Question about International Cafe

[vacationgogo]

I'm a little confused about the International Cafe. I know that they have specialty coffees and teas, pastries and ice cream. From all I have seen on the boards, there is a charge for the coffees and shakes. Is anything there complimentary or is it considered to be like a specialty restaurant? If there is a fee for everything there, are there complimentary alternatives elsewhere on the ship? I have already purchased 2 coffee cards but we are 4 adults in my family and over the course of 7 days, it could get very pricey. We love our pastries and ice cream! I also read on another thread that you can use the coffee card for gelato. Can anyone confirm this? TIA.

[Hoosier-Cruiser]

Pastries and other food items (excluding gelato) are free. Gelato is only available on the Royal Princess. Specialty coffes are one punch. Brewed coffees are free, just show your punch card.

[Daisyloo]

The Internationl Cafe has desserts as well as great salads, soups and sandwiches. All that is free. Gelato is an extra fee, but not very expensive. Coffee and tea cost extra - you can pay individually or purchase a coffee card that has 15 punches for specialty coffees and which gives you unlimited brewed coffee and tea during that sailing. I am not sure about using the coffee card for gelato.

[chrysalis]

Pastries and other food items (excluding gelato) are free. Gelato is only available on the Royal Princess. Specialty coffes are one punch. Brewed coffees are free, just show your punch card.

 

Sorry, but Gelato is available on more ships than just the Royal...

[Hoosier-Cruiser]

Sorry, but Gelato is available on more ships than just the Royal...

 

My mistake. I obviously need more coffee this morning. Now where is that coffee card...

[chrysalis]

My mistake. I obviously need more coffee this morning. Now where is that coffee card...

 

No problem.....I suspect you meant to say "Gelatio FOR A PUNCH is only available on the Royal"

[vacationgogo]

Thanks Everyone. That will definitely help. What about ice cream elsewhere on the ship? Or is it frozen yogurt?

[sassyredhat]

There is ice cream elsewhere, usually near the main pool.

 

On many ships, there is Alfredo's pizza which is free. It's a sit down area, and they have several different pizzas.

We love, love the IC. Sandwiches and chicken salad are great.

We stop by there every night for fresh baked cookies.

 

Pat

[skynight]

Soft Ice Cream at no charge is available from 11am at the ice cream bar on the Lido deck. Sometimes the Horizon ct. has hard ice cream as part of one of their desserts. Attached is the latest Princess dining guide where you can check out the dining options by ship.

Dining Guide - Princess 1213.pdf

[vacationgogo]

Thanks so much.

[IECalCruiser]

Only the ICs on the Crown, Emerald and Ruby have gelato available at $1.50 for three good sized scoops. The Royal and Regal have a separate venue, Gelato, where gelato is $2.75 or one coffee card punch for three scoops plus toppings.

 

 

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[Jasperdo]

Here are a few photos of the typical food offerings you'll find at the International Cafe. As others have already mentioned, there is no charge for any of it (except for the gelato which some ships have). You do have to have the server get it for you, though, since it's all behind glass.

 

Golden Princess by Jasperdo, on Flickr

 

Golden Princess by Jasperdo, on Flickr

 

Golden Princess by Jasperdo, on Flickr

[shredie]

Although the coffee bar is part of the IC, they have different wait staff. The food is on one side, and the server will get it for you. They heat up the quiches, etc. There is also soup available. The coffee bar is not free as is the rest of the IC. There you can get lattes, various teas, etc. It is not necessary to stand in one line for everything. There is usually a queue for the IC and a separate one for the coffee. Depending on the time of day, there is often no queue at either. The challenge is finding a place to sit and eat in the Piazza. You can take your food to the bar area, as well. I've made lots of friends offering a place to someone when I am at a table alone with an empty second or third chair.

[vacationgogo]

Thanks again for the info. And for those great pictures. I got hungry just looking at them!

[OCruisers]

Although the coffee bar is part of the IC, they have different wait staff. The food is on one side, and the server will get it for you. They heat up the quiches, etc. There is also soup available. The coffee bar is not free as is the rest of the IC. There you can get lattes, various teas, etc. It is not necessary to stand in one line for everything. There is usually a queue for the IC and a separate one for the coffee. Depending on the time of day, there is often no queue at either. The challenge is finding a place to sit and eat in the Piazza. You can take your food to the bar area, as well. I've made lots of friends offering a place to someone when I am at a table alone with an empty second or third chair.

 

You might want to just take it across the way to a table at Vines overlooking the Piazza (Emerald/Crown/Ruby) . For some reason folks don't realize it's all right to do that.

 

LuLu

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[Cruisin' Chick]

Soft Ice Cream at no charge is available from 11am at the ice cream bar on the Lido deck. Sometimes the Horizon ct. has hard ice cream as part of one of their desserts. Attached is the latest Princess dining guide where you can check out the dining options by ship.

 

The Horizon Court (the buffet) used to have ice cream--homemade flavors with various toppings -- mid afternoon, but no longer (at least not on the Golden, which was our ship for our last two sailings). The main dining room is where you can get ice cream, in various flavors, and the Scoops by the uncovered pool is where you can get soft-serve (as well as often ice cream treats, such as malts). On ships w/o gelato, I don't recall seeing ice cream at the International Cafe.

 

The IC is not enclosed -- the items are in the display cases as in Jasperdo's photos -- so you go up to the counter and tell the server what you want. You'll get the item on a plate (or bowl, if it's soup) and you can either look for a table there in the Piazza (if there's entertainment going on, there may not be an available seat) or take your items just about anywhere else on the ship, including your cabin. I would get a treat mid-afternoon and take it to the lounge for the afternoon trivia match.

[deminggraham]

In the morning they also make breakfast sandwiches and have pastries and crossants so you can get a quick light breakfast. With your coffee card you can get fresh brewed coffee for free and you have all you need.

 

They also will make iced coffee which is free with your card and is really good.

Edited February 14, 2014 by deminggraham

[Thrak]

I'm a little confused about the International Cafe. I know that they have specialty coffees and teas, pastries and ice cream. From all I have seen on the boards, there is a charge for the coffees and shakes. Is anything there complimentary or is it considered to be like a specialty restaurant? If there is a fee for everything there, are there complimentary alternatives elsewhere on the ship? I have already purchased 2 coffee cards but we are 4 adults in my family and over the course of 7 days, it could get very pricey. We love our pastries and ice cream! I also read on another thread that you can use the coffee card for gelato. Can anyone confirm this? TIA.

 

No ice cream. No shakes. Those aren't available at the IC.

[CruiseWookiee]

We had a pre-dinner routine for our group of 6-8. We would meet at Vines and someone would walk over to IC and get a plate of cheeses, grapes, dates and a plate of shrimp salad and sometimes a quiche that we would cut into pieces.

 

We would get our wine at Vines and bring whatever was left over into the dining room with us.

 

Vines had snacks also, but they were just OK. Olives and breadsticks with prosciutto wrapped on one end.

 

If you're going to Vines on Royal Princess, say hi to Cesar from Peru for us. He was our favorite of all the wait staff.

[OCruisers]

In the morning they also make breakfast sandwiches and have pastries and crossants so you can get a quick light breakfast. With your coffee card you can get fresh brewed coffee for free and you have all you need.

 

The only Breakfast sandwich they have at IC is the Princess version of an Egg McMuffin. There are LOTS of pastries.

 

Many more options after 11:30 AM. :)

 

LuLu

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[caribill]

The Horizon Court (the buffet) used to have ice cream--homemade flavors with various toppings -- mid afternoon' date=' but no longer (at least not on the Golden, which was our ship for our last two sailings). The main dining room is where you can get ice cream, in various flavors, and the Scoops by the uncovered pool is where you can get soft-serve (as well as often ice cream treats, such as malts).[/quote']

 

The Horizon Court ice cream hour ended when they started the free soft-serve at Scoops. It still exists on the Ocean and the Pacific as they do not have a Scoops.

[satxdiver]

Food offerings at the IC changes according to the time of day. Mornings has breakfast style pastries etc which changes to lunch type small sandwiches, salads and then at night they have snacks, cookies, etc. It is open 24x7. The bar adjacent handles the specialty coffee as well as the standard alcoholic drinks. Love those bloody marys in the morning!

[littletyger]

A sort of related question: Can I buy one coffee card to be used between my mother & I? I would be getting the lattes and she would want the brewed coffee. Thanks! :)

[WisCruiser2]

Love the IC for a light lunch or a "little something" (as my mother would say) in the afternoon! @littletyger: yes, you can get a latte (punched) for yourself & a brewed coffee (no punch) for someone else. They will even give you 2 brewed coffees with one card... :D

[sunlover5]

Not sure if this one pastry is on all ships in the IC but they are popular in NYC, so when we went on the Canadian/NE cruise this past fall out of NY they had what was called a cronut....cross between croissant and donut.....

Oh my....I couldn't get enough.:eek:

Definitely try one if they have them!