Refreshment Package - Bottled Water?

[glk2009]

Hi! Thanks to everyone who has been answering my questions! It’s so helpful to have current, real-life experiences to help plan our trip.

For our cruise, DH and I have the refreshment package. Our kids are young enough that they aren’t required to have it.

I was wondering if it’s easy enough to get extra bottled water or if we should plan to bring some onboard?

Also, now that I think about it, is it allowed to get drinks for our kids on our package? Is that expected since kids aren’t required to purchase a package when the adults have it? Not trying to break the rules, just want to know what they are!

Thanks!!!

 

[starvenger]

Shouldn’t be hard to get extra bottled water. Just ask for one every time you get a drink and you can bring t back to your cabin.

As for the kids... I guess it is technically not legal. I can’t see anyone making a big deal out of the bottled water. Unsure about juice or soft drinks. Your fellow cruisers probably won’t mind or care. Harder to predict what the staff will say.

 

[glk2009]

Thanks! It’s been awhile since our last cruise and that was DCL where sharing seemed to be encouraged by the staff. They kept trying to give us more drinks.

We’ll just play it by ear and be reasonable about it.

Thanks!

 

[cel_disney]

How old are your kids?

You will be able to get milk for them anytime and lemonade/juice is available in the mornings for sure. You will have no problem getting water bottles although I wouldn’t get it at the bar and hand it directly to a child if it was me. Also - You can get cups of water from many places free all the time, it’s often fruited water and my kids preferred it sometimes.

On our last cruise DH and I had the deluxe package and at dinner they used it to bring our children (age 6 and 10) a Shirley temple drinks or juice each night (without us asking for them to be included in the package). YMMV. (My kids only drink water at home pretty much ever - so even one sugary drink a day was more than enough for them! So not sure what would have happened if we asked for a refill!)

 

[Mrsjvb]

no you may not share the package, not even with your kids. the free drinks included are juice from concentrate in the mornings and milk( white, chocolate and 2%) is available all day. lemonade and iced tea after breakfast hours plus of course hot water for cocoa all day as well. there is also a flavored water of some sort in the dispensers. I am partial to the kiwi strawberry.

many people stockpile bottled water for port visits and whatnot. its easy to just hit every bar and request one in your travels.

 

[glk2009]

Thanks!

Kids will be 11 and 7 and that’s good to know about the milk! I didn’t realize that. And lemonade! My youngest will be all over that!

I’m really only worried about being able to get bottled water. It’s one of my weird concerns about having enough water available.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

You will be able to get milk for them anytime and lemonade/juice is available in the mornings for sure.

Can you tell me about the free beverages? Is the free juice from a dispenser at the buffet? Only at breakfast? I'm trying to help my friend decide on a beverage package. she's never cruised and I've only cruised on DCL and other lines where we had everything free. Trying to figure out exactly what is free and where/ when. Also, when you speak of getting water bottles, do you recall the cost? Or was that part of a beverage plan? Thank you

 

[cel_disney]

Can you tell me about the free beverages? Is the free juice from a dispenser at the buffet? Only at breakfast? I'm trying to help my friend decide on a beverage package. she's never cruised and I've only cruised on DCL and other lines where we had everything free. Trying to figure out exactly what is free and where/ when. Also, when you speak of getting water bottles, do you recall the cost? Or was that part of a beverage plan? Thank you

There is only Juice in the morning at the windjammer. My experience is that the staff has multiple glasses ready for anyone to grab. I recall lemonade and ice tea available to lunch there. And you can always get coffee, hot tea and water from various places (cafe promenade, MDR etc).

My kids only drink water - they don’t even drink milk and juice and soda is a treat - so they didn’t need a package. Paying OOP for their occasional special drink would always work for us.

We only got bottled water because we were on the package. But you can bring 12 cans or bottles of beverages per stateroom.

If your friend likes specialty coffees (lattes, cappuccino at dinner or frappes) or smoothies or fresh squeezed orange juice and soda, then watching the cruise planner for a discounted refreshment package isn’t a bad idea - with sales it can be $18 plus tip daily which isn’t too bad...

 

[SA mom]

We sailed on three different ships and this has been our experience.

At breakfast and lunch: juice (apple, orange, cranberry) coffee, tea, milk (all sorts) are included ( nothing is free). They have pre poured beverages at the buffet. Your server brings them to you in MDR. There is a serve yourself beverage station in cafe promenade that has coffee, tea, and hot chocolate mix all day. I stress the hot chocolate because our kids didn’t figure that out until the last sea day on our first cruise. They now get it every day. There is usually a beverage station on the pool deck that has the same as cafe promenade and sometimes included lemonade. We have never eaten the buffet at dinner.

You can get glasses/cups of water all over the place. When we’ve done Caribbean cruises, we usually bring our Yeti type cups because everything stays colder than the coke cup included in the package.

Is it possible to share bottled water with your kids? Sure, but just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Have I given a bottle of water to someone who was thirsty, of course. We never drink bottled water onboard and try to refill our reusable bottles when we are in port.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

Thank you so much @SA mom and @cel_disney

nothing is free

What do you mean? Or you're saying semantics (free v included)

Also does the self serve beverage dispenser in the cafe promenade you mention have cappuccino as well?

 

[SA mom]

Semantics. You paid for it as part of your rate.

I never saw cappuccino in Cafe Promade on the ships we have sailed on, but things change all the time.

 

[msjprincess]

Thank you so much @SA mom and @cel_disney



What do you mean? Or you're saying semantics (free v included)

Also does the self serve beverage dispenser in the cafe promenade you mention have cappuccino as well?

Not that I have ever seen. They have regular coffee, decaf and hot water for tea. You would have to purchase a cappuccino.

 

[TJA]

Do the cups on the beverage plan have chips in them and that's how we'd access the coke freestyle machines? Or do we scan our key card or something? Sorry to add my question into the mix. We are first time Royal cruisers too!

 

[frank808]

Do the cups on the beverage plan have chips in them and that's how we'd access the coke freestyle machines? Or do we scan our key card or something? Sorry to add my question into the mix. We are first time Royal cruisers too!

The cups have a chip so you can use the freestyle machines if the ship has them. You can also take the special cup to any bar to get soda but you will only be able to get whatever the soda gun dispenses. If you forget the cup, your seapass card will have a sticker or some mark on it to show employee that you have a beverage package. They will then give you soda in a standard cup.

 

[TJA]

The cups have a chip so you can use the freestyle machines if the ship has them. You can also take the special cup to any bar to get soda but you will only be able to get whatever the soda gun dispenses. If you forget the cup, your seapass card will have a sticker or some mark on it to show employee that you have a beverage package. They will then give you soda in a standard cup.

Perfect - thanks!