Can anyone tell me why the coffee got bad on ncl

[knitwitt44]

All the years I cruise with NCL, I always found the coffee in the regular dining room great. Really good. Also remember the free cappachino but the last cruise on the Jewel, the coffee was dreadful. Absolutely dreadful. I thought the did this to make us go for the specialty coffee bar. I traveled once on HAL and there too the coffee was like brown water. Turned me off on HAL. I don't want to be turned off on NCL because of this silly issue so can anyone please tell them to get better coffee served in the main room.

[Gngrasso]

Coffee like food of course is highly subjective. But I did not like the coffeee on the Pearl one bit. Left a suggestion in the HDs suggestion box to look into Starbucks franchise like some other lines have. I'll say lack of good coffee was the one bummer on an otherwise perfect cruise!

[Zimomiller]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[che5904]

All the years I cruise with NCL, I always found the coffee in the regular dining room great. Really good. Also remember the free cappachino but the last cruise on the Jewel, the coffee was dreadful. Absolutely dreadful. I thought the did this to make us go for the specialty coffee bar. I traveled once on HAL and there too the coffee was like brown water. Turned me off on HAL. I don't want to be turned off on NCL because of this silly issue so can anyone please tell them to get better coffee served in the main room.

 

OK I don't like any of the coffee I have had on either cruise on NCL, but this is just my personal likes and dislikes. That is, I guess why there are so many brands and strengths out there for all of us who have a different coffee palatte.

 

Sorry but I do have comment on "I thought the did this to make us go for the specialty coffee bar." Since not everyone goes to the coffee bar to buy specialty coffee, whether they like the coffee on the ship or not. Do you honestly think that NCL would risk serving their customers horrible coffee just to make a a few dollars on purchased coffee. Thats pretty far fetched that they would take such a risk. They have probably just changed brands.

 

I really am a coffee nut, but sorry I would not drop a cruise line because they didn't serve me good coffee.

[palmyrafan]

I would guess that NCL change coffee as a way to save money. Either the coffee they had been serving went up in price and they didn't want to pass that $$$ along to you the cruiser or they decided to try something different for their own reasons.

 

As for someone telling them? Feel free to contact them and register your dissatisfaction.

 

BTW, I love specialty teas by TEAVANA but NCL obviously doesn't serve those. So instead, I use my time on the cruise to explore what teas they do offer. Also, my DH loves his coffee and everyone makes it different with different brands. All he does is add cream and/or sugar accordingly to suit his taste buds. Most of the time on the cruise, he'll drink it black.

 

Different strokes for different folks!

[Zeno]

Well it's been a while but I actually found the coffee on my last Dawn cruise to be better than it had been on earlier NCL cruises - guess I will have to see what I think of it on the upcoming POA cruise.

[PreciousCruiser]

I haven't had NCL's coffee, but plan on bringing my own so I can make some in my cabin and drink it on my balcony in the morning. My friend said, "oh no, you don't need to do that, just order room service". I said "I want my Hazelnut coffee, so I'm bringing my own". Then she said, "they don't have coffee pots in the cabins". I said, "you cruised on Carnvial your last cruise, and I'll be on NCL"!!!! I only drink 1 cup in the am, so it won't really affect me much. I'm not a picky coffee drinker, but it is nice to have a really good cup.....

[Chazman]

Most folks aren't aware of this but if you look carefully, you'll usually find at least one coffee station with a bean grinder incorporated into the unit. At least on the Jewel and Gem, I found them and it makes a big difference in the freshness and strength of the brew. Each serving is ground and brewed to order. Just find a machine with a bean hopper on top and you're good.

[valleyvillage]

For the suite cruisers there is the Lavazza machine in most staterooms.

 

And the wonderful French Press coffee in Cagney's.

 

The coffee can vary from location to location, even down to different dispensers in the same venue.

 

One surefire way to have a great cup is to take several packets of Starbucks Via. It's the best instant coffee I have found. They have several varieties.

[che5904]

but plan on bringing my own so I can make some in my cabin and drink it on my balcony in the morning.

 

Balcony cabins come with coffee makers and thats exactly what I do is bring my own. As a matter of fact I do that no matter where I travel to.

[polySeraph]

Most folks aren't aware of this but if you look carefully, you'll usually find at least one coffee station with a bean grinder incorporated into the unit. At least on the Jewel and Gem, I found them and it makes a big difference in the freshness and strength of the brew. Each serving is ground and brewed to order. Just find a machine with a bean hopper on top and you're good.

 

I haven't been on the Jewel or the Gem, but on their sister ships - the Jade and the Pearl - this was true as well. This strategy worked very well for us early on in our cruises, but by the middle of the cruise others had caught on and there was always a line of caffeine-deprived people waiting for that particular machine.

 

It's not just NCL either. On my HAL cruise last November, the coffee was really bad (IMO). DH and I would discuss it over breakfast; we just couldn't figure out how it could be both watery AND bitter at the same time.

[yoyocruiser]

It is very strange but the coffee that they serve VARIES greatly from location to location. Coffee in the MDRs I generally find to be not so good. However, the room service coffee is always very good. And as someone mentioned above, if you go to the buffet you will often find that one of the machines makes much better coffee than the others. Cagney's press pot coffee is great. It is really odd. I have psoted on several threads nd recommended that folks try the coffee out at different locations on the ship--dont' assume one bad cup means all the coffee is bad.

 

I have been known to order room service coffee and then carry it to the dining room with me. I am extremely picky about my coffee and have never had a bad cup from room service.

[DutchBunny]

We both drink a lot of coffee and for us the best coffee is from a machine with a grounder. We own one at home and love to make espresso's.

If you are used to this, it is very hard to like other coffee. On the Jade the "free coffee" was mostly not great. But the espresso's we ordered were ok but also not like a real Italian espresso. It tasted more like regular coffee. This does not mean that the coffee is bad but it is not our taste.

Too bad, than drink something else. I would not make it an issue for our next cruise. Many hotels have bad coffee as well. And do not even talk about airline coffee, that is really very very bad.

 

Some people talk about Starbucks coffee is great coffee. Yeh, if you like it. Here everybody talks about Nespresso. It all depends on your taste. Ask an Italian what he thinks about Starbucks?

[4774Papa]

We had a coffee machine in our balcony cabin on the Jade and didn't have a problem with the coffee.

[valleyvillage]

Oh Dutch Bunny! I love Nespresso but I had to retire the machine because I was spending too much money on capsules!

 

Proost!

[knitwitt44]

Sorry some folks took my comments the wrong way. I am not going to change cruise lines because of a silly issue and I know coffee drinks are subjective and I left comments to the HD and even the main dining room, I just wondered if others found the coffee as bad as I did. Yes, I found the fresh bean coffee machine but I still found the taste to be weak and bitter. Just saying.

[Medtech2]

Sorry some folks took my comments the wrong way. I am not going to change cruise lines because of a silly issue and I know coffee drinks are subjective and I left comments to the HD and even the main dining room, I just wondered if others found the coffee as bad as I did. Yes, I found the fresh bean coffee machine but I still found the taste to be weak and bitter. Just saying.

On the Epic I did not care for the coffee at the buffet but the FREE coffee served in the Atrium, was great. At work we have two BUN machines. Everyone agrees that one makes better coffee than the other-- it is really weird...

[SteveH2508]

Most folks aren't aware of this but if you look carefully, you'll usually find at least one coffee station with a bean grinder incorporated into the unit. At least on the Jewel and Gem, I found them and it makes a big difference in the freshness and strength of the brew. Each serving is ground and brewed to order. Just find a machine with a bean hopper on top and you're good.

 

 

This is the machine you need to look out for.

[zangjuf]

Oh Dutch Bunny! I love Nespresso but I had to retire the machine because I was spending too much money on capsules!

 

Proost!

Hello valleyvillage !

 

Noticed you on several treads and understand you have a lot of experience with the suite life! This will be our first, 2 room familysuite. We dutchies as we are also like the Nespresso, but if i understand correctly the machine in the suite will make me and DH very Happy! Is it also possible to make cappucino or something like that for my DD of 16?

 

Any other must do/try?

 

Hope you also have a sail coming up we all 4 are totaly cruisefans!:D

[Fine and Jim Dandy]

Two words: cost cutting.

 

They are shaving expenses in EVERY possible place to keep costs down.

[yoyocruiser]

I personally don't agree with that because to me it hasn't changed. It always seemed to vary by location and I would search until I found some to my liking. People have varied taste in coffee so this didn't bother me. I am just speaking of my experience.

[sdmike]

On the Epic I did not care for the coffee at the buffet but the FREE coffee served in the Atrium, was great. At work we have two BUN machines. Everyone agrees that one makes better coffee than the other-- it is really weird...

 

I agree. The free coffee in the dispensers at the Atrium Cafe was very good. That's where I stopped on my way to breakfast

[fergusonvt]

I don't like the coffee on NCL because I find it too strong. I realize this is my person taste as my husband likes it very much. If there was a place to re-warm it after adding creamer It would probably work for me but I have to add so much creamer that the coffee gets cool. I like light roasts and found the coffee in Cagney's, the buffet and MDR's and the Lavazza a little too strong for me. About all I can drink is a half cup. The tea brewed in the Lavazza was good though.

[che5904]

I don't like the coffee on NCL because I find it too strong. I realize this is my person taste as my husband likes it very much. If there was a place to re-warm it after adding creamer It would probably work for me but I have to add so much creamer that the coffee gets cool. I like light roasts and found the coffee in Cagney's, the buffet and MDR's and the Lavazza a little too strong for me. About all I can drink is a half cup. The tea brewed in the Lavazza was good though.

 

I'm assuming (sorry I know it is not good to assume), that to make tea there is probably a hot water dispenser. Have you tried 1/2 cup of coffee, 1/2 cup hot water and then adding the normal amount of cream you would put in, of course I meant in the buffet not your suite :). The same with the MDR ask them to bring hot water when they bring your coffee, and only give you 1/2 a cup of actual coffee.

 

I know the coffee shop I love here makes very strong coffee but not bitter. A relative always asks for hers 1/2 coffee, 1/2 hot water so she can enjoy it, because she doesn't like strong coffee.

[fergusonvt]

I'm assuming (sorry I know it is not good to assume), that to make tea there is probably a hot water dispenser. Have you tried 1/2 cup of coffee, 1/2 cup hot water and then adding the normal amount of cream you would put in, of course I meant in the buffet not your suite :). The same with the MDR ask them to bring hot water when they bring your coffee, and only give you 1/2 a cup of actual coffee.

 

I know the coffee shop I love here makes very strong coffee but not bitter. A relative always asks for hers 1/2 coffee, 1/2 hot water so she can enjoy it, because she doesn't like strong coffee.

 

No I didn't try the hot water thing but that's a wonderful idea. The tea I had was a pod that you put in the Lavazza machine similar to my Keurig I have at home. Sometimes at home if all I have is bold coffee I'll run it through twice and just drink the second cup. I don't think you could do that with the Lavazza.