End of Coffee Card as we know it!

[Woodmnky]

Glad that I am crusing in December. We have an unused card that we stored with our passports after our last cruise. We will make sure to use it up this cruise.

[BigTimeCruiser]

I called Princess about this alleged Coffee Card issue. They said that they didn't know what I was talking about and said that the cards DO NOT expire.

[beg3yrs]

I called Princess about this alleged Coffee Card issue. They said that they didn't know what I was talking about and said that the cards DO NOT expire.

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! Someone finally busted the rumor mill!

[NSWP]

I'm not surprised the way people brag about using theirs over and over, cruise after cruise. Actually, I am a little surprised ... that it took Princess this long to change it!

 

People should learn not to abuse a privilege, and if they do, they should keep their mouths shut!!

 

Next privilege revocation will be carrying on wine, mark my words!

Exactly, someone will always stuff it up for others. That is why we stick to bringing on two bottles of wine only, as per policy.

 

Coffee cards the same, use it up on your cruise or shred it.

 

I too cannot believe people pay several thousand dollars to cruise and get excited about the merits of a $30 coffee card. I would rather get excited about having to pay the auto tips.

[Sailingpeace]

I believe in fairness. For x $ you get a card that entitles you to a certain number of coffees. Clear and fair. We , I know I did, paid for the cards, therefore Princess should honor them and give us the coffees. But, if some cards were not punched and people expected that to be the rule....that is another thing and those who went by the one hole one coffee system should not be all penalized. If Princess want to change the rules, ok, so the new sold cards will say Valid on this cruise only ( and we will decide if they are worth buying). We will know when we buy and it will be fair. But for those of us who have cards - THAT WE PAID FOR THINKING WE COULD USE THEM ON FUTURE CRUISES - with the regular system of one hole beeing punched per coffee, the honest things to do, IMHO, is to let us use them and when they are gone they are gone. I would like to feel that my cruising cie. irs reliable and I don't have to be on my guard that any of the things we come to expect after the years can change overnight and we are stuck with.

[Toddy709]

I called Princess about this alleged Coffee Card issue. They said that they didn't know what I was talking about and said that the cards DO NOT expire.

 

Sorry to tell you this, but Princess' customer service is notoriously uninformed! I believe the info I read from lay-persons on this forum much more than Princess' 1-800 number!!

 

I have an unused coffee card that we got as a BOGO, and if it is not honored on our January cruise, what are we out??? NOTHING! Am I going to scream at someone at the PSD? No! Whose vacation does that disrupt?? MINE!!

 

Somebody that has six plus unused cards is unimaginable. Reminds me of the old adage, if it sounds too good to be true, it PROBABLY is!!

[srpilo]

We are on the Golden and I was just getting a cup of coffee, when the server told me

my card would be no good after Jan, 2012.

I will be on the Golden to Hawaii for Christmas, so I hope my card will still be good

till the end of the cruise.

 

The new cards will have the name of the ship and the cruise #. So you will only be

able to use the card for that cruise.

 

We did not talk price but I am sure it will not go lower.

 

Greg

Aboard the Golden Princess off the coast of California.

 

 

Add this to the list of cut back type changes that Princess is dumping on us lately..

 

 

Welcome to the new and improved Princess :confused:

Srpilo

[Toto2Kansas]

I called Princess about this alleged Coffee Card issue. They said that they didn't know what I was talking about and said that the cards DO NOT expire.

I would expect no less from Princess CSR's. That is typical, as they are usually the last ones to know.

[Pam in CA]

As long as there are punches left, they should be honored. When HAL switched to a general beverage card that works like a debit card instead of separate wine and soda cards, I had a wine card with about 8 punches left. On my last HAL cruise, they honored those punches so I made sure I used them all up.

 

Anyone who didn't see these changes coming has had their head in the sand. Some people have been getting free brewed coffee for several years and multiple cruises as long as there was one punch left. I've never gotten a coffee card so I don't know the written policy on the card but it seems to me people would realize they're getting a heck of a deal and that this was not the original intent of the coffee card. Absolutely no surprise that this has changed.

[betterthanworking]

I don't think they will make you 'eat' your cards at all. I am sure they will come up with a solution for you. Just don't expect the full value of the cards to be refunded since so many were sold as 2 for the price of 1. ;)

But you might want to warn those on your next cruise after 2012 to bring along ear plugs if they are near the PSD. :D Remember, there are times when yelling will get you nothing, but explaining and talking will do a whole lot more. Best of luck with this one! ;)

 

Just kidding with that. I don't do that, however, I will expect some sort of reimbursement for my cards if they cannot be used. I will usually see the CC gal and get results.

 

Also, this thread is based on the OP's statement whuch could have been posted just to create a confrontation as is happening here. I have found that this is a common occurance here!!

[beg3yrs]

Somebody that has six plus unused cards is unimaginable. Reminds me of the old adage, if it sounds too good to be true, it PROBABLY is!!

 

Well imagine this: we have eight unused cards, all purchased via BOGO so that's less than a dollar per specialty coffee ($24 cards at half price). DW and I drink two each per day so that's only 30 days of cruising. Our next cruise is 35 days.

[Coral]

 

Anyone who didn't see these changes coming has had their head in the sand. Some people have been getting free brewed coffee for several years and multiple cruises as long as there was one punch left. I've never gotten a coffee card so I don't know the written policy on the card but it seems to me people would realize they're getting a heck of a deal and that this was not the original intent of the coffee card. Absolutely no surprise that this has changed.

 

I don't drink coffee so thankfully I am not affected by this. Though what surprises me is that Princess can't provide brewed coffee for people for free?? This part has always amazed me.

[ONT-CA]

All I ask when I spends thousands on a cruise is coffee that is actually drinkable,like every restaurant I have ever been in!

 

 

That is the point isn't it? The swill they push throughout the ship is not meant for human consumption. So when they offer a solution, at a price, to their inept ability to make coffee for the masses we understood that what we paid for would be delivered. This has become ridiculous. What next, water glass refill charges. For pity sake, if they need more revenue, up the price of the cruise and stop this nickel and diming us to death. You are Princess for heaven sake, not the Staten Island Ferry.

[Astro Flyer]

I think Princess should exchange the unused cards for a new one on the ship you join I purchased two new cards with the last of my on board credit at my last cruise but do not have a new cruise booked until Jan 2013 Princess should therefore exchange these two cards for cards on The Grand Princess in Jan 2013 or as mentioned it would have been false advertising.

We like our latte coffee and this is why we purchase the cards not for loads of freebies.:confused:

 

While I have no way of knowing, I would be shocked if unused punches aren't rolled over into a new card with definitive expiration rules. I think it is the "free brewed coffee for life" by holding back a single punch that is under attack. This solution would take care of betterthanworking's issue. And I hardly think that there will be too many people raising a ruckus at guests services over not being able to get unlimited brewed coffee because they still have an unused punch from 2007.

 

I agree this would be a reasonable solution & hopefully the way Princess will handle these upcoming changes in the coffee card procedures. :)

[David&Heather]

I believe in fairness. For x $ you get a card that entitles you to a certain number of coffees. Clear and fair. We , I know I did, paid for the cards, therefore Princess should honor them and give us the coffees. But, if some cards were not punched and people expected that to be the rule....that is another thing and those who went by the one hole one coffee system should not be all penalized. If Princess want to change the rules, ok, so the new sold cards will say Valid on this cruise only ( and we will decide if they are worth buying). We will know when we buy and it will be fair. But for those of us who have cards - THAT WE PAID FOR THINKING WE COULD USE THEM ON FUTURE CRUISES - with the regular system of one hole beeing punched per coffee, the honest things to do, IMHO, is to let us use them and when they are gone they are gone. I would like to feel that my cruising cie. irs reliable and I don't have to be on my guard that any of the things we come to expect after the years can change overnight and we are stuck with.

 

Quite agree with you, trouble is that a significant minority have taken advantage of an unintended loophole that allows them to get an infinite ammount of brewed coffee forever and who can blame Princess for wanting to put an end to this?

[sonavogel]

Please forgive me for asking for information on a subject that every poster to this thread knows well, but...

 

I will be on my first Princess cruise in the coming months, and I'm confused by the many references in this thread to having to have a coffee card with one punch left in it in order to get "brewed" coffee without paying.

 

Is there nowhere on the ship to get coffee for free without having to do that? Is it free at breakfast or lunch or dinner? Is it ever free at other times? Or is the coffee offered for free (to those without one of those cards) made in an inferior kind of process?

 

I'd be grateful for the info; I drink quite a lot of decaf coffee after my first regular cup, and if I must bring my own coffee maker and coffee aboard, I'd better know that in advance!

 

Thanks, everyone.

 

Best, Sona

[Pam in CA]

Please forgive me for asking for information on a subject that every poster to this thread knows well, but...

 

I will be on my first Princess cruise in the coming months, and I'm confused by the many references in this thread to having to have a coffee card with one punch left in it in order to get "brewed" coffee without paying.

 

Is there nowhere on the ship to get coffee for free without having to do that? Is it free at breakfast or lunch or dinner? Is it ever free at other times? Or is the coffee offered for free (to those without one of those cards) made in an inferior kind of process?

 

I'd be grateful for the info; I drink quite a lot of decaf coffee after my first regular cup, and if I must bring my own coffee maker and coffee aboard, I'd better know that in advance!

Coffee is free throughout the ship all the time, including the buffet, dining rooms, room service, specialty restaurants, etc. However, it is made from concentrate rather than fresh-brewed. Some refer to it as syrup but it's really just a concentrate. It's fine for most passengers and there are some who prefer either a specialty coffee such as a cappuccino or fresh-brewed so they purchase a coffee card or pay per cup of coffee.

[OCruisers]

I would expect no less from Princess CSR's. That is typical, as they are usually the last ones to know.

 

:rolleyes: Unfortunately, this is VERY true! Never do I trust CSR replies....

[Loonbeam]

Given all the controversy, I made a direct contact, who I cannot name because they are not speaking for Princess in an official capacity, so you are welcome to treat this as hearsay until an official announcement comes along. That said, their info has generally been fairly accurate. Here's the response, paraphrased because I don't type that fast, my thoughts in ())..

 

---Princess will be changing their brewed beverage cards in the near future. No specific date has been announced (very specifically did not say set) and details are still being worked out regarding how cards still in circulation will be handled. There will be a redemption policy for old cards, but what that is I don't know yet, no one here (that persons department I assume) does.---

 

Note that the customer service desk will not have new information until a written policy is issued, so for now, the current coffee card policy or lack thereof is in place and customer service gave the right answer. It will probably be December before they would know for a Jan change.

 

So based on that its safe to assume that there will be a new card policy, the wording on the web site seems to support what the ships staff has said. With that in mind, everything to this point is rumor, hearsay or speculation until there is a formal announcement, because even if someone knows specifics, they can change. And apparently Princess is well aware there are many cards out there.

 

I did make the suggestion that either the approach of turning cards in for new models be used for a period of time, or allowing people to mail theirs in to Princess and get back a voucher good for one card with no expiration date would go over well and it was promised to pass that up the food chain.

[Toddy709]

For everyone whining about Princess' many cut-backs lately, do you ever stop to consider that they have the ability to reinstate the gas surcharge but they haven't done that yet? Anytime you think you're not getting your money's worth any longer, you are free to quit cruising with Princess. Somehow, I don't think that will happen and apparently neither does Princess or they wouldn't be making all these changes that the average cruiser (those not on cruising message boards anyway) aren't even aware of!

[northcreek]

We usually only drink one special coffee beverage per cruise so we would never have purchased the cards if they had an expiration date, we do enjoy the brewed coffee each morning but it is only $1 so we have no problem paying for them or having them punch our card for them. I'm sure Princess will provide new cards equal to the number of punches left on the old cards.

[Toto2Kansas]

Is there nowhere on the ship to get coffee for free without having to do that? Is it free at breakfast or lunch or dinner? Is it ever free at other times? Or is the coffee offered for free (to those without one of those cards) made in an inferior kind of process?

 

Sona

Sona, as Pam says, ships coffee is available 24/7 and some enjoy it. It is not brewed coffee but as she also says, made from concentrate. For us, it is totally undrinkable, and also to us, it even has a fowl smell to it. So many buy the coffee card so they can have unlimited brewed coffees and well as limited specialty coffees. It is a lifesaver for some, while others think it is a waste to purchase one. But many just will not tolerate what the ship serves as 'complimentary coffee' (us included). But we find this on most of the main stream cruise lines, not just Princess. The concentrate is a money saver with very little to no waste, with no grounds to dispose of.

[OCruisers]

I am interested to know why someone would buy that amount up front?

 

Me too! Why on earth would someone buy $150 of coffee cards up front? :confused: Totally :confused:

[lovevacadays]

This will be acceptable to us since we only use the coffee cards to get specialty coffee. However, if they even refuse to let us use punches to get specialty coffee, I will definitely make a scene right there at IC.

 

I completey understand why this would upset you. But, please don't make a scene at the IC. Those folks aren't part of the decision making process. Please take it to the Passenger Service Desk or the Food & Beverage Manager.

[Astro Flyer]

Loonbeam...thanks for checking with your source & sharing it with us. :)

 

Hopefully a fair & rational decision will be made with any changes to the coffee cards. A simple solution would be to allow us to redeem our existing specialty coffee drinks (either 'grandfathered' or new cards) which I think is fair.

 

The other heated discussion about 'lifetime' brewed coffee can be changed with the new system. I see no problem with changing the way brewed coffee rules are set...I bought it for the specialty coffees & the brewed was a bonus. I'll be happy to get the specialty coffees I paid to get & to have a new system for brewed coffee. It's not a big deal to me & a way to deal with those having 1 punch cards for 'lifetime' brewed coffee. :)