(One for the Brits).... where's the best cup of tea on Beyond?

[dingdong70]

I was reading that Celebrity provide kettles in rooms for the Brits when ships are sailing from Southampton but then remove them again.

I'm about to take my 80 year old mother on Beyond....  she drinks about 20 cups of tea a day.....and the water has to be nuclear hot!   She'll be disappointed at the lack of tea facilities in the room.    Would the cabin steward be able to find a kettle if they've got them stored onboard somewhere?

Alternatively where's the best place to get cups of tea at any hour of the day....(like 5am!)  or should I tell her to take her own teabags? 🙂     
 

 

[Ducky_01]

I can answer this (I'm not a Brit, but I'm married to one!)..

• Not sure about the kettle, but I had also heard on this forum that you can ask your stateroom attendant for this, so maybe worth asking on embarkation day?  
• Hot water can be sourced from the Oceanview cafe or Spa cafe during their opening times.  I will caution: it comes out of the self-serve machines at roughly the surface temperature of the sun, so hopefully this appeases your mother.  If carrying this back to your stateroom, recommend either doubling up the paper cup AND using a paper sleeve .. or filing a ceramic mug
• You can ask for hot water at Cafe al Bacio, they may be open earlier than the buffet - I don't recall there being a charge for this
• You can purchase tea from Cafe al Bacio. $6 / bag, but they carry a nice Darjeeling

[Northern Aurora]

Just to add a few comments to the response from @Ducky_01 -- The tea at Cafe al Bacio is Tea Forte.

 

There will be a variety of teas at the Ocean View Cafe including both caffeinated and decaf.  Brands vary depending on where the ship is sailing on the globe.  The Ocean View will have one hot beverage station open 24 hours a day for coffee and tea, but the particular station which is open will rotate.  My husband wakes early and often is in the Ocean View between 5 - 5:30 AM.  He has to walk around to find the open station.

 

 

[CruiseCrew123]

Bring your own tbags !

[the penguins]

1 hour ago, dingdong70 said:

I was reading that Celebrity provide kettles in rooms for the Brits when ships are sailing from Southampton but then remove them again.

I'm about to take my 80 year old mother on Beyond....  she drinks about 20 cups of tea a day.....and the water has to be nuclear hot!   She'll be disappointed at the lack of tea facilities in the room.    Would the cabin steward be able to find a kettle if they've got them stored onboard somewhere?

Alternatively where's the best place to get cups of tea at any hour of the day....(like 5am!)  or should I tell her to take her own teabags? 🙂     
 

 

Ship's sailing roundtrip out of the UK have kettles.

[kwokpot]

Tea selection aboard the Beyond at the buffet (Therefore complementary) this past October:

 

[dateacher]

1 hour ago, Ducky_01 said:

I can answer this (I'm not a Brit, but I'm married to one!)..

• Not sure about the kettle, but I had also heard on this forum that you can ask your stateroom attendant for this, so maybe worth asking on embarkation day?  
• Hot water can be sourced from the Oceanview cafe or Spa cafe during their opening times.  I will caution: it comes out of the self-serve machines at roughly the surface temperature of the sun, so hopefully this appeases your mother.  If carrying this back to your stateroom, recommend either doubling up the paper cup AND using a paper sleeve .. or filing a ceramic mug
• You can ask for hot water at Cafe al Bacio, they may be open earlier than the buffet - I don't recall there being a charge for this
• You can purchase tea from Cafe al Bacio. $6 / bag, but they carry a nice Darjeeling

I have never paid for either tea or coffee at Cafe al Bacio and I've been on 5 or 6 cruises.

[hawkesbaynz]

I would buy a box of teabags such as Yorkshire tea. All this ‘English Breakfast Tea’ malarkey is always a disappointment. As are the individually wrapped packets (I keep some in my work case if there is a shortage, but never the same). However the most important thing is the water - hot. And leave it for a minimum of a couple of minutes. Quality of the water is an issue too. Here in Southampton it is mediocre, good in Scotland but delicious in Ireland. 

[kwokpot]

31 minutes ago, dateacher said:

I have never paid for either tea or coffee at Cafe al Bacio and I've been on 5 or 6 cruises.

What are you implying? There's NO complimentary coffee or tea at Cafe Al Bacio in any of the three Celebrity ship classes. That's not how Al Bacio is setup. If you didn't pay for a beverage then you HAD TO HAVE a Beverage Package, OR you are Elite+ or above, since that's a benefit for Elite+ and above members.

[dateacher]

13 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

What are you implying? There's NO complimentary coffee or tea at Cafe Al Bacio in any of the three Celebrity ship classes. That's not how Al Bacio is setup. If you didn't pay for a beverage then you HAD TO HAVE a Beverage Package, OR you are Elite+ or above, since that's a benefit for Elite+ and above members.

Well I guess my alcohol package covers coffee and tea because alcohol is the only package I get. 

[miched]

3 hours ago, CruiseCrew123 said:

Bring your own tbags !

I agree.   You can get hot water in many places.  You can’t depend on the cruise line to cater to  everyone’s wants, needs or favorites.  

I think you can get steaming water in Cafe al Bacio at no charge 

I have heard if sailing out of England they do supply kettles in the cabins 
 

Cafe al Bacio has Tea Forte.   But if she drinks 20 cups a days it would pay to get a drink package as it would cost her  at least $5 per plus gratuity. 
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Edited May 19, 2023 by miched

[soniam]

Tea Forte from Al Bacio is nice. However, if she is British, she probably won't like it. It's full leaf tea in a bag, and most Brits I know are used to regular tea bags. Some do like it though. It's included in drink packages, at least the premium one, possibly both. In the past, they have run out of Early Grey, which is my preference, so I might bring some of my own. I will be bringing some for Italy before/after our cruise. Last cruise, a couple we met got a kettle from their butler, because he liked to have tea before leaving the room and didn't want to wait for the butler to bring it.

[kwokpot]

3 minutes ago, soniam said:

It's included in drink packages, at least the premium one, possibly both

Cafe Al Bacio coffes and teas are included in the Classic Beverage package. 

[the penguins]

3 hours ago, soniam said:

Tea Forte from Al Bacio is nice. However, if she is British, she probably won't like it. It's full leaf tea in a bag, and most Brits I know are used to regular tea bags. Some do like it though. It's included in drink packages, at least the premium one, possibly both. In the past, they have run out of Early Grey, which is my preference, so I might bring some of my own. I will be bringing some for Italy before/after our cruise. Last cruise, a couple we met got a kettle from their butler, because he liked to have tea before leaving the room and didn't want to wait for the butler to bring it.

A "Brit" view.

The Forte tea in Al Bacio especially the English Breakfast is great - not free unless you have a classic or premium drinks package or are Elite+ and above. 

Tea in Al Bacio served in China pots but "to go" only in paper/plastic. Open from around 07.00 to 23.00.

All teas in the buffet and other drink stations are free. Buffet station available 24 hours.

The water is never boiling at any of the drink stations - a safety issue.

The kettles are also low wattage compared to the ones normally used in the UK so expect longer wait times than at home and not boiling hot - good enough for tea but not a rolling boil.

 

 

[dingdong70]

Thanks all for your great help.    

I think I'll tell her to take a flask to get hot water safely back to the room and some yorkshire tea bags just so she's got options covered!

[JintyGirl]

You could take a travel kettle on board? Milk could be stored in the fridge in the cabin (get some each day from the buffet in a paper cup). 

[emmas gran]

1 hour ago, JintyGirl said:

You could take a travel kettle on board? Milk could be stored in the fridge in the cabin (get some each day from the buffet in a paper cup). 

I believe a travel kettle would be confiscated till the end of cruise.

Tea is never the same on a cruise as at home so I would ask for a kettle from your room steward rather than carrying a thermos flask

[Esprit]

15 hours ago, CruiseCrew123 said:

Bring your own tbags !

Exactly. They weigh little too, but a kettle in the room is essential.

[the penguins]

5 hours ago, JintyGirl said:

You could take a travel kettle on board? Milk could be stored in the fridge in the cabin (get some each day from the buffet in a paper cup). 

You can't use your own kettle. 

[the penguins]

8 hours ago, dingdong70 said:

Thanks all for your great help.    

I think I'll tell her to take a flask to get hot water safely back to the room and some yorkshire tea bags just so she's got options covered!

You can't fill a vacuum flask direct from the hot water for tea/coffee system (hygiene rules). As long as you are not cruising roundtrip from the USA getting a kettle will not be an issue. If there isn't one in the cabin just ask at Guest Services - I would do this at around 11.0 pm on the first night i.e. after all the chaos of boarding has subsided and the staff are more relaxed.

[Izzywiz]

I was on Infinity in March sailing round South America (fabulous but I digress) and my first request to my cabin steward was for a kettle. There was one in the cabin by the time we returned from lunch.
We always bring our own tea and coffee plus mugs and spoons. We drink both beverages black with no sugar but you can get milk and sugar from the buffet.

We have had kettles provided on Constellation while sailing in Eastern Asia, on Millennium while in Western Asia and Infinity on our Miami to San Diego cruise so there is a good chance that you will be able to get one if you ask your steward.

kettle on Infinity 

kettle on Constellation 

[kwokpot]

7 minutes ago, Izzywiz said:

We always bring our own tea and coffee plus mugs and spoons

I'm curious why you need to bring your own spoons. Mugs I understand but what's the issue with using the ships spoons from the buffet? 

[Izzywiz]

No problem but i sometimes forget to bring a spoon and I get very hot fingers trying to fish out a tea bag or stir the coffee granules!!😱😂 I have a ‘special’ spoon which is easily identifiable as mine.

[Izzywiz]

Oops… meant to say ‘bring a spoon from the buffet’….

[jules815]

20 hours ago, kwokpot said:

Tea selection aboard the Beyond at the buffet (Therefore complementary) this past October:

 

That's actually not a bad selection for a buffet.