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NEW soda machines on Explorer

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KarinaGW

KarinaGW

Posted
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Are there different cups for adults and children? Aren't the prices different?

 

Cups is cups (which is my main issue with the machines...I hate carrying them around...why not have chip embeddable seapass cards? Not to mention, that means I can never use all the cups I have again, even the embeddable ones that I will start acquiring after this, but seapass cards HAVE to be issued per cruise.), but while the adults are $6.50pp/d, kids are $4.50pp/d. Everyone should get their own package. Sharing a package is stealing (not aimed at you...just a general observation).

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SNJCruisers

SNJCruisers

Posted
Posted

Just got off of the Explorer this morning and while cleaning up emails, figured I would provide an update. As an earlier poster mentioned, there are 6 machines on board. Had no problems filling the cups and my longest wait was two people in front of me. Never had any problems with many kids in line taking too much time with all of the flavor combinations. Had 300 kids on board out of 3600....great parenting....first or second week of school and the ones aged 5 and up are on a cruise! There is a 15 minute time limitation before you can get a refill. If you put ice in the cup and fill it , you can take a quick swig and top it off. (no need to worry about germs, the soda falls a good 6+ inches before entering your cup) You can use your sea pass card to get any fountain drink at any bar through the gun without needing the freestyle cup. With the Windjammer being closed late at night, the two locations on the Promenade were the only area to fill your cup. For some unknown reason, our cup's chip expired on 9/12, even though we exited the ship on 9/9, so any B2B cruisers could have gotten an extra 3 days worth of soda.

 

With regards to the roll out to other ship's, the one article I saw said that they were being added at a rate of 1 ship per month, so it'll be mid 2014 before the fleet is complete if the rate stays the same.

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  • 5 weeks later...
DJMD2002

DJMD2002

Posted
Posted
Just got off of the Explorer this morning and while cleaning up emails, figured I would provide an update. As an earlier poster mentioned, there are 6 machines on board. Had no problems filling the cups and my longest wait was two people in front of me. Never had any problems with many kids in line taking too much time with all of the flavor combinations. Had 300 kids on board out of 3600....great parenting....first or second week of school and the ones aged 5 and up are on a cruise! There is a 15 minute time limitation before you can get a refill. If you put ice in the cup and fill it , you can take a quick swig and top it off. (no need to worry about germs, the soda falls a good 6+ inches before entering your cup) You can use your sea pass card to get any fountain drink at any bar through the gun without needing the freestyle cup. With the Windjammer being closed late at night, the two locations on the Promenade were the only area to fill your cup. For some unknown reason, our cup's chip expired on 9/12, even though we exited the ship on 9/9, so any B2B cruisers could have gotten an extra 3 days worth of soda.

 

With regards to the roll out to other ship's, the one article I saw said that they were being added at a rate of 1 ship per month, so it'll be mid 2014 before the fleet is complete if the rate stays the same.

 

How did you clean the cup for the new machines? If you can only use the cup they give you with the package, how does it get cleaned?

Appreciate the help - have a great day!!!

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SNJCruisers

SNJCruisers

Posted
Posted
How did you clean the cup for the new machines? If you can only use the cup they give you with the package, how does it get cleaned?

Appreciate the help - have a great day!!!

The cup is not dishwasher safe, so it needs to be hand washed. On board, I just rinsed it out before I used it the first time.

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DJMD2002

DJMD2002

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The cup is not dishwasher safe, so it needs to be hand washed. On board, I just rinsed it out before I used it the first time.

 

So do I need to bring dish soap with me so we can wash it during the week? I'm thinking a week of use without washing at some point, not only will be gross, but unhealthy.

Appreciate your quick reply - we leave Sat for Oasis!! :-)

Have a great day!!!

D.

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green eyed lady

green eyed lady

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Posted
So do I need to bring dish soap with me so we can wash it during the week? I'm thinking a week of use without washing at some point, not only will be gross, but unhealthy.

Appreciate your quick reply - we leave Sat for Oasis!! :-)

Have a great day!!!

D.

 

DH used his cup once to try it on Explorer. Rinsed it out (had no dish soap with us) and that was the end of it. It would have been a pain to carry around all day :rolleyes: Definitely gross to keep using unless you can wash it properly

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mmcruise

mmcruise

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Is there really no ginger ale? I used my soda card almost exclusively for ginger ale on my last cruise. The other options sound fun, but when the ship starts rocking, nothing beats ginger ale. Can you get it at bars with your soda cup?

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SNJCruisers

SNJCruisers

Posted
Posted
DH used his cup once to try it on Explorer. Rinsed it out (had no dish soap with us) and that was the end of it. It would have been a pain to carry around all day :rolleyes: Definitely gross to keep using unless you can wash it properly

That was an expensive glass of soda if you paid for 7 days use and only used it once.

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Merion_Mom

Merion_Mom

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So do I need to bring dish soap with me so we can wash it during the week? I'm thinking a week of use without washing at some point, not only will be gross, but unhealthy.

Appreciate your quick reply - we leave Sat for Oasis!! :-)

Have a great day!!!

D.

 

Soap is soap is soap. Use the soap in your cabin bathroom.

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SNJCruisers

SNJCruisers

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lol...he used the soda card all the time at the bars and in the MDR - he just didn't use the cup for the machine :D Definitely got our money's worth ;)

I'm a Coke Zero drinker, so the fountain gun would not cut it for me since I would be stuck with Diet Coke. Once you've had Coke Zero with Raspberry or unique soda like Fanta Zero Lime, it's hard to go back to drinking the same old, same old. :)

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pkexton

pkexton

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I'm a Coke Zero drinker, so the fountain gun would not cut it for me since I would be stuck with Diet Coke. Once you've had Coke Zero with Raspberry or unique soda like Fanta Zero Lime, it's hard to go back to drinking the same old, same old. :)

 

I got the soda card for our upcoming March cruise and I have been playing around with soda combos when we go to a Burger King :D

 

Pat

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TBone2K

TBone2K

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For what its worth, here is the link to the Freestyle website again so you can see exactly what your choices are:

http://www.coca-colafreestyle.com/#!/100-brands/

 

But you are right, it doesn't seem to have ginger ale (I think Coke's brand is Canada Dry). Guess you do have to go to the bar for that. Too bad, raspberry ginger ale is one of my favourites.

 

As an aside, was cleaning out the lazy susan in the kitchen on the weekend and found our never used soda plan cups from our first cruise in 2006 (carrying them was annoying, we just went to the bar).

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SNJCruisers

SNJCruisers

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But you are right, it doesn't seem to have ginger ale (I think Coke's brand is Canada Dry). Guess you do have to go to the bar for that. Too bad, raspberry ginger ale is one of my favourites.

.

Coke owns the Seagram's Brand and the only Seagram's option in the Freestyle machine is their sparkling water, which doesn't make too much sense since you can buy Seagram's Ginger Ale in the supermarket.

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thewebbys

thewebbys

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i never buy the soda package because my DH only drink Pepsi products and I don't drink that much soda. BUt I am going to purchase it on my upcoming cruise if the machine does make it on the Enchantment after dry dock. He will have his beer bag and I will have my soda cup. I may not use mine as much as he uses his :D but I like anything that is new.

 

As for waiting in line, it can't be any longer then waiting for an empty elevator for my mom in a wheelchair during dinner time.

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SNJCruisers

SNJCruisers

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He will have his beer bag and I will have my soda cup. .

Better tell your DH to keep his fingers crossed with regards to the beer bag.....I was looking forward to it on our 8/30 cruise on the Explorer and they had run out of them 3 cruises prior. :mad:

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  • 4 months later...

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