Adults With Soda Stickers?

[VonS]

Okay, am I the only person who gets a sideways glance from a bartender when I use my "soda card"? I'm almost considering not getting it on my next cruise because I felt like such an outcast.

 

I drink alcohol very little, but I'm fueled by diet coke (no nutritional info please)... and if I'm sitting in the Atrium Piano Bar, I want a diet coke.

 

Do I hide my sticker and get a-la-carte sodas... or should I just not get a drink card at all?

 

By the way... I remember when a week-long drink sticker was around 12 bucks.

 

Am I the only grown-up with a soda sticker?

 

My husband and I both purchase soda stickers. He rarely drinks alcohol; however, I enjoy a good glass of wine with dinner. I have never noticed any "sideways glance" from anyone, although we both drink nutritionally deficient diet cola during the day. And, if someone els does not approve, we don't care!

[stellalimelight]

I don't drink and used the soda sticker on a 18 cruise on the Diamond. Got no strange stares. In fact when I got to hysterical at the Crooners bar they use to threaten to cut me off :):) They said they couldn't even imagine me on alcohol.

 

Stella

[ibfern]

For a 7 day cruise it was either 24 or 27 bucks last week. I can't remember, sorry. Anyway, the waiter staff was soo good at the dinner table, I had my diet coke waiting every night, and it was bottomless. They just kept refilling it! So just at dinner I got my fair value. I frequented a certain bar for my refills and tipped the bartender every couple of days. If he saw me coming with my mug, he looked my way and waited for my nod. That was superior service!

 

Next, what I considered a fair deal. Room service drink menu. For $15 you get a 375ml bottle of Rum/Vodka/whatever plus 8 ounces of beer nuts and 3-12 ounce cans of your choice of mixers. Since I had brought my own cosmopolitan mix, I got about 12 drinks out of this bottle. (Had a nice little cocktail party on the balcony, ask "ibfern" and her husband!)

 

Lastly, service overall was very good, I will definately cruise Princess again!:cool:

 

Yup that was a great little balcony party, and we loved the company too! Excellent Cosmopolitans I might add. We enjoyed meeting all the cool cruise critic people, we all were hip to a lot of bonus stuff you could ask for, and those secret spots on the ship!

 

We agree that the service was excellent, great room, wonderful ship, and good food! I think we paid $32 for the coke card, but we sorta shared it anyway so we got a good value. I am on the verge of booking several more cruises on Princess...

 

We were so pooped from excursions that we missed the nightly entertainment, next time I am going to do less, so I can enjoy more!

 

Amelia

[flynrph]

Off topic, sorry.

Welcome back, Amelia & Ken! Great cruise! We were so tired we too missed a lot of the entertainment. Did you like the picture dsik? BTW, Caribbean Princess Dec 31st is on! Send an email to mdberryrph at aol and I will send you the particulars!

Back to Topic.

Stellalimelight, What, could you have possibly done to get hysterical to be considered for cutting off? That's got to be a good story!

[mcqueeney449]

I realize a tip is included with the card, but if you do want to tip extra to a bartender that provides great service ... how do you do that? Do you carry cash? Do you ask to have the tip added to your account?

[flynrph]

I realize a tip is included with the card, but if you do want to tip extra to a bartender that provides great service ... how do you do that? Do you carry cash? Do you ask to have the tip added to your account?

One of the tips you find on these boards is to get a stack of singles and carry some around with you. Tipping a buck or two every now and then brings out the enthusiasm for your follow up order!:cool:

[wizard-of-roz]

If you prefer not carrying any money with you, you certainly can add the extra tip to your account....but, I must tell you "the almighty dollar" goes a long way with the crew.....It's not a very big deal to carry the "ones" with you (in your pocket or in a coin purse in your bag)....it just carry's so much weight when it comes to truly "great" service! ;)

 

I know some people have suggested "$2" dollar bills. Don't do it! They're hard for the crew to cash in foreign countries! :o

[NthernLgts]

Okay, am I the only person who gets a sideways glance from a bartender when I use my "soda card"? I'm almost considering not getting it on my next cruise because I felt like such an outcast.

 

I drink alcohol very little, but I'm fueled by diet coke (no nutritional info please)... and if I'm sitting in the Atrium Piano Bar, I want a diet coke.

 

Do I hide my sticker and get a-la-carte sodas... or should I just not get a drink card at all?

 

By the way... I remember when a week-long drink sticker was around 12 bucks.

 

Am I the only grown-up with a soda sticker?

 

Nope, use the sticker and dont worry about it. Cant drink booze all day ;)

[XtinaRenee]

I'm a first time cruiser and I was shocked to find out that soda wasn't included free with the food. I know...listen to me, spending several thousands of dollars on a cruise for my husband and I, but complaining about a soda card that's twenty something dollars. I haven't even gone on the cruise and I'm already being nickled and dimed to death! I'm trying to budget for the "extras" on the cruise and it just keeps adding up. I know, that’s just the way it is and me complaining about isn’t go to change it. I'm sure it will be worth it. Just venting....... I can understand alcoholic beverages, but soda? I'm still trying to adjust to this……………..:confused:

[JPRLHR]

I totally agree with Xtinarenee., I too will be a first-timer in September and I was absolutely amazed that you are actually being asked to pay for Sodas on board. Whether you buy a Soda Card or buy your sodas individually, Princess are making a very tidy profit on those drinks and I just think it would be good PR to make them free. However, I guess I'll just have to go along with it as I couldn't be bothered with carrying multi-packs on board.

[wizard-of-roz]

Years ago, when we first cruised RCCL, sodas were included...now, they figured how much revenue could be brought by passengers having to buy either by the glass or with soda cards and they did away with the convenience. :mad:

I love/eat/sleep with "caffiene free" diet coke and I am so tired of being dollared to death with a glass of coke and I don't like regular diet, that I either bring my own on board or buy it at the nearest port. :)

I empty out the refrig.(in the cabin), bring my thermal mug/ ask the steward for a bucket of ice each day (extra tip for him/her) and would you believe I save in excess of $200 (for DH & me) if I bought it by the glass. And, I hate the asking with the soda card & the size of the glass they give me, it's pretty riduculous!!! :cool:

I remain independent and have it my way......that is until the day that they refuse to let you on board with your own diet coke! :rolleyes:

Happy Sails,

Roz

[WK-Orlando]

I have always brought water on board for use in the room and a six pack of water bottles for shore days. The space that takes in our bags is what the junk we buy goes into on the way home. I am considering another 'junk' bag or old suitcase to leave behind that I will fill with liter pop bottles. Mostly because I HATE diet coke but like Coke Zero which they do not offer.

 

Usually my wife and I share a sticker but do not really cheat. I drink pop in the mid morning and at lunch. She only wants it for dinner and I do not drink cafine after 3 to help me sleep. So it works well. We never seem to want a coke at the same time and if we do, I get a large which is enough for two anyhow and we share :rolleyes: Even thus, we probably only break even on the sticker. I just like not having to fuss with the bar tabs every time...

 

Next trip, I think I am going for the carry it on approach as they will sell you a sticker mid cruise at a pro-rated price. They have gotten pricey so this will save me a little and let me drink something I like until the supplies run out.

 

My mother in law wants to take a case of those lunch box fruit drink boxes along as she does not drink pop and they charge a ridiculous amount for juice during the day...

[Steve13]

I'm a first time cruiser and I was shocked to find out that soda wasn't included free with the food. I know...listen to me, spending several thousands of dollars on a cruise for my husband and I, but complaining about a soda card that's twenty something dollars. I haven't even gone on the cruise and I'm already being nickled and dimed to death! I'm trying to budget for the "extras" on the cruise and it just keeps adding up. I know, that’s just the way it is and me complaining about isn’t go to change it. I'm sure it will be worth it. Just venting....... I can understand alcoholic beverages, but soda? I'm still trying to adjust to this……………..:confused:

 

Have you ever gone anywhere and gotten free drinks with a meal? When you check into a hotel the beverages aren't included.

 

It's fairly common for first time cruisers to initially think they are being nickeled and dimed to death, but they typically forget that the base price of the cruise was cheaper than what they would have paid for a similar land based vacation (including room, entertainment, tons of food, etc, etc.) No to mention the cost of being transported across the high seas.

 

If you expected that the intitial cost of the cruise was all that you would pay, you probably were a bit naive when you initially booked. When my wife and I cruise, I typically budget about an extra $100 a day for drinks and other shipboard expenses (upscale restaurants, tips, etc). That doesn't include excursions or shopping. That figure seems to work for us, so it might help you get an idea of your true cruising costs.

 

Besides, you'll love the cruise so much, it won't matter! :D

[wizard-of-roz]

Steve: You are so right. The extra costs; pictures/tours/specialty restaurants/gifts/"foo-foo" drinks/gambling, etc.... and tips are easily $100 a day.

So, on a one week cruise you certainly can count on spending between an extra $500 to $900 depending on much you indulge!

I didn't mean to sound like a "sour note" when it came to just what the cruise ships had to offer...because, I do believe they are the "best game in town!" And, certainly a true "whole package" vacation. ;)

Cruising is my most favorite way of spending my leisure time. In spite of the changes that have occured over the years it's still the most "bang for your buck"!

I'm certainly glad I re-discovered it! :)

[ibfern]

I just took my first cruise on the coral princess, and frankly I cannot believe what a good deal we got for our money, even paying for a soda card. We are not big drinkers, so we didn't incur much on the ship except for a few things I bought, two pictures, and 1 coke card. We spent the big money on excursions, and many of them were costly and gave us less time in the places we wanted to go, and more time for lunch and bathroom breaks! Next time, I will rent a car in the ports I really want to explore, and plan my time independantly so I can do what I really want to do. I'm thinking I could get the same excursions that princess offers at better rates on my own, researching the web and here of course. And we did so much during the port days that we were too exhausted to actually enjoy the shows and nightly activities on the ship!

 

We booked the couples Thermal Spa for $109, we had unlimited access to their wonderful Hot Beds and Thermal spas and showers and they only sell 20 of these passes per cruise, so we almost never had to wait. We really enjoyed having access to this throughout the cruise.

 

We met several cruise critic people (Hi Mike and Laura, Tammy and family, Liana and Andrea, and Celia and Family), one of them at the front of the ship in a "secret spot." That was a riot, I actually overheard someone talking about cruise critic, and then I introduced myself.

 

I'm hooked on cruising!

Amelia

[wizard-of-roz]

Amelia: Welcome! Isn't it fun? :D I know how you feel! We did Celebrity last October and we're doing Princess in September and NCL in November. I love it! I'm so hooked! :p

The only cure for the "let down" feeling, after a cruise is book another one!

The anticipation is almost as much fun as the cruise itself!

[flynrph]

 

The only cure for the "let down" feeling, after a cruise is book another one!

 

Been there, done that! See you all on the Carribean Princess Dec 31st!:D

And I booked this before I went on the most recent cruise. Prevents Post Cruise Depression! (PCD):p

 

Hi Amelia & Ken!, and Georgia Peach 100!

[Julia’s Journey’s]

We always get soda cards, we don't drink a fortune of it but enjoy it with our meals. I read on one of the threads that Princess have an ice cream card, anyone know about that??

Our first Disney the 2 cards were $70.00 they have since put a soda fountain by the pool and soda's are free with meals, guess they made enough the first few years!!!

[ibfern]

By the way, I did get a shot of an Aurora! There was some surprise sunspot activity which created auroras several different nights (I got notices from NASA), and while it was not the best of conditions I did see them illuminate the clouds! Maybe Ill throw it up on my webpage if anybody wants to see it,

 

Amelia

[ibfern]

Amelia: Welcome! Isn't it fun? :D I know how you feel! We did Celebrity last October and we're doing Princess in September and NCL in November. I love it! I'm so hooked! :p

 

The only cure for the "let down" feeling, after a cruise is book another one!

 

The anticipation is almost as much fun as the cruise itself!

 

So far I really enjoy people who enjoy cruises. I notice it attracts an intellectual bunch, many teachers and many learners! thanks for the warm welcome

Amelia

[MetalManCPA]

I didn't receive any dirty looks when I flashed my coke stickered princess card. (I'm 46 by the way, but I do look younger)

[pamssanity]

We are adults (59 and 63), on the Island Princess-- just returned from Alaska both had soda cards and wasn't the least bit embarrassed-- just found that in the nightclub the waiters didn't bring your soda as qucikly--they waited until they had a paying drink to bring as well--I too am a diet coke junkie-- I think the only strange looks were from the people we were sitting with when I had my diet coke with my breakfast!! and the cost was cheaper than on some of the ships we sailed-- it was $27.95