wouldn’t have to wish for this moldy machine.

[stoneharborlady]

3 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

Now that’s gross. If they would just offer some caffeine free diet cola drinks or diet root beer then we wouldn’t have to wish for this moldy machine.

 

3 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

Now that’s gross. If they would just offer some caffeine free diet cola drinks or diet root beer then we wouldn’t have to wish for this moldy machine.

But it is true.  Mold and E coli grow in the plastic tubes inside the machine.  Please do google it before you use one of these machines

[MsSoCalCruiser]

3 minutes ago, stoneharborlady said:

 

But it is true.  Mold and E coli grow in the plastic tubes inside the machine.  Please do google it before you use one of these machines

Thank you for sharing that. I almost lost my child to E. coli when she was little. I will never touch one of those machines again.