Do you know if they are still charging extra for bottle water and soft drinks (Coke, etc)? I've gotten spoiled on Radisson (now Regent) where these are included in the price, but the one time I was on Oceania a couple of years ago, they charged extra and passengers (including myself) were hauling bottled water on to the ship from the ports. I was just wondering if they had changed the policy. Thank you!

quote:

Do you know if they are still charging extra for bottle water and soft drinks (Coke, etc)?

Mountain Mama,

welcome to Cruise-Chat.com.

Yes, most definitely Oceania does charge you for bottled water and soft drinks. RSSC operates in a higher market segment (luxury vs. deluxe) and in the luxury segment, drinks are often included.

RSSC charge extra $$$ upfront so you don't have to pay for water and drinks onboard.

I don't mind the "pay as you go" system as we very seldom drink and I can drink the tap water.
Our drink bill for a 14 day cruise on Oceania is under $50.
When I compare that to the extra fare on RSSC I save about $2000.+
Different priorites for different people

Thank you for the replies. We don't drink either & had tap water with dinner on Oceania, as well as RSSC. I was just under the impression that Oceania marketed itself on the same class as RSSC - my error. The bottled water we put in the fridge so we have cold water on the next day's walks through town. The kids enjoy the "free" sodas on board, but they can survive on water. ;-)

But is the tap water safe? On a riverboat tour of China we were told to ONLY drink bottled water... which, fortunately, was provided. I don't like the idea of: Buy water or else get poisoned.

The more I hear about Oceania, the more inclined I am to to try Holland or Norwegian.

quote:

Originally posted by joeinSD:
But is the tap water safe? On a riverboat tour of China we were told to ONLY drink bottled water... which, fortunately, was provided. I don't like the idea of: Buy water or else get poisoned.

The more I hear about Oceania, the more inclined I am to to try Holland or Norwegian.

On riverboat they probably do not have the water making facilities they would on a larger cruise ship. They draw the water from the ocean and make desalinated water. Not sure if they could do that on the rivers in China.
Not sure what you have heard about Oceania that would cause you to choose HAL or NCL instead.
BTW HAL & NCL will charge for bottled water & cokes also