NCL soda package

[cooki801]

For me, the biggest reason I might buy the soda card is that as a diabetic I avoid sugary drinks and that includes juice and lemonade on the ship and I don't drink tea or coffee so that leaves me with water as my only choice and as good as it is for me I prefer diet soda! LOL

I have brought on the Crystal Light packets and they work nicely too.

[GriffinAlexander]

the ships water is probably cleaner than the water you drink at home.

 

I would presume that the ships water, if you ask the bartenders to fill the water bottles for you, would come from the same water that is used for the sodas. They use the same multi-button dispenser. It's all filtered with big filters wherever they keep the syrups and CO2 hooked up. We had filtered water bottles and they filled them for me every night or whenever we asked. I tipped the same bartenders regularly, and the coolest one would mix me ice water first in a shaker then pour it in. I think they're supposed to fill them no matter what, but the tips do help the process move along a little faster, as does hitting the same place all week - you up your chances of getting the same bartenders and they see the tips adding up.

[ndabunka]

That's what I'm considering doing... buying a box or two of those "Kool-aid singles" to mix in with water for when I want something sweeter than water. You can get a box (12 packets) for around $2-3 here, and I figure that 12 little packets of Kool-Aid is a lot lighter to carry than a few cases of soda cans. :P

 

At first, I considered buying the soda package... until I did the math. There's no way I'd drink enough soda to break even, let alone to be saving any money. It's around $50 for the card, if I remember correctly... and the sodas are $2 a can bought individually... so the card is basically like pre-paying for 25 sodas. On a 7 day cruise. That's 3-4 cans of soda per day, just to break even on the "package". That's a lot of caffeine and empty calories! :eek: I don't even really watch things like that... I just know that I don't drink nearly that many sodas on a regular basis. XD

 

I do enjoy a nice cold soda every once in a while, but I am just as happy drinking juice or tea (or even water, if that's all that was available). So if I just have to have a soda, I'll pay the $2 for one. Even if I have a soda with lunch every day, that would still only be $14 total compared to $50. And I doubt I'll drink even that much. If I were a big soda drinker, I'd definitely bring a case or two of sodas onto the ship with me rather than buy a soda card.

 

Correct me if my line of thinking is incorrect. I'm just going based off of the prices that I've read on the NCL site and here on CC. :)

 

Cruises I have been on they charge more than $2/soda and aren't in cans but rather are dispensed from the fountain. You drink more on (most) cruises than you would when you weren't on vacation. Think about a kids liquid requirements. Drinks at both lunch and dinner, a couple of drinks a day by the pool or while playing video games. That is 4/5 sodas a day so it does add up. And we don't drink NEARLY as much as some people I have seen with a 32-ounce soda (apparently) permanently a fixed to the end of their arm.

[veryhotred]

what kind of soda does ncl have onboard?

[Cruisebehindthescenes]

what kind of soda does ncl have onboard?

 

NCL carries Pepsi products: Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Sierra Mist, Diet Sierra Mist, Mountain Dew, etc. If you purchase the Soda Sticker then you will get all your drinks from the fountain unless the bar that you are at only has cans, but they will still pour from the can into a glass for you. For the kids, (or adults if you'd like) you can also order a Shirley Temple or Roy Rogers with the soda plan... grenadine in either Sierra Mist or Pepsi.

 

They also have a water package whereby you purchase a predetermined number of 1L bottles at the beginning of the cruise at a reduced rate.

[mitsugirly]

bar that you are at only has cans, but they will still pour from the can into a glass for you.

 

Or from a 2 liter as well. :) (But I have found this to be ONLY with Mt Dew for some reason. I have NEVER had them pour from a can or 2 liter for Diet Pepsi yet). :(

[CharlieBarton]

Hi, a newbie here trying to get the soda package straight....Still not sure about a few things.

 

Is the card only good at the bars, or can it be used in in the dining rooms? Buffets? Specialty restaurants? Room service?

 

On the flip side, I'm wondering about pay-as-you-go at approx. $2 per can......Are there many locations to purchase cans (Jewel)? Is the $2 price the same for sodas in the dining room, bars, etc? Are free refills offered with meals?

 

Also wondering if it is ok or even possible to purchase soda during excursions (Alaska) and bring it back on board.....I know I could bring a small amount with me on departure day, but I drink diet soda like water, so bringing enough for a week doesn't seem likely.

 

Any help would be appreciated....thanks!

[ndabunka]

... I drink diet soda like water, so bringing enough for a week doesn't seem likely.

 

Any help would be appreciated....thanks!

 

Sounds like you may want to bring a case of diet cans on with your luggage.

 

Soda cards can be used in the restaurants and anywhere on the ship but you can buy TEN of cases for the price of two cards.

 

You can not take liquids (or food) on or off the boats due to FDA regulations.

[mitsugirly]

Hi, a newbie here trying to get the soda package straight....Still not sure about a few things.

 

Is the card only good at the bars, or can it be used in in the dining rooms? Buffets? Specialty restaurants? Room service?

 

Yes, you can get soda just about anywhere. At the bars anywhere on the ship, in the casinos, pool side, dining rooms with your meals, specialty restaurants, at the buffets. No on the room service (well I suppose you could but then a tip would probably need to happen).

 

On the flip side, I'm wondering about pay-as-you-go at approx. $2 per can......Are there many locations to purchase cans (Jewel)? Is the $2 price the same for sodas in the dining room, bars, etc? Are free refills offered with meals?

 

I'm not sure of the exact cost (although I've heard around $2 or more for a glass) but there are no refills. If you want another, you pay for another. I do believe the cost is the same no matter where you are at on the ship with the soda.

 

 

It sounds like you drink a lot of soda (I do too). So I always buy the soda package and also bring a carton of soda. That way I have some in my room if I don't feel like going up on deck to get a glass to bring down to the room and there's always glasses and ice in the room to use (they keep you stocked up on that). Some of the rooms have a refrigerator, so you could luck out and keep some cold in there as well. :)

 

Hope that helps.

[veryhotred]

Diet Dr Pepper??????

 

Thinking I will get my daughter a soda card..she loves Mtn Dew..this is my first NCL cruise :) nice to see something besides Coke

[twan60]

If you want you can bring a case of soda with you from home just make sure you either tag it for your room or bunge cord it to your suitcase. We saw so many cases of water and beer and soda on suitcases when we were on the Jewel last time. We took a case of water with us and bought the soda cards.

[CharlieBarton]

Thanks so much for the help! Since I prefer Diet Coke over Pepsi, I think I will bring a case with me to have in the cabin......didn't know I could carry on that much.

 

I'm still undecided about the soda card. I can't drink alcohol, and dont like coffee, so I'd still be ordering soda with each meal, as well as at the bars - seems like I would at least come out even? At any rate it would still be cheaper than the wine/beer/mixed drinks that DH will be having with meals! :)

[Cruisevirgin1965]

On my 2 past NCL cruises I purchased the soda pkg. The first time it was worthwhile but on the second I didn't feel I drank enough to make it cost effective. I also discovered that there is always cold tea on the buffet. I love this and chose this many times over a soda. So on our next cruise I won't be getting the soda pkg again.

 

This past cruise we also got the water pkg. We love to have bottled water in our room for night time and thought it was a good deal. It wasn't. We ended up only drinking about 2 1/2 litres of the 6 we had paid for and had quite the time trying to pack up the additional 3 bottles we were determined to bring home. In the future we would just buy a bottle or two of water if we really wanted one for our room.

[ndabunka]

Thanks so much for the help! Since I prefer Diet Coke over Pepsi, I think I will bring a case with me to have in the cabin......didn't know I could carry on that much.

 

I'm still undecided about the soda card. I can't drink alcohol, and dont like coffee, so I'd still be ordering soda with each meal, as well as at the bars - seems like I would at least come out even? At any rate it would still be cheaper than the wine/beer/mixed drinks that DH will be having with meals! :)

 

I also don't like coffee and have recently tried getting away from soda's altogether. I have started drinking a water additive called "MIO" which cost about $3 and has 18 servings in it. check it out if you haven't yet seen it. There are numerous flavors and even a very good tea variation. I plan on using it for the entire cruise but we will probably still bring on a case of soda for our 2 boys (9 & 16).

Edited May 1, 2012 by ndabunka

[veryhotred]

How much is the soda package for kids? We are doing a 4 nighter

[coachnip13]

Sounds like you may want to bring a case of diet cans on with your luggage.

 

Soda cards can be used in the restaurants and anywhere on the ship but you can buy TEN of cases for the price of two cards.

 

Don't listen to this^^^. You're on vacation. If you drink a lot of soda, would you really want to be lugging cans around everywhere you go? Running back to the room to grab more soda? The convenience of grabbing a soda anywhere at anytime is well worth the price.

[twan60]

There is a water pkg but it's so expensive they are crazy for making people page that upcharge

 

 

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