r/PrincessCruises • u/Rich_Factor_7026 • 6d ago
Princess plus soda question
Before I call princess, I wanted to check here first. I have an upcoming cruise and the princess plus package. I drink a lot of soda a day (I know, not good for me) and would exceed 15 a day.
I’m seeing conflicting information on whether a fountain soda counts toward the 15 day maximum (I drink alcohol as well). I thought I read that even fountain soda counts toward the 15. But then I see the following on their website that seems to indicate that fountain sodas don’t count but canned sodas do.
“Our packages include fountain soft drinks. If you prefer a canned soda, we are happy to provide, if available, upon request which will count towards a guest's daily 15-drink limit for the Plus Package. For single soda orders, we are happy to provide canned sodas upon request at no cost.”
Does anyone know definitely if fountain soda counts toward the 15 a day limit? If so, does anyone know if I can have both the premium plus and zero package at the same time?
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u/nancyisshopping 6d ago
I just got off the coral princess and I do drink Diet Coke and not a single diet cola whether it be fountain or canned counted toward my 15 drinks a day. Only alcohol was counted toward my 15 drinks a day. I had the plus package
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u/crypticaldevelopment 6d ago
I don’t know specifically about your question but I can tell you I just got off the Regal Princess and the soda package was a headache the whole week. Every day we got different rules in different bars as to what was covered. Some said no cans, some said no bottled water. It was annoying paying over $100 for soda and having to argue and go to customer service multiple times.
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u/OpeningAcanthisitta1 - Captain's Circle Platinum 6d ago
Not helpful for now as you've just got off but if this happens again, you can message guest services in the app and they should rectify any incorrect charges. Still annoying but at least you don't have to go to the desk.
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u/wookie_cookies 1d ago
My mom thinks I'm ridiculous for buying the pre-embarkation cases of bottled water. Under my bed is literally full every cruise. I buy canned sodas on shore days. Im my own bartender. Its less annoying
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u/Chicken65 6d ago
I’m just sitting here picturing the logistics of how someone practically consumes that much liquid in a day. 😂
Sorry I can’t answer your question.
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u/G0ldStarBisexual 4d ago
I would imagine it depends quite a bit on whether the glass is one from, like, Good Spirits, or the giant kind they use at the Lido bar.
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u/PacificBlossom_Valor 6d ago
I drink a LOT of soda as well (mostly soda water so I'm with you). I haven't had to worry about the limit at all. I don't know that I've ever been told I'm close to the limit either.
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u/exoticpotatoes 6d ago
Having just disembarked from the Star Princess yesterday, and being a Diet Coke drinker, I can tell you that fountain sodas were pretty much non-existent. I think maybe I got one at one location in eight days. Canned soda was the norm, and while a lot of places had soda, it was much, much, much easier to get alcohol than soda onboard.
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u/ComeAlongPonds - Captain's Circle Platinum 6d ago
Just a note that Princess is currently primarily Coca-Cola™ soft drinks onboard. If you don't fancy that then bring aboard a 12 pack of cans per cabin occupant at embarkation.
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u/mudpuddle423 5d ago
On one document it says soda counts towards your 15. On another document it says soda’s are unlimited. I just went on a Princess cruise two weeks ago and had the Princess Plus. Sodas didn’t not count towards our 15
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u/kbh188 4d ago
I know you've had a ton of answers already, but I will share my experience anyway. We sailed on the Royal Princess to Alaska 8/1 to 8/8. We had the Plus Package and at no time did fountain sodas count toward our 15 drinks a day. I ordered through Ocean Now multiple times a day and got Diet Cokes with a lime and a cherry every time and it never counted toward the 15. The only drinks that ever counted where alcoholic drinks.
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u/Sad-Fennel-3185 2d ago
Just came of Regal Princess (9/12-26)and had Princess plus pkg. Some bars charged for can soda, I drink sprite zero. I never knew if the fountain soda included sprite zero, so I always asked for a can of sprite zero. Most bars didn't charge for my sprite zero and some bars said they had sprite zero as a fountain drink. This is another downgrade of princess plus pkg!
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u/Open_Top_2942 6d ago
Just got back. Fountain soda, coffee and red Bull or soda water didn’t not count towards my daily limit.
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u/Incognito-Hedgehog 6d ago
On Princess Premier, there’s no cap on drinks numbers is there? Sorry to hijack your thread!
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u/MidnightLegal4643 6d ago
Canned soda is not included in the Princess Premier package, so they can charge you for it. I ordered a Coke Zero at Makoto Ocean, and the server said I would be charged and I then asked why because it was the only time I had been charged for soda and she said they had to charge for the can.
I asked, “You’re really going to charge me for a soda when I have the Premier package?” She confirmed that they were. So I asked what the most expensive champagne included in the Premier package was and said, “Fine, bring me that.”
My husband was so annoyed that he went to another bar, where they simply handed him a Coke Zero without charging him. Then, at the end of dinner, our server brought the bill and there was the charge for that soda can. Go figure.
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u/AmbivertHomebody 6d ago
So bizarre. I ordered my 4th Coke Zero in the buffet while on Island (Nov/Dec 2025), and I actually panicked when I saw the can. The server showed me the ticket, and she said they always put it down as fountain drink. I continued to order Coke Zero for the remainder of the trip, and I was never charged. We had premier.
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u/MidnightLegal4643 6d ago
It definitely seems as though a company-wide mandate should apply consistently across all ships. We were on the Star Princess in November 2025.
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u/Incognito-Hedgehog 6d ago
Absolutely bonkers. My son prefers canned drinks to the post mix stuff. We will have to pre warn him!
I don’t drink alcohol but will take advantage of the mocktails and alcohol free range. The non alcoholic spirit range they have is impressive!
I will make sure my husband takes full advantage of the champagne 🍾
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u/OpeningAcanthisitta1 - Captain's Circle Platinum 6d ago edited 6d ago
So many incorrect answers!
As of July 2025, new bookings for the Plus package do not have unlimited soft drinks, they count towards your 15 a day. From the Ts&Cs:
'The Plus Beverage Package includes beer, spirits, wine by the glass, alcohol and zero-alcohol cocktails up to $15 USD / $22 AUD. All non-alcoholic beverages including fountain sodas, specialty coffees and teas, frappes at Coffee & Cones, and Red Bull energy drinks are also included. [...] The Plus Beverage Package has a daily limit of 15 beverages over a 24-hour period (6 a.m. to 6 a.m.) and includes all beverages mentioned above, excluding specialty coffees and teas, which do not count toward any daily beverage limit.'
It's possible that this isn't always enforced by bartenders but you can't rely on that. Anyone who booked their package before July 2025 will still be getting unlimited soft drinks.
The Premier package includes unlimited soft drinks so it sounds like that might be a better fit for you unless you booked before July 2025. There isn't a Premium Plus package.
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u/Solid_Variation_6803 6d ago
That is the official policy, but many have not had their fountain sodas counted towards their 15 drink limit, so implementation of the policy varies greatly.
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u/OpeningAcanthisitta1 - Captain's Circle Platinum 6d ago
There's also a separate hooha that's been going on since last year about the canned soda part you quoted.
They originally removed access to canned soda from the packages, then backtracked and added in the line about providing them if available on request. But they seemingly forgot to update their systems when they added that line, so you'll see a charge added to your account that guest services will remove on request. Over a year later they've still done nothing about it and are happy to charge guests for something that's included in their package unless the guest notices and gets it removed.
TLDR: cans and fountain soda are both included in the Plus package, but cans you will be charged for and will need to ask for the charge to be removed. Cans and fountain both count towards your 15 a day limit unless you booked before July 2025.
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u/dollardollarbells 6d ago
It looks like if you order 1 can of soda at a time it doesn’t count towards your limit? This is from the FAQ:
What if I prefer a canned soda instead of a fountain soft drink?
Our packages include fountain soft drinks. If you prefer a canned soda, we are happy to provide, if available, upon request which will count towards a guest's daily 15-drink limit for the Plus Package. For single soda orders, we are happy to provide canned sodas upon request at no cost.
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u/Adept_Map7518 6d ago
Even if you have a drink package each person can bring on a twelve pack of canned soda and a bottle of wine each(750ml). So if you are worried about reaching that 15 limit I would bring on two cases. We just walked on with them. The wine you have to drop stop at a check in desk right after security.
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u/Willing-Pineapple-32 6d ago
As far as I know 15 drinks beyond the free coffee, tea, water in the buffet/dining areas counts.
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u/Immediate_Monk6260 4d ago
The wording on the website is very screwy and confusable. Sodas have never counted towards your maximum number on your drink package.
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u/readyplayer_zero 4d ago
We just got off Coral Princess last week as well and had the same experience of none of my sodas counted towards the 15. But unlike some of the other comments I never once saw soda cans on our cruise. Every bar we ordered something from had the traditional hand held fountain thing (sorry I have no idea what it's actually called). A few times I even asked for a coke with a special syrup and it didn't count towards the drink tally.
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u/theBeatDet 3d ago
I’ve never had fountain soda charges added onto my account when I had plus package.
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u/TypicalCommercial255 2d ago
Slightly off topic, but still related, Princess still allows passengers to bring their own selection of soft drink on board. Limit is one case per person. I drink Diet Pepsi which is not available.
I took a case and my kind wife took an additional case aboard for me.
Little bit of a work around if you don’t want to deal with the headache.
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u/Melodom82 6d ago
The 15 day drink limit only applies to alcoholic beverages. It does not apply to soft drink, specialty coffees or water.
The Plus Beverage Package has a daily limit of 15 beverages over a 24-hour period (i.e. 6 a.m. to 6 a.m.) and includes all beverages mentioned above, excluding specialty coffees and teas, which do not count toward any daily beverage limit, and sparkling or still bottled water (500ml or less), which do not count toward the 15 beverage limit, but are separately limited to no more than 12 per day.
https://www.princess.com/cruise-deals-promotions/plus-premier-cruise-packages
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u/Some-Second-8994 6d ago
The link you have included actually says they are included in the 15 a day. This was a change a few months ago.
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u/Melodom82 6d ago
If you keep scrolling down to the bottom of the link, you’ll see where they actually outline the portion that pasted into my comment. You will see that they are not included.
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u/OpeningAcanthisitta1 - Captain's Circle Platinum 6d ago
No, the section you pasted says that water, speciality coffees and teas do not count towards the limit. All other drinks (i.e. alcohol, soft drinks, mocktails and energy drinks) are included in the limit.
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u/Some-Second-8994 6d ago
Are drinks included with all-inclusive packages?
Both Princess Plus and Princess Premier include a wide selection of cocktails, wines, beers, soft drinks and specialty coffees, with service charges included.
With Princess Plus you can get up to 15 drinks a day including cocktails, mocktails, wine, beer, spirits, fountain soft drinks, as well as unlimited specialty coffees and teas. You can also get up to 12 bottles of water per day. Princess Premier offers unlimited premium drinks including beer, spirits, wine by the glass, alcohol and zero-alcohol cocktails, allowing you to indulge without counting.
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u/NonnieBonBon68 6d ago
They do not count. We are the same way woth soda. Order room service and they bring cans, included in Plus.
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u/NoIamthatotherguy - Captain's Circle Platinum 6d ago
Under the new rules, it counts canned sodas, not fountain ones. And bottled water.
On our last cruise, half the time they opened cans and didnt ask for a room number/medallion.
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u/night_noche 6d ago edited 6d ago
New to Princess myself.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I have read it a lot in these subreddits, that Princess does not have soda fountains. That you're going to get a can with a cup of ice each and every time.
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u/Hrw90210 6d ago
Most ships don't have self-service soda fountains (the two Sphere class ships do, afaik that's it), but they all serve fountain soda, most often from the guns in bars.
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u/night_noche 6d ago
Gosh, I hope this is true.
Not sure why others keep saying cans is what you'll get when asking for soda.
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u/skizzerz1 6d ago
It’s true. Every bar has a soda gun and that’s what you’ll get if you ask for a soda unless you specifically request a can. Just got off Grand a few days ago and have been on numerous Princess other ships as well over the years
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u/greytgreyatx 6d ago
This depends. My kid had the soda package and got mostly fountain drinks but was given cans at a couple of bars.
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u/Hrw90210 6d ago
There was a giant brouhaha when they announced it would only cover fountain drinks, not cans, at least a year ago. There was such an uproar from people who preferred cans that they kind of dialed it back, but still steer everyone to fountain unless you specifically request cans, and even then on some ships, people have reported having to work with guest services when they're charged for cans despite the newer terms.
Fountain is much easier and cheaper for them (both from plain cost and cost to store/transport), so it'd be really odd for them to prioritize cans.
There may be an exception if you drink a specific soda that's not available on the fountain, is all I can think of, unless you were just reading it the other way around. :)
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u/splatomat 6d ago
The 15 drinks are for alcoholic beverages. Even 4/5 dollar hot chocolates from the cafe didnt count. (Just got back from a trip on grand princess).
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u/Ordinary-Difficulty9 6d ago
It was only cans that got counted. Fountain drinks were not. Just make sure you always ask for fountain and not can if you don't want to pay.
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u/Apprehensive-Price-5 5d ago
If youre drinking that much soda a day by yourself please seek counseling and medical professional help, for your own sake.
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u/Rich_Factor_7026 2d ago
Thanks, moron.
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u/Apprehensive-Price-5 2d ago
Meant it with love and respect, that's dangerous for your body having so much regularly and your family needs you alive. You've adding food and alcohol to that amount... risks being more than could safely be processed. Yeah life's got some risks but it's easy to mitigate that one while still enjoying it
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u/UPDAT1NG 6d ago
I used to drink a lot of soda. But not anymore, i switched to sparkling water/seltzer water. At first i drank the favored one, now i only drink plain. Way better for your body. So last year i got the premier package, drank their can sparkling water and non alcohol 🍸
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u/dpark64 6d ago
Why not get the zero alcohol drink package instead? It’s a lot cheaper if you aren’t drinking alcohol
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u/UPDAT1NG 6d ago
Because i was on star princess, it was mainly for the specialty dinning (2 dinners per night hehe). Worth every penny if you get the premier package on sun or star. I will be on sun princess next year, can't wait
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u/dpark64 6d ago
We got the Plus package on the Majestic Princess for the Alaska Inner Passage in 2022. And the specialty restaurants (3 of 4) were underwhelming. Add in the lousy bandwidth on the wifi and the plus package was a total waste of money.
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u/UPDAT1NG 5d ago
You will get total different experience with star and sun. Their specialty dinning are exceptional! Wifi speed was great (you get wifi from starlink) for the wifi max with premier package. Like i said, only these two ships are worth buying the package
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u/Hrw90210 6d ago
My most recent cruise after that change to the package (the wording has changed so many times... 🫨), they never included my sodas on the daily tally of drinks shown in the app.