soft drinks package

DD wants to know how these work and I have to confess I don't know. I know you purchase them on board but is it one drink per package or could she order 3 drinks (for her father and herself and me) .

"Soft Drinks Package

The Cunard soft drinks package (Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Lemonade, Soda, Tonic Water (from the soda gun only) & fruit juices (Orange, Apple, Grapefruit, Pineapple, Tomato & Cranberry.) is available at $6.50 per day (+ 15% gratuity charges)

The soft drinks package is not available of cruises of less than four days and when purchased must be purchased for the entire cruise (for example, on a 12 night cruise, the cost of the soft drinks package would be $78 + 15%). It is not possible to purchase the package for only a number of days during your cruise.

Passengers who purchase this package are entitled to receive unlimited soft drinks and juices in a glass in any of the restaurants and cocktail bars. The package does not extend to bottled water, in cabin beverage service or to any other non alcoholic beverages in bars.

This package may only be purchased on board. Please speak with Reception once onboard." -copied from

https://ask.cunard.com/help/cunard/life-on-board/drinks_package

DD wants to know how these work and I have to confess I don't know. I know you purchase them on board but is it one drink per package or could she order 3 drinks (for her father and herself and me) .

The soft drinks package is limited to the person purchasing the package. If only your daughter purchased the package she could order unlimited drinks for herself but not for you or her father.

Regards,

John.

Sorry, I know I probably sound thick (yes says DH) , but can you clarify as to whether she can order a round of drinks or is it just the one for herself.

Sorry, I know I probably sound thick (yes says DH) , but can you clarify as to whether she can order a round of drinks or is it just the one for herself.

It's basically one drink per order per person with a card having a sticker indicating that they have purchased the soft drinks package.

It's basically one drink per order per person with a card having a sticker indicating that they have purchased the soft drinks package.

Ok, what would stop her ordering one drink per order 3 times! I know, I'm asking the questions that make people roll their eyes in exasperation (myself included at times) , but there are times when even the best of us have 'thick moments' and I'm definitely having one at the moment. :o

Ok, what would stop her ordering one drink per order 3 times! I know, I'm asking the questions that make people roll their eyes in exasperation (myself included at times) , but there are times when even the best of us have 'thick moments' and I'm definitely having one at the moment. :o

I've never purchased a drinks card, but on a QM2 voyage a couple of years ago, a tablemate had one. She had a glass of soda one evening at dinner. Her cabin mate/boyfriend reached over to take a sip of her soda. Giving him an icy stare, she quietly told him "Don't do that - it's against the rules - and if the they see you drinking my soda, they will confiscate my card."

So I guess what would stop anyone from breaking the terms of an agreement would be a sense of conscience and/or fear of repercussions.:)

Ok, what would stop her ordering one drink per order 3 times! I know, I'm asking the questions that make people roll their eyes in exasperation (myself included at times) , but there are times when even the best of us have 'thick moments' and I'm definitely having one at the moment. :o

What would stop her would be the bartender seeing your daughter handing the first drink she ordered to you or your husband and then trying to order another drink.

I have never tried to order more than one drink at a time without having both my card and my wife's card with the drinks package stickers affixed to them. If you do try to order two drinks with one card, the server will ask to verify that both parties have purchased the drinks package.

I believe your daughter would not be able to order a second drink until she has consumed the first one. Now she could theoretically take the first drink she ordered from the bar and surreptitiously hand it to you. Then she could go to another bar, order another drink, take it from the bar, and give it to your husband. I don't think there would be any way to prevent that. But that would be skirting the rules. As Salacia has indicated, what would prevent that scenario would be a sense of conscience.

Regards,

John.

Thanks for your help and being patient with me.

there is an expert on this and i am sure he will chime in.

Well, I'm sorry but I have to comment. I always buy the soda package. It is a per person package and the proposal of "sharing" the package is dishonest and it drives the prices up. If you want a soda package, simply order it for yourself. If you just want a soda now and then, simply order it.

I bought the side package on QM2 for my 19 night voyage and have to say I didn't use it as often as I thought I would.

I'm tempted to just order cans in future if I decide to have a soft drink. Given that it is not terribly good for us to drink, limiting to one a day means it is cheaper to buy the cans.

I also found that some bartenders were less likely to serve when they knew you had a soda sticker. I get why (the gratuity), but given that the line promotes it surely the staff would be on board with it.

I also bought a wine package, but found I still had one bottle left by the end of the 19 nights. It didn't bother me, but I know for next time not to order packages as I'm unlikely to go through them. Also, packages limit what you can have (well, the wine package was a little limiting).

Just to clarify.....the bartender should not be reluctant to serve you because you have a soda package, and I haven't really had that problem in years. Additionally, the gratuity is added in to the price of the package. Makes no difference to the bartender whether you order from a soda package or individually. They are being tipped the same.

Just to clarify.....the bartender should not be reluctant to serve you because you have a soda package, and I haven't really had that problem in years. Additionally, the gratuity is added in to the price of the package. Makes no difference to the bartender whether you order from a soda package or individually. They are being tipped the same.

The added gratuity is 15% of the price of each drink when ordered. When purchasing a soft drinks card, the auto tip is added at the time the soda card is purchased, and is not credited to any point of purchase. My understanding is each venue has their own sales quota, and soft drinks card are not credited to any particular venue. I might well be wrong on this, and corrections are welcome, but I would say that no," they are not being tipped the same".

Nevertheless, I have never seen any reluctance on the part of any bartender or waiter/waitress to serve a passenger who purchased a Cunard soft drink package.

Well, I'm sorry but I have to comment. I always buy the soda package. It is a per person package and the proposal of "sharing" the package is dishonest and it drives the prices up. If you want a soda package, simply order it for yourself. If you just want a soda now and then, simply order it.

Ouch; I was only asking because I didn't know the answer!

Ouch; I was only asking because I didn't know the answer!

But I think it's pretty clear without asking that buying drinks for others who aren't on the package is hardly fair.

I just retuned from the 94 day Qv WV and purchased the soda package. For me it was a great savings. Some times the bar tender would swip my card at the resistor. I asked about it and he replied it was for inventory purposes.

I never had a problem with service and usually received a large glass which saved both me and the bar tender time on refills. My large glass of diet Pepsi was always waiting for me when I went to dinner.

The one down side to this is that they had no diet non caffeinated soda that was included in the package.

Don

I bought the soft drink package for the second half of the World Voyage. I have found no reluctance by the staff to serve me. In fact, most of the staff in the pub know me and ask which one of my top three choices I want. Every evening I get an orange juice "for the road" and the bartender pours it when he sees me enter the pub. The wine steward in the MDR brings me a juice every night, also.

I have enjoyed having the package although you might not get as much use out of it on a port intensive cruise.

Does soft drink package include club soda or seltzer water?

Does soft drink package include club soda or seltzer water?

Yes it does - from the - how do you say 'bar fountain'? -not from cans or bottles.

Yes it does - from the - how do you say 'bar fountain'? -not from cans or bottles.

Thanks...

(First time cruiser)... I just purchased 2 bev packages this past week, for our 7 day NCL-Breakaway from NY city. I didn't realize that it didn't include bottled water till afterwards,and I didn't realize that it was not included in room service till just now. I imagine that it is still a decent deal as I am sure that my wife and I will have a number of sodas/juice during the course of the day!

@Champster: We're discussing the Cunard soft drinks package; the NCL package may be similar or different.

@Champster: We're discussing the Cunard soft drinks package; the NCL package may be similar or different.

Oops...OK!:o

(First time cruiser)... I just purchased 2 bev packages this past week, for our 7 day NCL-Breakaway from NY city. I didn't realize that it didn't include bottled water till afterwards,and I didn't realize that it was not included in room service till just now. I imagine that it is still a decent deal as I am sure that my wife and I will have a number of sodas/juice during the course of the day!

If you each have at least 3 sodas a day, you will make out OK.

Don