Price of Sodas on Norwegian Jewel

We are taking our first trip on NCL in March on the Norwegian Jewel. Unlike other cruise lined, NCL no longer allows you to bring soda pop in factory sealed cans on board. Their ridiculous explanation for this is that people try to sneak alcohol on board in factory sealed cans (neat trick, how do they do it?) and it takes to much time to have specialized personnel examine the cans at embarkation. They will permit you, however, to bring a bottle of wine on board for which they charge a corkage fee. I wonder how much training the specialized personnel have to go through to properly examine a soda can. A week of classes, maybe, in soda can examination? Do they get certified?

Be that as it may, I called NCL in anticipation of our upcoming cruise to ask what the price of a can of diet Pepsi was on board the ship and whether the price at the bar on the ship was different from the price if taken from the minibar in the room. The customer service rep I spoke with, who kept trying to upsell me the unlimited soda package posted all over the NCL website, told me they did not have the information I requested and I would have to wait until I got on the ship to find out, as the price will vary depending on the itinerary. I asked her what that meant. She said prices are subject to change up until the day of sailing so she could not give me the price but apparently the unlimited soda package, which she tried for the umpteenth time to sell me, remains static and she could therefore tell me how much it is, even though that information is already readily available on the website. Not a good start. This may be our first and last cruise on NCL.

Can anybody tell me how much a can of soda is onboard and if there is a difference between the price if taken from the minibar instead of purchased at the bar or in the dining room? I know there is an 18% gratuity added to the cost regardless.

You may also want to ask on the dedicated NCL forum here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=107

$2.95 and I believe $3 from your mini bar. You can see the drink prices here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2348836

And...yes, NCL may raise the prices between now and your cruise as they tend to do in an unannounced fashion at least once a year if not more.

Thank you. Very, very helpful!!!

Xertes, when you get inside of the cruise terminal in the waiting area, after security, look around there may be a soda vending machine you can use. You won't be searched again before you board the ship, so it is possible you can find soda for less in this secured area, stock up and put it in your carryon. I don't know if there is a soda vending machine or not, but there may be: other cruisers have found soda vending machines at other ports in an alcove near bathrooms in the waiting area. It's worth a shot if you want to bring some soda onboard with you.