how bad is the coffee?

[nonprofitgeek]

Hi folks,

 

I've noticed that many experienced cruisers seem to bring small coffee pots on board with them and I'm considering doing the same. Good, or at least decent, coffee is critical to my morning and I don't think I could deal with terrible coffee 7 days in a row. Is it really made with syrup as opposed to grounds? Please weigh in....if it helps, I'm a Starbucks or equivalently strong coffee drinker.

 

Thanks!

Rachel

[Druke I]

The coffee in the Horizon Court (or equivalent lido area) is pretty bad, by most accounts.

 

You can get a very good cup of coffee at the Patisserie, if the ship you are on has one (look around the Purser's area).

 

I think coffee in the dining room fine, but certainly not as strong as Starbuck's which is not to everyone's taste either.

 

Never have figured out why P&O, former parent and now sister of Princess, has coffee/tea makers in the cabins, but Princess doesn't.

[whiskey]

Yes, its indeed Coffee Syrup mixed with hot water, and thats what it tastes like... brown water.

[cruiserforlife]

Very subjective.Major complaints on this subject from almost everyone.

Dining room's coffee is better but a far cry from Starbucks...as you will discover for yourself soon.:eek:

[LARGIN]

On my Alaska Coral cruise a few weeks ago the coffee really wasn't that bad. I was pleasantly surprised..

[tee_wrecks]

Leaving a week from today. Is there a Patisserie on the Dawn and if so where would I find it?

[Toto2Kansas]

Think of the worst cup of coffee you have ever had, then double it. That is what we think of all the coffee onboard ships. :mad:

[rowbob50]

Hi, I heard a lot about the bad coffee and was going to take a pot but didn't. We were on the Diamond to Alaska on May 14th and it wasn't great coffee but it was alright. I ordered room service coffee every morning and did just fine.....Roy

[Northender]

Think of the worst cup of coffee you have ever had, then double it. That is what we think of all the coffee onboard ships. :mad:

 

I'm with Toto. Get a Black & Decker one cup coffee maker (comes with its own cup). :)

[coiran]

Compared th the NEW McDonalds brew and STARBUCKS cooffee, Princess coffee is gourmet. IMHO

 

Ron

[FredS]

On the Royal last month the coffee in the Lido cafe was pretty bad. I found that if I used 2/3 coffee and 1/3 hot water it tasted Ok. Our tablemates in the dinning room were from England and they had coffee after dinner every night and had no problems with it.

[britsbest]

See your tea is soooooooo bad that we will even drink Princess coffee!

 

Seriously though we found it quite acceptable, and yes we drink real coffee either filter or the new (to UK at least) Nespresso here.

[Pam in CA]

I have no problems with the coffee on Princess, either in the buffet or the dining room. But then I HATE Starbucks coffee -- I think it's the dregs. I can't imagine how anyone can drink that stuff. So, I guess I'm in the minority.

[coiran]

I have no problems with the coffee on Princess, either in the buffet or the dining room. But then I HATE Starbucks coffee -- I think it's the dregs. I can't imagine how anyone can drink that stuff. So, I guess I'm in the minority.

 

I am with you - Starbucks sucks - the new McDonalds coffee sucks - Princess coffee is just fine.

 

Ron

[marlinmike]

If you don't like the taste of your coffee there's not enough Bailey's in it :)

[kevinsac]

I'll combine two threads in this one reply! :D

 

Yes, we fly in a day early. :) And yes, we will buy a coffee maker in SEA before boarding. We are going to be on board for 18-days and I can't live with mediocre or horrendous coffee for that long. :)

 

I guess we are coffee snobs; we bring back three cases of coffee (lasts us about 6-8 months) everytime we are in Germany.:rolleyes:

[Dreamer333]

My DH is very "picky" (he prefers the word "particular") about his coffee, but while cruising, he orders coffee from room service every morning, and thinks it tastes just fine.

(I'm not sure if he's ever drank the coffee in the horizon court tho).

[phillipahain]

On the Diamond early this year we had no possible complaint about the coffee it was pretty good everywhere

 

On the Sun during May the coffee did vary

The dining room was good ,room service was so so

Horizon Court varied but they always had a jar of Nescafe on standby so you could have it any strength you liked

 

Its very wrong to say the coffee is bad

 

Its all a question of personal taste

[Gator83]

I just got off the Coral Princess and the coffee wasn't that bad. Let me say that I do drink Starbucks and like it. The coffee on the Coral was drinkable but not very strong. It was the same in the Horizon Court and the dining room. It was definitely different and much better in the Bayou Cafe. After drinking the coffee, I will agree that is probably from syrup and hot water but I drink worse stuff at work. It really is ok but not great. I would not bother shlepping a coffee maker, filters and coffee.

[Pat]

Just got off the Sapphire on Sunday.......The coffee in Horizon was TERRIBLE, even my husband complained and said next time we bring our own coffeemaker...I gave up and started having tea with breakfast. The coffee in the dining room and at that coffee bar were much, much better. We didn't do Room Service for breakfast because it doesn't start until 7:30........we were up every morning at 4:30, so we couldn't wait............Hint, hint...if you go to Alaska you NEED to get up at 4:30..the views at that time in the morning as even more incredible!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CMPERG]

Just got off Caribbean Princess 6-4 and the coffee was tolerable...but since room service doesn't begin until 730 I took my own 10 cup pot and had my special blend of Barnies coffee at 0600 watching the sun rise with our friends. Now that is living. Left pot for room steward along with tip!

[dawne577]

I don't think the coffee in Horizon Court/Cafe Caribe was horrible but it also wasn't what I wanted first thing in the morning. If you are a Starbuck's coffee lover you will definately notice a difference. And yes, they really make it out of syrup - I spotted about 8 gallon jugs on a cart on debarkation day. My biggest question is why do they use the syrup?

Anyways, we brought on a coffee maker with SS thermal carafe that shut off automatically after brewing, a can of Tim Horton's coffee and 2 thermal mugs w/lids. Having stainless steel also kept it safe during transport. It may be more stuff to haul but I will do this again - it was worth it and started every day out perfectly(o.k., that and the islands, ocean smells snd sounds, aft balcony stateroom, blue skies....)

[Northender]

I just got off the Coral Princess and the coffee wasn't that bad. Let me say that I do drink Starbucks and like it. The coffee on the Coral was drinkable but not very strong. It was the same in the Horizon Court and the dining room. It was definitely different and much better in the Bayou Cafe. After drinking the coffee, I will agree that is probably from syrup and hot water but I drink worse stuff at work. It really is ok but not great. I would not bother shlepping a coffee maker, filters and coffee.

 

The Black and Decker One Cup cost under $20, comes with own cup (cofee actually brews in to the cup), own filter - it really is self-contained. I took it out of the box, used the bubble wrap around it and put it smack in the middle of my suitcase with stuff under and over. No problem.:) Every morning before going down to breakfast I would brew a cup (abt 9 ounces) and enjoyed sitting on the balcony having that first good taste of the day :) Then for breakfast I would order juice or a mimosa. I measured out the coffee and put in a seal and lock bag, picked up a small lite cream the night before at Publix (kept it cool in the small refrigerator at hotel and then one of those sandwich bags the kids use for school by adding some ice) Made my day a little better.:D

 

Never had McDonald coffee - Starbucks keeps me awake for a week. Its Dunkin Donuts for me.:) :)

[argosy]

This is a question that generates subjective responses.

 

As for me, I thought the coffee was okay. It was not undrinkable. But then, I DESPISE Starbucks coffee with the passion of a thousand burning suns. My brother manages a Starbucks, and he won't drink it! He tells me that Starbucks makes all their money by buying cheap beans and then over-roasting them so that it is very strong. The strong over-roasted flavor disguises the cheapness of the bean.

 

But I digress.

 

My personal opinion is that it's not stellar, but it's not awful either. Certainly not bad enough to make me want to haul a coffee pot with me on my next cruise.

[m steve]

We felt that the coffee from room service, horizon and for the most part in main dining room was not very good. Thanks to CC warnings we brought a french press, 1 lb ground and a heating element ($2 at Publix) and made coffee in the room every morning after trying theirs the first day.

I felt the MCD coffee was better and I rarely buy Starbucks as I don't think it is worth the price except at airports.

I will take pot on the Diamond in Feb. just in case.:eek: