Drinks at Cookies..?? Castaway Cay..

[bigsky]

I was just wondering what types of drinks (free of charge) that they serve at Cookies. I know I want to bring some water bottles for during the day. But I'd like to have a diet soda and wondering if they'd have that there or if I need to bring that.


We have 3 more days til we leave!!

Laura

 

[KEH]

Cookies has iced tea and fruit punch at lunchtime but there is a bar quite nearby which has diet coke and other sodas (included in the sticker programme if you have that on the ship).

 

[bigsky]

THanks for the quick response. I think iced tea would be fine. I can live without my diet soda if I have iced tea.

I didn't get the sticker. Just felt sodas at dinner were plenty for me!

Laura

 

[MrsPete]

Our Disney Cruise was wonderful -- I can count the negatives about the cruise on one hand -- but this was one of them. It really irritated me at the time.

We picked up our food at Cookie's, and the drinks were at the end of the line. The available free drinks were lemonade, fruit punch, and water. No tea -- at least the day we were there -- it's possible that they had run out for a short time.

Anyway, a CM was selling canned sodas at the same place. My oldest daughter wanted Sprite, so I showed him our soda stickers, but he said that we couldn't have THOSE sodas! He said that we had to go to the bar to get the free sodas. Now the bar was not all that far away, but with two children, one too young to carry her own tray, I don't want to get my food from one location and trek to another spot to get drinks, then walk back to the picnic shelter -- and it seems to break the spirit of the "free sodas" concept.

I was also irritated that he was positioned in such a way that we had to ask him to move so that we could reach the free drinks.

Disney handles most things much better than this.

 

[llfowl]

We had the same experience at Cookies. I was having a terrible asthma attack and they didn't have anything to drink. I finally found a bottle of water and didn't care what it cost, but the guy didn't speak english and kept telling me that there was a charge for the water. I kept handing him my room card and he still didn't understand. I just reached beside him, grabbed a bottle of water opened it, drank from it and handed him my room card at the same time. Then he finally figured out that I needed some water! They were also out of Coke and Diet Coke at Serenity Bay. Not the greatest experience.

 

[bigsky]

I think I'll bring my own drinks just to make sure..

Laura

 

[DisneylandDarren]

MrsPete,

I understand what your saying about the soda's at Cookie's, that seems like a bit of a nightmare, but can I ask, were they canned sodas?

I remember when buying a soda package on the ship I was told that it was only fountain soda (the stuff from the gun from behind the bar) that was included and not canned soda. Maybe this was why you couldn't have to soda at Cookie's BBQ

But this being said, it's a bit of a nightmare making you walk all the way to the bar when you've just got your food!

 

[mmouse37]

Is this really Disneland Darren!!!! How the heck are you!!!!!

I am sending you a PM!!!

MJ

 

[MrsPete]

Yes, the sodas at Cookie's were canned.

My husband picked up the soda mugs /stickers (which were AAA, not purchased, but that shouldn't make any difference), so I didn't hear the part about fountain drinks only.

Still, I hold to my two point: it's cheapskate and triffling to deny convenient sodas after charging $5/day AND the CM was positioned in such a way that you could not get a free drink without asking him to move or literally reaching around his body.

 

[Lisa F]

Not only that, Mrs. Pete, but I just wish that Disney would build the cost of soda into the cruise. It seems cheapskate and trifling that you have to pay extra ANYWAY. I know that it's the industry standard but since when is Disney known for doing something in an "average" way? Why not distinguish themselves from the pack?

 

[ThreeCircles]

Actually, I think that Disney may be above the industry standard when it comes to soft drinks. According to the Carnival and RCCL site, soft drinks are not free in the dining rooms as they are on DCL.

And, from the RCCL site: On the first day of the cruise, guests can purchase the Fountain Soda package. This package will be charged to your SeaPass account. After this package has been purchased, a sticker will be placed on the boarding card allowing you to drink unlimited fountain sodas, (no cans), during the cruise. The package includes coke, diet coke, sprite, ginger-ale, tonic water and club soda. The sign up can be done in all the bars. The soda package is accepted at all food and beverage outlets, including the dining room and the private destinations.


It seems that it must be common practice for the lines to exclude canned soda from their beverage plans. Perhaps due to cost compared to fountain drinks?

 

[Talking Hands]

What I see here makes me glad I didn't bother to eat at Cookie's on Castaway Cay. Since I am limited to unsweetened tea I would have been very angry to find that there was nothing for me to drink there. I can accept not being able to get a soda since I cannot have diet Coke (allergy) but having only sugared drinks available there is unconscionable.

 

[Lisa F]

Thanks for the correction 3 circles, but I would hardly compare disney to RCCL or Carnival (both of which are known for their great prices rather than being tops in the industry). That wasn't my point anyway. I don't even drink soda (I hate carbonation) but I think Disney could do better by including all non-alcoholic beverages into the cruise fare so that these conversations aren't necessary... no one has to figure out what is included and where, it's just all included unless it's alcohol, period. It would just give the DCL experience that little something extra that no one else has. I'm not even saying it has to be free, just build it into the fare.... this way people won't get bad vibes from people pushing the soda mug program or have to worry about whether their drink is free while they are balancing a tray of food and their three kids etc. It just seems logical and I'm confused about why DCL hasn't taken this step.

 

[ThreeCircles]

I see your point Lisa F.

I wouldn't mind in the least if they tacked on an extra $5 to my fare for free soda at all locations and I would definitely get my moneys worth!


I drink way too much of that stuff!

 

[MrsPete]

I can buy a 12-pack of sodas on sale for almost nothing -- about .16 per can (Eckerds puts them on sale every week -- Cokes one week, Pepsis the next). Disney probably doesn't pay that much because they're buying in bulk. I can't believe they can't spare a can of .16 soda for someone who's paid $5 per day.

And if cans are too expensive, they could always place a fountain near Cookie's.