Using your own cup at drink stations?

[wombat_5606]

It makes me laugh that they got rid of plastic straws but encourage people to use paper cups to fill their reusable cups. Yes, I realize they're different materials, but still.

Paper is biodegradable.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

It makes me laugh that they got rid of plastic straws but encourage people to use paper cups to fill their reusable cups. Yes, I realize they're different materials, but still.

There's a difference. Paper breaks down, plastic doesn't.

 

[squirk]

@PrincessShmoo is there anything DCL related you don’t have a picture of?

I remain convinced that @PrincessShmoo is not an individual person, but rather a collective of many different people all posting under a common account and screen name.

It’s the only way to explain the speed in which “Shmoo” instantly comes up with pics of even the most obscure of topics

 

[DIS_MIKE]

Can anyone confirm if the Fantasy still has cast members at the drink and ice cream stations?

 

[nancipants]

I noted that they're different materials, and I understand the difference. It still makes me laugh.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I remain convinced that @PrincessShmoo is not an individual person, but rather a collective of many different people all posting under a common account and screen name.

It’s the only way to explain the speed in which “Shmoo” instantly comes up with pics of even the most obscure of topics

Nope. Just me.....

 

[squirk]

Nope. Just me.....

We’ll see.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We’ll see.

 

[lilsonicfan]

The pop/soda cups are waxy paper - doubtful they break down all that easily. The hot drink cups are styrofoam or at least have styrofoam on the outside, and they haven't done away with plastic lids. So yeah the banning of straws is pretty ridiculous in light of those. Plastic reusable cups and mugs on deck make PERFECT sense. Very little risk of shattering, and far less waste. Set out a wheeled rack with trays and I'll happily put away my reusable mug(s) for washing.

 

[billyinlasvegas]

The pop/soda cups are waxy paper - doubtful they break down all that easily. The hot drink cups are styrofoam or at least have styrofoam on the outside, and they haven't done away with plastic lids. So yeah the banning of straws is pretty ridiculous in light of those. Plastic reusable cups and mugs on deck make PERFECT sense. Very little risk of shattering, and far less waste. Set out a wheeled rack with trays and I'll happily put away my reusable mug(s) for washing.

I work for a large hospitality company and banning straws is purely a cost saving move (that happens to be good for the environment). In our case it saves a little over a million dollars per year.

 

[Lilsia]

Can anyone confirm if the Fantasy still has cast members at the drink and ice cream stations?

Got off of the Fantasy in the beginning of June and they did not have cast members at the stations. I think they only do that when an illness is going around.

 

[Lilsia]

The whole "use a fresh cup" for that kind of a dispenser is pointless. You put the cup down and press the button to dispense the soda. Now if it was the dispenser that you push back with your cup, that would be a different story. They really should have you wash your hands before you push the button since that is the only thing that actually touches anything. They do have wipes but no one uses them.

 

[squirk]

The pop/soda cups are waxy paper - doubtful they break down all that easily. The hot drink cups are styrofoam or at least have styrofoam on the outside, and they haven't done away with plastic lids. So yeah the banning of straws is pretty ridiculous in light of those.

It's what you call a "phase-out". If DCL nixed all of those things at once, people would really flip out. So they start with the straws, which people will ***** about, but once they get over it, then the styrofoam will go. And once the *****ing about that is done, then the lids. Or something along those lines.

I recognize that cruise-line plastic straws are hardly the worst offenders in terms of ocean pollutants, and I also recognize that banning this stuff is just a cost-cutting measure, with some "green earth" goodwill/good P.R. as a side benefit. But to be fair, DCL is hardly the first or the last organization to jump on the "ban plastic straws" bandwagon. Cities and states, even countries, are doing it, too.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

The whole "use a fresh cup" for that kind of a dispenser is pointless. You put the cup down and press the button to dispense the soda. Now if it was the dispenser that you push back with your cup, that would be a different story. They really should have you wash your hands before you push the button since that is the only thing that actually touches anything. They do have wipes but no one uses them.

Except that people don't "put the cup down and press button". I've seen plenty of people who put the cup up around the dispensing nozzle then push the button. Yeah, no "back flow" issue there.....

There are hand wipes in the area that people are "supposed" to use before touching any of the equipment, but you know how many do that. I would think putting in a gate with a hand wash station would not be well received.

 

[apathetic]

If your personal cup holds more liquid than the "paper" cups, then you need a new one each time you pour it in your cup. I quit bringing personal cups and now just use 50-100 single use cups per cruise. If you are going to burn through that many cups anyway, at least preserve the water needed to wash yours.

 

[DIS_MIKE]

Got off of the Fantasy in the beginning of June and they did not have cast members at the stations. I think they only do that when an illness is going around.

I figured as much. I believe the cruise before me had a major issue with people getting sick so they were just taking precautions.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

If your personal cup holds more liquid than the "paper" cups, then you need a new one each time you pour it in your cup. I quit bringing personal cups and now just use 50-100 single use cups per cruise. If you are going to burn through that many cups anyway, at least preserve the water needed to wash yours.

No, since the cup you are using to fill your personal cup is a fresh one (one that you haven't had up to your mouth) you can use the same one. But only at that that one time. Each separate time you fill your personal cup would require a new filling cup.

 

[Lilsia]

I would be happier if they did not allow small children, that can barely reach, to get their own drinks and ice cream. I know by the ice cream there is a sign but so many ignore it. These little kids are practically climbing onto the counter to be able to reach.

 

[Sharkovskii]

View attachment 421484

Straight up no joke. I have a phd in search engines. I've worked professionally in the field for five years. You are the worlds pre-eminent domain-specific, text-based visual retrieval engine. That there's a human in the loop, IMO, makes this no less impressive.

How do you know what you have pictures of? How do you know where you put them?

I've been dying to ask this for a LONG time, but it's always seemed... weird. But here's my chance...

 

[ryankski]

Do the soda machines not have heavy plastic cups to use? I've never been on DCL (October is our first) but the three other major lines which I have sailed with just had those plastic cups like mom and pop diners or your summer camp had by the juice stations. They also had normal mugs to use by the coffee. Why would DCL not just use those? It seems even with washing them and the water/resources used it would be cheaper over time and be better for the environment.