Drink Card Harrassment ...

[bb-62driver]

Last summer, my wife & I took our honeymoon cruise to Alaska on HAL Noordam (great cruise, great weather). My only real complaint was the almost continuous harrassment (for the first 48 hours) on deck, at dinner and in the lounges from the wait staff to purchase a drink, wine or soda card. The Indonesian staff were very polite about it, but also very insistent. I know they get a small commission for each one they sell, but it seemed to cheapen the cruise experience, especially for my wife on her first cruise. Will we experience this same hard sell on RCCL on our upcoming Caribbean cruise?

[jmezmom]

The drink cards are only offered the first day, there is no pressure at all. Bartenders roaming the decks and showrooms do not pressure at all.

At least in my 12 cruises we have had none.

[katstoy]

Nope. You can buy the drink card (soda package) and wine and dine pacakages only on the departure day. There will be tables set up in strategic areas selling them. They are also available at the bars. You have to go to them, they don't come to you. Once you sail you can't buy them anymore.

[Cruise_Couple]

To the best of my knowledge, RCCL only offers the "soda card" on the day of embarkation and you have to seek them out to purchase it. They usually have a station set up at the Windjammer and you can also buy it at the bars. I have never have anyone approach me to try to sell me one.

[cruisePRN]

When you first board there will be bar servers pushing pina coladas and other like drinks. After that initial bombardment it will not be as pushy as you described on HAL.

[39august]

The only "drink" card is the soda card. There is a wine package offered. I have never experienced any pressure to buy either, tho' we usually do purchase the wine package.

[Boo Boo]

No, we have never bought a soda card on RCCL... I am VAGUELY aware of them selling them in the Windjammer area on the first day, but that is about it: have never been asked directly if I wanted to buy one...

 

Boo

[Tucker in Texas]

On the Voyager of the Sea's three cruises I have been on, the waiter/waitress will ask me if I want a drink and when I decline, they have put a napkin down on the table "face" down as a signal to others and themselves that I do not care to purchase a drink. About the closest they have come to "pushing" is when I say "no thank you," they put the napkin down and tell me if I change my mind to let them know.

 

Tucker in Texas

[karkee07]

Nope. They only sell the cards the first day. Someone may ask you ask you walk by the couple tables they have set up around the ship.

 

The waiters will ask if you would like something to drink be it, water, tea, wine, a soda ect ect....

 

enjoy your cruise! and remember don't worry about what the other posters say about San Juan and other cruises.....they just don't know a good time if it came up and poked them in the eye!

[rclcruzer]

Not pushy at all on RCL, never encountered that ;)

[swscruiser]

Hi all,

 

I think the OP was talking about hustling of drinks, wine and the soda cards.

 

It has been 2 years since I've sailed RCL but I think all cruise lines hawk drinks pretty hard.

 

Keith

[GlenandVal]

I have never been pushed in to having a drink on RCCL they will ask at times but if you say no they do not push

 

its great and very respectful

[Rancher Dave]

On the Voyager of the Sea's three cruises I have been on, the waiter/waitress will ask me if I want a drink and when I decline, they have put a napkin down on the table "face" down as a signal to others and themselves that I do not care to purchase a drink. About the closest they have come to "pushing" is when I say "no thank you," they put the napkin down and tell me if I change my mind to let them know.

 

Tucker in Texas

 

 

Don't recall seeing the napkin thing, but agree 100% that the servers are not overly pushy. Most I have run into are even nice about taking the soda card even though it doesn't earn them any pocket money at that transaction.

 

Usually in the lounge we tend to sit in the same area for all shows...and tend to use the same server if we can so buy some drinks and tip extra and get great service when using the soda card...besides DD is too young for mixed drinks...

[pcur]

They "sing out" the drink of the day every day, but to the general public as they walk by. They politely ask once or twice in the dining room until they know if you like to drink alcohol or not. Very low key, very polite, NOT pushy. Your dining steward will take your wine order at dinner, by the way.

[critterchick]

Nope. You can buy the drink card (soda package) and wine and dine pacakages only on the departure day. There will be tables set up in strategic areas selling them. They are also available at the bars. You have to go to them, they don't come to you. Once you sail you can't buy them anymore.

 

We've been on cruises where the wine & dine was available at any time during the cruise. If you were running low on your card you could even upgrade from a smaller number of bottles to a higher one.:)

[cage keeper]

We sailed on the Noordam last March and never had this problem. I remember reading about this on the HAL boards but was not asked once to purchase any cards.

[BobBeaSea]

The soda card has been dealt with above. As for aggressively hawking drinks it depends. I've been on a couple of sailings where the hawking is more prevalent than other sailings, usually up top from the servers operating from the Pool and Sky bars. Certainly nothing that could be deemed offensive IMHO.

 

BTW, what does the "staff being Indonesian" have to do with it?

[firefly333]

Last summer, my wife & I took our honeymoon cruise to Alaska on HAL Noordam (great cruise, great weather). My only real complaint was the almost continuous harrassment (for the first 48 hours) on deck, at dinner and in the lounges from the wait staff to purchase a drink, wine or soda card. The Indonesian staff were very polite about it, but also very insistent. I know they get a small commission for each one they sell, but it seemed to cheapen the cruise experience, especially for my wife on her first cruise. Will we experience this same hard sell on RCCL on our upcoming Caribbean cruise?

 

I want one of those wine cards. HAL sells them?? How much??

[stompy]

Years ago I was on a Carnival ship in the Caribbean and it was a never-ending hard sell for liquor, cards, and anything to rake in the bucks.

 

It's so nice on RC for them to be there to be of service to you.

 

They sell stuff to you because you want them to...

 

The only downside of the drink card is that it's for the whole trip and it is every day. I'd prefer a "10 drink card" or something like that which would be for the non soda addicts who want a drink now and then...

[It'sRC4ME]

The soda card has been dealt with above. As for aggressively hawking drinks it depends. I've been on a couple of sailings where the hawking is more prevalent than other sailings, usually up top from the servers operating from the Pool and Sky bars. Certainly nothing that could be deemed offensive IMHO.

 

BTW, what does the "staff being Indonesian" have to do with it?

 

I agree, the pool side drink servers are not pushy. To reassure our OP, you will almost never see a drink server by the pool actually approaching individuals to see if they want to order. They seem to walk around offering drinks to no-one in particular, but are very good a noticing if you are looking directly at them and will come over to take your order. Lesson: if you don't want a drink pool-side, just don't make eye contact with the drinks guy.

[jdh]

In all of our cruises (all RCI), we have never been pressured to buy anything. They do stroll around selling drinks on the first day but unless we call them over they never have bothered us. I have heard others complain of this happening, but not in all of our years on RCI have we had it happen to us.

[Sea Island Lady]

HAL does not do this anymore. Like many cruiselines, they all started doing "the push" a few years ago, but after hearing many complaints, they have for the most part, discontinued...thank goodness. :rolleyes:

 

Which cruiseline was it that tried to sell their cookbook table side? :eek:

 

Now, having said the above, the drinks are still pushed pretty hard on RCCL. On my Liberty cruise, last month, I was constantly being asked if I wanted a drink. I had to bury myself in my book, trying to avoid the pool servers. :mad:

[Homosassa]

On all my cruises on HAL, I have never been pushed to buy a drink or any type of drink card.

 

It was a remarkable change from RCCL where I felt I was constantly being asked if I wanted a drink.

[01Sweetpea]

On our EOs cruise, the servers were out in force, HOWEVER there was never a push or pressure to buy a drink.

 

They asked if you wanted a drink, and if you said no, they were polite and walked away.

 

Never had a problem getting a drink when I wanted one.