Afternoon Tea

[Thunderbird19]

Sailing on the Caribbean Princess later this Fall.    

I understand that making (or trying to depending on technology, hah!) dinner reservations via the app will open up on July 1st.

Will making advance reservations for afternoon tea also be on the app or do you need to hit until you are on the ship to do that?

Thanks.

[cr8tiv1]

You do not need to make reservations for Afternoon Tea on sea days.  There is usually a very long line on the first day.  Subsequent days are not so bad.  There will be scones in the buffet every afternoon.

Edited Sunday at 03:46 PM by cr8tiv1

[karatemom2]

You do not need reservations for Afternoon tea, nor does the system provide an option for that. Afternoon tea is free and strictly walk in  - usually scheduled for around 3 pm on sea days in one of the midship dining rooms. There is always space and the experience is lovely. One of the best long standing Princess traditions. 
 

The only tea that would require a reservation is the special Royal Tea that is only available on a few ships that involves an added charge. It is a bit more upscale and uses an assorted tea collection and includes some added desserts and champagne. We did it on the Royal and it was nice, but for the price I didn’t find it all that much better than regular afternoon tea. If that is offered on your ship and you are interested, you would need a reservation and space is limited as they hold it in an area of the Piazza near the International Cafe 

[akaCruiser]

Hopefully, the Afternoon Tea is better than when we had it on the Crown Princess last year. On the first day, it was very chaotic with one the serving staff running around trying to distribute the Scones while another person offering the Jam and Cream. They were not together as a team and as such some guests had to wait to get the Jam, while others didn't get any serving of Scones without asking for the server come by the table. After that experience, we just skipped the Afternoon tea and just went to the International Cafe for a Specialty Tea and the afternoon dessert, which was easier and more pleasant.  

[Ombud]

I call room service by 8am for elite tea set up the day before I want it. Comes around 3pm the following day. Was reasonable until summer 2023 but then got back to normal.  

[BamaVol]

I was disappointed to miss it on Enchanted a week ago.  I never saw it listed in the patter -either paper or on-line.  My granddaughter was looking forward to it. 

[happy42cruise]

Keep in mind the scones are very hard & this is not anything like an English high tea service.  People line up waiting for the doors to open, then they are seated at mostly communal tables with waiters circling with large pots of tea (not individual), assorted sweet desserts, sandwiches, trays of scones, hopefully with another behind him with the whipped cream & jam.  If anyone asks for something special it sometimes throws the system out of synch. It is not served for very long & afterward you can find the items in the buffet. Tea is also served in the Sanctuary on most ships if you pay to use it.  The Royal tea if offered is more traditional with the tiered silver stand & choice of tea in your own pot.  I'm not sure if everyone can order the afternoon tea delivered to their room or if that is based on your cabin or being Elite etc. but you do need to order from room service a day or 2 before you want it on sea days.  Hope that helps.

[Thunderbird19]

Thanks for this explanation. Makes me realize I wouldn’t be too disappointed to NOT participate! 

[karatemom2]

Just want to say that YMMV by ship on the quality of afternoon tea. On our cruises from Southampton we have found it overall quite good. The sandwiches and sweets are better. They even had little traditional Victoria Sponge Cakes each day. The scones are warm and flaky, and they serve both clotted and whipped cream with the jam. But we have also never been disappointed by the tea service on any of our Princess cruises. 
 

We always request a table for two - no problem at all. You do not have to sit at a communal table unless you want to. And DH always orders his preferred orange tea and they bring him his own pot - no trouble or disruption at all. 
 

Yes, it is not a traditional afternoon tea with the tiered stand, but all components are there - sandwiches, scones, sweets. You can even do it yourself in the buffet if you like. I love that Princess keeps this tradition going and we always find it very enjoyable. On most sea days I opt to do tea instead of lunch. 

[Ombud]

My scones were warm and tender, similar to what I make at home @happy42cruise. The only issue is that the service is heavy on strawberry jam, light on marmalade, and no lemon curd. But then I'm picky about scones

[Thrak]

We have had a few quite enjoyable experiences with the Afternoon Tea. For those who just want scones they are usually available in the buffet at the same time as the regular tea is happening.

[Mara4166]

We went once and felt like it was an assembly line tea service.  Very rushed and any deviation from standard fare threw the assembly line off track.  But with living in the UK and having a nice afternoon tea a couple of times a year, our standards are very high.

[phabric]

On 6/30/2024 at 1:05 PM, Ombud said:

I call room service by 8am for elite tea set up the day before I want it. Comes around 3pm the following day. Was reasonable until summer 2023 but then got back to normal.  

I am Elite and have never ordered it before.

Do you call room service?

Do you order day of or day before you want it ?

Do they ask what you want to eat?

Do they ask for how many?

Is it always at 3pm?

[Ombud]

7 minutes ago, phabric said:

I am Elite and have never ordered it before. 

Do you call room service? yes, no charge for the order even if a standard fare cruiser

Do you order day of or day before you want it ? morning before and it's only on sea days

Do they ask what you want to eat? no it's a standard set up but I decline finger sandwiches and request vegetarian 

Do they ask for how many? yes

Is it always at 3pm? yes

 

Edited Tuesday at 04:01 PM by Ombud

[phabric]

45 minutes ago, Ombud said:

 

Thanks, might try this cruise as has a lot of sea days.

[beshears]

As BamaVol mentioned he did not see the afternoon tea mentioned in the Patter when on the Enchanted ship. We are to do the same ship in February, and if nothing else, I may just called guest desk and ask them, as I'm sure they will know when it is. I did not do it on the Regal this year, but I have always enjoyed afternoon tea.

[Bollycats]

1 hour ago, beshears said:

As BamaVol mentioned he did not see the afternoon tea mentioned in the Patter when on the Enchanted ship. We are to do the same ship in February, and if nothing else, I may just called guest desk and ask them, as I'm sure they will know when it is. I did not do it on the Regal this year, but I have always enjoyed afternoon tea.

Make sure to look under Dining, not the Event section. 

[happy42cruise]

17 hours ago, beshears said:

As BamaVol mentioned he did not see the afternoon tea mentioned in the Patter when on the Enchanted ship. We are to do the same ship in February, and if nothing else, I may just called guest desk and ask them, as I'm sure they will know when it is. I did not do it on the Regal this year, but I have always enjoyed afternoon tea.

I would call the dine line not guest services. I keep hoping I get flakey scones but I haven't so far. I keep trying though!  The ones I've had have been very hard on the outside.  I had the Royal tea on the Royal & it was okay.  We just went on an Alaska cruise & had afternoon tea in Victoria, it was much better than I've had on any cruise.