Coffee Question

[Luci lu]

I have been reading different posts about having to pay for brewed coffee (not specialty coffee drinks). I know soda is extra, but coffee??? I haven't been on a cruise in 5 years, so I may be out of the loop!

[chrysalis]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2031634&highlight=brewed+coffee

[skynight]

Coffee & teas in the buffet are no charge. Serve yourself or the waiter will serve you. This coffee is prepared from a syrup concentrate very similar to what you get at Burger King or in many restaurants. It's OK. On the Royal there are coffee urns back on the Horizon Terrace where the coffee is made from ground beans, not the liquid concentrate. These are also free. In the International Cafe, you can purchase brewed coffee which is like the drip coffee made at home. It can be purchased by the cup. If you purchase a coffee card which has punch outs for 15 espresso drinks then you can get unlimited brewed coffee and special teas for the cruise.

[Northender]

We always get the coffee card. The brewed coffee is very good - the other coffee - not very good at all.

 

Also the card is good for specialty drinks and/or gelato. The brewed coffee is unlimited until you run out of the punches. 15, I believe. We think it is worth it and always enjoy coffee (brewed or otherwise) in the International Café.:):)

[MSN-Travelers]

To save on the quantity of refuse generated by brewing an endless supply of coffee, Princess (and maybe other lines) brings aboard a coffee concentrate that is mixed with hot water as it is dispensed at the serving station.

 

The flavor quality is subject to endless debate. What you are reading about is access to freshly brewed coffee. The from-concentrate coffee is free, the fresh brewed coffee is not.

 

The "coffee card" is a bulk pre-purchase of 15 specialty coffee drinks. The card is good until the last "punch" is used. As a side benefit, the card entitles you to an endless supply of fresh brewed coffee (at the venues where it is made) for the length of the cruise when the card was initially purchased. Some people have been lucky enough to have this benefit span multiple cruises.

 

Some people are very particular about the flavor of their coffee and they purchase the card just to get that endless supply of fresh brewed.

 

Let your taste buds dictate what you do.

Edited May 16, 2014 by MSN-Travelers

[IECalCruiser]

We always get the coffee card. The brewed coffee is very good - the other coffee - not very good at all.

 

Also the card is good for specialty drinks and/or gelato. The brewed coffee is unlimited until you run out of the punches. 15, I believe. We think it is worth it and always enjoy coffee (brewed or otherwise) in the International Café.:):)

the coffee card is good for unlimited fresh brewed coffee on the cruise it was purchased, even if you have used up all of the punches.

 

 

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[navybaby1113]

How much is the coffee card?

[chrysalis]

How much is the coffee card?

 

See post #2 :)

[Northender]

the coffee card is good for unlimited fresh brewed coffee on the cruise it was purchased, even if you have used up all of the punches.

 

 

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I thought so, but others have said "until you run out of punches." I thought maybe the rules changed since my last cruise in April.:D:D

[navybaby1113]

See post #2 :)

 

Oops...missed that. Thanks!

[dew386]

Do you know whether the coffee card (for the unlimited brewed coffees and teas) would work on the second leg of a B2B cruise? We're booked on a 14 day Caribbean Adventure but technically it is 2 cruises (Western and Eastern Caribbean with a stop in Fort Lauderdale in between) and wanted to know whether the unlimited coffee/tea at the International Café would be honoured or would I have to purchase another card?

 

Thanks,

[chrysalis]

Do you know whether the coffee card (for the unlimited brewed coffees and teas) would work on the second leg of a B2B cruise? We're booked on a 14 day Caribbean Adventure but technically it is 2 cruises (Western and Eastern Caribbean with a stop in Fort Lauderdale in between) and wanted to know whether the unlimited coffee/tea at the International Café would be honoured or would I have to purchase another card?

 

Thanks,

 

It will be honoured.

[dew386]

It will be honoured.

 

Thanks! That helps as we hardly use the 15 punches but drink a lot of tea and coffee at the Café.

[BratDet]

but in the dining room, they only have the syrup based. It is fine, I just drink a small bit of it.....not the whole cup...reminds me of being at an event or wedding- where the coffee is just passable....

 

I always either have a coffee card ,OR one of my cards with punches left to use...at the IC

 

Although a cup of coffee is not expensive, it is so much easier to just flash a card, or get a punch ,instead of waiting to sign a receipt, and generating a bill you have to keep track of....on board...

 

Bernadette

[IECalCruiser]

I thought so, but others have said "until you run out of punches." I thought maybe the rules changed since my last cruise in April.:D:D

That was the "Unwritten Rule" in use before they changed the coffee card so that you could only get fresh brewed coffee on the cruise on which the card was purchased.

 

 

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[Randolphkay]

I'm not a coffee drinker but I do like chia latte. Do they serve these in the IC? Thanks for the help

[eskiemom]

Just another idea--there is always hot water in the horizon buffett. I take several kinds of starbicjs via etc and my own travel mug and go from there. Now yes I will treat myself to the IC every now and then but I LOVE coffee and the costs even with a coffee card could be alot.

[kayaker35]

Just another idea--there is always hot water in the horizon buffett. I take several kinds of starbicjs via etc and my own travel mug and go from there. Now yes I will treat myself to the IC every now and then but I LOVE coffee and the costs even with a coffee card could be alot.

 

Excellent suggestion! I love the IC coffee, and would purchase the Cafe Selects card reglardless, but for the dining room, the Via coffee would be preferable to the concentrate. I'll have to buy a selection before the next cruise. We always bring our mugs on cruises. Nice to have an insulated mug to carry when strolling the promenade.

 

Karen

[shredie]

That was the "Unwritten Rule" in use before they changed the coffee card so that you could only get fresh brewed coffee on the cruise on which the card was purchased.

 

 

 

It's so confusing. My last cruise, they didn't write the ship name on the card, so I'll see what happens next cruise. (I had several punches left.)

[IECalCruiser]

It's so confusing. My last cruise, they didn't write the ship name on the card, so I'll see what happens next cruise. (I had several punches left.)

You might get lucky. They are supposed to write the cruise date on the back of the card. I have seen baristas at the IC check the back of the card (as they are supposed to do) and add the current cruise date if there is none.

[circus]

Leaving next week for 7 day Alaska on the island. Just checked my old coffee cards and still have some that say 'Oueen of 'steam'. Hope they will honor them. When I purchased them there were no restrictions, but now...what do y'all think. Anyone had any success with old coffee cards lately?

[rdsqrl]

Leaving next week for 7 day Alaska on the island. Just checked my old coffee cards and still have some that say 'Oueen of 'steam'. Hope they will honor them. When I purchased them there were no restrictions, but now...what do y'all think. Anyone had any success with old coffee cards lately?

I still have two partially-used old style cards (mine are the Jack and King . . ). I had no trouble using them on the Pacific in December. Only one barista looked at it twice and then he only laughed and said, "You must have been saving this up for a long time!" Now, I do not use them for brewed coffee; I only use them for mochas, and I'm assuming that your question refers to ease of use vis-a-vis specialty coffees.

[IECalCruiser]

Leaving next week for 7 day Alaska on the island. Just checked my old coffee cards and still have some that say 'Oueen of 'steam'. Hope they will honor them. When I purchased them there were no restrictions, but now...what do y'all think. Anyone had any success with old coffee cards lately?

DW finished up a Queen of Steam card on our last cruise. No free fresh brewed coffee with the old cards but you can use the punches. DW used it for Anericanos.

 

 

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[Thrak]

Just left the Grand this morning. Sometimes the coffee was fine. Sometimes was pretty poor. It changed from cup to cup. There was no consistency at all. I drank it anyway and thoroughly enjoyed my cruise.