End of Coffee Card as we know it!

[suzyed]

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!

I don't think any one "abused" the privilege...I was told when I bought it, that it had no experation date.

[srpilo]

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!

 

Whining ? Really ?

In your opinion people who are using this forum to voice their personal concerns as consumers about real and legitimate cuts in value of the product they were promised when many here booked in many cases as far back as two years ago, but yet are still paying the same price for something less than agreed to are now considered by you as whiner's ?

 

Princess/Carnival is profit driven company of which I'm a share holder, and they have every right to charge whatever they feel the market will pay including a fuel surcharge, and they don't need any additional anti-consumer defenders like you to justify their position, but what they don't have the right to do is change the agreement they made with paying customers mid-stream or after the fact.

 

So if you think being a intellegent consumer who are only voicing their feelings here about arbitrarily losing things recently, things that were agreed to when they purchased their cruise or even yet agin today changing the terms of a simple coffee card which many here bought in good faith when they were told at the time there was NO Expiration date and who simply took Princess at their word, that those people in your opinion are whining.... All I can say to that is thanks for posting and sharing those insightful and well thought out views, I sure we can all rest now knowing it's not the cut-backs that are the issue here being discussed, it only the whinng about them thats really the problem.

 

 

Signed Not-a-Shill

[Crown Prince]

We've used the coffee cards, have not overused and have now taken to carrying our little "coffee sticks" with us as we didn't find the brewed coffee to be very good anyway. It's quite easy to go to the Horizon Court and get hot water for the "sticks" or to take them to breakfast and just ask for hot water.

You have something there. I think the sticks to which you refer are the Starbucks Viva instant coffee. I don't like starbucks; however, I take the Folger's tea-bag type when I stay in cheep hotels in Europe. Heck, even at the 5-Star Mandalay Bay in Vegas had no coffee in the room cuz they want U to go to one of their 5 Starbucks.

I have a heating element that I bought at Magellans on line. Travelsmith probably sells one also. It has different plugs and accommodates both 110 and 220 voltage.

I have a metal-lined Princess thermos that has a leather carrying case with a shoulder strap. I can make coffee in my cabin or hotel room anywhere in the world. I am one of those people who needs "Immediate Coffee" as soon as my feet hit the floor.

It's only $15.

http://www.magellans.com/store/Health___Hygiene___Food___DrinkEF123?Args=

[Sunsailor]

You have something there. I think the sticks to which you refer are the Starbucks Viva instant coffee. I don't like starbucks; however, I take the Folger's tea-bag type when I stay in cheep hotels in Europe. Heck, even at the 5-Star Mandalay Bay in Vegas had no coffee in the room cuz they want U to go to one of their 5 Starbucks.

I have a heating element that I bought at Magellans on line. Travelsmith probably sells one also. It has different plugs and accommodates both 110 and 220 voltage.

I have a metal-lined Princess thermos that has a leather carrying case with a shoulder strap. I can make coffee in my cabin or hotel room anywhere in the world. I am one of those people who needs "Immediate Coffee" as soon as my feet hit the floor.

It's only $15.

http://www.magellans.com/store/Health___Hygiene___Food___DrinkEF123?Args=

You should be aware that the any heating element that gets hot enough to make instant coffee is not allowed in your cabin. Fire hazard. You can order a pot of hot water from room service.

[homeinboca]

I knew this would be a popular and touchy subject on the boards. Coffee is a very personal thing for many of us! There are some people you wouldn't go near until they had their morning coffee.

 

I purchased a coffee card and have used it on 2 cruises for the occasional evening latte in the IC. I don't think I've used it for brewed coffee, but DW has for the specialty teas. I still have a couple of stamps left and it and I'll use it up on my next cruise in December. I also bring Starbucks VIA for my morning brew and order hot water.

 

I certainly understand when companies make policy changes. My company recently made a major policy change regarding the expiration of our products. It upsets customers, many complain, but eventually things calm down and things go back to normal.

 

Princess Corporation is a business, and as such has a responsibility to their employees, shareholders and customers to be profitable to ensure their survival in a very competitive business.

[Loonbeam]

Thinking about it, isn't this a lot of collective angst when we don't even know what the changes are and when they are coming?

 

I recognize this has the potential to be a bad chance for some people, but really, lets react based on what we know or at least seems reliable, not worst case...

[suzyed]

Maybe if Princess would step up and provide coffee/expresso makers in the cabins, like NCL does, there wouldn't be such a need for "coffee cards". ;)

[NSWP]

Yes suzyed...P&O UK provide tea/coffee making facilities in their cabins, so if they can do it, Princess could. After all all part of Carnival Corp.

 

Must be safe to do so.

[Sailingpeace]

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?

 

It takes two to tango, so if a loophole there is , Princess employees had to tango on this one. Honest customers should not have to be penalized. I so agree with you that this is a case of the majority paying for a loophole...:mad: I hope Princess will fins a fair way to handle this!

[ccheng64]

If someone could please scan one of their older coffee cards and show me where it says they are good forever I would appreciate it. ;) (joking) But honestly, how do you PROVE you were TOLD they didn't expire if there is no wording on the card itself stating that fact?

 

I am sure Princess will find a way to take care of these older cards, although I know that those with multiple cards will not be happy with it. But since there were so many 'two for one coupons' out there, they would not be able to refund the cost of each coffee card in your possession, think of all those that only bought one and got the second one free (that would be pushing for a refund for all of them at the same price. Do you actually think passengers would be honest about this one?). Keep in mind, they try to keep the masses of passengers happy, and if a few aren't, they really could care less. You can't make all of the people happy all of the time.;)

 

I do not agree with you. Princess offered the coupons to promote early booking, then they should honor the full value of the free coffee card I received while using the buy 1 get 1 free coupon. I intend to use both cards. It is Princess, not me, trying to change the deal/agreement.

[Sailingpeace]

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?

 

 

Easy way out for Princess. Get employees to understand and apply this rule: ONE coffee; one punch.. repeat: One coffe : one punch. No more little coffe cups on the card ( or whatever logo) to punch: no more coffee ! Gee. it's turning like because someone gave a free FCC to a passenger ( not that it would happend) none of us can buy FCC anymore!

[Toto2Kansas]

Yes suzyed...P&O UK provide tea/coffee making facilities in their cabins, so if they can do it, Princess could. After all all part of Carnival Corp.

 

Must be safe to do so.

We have had coffee and tea making facilities on Princess, honestly. When the Sea Princess returned from P&O we were on the second cruise after it's return. The kettle and coffee and tea and cups were still in the suites and mini suites, and replenished daily. It was delightful! A year later we sailed on the Sea Priness again, in the same stateroom, ALL GONE. But it sure was nice on that one cruise to have that available. :)

[Sailingpeace]

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!

 

This has nothig to do with getting our money's worth. It is about Princess promoting a good deal: either buy this card for X $ and get X amount of coffees and in some cases advertising or promoting as encouraging people to get a BOGO free card ( so 2X coffes for x$) and then telling you after you paid : oups, changed our mind: deal not valid any more!

 

Do you think that after reading the pasenger contract about fuel surcharges, we could say if they implement them: oups changed our minds, we will not pay them ?

[suzyed]

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. :)

I agree...that's what I was thinking.

[Sailingpeace]

Really?

 

One who is willing to pay a couple of thousands of dollars to go on a cruise - plus all the side expenses - and they let their underpants get wadded up because of losing a couple of dollars on a coffee card which shouldn't have been honored after the end of their cruise in the first place? How about considering all the times it was honored they got extra value was added to it?

 

This isn't an additional charge - it's playing by the rules. I'm continually baffled by people who when they get nabbed for circumventing policy, they think it's not their own fault.

 

:rolleyes:

 

A. Maybe one can cruise because one makes sure of not paying for a service one will not get !

B.Maybe people making comments about this, had their card punched everytime they had a coffee, so interesting to see that some can't presume that some of their fellow passengers don't all go for free coffees ...

C.Because we can afford to cruise ( some of us having to save more than others...) doesn't mean thant we don't know the value of a hard earned $ , or ( having gone to law school :)or not) not understand and respect the underlyng principle of a financial agreement.

D. As you seem to believe that the coffee card value if of such an insignificant value... am I to understand you won't mind sending me the amount I paid for it , and that it would not mess with your underpants?

[JimmyVWine]

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

 

What is so difficult to understand? If you are a frequent cruiser and you know that over the remainder of your life you were going to buy $500 worth of coffee drinks, (at today's prices, factoring in no inflation), and someone offered you the opportunity to buy vouchers entitling you to that amount of coffee for $250, why wouldn't you do it? It is called "going long". I know people who have purchased literally thousands of dollars of Disney park passes that sit in safe deposit boxes. They bought them at 2008 prices, (or whatever) and can use them at any time in the future as they do not begin to expire until first used. When they use their 2008 passes in, say, 2014, they will be savings hundreds of dollars. If 15 specialty coffees will cost $5 per coffee in 2013, or $75 for the bunch, wouldn't you love to have purchased a card for 15 such coffees for $30? Or, in the case of BOGO sales, 30 coffees for $30? C'mon folks. It ain't rocket science. And I'm not a coffee drinker and have never purchased a card. But I still get the math!

[kruisey]

Have only ever used them for lattes and I sure will be mad on my next trip which is in April 2012 if they tell me this card cannot be used:mad:

[LoveThisCruisingThing]

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.

 

Good! Too many take advantage of the free brewed coffee....the card is not to be used over and over and over on different cruises. I hope they attach a sticker to the cruise card like they do on the soda stickers.

[rlmosher]

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.

 

Oh there will be some folks that will try, If some folks think that they can get something for free they will raise a ruckus to get it.

[Astro Flyer]

Thinking about it, isn't this a lot of collective angst when we don't even know what the changes are and when they are coming?

 

I recognize this has the potential to be a bad chance for some people, but really, lets react based on what we know or at least seems reliable, not worst case...

 

Thanks again for being the voice of reason (along with a few others) which for the most part gets ignored by those so vocal on both sides of this heated issue. Nothing has been decided & yet some react like they haven't had their daily caffeine & are too jittery. :p

 

I agree...that's what I was thinking.

Thanks...I truly believe that will be the ultimate decision...allow us to get the specialty coffee drinks we've paid to receive & to come up with a fair way to get brewed coffee. It'd be nice to have it everywhere without an extra fee but Princess uses reconstituted coffee concentrate & doubtful it will change. It's something each of us considers when deciding our choice for a cruise. And either way, Princess has many more pros than cons for me. :rolleyes:

[Pam in CA]

I don't think any one "abused" the privilege...I was told when I bought it, that it had no experation date.

Logic would tell anyone who thought about it for more than two minutes that offering a card for unlimited brewed coffee for an infinite period of time when there is a charge for each cup of that coffee without the card doesn't make any business sense.

 

It's really the same as a soda sticker. There isn't an expiration date on that either nor is there anything that says you can't use it to get soda for everyone in your group. Yet doing both is abusing the intent of the soda sticker.

 

All this reminds me of Jean Kerr's famous book (which was also made into a movie), "Please Don't Eat the Daisies."

[caribill]

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!

 

 

Isn't it possible that the card you used was the free one and the unused card is the one you paid for?

[NSWP]

We have had coffee and tea making facilities on Princess, honestly. When the Sea Princess returned from P&O we were on the second cruise after it's return. The kettle and coffee and tea and cups were still in the suites and mini suites, and replenished daily. It was delightful! A year later we sailed on the Sea Priness again, in the same stateroom, ALL GONE. But it sure was nice on that one cruise to have that available. :)

Thanks Toto, well next week on Ruby then Coral so I can purchase our coffee cards, promise to use them up and shred after cruise. I will also suffer the HC coffee, just water it down a little or turn it into an iced coffee with some milk and ice, more than one way to skin a cat. LOL.

 

But next year on Arcadia, Sydney to Southampton, we can have tea for two in the cabin with the facilities provided, if we feel like it. Although I do like to prowl the Promenade deck early morning with a coffee from ye olde buffet. NOW I wonder if P&O UK have coffee cards?

 

Yes, I am easily pleased and comply with the rules, including carry on wine, limiting to two bottles each and that is another story, don't get me started on those who wheel cases of wine on, abusing the policy and who eventually might end Princess concession of byo vino.

 

Here endeth my sermon.

[kruisey]

Have never used their card for fresh brewed coffee but just the speciality ones which get punched each time.

Its a shame if those of us that have never cheated with the coffee, and I bet that many of us, may not be able to use our paid up cards

As someone else mentioned earlier a person pays thousands of dollars for a cruise then gets a thrill by cheating on cups of coffee !!!!!!!

[kendon]

Isn't it possible that the card you used was the free one and the unused card is the one you paid for?

 

Good one!