Hot tea options

[grayjay]

I had hoped to escape the terrible Fields & Select Teas when we changed much of our allegiance from Celebrity to HAL - but couldn't escape the atrocious teas! On our "Zaandam" cruise we made friends with a waiter in the Lido who still had a secret stash of original Indonesian HAL teas which were ok. On the Eurodam they had both PG Tips and Tetley's in the Lido Café but only Fields & Select Teas were offered in the MDR and - worst case! - at afternoon tea in the MDR. It was the first time in my life when I ordered coffee ( and it was very good, too) at afternoon tea.

The silliest thing, however, happened during several of our Celebrity cruises when at so-called " Elegant (afternoon) Tea" you were served this awful dish water selection, but with white gloves and tongs used...:D

At times like these we have fond memories of Cunard's "Queen Elizabeth" where we had good strong teas in the afternoon , complete with sandwiches and savouries, as well as having Tetley's and Twinings Teas in the buffet area.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Just off Zuiderdam last weekend. The tea was terrible. English Breakfast Tea bore no resemblance to what we enjoy in the UK. Even using two tea bags it had no flavour or body. Also tried Darjeeling but not much better

 

Suggest you take your own. That 's what I 'll be doing on my next cruise.

 

Definitely take tea from home. If you're embarking in the US and plan to buy tea here, even Twinings isn't the same in the US and the UK. According to the saleswoman in the Twinings shop in London, the "same" tea, such as English Breakfast, is blended and packed differently. The teas sent to the US are somewhat "lighter" blends and there's supposedly less tea in the bags because we in the US like weaker tea. I haven't done a comparison test, so I don't know if it's true that they're different. But I do know that tea bags we get in our room in English hotels make STRONG tea quickly!

[grayjay]

Definitely take tea from home. If you're embarking in the US and plan to buy tea here, even Twinings isn't the same in the US and the UK. According to the saleswoman in the Twinings shop in London, the "same" tea, such as English Breakfast, is blended and packed differently. The teas sent to the US are somewhat "lighter" blends and there's supposedly less tea in the bags because we in the US like weaker tea. I haven't done a comparison test, so I don't know if it's true that they're different. But I do know that tea bags we get in our room in English hotels make STRONG tea quickly!

 

That's so true! I always wondered about the quality of the Earl Grey or English Breakfast teas I favour until I learned that it is blended and packed outside of Britain in another EU country. So I have to rely on our English relatives or special shops for a "real" cup of tea. It's one of the reasons why we quite like to cruise out of Southampton... But one can't choose a cruise line for the quality of their tea bags, right? So the only thing I can do is to complain each time I fill in the survey after coming home!

[david,Mississauga]

I am pleased to read that so many people like a decent "cuppa." On our recent Alaska cruise I brought along Tetley tea as I had been cautioned by some friends about the poor quality of tea bags on HAL. Some English passengers we met on board told us about PG Tips being available in the Lido, but we didn't need them. We didn't always remember to bring the tea bags with us everywhere so we had the opportunity to try various tea bags in the main dining room and the Neptune Lounge. We found that putting multiple bags in the cup improved the colour but did nothing to improve the taste.

 

The other issue is getting suitably hot water. It was hopeless in the dining room, even during afternoon tea. At our first afternoon tea the waiter poured vaguely hot water into a cup and then we were offered a tea bag with which we were supposed to make a cup of tea. The next time it was reversed, which was a bit better. It was better in the Pinnacle Grill at breakfast. After the first day we asked the staff to boil water, which I think they did, then put our tea-bags into the lovely silver pots, then add the water. The hot water dispenser in the Neptune Lounge dispensed steaming sputtering water which made the best tea we had on board.

 

I was tempted to paraphrase some of the lines uttered by Dame Maggie Smith in the film The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel when she was instructing the staff at a US hotel on how to make tea. I would not, of course, speak in such a manner to such lovely staff as we had on our cruise.

[TheEmerson]

For those in the US, you can get PG Tips for a good price on Amazon. I bought a small box from Safeway and it was overpriced, then I looked on Amazon and bought 480 bags for less than $20. The cheapest 40 count is $4. Right now at work I have three cuppa every morning.

[Cruise_More_Often]

It surprises me with so many people complaining about the awful tea that HAL hasn't already replaced it. Then again, I guess it's not so surprising. :rolleyes:

 

My Earl Grey and Constant Comment teabags are already packed for our August cruise. I'm ready.

[jimmy2x]

It surprises me with so many people complaining about the awful tea that HAL hasn't already replaced it. Then again, I guess it's not so surprising. :rolleyes:

 

My Earl Grey and Constant Comment teabags are already packed for our August cruise. I'm ready.

 

Even if they hear the complaints, they probably have a contract with the current supplier. I agree that the current stuff tastes like weak dishwater. We'll bring along a box of Yukon Gold (Red) for our b2b in January.:)

[Stratheden]

I agree that some non tea drinker has signed a contract. Just wish I knew how long that contract was for.

[take us away]

The Amsterdam has installed special hot water spigots by the coffee makers which dispense decent hot steaming water. At least with these (and now with my own tea bags) I can get a decent cup of tea in the afternoon. Not sure if other ships have these but hopeful they do.

[navybankerteacher]

The Amsterdam has installed special hot water spigots by the coffee makers which dispense decent hot steaming water. At least with these (and now with my own tea bags) I can get a decent cup of tea in the afternoon. Not sure if other ships have these but hopeful they do.

 

Most ships in my experience have those spigots - unfortunately the water is sometimes not really hot. Still they are the only way of getting/making tea on board - doing it yourself it's your best bet of having it right.

[Martezz]

I used to drink the Indonesian tea in a silk bag that was suppose to help with motion sickness. I do not think that Hal has it in the public areas so was hoping to pick some up when we are in Indonesia. Does anyone know the name of this tea?

[chefestelle]

I can't think of one I've seen in fabric bags other than mighty leaf. They have a ginger twist tea that may tide you over til you can get to Indonesia! You can buy it online at their store, find a store with their locator, or get it on amazon. Alternatively, teavana and David's tea both sell several teas with ginger. You'll want to go to their sites to make sure they don't add something you don't care for or that will add to your nausea. For instance, teavana has a masala chai black tea that looks really good but may be too aromatic. David's tea has one with no caffeine called super ginger but it has a bit of spice that may hurt coming back up. It also has stevia you can't take out if you don't want any sweetness. Teavana also has these awesome travel tubes that store your tea and a strainer to steep your tea in a cup on the road. You'll want to make sure there are no import restrictions to taking the tea but leaving it on board. I leave that to our experts. Finally, I've been told by my survivor friends that turmeric added to tea helps with the ill effects off chemo. It apparently doesn't taste great but is often added (scant teaspoon) to lemongrass teas with ginger to make it palatable. Perhaps that may help with motion sickness!

[StartrainDD]

When beginning our cruise I remembered this thread and thought I would report back. Statendam (now on it's second to last cruise) had Bigelow tea in the Rotterdam dining room and lido. This was SO MUCH BETTER than the Fields & Selects we had in May on the Zuiderdam.

 

I don't know if they just never made the switch as the ship is being sold or if this represents are return to Bigelow.

[2ptu/000]

I don't like the new tea either. I have the Explore 4 package with my next cruise. Has anyone asked at the explorations Café just for a Tazo teabag and taken it to the MDR to have after dinner?

[janmcn]

On the recent Voyage of the Vikings, we had Bigelow teas but at the Amsterdam resupply they got Lipton. No herbal teas, etc. We complained and the head of the Lido said so many had complained that they were going back to Bigelow when the V of V ended in Boston. (He did manage to find some Bigelows for those of us who wanted better teas...in my case the peppermint or orange spice.)

[3rdGenCunarder]

When beginning our cruise I remembered this thread and thought I would report back. Statendam (now on it's second to last cruise) had Bigelow tea in the Rotterdam dining room and lido. This was SO MUCH BETTER than the Fields & Selects we had in May on the Zuiderdam.

 

I don't know if they just never made the switch as the ship is being sold or if this represents are return to Bigelow.

 

I bet they're clearing out the cupboards. ;)

[chrismch]

I'm surprised there are so many tea lovers. I thought I was in the minority on ships. Hope they still have the loose specialty teas that they serve at the Indonesian tea. DH also liked their coffee there.

 

For those ships that have Tamarind, I've especially enjoyed their tea choices. Don't remember if you could get them at lunch & dinner or only at dinner.

 

Buying new teas is one of my favorite souvenirs!

Edited September 10, 2015 by chrismch

[ellieanne]

I'm surprised there are so many tea lovers. I thought I was in the minority on ships. Hope they still have the loose specialty teas that they serve at the Indonesian tea. DH also liked their coffee there.

 

I'm not at all surprised. I find tea lovers to be less vocal than coffee lovers, but there are just as many people who prefer "good" tea over brown water. And (in my opinion) the Field & Select Tea produced tan water. I'm sorry they have discontinued the HAL Blend, that was excellent. I still have a few bags from my last cruise tucked away in my tea caddy at home.

 

Unless there are strainers with saucers, I prefer bags in settings where I really have no place to put the spent tea when I finish steeping. I prefer not to leave the leaves in the pot, because I find doing so makes the second cup too strong. Loose tea with way to remove it when the tea has reached perfect to me is pointless.

 

I have no objections to Lipton, as long as it's not US Lipton. I find that UK/Australian Lipton is much better than what is sold in the US. And I really like Bigelow Teas. Bigelow & Twinings are my go-to supermarket teas.

[wander]

Wow, this might be a new record. A complaint followed by several pages of comments where 100% agreed with the OP. (I think I read them all.) The tea must have been bad! So glad to hear that apparently HAL did get the word - hope that is true.

[rhinog]

We were on the Ryndam a couple of weeks ago. It was sailing from the UK so that might have had something to do with it. But they had the usual breakfast tea Lipton I think it was. But they also had 3 types of tea from the UK. Yorkshire tea, PG tips and Tetley. They seemed pretty popular. They were available in the Lido and the main Restaurant. Better than the usual stuff you get on some cruise ships.

[RuthC]

The tea must have been bad!

It was.

 

If the Fields & Select is being replaced, I will be thrilled.

I'm not a big tea drinker, but sometimes I just want a good cuppa. I'm fond of Twinings at home, and liked the Bigelow on the ships. That "stuff" they had on my last cruise was a waste of hot water.

[3rdGenCunarder]

I'm not at all surprised. I find tea lovers to be less vocal than coffee lovers, but there are just as many people who prefer "good" tea over brown water. And (in my opinion) the Field & Select Tea produced tan water. I'm sorry they have discontinued the HAL Blend, that was excellent. I still have a few bags from my last cruise tucked away in my tea caddy at home.

 

Unless there are strainers with saucers, I prefer bags in settings where I really have no place to put the spent tea when I finish steeping. I prefer not to leave the leaves in the pot, because I find doing so makes the second cup too strong. Loose tea with way to remove it when the tea has reached perfect to me is pointless.

 

I have no objections to Lipton, as long as it's not US Lipton. I find that UK/Australian Lipton is much better than what is sold in the US. And I really like Bigelow Teas. Bigelow & Twinings are my go-to supermarket teas.

 

I loved the HAL brand tea! Darjeeling is my favorite, and that was a nice one. I think I've used all the bags I took home from a cruise. I almost asked if I could buy a box. Now I wish I had.

 

I didn't pay much attention to the tea on our recent cruise. I just went straight to the PG Tips.

[Lizzie68]

It was.

 

If the Fields & Select is being replaced, I will be thrilled.

I'm not a big tea drinker, but sometimes I just want a good cuppa. I'm fond of Twinings at home, and liked the Bigelow on the ships. That "stuff" they had on my last cruise was a waste of hot water.

 

I totally agree, they are just awful. The Neptune Lounge concierge brought a bowl of PG Tips for me, and they disappeared quickly each day so others obviously felt the same.

[3rdGenCunarder]

I totally agree, they are just awful. The Neptune Lounge concierge brought a bowl of PG Tips for me, and they disappeared quickly each day so others obviously felt the same.

 

Oh no! Don't tell me the Neptune lounge has gone to Fields & Select! Didn't they used to have Harney tea bags?

[Lizzie68]

Oh no! Don't tell me the Neptune lounge has gone to Fields & Select! Didn't they used to have Harney tea bags?

 

Unfortunately, they only had that Fields & Select stuff on the W'dam.:( But I was so happy when the PG Tips arrived.:D The weird thing is, when they had the Lounge inspection (apparently it happens several times a week) they had to hide the bowl of PG Tips. Go figure - better not show what the passengers want!