Coffee and pastries in the Atrium on Jade?

[Ergates The Ant]

I know the coffee at the Atrium bar is chargeable ( and not included in the drink package!!! )

Are there things to eat, pastries, cakes etc and is there a charge for these as well?

Many thanks in advance

[hawkeyetlse]

Yes, there are pastries and chocolates, and yes, there is a charge for them. There may be something you can get for free, but as far as I saw, everything had a price tag on it.

[Ergates The Ant]

Shame!

Thanks for info

[griz400]

cruise tip, if you dont like a dessert in the dining room or buffet, they have warm apple pie and ice cream daily in o sheeands bar and grill, we went there a couple of times for dessert ...................

[Sauer-kraut]

cookies and goodies in the buffet, check out other decks around tea time, they set out cookies and brownies.

[BirdTravels]

Shame!

Thanks for info

You can go few floors up to the buffet and get all the free coffee and pastries you can eat. Or a few feet down the hall to the MDR and eat your fill. Not sure why folks expect that there is food and drink sitting on every table, on every deck.

[Vitamin_Sea]

I know the coffee at the Atrium bar is chargeable ( and not included in the drink package!!! )

 

The drink package is NOT very ultimate at all.

[Zippeedee]

I'm on vacation. I like good coffee, iced. I don't mind paying for it if that is the only way I can get it. I'll drink the buffet coffee with breakfast, but not enjoyably. Most of the desserts are, well, disappointing. Crepes in the buffet, afternoon cookies all good. I'll pay for a cupcake or macaron if I'm in the mood for one. I save money at home. On vacation is not the time to scrimp on the little luxuries.

[Ergates The Ant]

You can go few floors up to the buffet and get all the free coffee and pastries you can eat. Or a few feet down the hall to the MDR and eat your fill. Not sure why folks expect that there is food and drink sitting on every table, on every deck.

 

Often just like a decent coffee with a croissant or similar for breakfast! Don't think that is unreasonable and has been provided on Celebrity, P and O and Princess. I'm happy to pay extra for proper coffee, but surprised that NCL is the first cruise line I've travelled on that doesn't provide complimentary snacks with it. Looks like I'm expected to get my coffee to go and head to the buffet, or head to the buffet and bring my pastry back with me! Can't face sticky cakes in the morning!

[sanger727]

I'd be willing to pay a bit for good snacks/pastries in the atrium - but the offering was very disappointing to me. Looked like stuff I might try a bite for free but certainly nothing that had me willing to pay $4 an item!

 

What I did was get a cup from a bar on my way, go to the buffet and fill with ice, coffee, and milk. free iced coffee and snacks in the afternoon.

 

 

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[BrentD]

I'm not sure comparing Celebrity and Princess offerings to what you get for free on NCL is a very fair comparison...

 

The Macarons in the atrium (US $2 each I believe) were delicious! The chocolates looked good as well, but I never tried one. There are always free mixed nuts at the atrium bar as well. I thought they were pretty tasty, too.

[drvalo]

I know the coffee at the Atrium bar is chargeable ( and not included in the drink package!!! )

Are there things to eat, pastries, cakes etc and is there a charge for these as well?

Many thanks in advance

 

If it is breakfast time, just go up the stairs one level to O'Sheehan's for breakfast pastries on their little buffet. It should be there now after the recent drydock which made the switch of the Blue Lagoon over to O'Sheehan's. We loved going there for breakfast on the Pearl, and missed it on our last Jade cruise because it was Blue Lagoon. I am looking forward to our lovely and calm breakfasts again. FYI, the breakfast time lasts longer at O'Sheehan's than in the MDR.

[Ergates The Ant]

I'm not sure comparing Celebrity and Princess offerings to what you get for free on NCL is a very fair comparison...

 

The Macarons in the atrium (US $2 each I believe) were delicious! The chocolates looked good as well, but I never tried one. There are always free mixed nuts at the atrium bar as well. I thought they were pretty tasty, too.

 

You have got me rather worried! This will be our first cruise on NCL, thought we would give them a try as the itinerary is good. Have we gone downmarket, or should we just expect to be 'nickel and dimed' if that is the correct expression?

 

drvalo, thanks for the suggestion of O'Sheehans. Hadn't thought of that, near enough to take my Americano for breakfast.

 

Will definitely have to try the macarons! My problem is that I only drink one mug of caffeinated coffee a day and that has to be in the morning, but don't usually fancy cake until at least mid afternoon! And I'm very fussy about my tea!

[shipfriend_max]

Yes, there are pastries and chocolates, and yes, there is a charge for them. There may be something you can get for free, but as far as I saw, everything had a price tag on it.

 

HUH?! is this new? When we've been on Jade in April 2016, all the cake items in ATrium Café we could have for free, even without ordering any drink for charge...

 

You can go few floors up to the buffet and get all the free coffee and pastries you can eat. Or a few feet down the hall to the MDR and eat your fill. Not sure why folks expect that there is food and drink sitting on every table, on every deck.

 

 

There's standards on a 4-star-cruise line, IMHO, and nearly any other major cruise line is offering such items like pastries, cakes etc. for free in the Atrium areas, why does NCL need to charge for such stuff? And when I am ordering a coffee in the Atrium I do not want to step up to the buffet to get me some cookies etc.

 

 

But maybe it's just a mistake that the Atrium Café does not offer any complimentary snacks - when we have been there every day, they DEFINITELY featured it for free. I liked it, because just before Trivia @Medusa Lounge (now Bliss), I got me a cake there and took it with me to the lounge for Trivia. :)

Edited May 6, 2017 by shipfriend_max

[sanger727]

HUH?! is this new? When we've been on Jade in April 2016, all the cake items in ATrium Café we could have for free, even without ordering any drink for charge...

 

 

In Jan 2017 all the items in the atrium case were at an upcharge. They were mostly chocolate looking items, may have been macaroons. I prefer cakes and muffins so never tried any of them.

 

 

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[hawkeyetlse]

They have changed "concepts" for the Atrium Bar a couple of times in the last few years (Carlo's Bake Shop etc.) so there may well have been times when there were free cakes. But I wouldn't count on that bring the case for any future Jade passengers.

[Ergates The Ant]

Just an update. Arrived back on the Jade yesterday.

The only offerings in the Atrium bar were macarons for $2 or little chocolates for $1.50 ( plus gratuity, I assume!)

We usually enjoy having breakfasts in the coffee bar, consisting of a large coffee and a croissant or Danish pastry. This time I had one coffee to try on the first day, but it wasn't that good, and had to go elsewhere for something to eat. So our coffee bill for the cruise was an eighth of usual.

[firstcarib]

Yes, we saw the same meagre offerings in the Atrium. Never saw anyone buying any...no surprise there! So how fresh were they??...they all looked the same every day to me...perhaps they dusted them....or the crew eat them late at night!!!

The weird thing is...on a UBP you cannot get a decent coffee anywhere on the ship( the brown stuff served in the MDR is awful!!) but you can get a free " cocktail" Irish coffee...made with a shot of Jamesons whiskey & topped with cream! Weird rule...but then so is the charging for bottled water on board when most of the booze is included on the UBP for free.

 

quote=Ergates The Ant;53141452]Just an update. Arrived back on the Jade yesterday.

The only offerings in the Atrium bar were macarons for $2 or little chocolates for $1.50 ( plus gratuity, I assume!)

We usually enjoy having breakfasts in the coffee bar, consisting of a large coffee and a croissant or Danish pastry. This time I had one coffee to try on the first day, but it wasn't that good, and had to go elsewhere for something to eat. So our coffee bill for the cruise was an eighth of usual.

[Ergates The Ant]

Yes, it was a very poor offering! Maybe an American thing? On previous Celebrity and Princess cruises, I have chatted to the food and beverage managers. I was told in both cases, that they don't sell that much coffee on their US and Caribbean cruises. However, when they hit Europe, they put extra staff on in the coffee bars, extra chairs where they can, and open nearby venues, such as extra charge restaurants that are usually closed in the mornings, to cope with us Brits and our coffee drinking habits!

However, both Celebrity and Princess provided a good selection of complimentary pastries, cookies, and in the case of Princess, muesli and yoghurt parfaits, so it was a lovely alternative to the MDR or buffet if you want a light breakfast and are prepared to pay extra for good coffee. P and O did the same, but very childishly, restricted you to one pastry each!

Anyway, I think NCL are missing a potential revenue stream here!

[BrentD]

I'm late in replying back to this one, but again, why are you comparing Celebrity and Princess (arguably more "top tier" lines) with what NCL offers (I'd call it a mid-tier line at best, slightly above Carnival)? And how would NCL be "missing a potential revenue stream" by offering a bunch of freebies at their coffee bar(s)? Freebies don't make money. The coffee bar in the atrium had no lack of paying customers when we were on it. No, the dessert fare for sale there wasn't as popular as the coffee drinks, but we still saw plenty of folks trying macarons and sometimes chocolates.

 

I really don't get it when people complain about NCL or Carnival not giving this or that away and about "nickel and diming" you for everything. You're not paying NEARLY as much for one of their cruises as you are for Celebrity, Princess, or even RCCL for the most part.

[shipfriend_max]

I'm late in replying back to this one, but again, why are you comparing Celebrity and Princess (arguably more "top tier" lines) with what NCL offers (I'd call it a mid-tier line at best, slightly above Carnival)?

 

Well, all those mentioned lines are mainstream US lines, and yes, there might be a differentation between standard or "premium" fare, but that does not answer the question, or is a reason for charging or not.

When we have been on NCL Jade in April 2016, there were complimentary snacks like cake. Nothing special, but very nice for taking away to trivia, without needing to sit down in O'Sheenans or going up to the Garden Café.

For a little bite a small piece of cookie or cake is nice. And I find it pathetic to charge for that.

And IMHO there's standards a four-star-cruise line needs to offer without charging.

 

Let's talk about Celebrity, though: IMHO, there's nothing anymore which seperates this cruise line from others, their premium lifestyle and standards are gone, IMHO.

Princess has far more to offer.

 

I really don't get it when people complain about NCL or Carnival not giving this or that away and about "nickel and diming" you for everything. You're not paying NEARLY as much for one of their cruises as you are for Celebrity, Princess, or even RCCL for the most part.

 

That's not true anymore.

NCL has gotten far more expensive as in the past, and when you compare the fares to HAL, Princess or RCCL, they charge similar prices to those cruise lines, IMHO. The 7 night Norway cruises on Koningsdam or NCL Jade are good examples, and also the cruises transitting the Panama Canal, Transatlantics or even Caribbean are not far more cheaper than those cruises on other lines.

Please compare the prices and inform yourself before writing such things... :)