Cruises - Should you buy a drink package on a cruise? Someone did the math.

I haven't put a pencil to drink packages on ships and always wondered their value. Here's an article with a summary of cruiselines' beverage packages.


Guide to help calculate if a drinks package -- or à la carte pricing for bottled water, sodas, and alcohol -- makes more financial sense for your cruise.
http://www.frommers.com/articles/7316.html

thanks linda! that was very helpful. i'm just about to go on a cruise in a few weeks and the coke plan was so expensive!

DH drinks diet coke but has found that the dc out of the gun is pretty bad so we don't get the package. We did get it for the kids last cruise. For liquor, it was pointed out to me that the only deal is on the "drink of the day" and my vodka soda or wine would be cheaper without the package.

buying bottled water is stupid.....i have reused a bottle many times when on lower priced lines....never had a problem with the ships water....also don't use bottled water at home....

if you are concerned about the ships water, be sure to avoid iced drinks....

good luck...

buying bottled water is stupid.....i have reused a bottle many times when on lower priced lines....never had a problem with the ships water....also don't use bottled water at home....

if you are concerned about the ships water, be sure to avoid iced drinks....

good luck...
The ship's water does taste kind of funny though. A slice of lemon makes it taste acceptable.

My husband and I used a drink package on a Celebrity cruise to the Panama Canal. So nice not to have that bill at the end of the cruise. Had all the bottled water I wanted. Also smoothies, special coffee drinks and mocktails. Loved it!

Princess has a drink package that is awesome. They have a ´kid´s package´ that is between the soda package and the alcohol package. In the package you can have canned sodas, rather than the guns, AND you can get virgin cocktails, and milkshakes. For those of us who don´t drink alcohol (or just a little bit).......and there seems to be more and more of us all the time, it is an awesome package. I think Pricess has a real competative advantage with this product, and I can´t believe that others have not copied them. If anyone knows of any other mid-range cruise lines that offers a similar package, please post it.

You also need to consider if your cruise is port intensive or has many days at sea.

We are taking a 10 day Europe cruise and will be in ports on 8 days. On those days we will only have time for a quick drink before dinner and anything after. Since we will have busy port day the next day we will not stay out late. The package does not make sense for us on this type of cruise.

We're headign out on an 11 day cruise on Equinox next week. I looked at thigns and the drinks packages make sense if:

1) you tend to drink a lot (including specialty coffees, water,s etc, not just alcohol)

2) You are on a less port intensive itinerary (like a TA crossing).

Over on Cruise critic on the Celebrity board, someone put together a spreadsheet to calculate if it makes sense. I liek to drink (beer, wine, martinis) but due to being in port 8 of 11 days it didn't make sense for us for the entire cruise. I may change my mind part way through, but not for the whole cruise.

That being said, we will stop ahead of time on the way to Civitavecchbia and pick up cases of water and hopefully sodas before we board and can bring 2 bottles of wine per cabin on ship, so we should be fairly covered except for the martinis :)

You also need to consider if your cruise is port intensive or has many days at sea.

We are taking a 10 day Europe cruise and will be in ports on 8 days. On those days we will only have time for a quick drink before dinner and anything after. Since we will have busy port day the next day we will not stay out late. The package does not make sense for us on this type of cruise.

That's a good point and something a cruise novice might not consider.

I bought a water package from RC. Sure it was expensive, but it was convenient for my (and my traveling's party of 4) needs. It was sitting there in my stateroom once I got onboard.

We bought the lowest # of water bottles (8 large bottles, or roughly 16 regular sized bottle water, or roughly $2.5/regular sized bottle). You could buy it from the fridge if you need fewer. We finished all of it through our 3-day cruise. I tend to drink a lot of water normally anyway, so that was no problem. We had two port days and we planned to be out and about (booked a few excursions) and it was convenient to carry about smaller water bottles with us (especially on hot days). We also ended up buying another 2 bottles of water(at $1 each) at one of the ports because we finished the ones we carried and it was super hot out.

You could just bring an empty bottle and fill it up on the ship. That's just as easy. But since I'm trying to drink less soda and wanted the convenience, the package makes sense to me. I won't lie, it's definitely a bit on the expensive side (I was on the fence when trying to decide whether to buy it or not), but it was definitely convenient.

Has anyone ever snuck liquor onto a cruise? :p

I've never been on a cruise, but I have thought about putting rum in a saline solution bottle to have a rum & coke in the room (while she takes her sweet time getting ready) if we ever go on one. :)

I bought a water package from RC. Sure it was expensive, but it was convenient for my (and my traveling's party of 4) needs. It was sitting there in my stateroom once I got onboard.

That's my reasoning for always buying a soda package on board; pure convenience. In the end, I figure that at worst I break even on a port intensive cruise, but a sailing with a bunch of sea days, I definitely come out ahead. I don't drink coffee, so I get my caffeine from Diet Coke, even with breakfast. :p

Has anyone ever snuck liquor onto a cruise? :p

I've never been on a cruise, but I have thought about putting rum in a saline solution bottle to have a rum & coke in the room (while she takes her sweet time getting ready) if we ever go on one. :)

There are literally thousands of threads on booze smuggling on Cruise Critic. ;)

Has anyone ever snuck liquor onto a cruise? :p

I've never been on a cruise, but I have thought about putting rum in a saline solution bottle to have a rum & coke in the room (while she takes her sweet time getting ready) if we ever go on one. :)


See these threads

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/cruises/899636-bringing-alcohol-aboard-rccl.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/cruises/395573-bringing-alcohol-aboard-carnival-cruise.html


And probably quite a few others for hints and tips.

I usually carry on two or four 2-litres or a 24 pack (give the 24 to the porters. They'll get it to your room). I abhor the taste of Diet Coke (I do like Coke, but on a cruise I'd rather use the calories on dinner -- though I probably eat 15 cokes' worth of food), so Diet Pepsi from shore is the only way I'll drink it.

Do any cruise lines use Pepsi products? I've only been on Celebrity, RCCL, and Princess.

I usually carry on two or four 2-litres or a 24 pack (give the 24 to the porters. They'll get it to your room). I abhor the taste of Diet Coke (I do like Coke, but on a cruise I'd rather use the calories on dinner -- though I probably eat 15 cokes' worth of food), so Diet Pepsi from shore is the only way I'll drink it.

Do any cruise lines use Pepsi products? I've only been on Celebrity, RCCL, and Princess.

NCL is the only major cruise line that currently serves Pepsi products.

thanks for posting that link. i sorta knew the numbers but it was nice seeing it all spelled out again. will have to run the figures from the last cruise to see if my kid got my monies worth out of the card before i buy another one on my cruise next week. LOL!

My wife and I have the same first initial...so I use it to sign the single card I buy on the first day. We bring our own thermal cups and I can get a coke and pass off the card to her so she can get Diet coke. A flask of rum or bourbon in the room makes for cheap bar drinks (we usually buy a few frozen thingys too) I noticed pint bottles sold in duty free shops on the islands have plastic caps and dont set off the metal detectors when you come back onboard...finally a use for cargo shorts. Once we bought canned cokes in port, they sent them through the x-ray and never opened the bag to see if it was a 6 pack of coke or beer. That was the trip we brought a case with us, and skipped the card completely, the porters got it to the cabin with no problem.

Has anyone ever snuck liquor onto a cruise? :p

I've never been on a cruise, but I have thought about putting rum in a saline solution bottle to have a rum & coke in the room (while she takes her sweet time getting ready) if we ever go on one. :)

Cases of water are allowed. Slip some of the bottles out of the middle, empty the water and fill with vodka. Carefully replace in case without breaking the plastic wrap. Enjoy.

I have no suggestions for colored liquor.

The drink package is worthwhile if you are traveling with more than 2 people..

We just put the unlimited drinks on my wife's card, and whenever our daughters wanted something she'd get it. I think we really got our money's worth. (assuming they each had 5 or so pops per day, that would mean 5*2 = 10 * 7 days = 70 pops. Plus maybe 10 between my wife and I, so 80.

80 drinks for 40 bucks (I think that's how much it was).

Pretty good value. Alcohol however, was pricey.

Cases of water are allowed. Slip some of the bottles out of the middle, empty the water and fill with vodka. Carefully replace in case without breaking the plastic wrap. Enjoy.

I have no suggestions for colored liquor.

thank, was wondering about the cases of water, going to my first cruise this coming october on norwegian sky, short 4 night bahama cruise.. me and my SO, are not heavy drinkers, nor pop drinkers, price of $4.50 for a large bottle of water was a bit worrisome, but if we're allowed to bring cases of water then that'll be one less thing i'll have to be worried about!

Has anyone ever snuck liquor onto a cruise? :p

I've never been on a cruise, but I have thought about putting rum in a saline solution bottle to have a rum & coke in the room (while she takes her sweet time getting ready) if we ever go on one. :)

Yep, we snuck rum into a bottle of wine... (We were allowed to bring 1 bottle of wine on Carnival, but no liquor.) When the guy asked why it was open, I told him it was home-made wine. He bought it and let us take it on.

How does wine work if you're a couple buying a single card. Will they bring you a bottle of wine and 2 glasses??

How does wine work if you're a couple buying a single card. Will they bring you a bottle of wine and 2 glasses??

If you're talking about the Celebrity program, no. That is a per person program. Holland America will bring you multiple glasses, but not leave the bottle as you're purchasing a certain number of "pours" for a set price.

Thanks for the link, Linda.
By the way, with the alcoholic package you still pay the 15% gratuity charge, at least with HAL.

The Frommer's writer is clearly not a Flyertalker! I was expecting chart on maximizing value, something like "How to Order 42 glasses of premium scotch at a net cost of $1.4 per".

CruiseCritic has far more detailed info on dring prices-- For example the Frommer's article only lists prices for the house wine (generally appallingly bad), but the Celebrity forum on CruiseCritic has a complete list of all by the glass offerings and pricing (which goes up to about $15 per glass IIRC).

Another thing not mentioned in the article is that on some lines you must purchase for all the remaining days in the cruise or for the entire cruise.

I have never purchased the drink package, but I can see that for SOME pax it makes sense.

People who like the occasional glass of wine can also consider buying a bottle and having it stored. Royal and Celebrity ships usually have a wine bar with enomatic dispensers, but also offer actual bottles for purchase.

Celebrity Solstice class also had a half decanter size in the oceanview bar behind the oceanview cafe (buffet) that was $10, I think. The location has an aft ship view which is pretty nice.

I cannot speak for the lower cost options, but if you are looking at the all inclusive alcohol plans, you better be planning to drink A LOT. We just came back from a Celebrity 11 day cruise and the premium alcohol package would have cost $1200 or so for the two of us. We spent about $600 total including all the things we bought on board, dinner in one of the specialty restaurants, wine, pre dinner drinks, etc.

I would say that unless you have a sea day intensive cruise, you will probably not drink as much as you think as you will be in port for some time of the day.

To each his/her own

On a 7 day cruise, we will bring a 2 or 3 liter box of wine. I break down the box, and put the bag of wine in a gallon size zip lock. Wrapped clothes around the zip lock. Always got through.

We will also buy a bottle or two of wine. On occasion, we had paid $15/bottle corkage to bring the wine onboard. The above was for NCL.

Different cruiselines have different policies.

Pardon my demeanor, but I truly can't believe that people actually bring beverages on board (whether legal or not). That is not my idea of a vacation.

Pardon my demeanor, but I truly can't believe that people actually bring beverages on board (whether legal or not). That is not my idea of a vacation.

i do and have no regrets. i usually bring one or two bottles of wine and maybe a six pack of diet cokes. not a whole bar in any way. i like the convenience of having a diet coke when i want one and not having to schlep up to the closest bar or order it via room service. ditto with the wine. i am not trying to cheat the cruise line out of anything, i just don't care to pay their fees for things i can get myself. of course, i have not sailed with a line that doesn't allow the above per person, either. if i had to go to great lengths to "sneak" stuff on board, i would probably reconsider the necessity of the items and whether or not it is a must to have a good time. YMMV

Check the liquor policy carefully. Many cruise lines DO allow some beverages brought aboard. Don't want to lug around a bunch of bottles, look at bring a bottle or two on at most ports. There are very few ways to pay more for booze that aboard the ship. Local shoppiing is often a way out.

Liquor packages are usually a big ticket, but "drink packages", both soda and wine can payout. Even if you can bring on wine aboard, that is not the same as having it in the dining room! Also bring a "glass" for drinking in the public areas that does not "give you away". Wine drink tickets are for the "ships" wine, the cheapest. This wine by the bottle often runs out years before the ship sales, but they always seem to find some for the drink tickets! Note the cheapest, non "ships" wine is usually over $50 for 750ml with tax and tip (mandatory) and the "wino" still wants an additional tip at the end of the cruise. these drink tickets also offer you the opportunity to order wine, without having to say you will have a glass of the ships wine, went you are only offered the more expensive ones. Note that the ships wine often is not even on the wine list, you have to ask for it. A few ships do not even provide lists, only a vocal offer of what is available (fortunately this is the minority).

Where the rules prohibit booze to be brought on, you might find the "singles" available at some stores...the ones they use to hand out on planes (some still do) are easily brought aboard. Often in plastic bottles, and convenient to add to water elsewhere on the ship.

Most ships have a night or several where a drink or two (for the early birds and agressive) is available for free (captains party, farewell dinner, alumni luncheon, etc). Some travel agents have coatail parties for groups (AAA). You can often get sparkling wine at the art auctions, without bidding or buying...only signing in. Same goes for some other ships promotions. I have attended a group gig with FT on a cruise (check the boards) and we have pupus and coffee. A larger group might have gotten some booze?

Most ships have the drink of the day special...save a bit. Also a few offer 2-4-1 wine on the wine tickets mid afternoon on limited days.

I got nearly plastered on my first cruise, along with two brothers from San Diego, on NCL. We were the final acts in the costume show, and were kept around in a bar waiting our turn for over an hour! They closed the bar, but reopened it for us, when we threatened to walk out on the show! Note in the Carrib. you can get 151 proof rum...does not take many of these bottles to satisfly the greatest of "needs".

Wine tasting on board is not cheap, but is another way to get a drink or two while being entertained (informed?).

More remote, some higher end cruises offer some (all) booze with certain meals (ie dinner). Some stock your room if you are in a certain level of cabin or above, etc. Getting invited to the captains table for a meal will also get you a glass of wine usually. A less desirable way, we were chased by a killer storm around the South Pacific, locked in the ship (no outside access) for 2 days, and free drinks are offered...at least that is what happened to us at two meals while we watched the plates and glasses smash onto the floor.

happy flying high on the seas!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope this helps...dozen or more cruises for this couple!

Pardon my demeanor, but I truly can't believe that people actually bring beverages on board (whether legal or not). That is not my idea of a vacation.

Everyone's idea of what is a "vacation" is different... DH would be cranky without Diet Pepsi and I have no interest in booking on NCL, so we bring the Diet Pepsi on board. We also bring several bottles of a reliable red that we often drink at home for drinking on the veranda. We will still order a cocktail around the ship or a glass of wine at dinner as well.

Everyone's idea of what is a "vacation" is different... DH would be cranky without Diet Pepsi and I have no interest in booking on NCL, so we bring the Diet Pepsi on board. We also bring several bottles of a reliable red that we often drink at home for drinking on the veranda. We will still order a cocktail around the ship or a glass of wine at dinner as well.

^ exactly. i had wondered which cruise ships serve what soda products. i know Princess does the Coke/Diet Coke thing. i was on Allure of the Seas/Royal Caribbean last Nov. and got to try their soda "mixing" machine which had a variety of Coke products. been so long since i was on a HAL ship i dont remember.

which ships lines serve Pepsi products out of curiosity? from your post, does that mean NCL or did i misread? TIA

I know from personal experience that Celebrity, HAL and Cunard serve only Coke products. I have read that NCL serves Pepsi products, but what I have read about the overall NCL experience leaves me unimpressed.
We considered a Royal Carribean cruise once. I called and asked if we would be permitted to bring on Diet Pepsi as they serve only coke products and was told absolutely not. However, there are multiple reports on Cruisecritic of pax carrying on cases of water and soda without incident. I wasn't comfortable taking the risk-- DH is as cranky without his DP as I am without my morning coffee.....

As a teenager Elvis Presley worked for a Pepsi Bottler in Tupelo, Mississippi.
(Posted in case you play Trivia)

thanks linda! that was very helpful. i'm just about to go on a cruise in a few weeks and the coke plan was so expensive!

Drinks are very expensive on cruises. I went on a 3-day cruise several years back. Fairly small bill, but the last night of the cruise when they post everyone's bill on their door, I went around looking at other people's bills. They were up into the $1000+ range for 3 nights! (Some of these included spa treatments... not just alcohol sales ;-) )

which ships lines serve Pepsi products out of curiosity? from your post, does that mean NCL or did i misread? TIA

At this time, NCL is the only major brand serving Pepsi products. All the other big brands have Coke contracts.

Originally Posted by livcheng View Post
thanks linda! that was very helpful. i'm just about to go on a cruise in a few weeks and the coke plan was so expensive!

Some are, some are really not bad at all. On HAL a $50 soda card can be purchased for $25, which is good for 21 cans of soda during the cruise or about $1.20 apiece.

very cool article.... i havent done this but i know a few of my friends who have snuck alcohol onto the ships through shampoo and mouth wash bottles. I dn if the risk and reward are worth it but i guess thats all up to you

I usually have no problem taking booze/beer on Disney Cruise Line.

We purchased a soda package for our teenage son. On a recent 9 day European cruise I was very glad we brought empty bottles. We filled with ice and water for ports and left in car/bus. We did buy some drinks while touring, but the cost is high and the dollar is weak right now.

just got back from a 7-day med cruise, and even though i love a nice cold coke now and then, i couldn't get myself to pay that much for their coke package. for 7 days, i enjoyed their free lemonade and ice tea :) and yes, definitely do keep empty bottles for water refills! even through there signs all over saying they can't refill, i say many waiters filling bottles for people.

Didn't realize water wasn't included. I sail with Seabourn and right by the gangway there is a table of water bottles for us to take with us. On the ship's excursions, there is always a cooler or two of iced sodas and water. And l liquor is included. Fortunately.

Seabourn is luxury line-- of course water and soda are included. And, of course, the fare is multiple times the fare of the lines mostly under discusion here.

Brought alcohol (and a blender!) on a Carnival cruise and would do it again in a heartbeat... saved us hundreds for the week!

Seabourn is luxury line-- of course water and soda are included. And, of course, the fare is multiple times the fare of the lines mostly under discusion here.

Not necessarily. with it's expansion of 3 larger ships, the prices have dropped radically. When one factors how much their bar bill with the tipping daily costs, it may be much closer than one might think. No tipping and all inclusive but for spa treatments and excursions, the costs might surprise many cruisers.

NB: I don't work for Seabourn, Carnival, or anyone else.

Heavy drinker- package yes^

Not necessarily. with it's expansion of 3 larger ships, the prices have dropped radically. When one factors how much their bar bill with the tipping daily costs, it may be much closer than one might think. No tipping and all inclusive but for spa treatments and excursions, the costs might surprise many cruisers.

NB: I don't work for Seabourn, Carnival, or anyone else.
Interesting. I have never seen a Seaborn fare that wasn't three times the rate of similar HAL itineraries, but then I don't really think of Seaborn as a kid friendly line so I haven't tracked their fares closely.

Seabourn certainly is not child-friendly, and that includes some of the passengers. I don't comparison shop because my only HAL cruise was 1962 on the old Statendamn. However, friends who do, have noted recent drops in prices which they believe comparable to similar accommodations to other lines. Certainly not v. an inside cabin, of course.

The drink package is worthwhile if you are traveling with more than 2 people..

We just put the unlimited drinks on my wife's card, and whenever our daughters wanted something she'd get it. I think we really got our money's worth. (assuming they each had 5 or so pops per day, that would mean 5*2 = 10 * 7 days = 70 pops. Plus maybe 10 between my wife and I, so 80.

80 drinks for 40 bucks (I think that's how much it was).

Pretty good value. Alcohol however, was pricey.

Except that you are not supposed to do this. This is no different than stealing. One all-inclusive drink card is for one person. Your wife shouldn't be handing out drinks to anyone, technically.

And in gift shops in port, the wife distracted the clerk while the kids just took whatever they wanted. The wife would buy one trinket or another to make it OK.

It's pretty much the same thing.

Seabourn certainly is not child-friendly, and that includes some of the passengers. I don't comparison shop because my only HAL cruise was 1962 on the old Statendamn. However, friends who do, have noted recent drops in prices which they believe comparable to similar accommodations to other lines. Certainly not v. an inside cabin, of course.

We usually book a mid grade balcony for us and a nearby inside or oceanview for the kids. Just looking at the balcony pricing, Seabourn has been 3x the price. I think if one drinks heavily and enjoys the ship sponsored excursions Seabourn could still be a good deal.

On the original topic, we would never "sneak" beverages aboard or attempt to defraud the cruise line via multiple person use of a single drink account, but we do favor lines that allow wine/soda to be brought aboard and that have packages that can be used by multiple people (the HAL soda card for example, works out to about $1.20 per can of soda and can be used by anyone in the party).

Brought alcohol (and a blender!) on a Carnival cruise and would do it again in a heartbeat... saved us hundreds for the week!

How long ago was that? Carnival has been cracking down pretty heavily on smuggled booze in the last year or two. Some bottles make it, some do not.

OTOH, there is probably very little chance of getting a blender aboard. They are now cracking down on extension cords, so I'm guessing a blender would probably get caught also.

With Carnival, you can buy bottles through the Bon Voyage department, at roughly 2 to 4 times the street price. The more expensive the bottle, the smaller % the markup generally, just like with wine on the ship. Supposedly you can also ordered bottles through room service, but results are (pardon thepun) mixed.

We have found that we love the smaller ships. Our second sailing on the Paul Gauguin which normally focus on Tahiti is in January. All inclusive including all drinks, wine, soda, etc. While I don't drink alcohol those milk shakes are great.

My experience has been the packages are not worth it. Assuming 7 days and 5-6 ports I am usually drinking/eating lunch in port and probably one dinner in port. Assuming a couple of drinks and a bottle of wine at dinner I come out ahead just buying it directly rather than the package.

Same is true for excursions I almost never purchase the site seeing packages. You are at the mercy of the tour timing and what they setup. I always just find a local taxi guy and hire for the day. Usually we can find another couple we like and split it and we come out way ahead and do what we want on our time schedule in port

This thread is funny.

It comes down to this.

If you can calculate out how much you expect to drink on the cruise, and the package price is less money, it's a good deal. If it's not, than it's not a good deal.

What works for one person may or may not work for somebody else. There's people who can pretty much make the money back on a soda or drink card in the first couple of days of the cruise, and there are people who won't even come close.

There are probably just as many people at the end of any given cruise who wish they bought a drink package but did not spending more than they needed to, as there are people who did and saved a ton of money.

There is no one answer for everybody, it's why they are offered, so people can choose to purchase them or not based on their needs.

That's a great summary and way to look at things, cordelli. The only thing I would add is that to some people, even if a drink card or package doesn't make total economic sense, it can be worth it just for the peace of mind of not having to pay for each and every visit to a bar. It's kind of like a lite version of all-inclusive pricing on luxury cruise lines...

This thread is funny.

It comes down to this.

If you can calculate out how much you expect to drink on the cruise, and the package price is less money, it's a good deal. If it's not, than it's not a good deal.

What works for one person may or may not work for somebody else. There's people who can pretty much make the money back on a soda or drink card in the first couple of days of the cruise, and there are people who won't even come close.

There are probably just as many people at the end of any given cruise who wish they bought a drink package but did not spending more than they needed to, as there are people who did and saved a ton of money.

There is no one answer for everybody, it's why they are offered, so people can choose to purchase them or not based on their needs.

This is all very valid.

Also just know that Cruise companies are in it to make money, so just realize that your cup size that they give you for the drink package is usually fairly small and they always load it with ice. So be prepared to be making constant trips.

True, but if you go down to the atrium bar (on Carnival) or in the main dining room, you get a bigger glass (which is actually glass).


It's all relative: I can go with just the occasional soda and "save" money, but I enjoy soda so I get the card. I probably make out like a bandit in the sense that I may get 8 or 10 sodas in a day... but I'd never buy that many.

I like the 'benefit' that if a soda gets warm, or flat, or my hands are full (we have twin toddlers), or it gets knocked over, or it's on the deck and gets pool water splashed in, or I want 1/2 a glass for a rootbeer float, etc... I don't really worry about waste. Not that I intentionally waste food/soda, but at least I'm not throwing away $5 or $10 a day on wasted soda.

The net of it is that I have a soda whenever I want, without having to consider if it's worth the $2 oright now or if I should wait until I inevitable go for a snack in 30 mins. ;)

The downside is that the bar service sucks when they aren't getting a tip. The roaming bar servers generally will never come back with a soda (though admittedly I haven't tried in several years) and some bartenders will generally ignore someone with a soda card, especially if the bar is busy. I actually had one on Carnival Miracle ignore me (or try to) when his bar was totally empty. :rolleyes:


Of course it's personal preference. We're there on vacation, so splurging on a soda card is a no brainer. We probably wouldn't be on a cruise to being with if we were calculating the value of our enjoyment strictly based on math. :D

I never even thought much about it because I don't drink a lot of alcohol,
but you're right... calculating in water, fruit drinks, etc.!

Awesome thread. Very interesting to see the differences. I skimmed through quickly, but didnt see cruise lines that operate in Aus/NZ

Awesome thread. Very interesting to see the differences. I skimmed through quickly, but didnt see cruise lines that operate in Aus/NZ

Carnival Spirit is coming to Sydney in October. We were just on her and enjoyed the ship, even though she isn't one of the newest ones. It will be interesting to hear if Carnival tweaks some of the business model.

ALL YOU CAN DRINK:
http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2011/12/cruise-line-drink-deal/576983/1?csp=Travel