Carnival Coffee

[lillian marie]

We are also coffee fans. The coffee in the dining room is usually decent. Try to breakfast and lunch as much as possible in the dining room. At breakfast on our May cruise a tablemate had a 32 ounce insulated coffee mug with her and asked the waiters to fill it before she left the table. She told us she has done this on lots of cruises. The lido coffee is lots better than a few yrs ago but we bring instant starbucks with us. We usually add some starbucks instant to the Lido coffee, it's too weak for us. The coffee shop coffee is not free but is good. A previous poster suggested ordering coffee from room service. We do that too and often make iced coffee from it. Bring a large mug. I also buy small liquid coffee flavor syrups at Wal Mart and bring them along. Hazelnut and Raspberry are excellent in iced coffee.

[elcuchio24]

Guess it depends on what your level off coffe acceptence is. I like good coffee, grind my own, usually have espresso out of a machine or french press. But if I stop at a McD's and want a coffee, I can drink theirs with no issue. It's not as good, but it's still coffee. CCL coffee is not great, it's like gas station coffee, but it is coffee and has caffine, so I drink it.

[Brian2204]

Partner and I are both java junkies, however, he moreso than I.

 

On our '09 Splendor cruise we thought the Lido coffee was passable but when we wanted to satisfy our true caffine fix we stopped at the coffee cafe. That seemed to do the trick. MDR was fine as well. At that time we didn't realize that you could order a cappachino apres dindin at no charge. We also did not utilize morning room service.

 

On our '10 Splendor cruise we had decided to bring with us a Malita cone style filter and ground coffee. The Lido coffee this time around was lousy; it had a destinct metallic/bitter taste to it. The first couple of days I went to the Lido to fill our insulated mug with hot water to use with our own filter and coffee. As I was filling up the mugs I could smell that same metallic/bitter aroma. After that we began ordering 2 carafes of hot water from Room Service to be brought with our morning nosh. Still not great but way better than the Lido. Again we thought the water tainted the taste. We had brought with us Kona coffee but was still not strong enought to mask the flavor. In Puerto Vallarta we purchased some mexican coffee stronger than the Kone and that seemed to do the trick. The coffee cafe this time was not as tasty as the previous year; again a bitter taste to the coffee. On this voyage the cappachinos in the MDR and the steakhouse were excellent.

 

So...my advise is to bring a plastic cone type filter with biodegradable filters that fit over a cup. DO NOT discard used grounds in the sink or john. Simply place them in the wastebasket and your Stu will remove when cleaning.

[elcuchio24]

Maybe prohibited, but not illegal.

 

Illegal. If you get caught with it you will go to prison. Not jail, prison. You won't see your loved ones again. You'll have to wear an uncomfortable orange jumpsuit. It'll be aweful.:)

[zumbafan]

I also need my coffee fix but felt the Lido coffee was fine--I usually had 1-2 cups in the MDR with dessert without any ill effects! I would rather spend my money on the DOD vs ante up for coffee at the cafe. I know when I get home, I will go back to my Boca Java fresh brewed each morning!

[Bayougrl26]

Thanks for this info!

 

I bought two boxes of individual liquid creamers to help, and I know to order room service coffee in the morning so we can enjoy on the balcony!

[BeeBeeCee]

Maybe prohibited, but not illegal.

 

Tehehe :D :p :D

[bnickle]

 

Has anyone bought flavored coffee syrup bottles on board? I have a place by me that sells anywhere from little tiny 150 ml bottles to 750 ml bottles which I hit up every month as it is (it's a little local run store, who prices for them are 1/2 the cost of Walmart's). I am just worried about it getting confiscated at the start or such.

 

 

I just bought some little bottles of caramel syrup to bring along on my cruise. Can't see that it will be a problem; it's labeled and shouldn't be an issue. I'm going to take them in my carry-on so if by chance they want a lookie-loo I can point out that it's just flavored syrup for coffee. Totally with you on wanting your morning flavor shot!

[BeeBeeCee]

I love getting up each morning to go get my Latte from the coffee kiosk :) a nice "peaceful" walk on the ship

 

If you buy one of the coffee mugs, you get a little discount on refills... about 50 cents :o

 

I also always get the free espresso at dinner with my Chocolate Melting cake :D

 

All is good!

[kroozers]

I am a total coffee hound, and I like the ship's coffee just fine, Lido and MDR. Have never had room service, so can't speak about that. Too darned frugal (cheap) to pay for coffee at the pastry shop when it's free in the Lido, or maybe I should say I've already paid for it when I paid for the cruise. Honestly, I LOVE coffee, and can't say I've felt like I was suffering from lack of good coffee on any cruise. We set sail in 107 days, and I cannot wait until I'm sitting on the Magic sipping their coffee!!

 

I completely agree.

[DocF]

The coffee on the lido deck varies from ship to ship and even machine to machine. The best I have had was aboard the Elation several years ago. The urns were, like everything else on that ship, computerized. The coffee was always fresh and tasted great.

 

The coffee is brewed from ground coffee. It tastes like it may have some chicory in it, which will offend the palates of most folks not from the deep south.

 

The Spirit class ships seem to have the worst lido deck coffee. I suspect this has to do with tearing down the machines and properly cleaning them. I went on a comparison tour of the lido deck machines on the Miracle last year. All on the same morning, from seven different machines, the coffee ranged from very drinkable to absolute garbage. Go figure.

 

Now dining room coffee is much better. As a matter of fact, most of it I have had has tasted much better than that dreck from Starbucks.

 

Doc

[smc0320]

I have Starbucks coffee 2-3 times a day....coffee only. I LOVE my coffee. I actually don't thnk the coffee onboard is bad at all.....but I do agree that room service coffee is different somehow...as is MDR coffee.

 

Cappucino was still free with dinner in Dec 10.....love that! gets me thru the shows....almost!

[Herfnerd]

Coffee snob here - roast my own beans and I only drink it black.

 

Was on our first cruise a couple of weeks ago and thought the coffee on the Lido deck was not great but definitely not bad. The MDR was definitely better.

[ALEX122495]

I personally do not like the coffee, since I am a coffee addict. We grind our own french roast beans and make it one pot at a time at home. So I do meals in MDR and get cappuccino (which is free in MDR) instead. It is stronger and just perfect for me. I believe you can also get espresso in the MDR as well.

[1965]

I just bought some little bottles of caramel syrup to bring along on my cruise. Can't see that it will be a problem; it's labeled and shouldn't be an issue. I'm going to take them in my carry-on so if by chance they want a lookie-loo I can point out that it's just flavored syrup for coffee. Totally with you on wanting your morning flavor shot!

Does your cruise involve a flight? Just curious about bottles of flavored syrups going through the security screening if they're more than 3 oz.

[rxlowry]

I have to agree with 1965...my husband and I are both big coffee drinkers and we've never had a problem on any cruise we've been on. This is my first Carnival cruise coming up since college so I can't really judge them. I think some people are used to more "fancy" coffees and if you are more of a purist I doubt you will have problems.

[crewsweeper]

Illegal. If you get caught with it you will go to prison. Not jail, prison. You won't see your loved ones again. You'll have to wear an uncomfortable orange jumpsuit. It'll be aweful.:)

and worst of all you won't be able to go cruising:eek:

[okwriter]

At home, I drink a 10-cup pot of coffee each day (usually before noon). So I love my coffee, too!

 

But I've always managed to drink the ship's free coffee on the Lido deck, from room service, and in the MDR, as well as buying and drinking what's in the pastry shop, because---well, I'm on a cruise! How bad can life be if I don't like the coffee for a week?! :)

[Heirloom]

At home, I drink a 10-cup pot of coffee each day (usually before noon). So I love my coffee, too!

 

But I've always managed to drink the ship's free coffee on the Lido deck, from room service, and in the MDR, as well as buying and drinking what's in the pastry shop, because---well, I'm on a cruise! How bad can life be if I don't like the coffee for a week?! :)

 

 

Good point of view.

 

But.......right now, as I'm sipping a cup of Kenya AA with heavy cream.......the THOUGHT of Carnival cheap, bitter coffee made with sea water....Lord, their coffee sucks big time.

 

We do notice that the Room Service pot of coffee is somewhat less offensive.

[Herfnerd]

Good point of view.

 

But.......right now, as I'm sipping a cup of Kenya AA with heavy cream.......the THOUGHT of Carnival cheap, bitter coffee made with sea water....Lord, their coffee sucks big time.

 

We do notice that the Room Service pot of coffee is somewhat less offensive.

 

 

AAAUUUGGHHH!!! I feel the same way about drinking good coffee with cream, sugar, etc.... ;)

[okwriter]

Good point of view.

 

But.......right now, as I'm sipping a cup of Kenya AA with heavy cream.......the THOUGHT of Carnival cheap, bitter coffee made with sea water....Lord, their coffee sucks big time.

 

We do notice that the Room Service pot of coffee is somewhat less offensive.

 

I drink my coffee black. Guess that makes me pretty tough, eh? :D

[elcuchio24]

AAAUUUGGHHH!!! I feel the same way about drinking good coffee with cream, sugar, etc.... ;)

 

Nothing ruins coffee like cream and sugar, ick:(

[near the beach]

We have found that the coffee in the main dining and for room service has been good. Better than on the lido deck. We have yet to buy any coffee from the coffee shop on board any ship.

[GlendaleCruiser]

The ship's coffee is not the best and not the worst. I just put a little cream in it. If I was picky and had to have starbucks, etc, I would go to the gourmet coffee shop on board.

[Nanaimobound]

I am another "coffeeholic" and I have no problem with the coffee on the ship.