Outrageous Paying For Soda

[Sophie]

I bring my own Coke with me on a cruise. A twelve pack for my room. I also take advantage of the free iced tea and lemonade. My point...If the cost of soda is such an issue for you...Bring your own...problem solved!! :D

[Lyncruiser]

Thanks for your original post Kat1613. I agree with you completely. It's just an attempt to extract more money from passengers for very little. Corn syrup is so plentiful it's almost free. Sodas cost nearly nothing. We cruised numerous times when they were included with dinner. A nice touch which cost very little. Then RCCL apparently realized that it could be a great moneymaker -- costs the line very little and people drink so much of it. What did we do? We switched in the dining room to juices. I remember laughing thinking juices cost so much more than soda, how long will this really last. Well, although I can't say for sure, it appears that RCCL has caught onto that now, too, and charges for juices in the dining room. Is that right? It's simply more and more nickel and diming for what was once an all-inclusive product. And the price of the soda cards is completely outrageous. I would never begin to drink that much soda in a week. So, I'll do as I've done before, bring my own and that's that.

 

"Tapped Out Again" says the base price for a cruise is below cost. I would certainly be interested in facts to support that assumption. I've compared the cost of our recent cruises to our recent stays, concierge level, at luxury Walt Disney World resorts and they are pretty comparable. I sincerely doubt that RCCL's profits would be up substantially, which they are, if they were selling cruises below cost. (Perhaps in the weeks after 9/11, but not since then). Also, labor costs RCCL very little compared to U.S. land vacations. Sorry, doesn't add up.

 

Sorry you got flamed Kat 1613. As for me, flame away as you wish. I'm glad so many of you don't seem to mind that RCCL keeps adding charges for more and more things -- you can be the future passengers of RCCL! And, so long as you keep accepting all the incremental charges, RCCL will keep doing it.

[KStevens79]

The cost of the adult soda card is $6/day (I don't remember the child price, might've been $4 or 5/day, I'm sure I'll get corrected here). The 15% gratuity is added on to the bill when you first buy it. I do know a can of soda was $1.50 (plus 15%), but I don't know how much it cost in a glass. Yes, the insulated cups didn't hold much, I usually drank it and had it refilled before I walked away from the bar. When the asst waiter saw my soda sticker in the dining room I was offered soda, but by then I was soda'd out and ordered iced tea. Not sure about the tip and ordering soda in the dining room.

I can say that I drank my money's worth as I also don't drink a lot of alcohol. Maybe had 5 or 6 drinks (not all paid by me), I paid for 2. :)

Hope this answered some questions!

[koolcruiser43]

They could increase your fare by $35.00 thereby forcing everyone to purchase a soda card. So think of it as an option, you can choose to save the money or buy the soda card. Why should people who don't drink soda be forced to pay for it through their cruise fare? Yes, this is another way cruise lines to make money, other wise why would they be building ships that feed and entertain thousands of people in the first place?

[bUU]

Funny that people spend thousands to go on a cruise and complain about a few dollars increase of a soda card.

This cuts both ways. While there is sound foundation for amusement with regard focusing on a few dollars in the context of such an expensive luxury overall, there is also sound foundation for exasperation for any additional charges, large or small, in the context of such an expensive luxury overall.

 

I feel the most rational foundation is that which relies on knowledge rather than ignorance, and that which avoids taking any aspect of the service offering personally (because it basically never is personal!) In the context of such an expensive luxury overall, people should know exactly what they're buying. Purchasers should always do their research, and thereby know that the cost of a cruise is not just the fare.

 

So any exasperation should be in the context of the overall cost of the vacation, not any specific part of it. In that regard, either you can afford the vacation or not, and either you consider the overall cost "worth it" or not.

[bUU]

It's just an attempt to extract more money from passengers for very little.

That seems to me to be a very strange way of putting it. It isn't personal, surely. Words like "attempt" and "extract" sound out-of-place in this context. Remember that the cruise line has to fulfill its fiduciary responsibilities in crafting its service offerings.

It's simply more and more nickel and diming for what was once an all-inclusive product.

The evidence is clear that many customers don't want to pay for an all-inclusive cruise product. I know I sure don't. Cruises are expensive enough without me having to pay more so that some people can eat/drink/whatever to excess. I'd rather have a product where a small set of aspects are included, and then allow me to pay for all other aspects to the extent I actually use them. I'm not getting my way, with cruising, at this time, but that's understandable. A good number of people like the mix between inclusiveness and surcharges that they're offering now. The best managers keep a close eye on changes in the market with respect to this mix, and adjust the product offerings to match. So we can expect to see things get either more or less exclusive over time, depending on whether more people start leaning your way or more people start leaning my way.

And the price of the soda cards is completely outrageous.

Again, the word "outrageous" seems to be hyperbole to me. It isn't personal, and if the price was actually "outrageous" then people wouldn't pay it.

"Tapped Out Again" says the base price for a cruise is below cost. I would certainly be interested in facts to support that assumption.

Me too. Would make interesting reading. However, cost is completely irrelevant to price in this context. Luxuries, like vacations, are priced based on VALUE, not cost.

I've compared the cost of our recent cruises to our recent stays, concierge level, at luxury Walt Disney World resorts and they are pretty comparable.

That doesn't make sense to me. The Grand Floridian doesn't float around the Seven Seas Lagoon, and it surely doesn't float from Orlando to San Juan.

I'm glad so many of you don't seem to mind that RCCL keeps adding charges for more and more things

I believe this is a mischaracterization. "Minding" adding charges isn't the issue for most people. They simply don't take it personally. They view the pricing, the overall pricing, in the context of the value delivered. It's all part of the package. If the overall price is worth it, it is consider a good value. Otherwise, people acknowledge that they just don't value cruises enough to warrant purchasing that kind of luxury.

[first_time]

Kat - I sympathise with you with regards to the soda. It's just a few dollars, yes I understand that, this is a few that is a few and I think the real problem is that it's irritating to pay for this and that when it's something as silly as a soda. And I also heard that soda is so bad for the kids... well parents NEWSFLASH so is lemonade... it's full of the same evil soda ingredient SUGAR, they really would be better of with a d coke, does RCI offer diet lemoade? . Don't even get me started on what free coffee will do to your 12 year old!

[deedee666]

Hence The Hiding Those Soda Cans In The Luggage

[Erie Dave]

It isn't the sugar that causes the damage, it is the acids in soft drinks. Diet soft drinks cause as much tooth decay as regular, and clear soft drinks do as much damage as colored ones do.

 

I for one, have not yet been on a cruise where soft drinks were free. I have always paid for one, and always have to pay for the bottled water that our family drinks. It is no big deal.

[Kattie]

Maria65 - by the pool on the mariner there are absolutely no free beverage stations or hotdog/hamburger stands only bars and a frozen yogurt machine. In the cafe promenade, only coffee, tea, and hot chocolate are out at the beverage station. You may go in during breakfast, lunch or dinner to the Windjammer to get ice tea, lemonade, water but other than that there are no other places to get free beverages. It would be nice if they sat out ice water by the pools and in Labadee it was hard to get a free beverage unless you went to the 2 pavilions at lunch time.

 

MontgomeryFamily - I very much agree with your post.

 

Crusinfanatic: I find your comment ridiculous and nothing but inflammatory. Precisely, that is the exact reason why soda should be more available and reasonable BECAUSE I spend thousands of dollars on a cruise vacation. Not everything about cruising is perfect and there is always room for improvement. I think most people agree that cruise lines can nickel and dime you to death and charging for a glass of soda at dinner is an example of that.

 

It is also a ridiculous arguement that soda is bad for you -so is overeating which is what most people do on a cruise.

 

JanetMarie - I'm glad that you don't worry about paying for incidentals but after 7 days with a family of 5 incidentals add up and after paying over $5000 for a cruise not counting excursions, flights, etc. we do have to watch our pennies. I hope that cruising isn't just becoming for the very rich.

[bUU]

Well, sugar might not be the main culprit with regard to tooth decay (and I'm really not convinced of that), it surely is the main culprit with regard to regulation of blood-sugar levels.

[bUU]

Cruising always had been "for the very rich." Rather, in recent years, it has become within reach of those who have to watch their pennies. This is a relatively new phenomenon. I hope JanetMarie's point was that folks need to decide to cruise based on an understanding of the entire cost of the vacation, not just based on the ability to afford the fare, itself.

[cruisinfanatic]

Maria65 - by the pool on the mariner there are absolutely no free beverage stations or hotdog/hamburger stands only bars and a frozen yogurt machine. In the cafe promenade, only coffee, tea, and hot chocolate are out at the beverage station. You may go in during breakfast, lunch or dinner to the Windjammer to get ice tea, lemonade, water but other than that there are no other places to get free beverages. It would be nice if they sat out ice water by the pools and in Labadee it was hard to get a free beverage unless you went to the 2 pavilions at lunch time.

 

MontgomeryFamily - I very much agree with your post.

 

Crusinfanatic: I find your comment ridiculous and nothing but inflammatory. Precisely, that is the exact reason why soda should be more available and reasonable BECAUSE I spend thousands of dollars on a cruise vacation. Not everything about cruising is perfect and there is always room for improvement. I think most people agree that cruise lines can nickel and dime you to death and charging for a glass of soda at dinner is an example of that.

 

It is also a ridiculous arguement that soda is bad for you -so is overeating which is what most people do on a cruise.

 

JanetMarie - I'm glad that you don't worry about paying for incidentals but after 7 days with a family of 5 incidentals add up and after paying over $5000 for a cruise not counting excursions, flights, etc. we do have to watch our pennies. I hope that cruising isn't just becoming for the very rich.

I stand by my statement and don't consider it inflammatory. Soda is free on very few cruiselines. Bring your own if you want to save.

[Erie Dave]

I think that if you spend $5000 for a family vacation, you are among the very rich....

[Maria65]

Well, I hardly want to bring a six-pack of diet coke into the dining room with me so bringing my own isn't the answer. I'm up in the air on the soda cards. We'll be in a suite with access to the concierge lounge, and free soda from what I understand, but I do like it with meals too. The total for my family is over $200. I can understand not having soda be free 24/7, because the service does have costs, and if people are constantly bothering the bar staff, it's an expense. For meals though, when you waiter is serving you a drink anyway, I'd like it to be free. My kids got a kick out having their Shirley Temples so I'll probably get the cards for them, and my husband and I will probably pay by the serving. Another advantage to the soda sticker was that the kids could get drinks without us having to be there and without us having to worry about them having charging priviledges.

 

About those refillable mugs, isn't that a bit unhygienic? The dirty cup is handed to a bar server who fills it up at the fountain? I've done that at Disney, but I think it's different if the cup stays in only my hands vs. being handled by someone who then goes on to serve other drinks.

[SUSANITA]

I would never purchase a soda card, if only for the reason that I feel that it is a huge rip off.

The coffee is probably more expensive, but maybe not, have you tasted that sludge??

I agree with the OP, $47 for a soda card is ridiculous. The profit they make off soda is outrageous. They should raise the cruise fare $10 per person, and they would probably STILL make a profit.

[montgomeryfamily]

For a seven day cruise, Princess charges $22 plus gratuity for an adult soda card. HAL charges $26.95 plus gratuity for an adult soda card. RCI charges $42 plus gratuity for an adult soda card. This is a sizeable difference.

If as some of the posters have indicated the charge is necessary because the cruise line cannot otherwise make money, then Princess and HAL must have better management and business practices since they are able to stay in business and make money although they both charge less for the adult soda card. I also don't believe that the soda card price increase is due to RCI is being unable to negotiate similar soda supply pricing contracts as Princess and HAL and so RCI has higher soda supply cost that they must pass on. Again, if this were true, it would be an indication of poor business practices on the part of RCI.

The reality is that RCI has significantly increased the price of the soda card twice in the last three years because they view the soda cards as an income source and they will push the envelope to get the most revenue possible. It is likely when the last sizeable price increase occurred (which was less than three years ago) there was very little complaints from guests and, probably more important to RCI, no signficant decrease in the numbers of soda cards being purchased. So they have increased the price again and will likely maintain that price or even increase it as long as they believe RCI passengers will continue to pay those prices.

It is also interesting to note that the soda card advertisement and pricing structure has also changed. In the past the soda card was always advertised as a flat total amount for the length of the cruise. Now the soda card charge is advertised as $6.00 per day rather than $42.00 per adult card. Could this be that even RCI thought the new soda card price required a public relations spin?

Soda cards cannot be purchased on a per day rate as such. You cannot buy a soda card only for sea days, when it is more likely that you would consume larger amounts of soda. So it is really somewhat misleading for RCI to advertise a daily charge for the soda card. In addition, the prorated discount has always been offered. In fact, on our cruise last year we weren't sure with the price increase at that time (this was before this latest price increase) that we would buy the soda card. We did decide to do so and the card price was prorated to discount the card for the day we didn't get.

Although I don't think some of the posters intended it this way, I agree that a positive way to address the issue is to not buy the soda card. Passengers should also indicate on their comment cards for the sailing that they didn't buy the soda cards because the price was too high. If RCI sees that the market will not support the current price of the soda cards, they will consider reducing it. Comments will also let them know that the price was the reason passengers didn't buy the soda card, rather than other factors (i.e., low carb diets) the marketing/business executives might try to put forth as reasons for the reduction of sales to their management.

Now addressing the questions posed by some of the other posters: CME, we have sailed on a number of the RCI ships and found that on all of them the fountain sodas are hit and miss in regard to taste and proper mixing. Even on the same ship this can and does vary from bar to bar. Perhaps another reason to not buy the soda card and bring your own.

First time, unless a recent change, RCI does not offer diet lemonade. This is one reason we have purchased the soda card in the past--to get diet soft drinks since diet lemonade wasn't available.

WNyer, the tip for the soda card is charged when you purchase the card and no further tip is charged when you get a beverage with the soda card. However, it was our practice to give a tip to bar servers, especially if we consistently used the same bar(s). This is a personal choice and if you choose to tip the bar server for soda, you have to use cash because your seapass card is not charged for the soda. If you don't have a soda card, then if you purchase a soda, whether a can in the bar or a glass in the dining room, the seapass card is charged for the beverage and the tip is added at that time.

Last time we were on the Rhapsody, there was a lemonade, ice tea, and water station next hot dog/hamburger/taco serving area. This may have changed and be like the Mariner now. It also may also vary from ship to ship. We rarely eat from this area, so I cannot remember whether there was a beverage station here on any of the other RCI ships we have sailed.

Other comments: RCI didn't cease offering free soft drinks with meals in the dining room because the soft drinks were bad for you--they did it so they could make money from soft drink purchases. If the cruise line stopped offering any beverages which were "bad for you" the only beverage available would be water. Lemonade also contains acid--citric acid. On the fact sheet my dentist gives to each of his patients after a teeth cleaning, it warns not to suck on lemons as the acid will harm the tooth enamel. Parents are the ones who should decide and control what their children consume--whether food or beverage. This is not the job of the cruise line.

[Tatka]

[quote name='Erie Dave']I think that if you spend $5000 for a family vacation, you are among the very rich....[/QUOTE]
Rich??? WOW...never thought I was rich. :eek: Cruise + airfare + tours + on board spendings for the family of 4 during the summer can easily exceed this number.

[Kat1613]

Thanks for all your opinions. I am not a coffee drinker but just enjoy my sprite and so I found it a bit unsettling that I have to pay for soda even one glass at dinner. I would prefer that RCI has some type of beverage stations set up in which you can put your card in and get your own soda rather than going to the bar. I am surprised by the people who defend these extra charges, I also feel it is a way of gouging people. I doubt that a cruise price would have to go up because soda in the dining room was not a charge.
I just hope the the cruise lines don't keep adding more and more charges. I cruised as a kid and most everything was included as far as non-alcoholic drinks and food and the food was fantastic -flaming baked alaska, surf & turf, and midnight buffets every night!! Things change I know but I hope they don't keep changing too much!!

[ddean52]

not to hurt [b]anyone's feelings[/b],however, for a good period of time,[b]cruising has been[/b]..not a steal..........but a....[b]very good value.[/b] the industry now has [b]priceing power[/b]...so im afraid you will have to [b]adjust[/b] to additional costs like soda, milkshakes,and some onboard classes etc. [b]to everyone have a great weekend and happy cruising[/b] to all of you.my grandfather use to say "[i]any day you wake up is a[/i] [i]good day[/i]"...corny but true!
dean & alice

[gerif]

My DH likes Diet Pepsi, so we bring our own. Also, he has COPD emphysema and asthma and usually has dry mouth due to the myriad of medications he takes and also often has coughing episodes, so he always has a bottle of Diet Pepsi in an insulated bottle cover (and often another bottle of Crystal Light as well). He has carried these into the best of restaurants with no problem (yes, once there, he orders wine, beer, sodas, etc., just always has his own handy just in case). I see no reason why someone couldn't do the same in the dining room.

I'm a water drinker and bring bottled water on board and use an insulated bottle carrier as well. When going to the pool or on excusions, we have our bottles with us, so no problem tracking down beverage stations. These carriers cost about $3.99 and come with their own bottles that you could fill with iced tea or lemonade (or ice water, for that matter) and tote them around with you. Since I try to avoid the sugar in the lemonade, I also pack a couple of packets of Crystal Light mix and make my own.

OK - want to talk cost? Two six-packs of 24 oz. bottles of Diet Pepsi cost $5 at my local market - bottled water is about $7 for a case of 24 "sports bottle" size. Maybe if RCCL would get their prices into line (and they pay wholesale, remember), we wouldn't feel compelled to bring our own (well, they would also have to switch to Pepsi products), but until then . . . .

[montgomeryfamily]

Kat1613, I agree that the price of the cruise would not have to go up if RCI went back to their former practice of serving complimentary soft drinks with the meals in the dining room. I also don't believe there would be any significant impact to RCI revenues if RCI lowered the price of the soda card to be comparable to that of their competitors, Princess and HAL.

We were willing to accept the change and the charging of sodas on RCI during meals since, when RCI made this change, they were also making a soda card available at a fairly reasonable price and the soda card also entitled the purchaser to sodas at locations outside of the dining room. Although, even at that time we felt that most of the soda card charge should have been a gratuity for the bar server tip pool since the actual cost to RCI is low and the servers do most of the work. (This is why we tip extra to the servers.) However, with the soda card price increases, the situation has changed.

As has been pointed out by many posters and disputed by none, the actual cost of the fountain sodas is very low. The price now charged for the soda card is completely out of line with the actual cost to RCI and is unreasonable. This is highlighted by the fact that RCI's competitors, HAL and Princess, charge approximately half as much as RCI for an adult soda card.

So RCI is just price gouging in regard to the soda card/fountain sodas, as Kat1613 and Kattie point out. This is the reason so many of the posters are outraged in regard to the new soda card charges. It is not acceptable for any company, public or private, to price-gouge.

Kat1613, unfortunately, it is likely that RCI (as well as other cruise lines) will continue to add extra charges--it is already occurring. However, it is possible if there is sufficient outcry that RCI will reconsider and revise/revoke their charges. We sailed on the Voyager of the Sea shortly after it came into service and there was a charge for the rock-climbing wall and ice-skating. Very few people paid to use them and there was a large outcry--soon thereafter RCI changed their policy and now both are complimentary. So perhaps if enough people write negative comments about the soda card pricing on their comment cards or write letters to RCI about this issue, RCI would reconsider.

I'm sure they will at least lower their soda card price if the soda card doesn't sell well at the current price. So everyone get out those duffel bags to carry the sodas onboard. :)

Maria 65, my sister-in-law drinks caffeine-free colas, which RCI doesn't have in a fountain soda. So at meal time she would carry two soda cans into the dining room in her purse. Maybe you should consider buying a large purse? :)

[Mark_K]

[quote name='montgomeryfamily']For a seven day cruise, Princess charges $22 plus gratuity for an adult soda card. HAL charges $26.95 plus gratuity for an adult soda card. RCI charges $42 plus gratuity for an adult soda card. This is a sizeable difference.

If as some of the posters have indicated the charge is necessary because the cruise line cannot otherwise make money, then Princess and HAL must have better management and business practices since they are able to stay in business and make money although they both charge less for the adult soda card. I also don't believe that the soda card price increase is due to RCI is being unable to negotiate similar soda supply pricing contracts as Princess and HAL and so RCI has higher soda supply cost that they must pass on. Again, if this were true, it would be an indication of poor business practices on the part of RCI.[/QUOTE]Far more likely that it is differences in marketing/pricing philosophy than it is better management and business practices. Considering that Carnival owns both HAL & Princess, it's not surprising they'd have similar strategies.

[madforcruising]

I have to add my point of view. A Soda card has no effect to me as I don´t drink any Soda´s ever. There´s enough free stuff around and usually I have a very low bill for my drinks onboard.
As a stockholder of RCCL I have to say hold the price and squeeze the most profit out of the Soda drinkers.:p RCCL´s earning is my earning.:D
Go ahead and start flaming.:eek:

[montgomeryfamily]

Mark K, you missed the point. Several posters have indicated the soda card price was necessary because RCI cannot otherwise make money without such charges. My point was that HAL and Princess both prove that it is possible for a cruise line to make money without charging such an unreasonable soda card cost.

I do agree that Princess and HAL obviously have a different marketing/pricing strategy as they apparently believe it is better to charge a reasonable price for their soda cards rather than, as madforcruising so aptly puts it, to "squeeze the most profit out of the soda drinkers".

Madforcruising, I think you described RCI's business philosphy very well. I'm sure you were also sad to see the charges for the rock climbing wall and ice skating revoked and are hoping that the charge for Jonnie Rockets extends fleet wide. The problem with such a business philosphy (apart from negative public relations) is that it can backfire and cause loss of revenue instead. We always purchased the soda card on our RCI cruises but we won't be purchasing one for our upcoming cruise. If enough people do the same, then RCI will have lost the revenue from all of those former soda card purchasers and will end up losing revenue due to the price increase rather than gaining revenue.