Afternoon Tea

Hi All

Just a quick question regarding afternoon tea with Scones. Is this free or a paid for item in certain restaurants? Where does 1 go for it and what sort of times.

Can't believe this is my 3rd cruise and not looked in to this before. Off on Azura on Saturday so thought I best ask before I go

It is free in the buffet or MDR.

You can pay for tea in Epicurian but this is not on every day and most reviews say it is too sweet.

Hi...it is served in one of the MDRs not them all. Think it is served between 4-4:45...not sure of time in buffet.

Free in one of the MDRs and that version is a *lot* better than what is on offer in the buffet.

It opens at 4 and there is normally a queue and a rush in at that time. It is open until 4.45 and I have gone in at that time but by then most people have left (there is some subtle encouragement from the staff to leave so they can set up for the dinner service).

I am always astonished at how few people go and always expect it to disappear or change to a paid event. I rarely miss an opportunity, even if it is just fora cup of tea (and a sneaky scone).

The buffet tea starts at either 3 or 3.30pm; there's scones every day, but might be cherry one day, or some plain and some cheese ones, with little dishes of jam and cream; some kind of toast- teacake for instance- and small finger sandwiches and cakes. Sometimes sausage rolls or mini quiches.

We often miss lunch and have afternoon tea instead.

Just got back from Azura and afternoon tea was 4 pm, I think on the 6th level near the atrium perhaps called Peninsula Dining Room. Lovely ship and great cruise. Loved the sale away with the Brits flying their flags.

We find the MDR afternoon tea to be poor quality. We are happy to share a table at dinner, but the last few times we tried afternoon tea we fancied a table for two and this was declined. We were put on a table where the other passengers had already almost finished their tea and we were left with an unappealing selection of what was left. We tend not to bother now, but this is no hardship as we find that we are never hungry between lunch and dinner.

The Eric Lanlard afternoon tea is a far far superior offering and is excellent quality, albeit at a cost. Yes, it is quite sickly and not for everyone, but we would recommend trying it once on a cruise. It’s only held on sea days and usually sells out.

We find the MDR afternoon tea to be poor quality. We are happy to share a table at dinner, but the last few times we tried afternoon tea we fancied a table for two and this was declined. We were put on a table where the other passengers had already almost finished their tea and we were left with an unappealing selection of what was left.

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Unfortunately, I agree. It is so British yet Princess does it way better.

Afternoon tea in the buffet is nothing special but still great if you want an informal, mid afternoon snack.

I have had mixed experiences with afternoon tea in MDR. My first time I thought it was amazing. A selection of tea, scones, nicely presented sandwiches. Good attention to detail regarding service which made the whole experience really sophisticated. However, on other occasions, it has felt rushed and lacked the elegance I was expecting. I have a feeling this is done better on the smaller ships but that is just a theory.

On my last cruise, I tried the afternoon tea in the Epicurean. It is a calmer experience as they are only serving a handful of tables. You are served a tray with one tier of savouries, one tier of sweet desert type things and one tier of scones. It wasn't to my personal taste but I wouldn't want to put others off, as it is an experience you need to try for yourself. Personally, I believe it could have been a lot better. One couple sitting on adjacent table thought it was really amazing. Some have remarked that it is too sweet but the real problem for me is the choice of offerings which IMO will not be to everyone's taste.

I like afternoon tea in the MDR and probably go about 3 times in a 14 night cruise. The finger sandwiches are generally good ( prefer them to the bun style on offer in the buffet). I do find the crumpets dusappointing and sometimes the order of appearance of tea cake/ crumpet/ extra sandwiches is surprising. You can (could?) order speciality tea Ceylon/lapsang etc and this will be leaf tea served with a strainer. However the true delight of afternoon tea is the Grand Strategy. This is a ritual governed by a complex mathematical formula which the waiters employ which ensures that there are never quite enough desirable fancy cakes to please every one on the table (& there is always only one supremely desirable cake). It is a joy to watch the tactics adopted by the gathered diners as they jockey for position to make a challenge for the ‘fancy supreme’ without appearing greedy or missing out on too many finger sandwiches. ( It is obviously non U to stack ones plate with savoury and sweet offerings at the same time). I believe the waiters bet quite heavily on the outcomes of Grand Steategy events.

In my next post I will describe successful bidding in Operations and Ailments Top Trumps which takes place in the jacuzzi most afternoons between 2&3pm.

I like afternoon tea in the MDR and probably go about 3 times in a 14 night cruise. The finger sandwiches are generally good ( prefer them to the bun style on offer in the buffet). I do find the crumpets dusappointing and sometimes the order of appearance of tea cake/ crumpet/ extra sandwiches is surprising. You can (could?) order speciality tea Ceylon/lapsang etc and this will be leaf tea served with a strainer. However the true delight of afternoon tea is the Grand Strategy. This is a ritual governed by a complex mathematical formula which the waiters employ which ensures that there are never quite enough desirable fancy cakes to please every one on the table (& there is always only one supremely desirable cake). It is a joy to watch the tactics adopted by the gathered diners as they jockey for position to make a challenge for the ‘fancy supreme’ without appearing greedy or missing out on too many finger sandwiches. ( It is obviously non U to stack ones plate with savoury and sweet offerings at the same time). I believe the waiters bet quite heavily on the outcomes of Grand Steategy events.

In my next post I will describe successful bidding in Operations and Ailments Top Trumps which takes place in the jacuzzi most afternoons between 2&3pm.

Excellent :') You should post more often!