Coffee

[2xsin12mths]

Has the coffee improved or do I still need to go pay for a good cup at the speciality coffee shop? I am not a coffee snob put Carnival's coffee is terrible. The room service coffee in the morning is drinkable but other than that....

[evandbob]

I'm with you - get the better coffee.

 

If your cruise goes to Roatan, buy some Honduran to take home with you. There's a gift shop at Tabyana Beach that sells coffee for $8/lb.

 

In Jamaica pick up Blue Mountain for about $15-17/lb, one of the 5 best coffees in the world.

[boltfan12]

My wife and I will always take some starbucks instant and just order hot water to room . Free coffee on princess is also terrible.

[BigB0882]

I wonder if the coffee is bad because they desalinate the ocean water for all their drinking water, which is what they use to make the coffee? Or is it just horribly cheap coffee?

[ryansmith18]

I wonder if the coffee is bad because they desalinate the ocean water for all their drinking water, which is what they use to make the coffee? Or is it just horribly cheap coffee?

 

I'd put my bet on it just being horribly cheap coffee.

 

And yeah, OP, you're better off budgeting some extra cash strictly for coffee if you can't stomach what they offer for free (who can blame you?).

 

On a sidenote, I really wish Carnival offered better drink packages. On my most recent Royal Caribbean cruise I bought a drink package that did not include alcohol but DID include specialty coffee (and I bought the package for that alone). There were 4 or 5 tiers of drink packages so you could get the one that is most convenient for you.

[legion3]

My wife and I will always take some starbucks instant and just order hot water to room . Free coffee on princess is also terrible.

 

 

My wife adds the Starbucks Via dark roast instant to the regular coffee and she says it perks it up quite nicely. she likes her coffee strong and dark.

 

She has the MDR fill up her own coffee mug and then adds a packet.

[ScottsSweetie]

We always take the individual serving size of flavored creamers (that don't have to be refrigerated). It makes it quite drinkable. We just put a couple in our pockets on our way to breakfast, or we have them with our room service coffee.

 

Also, sometimes at the morning buffet, we will get one hot chocolate and then pour half in a 2nd cup, then fill both up with coffee. Tasty!

 

I simply cannot understand why the coffee at the buffet is worse than the coffee in the DR, or even room service.

[brymern]

I am a coffee snob and I don't like the coffee at the coffee bar. I can stomach the room service coffee as a wake-me-up if I add hot cocoa or chocolate milk. I've been disappointed several times with the specialty coffees at the coffee bar. I'm looking forward to trying some Puerto Rican coffee in San Juan on our upcoming cruise.

[Bobby_Mac]

We don't like the coffee on the Lido and opt for the coffee at the coffee bar.

[YubaSutter]

My wife and I will always take some starbucks instant and just order hot water to room . Free coffee on princess is also terrible.

 

We have found that the Starbucks instant is extremely bitter.

[love my grandkids]

We thought it was much better but last month on the Pride found us getting specialty coffees every morning.

[crazyfrazee]

Carnival can change their offerings of tea as well as coffee but they are expensive, especially coffee. They are aware they have the nastiest tea/coffee on the planet. It allows them to sell more softdrinks. If John Heald is a coffee and tea drinker, I would love a video of him getting a full glass of the tea and gulping it down to show it's good! Bring us the Maxwell House coffee and the Luzianne tea!

[SadieN]

Carnival can change their offerings of tea as well as coffee but they are expensive, especially coffee. They are aware they have the nastiest tea/coffee on the planet. It allows them to sell more softdrinks. If John Heald is a coffee and tea drinker, I would love a video of him getting a full glass of the tea and gulping it down to show it's good! Bring us the Maxwell House coffee and the Luzianne tea!

 

You haven't had Princess's lido coffee. Theirs is syrup. At least Carnival uses huge urns that make their own from ground. The trick is to get it when it's full, like in the morning. Otherwise it sits til emptied.

It's amazing what you learn at 2am

Edited April 16, 2015 by SadieN

[riffatsea]

I was surprised to find that I too did not like the coffee at the coffee bar. For me the best regular coffee(not espresso) was in the MDR after dinner. I haven't tried the room service coffee but I think it might be similar so will try it on our next cruise.

[Seago2]

The coffee is terrible. The room service coffee seems marginally better but that's because you're desperate first thing in the morning, and anything tastes good as you're sitting on your balcony watching the sea roll past. I wish Carnival had coffee cards like Princess does. I like the specialty lattes.

[MNKEITH]

A few years ago I would have agreed with you on the coffee not being very good. But I found that I actually liked the coffee on the last two cruises. I drink it black.

 

Was it awesome? No. Was it as good as I would expect to get from your average breakfast dive? Absolutely.

 

On our first cruise, we went to the specialty coffee shop every day to get our fix. This year on the Breeze, we didn't need to buy coffee once!

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

:)Coffee is definitely in the taste of the swallower...I'm an anything besides the horribly bitter taste of Starbucks kind of person. And with enough half and half and sugar if necessary most any coffee is drinkable...and this from a person raised on 10 cent boiled coffee at the local diner.

 

Like wine, if you have a good palette, mass produced coffee can be rather irksome but it is drinkable and has plenty of caffeine for that morning kick in the pants starter.

 

And, by the way, the coffee at the coffee bar is made with the same water as the coffee in the morning urn or the coffee (also from a huge urn) brought to you by room service. And any brewed coffee has to be better than instant coffee spooned into boiling water.

 

For those who like flavored coffees, buy a small bottle of flavoring syrup like Torani and use the real half and half the ship has. It is much better than the powdered fat used in coffee creamers...just my 2 cents.

[Aplmac]

Has the coffee improved

or do I still need to go pay for a good cup at the speciality coffee shop?

Hey, look what came up at the specialty coffee shop on Promenade Deck 5

when we were on Carnival Liberty -just recently!

 

 

Buy six and get the seventh free!

 

.

[Gardeneroflove]

I use the hot chocolate packets, and sometimes starbucks via. thanks for reminding me.

[Gardeneroflove]

We have found that the Starbucks instant is extremely bitter.

 

that's why you add the hot chocolate packet.

 

Hot chocolate, starbucks via, hot water.

 

OR ice cream, hotchocolate, coffee.

 

I LOVE that carnival has 24/7 ice cream. RCL doesn't. Really screawed with my coffee.

[winddawn]

Has the coffee improved or do I still need to go pay for a good cup at the speciality coffee shop? I am not a coffee snob put Carnival's coffee is terrible. The room service coffee in the morning is drinkable but other than that....

I agree with everyone else that Carnival's coffee stinks. And for the people that think that flavored artificial creamers make it better need to understand that stuff is mostly sugar and trans fat. And instant coffee is instant coffee no matter what brand it is. The coffee shop products are not the best tasting but are the best option on the ship. I miss my European espresso when I'm cruising.

 

It is interesting reading this thread because just a couple years ago similar threads on this board showed about half of the people posting thought Carnival coffee was okay. I didn't read a single post on this thread showing anyone likes Carnival's coffee now.

[2xsin12mths]

WooHoo....a coffee card on Liberty! I will be checking to see if Pride offers that. Between me and my DH we will be getting a free coffee several times in 7days!:)

[Gallivanting Souls]

Hey, look what came up at the specialty coffee shop on Promenade Deck 5

when we were on Carnival Liberty -just recently!

 

 

Buy six and get the seventh free!

 

.

 

(One free) Not quite up there with what my DH used on Princess, but I guess it's a start. For around $25 on Princess you get 15 specialty coffees and unlimited brew coffees or hot chocolates or teas. He really thought this was a good deal. He is not a coffee snob, but he enjoyed it just the same!

[woollife]

Lido "coffee" was beyond terrible on the Triumph earlier this month. Room service coffee not much better. MDR after-dinner coffee was decent.I normally have 4-6 cups a day from freshly ground beans so the coffee bar was a welcome sight, and the espresso and cappuccino there were good enough.

 

The first time we ordered at the coffee bar we were given the coffee card mentioned upthread. IMPORTANT: If you get the coffee card, make sure it is associated with the folio # of the person who will use it the most because it is not meant to be interchangeable/per room.

Edited April 17, 2015 by woollife

[Cgsanders]

out of the 4 coffee drinkers on our last cruise (8 of us total). we hated the coffee. It tasted very bitter and wasn't good to drink at all. Needless to say, we hit the coffee bar up.

 

funny thing is, after dinner coffee in the dining room was okay, Horrible on the Lido deck though