hot water for tea

[Sheilacc]

Will I be able to find boiling hot water to make my own tea - RC Serenade of the Seas?

[LHT28]

probably not

You will have to ask for  freshly boiled water

You can get hot water but not like at home fresh the the kettle

[jocap]

I think RCI only provide kettles in their cabins when sailing out of the UK, and perhaps some other European ports...

[jagsfan]

Since there’s no service charge for Room Service on RCI for continental breakfast, you can order it and ask for hot water with tea bags , or for hot water to use your own. Won’t be boiling, though. Unfortunately, you won’t get boiling water anywhere. 

 

[John Bull]

Hot water from the boiler at the drinks stations (eg in the buffet) isn't boiling, but it is extremely hot..

Hot enough to brew your own tea - that's what it's there for.

Happily used by hundreds of people.

All of whom seem to arrive at it a few seconds before me. 

 

Equally useful if you want to bring sachets of you fav. brand of instant coffee rather than drink the mud from the coffee urns at the drinks stations. (applies to every cruise line I've sailed).

 

JB 

[navybankerteacher]

2 hours ago, John Bull said:

Hot water from the boiler at the drinks stations (eg in the buffet) isn't boiling, but it is extremely hot..

Hot enough to brew your own tea - that's what it's there for.

Happily used by hundreds of people.

All of whom seem to arrive at it a few seconds before me. 

 

Equally useful if you want to bring sachets of you fav. brand of instant coffee rather than drink the mud from the coffee urns at the drinks stations. (applies to every cruise line I've sailed).

 

JB 

 

[navybankerteacher]

There is always “hot” water for tea - not boiling, but then not all teas need boiling water.  You will not get very hot water from room service - which does not stay hot enough during delivery.

[cruising cockroach]

2 hours ago, John Bull said:

Hot water from the boiler at the drinks stations (eg in the buffet) isn't boiling, but it is extremely hot..

Hot enough to brew your own tea - that's what it's there for.

Happily used by hundreds of people.

 

You must either be referring to green tea or like your black tea a lot weaker than I do.  I can never make it strong enough from the hot water dispensers, even if I warm up the mug 3-4x first.  Or maybe it' the anaemic tea (I usually use two bags).

 

Only solution I can see is to befriend the crew and have someone in the galley make chai masala for one.

[John Bull]

7 minutes ago, cruising cockroach said:

 

You must either be referring to green tea or like your black tea a lot weaker than I do.  I can never make it strong enough from the hot water dispensers, even if I warm up the mug 3-4x first.  Or maybe it' the anaemic tea (I usually use two bags).

 

Only solution I can see is to befriend the crew and have someone in the galley make chai masala for one.

 

Nah.

I'm the sort of pleb who drinks pretty-well any breakfast tea, with milk & two sugars. 

None of your fancy brands or iced teas

 

But hey, we're in the majority.

How about you, sheilacc ?

 

JB 

[cruising cockroach]

2 minutes ago, John Bull said:

I'm the sort of pleb who drinks pretty-well any breakfast tea, with milk & two sugars. 

None of your fancy brands or iced teas

 

Maybe the British have lost the taste for strong black tea? I buy Indian market Brooke Bond Red Label and Lipton Yellow label loose leaf tea (this form of Lipton tea is much more palatable than the same stuff that comes in a tea bag) for my daily afternoon brew.  Cheap at 4-5 quid for 2 lbs.  

[boulders]

Don't order the water from room service. RC doesn't use different carafes for water and coffee. My room service tea always tasted like coffee on Royal Caribbean. The water is also likely to be lukewarm. Blech. Go to Windjammer and get hot water there or go to a restaurant or the coffee bar. 

[cb at sea]

You can get HOT water from the dispenser in the WJ....that's the best way.  If you order it in a dining room, it's cooled way too much to make a proper cup of tea.  Bring a nice, insulated mug, and have at it!  Put the teabag in the cup, and run the hot water over it.  It will do for 1 week!

 

[Bookish Angel]

I make iced tea from the hot water dispensers and use good quality, bold green and black teabags with orange and mint flavors from Tazo brand. It is not as good as boiling water and using loose tea at home, but it is FAR better than that pale amber water masquerading as iced tea on the ship. 

 

I drink mostly ice water and no sodas but I occasionally want my very strong iced tea with just a little sugar and the method I describe suffices for 2 weeks. 

[spookwife]

16 hours ago, Sheilacc said:

Will I be able to find boiling hot water to make my own tea - RC Serenade of the Seas?

 

 

depends.  there is a hot water dispenser  in the Windjammer and the Promenade next to the coffee machines.  it will not be  proper temp to make a true cuppa the British way.   via Room Service, you can request a  carafe, but it will probably have held coffee the last time it was used and not even cleaning it will get the taste out.   

 

 Junior Suites and up will have a dedicated  kettle(  and a coffee maker)   in the cabin.  

 

you may not bring your own on board but you can ask and MAYBE the  room steward can provide one in your cabin.  

[Sheilacc]

Thanks everyone.  I think I will be able to get hot water at restaurant or coffee place.   I'll bring an insulated travel mug.  I like most tea except rooibus.  I really like Earl Grey with honey.  Less than two weeks to go.  First cruise, and I'm overly anticipated!

[cruising cockroach]

Bring green or white tea; it'll taste better - even ideal - given the temperature of the hot water you're going to get.

[Heidi13]

21 hours ago, cruising cockroach said:

 

Maybe the British have lost the taste for strong black tea? I buy Indian market Brooke Bond Red Label and Lipton Yellow label loose leaf tea (this form of Lipton tea is much more palatable than the same stuff that comes in a tea bag) for my daily afternoon brew.  Cheap at 4-5 quid for 2 lbs.  

Not this one. Still enjoy a cup of strong tea, with a wee splash of milk. For everyday tea we use Tetley or Yorkshire, but still have loose leaf Ceylon and Kenyan teas from previous trips.

[pacruise804]

Not British, but I also enjoy strong tea (no milk though, please).  The best strong tea I had was at a church event when a missionary to Kosovo was on home visit and there was a tea held in her honor.  The tea made there was considered Russian/European and was brewed at least 20 minutes.  Most of the ladies used it as a concentrate and added a lot of extra water, I drank it plain with a little sugar (traditionally a lot of sugar is added).

 

I've also had good loose leaf tea, but convenience wins more often than taste.  Just like I can make a good pasta carbonara, I will generally just fix a red sauce spaghetti if I'm making pasta.  It doesn't taste as good but gets the job done 😉 

 

On a cruise I'm fine with most teas and don't expect gourmet level tea (or gourmet food) from a mainstream cruise.  Maybe someday I'll sail luxury and have a proper cup 😄 

[angie7911922]

Most of the ships have hot water at the drink stations. Just bring your favorite mug and fill it up there.

[cruising cockroach]

2 hours ago, angie7911922 said:

Most of the ships have hot water at the drink stations. Just bring your favorite mug and fill it up there.

 

FWIW, that action would positively identify one as American: All one would get is flavorless, brown water if trying to brew black tea.  Unfortunately, that seems to be the acceptable standard in the U.S. due to not knowing better, much like how weak coffee was (and probably still is in places) the acceptable and default standard.

[John Bull]

35 minutes ago, cruising cockroach said:

 

FWIW, that action would positively identify one as American: All one would get is flavorless, brown water if trying to brew black tea.  Unfortunately, that seems to be the acceptable standard in the U.S. due to not knowing better, much like how weak coffee was (and probably still is in places) the acceptable and default standard.

 

I get on fine with Yorkshire tea (black tea) and water from drinks stations, but you and I and countless others all have different tastes and expectations.

Neither of us is right or wrong, all a matter of personal preferences.

 

So I suggest to the OP that they brew a cup at home, using water that's midway between boiling and straight from the hot tap.

Then they can decide based on their own preferences.

 

And yes, taking your own cup is one of a number of things that identify a person as American 

 

JB 

Edited December 11, 2018 by John Bull

[Sheilacc]

I'm Canadian.  Just sayin'

[navybankerteacher]

I’ve found that Cunard, Celebrity and HAL all had close-to-boiling water at their hot drink stations (Carnival, Princess and NCL did not).  They all had perfectly adequate mugs, so no need to bring my own. Only Cunard offered Lapsang so I make a point of always bringing my own. While the close-to-boiling standard is not acceptable at home, I can live with it at sea —- and suspect that those who insist that only a raging boil will do are over-dramatizing just a tad.

[cruising cockroach]

6 hours ago, John Bull said:

So I suggest to the OP that they brew a cup at home, using water that's midway between boiling and straight from the hot tap.

 

Strictly as an FYI, this won't work too well (I know because I had to change a water heater very recently and actually read the manual s I did the install myself).

 

Hot water heaters in the U.S. are set to 120-125F (48-51C) from the factory so that it takes over a minute to scald as an safety measure.  In Canada, it's set to 140F (60C) and it only takes 5 seconds to scald.  Midway between boiling and hot water heater temperature is barely enough to brew even the most delicate tea (especially by the time it gets to the tap).

 

My grandmother used to have one of those Zoriyushi (sp) water pots that heated and kept water at 95C with a supposed reboil feature to 99C.  Never found it hot enough to make a decent cup of tea.  It's probably great for Chinese and Japanese teas but not so for black teas.

[cruising cockroach]

On 12/10/2018 at 4:21 PM, Heidi13 said:

Not this one. Still enjoy a cup of strong tea, with a wee splash of milk. For everyday tea we use Tetley or Yorkshire, but still have loose leaf Ceylon and Kenyan teas from previous trips.

 

 I take it you're in the lower mainland.  Next time you're on/nearby Scott Road, stop by the RCSS.  There was something like 12 different brands/grades of loose leaf tea there when I visited.