What sugar-free options are in soda package?

[juksing]

I think the silent majority of folks think soda is soda and don't really favor any one brand while the passionate majority are either in coke or Pepsi camp so for NCL it us strictly $$$ and terms when they contract with a beverage vendor. And you may even find that port to port or regionally there even may be different deals with the local supplier determining exactly which brands to deliver to the ship. Sometimes the reasoning behind these deals can be weird.

 

The company I work for carries Pepsi products in the employee lounges/cafeterias EXCEPT in Atlanta office where coke is carried so not to offend visiting coke executives.

 

So sounds like to OP time to switch brands, bring on some coke at embarkation or change cruise lines...

[MATHA531]

I live in Europe and we can definitely get Coke Zero in stores, and it is definitely good, though most restaurants just have the Coke Light. I have a six pack of Coke zero from Tesco in my fridge here in Budapest right now. So next time you come to Europe, maybe you won't have to schlepp it with you!

 

In the US, I liked the Diet Coke that was sweetened with Splenda, but they still use aspartame here in Europe, which is why I don't drink it much.

 

I have not seen the surveys, but anecdotally I know a LOT more people who prefer Coke ove Pepsi. I guess for most of us, the Pepsi products are not enough to keep is from choosing NCL, which is all that matters to them, though they might make more money selling drinks if they had Coke products.

 

Good that there was diet Sierra mist & diet 7-up on NCL ships, but if those are in cans, they are not in the soda package, rightl? Still trying to decide whether to buy the soda package.

 

Ah, first world problems. We are going on a cruise and it will be great, regardless of what kind of soda is offered!

 

Hi...yes I am aware of coke zero which they tell me tastes pretty much like coke. Actually when I'm home in NYC, my preferred soda drinks are coke zero cherry and coke zero vanilla neither of which is available outside the USA apparently. As I noted here and in other places, I am addicted, and believe me I know it isn't good to me, to the UK version of diet coke cherry which has very little coke flavor and an overwhelming cherry flavor (artificially produced of course; no sugar). I always tell people it reminds me of the cherry coated cough medicines I was usually stuffed down my face with as a kid.

 

What I will say is coke zero is not always available certainly at soda fountains as they exist, at many autogrill type places on European motorways (sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't) and the like. Also on those cruise lines that serve coke products (just about all except NCL), they often only have coke and either coke light or diet coke depending on where the ship is catered. Of course, when you buy the soda package, at least on Carnival, you get the soda either poured from the can or from the soda dispensing machine in the bar with a lot of ice to cut down on the amount of soda per glass. They don't give you the whole can.

 

Of course as I understand it, some of the cruise lines (and some restaurant chains) in the USA now have the coke machines that ix the soda on the spot and you can take whatever variety you want (so I guess you can get a cherry, vanilla diet coke or whatever. I would love to see those machine comes to NCL.

[Daisyduke70]

Anyway, in Europe where the op is cruising, you can't purchase diet coke. Their version of sugar free coke is called coke light and although there are some it is the same thing, it has a vile taste as compared to diet coke (or coke zero). Domestically, I buy a 12 pack of coke zero cherry or coke zero vanilla and pack it in my luggage. Of course as noted, there is always the possibility of one of the cans leaking but when I'm doing a European cruise, it's rarely to the plane and then to the ship as I always leave at least one day if not more for safety reasons and trudging along that extra weight is a pain.

 

I just wish cruise lines would pay attention to surveys that show while most people don't really care pepsi or coke, those that do prefer coke by a wide wide margin. To me those carriers (cruise lines et al) that carry pepsi products are showing contempt to the desires of many of their passengers and I think it was a brutally stupid decision on the part of ncl to go with pepsi instead of coke.

 

Myself and my DH both hate coke, diet, zero or otherwise, give me a diet Pepsi any day, horses for courses and all that.....:)

[AF-1]

If you decide on your cruise based on the availability of Coke products, by all means cancel and rebook a different cruiseline.

 

You may have misunderstood my post. I told my wife we should try another cruise line other than Royal. Norwegian had the itinerary we liked the best. we don't know anything about NCL nor do we know about the ship Jade. So not having coke is not a deal breaker. I will find coke in ports and bring it onboard for my wife. No sweat, no pressure, all is good