as far as coffee goes............

[bubbles1209]

As far as coffee goes, what kinds does Carnival offer? We are cruising on Elation 1st cruise in June, and I'm curious as to if they have regular/decaf/flavored........? If they don't have regular coffee, are you allowed to bring a coffee maker on board? It would be way terrible if I don't get my coffee:eek: Thanks for any help:)

[martdm]

Regular coffee is offered on board.

[K.T.B.]

You can order coffee from room service and have it at your cabin whenever you want/need it. :)

[KruznKel]

Reg or Decaf from room service.. and I drink it black .. it was Ok not the same as Tim Hortons coffee but I could drink it and enjoy!!

[habby]

Reg or Decaf from room service.. and I drink it black .. it was Ok not the same as Tim Hortons coffee but I could drink it and enjoy!!

 

We all know that there's nothing like Tim Hortons coffee.:) I was so excited when they built one near us.

 

Don't know what particular brand Carnival uses. Never thought to ask. Coffee is just like anything, though. Everybody has their own favorite. I've found the coffee on the ship very drinkable.

[caribbean dreams]

If you are like me and need your coffee to taste like starbucks, most ships have a coffee house and for a few buck you can have a great cup of coffee or capaccino.

I will pay any price for my coffee.

 

[loungelizard]

Most cruise lines, Carnival included, use a frozen coffee liquid concentrate. It would be extremely difficult to brew fresh coffee for the high volume of passengers that most ships carry. The coffee liquid concentrate they use is made from fresh brewed coffee, then it is cooked down to a very strong liquid, then freezedried and packaged. They use special coffee machines that simply add hot water to the concentrate. These machines can produce a huge amount of coffee in a very short time without the mess, labor and wait for fresh brewed coffee. It doesn't usually have the same taste and aroma as fresh brewed coffee but the product has been greatly improved over the last few years...it's actually not that bad. They have regular and decaf on Carnival...but if you want REAL coffee, you can get whatever you like at their specialty coffee/cappucino kiosk.

[TXRed]

As far as coffee goes, what kinds does Carnival offer? We are cruising on Elation 1st cruise in June, and I'm curious as to if they have regular/decaf/flavored........? If they don't have regular coffee, are you allowed to bring a coffee maker on board? It would be way terrible if I don't get my coffee:eek: Thanks for any help:)

 

We are coffee lovers too! We brought our own perculator and coffee. Room service coffee was ...errrrr not so good. After dinner we had expresso. We are early risers so it was oh so nice to have 'our' coffee on the balcony and watch the sun rise.

[jdcml]

Most cruise lines, Carnival included, use a frozen coffee liquid concentrate. It would be extremely difficult to brew fresh coffee for the high volume of passengers that most ships carry. The coffee liquid concentrate they use is made from fresh brewed coffee, then it is cooked down to a very strong liquid, then freezedried and packaged. They use special coffee machines that simply add hot water to the concentrate. These machines can produce a huge amount of coffee in a very short time without the mess, labor and wait for fresh brewed coffee. It doesn't usually have the same taste and aroma as fresh brewed coffee but the product has been greatly improved over the last few years...it's actually not that bad. They have regular and decaf on Carnival...but if you want REAL coffee, you can get whatever you like at their specialty coffee/cappucino kiosk.

 

This must be something fairly new then. We actually like the coffee a lot and look forward to it! Hopefully the coffee hasn't changed because we will be disappointed. On our last cruise we talked about it so much that our waiter actually brought us a couple of bags hidden under his napkins :) What he brought certainly wasn't concentrate, it was like a 5 lb bag of grounds. I sure hope this isn't different this time around :(

[kathy32259]

and it is delivered first thing in the morning. Just tell them what time - and you have coffee on the balcony to watch the sunrise!

[bubbles1209]

thank goodness, lol, my dh will tell ya, me in the morning without my coffee would be :mad: :eek: :eek: horrible, lol. Just making sure they did have it. Now i can tell dh that life will be enjoyable:D . Thanks guys!

[GoodAsGold]

Some people will bring along a small, French coffee press. I had never heard of those until this forum. So I went out and bought one and it makes a NICE, strong cup of coffee! And, it doesn't take up much room in your suitcase. All you'll need is the fresh coffee and some boiling water. You can ask your steward for the hot water.

 

And, be sure and ask for a cup of cappuccino or a latte after dinner in the dining room. No extra charge there. :)

 

 

thank goodness, lol, my dh will tell ya, me in the morning without my coffee would be :mad: :eek: :eek: horrible, lol. Just making sure they did have it. Now i can tell dh that life will be enjoyable:D . Thanks guys!

[loungelizard]

jdcml ~

Interesting...I may be wrong, but I think it's still the same basic principle...it could be a newer technology and a different type of dispenser system...but it's still not quite fresh "brewed" coffee. However, I have never once seen a food service employee actually brew coffee ( in an urn with a filter ) unless it is in a kiosk or surcharge restaurant. The urns required to brew hundreds of gallons of real coffee would take up a tremendous amount of space and take a long time to brew...the lines would be very long and lots of people would be pretty upset having to wait for their coffee fix. The system they use solves a lot of problems and makes a lot of sense. I actually like the coffee though, except it's never quite hot enough. On my next cruise I will definitely check out their coffee making process.

[loungelizard]

here's an interesting article about cruiseship coffee...

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-0509170298sep18,1,4051437.story?coll=chi-900siteindex-fea

[da1425]

here's an interesting article about cruiseship coffee...

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-0509170298sep18,1,4051437.story?coll=chi-900siteindex-fea

 

Uh, oh...according to the article, Carnival is a "mass-market mover budget-line"...watch out for the "Carnival can do no wrong folks"...they'll come out in droves if they read this!

 

I'm trying to decide what cruiseline to take next...Carnival or EZ Cruise...any suggestions?

[perkyblue]

Does anyone know if they have Equal onboard? That's the only thing I like to put in my coffee.

[kitchencarol]

I like the flavored creamers myself. :) Does anyone know if Carnival supplies these or just the liquid cream? :rolleyes:

[ahoys]

Unless it's changed since November, Carnival has just the cream in the carafes by the machines.

 

I've experimented with combining cream, coffee and the hot chocolate that is also in the machines for a great flavored coffee of my own. Of course, I still go for the frappuccinos in the coffee bar, but I like a variety.

[kitchencarol]

That is exactly what I do. Kind of like a "poor mans" mocha.;)

[Ballwin Babe]

Just got off the Spirit this weekend. It was an AWESOME cruise, and we were a bit hesitant to try Carnival again. We hadn't been on a Carnival cruise since 1998, and I can tell you ALOT has changed and we'll certainly be on another one. Food was awesome, and the cabin was probably the best we've ever had (that includes HAL and Celebrity!).

 

Now to the important matter...coffee. The coffee served in the Lido deck buffet was fair. It would do in a pinch. The coffee served in the dining room was good.

 

Skim milk and half/half were abundant. Also, every kind of sweetener imaginable (pink, blue, yellow, white and brown packets!) was loaded into the "sugar bins". There were no flavorings, at the Lido buffet or the dining room.

 

HOWEVER, I was very pleased to discover the coffee bar on deck 2!! They served "Starbucks quality and variety" of coffee, espresso, latte, etc. The price was very reasonable. ($1.50 for medium, and $2 for large). They also had numerous bottles of flavorings available such as caramel, etc. This was a wonderful treat and I enjoyed it especially in the afternoons (the afternoons were LONG since we had late dinner seating!)

 

Just an aside, the best coffee I've found so far is on HAL. The coffee is awesome everywhere...in the buffet, dining room and room service.

[Cotton]

As far as coffee goes, what kinds does Carnival offer? Do they have regular/decaf/flavored........? If they don't have regular coffee, are you allowed to bring a coffee maker on board? It would be way terrible if I don't get my coffee:eek: Thanks for any help:)

 

Of course they have coffee on cruise ships.:rolleyes: You can get coffee 24 hrs. a day from room service...regular, decaf, but no flavored coffees. Also - Lido Deck has self-serve machines.

 

In the dining room, for all three meals each day, you can have regular or decaf, as well as complimentary ESPRESSO and/or Cappuccino. I have one or the other with each meal. (Dining room only, not Lido buffet.)

 

Carnival uses all types sweeteners. Regular sugar, Sugar in the Raw, Equal, Sweet 'n Low, and Splenda. I don't believe they have flavored creamers.

 

Most of the ships now also have the specialty coffee bars for a price.

[cruisermpaul]

The coffee delivered by room service is not very good, but if you like flavored coffee then you can bring some powered coffee-mate creamers and make it drinkable. That's what we do and enjoy a pot or two delivered each morning. It's nice to drink some coffee before leaving the cabin each morning!

[Cotton]

Hmm. I don't think the coffee's that bad. I love coffee, and I can drink whatever is offered whether on a ship or a hotel - hey, it's only for a few days.:) I have a carafe of coffee and Danish or croissants early every morning from room service, then get dressed and go to the dining room for b'fast and espresso!

[soniamarie]

I brought a coffeemaker, flavored coffeemate (fit in our fridge) and my favorite mug. I don't care for the coffee on cruises and didn't want to venture out in my pajamas for the specialty stuff. It was really not a big deal to make our own. One cup did the trick for me and it was nice to enjoy my favorite brand on the balcony. My husband,at first, thought I was crazy to bring it, but thanked me by the second day. Oh, and 5 of our friends came down to our room for coffee by the second day, as well.