Key Aspects:
- Liberty of the Seas is the next Royal Caribbean ship to get Coca-Cola freestyle machines added onboard.
- These high-tech soda fountains feature a greater variety of drink types and flavors, but some worry that they don’t work as well as they should.
- Guests will need to purchase at least a basic drink package in order to enjoy drinks from the freestyle machines.
Soda lovers have something to celebrate! Another Royal Caribbean ship is getting a thirst-quenching upgrade with the addition of Coca-Cola freestyle machines.
Indeed, a recent guest onboard Liberty of the Seas saw the installation in progress in the Windjammer Buffet and outside of Sorrento’s Pizza, and confirmed what they were seeing with a crew member.
“Saw some work done in the windjammer near the station with the ice waters/juices/lemonade. I asked the worker what it was for and he said they were going to install the freestyle machines but no indication when this work would be complete,” the guest shared.
“Also saw one of these machines outside Sorrento’s so they’re probably getting added there too,” they inferred.
The freestyle machines offer smarter technology, such as easy-to-use touch screens and touchless drink pouring using a smartphone app.
Perhaps more important, these modern soda fountains offer a much wider selection of flavors and have the ability to dispense more than 100 different varieties of sodas, waters, and other drinks.
This is pretty amazing considering more standard soda fountains usually offer less than 10 main selections.
However, it’s unclear how many machines will be introduced onboard and when they will officially be ready for action. But it will likely be soon, as these machines can be installed in as little as a few hours on land.
Once the installation is complete, Liberty of the Seas will join the ranks of the 17 other Royal Caribbean ships that already feature the coveted freestyle drink machines.
It’s unclear when and if these higher-tech machines will be rolled out onboard the remaining ships in the fleet.
New Machine Gets Mixed Reactions
Somewhat surprisingly, the freestyle machines are rather divisive among cruise fans, who were either delighted by the news or very apprehensive.
Among the excited crowd, many celebrated the greater variety in beverage selections and felt that this addition was a long time coming.
“We have a bunch of zero cal/zero caffeine people in my family — the Freestyle machines add a lottt of variety for them. Glad to see this addition,” one cruise fan responded.
“Finally. A lot of people have been upset over the years because the soda package says freestyle machines and the ship didn’t have them,” another Royal Caribbean cruiser said.
But among cruisers on the fence, there were concerns about the drinks not tasting quite right, long lines to use the machines, and that the new additions might not work at all.
“Now everyone gets to stand and wait while Jayden fills up a cup with 30 flavors,” one person quipped.
“Hope they work well! Cruised on Harmony in May and they were terrible. Only 4 on the ship, 1 was inoperable, 1 couldn’t do any diet soda, and 1 had an ice issue that blocked the sensor,” a recent guest explained.
“I wish they had old single flavor soda fountains. The freestyle machine makes the sodas taste bad, there’s always a hint of flavor from the last person’s drink,” another cruiser lamented.
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If you’re interested in trying out one of these Coca-Cola freestyle machines for yourself, you will need to invest in a drink package. Soda is not included in the standard cruise fare on Royal Caribbean cruises.
The most basic drink package is the Classic Soft Drinks package, which includes the freestyle drinks, standard fountain drinks and refills, and a Coca-Cola souvenir cup.
Though prices vary based on the length of the voyage, this bottom-tier package usually costs between $12 and $15 per person, per day.
Guests looking to also add in juices and alcoholic beverages to their cruise experience may also want to consider the middle-tier Refreshment Package or the top-tier Deluxe Beverage package.
The Refreshment Package usually comes with a price tag of $29 to $42 per person, per day, while the daily fee for the premium Deluxe package usually ranges between $56 to $105.
