Coffee card on Anthem

[Ergates The Ant]

I’m considering buying a coffee card for my upcoming cruise on Anthem. I note that it can’t be used in stand alone Starbucks coffee shops, but I’m not clear whether I can use it in the Patisserie opposite cafe Promenade. Where can I use it on the Anthem, and what venues can’t I use it? It looks as if it will be a significant saving over individual cups of coffee. 
Also, can I buy it on board, and is there any benefit on buying the card in advance? It’s not showing as a pre cruise saving.

Many thanks for any information.

[Merion_Mom]

1 hour ago, Ergates The Ant said:

I’m considering buying a coffee card for my upcoming cruise on Anthem. I note that it can’t be used in stand alone Starbucks coffee shops, but I’m not clear whether I can use it in the Patisserie opposite cafe Promenade. Where can I use it on the Anthem, and what venues can’t I use it? It looks as if it will be a significant saving over individual cups of coffee. 
Also, can I buy it on board, and is there any benefit on buying the card in advance? It’s not showing as a pre cruise saving.

Many thanks for any information.

 

You are in luck!  Anthem does not have a "real" Starbucks, so you can use the coffee card ANYWHERE AT ALL ON THE ANTHEM.  

 

Enjoy!

 

(no advantage to buying in advance; same $31 before and during)

[wolfcathorse]

and the nice thing is if you don't use it up, you can use it on a future cruise on any ship. We bought one pre cruise for our Anthem cruise, didn't use it all, so we're saving it for our Voyager cruise next year. Staff confirmed for us the cards don't expire and are good on any ship

[Biker19]

25 minutes ago, wolfcathorse said:

Staff confirmed for us the cards don't expire and are good on any ship

That may or may not be true. 

[ocdb8r]

Not Anthem specific, but do your due diligence on the coffee cards.  Each stamp is "officially" only good for a single espresso shot tall sized drink.  Anything other than that requires two stamps....and in my experience there isn't a single (larger) drink where it's cost effective to use two stamps, such that if you get more than three larger drinks requiring two stamps, you've wasted all the "savings" of the card.  As such, we don't bother any longer.

[LB_NJ]

For me it still saves money because I only get single shot espresso drinks.  However, it only makes sense if you will use the full card.  Plus, depending on your loyalty level you will get a discount on some espresso drinks.

[Ergates The Ant]

We enjoy a black americano each with breakfast pastries. A lot will also depend on how easy it is to get a coffee. Just off Celebrity Apex, where a black americano cost $6 each, but we only managed to partake twice because there were rarely any seats free in the coffee shop ( and one of those times, we had to sit in the ‘overflow’ speciality restaurant next door. So we had our coffee ashore in Norway instead, much better coffee and half the price! Sounds like we might as well wait until we are on board, and give the coffee a try before buying the card.
Thanks all, for the information. 
 

[Ergates The Ant]

Thanks LB_NJ, didn’t occur to me to check our loyalty benefits ( they are usually of no interest to us) As Platinum members, it looks as if we get two coffees each at 50% discount, so that’s worth having! Plus some worthwhile discounts on a couple of glasses of wine, ( which as my OH doesn’t drink, will go twice as far!) That’s excellent!

[pattycake08]

I have 2 partially used coffee cards from 2 past cruises, however, when I asked the Barista if I could use what was left on each, I was told no.  Can anyone confirm if they have had success in using a prior coffee card on a following cruise?

 

[Defender1158]

I have used prior coffee cards twice, on Explorer in 2023 and Anthem in 2024.  I have not tried to use one and been refused.  

[Tree_skier]

My grand daughter used the coffee card I bought her on Navigator three months later on harmony... YMMV

Edited June 19 by Tree_skier

[pattycake08]

I looked at the back of my Coffee Card, and the ship is indicated as Oasis of the Seas, with my room number I had at that time.  Wonder if  that will make a difference when I try using it on Rhapsody?

[Biker19]

5 hours ago, pattycake08 said:

Wonder if  that will make a difference when I try using it on Rhapsody?

That may depend on the barista.

[cruisinfly]

I purchased a coffee card many years ago with the understanding that I could get any coffee drink per punch. That's what it said in the cruise planner when I bought it. Well, the beverage manager on board thought something totally different and when I ordered my first drink, they took four punches. I wasn't happy that I just paid far more for a single coffee than I would have had I purchased it with cash. Following a discussion with the Manager, I've got a refund for the coffee card and paid for the drink myself. If I did better paying out of pocket for the rest of the cruise.

 

I don't ever plan to buy a coffee card again. No guarantee that barista will follow the rules. Bit of a scam. 

 

I do enjoy the refreshment package where I can get any coffee as many times as I want for one fixed daily price. 

 

Note that if you only want regular coffee, you can get that for free in the cafe promenade at in other venues.

[Ergates The Ant]

We only drink one cup of ‘proper’ caffeinated coffee a day. Usually at breakfast on the ship, but will skip that if we are planning on having a coffee ashore. I don’t drink fizzy drinks, although OH will have one can a day, (sugar free and caffeine free)  and I’d prefer to drink water that hasn’t been bottled. So it looks as if the refreshment package is a waste of time for us, and with the loyalty discounts on a couple of coffees, the coffee card may not be worth the bother.

[Biker19]

2 hours ago, cruisinfly said:

No guarantee that barista will follow the rules. Bit of a scam. 

 

That ambiguity was fixed earlier this year when RCI clarified that you get one espresso shot per punch.

[cruisinfly]

33 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

That ambiguity was fixed earlier this year when RCI clarified that you get one espresso shot per punch.

Good that they clarified that! It's certainly better to be honest about what you're selling.

 

For the ant: Refreshment package also allows fresh squeezed OJ and fresh fruit smoothies. Yum!

[ocdb8r]

11 hours ago, Biker19 said:

That ambiguity was fixed earlier this year when RCI clarified that you get one espresso shot per punch.

Except that:

 

1) no one tells you this when you purchase the card;

 

2) the headline advertisement is still "...any 15 specialty espresso-based coffees throughout your vacation..." - this is also simply a lie as no iced drinks are served with a single shot of espresso;

 

3) the above is followed by "...save up to 50% on individually purchased coffees..." which is blatantly not true as the card costs just over $2.50 per punch.  There isn't a single one shot espresso drink that costs over $5.00...and in fact, even if they gave you a "venti" sized drink (which has three shots of expresso) for a single punch, you would only be saving 50% on TWO drinks on the menu.

 

4) saying "1 espresso shot = 1 punch" can be interpreted to mean if I want straight espresso not a "specialty espresso-based coffee";

 

Bottom line, this coffee card may save you a small amount if you will solely purchase 15 tall hot espresso based drinks.  For most, the risk of not drinking all 15 tall hot espresso based drinks, or occasionally wanting a larger drink, means you'll end up out of pocket purchasing this card.

Edited June 22 by ocdb8r