Coke/Free Beverages

[Jus10mom]

1. First are soda cards worth it? We drink A LOT of coke. Do you have to order it only from the bars? And is it from a soda fountion only? Will the waiter walking around not bring you one? I've heard you cannot ask for a big glass to be filled up??? Worth spending the money on?

 

2. Also, what else is free? Lemonade, tea, juices?

 

 

Trying to figure out my sneak in my luggage menu....

[Cotton]

Good news! No need to feel sneaky. Carnival allows a 'reasonable amount' of soft drinks to be brought onboard. I always take a 6-pk. of the plastic 16-oz. bottled Coke in a separate piece of checked luggage (along with a coupla bottles of wine - also allowed).

 

Can't help w/the soda cards, as I've never used one.

Complimentary beverages throughout the ship on deck, dining areas, and room service) are coffee, tea, lemonade, fruit punch, tap water, juices, hot chocolate, milk, and chocolate milk. Also - SOME ships offer comp cappuccino and/or espresso in the dining room after dinner.

[pholter]

Cotton is right (of course!)... It is my understanding that the soda cards are only good on fountain sodas- you still have to pay if you prefer a bottled or canned drinks.

I have never really liked their fountain drinks- always either too much carbonated water or too much syrup. Never just right.

[DeckCadet]

In my experience they just used the cans for the 'fountain' sodas as well.

For me the soda card is well worth it, since I drink about a dozen a day. One time on RCCL I had about 5-6 sodas with dinner....large glasses....not much ice..

[dtchem1]

We got soda cards for our kids. They were definitely worth it. Yes they are fountain sodas only , but as the previous poster said, some bars just pour it out of the can or bottle in to a glass. If your putting away a lot of sodas, it is well worth it, to save your sail and sign some big bills.

[elvisillusions]

We used our soda card for fountain sodas, sometimes they were poured out of a can into a glass, and when we were lounging out by the pool, the waiter would bring us several bottles of coke/diet to put in the beer bucket if we asked him for a coke...

[obnurse]

We just sailed Inspiration last week. For our family of 4 (3 adults, 1 child) the fountain fun cards came to $165 for the week after 15% gratuity is added in. Keep that in mind. They automaticly add in 15% over and above the price of the card. We're HUGE soda drinkers, too, but that was pretty steep in my opinion.

[retiredldo]

Do the math and soda cards are not really the best deal, very efficient etc but folks just paid 165 for 4 folks, 165 / 1/75 per can or 93 cans of soda or 1116 ounces of soda, knowing that they are using glasses (most of the time, and yes there are exceptions) lets assume 4 ounces of soda with the ice you have to have or that family would have had to had 279 glasses of soda just to break even

 

Sort of doubt the cruise line is going to lose money

 

Pete

[imsulin]

Anytime you ever need to know anything about Carnival, just ask Cotton! I hereby proclaim her our resident expert! Always good info., Cotton!

[Cotton]

Pholter & Imsulin - Y'all are makin' me blush.:p

 

And I have to disagree, bigtime. CHRIS (CruisingIsLife) holds that title! I truly think the folks in charge of the Carnival forum here at Cruise Critic should put a link to HIS website at the top - permanently. I've never seen any more indepth and helpful info on cruising than Chris has compiled!

.....but, aw shucks, thx y'all.

[imsulin]

Well, pass the tabasco and beignets anyway, Cotton, 'cuz you deserve the title!!

[HOSKI]

Cotton, we know how good you are. Who was it that helped me with all my NOLA questions and with my gift delivery questions? You!!!

[Knights on the Beach]

We are big-time diet coke (or pepsi, don't care which) drinkers -- at HOME. On a cruise, I am NOT paying for any drink that doesn't have alcohol in it! ;) When we cruise, we drink the "free" drinks with our meals, but we do buy the fountain fun cards for our sons.

[BottledRed]

If I could get the drink I want (C2), I will buy on board. However, my guess is I'll be carting it in.

[Cotton]

Hoski, are you finally squared away? When in your Holiday cruise anyway???

Hey, this is a fun way to spend my retirement years!:D Unfortunately, I get little else done, but I enjoy being here at CC. I'm really and truly NOT here all day long.....just in dribs and drabs during the day, and when I can't sleep at night.

[Jus10mom]

I think I'll pack some in my luggage and try to get my caffeine fix with tea. Guess I could pick up some in port too???

 

And I can "mix" with the free juices too!!!

 

Thanks again! ;)

[northerner]

My TA told me that kids fountain cards are only $10. True or not? :confused: Why would anyone purchase these cards at $40 each when you can bring what you need with you? :o Just wondering, Happy Cruising, Theresa

[savdoc2]

We found the soda card to be worth it. DH is a huge soda drinker. He normally drinks 4-5 16oz bottles per day at home. To drink that many on the ship (at $2.50 per bottle plus grat) it would cost a minimum of $10 per day. The soda card costs $5.50 per day.

 

When we were on our previous cruises they did not have fountain soda, but instead poured a glass of soda out of a can. We brought a 32oz thermal mug with us and he would fill the mug with ice at the self serve ice machine and ask for his glass of soda without ice. He would pour the glass over the ice and ask for another one. He never had a problem and had all the soda he wanted.

 

Yes, carrying soda on is cheaper, but for our 8 day cruise coming up we would need a whole extra suitcase to take on enough soda to last a week - then you have to consider what Carnival considers a reasonable amount.

[HOSKI]

Cotton

I think I'm set we go Sept 25th and will be in NOLA from 30th till Oct 2. Last thing I have to deal with is the rental car which is a problem since we trashed our credit cards a month ago and no one excepts debit cards.

[northerner]

Hoski, :) Alamo and Enterprise have accepted my visa debt card that draw off my bank account, but I have always had to show them a plane ticket to do the rental this way. You can check on policy for these 2 companies if you go www. their name .com. I prefer to not charge if I don't have to and usually use these companies just because they will do this for me. :) Theresa

[jima53]

Don't forget that those fountain sodas only cost Carnival a few cents. They are one of the highest forms of profit compared to cost for any store or business that sells them. A few cents per glass, since it's mostly ice/water and a little bit of cola syrup.

 

Jim

[HOSKI]

northern

thanks bunches. we like Alamo but couldn't find one at NOLA and I'll try enterprise.