Coffee on board: please help me summarize!

[limoncello07]

Hi all: I'm a first-time cruiser (on Princess or anywhere else), planning a trip to Alaska on relatively short notice, and appreciate all of the great tips from past Princess passengers on this board. The information on the Princess website is often very general (and sometimes outdated, I've learned), so the small-but-critical details provided here have been particularly helpful.

 

That said, I'm having a hard time keeping track of some of the advice, and find myself particularly confused about the topic of beverages on board. (Excursion planning is a piece of cake by comparison!) For the sake of my own sanity -- and hopefully to help others new to Princess -- I thought I would try launching a few easy-to-find master threads about the policies and options for indulging in particular beverages on board. I'm going to start with one of my favorites, and one of the most perplexing for Princess newbies, which is coffee. I will type out a draft summary below, based my personal understanding to date. I invite/humbly request/desperately plead with knowledgeable posters to chime in on subsequent posts with corrections, clarifications, and proposed additions. Once (or if) we reach a critical mass of subesquent posts, I will endeavor to type out a revised summary. If other people think it would be useful, I can then check with the forum administrators about whether we turn this into a FAQ or sticky. But one step at a time.

To begin:

 

DRAFT SUMMARY: COFFEE

 

Princess Policy: "What's Included In My Cruise Fare": Beverages (Iced Tea, Lemonade, Water, Tea varieties, Non- Specialty Coffee)

Source: http://www.princess.com/come-back-new/new-to-cruising/ -- click "See what's included in the cruise fare"

 

Interpretive Guidance:

 

• Only "regular" coffee is free; coffee drinks like espressos, lattes, etc. require an extra fee
  

 

• Important note: the "regular" coffee included in your cruise fare is not freshly brewed on board; rather, it is made in large batches from a coffee concentrate. While some people think it tastes fine, others find it unacceptable.
  

 

• Freshly brewed coffee -- often referred to as "brewed coffee" -- is available only at the International Cafe, and requires an extra fee. It cannot be ordered via room service.
  

 

• "Regular coffee" is available in the main dining rooms, buffet, specialty restaurants, bars and via room service.
  

 

• [QUESTION: do any of the specialty restaurants offer brewed coffee? or coffee drinks?]
  

Alternatives:

 

• Just drink the "regular coffee". Some think its fine.
  

 

• Purchase individual coffee drinks or cups of "brewed coffee" at the International Cafe. A cup of brewed coffee currently costs [??], while specialty coffee drinks range from [??].
  

 

• Princess offers a "Premium Coffee Card" currently priced at $35.65. This card contains 15 "punches," each of which can be used at the International Cafe for a specialty coffee drink (hot or cold), "premium" tea, or hot chocolate. (On some ships, 1 or 2 punches can also be used to obtain gelato.). The Cruise Personalizer states that the card represents a 20% savings compared to purchasing individual beverages. The coffee card also entitles you to unlimited "brewed coffee" at the International Cafe, as long as you have at least one punch remaining. Cards with unused punches [CAN/CANNOT] be used on future Princess Cruises. The Premium Coffee Card (also referred to on the Princess website variously as the "New Grounds Coffee Card" and the "Cafe Select Coffee Card") can be purchased in your Cruise Personalizer under "Beverage Packages." It can also be purchased onboard. Official description: http://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/food-and-dining/beverages/
  
  

 

• Brewed coffee and specialty coffee drinks from the International Cafe are also included in the All-Inclusive Beverage Package, currently priced at $56.35, also available for pre-purchase or onboard. See link above re: beverage packages.
  

 

• Some posters recommend bringing your instant coffee packets (Starbucks Via is frequently mentioned as a favorite), and adding it to hot water, obtained either from the dining areas or via room service. Some posters recommend adding such packets to the "regular coffee" as a flavor boost.
  

 

• Other posters recommend packing a small, safety-approved coffee brewing device along with your own coffee, for use in your stateroom. For safety reasons, any electrical coffee devices must have an automatic off/on switch. [Correct? Any other limitations?] Princess does not supply coffeemakers or electric kettles in its staterooms.
  

Additional Tips:

 

• Some posters like to bring personal travel mugs, either to obtain a larger volume of coffee at once, or to be able to carry coffee conveniently to other parts of the ship.
  

 

• For hygienic purposes, if filling a personal mug in the buffet line, be careful that your personal mug or the coffee inside does not touch the spigot of the coffee dispenser. To avoid contaminating the spigot, some posters have recommending filling a smaller clean cup at the buffet, then pouring from that cup into your personal mug.
  

 

Pshew, that's all I can remember from what I've read here and on the Princess website. Have I missed anything? Thanks in advance to anyone who is willing to chime in with comments and corrections.

Edited June 11, 2016 by limoncello07
multiple spelling errors, yeesh!

[JF - retired RRT]

To begin:

 

DRAFT SUMMARY: COFFEE

 

Princess Policy: "What's Included In My Cruise Fare": Beverages (Iced Tea, Lemonade, Water, Tea varieties, Non- Specialty Coffee)

Source: http://www.princess.com/come-back-new/new-to-cruising/ -- click "See what's included in the cruise fare"

 

Interpretive Guidance:

 

• Only "regular" coffee is free; coffee drinks like espressos, lattes, etc. require an extra fee
  

 

• Important note: the "regular" coffee included in your cruise fare is not freshly brewed on board; rather, it is made in large batches from a coffee concentrate. While some people think it tastes fine, others find it unacceptable. Exceptions: Royal & Regal
  
  

 

• Freshly brewed coffee -- often referred to as "brewed coffee" -- is available only at the International Cafe, and requires an extra fee. It cannot be ordered via room service.
  

 

• "Regular coffee" is available in the main dining rooms, buffet, specialty restaurants, bars and via room service.
  

 

• [QUESTION: do any of the speciality restaurants offer brewed coffee? or coffee drinks?] That's a maybe for brewed. Fancy coffee drinks = yes (if you have a cooperative waiter)
  
  

Alternatives:

 

• Just drink the "regular coffee". Some think its fine. DH thinks it tastes like Taster's Choice
  
  

 

• Purchase individual coffee drinks or cups of "brewed coffee" at the International Cafe. A cup of brewed coffee currently costs [??], while specialty coffee drinks range from [??] Approx. $3 - $5.
  

 

• Princess offers a "Premium Coffee Card" currently priced at $35.65. This card contains 15 "punches," each of which can be used at the International Cafe for a speciality coffee drink (hot or cold), "premium" tea, or hot chocolate. (On some ships, 1 or 2 punches can also be used to obtain gelato.). The Cruise Personalizer states that the card represents a 20% savings compared to purchasing individual beverages. The coffee card also entitles you to unlimited "brewed coffee" at the International Cafe, as long as you have at least one punch remaining. Cards with unused punches [CAN] be used on future Princess Cruises. The Premium Coffee Card (also referred to on the Princess website variously as the "New Grounds Coffee Card" and the "Cafe Select Coffee Card") can be purchased in your Cruise Personalizer under "Beverage Packages." It can also be purchased onboard. Official description: http://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/food-and-dining/beverages/
  
  

 

• Brewed coffee and speciality coffee drinks from the International Cafe are also included in the All-Inclusive Beverage Package, currently priced at $56.35, also available for pre-purchase or onboard. See link above re: beverage packages.
  

 

• Some posters recommend bringing your instant coffee packets (Starbucks Via is frequently mentioned as a favorite), and adding it to hot water, obtained either from the dining areas or via room service. Some posters recommend adding such packets to the "regular coffee" as a flavor boost.
  

 

• Other posters recommend packing a small, safety-approved coffee brewing device along with your own coffee, for use in your stateroom. For safety reasons, any electrical coffee devices must have an automatic off/on switch. [Correct? Any other limitations?] Princess does not supply coffeemakers or electric kettles in its staterooms.
  

Additional Tips:

 

• Some posters like to bring personal travel mugs, either to obtain a larger volume of coffee at once, or to be able to carry coffee conveniently to other parts of the ship.
  

 

• For hygienic purposes, if filling a personal mug in the buffet line, be careful that your personal mug or the coffee inside does not touch the spigot of the coffee dispenser. To avoid contaminating the spigot, some posters have recommending filling a smaller clean cup at the buffet, then pouring from that cup into your personal mug.
  

 

Pshew, that's all I can remember from what I've read here and on the Princess website. Have I missed anything? Thanks in advance to anyone who is willing to chime in with comments and corrections.

Wow!! An excellent summary. I'll try to fill in a couple of your ? with what I think are the right answers.

[moki'smommy]

Excellent summary, and most of the corrections I knew are already noted.

 

One thing--on some lines you are not permitted to fill your larger cup/mug at a beverage station directly from the spigot. It isn't a "you shouldn't," it is a "if you are seen, the crew member is required to shut down the device you were using until it is cleaned." No line objects to you getting a beverage from a clean cup and pouring it into your bigger container.

 

You definitely can use leftover coffee punches on a future cruise. However, your card is only good for the "complimentary" brewed coffee on the cruise in which the card was issued....if they check.

[Marisawrite]

I can confirm that on Regal Princess, there were stern notices telling you not to refill your own cup or mug at the coffee and drink machines in the buffet. I'm not sure what would've happened if somebody had!

 

As an Australian, coffee on board presents a particular problem because we don't like coffee made from concentrate but we don't like "brewed" coffee either - we only drink coffee made on an espresso machine by a proper barista.

 

We almost bought a coffee card, thinking we'd be drinking the speciality coffees all cruise. Fortunately we tried one before we bought the card - and just decided to do without coffee on board!

 

Fortunately being on the Baltic, we were able to get good coffee at cafes on our port visits so we didn't have to go without completely.

Edited June 11, 2016 by Marisawrite

[nanabananna]

Are the old "brown" coffee cards still able to be used? I have punches remaining on mine from 2014.

[Shogun]

Hi

 

whats wrong with the coffee from IC, they are happy to make anything you want,

 

 

yours Shogun

[Stevi]

limoncello07 you've done a great job of making sense of the coffee option on board. Thanks for taking the time, this newbie to cruising really appreciates it.

[Marisawrite]

Hi

 

whats wrong with the coffee from IC, they are happy to make anything you want,

 

 

yours Shogun

 

They can make any coffee style you ask for, but then so can Starbucks. The thing Starbucks calls "latte" is not a latte by Australian standards - in fact, Starbucks tried opening in Australia but went broke!

 

It's a whole heap of things like the skill of the barista, the cleanliness of the machine, the type of coffee used etc.

[BratDet]

you need one specialty punch left to get the unlimited fresh brewed on the cruises you first begin to use the coffee card. THAT was how it USED to be...you could get fresh brewed on future cruises as long as you had one punch left...now that perk is gone a bunch of years now...

 

so if I bought a coffee card for my upcoming cruise and use all 15 punches before the end of the cruise, I should still be able to get fresh brewed coffee....as the card is often labeled on the back of it, the ship and your room number.

It's never happened, but just trying to clarify. I usually give my coffee cards with punches left to family members and get a new card for me to get the unlimited fresh brewed. If my next cruise was a 7 day, I have plenty of punches to use....but since my next cruise is a 12 day...I will buy a new card...cause I do not have enough punches to get me thru that cruise.

 

 

Unused punches CAN be used on future cruises....and you can use one of those punches on a fresh brewed coffee, but I usually make it a large cafe latte...

to make my punch more worthwhile...

 

The other benifit I used to love was you could walk up...flash your card...get a quick cup...the last few cruises, you wait in line, they punch in your cabin, drink order into the register...even for fresh brewed...and if you have a refillable cup...and then you get your order...but it still beats having numerous fresh brewed per cup charges ot keep track of during the cruise..

Bernadette

Edited June 11, 2016 by BratDet

[Shogun]

Hi

 

OK, I hope you were just unlucky, I will ask my friends from Aus next week on

 

the Emerald how the coffee is, I have found the coffee at IC on my past few

 

cruises to be good, can comment on Starbucks as never been in one or want to be in one,

 

yours Shogun

Edited June 11, 2016 by Shogun

[Kamloops50]

Hi all: I'm a first-time cruiser (on Princess or anywhere else), planning a trip to Alaska on relatively short notice, and appreciate all of the great tips from past Princess passengers on this board. The information on the Princess website is often very general (and sometimes outdated, I've learned), so the small-but-critical details provided here have been particularly helpful.

 

That said, I'm having a hard time keeping track of some of the advice, and find myself particularly confused about the topic of beverages on board. (Excursion planning is a piece of cake by comparison!) For the sake of my own sanity -- and hopefully to help others new to Princess -- I thought I would try launching a few easy-to-find master threads about the policies and options for indulging in particular beverages on board. I'm going to start with one of my favorites, and one of the most perplexing for Princess newbies, which is coffee. I will type out a draft summary below, based my personal understanding to date. I invite/humbly request/desperately plead with knowledgeable posters to chime in on subsequent posts with corrections, clarifications, and proposed additions. Once (or if) we reach a critical mass of subesquent posts, I will endeavor to type out a revised summary. If other people think it would be useful, I can then check with the forum administrators about whether we turn this into a FAQ or sticky. But one step at a time.

To begin:

 

DRAFT SUMMARY: COFFEE

 

Princess Policy: "What's Included In My Cruise Fare": Beverages (Iced Tea, Lemonade, Water, Tea varieties, Non- Specialty Coffee)

Source: http://www.princess.com/come-back-new/new-to-cruising/ -- click "See what's included in the cruise fare"

 

Interpretive Guidance:

 

• Only "regular" coffee is free; coffee drinks like espressos, lattes, etc. require an extra fee If you buy a coffee card it is good for unlimited brewed coffee & Tea(no punch required) and 15 specialty coffees such as Lattes.
  

 

• Important note: the "regular" coffee included in your cruise fare is not freshly brewed on board; rather, it is made in large batches from a coffee concentrate. While some people think it tastes fine, others find it unacceptable.
  

 

• Freshly brewed coffee -- often referred to as "brewed coffee" -- is available only at the International Cafe, and requires an extra fee. It cannot be ordered via room service. See above comment
  
  

 

• "Regular coffee" is available in the main dining rooms, buffet, specialty restaurants, bars and via room service.
  

 

• [QUESTION: do any of the specialty restaurants offer brewed coffee? or coffee drinks?]
  

Alternatives:

 

• Just drink the "regular coffee". Some think its fine.
  

 

• Purchase individual coffee drinks or cups of "brewed coffee" at the International Cafe. A cup of brewed coffee currently costs [??], while specialty coffee drinks range from [??].
  

 

• Princess offers a "Premium Coffee Card" currently priced at $35.65. This card contains 15 "punches," each of which can be used at the International Cafe for a specialty coffee drink (hot or cold), "premium" tea(free with coffee card), or Basic hot chocolate (free with coffee card). (On some ships, 1 or 2 punches can also be used to obtain gelato.). The Cruise Personalizer states that the card represents a 20% savings compared to purchasing individual beverages. The coffee card also entitles you to unlimited "brewed coffee" and tea at the International Cafe, as long as you have at least one punch remaining. Cards with unused punches [CAN] be used on future Princess Cruises( a punch left over is good for brewed coffee , tea or lattes on another cruise). The Premium Coffee Card (also referred to on the Princess website variously as the "New Grounds Coffee Card" and the "Cafe Select Coffee Card") can be purchased in your Cruise Personalizer under "Beverage Packages." It can also be purchased onboard. Official description: http://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/food-and-dining/beverages/
  
  

 

• Brewed coffee and specialty coffee drinks from the International Cafe are also included in the All-Inclusive Beverage Package, currently priced at $56.35, also available for pre-purchase or onboard. See link above re: beverage packages.
  

 

• Some posters recommend bringing your instant coffee packets (Starbucks Via is frequently mentioned as a favorite), and adding it to hot water, obtained either from the dining areas or via room service. Some posters recommend adding such packets to the "regular coffee" as a flavor boost.
  

 

• Other posters recommend packing a small, safety-approved coffee brewing device(not allowed ) along with your own coffee, for use in your stateroom. For safety reasons, any electrical coffee devices must have an automatic off/on switch. [Correct? Any other limitations?] Princess does not supply coffeemakers or electric kettles in its staterooms.
  

Additional Tips:

 

• Some posters like to bring personal travel mugs, either to obtain a larger volume of coffee at once, or to be able to carry coffee conveniently to other parts of the ship.
  

 

• For hygienic purposes, if filling a personal mug in the buffet line, be careful that your personal mug or the coffee inside does not touch the spigot of the coffee dispenser. To avoid contaminating the spigot, some posters have recommending filling a smaller clean cup at the buffet, then pouring from that cup into your personal mug.
  

 

Pshew, that's all I can remember from what I've read here and on the Princess website. Have I missed anything? Thanks in advance to anyone who is willing to chime in with comments and corrections.

 

Electric coffee brewers not allowed on any Princess ship.

Comments in red.

[BratDet]

you mean iced tea on tap and lemonade from a pitcher...

 

once on a Princess cruise, I asked for Iced Tea and got charged for a Snapple....learned my lesson there!

Bernadette

[Kamloops50]

you mean iced tea on tap and lemonade from a pitcher...

 

once on a Princess cruise, I asked for Iced Tea and got charged for a Snapple....learned my lesson there!

Bernadette

 

There is iced tea in the Horizon court , Main Dining Rooms and specialty restaurant . Never have gotten Snapple.

Ice tea on board doesn't have any sugar added.

[BratDet]

I paid the bill! Haha It was in the MDR at lunch.

Edited June 11, 2016 by BratDet

[moki'smommy]

The ice tea served in the dining rooms, etc. is made from syrup, not brewed. It isn't horrible, but it isn't nearly as good as brewed tea.

 

My solution--I bring a large cup that tolerates heat. Go to Horizon Court and get hot water and tea bags and brew my own. I can get plenty of ice up there as well if I don't have enough in my cabin.

[OzKiwiJJ]

We almost bought a coffee card, thinking we'd be drinking the speciality coffees all cruise. Fortunately we tried one before we bought the card - and just decided to do without coffee on board!

 

 

Espresso? Latte? Flat White? Cappuchino?

 

I find any milky speciality coffees taste horrible onboard. The milk is full cream UHT milk which develops a very unpleasant taste if it is overheated - and mostly it is overheated. When I want coffee onboard I only drink espressos. They vary. Dawn Princess had great coffee at Le Patisserie, Golden's espressos from the International Cafe were very average, and on Sun at the International Cafe it varied depending on which barista you got - only one barista seemed to be able to make decent espresso.

Edited June 11, 2016 by OzKiwiJJ

[Robinsoncruiseso]

Are the old "brown" coffee cards still able to be used? I have punches remaining on mine from 2014.

 

Used an old brown card on two different ships in May.

[Marisawrite]

you mean iced tea on tap and lemonade from a pitcher...

 

On Regal Princess, both the iced tea and lemonade were on tap, in the same machine, at the Horizon Court buffet.

 

The iced tea has no sugar added and the lemonade has too much sugar. I found a half-half blend gave me a nice lemon tea!

[Marisawrite]

Espresso? Latte? Flat White? Cappuchino?

 

I find any milky speciality coffees taste horrible onboard. The milk is full cream UHT milk which develops a very unpleasant taste if it is overheated - and mostly it is overheated.

 

Yes, I forgot to mention that the UHT milk is a big part of the problem - even when it's not overheated, it has a slight undertaste, and if you're fussy about your coffee that matters.

 

My hubby drinks espresso and while it was OK, the flavour wasn't great.

Edited June 12, 2016 by Marisawrite

[keithm]

Excellent summary' date=' and most of the corrections I knew are already noted.

 

One thing--on some lines you are not permitted to fill your larger cup/mug at a beverage station directly from the spigot. It isn't a "you shouldn't," it is a "if you are seen, the crew member is required to shut down the device you were using until it is cleaned." No line objects to you getting a beverage from a clean cup and pouring it into your bigger container.

 

You definitely can use leftover coffee punches on a future cruise. However, your card is only good for the "complimentary" brewed coffee on the cruise in which the card was issued....if they check.[/quote']

We saw a surprising amount of pax doing just that on the Regal last Feb. Usually it was before going on an excursion. Messed it up for others waiting in line! There were sign posted to not do it, but a lot ignored & filled up anyway.

[limoncello07]

Thanks to everyone for the detailed feedback and clarifications --very helpful to getting a more precise end product!

 

I have a couple of follow-up questions on the issue of filling your own mugs. I understand the general concern about contamination, but since I haven't actually been on a ship, I want to make sure I also understand the service logistics correctly, so I can write a better description of the concerns.

 

• My initial assumption was that all coffee in the Horizon Court buffet is self-service -- can someone confirm that is that in fact true? I saw some references in other threads to waiters serving water at the buffet tables, which made me wonder whether they are supposed to be in charge of serving the coffee too. Or is it a mix of waiter and self-service for beverages?
  

 

• Assuming at least some of it is designed to be self-service, is the general rule on coffee and other beverages that you should always use a fresh cup/mug from the buffet line, rather than one from the buffet line? I had assumed the problem with using a personal mug -- especially a tall travel mug -- was that its larger size would put it in danger of touching the spigot. However, when I searched for images online (they exist!) I'm seeing several photos like this, which suggest there would be plenty of clearance between the bottom of the spigot and the top of even the tallest travel mug. Is the concern that no matter what the actual clearance, some people will inevitably stick their mug up into the spigot? (I'm not questioning this policy, btw, just trying to understand the rationale).
  

 

• Am I correct in understanding that the buffet (and MDRs) have only ceramic cups, whereas the International Cafe has paper cups available?
  

Any other information regarding coffee options at the specialty restaurants? Perhaps since those restaurants themselves vary from ship to ship, the safest answer on those is YYMV.

 

Many thanks again to all, please keep chiming in with any further clarifications or nuances . . .

[BratDet]

The international cafe has paper cups and lids for the drinks you order from them.

[BratDet]

I've been told waiters in the MDR will get a drink order from the IC if you give them ur card. I would never do that. I usually have coffee before breakfast and carry in the cup I hadn't finished yet. Bernadette

[Kamloops50]

The international cafe has paper cups and lids for the drinks you order from them.

They changed the style of the paper cup and lid last year . Normal cups are still available from the IC. Some drinks come in plastic cups not paper.

[Marisawrite]

My initial assumption was that all coffee in the Horizon Court buffet is self-service -- can someone confirm that is that in fact true? I saw some references in other threads to waiters serving water at the buffet tables, which made me wonder whether they are supposed to be in charge of serving the coffee too. Or is it a mix of waiter and self-service for beverages?

 

On our cruise in May on the Regal Princess, it was waiter service for coffee, tea and orange juice at breakfast in Horizon. Actually it was annoying, because they were always overworked, and sometimes our breakfast was cold before the coffee arrived!

 

You can always walk to the self-service station to get your own coffee, but there is only one self-service station for the entire Horizon Court.

Edited June 12, 2016 by Marisawrite