Special requests for drinks in cabin refrig

[treasure4two]

After reading CC, I contacted Oceania about diet Dr. Pepper, diet A&W, and diet coke in our cabin refrigerator since my husband is a diabetic-I was told you have to make the request 90-120 days before your cruise, with closer to 120 days before better. They said that diet Dr. Pepper is hard to get, since it does not have a long shelf like and hard to find in non-US ports. It is too late for us, as we sail Feb. 22, 2014, but want to let you all know.

[sitraveler]

Diet Coke is standard. Your room steward will keep multiples in stock if you left them know you want it.

[pacheco18]

After reading CC, I contacted Oceania about diet Dr. Pepper, diet A&W, and diet coke in our cabin refrigerator since my husband is a diabetic-I was told you have to make the request 90-120 days before your cruise, with closer to 120 days before better. They said that diet Dr. Pepper is hard to get, since it does not have a long shelf like and hard to find in non-US ports. It is too late for us, as we sail Feb. 22, 2014, but want to let you all know.

 

A great ta can do it much closer to the cruise.

I don't understand why anyone contacts Oceania directly

[RachelG]

Diet dr pepper ( though I find nasty) has as long a shelf life as any other drink in a can. But it is hard to find outside the US. Diet coke is standard and available anywhere. Another choice, diet ginger ale, is great, and most cruise lines stock it. Just need to ask.

[Tarpeian Rock]

A great ta can do it much closer to the cruise.

I don't understand why anyone contacts Oceania directly

 

 

 

Well, we booked our first O cruise directly, which apparently was an error. Since we are only 90 days out from here, it looks like we've lost the window to request soda of our choice in the room. No one ever informed us of restrictions like this when we booked - all we heard was that we could choose what we wanted in the room. I guess that's the lesson we've learned by not having a TA.

[LHT28]

Well, we booked our first O cruise directly, which apparently was an error. Since we are only 90 days out from here, it looks like we've lost the window to request soda of our choice in the room. No one ever informed us of restrictions like this when we booked - all we heard was that we could choose what we wanted in the room. I guess that's the lesson we've learned by not having a TA.

 

I would call and ask anyway, you never know

 

If not something extra special you could ask the room steward when you board the ship

 

Lyn

[no fuss travel]

We asked the room steward to remove all Coke products as neither of us drink them and if he could replace with Canada Dry or Sprite. He did both for us and we appreciated it.

[kimanjo]

We asked our TA submit our desire to have Diet Sprite in our fridge, 3 weeks before our Med sailing.

 

We had an ample supply on our whole cruise. Our Butler told us that Diet Sprite was requested very often by passengers, so maybe like Diet Coke it is easy to access if it's requested so often.

 

Maybe Dr Pepper not so much?

[MimsandMarkie]

I requested diet tonic to be in my suite and in every bar 30 days before sailing. I planned on adding the Prestige Bar package and wanted to be sure it was available throughout the ship.

I dealt directly with an O representative who told me 30 days was the time frame needed.

When we boarded the ship diet tonic was not only in our cabin but throughout the ship in every venue!

We were very pleased with this added perk and more than satisfied with the drink package.:cool:

[treasure4two]

I requested diet tonic to be in my suite and in every bar 30 days before sailing. I planned on adding the Prestige Bar package and wanted to be sure it was available throughout the ship.

I dealt directly with an O representative who told me 30 days was the time frame needed.

When we boarded the ship diet tonic was not only in our cabin but throughout the ship in every venue!

We were very pleased with this added perk and more than satisfied with the drink package.:cool:

 

I am going back to Oceania with this info which I find very interesting.

I am just in insude cabin-that could possibley make the difference?

[LHT28]

I am going back to Oceania with this info which I find very interesting.

I am just in insude cabin-that could possibley make the difference?

 

As others have said the diet coke should not be a problem the Dr pepper & Root beer I do not think is something they normally stock so that may be the problem

 

We do not drink a lot of sodas so never really checked the brands they carry

 

They do try very hard to please

 

Enjoy your cruise

 

Lyn

[JimandStan]

I am going back to Oceania with this info which I find very interesting.

I am just in insude cabin-that could possibley make the difference?

 

The type of cabin which you have booked will make no difference, but where you need to be understanding is that Soft Drink distribution is REGIONAL, and these ships are constantly circling the World.

If your husband can live with other diet soft drinks, but prefers Dr, Pepper, then you have nothing to lose by requesting it.

I just would not count 100% on it's being there, unless the ship is sailing somewhere in the American Market between now and then.

[treasure4two]

Thanks for all the responses. He can live without the diet A&W and Dr. pepper-just worth asking for. I just did the original post to let others know if they want to order special soft drinks. My disappointment was that I was told one thing from Oceania and you all experienced many different time periods to request certain soft drinks, but again, something I can live with. Thanks again.:D

[LHT28]

My disappointment was that I was told one thing from Oceania and you all experienced many different time periods to request certain soft drinks, but again, something I can live with. Thanks again.:D

 

Do not take it personally often times the RES agents are wrong ;)

[JimandStan]

My disappointment was that I was told one thing from Oceania and you all experienced many different time periods to request certain soft drinks,

 

While most of us profess to enjoy the ease and informality of sailing on a smaller Cruise Line with smaller ships, we have also been indoctrinated in the "fairness" and "universality" which the Mega Lines are able to provide as a matter of course.

 

The knee jerk reaction is to blame Customer Service when answers are not consistent, but how is is possible for the lead time needed to procure an item to be consistent when the ships are continuously sailing untethered around the entire planet?

[pacheco18]

The difference is this

O reps have a stock answer

120 days

In their script

No power to deviate

The party line

Ur are talking to the lowest level person

 

When a ta who books hundreds of o cabins calls, he or she goes to someone without a script. Someone who can say yes. That ta has clout that an individual traveler does not

 

Yet another reason for using a great ta

 

 

Aboard riviera now.

[JimandStan]

The difference is this

O reps have a stock answer

120 days

In their script

No power to deviate

The party line

Ur are talking to the lowest level person

 

When a ta who books hundreds of o cabins calls, he or she goes to someone without a script. Someone who can say yes. That ta has clout that an individual traveler does not

 

Yet another reason for using a great ta

 

 

Aboard riviera now.

 

 

True, but I think that you are being a little grand about it, Laraine. We're talking diet Dr. Pepper, not Penicillin.

Everything doesn't require a snap decision from the Chairman of the Board.

[pacheco18]

I think u miss my point

Not talking about snap decisions from fdr

 

The op was confused by the message the o reps were giving and what many of us said was possible (which conflicted with the party line )

 

My point is that a good ta doesn't get the party line

He or she knows whom to go to to get a client accommodated. That was my point.

The cruise is in February. Plenty of time for a special drink order. No guarantee it's available in the originating port but the request is not too late

 

 

The 120 days is nonsense and applies only if you go at it by yourself

 

It doesn't take 120 days for a special soda order

[JimandStan]

I think u miss my point

Not talking about snap decisions from fdr

 

The op was confused by the message the o reps were giving and what many of us said was possible (which conflicted with the party line )

 

My point is that a good ta doesn't get the party line

He or she knows whom to go to to get a client accommodated. That was my point.

The cruise is in February. Plenty of time for a special drink order. No guarantee it's available in the originating port but the request is not too late

 

 

120 days is nonsense and applies only if you go at it by yourself

 

It doesn't take 120 days for a special soda order

 

Do we really want Oceania going to the trouble and expense of shipping soda pop to far flung regions of the World where it may not be available?

 

120 days is a "worst case scenario", which is what ANY company with an inconsistent supply line would tell their clients.

Edited December 17, 2013 by JimandStan

[pacheco18]

Again u miss my point. No drama involved

 

I don't want them to ship it or do anything extraordinary

I don't want them to do anything more than to ask their LOCAL supplier at the originating port (the very same supplier who provides the coca cola ) if they have it. If they, do, simple. If not, too bad. Not available.

 

This does not take 120 days notice

[JimandStan]

No drama at all. In fact it transpires that we seem to agree.

 

Oceania does not claim that it takes 120 to make a special request from the local Supplier.

 

120 days is the lead time needed to guarantee that a regional beverage with a shorter than average shelf life would be on the ship.

 

Cheers! :D

[pacheco18]

I didn't think they guarantee it at all

I think that's ridiculous.

I don't think they should fly soft drinks around the world. Lolol

[JimandStan]

I didn't think they guarantee it at all

I think that's ridiculous.

I don't think they should fly soft drinks around the world. Lolol

 

Yes, but everyone does not have your sweet, unassuming, shy nature ;)

 

Some people want what they want when they want it, and don't care to hear any excuses about the local supplier, hence Oceania has worked out a "lead time" schedule of sorts.

 

Incidentally, they don't fly soft drinks around the World, which is precisely why it might take 120 days for a particular beverage to get to the ship.

 

So we STILL Agree :p

[pacheco18]

We do indeed. Lol

[ShopperfiendTO]

FYI in fall 2013, our room attendant told me that Coke Zero is considered a special order. She asked if Diet Coke would be OK.

 

So it seems Diet Coke is standard (no need to special request well before cruise) but Coke Zero isn't.