Is it allowed to bring and use a non used previously bought Soda cup?

[RyderJ201]

Better yet. Remove the automatic gratuity at guest services (anyone can for any or no reason) and use that money to pay for the soda package. Who will see. Who will report it. Who will care. 

[steveru621]

1 minute ago, RyderJ201 said:

Maybe don't do it because it's wrong?

It sure is wrong, but dozens of Deluxe package passengers give their cups to their children.

[RyderJ201]

Just now, steveru621 said:

It sure is wrong, but dozens of Deluxe package passengers give their cups to their children.

And that's wrong. Did I miss when 2 wrongs = a right?

Play by the rules or don't I say. But acknowledge your actions and how they may effect the big picture for everyone down the road.

[steveru621]

Just now, RyderJ201 said:

And that's wrong. Did I miss when 2 wrongs = a right?

Play by the rules or don't I say. But acknowledge your actions and how they may effect the big picture for everyone down the road.

 

I'm not disagreeing with you!  You can stand on the high moral ground all you want (and there is no reason why you shouldn't).  Drink package stealing is a national sport.

[LeeW]

17 hours ago, UnregisteredUser said:

I am going on a cruise now in September s and another one in late October. Is it allowed to buy the soda package now and not use the cup until the next cruise?

Technicly its paid for and unused, but for a lower price... $9.99 vs $14 a day.

 

They price the soda package differently for different cruises.  I have $9.99 and $10.99 for the upcoming cruises I have booked.  Waiting and hoping for discounts, especially for the cruises after Black Friday.  

 

In answer to your question, you can't use a cup bought for the first cruise on the second legally.  But if you don't use the cup on the first cruise and you have purchased the package for the second cruise the cup might work in the machines if not activated on the first cruise.  It will certainly work at any bar if your cruise card is marked as having purchased the package.  They will ask for it.

 

[Ourusualbeach]

2 hours ago, steveru621 said:

It sure is wrong, but dozens of Deluxe package passengers give their cups to their children.

And encouraged to by the staff selling them the package. 

[Rackham]

Some cruisers like to share the love by leaving a chair and a Freestyle cup for you early in the morning on the pool deck. Just be sure to wash the cup first.

[sailor05]

4 hours ago, RyderJ201 said:

You were talking in original post about September and October trips. 

If you go in September, buy a soda package. 

If you go in October, buy a soda package.

So the rest of us don't pay more and more to make up for it. 

It's that simple.

 

16 hours ago, Biker19 said:

I hope you are ready for "feedback" from the morality police.

Right on que!!🙄

[mo&fran]

I will add one more post to this discussion. I only drink soda when cruising as a mixer to my acholic drink, and I only do that during happy hour. 

 Back to the cup.  After the restart, we were booked B2B on Odyssey.  My mixer of choice is caffeine free diet Coke. I  asked for it, and the bar waitress said ther only source was the freestyle machine. I had been told this before, but I had never had the only choice to buy it. WE had been getting these free drinks, I will buy the cup.

At the beginning of the second cruise, I  told the waitress I guessed  I needed a new cup. She said the cup will still work. And it did.

 And so it goes.  I put the cup in the machine, this cup is good  till dd//mm/year, which means it is good for my whole trip. Unless it is longer, in which case I will buy another.

  Before the shutdown, I had fairly good success at the CF Coke being available. Not so now. 

We love cruising, do it as much as we can. It even got better. I now get 6 free drinks a day.

 

[cruiseguy1016]

14 hours ago, molly361 said:

I have an unopened soda cup from my one and only $18 drink package from March 2020.  Maybe I can sell it on Ebay😇

 

With all the ineptness with RCI's IT department, why haven't we been able to see that happen again?

[LittleJoefromKokomo]

13 hours ago, RyderJ201 said:

You were talking in original post about September and October trips. 

 

Sir, you are absolutely correct, accept my apologies.. 😉 Second trip starts with a week in Athens, 31 oct, then going on the cruise that start the 6th of Nov, thats why I wrote October. I will explain all the details in the future so there is no more misunderstanding 😉

[Joseph2018Baltic]

Soda is a rip-off, but you already know, you paid for 7 days, and the cup, is free.  So, you know that if you get soda past the days you paid, it is taking something you did not pay for.  So why in the world, are you asking if it is ok?  

[nelblu]

1 hour ago, mo&fran said:

I will add one more post to this discussion. I only drink soda when cruising as a mixer to my acholic drink, and I only do that during happy hour. 

 Back to the cup.  After the restart, we were booked B2B on Odyssey.  My mixer of choice is caffeine free diet Coke. I  asked for it, and the bar waitress said ther only source was the freestyle machine. I had been told this before, but I had never had the only choice to buy it. WE had been getting these free drinks, I will buy the cup.

At the beginning of the second cruise, I  told the waitress I guessed  I needed a new cup. She said the cup will still work. And it did.

 And so it goes.  I put the cup in the machine, this cup is good  till dd//mm/year, which means it is good for my whole trip. Unless it is longer, in which case I will buy another.

  Before the shutdown, I had fairly good success at the CF Coke being available. Not so now. 

We love cruising, do it as much as we can. It even got better. I now get 6 free drinks a day.

 

Just curious, with the soda package can you get cans of sodas at the bars, MDR, etc.

[Sphilli2]

This thread makes my head hurt. I think OP is asking if she can buy the soda package on an earlier cruise to use on a later cruise when the price is higher. But people mentioning unused soda cups. Just because you didn't use the actual freestyle cup doesn't mean you didn't use the package? 

[splashsmom]

41 minutes ago, nelblu said:

Just curious, with the soda package can you get cans of sodas at the bars, MDR, etc.

I have not been able to get cans of soda with the soda package.   If I see a server bringing me a can, it usually means they have charged my drink vouchers in error.

[ace1zoe2]

1 hour ago, Sphilli2 said:

This thread makes my head hurt. I think OP is asking if she can buy the soda package on an earlier cruise to use on a later cruise when the price is higher. But people mentioning unused soda cups. Just because you didn't use the actual freestyle cup doesn't mean you didn't use the package? 

These are my thoughts exactly. You paid for a beverage package (which you used) not for a free cup (that you did not use). You got what you paid for on the first cruise and now you want to cheat the system on the second cruise. This is the reason packages are so expensive for everyone. When people share it makes the cost for others go up. I don't have a dog in the race as we don't buy any type of package but seems everyone wants to cheat the system or rules in place.

Edited August 10, 2023 by ace1zoe2

[Rusty_lock]

3 minutes ago, ace1zoe2 said:

This is exactly my thoughts. You paid for a beverage package (which you used) not for a free cup (that you did not use). You got what you paid for on the first cruise and now you want to cheat the system on the second cruise. This is the reason packages are so expensive for everyone. When people share it makes the cost for others go up. I don't have a dog in the race as we don't buy any type of package but seems everyone wants to cheat the system or rules in place.

An interesting though unsurprising phenomenon that was noted in Canada was that the higher the government taxed cigarettes the greater the incidence of smuggling cigarettes was detect by Canada Customs.  I think that the comparison is similar.  

 

The higher Royal prices their packages the greater the incidence of package sharing.  I have 7 cruises on the books.  Of those seven cruises 5 have DBP listed.  The prices range from 70.99 to 91.99 pppd plus 18%.  Precovid 2018-2019 I was typically buying it at $40 to $48. Post covid my prices ranged  $57 -64.  I haven’t bought it on my last four cruises. I have survived with my diamond drinks and drinks in the suite lounge when in a suite (2 of last 4). A near doubling of prices over such a short period of time make rum runners and package sharing and any other money saving “hacks” inevitable. 

 

I’m purchasing the plan on my next two cruises.  I’m traveling with extended family and I will use the package for myself and give my diamond drinks to those family members. I’m in no way justifying the cheating just stating it is inevitable outcome of the drastically increasing cost associated with the packages.

 

 

[LittleJoefromKokomo]

2 hours ago, Joseph2018Baltic said:

Soda is a rip-off, but you already know, you paid for 7 days, and the cup, is free.  So, you know that if you get soda past the days you paid, it is taking something you did not pay for.  So why in the world, are you asking if it is ok?  

Read again, that was not what I was intending to do. I plan to buy the soda package on my first cruise, not use it on that cruise but on the second one. So I don't see how that is taking something I did not pay for?

[LittleJoefromKokomo]

2 hours ago, Sphilli2 said:

This thread makes my head hurt. I think OP is asking if she can buy the soda package on an earlier cruise to use on a later cruise when the price is higher. But people mentioning unused soda cups. Just because you didn't use the actual freestyle cup doesn't mean you didn't use the package? 

You got it right 🙂 I am the OP and that was exactly what I was asking about and planning to do.

[LittleJoefromKokomo]

42 minutes ago, ace1zoe2 said:

These are my thoughts exactly. You paid for a beverage package (which you used) not for a free cup (that you did not use). You got what you paid for on the first cruise and now you want to cheat the system on the second cruise. 

That was not my intention, I didn't plan on using the soda package on the first cruise, not in the bars NOR on the machines, just using the cup on the second cruise

 

[RyderJ201]

5 hours ago, UnregisteredUser said:

Read again, that was not what I was intending to do. I plan to buy the soda package on my first cruise, not use it on that cruise but on the second one. So I don't see how that is taking something I did not pay for?

But won't you want some soda on your first cruise? Little confused.

[mconthehighseas]

On 8/9/2023 at 6:39 AM, mo&fran said:

I actually had a crew member let me know it was still good on the second cruise.

The cup actually told me how long it as good for. 

Where on the cup does it tell you how long?

[taglovestocruise]

22 hours ago, steveru621 said:

It sure is wrong, but dozens of Deluxe package passengers give their cups to their children.

We were on Oasis a few years ago. Our son decided to buy the Deluxe package after he boarded. He went to a kiosk in the Promenade and made his purchase.  The person at the kiosk handed the cup to his 12 year old daughter and pointed her to the freestyle machine outside of Sorrento's. He then went to guest services and canceled the coke package he purchased for his daughter.  I don't think anyone onboard cares who uses the machine. 

[steveru621]

2 minutes ago, taglovestocruise said:

We were on Oasis a few years ago. Our son decided to buy the Deluxe package after he boarded. He went to a kiosk in the Promenade and made his purchase.  The person at the kiosk handed the cup to his 12 year old daughter and pointed her to the freestyle machine outside of Sorrento's. He then went to guest services and canceled the coke package he purchased for his daughter.  I don't think anyone onboard cares who uses the machine. 

 

The 12 yo should get the cup with the soda package.

 

I see your point but, the sequence of events indicates she was supposed to get the cup.  They actually should have received two.

[mo&fran]

1 hour ago, mconthehighseas said:

Where on the cup does it tell you how long?

The cup only has a chip that is actuated when first used.  Whenever the cup is in the machine, the machine displays the good till date on its screen.  The cup itself cannot have an end date until it is first used,