Soda cards vs $8 a day

[djhsolara]

Anyone know how this works with the Freestyle machine on Koningsdam?

 

 

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[lorimay]

If you have a soda card you can't use the Freestyle machine on the Koningsdam. You have to have the special cup with the chip to use Freestyle. You can also get cans of soda and fountain soda with the $8 per day Freestyle package. They put a dot on your card. It's s great deal if you drink a lot of soda.

 

 

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[djhsolara]

If you have a soda card you can't use the Freestyle machine on the Koningsdam. You have to have the special cup with the chip to use Freestyle. You can also get cans of soda and fountain soda with the $8 per day Freestyle package. They put a dot on your card. It's s great deal if you drink a lot of soda.

 

 

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So the Freestyle package is $8/day that includes the cup...and you can still get cans and fountain soda at the bars??

 

If that is correct, it is a great deal.

 

 

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[lorimay]

Yes. We just got off the Koningsdam today. Everyone in the state room has to buy the plan but you can get sodas at any bar without the cup just by showing your stateroom card with the sticker. We used it all over the ship including the dining room. The Freestyle machine is just inside the Lido near the Lido pool. The cups they give you are nice and large.

 

 

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[just_cruising_along]

Other than a beverage card, which can be used for any beverage, this seemed to be the only option for soda which was available for pre-purchase on our next several cruises. Prices varied based the number of days of each cruise.

 

UNLIMITED COCA COLA PACKAGE

Enjoy unlimited refills of fountain soda for the duration of your voyage. It includes a special souvenir cup that you can take home with you.

Plus, on the ms Koningsdam, you get a Freestyle Coca-Cola souvenir cup to enjoy 100+ refreshing Coca-Cola flavors. Prices are per person per day.

A 15% service charge will be automatically applied to your purchase.

The Unlimited Soda Package must be purchased for the entire duration of the voyage. All guests booked in the same stateroom must also purchase the package. The package is for unlimited fountain soda and does not include canned items.

Guests will be issued one specialty cup to be used in connection with this promotion. The cup is not replaceable. The package excludes purchases made in the Mini Bar, Chocolate Seduction, In-Room Dining, beverages purchased on Half Moon Cay, and Freestyle Coca-Cola. Packages are non-transferable or refundable. No sharing is permitted.

Participants may order only one drink at a time. Beverage Management reserves the right to evoke the package if misused and reserves the right to refuse service for any reason.

[Tom O.]

Other than a beverage card, which can be used for any beverage, this seemed to be the only option for soda which was available for pre-purchase on our next several cruises. Prices varied based the number of days of each cruise.

 

UNLIMITED COCA COLA PACKAGE

 

Apparently different cards are available for different cruises.

I have more options on my cruise that embarks in two weeks. Maybe this is because they are planning on phasing out some of these cards at later dates.

The Unlimited Coca Cola Package, which the OP referred to as the $8 per day plan, is essentially a soft drink version of the Signature Beverage Package.

I believe that the Signature Package is a big money maker for HAL, because the people who buy it end up not drinking enough to come out ahead.

So, HAL now has a fountain drink version, and hope this will be profitable as well. I am sure that the people on the ship who sell these packages are being told to really push the Coca Cola Package, which is why the OP was told, at first, that this was the only option.

Much better to purchase a card before the cruise, so you won't be subject to their sales pitch.

I believe HAL will eventually get rid of all beverage cards, and have only the pay per day packages such as the Coca Cola and Signature Beverage Packages. If so, I will simply pay per drink, because these kinds of packages require you to drink way more than I want to.

Or maybe I will have to go back to what I did on my very first cruise, when I was poor - drink iced tea for the whole voyage.

[BDHPlayer]

Am onboard the Maasdam right now departing from Auckland, New Zealand today. Purchased the unlimited soda card for $8 per day. My wife wasn't required to purchase it which is good because she doesn't drink carbonated beverages.

 

Option of buying cans and bringing on board wasn't an option. Couldn't even find cans of soda in the central business district.

[alwaysfrantic]

The Unlimited PAckage seems to have a lot of limitations: . The package excludes purchases made in the Mini Bar, Chocolate Seduction, In-Room Dining, beverages purchased on Half Moon Cay, and Freestyle Coca-Cola

[jujuyu211]

I have a cruise booked for end of April 2017 and the only two options I see are $100 beverage card for $100 (no discount) and the $8/day pp coca cola package... no $25 for $50 cards anymore :(:(:(

[denatravels]

I don't have it either. I have the $100 card, which seems pointless. And the unlimited soda and the unlimited alcoholic packages. I would actually pay more than the $8 a day if it were more inclusive (I have paid $19 on Royal Caribbean, but it basically included ANY nonalcoholic drink)

 

 

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[cbr663]

A side effect of changes like these is that HAL may reduce the number of free beverage offerings to encourage passengers to purchase the new unlimited soda package. I have been on cruises where lemonade wasn't available, for instance. (I simply made my own from the available lemon slices and it was much better than the powdered drink that was usually available).

[kazu]

Apparently different cards are available for different cruises.

I have more options on my cruise that embarks in two weeks. Maybe this is because they are planning on phasing out some of these cards at later dates.

The Unlimited Coca Cola Package, which the OP referred to as the $8 per day plan, is essentially a soft drink version of the Signature Beverage Package.

I believe that the Signature Package is a big money maker for HAL, because the people who buy it end up not drinking enough to come out ahead.

So, HAL now has a fountain drink version, and hope this will be profitable as well. I am sure that the people on the ship who sell these packages are being told to really push the Coca Cola Package, which is why the OP was told, at first, that this was the only option.

Much better to purchase a card before the cruise, so you won't be subject to their sales pitch.

I believe HAL will eventually get rid of all beverage cards, and have only the pay per day packages such as the Coca Cola and Signature Beverage Packages. If so, I will simply pay per drink, because these kinds of packages require you to drink way more than I want to.

Or maybe I will have to go back to what I did on my very first cruise, when I was poor - drink iced tea for the whole voyage.

 

Bolding is mine. I don't think HAL will get rid of all beverage cards, but the discounted beverage cards have gone the way of the dodo. Remember the old discounted wine cards and beverage cards? They have all been eliminated. The only discounted card remaining was the soda card, so I wouldn't be surprised to see it go.

 

Hopefully, HAL keeps the beverage cards as I find them handy and it saves a lot of account checking ;)

[Tom O.]

I have come up with a theory of why plans such as the $8 per day soda package and the $50 per day Signature Beverage Plans are so profitable.

First lets take the Signature Beverage Plan. Everyone knows that selling cocktails in bars and restaurants is extremely profitable. The components that make up a $10 cocktail cost about $1. So the more drinks a passenger orders the more profit HAL makes. The trick is how to encourage passengers to drink more.

With the SBP passengers pre-pay to have a lot of drinks, so when they get on board, they do their best to drink enough to make it worthwhile. If they paid for each drink separately, most people would drink less. So, the SBP is simply a plan by HAL to encourage passengers to have as many drinks as possible.

The SPB has proven to be so profitable that now they have devised a similar plan for soft drinks. The jury is still out on if this will work for HAL, because soft drinks are not as profitable as alcoholic ones, and most people only drink a soda once or twice a day.

All of this is simply my theory, but it makes sense to me, in my opinion.

[RocketMan275]

I have come up with a theory of why plans such as the $8 per day soda package and the $50 per day Signature Beverage Plans are so profitable.

First lets take the Signature Beverage Plan. Everyone knows that selling cocktails in bars and restaurants is extremely profitable. The components that make up a $10 cocktail cost about $1. So the more drinks a passenger orders the more profit HAL makes. The trick is how to encourage passengers to drink more.

With the SBP passengers pre-pay to have a lot of drinks, so when they get on board, they do their best to drink enough to make it worthwhile. If they paid for each drink separately, most people would drink less. So, the SBP is simply a plan by HAL to encourage passengers to have as many drinks as possible.

The SPB has proven to be so profitable that now they have devised a similar plan for soft drinks. The jury is still out on if this will work for HAL, because soft drinks are not as profitable as alcoholic ones, and most people only drink a soda once or twice a day.

All of this is simply my theory, but it makes sense to me, in my opinion.

 

Not quite. HAL's profit on these packages is an inverse function of how many drinks you consume and is at a maximum when you consume the minimum amount. Every drink you consume reduces the profit.

 

The intent is not to have passengers to consume as many drinks as possible to have passengers pay for as many drinks as possible.

 

We've spent some time on Princess and we always bought their soda and more package.

[Tom O.]

Not quite. HAL's profit on these packages is an inverse function of how many drinks you consume and is at a maximum when you consume the minimum amount. Every drink you consume reduces the profit.

 

The intent is not to have passengers to consume as many drinks as possible to have passengers pay for as many drinks as possible.

 

We've spent some time on Princess and we always bought their soda and more package.

 

I see your point. If passengers drink more than the break-even point, HAL will not earn as big of a profit. But I am willing to bet that for every passenger that come out ahead on the deal there will be another one who doesn't drink enough to make it to that break-even point.

My point is, I am sure that most passengers who buy the plan, will end up drinking more than if they hadn't. And HAL will end up profiting more from passengers who buy the plan than ones who don't.

There will always be some passengers who order lots of drinks whether they are on the plan or not, and they will come out ahead on the deal.

I am just trying to explain why I think HAL likes these sorts of plans, and why they seem to be replacing the old beverage cards.

[RocketMan275]

I see your point. If passengers drink more than the break-even point, HAL will not earn as big of a profit. But I am willing to bet that for every passenger that come out ahead on the deal there will be another one who doesn't drink enough to make it to that break-even point.

My point is, I am sure that most passengers who buy the plan, will end up drinking more than if they hadn't. And HAL will end up profiting more from passengers who buy the plan than ones who don't.

There will always be some passengers who order lots of drinks whether they are on the plan or not, and they will come out ahead on the deal.

I am just trying to explain why I think HAL likes these sorts of plans, and why they seem to be replacing the old beverage cards.

 

These packages are very much like an extended warranty where you pay up front for any future expenses. HAL, trust me, knows exactly how much the average passenger will spend on drinks per cruise. They know this to the penny and know how it varies from cruise to cruise. They can add a bit to this price to ensure they don't suffer a loss and add a bit more for profit. Then they add in the cost. That's the beverage package cost.

 

True, some people will out drink HAL but they are very few. In fact, you see very few posters who say they buy the package to save money. The biggest reason is they are afraid of having an large bill at the end of the cruise. Just like an extended warranty. They buy it to avoid a big bill and not to save money.

 

I keep track of our on board spending. It's been fairly consistent. We usually spend, on a seven day cruise, about $350 on beverages, total, for the two of us. HAL tells us the beverage package is worth $720 for two people for a seven day cruise. Well, no, that isn't what it's worth. That is the price. And, price isn't the same as value. For us, it's actually worth about half that, ie, $350. Same thing on the $100 internet credit we have. It's not really worth anything to me. I'd rather have $20 OBC.

[chele670]

Growing up in the pizza business (80s &90s) my parents would say that the large cups @ $0.05 ea. cost more than the soda. I'm sure there is inflation now and not sure cost of canned soda.

 

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[Tom O.]

Growing up in the pizza business (80s &90s) my parents would say that the large cups @ $0.05 ea. cost more than the soda. I'm sure there is inflation now and not sure cost of canned soda.

 

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Canned soda, purchased at the super market in 12 packs are about 35 cents per can.

No idea what soda cost out of a fountain dispenser, but I would guess at least half of the cost of canned soda. Also, soda glasses usually hold less than 12 oz. So we would be talking about 15 cents per glass, maybe less. At any rate, there is no chance of HAL losing money on any kind of soda package.

Likewise, since the ingredients of typical cocktail or glass of wine cost $1, there is no chance of losing money on the Signature Beverage Package either.

[msmayor]

I just logged in to my reservation for March 2017 and the discounted soda card was still available to purchase as well as the unlimited soda package. We don't need either since we booked under Explore 4 and have the Signature Beverage package included.

 

I will say that on both our previous HAL cruises we used (and love) the beverage cards. The discounted cards were still available when we cruised the Veendam but on our Westerdam cruise only the regular cards were sold. It was wonderful to be able to pre-purchase these and know that most of our beverage costs were taken care of before leaving home. More importantly, though, is it made it SO much easier when checking our on-board statement at the end of the cruise. No need to save every receipt to check against the bill; as long as the 'available balance' on the card was correct after each purchase, we saved only the most recent receipt.

 

On an average 7-day cruise our bar tab may come to around $450 total...so buying an all-inclusive drink package rarely makes sense. We may not get a discount with the cards, but the ease of tracking what we've spent is what makes them so desirable.

[IndyDenise]

I am one of the few that buys a drink package because it saves me money.

 

Last August ( on Carnival) my days went like this

 

two Bloody Mary's for breakfast ., and one Mimosa for some extra vitamin C!

 

A couple of Margaritas poolside during the day , a beer with lunch.

 

A before dinner drink . Two drinks at dinner . Drinks during the evening... at the very least two while watching a show or gambling.

 

Also Carnival's drink package has unlimited non alcoholic drinks.. and 15 $50.00 or less alcohol drinks.

 

So I also had tons of fancy coffees, milkshakes , and waters.

 

I am a walking profit sucker.

 

Since my drink package on HAL is free ( and I will reach my max everyday) it's very valuable to me.

 

I would buy it outright if it wasn't free.

 

PS I am not an alcoholic, I just like some cocktails while on vacation. And since I'm an early riser (5am) when you divide my drinks by hours it isn't as bad as it seems.

 

 

 

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Edited January 2, 2017 by IndyDenise

[jujuyu211]

Like most people, I will drink more simply because I bought the package and want to make it worth it. According to the menu, a Coke is $2.25. Let's be generous and say it takes $0.25 to make the drink, that's $2 profit.

 

Using myself as an example, I drink about 2 sodas a day. If paid per drink, my total will be $4.50/day and HAL would profit $4/day.

 

If I bought the package, I will try to up that to maybe 4 drinks a day at most. At $8 a day, it would cost $1 for HAL to make 4 drinks, and profit $7. HAL wants to convince you that you would have "saved" $1/day (with my example) along with the hassle of not having to track your balance, etc etc. But in reality, they are making much more money with this even if you double your drink consumption to make up for it.

 

So it makes sense for HAL to advertise and encourage the beverage package. You will have to drink 9+ drinks per day for HAL to profit less with the package. But think about it, can you really drink 9 sodas every single day, especially on those port-extensive cruises? :eek: The package is also so limiting, which doesn't include many non-alcoholic drinks like RCL or Princess packages do.

Edited January 2, 2017 by jujuyu211

[carolmacey]

Bolding is mine. I don't think HAL will get rid of all beverage cards, but the discounted beverage cards have gone the way of the dodo. Remember the old discounted wine cards and beverage cards? They have all been eliminated. The only discounted card remaining was the soda card, so I wouldn't be surprised to see it go.

 

Hopefully, HAL keeps the beverage cards as I find them handy and it saves a lot of account checking ;)

 

When I read this thread this morning, I immediately checked on our Jan 15th cruise. The $50 for $25 was gone. Just now I checked again, just a hunch, and it was back so I bought 2, no problem. Maybe people complained, who knows. Maybe a computer glitch.

 

Guess if you want them, buy them ASAP on line.

[jujuyu211]

THANK YOU carolmacey!!

 

I checked last night and it was not available for my April 2017 cruise, but I just checked right now after reading your post and it just popped up. What a great hunch you have!! ;)

[alwaysfrantic]

I wish all lines would just include the fountain soda at DIY dispensers. I don't drink it but for it's costing them, they ought to just include it like tea and coffee.

[Tom O.]

I wish all lines would just include the fountain soda at DIY dispensers. I don't drink it but for it's costing them, they ought to just include it like tea and coffee.

 

I have always heard that the main stream cruise lines make little, or no profit on the cruise fare. So, they have to make their money selling drinks, excursions, photos, extra cost restaurants, etc.

So, I guess we have to expect them to make money on sodas. For those of us who do not spend much on all those extras, we should thank the people who do - they are paying part of our fare.