Elites - New Coffee System on B2B cruises?

[Cruise2End]

I have a 28 day cruise and a 49 day cruise scheduled before August. I have given several coffee cards away to folks I knew that are cruising in the near future but still have 4 or 5 left. These cards are undated (no ship/ voyage number on back.). I use very few punches as I do not drink specialty coffees. However I drink lots of brewed coffee (it’s my vice). Will I be able to use one card for each of the upcoming cruises for brewed coffee, or will I need a punch every time I get brewed coffee. Anyone have actual experience using the paper coffee cards since they were discontinued?

[MrMan]

One wonders if one can ask the matire’ d for a group table that’s “sans people who fished coffee card out of their junk drawers” for intriguing dinner conversation?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Astro Flyer]

I have a 28 day cruise and a 49 day cruise scheduled before August. I have given several coffee cards away to folks I knew that are cruising in the near future but still have 4 or 5 left. These cards are undated (no ship/ voyage number on back.). I use very few punches as I do not drink specialty coffees. However I drink lots of brewed coffee (it’s my vice). Will I be able to use one card for each of the upcoming cruises for brewed coffee, or will I need a punch every time I get brewed coffee. Anyone have actual experience using the paper coffee cards since they were discontinued?

 

Since a paper card was obviously purchased before your upcoming cruises you won’t receive unlimited brewed coffee.

 

The punches are valid until 8/31/19 for either brewed or specialty coffees.

[Cruise2End]

Thanks! I thought because the new rules indicated

• Each card must display the date of purchase to be valid.
  
• Cards without a date of purchase will have one added at the time of service by a crew member.
  

That possibly the cards were still usable as before up until 8/31/2019.

Wishful thinking on my part :)

[moki'smommy]

Thanks! I thought because the new rules indicated

• Each card must display the date of purchase to be valid.
  
• Cards without a date of purchase will have one added at the time of service by a crew member.
  

That possibly the cards were still usable as before up until 8/31/2019.

Wishful thinking on my part :)

Nope....your fresh brew will cost you a punch. But if that punch would otherwise be wasted, it's better to get something for it right?

[Cruise2End]

Nope....your fresh brew will cost you a punch. But if that punch would otherwise be wasted' date=' it's better to get something for it right?[/quote']

I’m trying to decide if I should just give the remaining cards to friends that could use them for specialty coffees, and just buy a coffee card for the 49 day cruise :rolleyes:

[moki'smommy]

I’m trying to decide if I should just give the remaining cards to friends that could use them for specialty coffees, and just buy a coffee card for the 49 day cruise :rolleyes:

So the question is kinda whether you want to be a lovely person and give them the specialty drinks or whether you want to use them for yourself.....sounds rather like a "no lose" situation. But in 49 days, you may want a lot more than 15 specialty coffees.

[Cruise2End]

So the question is kinda whether you want to be a lovely person and give them the specialty drinks or whether you want to use them for yourself.....sounds rather like a "no lose" situation. But in 49 days' date=' you may want a lot more than 15 specialty coffees.[/quote']

That’s just it - I wouldn’t drink 15 specialty coffees in a 60 day cruise...I drink “lots” of brewed coffee, but we’re on the Royal so I may not need a coffee card at all. The coffee card is really aimed at the latte,frappe, espresso drinkers :D

[Wehwalt]

I used up two partially-used old coffee cards on the CB. The barista initially directed me to tap my cruise card, then saw I had a coffee card (once he said "Oh. One of those.") until he got to recognize me. He used a pen to cross out the punches. When I used up a card, he still gave it back, though I immediately threw it away. There were no problems, and they didn't mind giving an extra shot for a single "punch".

[Astro Flyer]

That’s just it - I wouldn’t drink 15 specialty coffees in a 60 day cruise...I drink “lots” of brewed coffee, but we’re on the Royal so I may not need a coffee card at all. The coffee card is really aimed at the latte,frappe, espresso drinkers :D

 

Have you tried the free coffee on Royal-class ships?

 

They have filtered coffee machines that use ground coffee which my tastebuds preferred to their coffee made from concentrate. That resulted in fewer trips to the IC for brewed coffee but taste is very subjective.

 

Some people get a Cafe Americano as a specialty coffee which they have described as a watered down espresso similar to brewed coffee.

 

You could try the free filtered coffee & if not tasty could try a Cafe Americano for a punch or give the cards to friends & get a new coffee program for brewed during your long cruises.

 

Just a few things you might consider...or not. ;)

[caribill]

Can you come up with a better explanation as to why Princess abruptly discontinued their old system?

Other than pure greed.

 

Yes. They moved the physical coffee card to electronic and associated with your cruise card. It is impractical to keep track of unused punches to be used on a future cruise this way.

[caribill]

Seems simple enough to me.

Is your credit card company allowed to raise they rates without first sending out notification of a change? :evilsmile:

 

The credit card company sends out the notice and says if you do not like the change, then pay off your account before the change occurs.

 

Princess has posted the change. If you do not like the change, you can use all of your punches by August 31, even if you have to book a new cruise to do it.

[caribill]

The new system could have worked along with the old punch cards.....except for the fact that some old counterfeit cards would keep appearing forever.

 

What counterfeit cards? Nobody has posted any evidence that even one counterfeit card exists.

[floridalover5623]

What counterfeit cards? Nobody has posted any evidence that even one counterfeit card exists.

I agree that no one has posted a photo about counterfeit cards but it wouldn't be hard to print them. How would anyone on CC know for sure unless they were the ones who got caught using one. :rolleyes:

Also I'm sure Princess doesn't want to advertise just how easy it would be to do it either and give people any ideas. ;)

Either way, it's coming to an end in another 10 months whether they exist or not.

[floridalover5623]

Yes. They moved the physical coffee card to electronic and associated with your cruise card. It is impractical to keep track of unused punches to be used on a future cruise this way.

 

I'm not convinced it's harder for them to keep track but it's definitely more profitable to Princess to cancel the remaining punches at the end of your cruise.

[Lucky TGO]

I agree that no one has posted a photo about counterfeit cards but it wouldn't be hard to print them. How would anyone on CC know for sure unless they were the ones who got caught using one. :rolleyes:

Also I'm sure Princess doesn't want to advertise just how easy it would be to do it either and give people any ideas. ;)

Either way, it's coming to an end in another 10 months whether they exist or not.

 

The Coffee Card Rebellion Continues.

I like to start by saying your watching to much TV Counterfite Coffee Cards give me a break.

This is just Princess lying to everyone who purchase or traded their Mimi Bar for coffee cards.

You were never promised free brewed coffee as long as you had punches left on your card.

You were LED to believe that the Coffee Card would be excepted until all the punches were used up for specialty coffees ONLY. Sorry but to me this is just is not right. :mad:

Tony

[jagoffee]

Lead to believe that “this card can be used on the next cruise” means an unlimited number of future cruises? And also lead to believe that it was OK to sell unused cards on EBay for a profit. (For those that received them for free)

 

I am sure you realize that Princess most likely never made either of those statements nor intended for that to happen.

 

IMO it is hard to accept that the “coffee card” system has not been abused for many years.

 

Welcome to the “digital age.”

 

Also, how can anyone really expect someone to post evidence that counterfeit cards have been used? Do you really believe that it could not happen and it has never happened?

 

If it makes you feel any better I know for a fact (because I witnessed it) that under the old soda package process, people removed stickers from old cards and applied them to new cards. This was for the purpose of cheating Princess.

 

After August of next year (a lot of notice of the change) it will not matter.

[Lucky TGO]

 

After August of next year (a lot of notice of the change) it will not matter.

 

Maybe it doesn’t matter to you? But it does to the people that have 4 or 5 Coffee Cards and won’t be cruising until after August of next year. After all they were told the Coffee Cards would be good until you used up all the punches on the cards.

Tony

[caribill]

Also, how can anyone really expect someone to post evidence that counterfeit cards have been used? Do you really believe that it could not happen and it has never happened?

 

 

There are many scams in the world, almost all of which are immensely more profitable than making and selling fake Princess coffee cards.

 

The return for selling counterfeit Princess coffee cards is probably not worth the effort to actually produce counterfeit Princess coffee cards.

[jagoffee]

Maybe it doesn’t matter to you? But it does to the people that have 4 or 5 Coffee Cards and won’t be cruising until after August of next year. After all they were told the Coffee Cards would be good until you used up all the punches on the cards.

Tony

 

That is the point. Did Princess actual state in writing on the card or literature that all cards would be good forever and until all punches were used? If they did it would have been really dumb for them to state such a thing.

 

The marketing of the coffee cards or the exchange for a mini bar (by far the greater number of cards impacted by the change) was surely never intended as a long term annuity for speciality coffee consumption.

 

People tend to forget the scammers who were initially leaving a punch or two on the card, so they could get free fresh brewed coffee forever. This was also not Princess’s intent. I know it was fixed at some point.

 

There are many scams in the world, almost all of which are immensely more profitable than making and selling fake Princess coffee cards.

 

The return for selling counterfeit Princess coffee cards is probably not worth the effort to actually produce counterfeit Princess coffee cards.

 

Probably not, but maybe for an unethical person that wanted to do it for their own use. Like the people that i witnessed with several old sea cards looking to see what color was being used for the soda package on our particular cruise. Just so they could take off an old sticker and put it on the new card. This was on a B2B.

[Pierlesscruisers]

People tend to forget the scammers who were initially leaving a punch or two on the card, so they could get free fresh brewed coffee forever. This was also not Princess’s intent. I know it was fixed at some point.

 

Probably not, but maybe for an unethical person that wanted to do it for their own use. Like the people that i witnessed with several old sea cards looking to see what color was being used for the soda package on our particular cruise. Just so they could take off an old sticker and put it on the new card. This was on a B2B.

 

If the cards were not completed properly by the ships' personnel when issued (ship name and cruise number/date) then that is an internal problem that should be solved internally not by punishing those who used the cards they were given, the customers/consumers.

 

As to the second point, did you report such people to anybody or did you just let it go? No, it was not your "job" to report them, but you did have some responsibility since you had knowledge of the situation. No, you probably didn't and did what most of us would do (and note that I include me in that group) and said nothing to anybody. When we do that we, by our not wanting to "get involved", become part of the problem.

 

Tom

[jagoffee]

Tom, you are correct. I did not report them. I was mostly just shocked.

I was also shocked when I read how people have collected up to 20 coffee cards over the years.

 

One and a half year’s notice should be enough time to use up at least one card and to give the rest away.

[floridalover5623]

Tom, you are correct. I did not report them. I was mostly just shocked.

I was also shocked when I read how people have collected up to 20 coffee cards over the years.

Why be shocked. It's a value you've paid for one way or the other and didn't yet use.

 

One and a half year’s notice should be enough time to use up at least one card and to give the rest away.

Yea it's enough time since we all cruise 60 days per year, don't we. :D

Giving them away is not allowed and they will know when you go to use an older card. :rolleyes::rolleyes: