Travel coffee cup to reduce waste?

[Cruisepucks]

Good day,

 

We have a couple cruises coming up, the first being 14 days on the Nieuw Statendam. During that cruise, I'll visit the Grand Dutch Cafe and Explorations Cafe for coffee/tea/hot chocolate probably 30-36 times. In the past, I have always got my drink in a take-away cup with a lid. This cruise, I'm considering bringing a travel style coffee mug in the hope that the cafe staff will make my hot brews in that and eliminate the use of 3 dozen single use coffee cups and lids.

 

Does anyone know if the cafe staff is allowed to make drinks for, or will allow passengers to bring their own reusable cups/mugs for their hot drinks? 

 

I know that HAL has been using no plastic in the take away cups and lids; that's a plus, of course. But if passengers can use their own cups, not only will the help with the reduction of waste, they also reduce the cost for HAL. 

 

Thanks to anyone who has experience with this question.

 

Keep well. Happy cruising.

[highscar]

Not sure if our own cups fit the equipment. I have always pored it into my insulated cup.. would be nice. 

[cbr663]

I would be surprised if they did as there is the risk of cross contamination.  By keeping passengers and their personal belongings in front of the counter crew are able to minimize the risk of cross contamination behind the counter and significantly reduce the spread of any viruses.  

[1025cruise]

I would not expect them to make beverages in your cup, but you can pour the cup into your mug.

[kapitch]

I purchased a HAL insulated coffee cup years ago and take it with me every cruise and the Explorations Cafe staff have not had a problem filling it with my coffee order.  I even used it on Celebrity, who had no issues filling it, despite it being from HAL.

 

[CATandSQUID]

They have signs everywhere now stating not to refill personnel items.

 

[Sharon in AZ]

I purchased a HAL insulated metal mug with a lid good for both hot and cold on one cruise from the Explorations Cafe. There is a sign that says when you purchase it they will refill it and IIRC it’s at a slight discount.  It’s a nice mug but it isn’t dishwasher safe. My DH has claimed it so I plan on buying a new one next month on the Volendam. 
 

Forgot to mention that we were in Club Orange and they would fill it up too. 
 

 

Edited March 29, 2023 by Sharon in AZ

[QuattroRomeo]

We bought the refillable mugs at the Dutch Cafe where you then received 25% off any refills. We get a lot of coffees & didn't have a drink package so it seemed reasonable and saved cups and lids. Or so I thought! They still had to put the coffee in a paper cup and pour it into the mug while I held it. It seems they were still under covid protocols for this and therefore couldn't do it directly. I imagine it would be a similar process for your own mug. 

 

This was Feb 15- Mar 8, Rotterdam, so maybe it has changed or will change soon. 

[ski ww]

I hate drinking out of paper cups. The Exploration cafe used to have real coffee mugs.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

1 hour ago, ski ww said:

I hate drinking out of paper cups. The Exploration cafe used to have real coffee mugs.

They have both. 

[SargassoPirate]

12 hours ago, cbr663 said:

I would be surprised if they did as there is the risk of cross contamination.  By keeping passengers and their personal belongings in front of the counter crew are able to minimize the risk of cross contamination behind the counter and significantly reduce the spread of any viruses.  

If they are worried about cross-contamination, why do they allow food and beverage workers to wear plastic/rubber gloves for hours on end while touching multiple surfaces? 

 

[disneyochem]

I use a HAL insulated coffee mug on board.  The staff at the Crows Nest always filled my cup directly on a number of ships (Koningsdam, Westerdam, Zuiderdam).  In fact, they would greet me in the morning and ask for my cup after the first visit. They were very good about not touching the milk pitcher/espresso cups to the lip of my cup.  And, I wasn’t the only one to have a travel mug.

 

 

[jerrib]

I love my morning cappuccino and always have two.  I use a Yeti coffee mug that is large enough to hold two which stays hot for me for a few hours.  The mug is short, no taller than a regular ship's cup/mug and some ships have brewed directly into it.  Other times, after the first day, when they see me set my mug on the counter, they have brewed my coffee into a pitcher, brought it to the counter and poured it into my cup.  

 

[Ferry_Watcher]

I travel with my Miir 12 oz mug.  I mostly use it at the self-serve coffee dispensers.

[albingirl]

I always buy one for the purpose of being earth friendly, but I forget to bring it.  It's the thought that counts lol.

[RuthC]

54 minutes ago, albingirl said:

I always buy one for the purpose of being earth friendly, but I forget to bring it.

Pack it now. Keep it stored in your suitcase when you get back from your next trip. 
Much harder to forget it that way. 

[albingirl]

41 minutes ago, RuthC said:

Pack it now. Keep it stored in your suitcase when you get back from your next trip. 
Much harder to forget it that way. 

Great idea!! Thank you 

[Southpaw97470]

I wonder if I can bring along my temp controlled coffee mug? It would come in handy on those cold ship days sitting on the balcony or out on deck as it keeps any drink hot for hours.

The cup itself has a long lasting battery that sits on a charging dock that plugs into an outlet.

 

[ellieanne]

My brother had no problem using his Keep Cup on our last cruise (in September). They are barista-standard sizes, so no problems fitting under the group heads on most machines.

[cccole]

On our Oosterdam cruise in January my husband purchased a HAL mug at the Explorations Cafe and they made his coffee in it every morning.  I put my drinks in a container I brought with me because it keeps things hot or cold for hours.  It sounds like the HAL crew would have made my coffee in my mug, I wish I had asked. I have put my husbands HAL mug thru the dishwasher lots of times.  It does not seem to have suffered.  Cherie

[jlawrence01]

I always carry my own insulated coffee mug to the Lido and fill it up by pouring the coffee from the glass mug into my travel mug so as not to break any rules   I prefer doing that over carrying a china mug and having to find a place to return it.

[Haljo1935]

We have used tumblers we brought from home as well as the large coffee ones we bought on board in GDC & Explorations Cafe w/no issues. They have not put coffee in paper cup then had us pur into our tumblers, they fill directly into ours.

[Wehwalt]

On Oosterdam at present they will not make the drinks in the travel mugs but prepare them in the paper cups and give them to us to pour into the mugs, which seems something of a waste. Unless you tell them very specifically, they will put tops on the paper cups too.