Will soft drinks always be “free”

[mousefan73]

So my mom and I are having a coffee chat afternoon. Discussing our just book European sailing. Then we were chatting on how expensive the parks have gotten and what was once free and no longer. Then my mom says “ at some point DCL will charge for soft drinks”

I was like “no!” That will never happen and then I said what about the drink stations on the pool deck and she said well that can be easily solved with a chip.

What are your thoughts ?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Free soft drinks are part of what makes the DCL model work. They need to be family-friendly, which means no casinos and much less alcohol than what other lines offer. They make up for the lost casino and booze revenue with higher rates, but they need things to justify those rates. Free soda is a low-cost way for them to say "look what we include that those other guys don't."

 

[SnowWhite2]

Soda wasn't free when DCL first started sailing. It didn't start until about 10 years in. They could easily go back to making you purchase a soda mug.

 

[SecretKittyM]

Soda wasn't free when DCL first started sailing. It didn't start until about 10 years in. They could easily go back to making you purchase a soda mug.

Yep. I remember buying a plastic mug my first time on the Wonder.

 

[SteveMouse]

Yep, and with improved technology, it becomes easier to implement variable plans- 5 drinks a day, 15 drinks a day, unlimited.… Or if Freestyle machinea are used, provide different offerings to each passenger (and the system could remember favorites, to reduce the time needed to make choices, or add product selection to the app, and you make your choice before even stepping up to the machine. The cup’s chip is linked to your account and can access your favorites list.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Yep, and with improved technology, it becomes easier to implement variable plans- 5 drinks a day, 15 drinks a day, unlimited.… Or if Freestyle machinea are used, provide different offerings to each passenger (and the system could remember favorites, to reduce the time needed to make choices, or add product selection to the app, and you make your choice before even stepping up to the machine. The cup’s chip is linked to your account and can access your favorites list.

That would be a horrible guest experience and would take more labor to administer than they'd profit on sales.

 

[paladin732]

That would be a horrible guest experience and would take more labor to administer than they'd profit on sales.

You underestimate the level of effort required from Disney here.

You can still have disposable cups without even chips in them, and you can use the equivalent of a magic band or your key card to tap the machine to authorize a single dispense.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

You underestimate the level of effort required from Disney here.

You can still have disposable cups without even chips in them, and you can use the equivalent of a magic band or your key card to tap the machine to authorize a single dispense.

You misunderstand me. I'm not saying it's a complicated system. I'm saying Disney IT blows.

 

[lwilliam]

PLEASE, don’t give Disney any ideas!!!!

 

[CaptainAmerica]

PLEASE, don’t give Disney any ideas!!!!

Knock on wood, but DCL seems relatively immune from most of the bad ideas that have plagued other parts of the company.

 

[Kwami]

Didn't they already try to take back the free soda once?

 

[Karin1984]

I think you can consider it industry standard to pay for your drinks, including soda.

With fastpasses, it is industry standard as well to charge for it.

Disney's problem is giving stuff for free first, being popular for it, and lately start charging.

Will they start charging for soda on their cruises? They might. It will cost them some customers, but I think less than you might think.

https://emmacruises.com/drinks-cost-on-cruise-ships/

 

[goofy4prez]

Let me start by saying I love Disney (though it is waning); but I have learned over the years that if there is a chance to take something away that was inclusive and then repackage it add a dollar amount to it, and then call it magic and pixie dust, they will do it. So it would not surprise me to see it attached to a cost in the future.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

Soda wasn't free when DCL first started sailing. It didn't start until about 10 years in. They could easily go back to making you purchase a soda mug.

This! It was only included at sit down meals for years- to access the machines required a refill mug.

 

[mmouse37]

These were the mugs you had to buy for soda. I still have a few.



MJ

 

[tvguy]

Free soda is kind of the best example of Disney responding to outcry from their customers. When cruised when they sold the "Soda Passes". My kids decided the FREE fruit punch that was available in the buffet was better and soft drinks. so we never got the Soda Pass.
Like the lack of casinos on board, free soda (which really isn't free, it is just included in your fare) is what makes Disney......Disney.
We will see, I think we will get a clue soon if Paper Navigators come back. There are a lot of angry folks who want the paper ones back.

 

[SnowWhite2]

Disney gets Coke syrup free. That is why the "free" soda is from the machines and not in cans or bottles since those aren't free to them. Maybe that contract has expired, I don't know, but having a freestyle machine may cost the company money like the cans and bottles.

 

[squirk]

I would be unsurprised if there was a sudden change, and soda became an upcharge, with the eye-stabbing, 100% b.s. rationales of “bringing choice to the consumer, and bringing DCL more in line with industry standards.”

The laughable hypocrisy being that DCL charges far more than industry standards. You are already paying for that soda in your fare that’s 30% more than a similar itinerary on RCCL.

But as @CaptainAmerica said, DCL doesn’t seem to be following *quite* the same path as the parks and their “charge-more-but-give-you-less” ethos of late. So, fingers crossed.

 

[Kwami]

Disney gets Coke syrup free. That is why the "free" soda is from the machines and not in cans or bottles since those aren't free to them. Maybe that contract has expired, I don't know, but having a freestyle machine may cost the company money like the cans and bottles.

Even without a contract, soda syrup is a rounding error in the budget. Anyone selling you a fountain soda is making obscene profits on it.

 

[tvguy]

Disney gets Coke syrup free. That is why the "free" soda is from the machines and not in cans or bottles since those aren't free to them. Maybe that contract has expired, I don't know, but having a freestyle machine may cost the company money like the cans and bottles.

Why on earth would Coke give away the syrup? As others have pointed out, they used to charge like $25 per person for unlimited soda. They probably raised the fares by $50 when when went to soda included.
My e-mail box is full of offers from RCCL, NCL, and Celebrity offering free unlimited alcoholic beverage if you book with them.