Princess - OnBoard Theft?

[Pia1913]

As a coffee card holder, I'm wondering why the soda sticker offers unlimited soda and the coffee card is good for only 15 coffees. Of course when I buy my friends a latte, nobody can glare at me! ;)

Perhaps the soda could be converted to x number of sodas per card, similar to the coffee card.

 

The unlimited soda is because it comes out of the fountain; more cost effective. The coffee OTOH, is time consuming; i.e. brewing and/or combing the different specialties and also more expensive.

 

Pia

[LETS PARTY]

I drink beer so I never get a soda card :p ;) :D

I don't think the cruise line cares...... they have covered there cost & more....the programs about 10 yrs old now, when it started I believe it was only about $12.00 for a 7 day cruise... they have tripled the price to cover them selfs... cost of fountain soda 5 cents at most.... 3 soda's a day= 21x 5= only 1.05 for 2- 2.10 approx I'm not saying its right or wrong....is it right for the cruise line to triple the price

Rob

[jpg1747]

I don't buy soda or coffee cards because I don't drink enough of either to justify the price. But IMO buying one card for two people is just plain tacky. If you can afford the price of the cruise, the price of an additional card isn't going to break you.

[coiran]

Depending on the length of cruise we buy one coffee card - every morning we get two coffees to go and they don't seem to mind.

Ron

[blackwing]

I don't think I drink enough soda to justify the cost. As I said, I also don't agree with the principle of them charging $40 for something that costs them pennies.

 

If I wanted to, I see no problem with getting one card to share. My wife and I would share a soda, or sometimes I'd want one and she doesn't, or vice versa. I don't think that's tacky. The only thing I think is tacky is if you are trying to use one card to get two sodas at the same time, by going to a bar, getting a drink, going back, then passing the card to the other person and having them go to the bar and get a drink. That's just cumbersome.

 

Why are we picking on soda card people? Why not pick on people who put booze into plastic containers into their luggage? I tend not to care about things that don't affect me. I'm much more up in arms at the people who save deck chairs, or like on the last cruise the guy who was saving 6 seats in the theater for the show.

[terrierjohn]

We have shared a soda card, but then we would normally only get one soda and share that, As a Brit I find that large US type sodas are just too big for one, by the time I get to finish it the ice has melted and it's like tepid tea, so by sharing we both get to enjoy a cold soda.

Anything wrong with that?

[coiran]

Why are we picking on soda card people? Why not pick on people who put booze into plastic containers into their luggage? I tend not to care about things that don't affect me. I'm much more up in arms at the people who save deck chairs, or like on the last cruise the guy who was saving 6 seats in the theater for the show

 

Why put it in a plastic container - I leave mine in the same container I bought it. I do not consider this theft in any way!!

Ron

[rcacace]

Princess does not offer unlimited or anytime fruit juice (such as OJ) either. Juice is available in the morning at breakfast, and sometimes with meals in the diningroom, but no other times without a charge.

 

That's right about the juice. So maybe I should be considered a thief because I fill up my bottle & store it in the fridge for an afternoon drink of OJ?

 

Not that I'm a soda drinker but at what Princess charges for the 10 day soda card more than covers the costs for two persons on the same card. Don't you think that they thought of that before they set the price? Unfortunately for the honest people they're subsidizing the dishonest ones.

[G'ma]

you do realize that the soda costs the ship probably about 2 cents each and if they cared they would do something about people sharing.. just like if they cared about people chair hogging they would do something more than just put up a sign. It's vacation live and let live.. just my soda 2 cents :p

 

Well, chair hogging doesn't involve theft. By your logic, I guess anyone on vacation should feel free to steal whatever they want?

 

Thieves and their habits eventually lead to higher prices for all of us.

[Pia1913]

How about filling your water bottle at the buffet, instead of buying the outrageously priced bottled water from Princess. Would you consider this theft too?

 

Pia

[G'ma]

Geez, now I feel bad about taking home one of those little plastic thingies full of pencil leads for my mechanical pencil from the office. I'll turn myself in after I've had a coffee.

 

Well, that's theft too. Employee theft can (and should) get you fired. What if everyone who worked at your place of business decided to do the same thing?

 

Or, do you believe somehow you are exempt from the rules?

 

It's stealing..period.

[MaryPoppinz]

We get a soda card for everyone who drinks soda, just as we do somewhere on land that they offer a self-serve soda fountain. In my morality, doing otherwise is stealing and I suspect it would be for most people if they were selling soda rather than buying it.

[G'ma]

As a coffee card holder, I'm wondering why the soda sticker offers unlimited soda and the coffee card is good for only 15 coffees. Of course when I buy my friends a latte, nobody can glare at me! ;)

Perhaps the soda could be converted to x number of sodas per card, similar to the coffee card.

 

You can bet that when it effects the company's bottom line, they will put limits on the soda card. If you are only permitted 10-15 sodas, the sharing part will go way down.

[blackwing]

Well' date=' chair hogging doesn't involve theft. By your logic, I guess anyone on vacation should feel free to steal whatever they want?

 

It's theft. Just like eating grapes from the produce department while your shopping or bananas, chips and cookies........ It's stealing, plain and simple.

 

Thieves and their habits eventually lead to higher prices for all of us.[/quote']

 

Chair hogging may not involve theft per se, but it is depriving another person the right to use something which should be freely available to the general public. That directly affects another person. Unlike whether 2 people are trying to use 1 soda card.

 

If we're talking about things that lead to higher prices, what about the people who pile their plates with mountains of food from the buffet, take a bite or two of each item, and then leave the rest to be thrown away? That's not really theft, but it's a huge waste. The ship ends up having to replenish the buffet with more food, leading to the use of more supply, which leads to the need to buy more food, which drives up costs.

 

What about people who don't re-use their bath towels and drop them on the floor after every use? Those towels need to be laundered, which increases costs.

 

People could worry more about things that affect them directly, not what others are doing.

[coiran]

How about filling your water bottle at the buffet, instead of buying the outrageously priced bottled water from Princess. Would you consider this theft too?

 

Pia

 

Why fill it from the buffet?? Your tap in your stateroom has the same water.

 

Ron

[FritzG]

Since we don't buy a soda card, can we please change this thread to sharing a coffee card? :D Thanks.

 

Pia

 

A coffee card is different because it's punched each time you use it. There are 15 punches, and it doesn't matter if you use one a day or all 15 at one time for a party.

 

It amazes me that those who share a soda card to save money are the ones who are causing fares to go up thereby defeating their purpose.

[Islandvirgin]

:confused: Please forgive me, but I was under the impression that there was bottled water available to you in your room? Am I right or wrong. It wouldn't be the first time. LOL

[LETS PARTY]

:confused: Please forgive me, but I was under the impression that there was bottled water available to you in your room? Am I right or wrong. It wouldn't be the first time. LOL

yes...$4.00 a bottle

[The Lorax and Tagalong]

For soda, I usually get up around 4am when it's really quiet and the lounges are empty. I jump behind the bar and use the soda gun to fill up the ice bucket from my room so I have enough to last at least until noon.

I then place that and a towel on the longe chair I plan to use all day, whether I'm there or not.

 

 

 

-Lorax

[Islandvirgin]

:mad: Holy Crap !!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll drink from the faucet !!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the answer.;)

[aaerobear]

What absolutely kills me is that some people still think it costs Princess only a few cents for the soda. If anyone of them had a business that served fountain drinks they would know what a ridiculous notion that is.

 

If they were just doling out the syrup from a plastic bag and into your own cup or glass, then it might be only a few cents. They need a bartender to serve you (costs money) they need to provide a cup/glass to hold the soda (costs money to provide the glass and wash it after you use it) they need a beverage system to deliver the soda to the glass (doesn't come free) and they sometimes need a server to deliver it to where you are (unless you go directly to the bar yourself) there are other charges that go into that "few pennies" but some people here won't accept that either.

 

How much do you think they pay for the beer they serve? In a local bar in your home town, the bar pays about 25 to 30 cents a bottle for domestic beer. Now think about Princess with the buying power and what do you think they are paying for that one bottle of beer????? What do you think they pay for a bottle of bar vodka?

 

The point is that it is all relative. They charge what they figure the market will bear. If a person drinks 4 sodas a day and does not have a soda sticker, they charge $1.90 a can, plus 15% service charge, that is over $8.00 a day, with the soda sticker it would be about half that.

 

Yes, I believe that two or more people sharing a soda sticker is stealing and nobody will change my mind with their feeble excuses for justifying it.

[Times Prince]

We have shared a soda card, but then we would normally only get one soda and share that, As a Brit I find that large US type sodas are just too big for one, by the time I get to finish it the ice has melted and it's like tepid tea, so by sharing we both get to enjoy a cold soda.

Anything wrong with that?

You've purchased a single drink then chose to share it with your spouse. That's like buying a can of soda and sharing. No problem, as you are sharing a single serving. The same would be true for a bar drink - once you've purchased the single serving it is now your option how to drink it (or not).

 

The issue and consternation from the original poll is about people knowingly purchasing a drink pass intended for one, then using it for two, obtaining double servings for the duration of the cruise. That is quite a different moral proposition.

 

I also don't agree with the principle of them charging $40 for something that costs them pennies.

The same component cost argument goes for fast food restaurants where equivalent sized fountain sodas cost close to $2.00. Can we assume that those who have this same trepidation will only drink tap water there?

 

Don't forget a ship must stock large quantities of soft drink syrup, and transport it, and then deliver it using personal human bartender and waiter service. There are more hidden costs besides the pennies. Do they make a profit? Sure.

[vmom]

The extra costs were the point I was trying to make in an earlier post. Its not just a few cents. The real cost is not the actual cost of the soda but everything else that comes into play.

 

Someone has to deliver the soda to the ship, someone has to hook it up. A waiter takes the order, bartender fills the glass, someone has to pick up the dirty glass, the glass has to be sent to the kitchen and someone else has to wash the glass, and around it goes. There is alot more to it than just the cost of the actual soda.

 

When you go out to eat, the cost for the meal is a whole lot more than just the actual wholesale cost of the meat and veggies.

 

As for the implication that this is similar to filling up a water bottle vs buying bottled water, that comparison is absurd.

 

 

So many here have made comments that the cruiseline doesn't care so what difference does it make. The cruise line has responded...its response has been to raise the cost of the soda card. My guess is that the soda card would not be as expensive as it is if there had been less sharing going around.

[Toto2Kansas]

Maybe some are confusing this, like they do with the 'corkage' fee, as many actually do think it is for removing the cork out of the bottle? :D

[suburban]

I'm wondering if anyone contributing to the "cause" of this thread might be doing so on company time and/or equipment. Hmmm.

 

 

 

Speaking of time, let's do a hypothetical: Suppose you opened the laptop you packed in your stateroom or the library and you discover that for some reason it immediately connects to the ships wifi network with no identity or subscription required. You haven't paid for any time but it is displaying your homepage and is obviously on the internet.

 

Obviously you immediately close your browser and forget you were ever tempted.