Coffee Card???

[from the desert]

Check out the specialty food stores in your area. They have little bottles of flavorings: cinnamon, raspberry, mocha, hazelnut, etc. They are slightly larger than a mini-bottle of liquor and since they are so concentrated you only use a few drops. Carry one in your pocket, add them to your coffee with a bit of half-and-half or whole milk and you have froo-froo coffee whenever you wish. It will help hide the taste of the "syrup" based coffee if you don't think it tastes good plain.

[Nymue]

And for those Carb Aware, or Diabetic like myself, you can find those syrups sugarfree even in places like Wal-Wart. Starbucks has a great little 4 pack of their flavored syrups as well, PERFECT traveling size :rolleyes:

 

Check out the specialty food stores in your area. They have little bottles of flavorings: cinnamon, raspberry, mocha, hazelnut, etc. They are slightly larger than a mini-bottle of liquor and since they are so concentrated you only use a few drops. Carry one in your pocket, add them to your coffee with a bit of half-and-half or whole milk and you have froo-froo coffee whenever you wish. It will help hide the taste of the "syrup" based coffee if you don't think it tastes good plain.

[Princess Chatterer]

I didn't see anyone confirm or deny Benny's (TorontoTL) post - so I will ask again - I believe he was seeking clarification in his post the same as I am...Where on the Caribbean Princess can you get a brewed cup of regular coffee? Do I need a coffee card? The coffee in the dining room/buffets/room service are syrup coffee, correct? The coffee at the bar in the Atrium is brewed? Please clarify - trying to see if I need to pack my Mr. Coffee machine in my luggage. - Thanks.

 

Brewed coffee is available on Princess ships in the Atrium bars and perhaps other bars. You do not need a coffee card, just your cruise card to pay for your cup of brewed coffee. The coffee in the dining room/horizon court and room service is syrup coffee. On some ships like the Golden, which I am on right now, the brewed coffee is just as bad as the syrup coffee.

[sunsetbeachgal]

We cruised the Golden last fall and always buy the Specialty Coffee card-the Lobby Bar on Deck 5 just outside the dining room is the best place to sip a cup of specialty or brewed coffee and watch the world go by. We got to know the bartender since we went there at least once a day, and half the time I don't think she punched the card-yes, she got a nice tip at the end of the cruise! ENJOY!

[HappyCruiser383]

I never thought about bringing cocoa to add to the coffee. I know my dd's love that kind of coffee and they will be with us on this cruise.(I'm allergic to chocolate so that leaves me out) I'll be sure to put a couple of envelopes in my carryon and surprise them. Thanks for the tip. Any suggestions for me....without chocolate? Happy cruising!

 

3 weeks from tomorrow and we'll be on the CB. I can't wait.

 

 

As addicted as I am to chocolate, I would wither away if I couldn't have it anymore! A substitute to chocolate? Hm . . . :confused: I'd have to say the flavored coffee creamers too. Don't forget to pack them in a zip lock bag . . I had one heck of a mess one year. :eek:

[debinnh]

So, where and when do you buy these cards? DH and I spent more than $30 on coffee drinks on the Island Princess, but it was Alaska. I suspect we will still use it on the Crown in Dec in the Southern Carribean, but might want to wait and see rather than buying it up front. Can we buy it the first time we would need it?

[luvthis]

Okay...I've read all this. What is Syrup Coffee? I've never heard of such a thing. I know about ground coffee and whole bean coffee that has been ground and instant coffee. What the heck is Syrup Coffee?

 

I'm really flustered to think that after paying for the cruise I nowhave to pay for a decent cup of non-specialty coffee and can't even just grab a cup on deck or in the foyer area. What has cruising come to anyway? I can accept paying for alcoholic drinks and sodas. I guess I can accept paying for a good cup of capaccino or espresso (although what would it hurt them to offer it after dinner as part of the dessert experiencek). It ticks me off to think they don't even offer free lemonade. I like iced tea, but gee whiz...there is no way I'm going to pay for lemonade.

 

Yup...I'm flustered alright. Still going on Princess with a very positive attitude, but can't believe the nickel & diming that has started with them since our last cruise on Princess in 1997. We have sailed on Celebrity in 2001 and again in 2006 with lots of free lemonade and punch and coffee and tea. Hmmm...all most cruiselines getting this picky?

 

--Jean

[patross]

luivthis, I have been on both the Caribbean Princess and the Crown Princess and had the coffee in the buffet and at dinner. I found it to be fine. I do not like Starbucks coffee, In fact, I feel that is the worst coffee I have tasted. I prefer Dunkin Donuts, WaWa, Wegmans and McDonalds coffee. Princess' coffee did not tast any different to me that those do. Now, if it tasted like Starbucks, I would say the coffee is horrible! It seems it is a matter of personal preference. I did not purchase the coffee card on the Crown this past August.

[mickmobo]

Okay...I've read all this. What is Syrup Coffee? I've never heard of such a thing. I know about ground coffee and whole bean coffee that has been ground and instant coffee. What the heck is Syrup Coffee?

 

--Jean

 

It is not really a syrup but rather a concentrate. The coffee machine basically just mixes the concentrate with hot water. Do right it can produce a decent cup of coffee. I believe the Nescafe version is used on the Disney ships and it is passable. Just like soda machines -- the mix can be off, the concentrate old, machine not cleaned properly, etc and you end up with swill!

 

Personally I am going bring fresh-roasted beans, a grinder, and french press on our cruise in March.

[luvthis]

Hmmm...we're not fussy coffee drinkers so we'll just assume the Princess basic coffee will be just fine. I'll bring along some Crystal Light lemonade and a mix it in our room. Also, we will bring along some of our own instant cocoa and flavored creamer. We should be good to go. Heck, we could even bring some instant capaccino if we can find room in our luggage, right?

 

--Jean