Packing soda's?

[menapage]

Is it o.k. to pack sodas in your checked luggage? I have heard that this has been discontinued, but my cruise contract says a limited amount can be brought onboard.

[dina]

Originally Posted by menapage

Is it o.k. to pack sodas in your checked luggage? I have heard that this has been discontinued, but my cruise contract says a limited amount can be brought onboard.

You can pack it.. its just real heavy. How much soda were you planning on taking with you?

[menapage]

Just a couple of 12 packs is all. I am sure the juices and teas will be plenty for us.

[CA Cruiser]

We always bring a 12 pack of Pepsi and a 6 pack of water in our carry-on with no problems. As soon as we get in our cabin, we put them in the refrigerator so they can get cold. We drink them at lunch or during a show and have many people offer to buy one because you can't get Pepsi's on the ship.

[menapage]

Thanks for the tips.

[Rev22:17]

menapage,

Originally Posted by You

Is it o.k. to pack sodas in your checked luggage? I have heard that this has been discontinued, but my cruise contract says a limited amount can be brought onboard.

If you drink that much soda, why not just get a soda sticker when you get aboard ship? It entitles you to unlimited fountain sodas from every bar on the ship for the duration of the cruise. The price is about $5 per day, or about the cost of 2 1/2 sodas, on most of the major lines.

Norm.

[lauriloo]

Originally Posted by Rev22:17

If you drink that much soda, why not just get a soda sticker when you get aboard ship? It entitles you to unlimited fountain sodas from every bar on the ship for the duration of the cruise. The price is about $5 per day, or about the cost of 2 1/2 sodas, on most of the major lines.

I don't buy a card because they are for fountain pop from the bar which a)doesn't taste as good as bottled and takes a while to get from the waiter and b)doesn't do you any good when you're in your cabin.

[LisaK]

the key word is "reasonable" amount. The cruise lines will allow you to carry on a couple of 6 or 12 packs of soda or water, especially if its a brand that the ship doesn't carry. Its the folks who try to bring aboard a cooler full of soda that can cause problems.

[menapage]

There are 8 of us traveling together, so for 5 days we will drink about 24 sodas. In addition to, we drink Pepsi products and I am told the ship only carries Coke products.

[dawson21]

I noticed the last time anything was posted about bringing soda aboard was in March....has this policy changed, can we still bring a little Pepsi with us or buy some on a shore excursion and bring it back aboard to drink for the rest of the cruise? I, for one, prefer Pepsi so it would be really nice to do this.
Thanks, Carla

[rosetattoo]

You can still bring non-alcoholic beverages on board but in a limited quantity. When we cruised last year, the security personnel opened our carry-on luggage and counted the cans of soda we had packed. We saw a gentleman pushing a hand truck with 6 cases of soda towards Security and when he approached Security, they wouldn't let him bring any on board. I have no idea what he did with the 6 cases of soda, hopefully, he had his personal car at the Port and was able to store it.

[Joe323]

Years ago 1998 to be exact I brought a case of Coke in cans to the peir from home and decided that it was so heavy that I was not going to drag the 11 cans or so I had left back with me. I MIGHT bring a 12-pack this time but no more then that.

[Russell in MD]

I dont know where your cruising out of but have the cab driver stop at a 7 11 or something along the way to the port. Then just carry it on when you board. No sense taking up space in your bags.

Im a Dr Pepper guy and they dont have it on board so I always take along a 12 pack.

R

[Fruitcake]

The soda cards on HAL are not for unlimited drinks.
They are for 20 sodas.
The days of the stickers for unlimited soft drinks are over on HAL.

[canuckity]

I'm certain that the day will come when all cruise lines attach a limit to soda cards. I've seen too many posts about people buying one card and allowing several people use it.

[Desdemona01]

Originally Posted by canuckity

I'm certain that the day will come when all cruise lines attach a limit to soda cards. I've seen too many posts about people buying one card and allowing several people use it.

that's exactly what was happening. People were bragging, on both the ships and the cruise message boards, about how they'd buy one card and send different members of the family to the bars for sodas, thus ruining it for everyone.

[beeker]

I just came back from the Mariner of the Seas (June 08) Royal Carribean. There were two of us and we brought on about 24 sodas (Walmart Sam's Brand) and twelve gatorades. No one said anything.

We packed it in a bag that we checked. We used the bag to carry souviners on the way out.

[jackieb]

Ok you can bring it on the ship, but how about the flight?

[Rev22:17]

jhearty1,

Originally Posted by You

Ok you can bring it on the ship, but how about the flight?

You have to pack it in your checked luggage because TSA regulations forbid bringing beverages, other than formula for infants, through the security checkpoint.

If you really want to bring your own sodas aboard ship, the better approach is to buy them in the port of embarkation so you don't have to pack them for the flight. Note that the major airlines now charge pretty steeply* for oversize and overweight luggage.

Norm.

* - Typical charges: $25 for anything that meets the size requirements and weighs 50 to 70 pounds and $100 for anything either oversize or over 70 pounds

[Beetlegator]

Originally Posted by rosetattoo

. . . We saw a gentleman pushing a hand truck with 6 cases of soda towards Security and when he approached Security, they wouldn't let him bring any on board. I have no idea what he did with the 6 cases of soda, hopefully, he had his personal car at the Port and was able to store it.

Why can't people actually do homework before they take a cruise it would be less hassle.

[NY Cruisin Mama]

You can stop and buy your soda prior to boarding the ship - why would you want to pay excess baggage charges on that !! Or depending on where your port of calls are - you can buy then. We did this in Cabo San
Lucas but had a devil of a time finding a little store (back alleys) that sold
our Pepsi. This trip - we will stop at a grocery store or Walmart and bring
on board in Pt. Canaveral. We like to have it for our cabin and maybe
a shore excursion or two. Plus I am bringing the travel packs of Crystal
lite - takes up no room and you can mix with water.

[ferrangi]

I heard you can just attach a luggage tag to a case of soda and check in with you luggage....
Has anyone done this?

[colorcrazie]

I would not even consider this. If you ever see the huge piles of luggage that they move around, if your sodas ended up near the bottom, expecting to get anything but flat cans would be unrealistic. Not to mention the mess you would make on everyone's luggage. Carry it on or tough it out and drink the free tea and lemonade (great mixed together).
Marty

[nanabells]

I'll be going on my first cruise in Nov 09, so this is interesting info. I am a Pepsi purist so I always check before I go somewhere to see if it is available. Learned my lesson at Disney - no Pepsi, Coke... yuck :-)

[Maruccio]

I hope you live at your departure port. Otherwise, I'd like to be with you when you open a suitcase with everything bathed in Coke! You might get away with this once in a while, however, based upon vast experience, I don't recommend it. Try water.

[colorcrazie]

A friend just returned from a Princess cruise. Her sister took 2 cases of soda on board and tipped an on board employee well to deliver it straight to her cabin. I'm happy with tap water or the iced/lemonade on board, so I don't have any firsthand experience with this.
Marty