Calling all COFFEE LOVERS!

[LauraS]

CALLING ALL COFFEE LOVERS: for those of us (and I believe there are many!) who can’t live without Starbucks or a great independent coffee house, it’s pure torture to be on a ship that serves coffee that tastes like ditchwater. Wouldn’t it be great to know the inside scoop on which ships(lines) are the best for people passionate about coffee?

We need your help! Please share your opinions and experiences for an upcoming Cruise Critic article on the best brews at sea. Let us know about coffee you’ve loved or despised. If you’ve noticed the dining room is serving up better morning coffee than the breakfast buffet, great shipboard coffee venues, plus anything else you think a fellow coffee lover would want to know.”

[Jacquelyn11]

For me, it's not so much the coffee as the "extra additions". I've been on several lines, and most of them do not have the flavored coffee creamers or "lite" coffee creamer. I always bring my own, but it would be nice not to have to pack this!

 

Most lines do offer a good sweetner assortment!

 

As for the coffee itself, I prefer a mild roast to a dark or French roasted coffee, but most lines seem to serve the darker brew. I would be nice to have a choice, so you don't have to experiment as much to get the right taste!

 

Jacquelyn :D

[SilverG]

I'll be watching this one closely. I'm a coffee lover sailing on the Voyager next year. So far, I've not been impressed with what I've heard about the quality of coffee on-board. Any tips about where to find a drinkable cup of coffee would really be appreciated. As for me, I'm with Jacqueline about the lighter roasts, somewhere, someone decided that in order for coffee to be strong, it had to be a dark roast. I prefer a strong cup of the lighter blend.

 

However, there was something that I have to disagree with her on. Add something to my coffee? NEVER! The only thing I like in my coffee is coffee.

[Jacquelyn11]

Others prefer it BLACK! :)

 

There's room for all of us! :D

 

At work, instead of using the "royal coffee" packets they provide, I buy the Maxwell House Master Blend. :)

 

Jacquelyn :D

[dsclark]

Good coffee? Maybe Portofinos...

[stillfrantic]

Early morning coffee on the Disney Magic was dreadful.....I think it was left over from the previous morning's service.

[truffles2]

I only drink it in the morning and whatever it is, it is almost always too strong for me. I really enjoy it in the Concierge lounge...:D

[saw1953]

I've been on Princess, RCI and Celebrity and the coffee is awful on all of them. The coffee in the dining room is better than in the buffet. I have not been on a ship with a specialty coffee shop but I REALLY don't want to have to pay extra for coffee. I take a 4 cup coffee pot and my own coffee. I know that's a little extreme but I'm certainly not the only cruiser who does this and as a coffeeholic taking the extra stuff is a small inconvenience. As an aside, I also buy coffee at work. I refuse to drink the swill they call coffee.

[rundogrun]

I've made great Iced Mochas on Disney Wonder and Magic. Both ships have the setups out on the deck by the pool.

 

I make a cup of hot chocolate with coffee instead of hot water. Then I divide it between two glasses filled 2/3 full with ice and milk.

 

 

Mmmm....good.

[llecamus]

So far I've only been on one cruise, April 2004 -Splendour of the Seas. My husband and I only drink Starbucks at home (we're real snobs that way!). We debated taking a 4-cup coffee maker and a pound of Verona, but decided not to. Surprise, surprise! The coffee actually was palatable! Can't really say it was exceptional, but it was no different than what you would get in a nice restaurant. I hope it will be the same in September on Rhapsody!

[jules71]

Our first few cruises my husband and I LOVED the coffee in the dining room. It was very strong and dark and I think someone referred to it as European. But they didn't seem to have that on our last cruise (AOS 9/03) and I really missed it. Didn't think the free coffee in the promenade was too bad then, but I have read on these boards that has also changed. Ooh, I do love good coffee!

[OPSoccermom]

For me, a few cups of a good coffee are a must in the morning. I always cruise with a large travel mug so I can enjoy coffee on deck as I watch us cruise into port.

 

We have cruised multiple times and more often than not, the coffee seems to be sub-par. The best I can recall to date was at the Cova Cafe on the Constellation and Millenium and years ago on the Norway. The biggest disappointment was the Seattle's Best on the Mariner OTS. Didn't live up to its name IMHO.

[esteam]

and what about tasty expresso. DH loves his expresso every night and unfortunately even in some resturants they are dreadful.

[stillababe]

What thrills me about cruising is the ability to stock up on a good supply of authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee from the islands to bring back home with me. I will be happy to put up with so-so coffee for 7 nights, so long as I can come home with pounds and pounds of Jamaican Blue Mountain. The good stuff (that is not a "blend") can cost as much as $25 for a package at my local gourmet coffee place. I can buy it in the Caribbean for about $10. Whoever hasn't tried any, has to get their hands on some. I swear there is something in it that makes it soooo addictive!

[HB Cruiser]

I have yet to get a good cup of coffee on any cruise and I have been on seven different cruises, all RCCL.

[RM]

Windjammer coffee on all the ships is awful!!!!! The dining room is hit and miss but usually I can drink the stuff. Cafe Promenade on the Explorer last month was OK. Room service coffee generally OK but maybe it's just because it's the eye opener of the day for me. Concierge coffee is better then the rest.

 

I'm not a Starbucks lover but really like Barney's coffee. Ohhhh the Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee!!!!! Yummy.

 

I'm bringing my coffee pot on the ships I sail that are without a concierge lounge.

[CRUZINFOOL]

The only thing tougher to find on a cruise than good coffee is good decaf coffee. I love my coffee but it has to be decaf. I've been on 25 cruises on 5 cruise lines and have scored only one good cup of cruise line coffee (My DF says that was caffeine brew that a lazy waiter slipped to me). I now take my little Melita coffee maker cone with me on ship and make my own. Fortunately I only need one mug per day.

I guess that if I had to make coffee by the gallon instead of by the cup it wouldn't come out so good either.

 

Jack

[2Sisterz]

My sister and I will be packing International Delight's Fat Free French Vanilla Creamer (we're addicts) to make whatever RCCI brews palatable. That way we won't complain about any "bad" coffee!!

[TahoeBob]

COFFEE IS EVIL

I NEVER TOUTCH THE STUFF, I HERE IT IS BAD FOR YOU. ME ON THE OTHER HAND ALL I DRINK IS A COLD PEPSI :eek:

[NancyL2]

Anyone that's been on the Enchantment have coffee from the speciality coffee shop (Seattles Best????)?

Did they have any type of an Iced Blended Mocha and how much?

Thanks!

[Expat_Canuck]

If the Navigator of the Seas has a Seattles Best coffee shop, they'll be seeing me every morning on my upcoming cruise! I'm one of those folks who likes strong coffee, and the only way to drink coffee IMHO is straight up with no cream or sugar!

 

Jeff

[rccruisers]

We love coffee! On RC, we have been fortunate not to have a bad experience with our coffee, but I have known others that thought the coffee was to strong, and ask the waiter to add hot water or bring it so they could add to their cup.

[Nliedel]

I have never had good coffee on a cruise ship. I refuse to lug along a coffee maker however. This is a vacation! I will be hitting Seattles Best on the Mariner every morning. Maybe more than once.

[whale-watcher]

We have been on princess twice in the last year, and the only way I can drink the coffee on board is by mixing it with a shot of Frangelico. Otherwise, I bring my own French press mug, fresh whole beans, and mini hand coffee grinder so that I can have my morning fix. In the past, I have walked over to horizon court for the hot water, but I am thinking about bringing a portable beverage heater along next time we cruise with Princess (January on the Coral, and since we stop in Jamaica, I will buy lots of Blue Mountain!!!:D ). We are actually cruising with RCI before then (Enchantment, 11 September), and it will be interesting to see how they do...I hear that the coffee in the concierge lounge is good, but would love to hear from another obsessive coffee snob before we cruise!;)

[Canoeguy]

To make good coffee, you need to start with good water, a fact some coffee houses don't seem to know. And,,, you cannot get good coffee out of a styrofoam cup. I will be sure to report back after my Enchantment Cruise this Tuesday. The wife packed the pot just in case.