Louisiana Guests Who Cruise on Carnival Will Be Denied This Drink

The very first cruise I ever took was about 20 or so years ago. We sailed out of the Port of New Orleans and I was hooked. I truly loved watching the Louisiana landscape roll by as we sailed down the Mississippi River through Plaquemines Parish past Buras and on toward Venice.

Okay, I was not expecting the ship to "tilt" the way it did when the vessel hit the Gulf of Mexico. It has everything to do with the strong current of the Mississippi River and the difference in density between salt water and fresh water. And just to clarify, no it was not a major upheaval but for someone who is overly sensitive to motion, it woke me up.

Since then I have been on several dozen cruises on Carnival, Norwegian, Holland America, Celebrity, and Royal Caribbean. And while the cruise experience is similar on each of those lines, there are subtle differences that have shifted my allegiance from one cruise line to another.

One cruise line I seldom book passage on is the cruise line I took my first cruise. That would be Carnival. I have no ill will against their ships, their service, their ports of call, their staff, and their facilities. But there is one thing I can't get on Carnival that seems small but it was a deal breaker for me.

Carnival Passengers Won't Be Served This Drink While On Board

My reason for abandoning Carnival Cruise Lines has to do with what a bartender told me. Here's how that conversation unfolded.

Me: May I have a Coke, please?

Bartender: Is Pepsi okay?

Believe it or not, that question and that answer are the reason a lot of cruise guests choose one cruise carrier over another. And in the case of Carnival Cruise Lines, they are Pepsi Boats, at least for their North American Fleet.

Now it's not like they only have Pepsi or Diet Pepsi on board Carnival ships. They do have many of the company's other products such as MTN Dew, Gatorade, Pure Leaf teas, Starbucks iced coffees, Naked Juice, and bubly flavored sparkling waters. Those are nice. I do like MTN or is it back to "Mountain" Dew? But not as much as I prefer to cool off and quench my thirst with a Coke.

I also have nightmares about drinks such as Rum and Pepsi and Jack and Pepsi. I am sure after a few of them they'll taste okay but I could never make it past the first swallow and I am an alcoholic. In case you're wondering, recovering alcoholic. If you're a friend of Bill's you know they have meetings on board cruise ships, right?

Carnival has heard the cacophony of complaints from Coke drinkers over their agreement to be Pepsi-only boats. Carnival does allow guests to bring 12 cans of Coke onto the ship at each port of call. Which I guess is fair if you have time to shop for a 12-pack of Coke on shore.

So, I guess there are ways around the "Is Pepsi okay" question. I would just have to answer, No, but I will have an MTN or Mountain Dew. I should give Carnival another try. I hear the Mardi Gras is a bitchin' boat. If you've sailed on her, send me a note and tell me what you think.