Another Coffee Card question

[elaineshark]

I have another question about the coffee card. We are leaving on the Crown tomorrow and was wondering if my husband purchases a coffee card and gets a latte for himself....can he also get a tea for me without having to punch the card a second time. I don't want to be dishonest but I don't drink coffee except at breakfast and would love to drink a tea in the atrium while he has his coffee. Thanks in advance for your reply. Elaine

[skynight]

I have another question about the coffee card. We are leaving on the Crown tomorrow and was wondering if my husband purchases a coffee card and gets a latte for himself....can he also get a tea for me without having to punch the card a second time. I don't want to be dishonest but I don't drink coffee except at breakfast and would love to drink a tea in the atrium while he has his coffee. Thanks in advance for your reply. Elaine

He can order a pot of tea from one of the waiters, we do it all the time without any issues.

[MSN-Travelers]

I have another question about the coffee card. We are leaving on the Crown tomorrow and was wondering if my husband purchases a coffee card and gets a latte for himself....can he also get a tea for me without having to punch the card a second time. I don't want to be dishonest but I don't drink coffee except at breakfast and would love to drink a tea in the atrium while he has his coffee. Thanks in advance for your reply. Elaine

 

... it would be "dishonest" for the card purchaser to obtain brewed coffee or premium tea for another person.

 

Then again, if hubby were to get a tea for himself and used the card to "buy" a latte for you and the two beverages were inadvertently switched at the table.... People will do what people do.

 

We re-discovered a very old (5+ yrs) green coffee card with 10 punches left prior to our cruise last month. I would use it to get Marilyn her morning latte and also asked for a regular brewed coffee. I always offered to pay for the coffee and was given the coffee at no charge. My "free" coffee, your tea ??? Your experience may differ.

 

Enjoy!

[Cauzneffct]

Your mileage may vary. My wife and I each bought cards on our last cruise, and while some servers were aware of that fact, we never had a problem with one of us getting 2 brewed coffees with one card, even with servers who we hadn't seen before.

Edited April 25, 2014 by Cauzneffct

[aquilegia]

I would use it to get Marilyn her morning latte and also asked for a regular brewed coffee. I always offered to pay for the coffee and was given the coffee at no charge.

 

As you had an old coffee card, they shouldn't have charged you for the brewed coffee anyway, but what they are supposed to do is punch the card for the brewed coffee as wll as the latte.

[MSN-Travelers]

As you had an old coffee card, they shouldn't have charged you for the brewed coffee anyway, but what they are supposed to do is punch the card for the brewed coffee as wll as the latte.

 

Before we stray too far off topic, the OP posed an ethical question. She wanted to know if it was dishonest for one person to purchase a coffee card and use the benefits that come with it to obtain product for other people. The purist answer is yes, it is dishonest.

 

I think we all know that it is common practice for couples to share the benefits that come with purchasing the coffee card/soda sticker/super soda sticker. On any given day, one person with one card can and does obtain product for other people.

 

So yes, the OP's husband will likely be able to buy one coffee card and use it to get both a latte and a premium tea at the same time for just one punch.

 

As always, everybody's personal experience will differ. It all depends on who is taking the order, their attitude as well as the passenger's attitude when the order is placed.

Edited April 25, 2014 by MSN-Travelers

[Dave.ca]

Wow.

 

I've never even considered this to be "unethical". My wife drinks specialty coffees, I don't. For as long as I remember (i.e. as long as ther's been a coffee card) we have ordered a specialty coffee and a brewed coffee and only been punched once. We've also ordered just two brewed coffees and not been punched at all. At no time has wait staff ever called us on this or even looked askance. I really don't think Princess views this the way they do sharing a soft drink all you can drink plan.

[Pam in CA]

While servers will probably allow you to get away with buying a coffee card and two people using it, the unlimited brewed coffee or tea is technically for the person for whom it's purchased.

 

If you put it another way in that the person buying the card uses it for unlimited tea and uses the punches for a specialty coffee for someone else, that's ethical.

[Dave.ca]

Well, I guess I'll ask the wait staff that sells us the card on our next cruise what the "rules" are and what the comon "interpretation" is.

 

With the soft drink card you are paying a set amount per day for unlimited drinks, thus two (or more) people sharing the card is blatantly "unethical".

 

With the coffee card, you pay once for the card and receive a limited number of speciality drinks (so sharing does not impact the number of drinks received) and unlimited brewed coffee, which, frankly, should be "free" anyway.

 

I sleep well at night.

[Iamcruzin]

Well, I guess I'll ask the wait staff that sells us the card on our next cruise what the "rules" are and what the comon "interpretation" is.

 

With the soft drink card you are paying a set amount per day for unlimited drinks, thus two (or more) people sharing the card is blatantly "unethical".

 

With the coffee card, you pay once for the card and receive a limited number of speciality drinks (so sharing does not impact the number of drinks received) and unlimited brewed coffee, which, frankly, should be "free" anyway.

I sleep well at night.

I couldn't agree more and I think that Princess is the party who is unethical by trying to pass off that sludge in the buffet as coffee.

[Hlitner]

Ethics in cruising! Now this might be a fun topic. And then we could question whether ethics should go both ways. Consider a cruise newbie booking a cruise and thinking that they price they pay for the cruise is truly the price. Nobody tells them that they are going to arbitrarily add about $25 a day (for a couple) to their cruise bill and call it "gratuities." And then they are going to add 15% to every drink they buy (even if it is stocked in their cabin) and call that "gratuity." And then when you go to an alternative restaurant they are going to charge you for food, and then expect that you will leave an additional gratutity (not everyone does this). And on Princess (and some other lines) you can even pay more for a nice deck chair. Ok, so lets talk about the ethics or using a coffee card :)

 

Hank

[pj-atsea]

Ethics in cruising! Now this might be a fun topic. And then we could question whether ethics should go both ways. Consider a cruise newbie booking a cruise and thinking that they price they pay for the cruise is truly the price. Nobody tells them that they are going to arbitrarily add about $25 a day (for a couple) to their cruise bill and call it "gratuities." And then they are going to add 15% to every drink they buy (even if it is stocked in their cabin) and call that "gratuity." And then when you go to an alternative restaurant they are going to charge you for food, and then expect that you will leave an additional gratutity (not everyone does this). And on Princess (and some other lines) you can even pay more for a nice deck chair. Ok, so lets talk about the ethics or using a coffee card :)

 

Hank[/quote

 

Good point! lol

[rpcv77]

This is driving the coffee card issue very. OT. All of the additional charges you mention, auto tips etc. are not secrets. As a consumer, whether you are buying a cruise or a car, you need to find out exactly what your hard earned money covers and what is extra. Now, back to coffee... I love having the coffee card and think that it provides good value. Enjoy!

[Shelly97060]

I love having the coffee card and think that it provides good value. Enjoy!

 

I agree that it is a great value. It is great that you can use the card ( punches) from one voyage to the next.