Drink Coupons - Have you used them?

[dadofgage]

I found a tip that someone had written on the boards that Carnival offers drink coupons.

 

Have you used them before?

 

Is it worth it in a sense to 'prepay' for these?

[Carolinamamasita]

I found a tip that someone had written on the boards that Carnival offers drink coupons.

 

Have you used them before?

 

Is it worth it in a sense to 'prepay' for these?

 

I bought them my last cruise and am buying them for my next cruise also.

They are a great deal.:)

[psychboss]

On our cruise on the Triumph in Feb. a co-worker had sent some to my DH and I. We had already purchased Fun Ship Dollars and had those applied to our account. The drink coupons were inconvient to use and they are only worth about $4.25 each so you still have to present your sail and sign card for most drinks. We felt it would be much better to buy fun ship dollars than the drink coupons for our next CCL cruise. Only your SS card to have with you not coupons and your SS card.

[OceanDreamin]

I drink foo-foo drinks and drinks of the day. For me they are a good value - I save a bit on the REFILLS on the drinks of the day, and save a bit more because a 15% tip is not added. As you also stated, it's nice to have the bar tab pre-paid a bit.

 

If you are a beer drinker they are not a good value however, since the cost of the beer is LESS than the $4.95 cost of the coupon.

[travmagic]

I am going to buy them for those foo-foo drinks (which are my favorite:D ) that everyone keeps mentioning. I have heard that it is actually cheaper to get them on board. Or is it only the tax that you save?

[OceanDreamin]

I am going to buy them for those foo-foo drinks (which are my favorite:D ) that everyone keeps mentioning. I have heard that it is actually cheaper to get them on board. Or is it only the tax that you save?

 

I don't think you CAN get the drink coupons on board. I think you can ONLY buy them in advance, and they are not a taxable item. Most of what you save is that automatic 15% tip add-on. If you find a friendly bar tender that you click with, and you tip them cash on top of your drink coupon, they will probably let you order some of the more expensive drinks with your drink coupons without charging your S&S card the extra. That was a nice little perk, but not all bartenders will do that. Maybe I just got lucky.

 

Enjoy a Goombay Smash for me. Yumm! :D

[travmagic]

I don't think you CAN get the drink coupons on board. I think you can ONLY buy them in advance, and they are not a taxable item. Most of what you save is that automatic 15% tip add-on. If you find a friendly bar tender that you click with, and you tip them cash on top of your drink coupon, they will probably let you order some of the more expensive drinks with your drink coupons without charging your S&S card the extra. That was a nice little perk, but not all bartenders will do that. Maybe I just got lucky.

 

Enjoy a Goombay Smash for me. Yumm! :D

I thought I had read somewhere on this board that you COULD order them on board. I can't remember where. I am sure it was on a thread where they were bashing some poor fool for asking about sneaking on liquor.;)

[angelkisses]

If the 15% tip is not included on the drink coupons would you not be expected to hand them cash for a tip wen you use your coupons or do the bartenders actually get some type of gratutity credit from the use of the coupons?

 

Sorry, I'm confused. Don't want to stiff the bartender!;)

[PINEVIEW01]

I am going to buy them for those foo-foo drinks (which are my favorite:D ) that everyone keeps mentioning. I have heard that it is actually cheaper to get them on board. Or is it only the tax that you save?

That is the soda card you buy on board after in international waters to save the tax.

 

The drink coupons have to be purchase prior to boarding. They are good for the regular/refile size foo foo drinks and include the tip. So, if used for this save you 15% and yes this will keep you drinks bill down on board.

[dadofgage]

What are they good for?

 

Is it just a credit toward a drink and you have to pay the difference?

 

Confused a bit here.

[travmagic]

That is the soda card you buy on board after in international waters to save the tax.

 

The drink coupons have to be purchase prior to boarding. They are good for the regular/refile size foo foo drinks and include the tip. So, if used for this save you 15% and yes this will keep you drinks bill down on board.

Oh, thanks for clearing that up. I think I gave my friend the wrong info then.:o

[Carolinamamasita]

The drink coupons are good for any refill inside the souvenir cup:D

plus any drinks up to $5.25, and you do not have to pay tips with this, they are included.

Go ahead and have your Miami Vice !

There is no extra cost unless you want a special upgrade in alcohol:p

or if you are purchasing your first souvenir cup.

The coupons were very handy , carried it right with my sign & sail card.

Used it on the LIDO deck and dining room, In the buffet/pizza area ... as well as the Bars and NIGHT SHOWS !

Was a convience to buy one set every week , before leaving ;)

Kind of like putting money away !

 

Using the FUNSHIP DOLLARS is no comparison , as they do not save you any money

the

drink coupons save

you money ,

a certain amount off of your drink; plus the tip !

[serene56]

Using the FUNSHIP DOLLARS is no comparison , as they do not save you any money the

drink coupons save

you money ,

a certain amount off of your drink; plus the tip !

 

 

the drink coupons really dont save a lot of money. You get them for convenice sake. Frozen drinks will save you about 25 cents.

If you use them for the frozen drinks you could be losing money-- example is drinks of the day-- which cost like 4 bucks.. plus tip you lost about 50 cents.

 

I used to buy coupons-- which dont have an expiration date either so use them for next cruise too. My best deal was when i got them in 2000 when they costs 4 for 15 bucks-- and had tons left. Used them in 2002 when the price went to 19.95. so then I did manage to save a huge amount.

 

I then stocked up on soda coupons in 2005 when i saw the prices of soda was going higher-- I still have loads of those coupons left and saved a buck plus change for every 4 cans of soda.

\

 

I buy funship dollars now so i dont have to worry about getting my monies worth for my coupons

[PINEVIEW01]

The drink coupons are good for any refill inside the souvenir cup:D

plus any drinks up to $5.25, and you do not have to pay tips with this, they are included.

drink coupons save

you money ,

a certain amount off of your drink; plus the tip !

If they are good to $5.25 they save you lots. Mine show good to $4.95 and I am happy saying the $.10 plus 15% tip

[m steve]

except for one Asian bartender I was able to buy almost any reasonable drink with the coupons. She wanted 2 for a $6 drink. Moved to another bar and had no problem.

[DGP1111]

I've previosly used the drink coupons on numerous CCL voyages with no problems at all, as I just like the simple convenience of not having the drinks appear on my S&S (realizing that I'm not actually saving any bucks in the process). But I totally jinxed myself when I replied to a post several weeks ago that I'd been fortunate to have never experienced an error on my S&S on any cruises ever. That good fortune ended last week:( , and all errors were a result of using the drink coupons. Currently (at least on Carnival Liberty) they are trying out a new process of having you present your S&S along with the coupons, so that they add your drink to your onboard expenses, but with a zero amount beside it. Yep, I think it's stupid, too, but I was told that it helps with their bookkeeping of drinks dispensed. It may help theirs, but it certainly screwed up mine. The servers lose track of which drink on their tray was with the coupon, so they run a ticket for it and ask you to sign. Of course you refuse and remind them it was no charge with the coupon, and they apologize and say they'll correct it. Checked on the cabin TV, and four times the charges remained, and one of those was for the multiple drinks of everyone at my table. Since there is no signature for the purchase they will definitely make the correction at the pursers desk, but there's the issue of wasting time in that line to do so. I spoke directly with the ship's main bar manager after the third time, and was told there were some known glitches in the new process - but I was given no indication that it would be discontinued.

So my suggestion is that if anyone is planning on using these in the near future, just keep an eye on your S&S postings via the cabin TV.

[Calicruiser101]

I've previosly used the drink coupons on numerous CCL voyages with no problems at all, as I just like the simple convenience of not having the drinks appear on my S&S (realizing that I'm not actually saving any bucks in the process). But I totally jinxed myself when I replied to a post several weeks ago that I'd been fortunate to have never experienced an error on my S&S on any cruises ever. That good fortune ended last week:( , and all errors were a result of using the drink coupons. Currently (at least on Carnival Liberty) they are trying out a new process of having you present your S&S along with the coupons, so that they add your drink to your onboard expenses, but with a zero amount beside it. Yep, I think it's stupid, too, but I was told that it helps with their bookkeeping of drinks dispensed. It may help theirs, but it certainly screwed up mine. The servers lose track of which drink on their tray was with the coupon, so they run a ticket for it and ask you to sign. Of course you refuse and remind them it was no charge with the coupon, and they apologize and say they'll correct it. Checked on the cabin TV, and four times the charges remained, and one of those was for the multiple drinks of everyone at my table. Since there is no signature for the purchase they will definitely make the correction at the pursers desk, but there's the issue of wasting time in that line to do so. I spoke directly with the ship's main bar manager after the third time, and was told there were some known glitches in the new process - but I was given no indication that it would be discontinued.

So my suggestion is that if anyone is planning on using these in the near future, just keep an eye on your S&S postings via the cabin TV.

Thanks for the great tip. What a weird way of doing things. Perhaps I won't buy the coupons because I would rather not have to go stand in line and figure out a bill.

[Carolinamamasita]

the drink coupons really dont save a lot of money. You get them for convenice sake. Frozen drinks will save you about 25 cents.

If you use them for the frozen drinks you could be losing money-- example is drinks of the day-- which cost like 4 bucks.. plus tip you lost about 50 cents.

 

I used to buy coupons-- which dont have an expiration date either so use them for next cruise too. My best deal was when i got them in 2000 when they costs 4 for 15 bucks-- and had tons left. Used them in 2002 when the price went to 19.95. so then I did manage to save a huge amount.

 

I then stocked up on soda coupons in 2005 when i saw the prices of soda was going higher-- I still have loads of those coupons left and saved a buck plus change for every 4 cans of soda.

\

 

I buy funship dollars now so i dont have to worry about getting my monies worth for my coupons

 

 

If you get a $4 drink and have them fill up your souvenir cup....

you are getting 1 and 1/2 drinks for the price of that coupon !

Are you telling me that is not saving ...?

LOL

 

I had also bought the Carnival Concoctions drink book , and let me tell you ...

I tried quite a few new drinks , on my cruise , and all in my souvenir cup .:D

 

Very well with buying the coupons , not about to argue over it !

LOL

I just know that I am doing it again for my next cruise , which is my birthday also ...:p

 

those that want to buy them go ahead,

those that dont ... dont have to

 

 

HAVE A GREAT CRUISE!

[serene56]

those drinks in the refill cup are now 4.75 when you are adding in the gratuity you save about 25 cents.

Drinks went up in the past year.

 

Yes, Coupons are worth the costs if you watch what you are drinking. Those foo foo drinks are the best with the coupons..or a glass of wine for 4.50.

 

Using them for rum and cokes-- you lose money.

Drinks of the day are 3.95

and using the coupons for drinks of the day in the refill glass you are losing money.

drinks of the day in the sovernier cup are now almost 7 bucks each.

(save the glass and use it all week for cheaper refills. you actually are getting a few more ounces for the sameprice.

 

You cant use the coupons for specialty margaritas or for say apple martinis....unless you pay the difference- and there is no saving since even the tip comes from the extra money you pay with the sign and sail card.

[travmagic]

Let me aks you guys to clarify what you mean by foo-foo drinks. I am thinking you mean Pina Coladas and Strawberry Daqueries and such? Which are my favorite!:D

[serene56]

Let me aks you guys to clarify what you mean by foo-foo drinks. I am thinking you mean Pina Coladas and Strawberry Daqueries and such? Which are my favorite!:D

 

 

thats it-- have you tried a dirty banana??

 

here is the bar menu:

its the most updated price

http://community.webshots.com/album/521755807XYeiOA

click on each menu to see the prices.

[angelkisses]

Let me aks you guys to clarify what you mean by foo-foo drinks. I am thinking you mean Pina Coladas and Strawberry Daqueries and such? Which are my favorite!:D

 

Yes, those are two of the Foo Foo drinks and if I may add, if those are your favorite drinks be sure to ask for a Miami Vice. It is a mix of Strawberry Daiquri and Pina Colada swirled together. Yummm. My favorite however is the Kiss on the Lips!

[travmagic]

Yes, those are two of the Foo Foo drinks and if I may add, if those are your favorite drinks be sure to ask for a Miami Vice. It is a mix of Strawberry Daiquri and Pina Colada swirled together. Yummm. My favorite however is the Kiss on the Lips!

Yes, I have had a Miami VIce many times in Jamaica.

What is a Kiss on the Lips?

The only two things I don't like in my drinks are peach and banana flaovr. So no Dirty...

[bcs819]

ok, I've posted this several times, but I will post it again.

 

4 drink coupons cost 19.50 or 4.88 each

 

They are good for a drink up to 4.95 and include the tip so they are essentially worth 5.69 each.

 

4 drinks plus tip would cost you 22.77, so you would save 87 cents per drink.

 

They are NOT worth it if you drink beer, as the special on the buckets of beer is cheaper than the coupon.

 

We drink lots of foo-foo drinks during the day, and Southern Comfort or Amaretto at night. Once, and only once, when I ordered a Grey Goose Cosmo was I told I would have to pay the extra 25 cents difference.

 

As a gauge, we are not heavy drinkers but order ourselves 40 drink coupons for a 7 day cruise. Here's how we judge:

 

1-2 drinks per person at dinner = 14-28 drinks for the week

1 drink at the show or in the casino after dinner per person = 14 drinks/week

2-3 foo-foo drinks at the pool on Sea Days = 6-9 drinks

MINUS Bon Voyage drinks since we don't get our coupons till dinner on the first night

 

Total - 34-50 drinks for the week.

 

The $44 we save on those drinks goes towards pictures. Our onboard bill is always in the range of 600-700 bucks despite the drink coupons, so we're not pinching pennies, but we do find them really convenient.

 

We've used them on 3 Carnival cruises now and have had no issues.

[truecruiser]

I don't think you CAN get the drink coupons on board. I think you can ONLY buy them in advance, and they are not a taxable item....

 

i thought i read on here (at some point) that they were available for sale onboard in the Formalities Shops.

 

...Currently (at least on Carnival Liberty) they are trying out a new process of having you present your S&S along with the coupons, so that they add your drink to your onboard expenses, but with a zero amount beside it. Yep, I think it's stupid, too, but I was told that it helps with their bookkeeping of drinks dispensed. It may help theirs, but it certainly screwed up mine. The servers lose track of which drink on their tray was with the coupon, so they run a ticket for it and ask you to sign....

 

Hmmm... thanks for posting this Don. this is good info to know. i have never purchased drink coupons b/4, but was planning on getting them as my "45 day ltr perk", coincidentally, on Liberty. maybe i'll re-think this. i do not want to be standing in line at that purser's desk if at all possiible.