New to NCL-Coffee

[iancal]

Never been on NCL...taking my father on the Sun2/4 E. Carib. How is the coffiee. I like it fairly strong. Our last cruise was the Sun Princess...the coffee was terrible. Should I bring my Melita drip cone and some grounds?

[JerseyMom]

In one word - awful. I have had better instant coffee.

 

The cappucinos in the dining rooms after dinner were good, though.

[skelly]

Coffee "quality," or lack thereof, seems to be a big thing on NCL cruises. I seem to recall reading that the cabins have individual coffee makers as one of the regular appliances, but I'm wondering if anyone who has recently cruised on the NCL Sun could confirm that fact.

 

My wife is a real coffee lover, and these reports about sub-par coffee are not going to go over well!! All information would be helpful - Sometimes it is the little things that can spoil a vacation.

 

Does the Coffee Bar have better coffee than the rest of the ship? Also, are the specialty coffees in dining rooms an extra charge?

 

Thanks for all help.

[Cajuncru]

Have no fear. We just returned from the Sun, and there are coffee pots in the cabins. You are provided with Folgers coffee each day (both regular and decaf), but if you're not a Folger's fan, you could easily bring your own. A standard coffee filter should work fine.

 

Note that the pots are not full size, but they're big enough to provide about 3 full cups of coffee each morning...

[JerseyMom]

Coffee "quality," or lack thereof, seems to be a big thing on NCL cruises. I seem to recall reading that the cabins have individual coffee makers as one of the regular appliances, but I'm wondering if anyone who has recently cruised on the NCL Sun could confirm that fact.

 

My wife is a real coffee lover, and these reports about sub-par coffee are not going to go over well!! All information would be helpful - Sometimes it is the little things that can spoil a vacation.

 

Does the Coffee Bar have better coffee than the rest of the ship? Also, are the specialty coffees in dining rooms an extra charge?

 

Thanks for all help.

 

I don't know if the Sun has a coffee bar like the Dawn does but I would suspect the coffee is better there. Personally I didn't check it out but I think you have to pay extra for coffee there. I found the coffee to be pretty much undrinkable. I also wasn't wild about the coffee that you could make in the coffee maker, either. Then, again, I have a Starbucks addiction and there aren't too many other coffee brands that I really like.

[skelly]

Never been on NCL...taking my father on the Sun2/4 E. Carib. How is the coffiee. I like it fairly strong. Our last cruise was the Sun Princess...the coffee was terrible. Should I bring my Melita drip cone and some grounds?

I guess coffee "taste" is very much an individual thing. I just reread the opening post by iancal and note that it was the Sun Princess (not a NCL ship) that had "terrible" coffee. Interestingly, a co-worker recently returned from a cruise on the Sun Princess and raved about how wonderful the coffee was - and that it was quite strong, which she preferred.

 

Two different people - Two different opinions!

[Janearl]

Anybody know if there are coffee makers in the suites on the Majesty. My husband is a big coffee drinker and it would be great if there were.

[NJGRANNY]

I liked the coffee on the Dawn and it was consistently hot.

[Titan(ic)5.6]

Here's what you do:

 

Buy a wide mouth shatterproof plastic container from Nalgene and fill it with your favorite brand of ground coffee. This plastic container is virtually "bombproof" and will not crush in your luggage and is air tight. After you do this, buy a French press travel mug made by Bodum that is made out of indestructible plastic.

 

You can get boiling hot water just about anywhere on the ship. Just ask a waiter or serve yourself. The hot water dispenser is right next to the coffee dispenser and is provided to make hot tea or hot chocolate.

 

To make coffee in a French press, just put a couple scoops of ground coffee in the cup and pour near boiling water on top. Put the plunger in the cup and press down. The plunger has a wire screen and will push the coffee grounds to the bottom of the mug where they will be separated from the brewed coffee.

 

Coffee brewed this way taste better than any other because it is made from water that is slightly below the boiling point. (have you ever drank boiled water? YUK!)

 

Enjoy!

 

[sandradeen]

The coffee in the dining rooms are complimentary. However, I think there is a charge for espresso.

[toysrme]

The coffee in the dining rooms are complimentary. However, I think there is a charge for espresso.

No extra charge for cappucino or expresso in the dining rooms. If you like your coffee strong (I thought I did!), you will like the Sun. It was too strong for me, including the cappucino. After the first day I put about 1/4 cup hot water in my cup before adding the coffee. The coffee in the room was instant Folgers/Sanka/Maxwell House. No coffee maker, but a "hot water" maker to boil water for the instant coffee.

[ViolaBeck]

I was just on the Dawn 10-19-05. The there were espressos, cappucinos, and drip coffee available at all of the dining rooms for free in the evening. I never asked at breakfast or lunch so I am not sure about that. Also, Java Cafe has coffee and desserts for $1.50. I had an espresso and it was good there. Le Bistro, one of the specialty restaraunts, has something called Coffee Crema (free) that I really enjoyed, but it really is each person perference on coffee. The coffee at the buffet was strong (which I like) and the flavor was just okay.

[Maryfrei]

Wonderful cappucino/espresso, no extra charge, breakfast, lunch and dinner in the dining rooms.

[caa]

No extra charge for cappucino or expresso in the dining rooms. If you like your coffee strong (I thought I did!), you will like the Sun. It was too strong for me, including the cappucino. After the first day I put about 1/4 cup hot water in my cup before adding the coffee. The coffee in the room was instant Folgers/Sanka/Maxwell House. No coffee maker, but a "hot water" maker to boil water for the instant coffee.

 

Interesting -- on the Sun last month we had a real coffee maker with pre-packaged Folgers regular and decaf coffee. The coffee is already inside the filter, but it's not instant, it's real coffee. We were in a BA on deck 10. What kind of cabin did you have and where?

[toysrme]

Interesting -- on the Sun last month we had a real coffee maker with pre-packaged Folgers regular and decaf coffee. The coffee is already inside the filter, but it's not instant, it's real coffee. We were in a BA on deck 10. What kind of cabin did you have and where?

 

BC on deck 8.

[pratzert]

We sailed the Spirit in August and in our group we had 5 who drank coffee.

 

All of us thought the coffee was actually very good !

 

It just shows, once again, the individual preferences that play out.

 

The same thing happens shoreside..... Some people think coffee is too strong, some think too weak, some think too bitter, etc.

 

I ordered cappuccino every night with dinner.... YES, it's included with dinner. All you have to do is ask !

 

Tim

[davy jones]

If you're not addicted to Starbucks or similar places, you will probably find the coffee to be OK. It's Folgers, so you have a pretty good idea of what you're getting in advance. Espresso and the like are no charge in the dining room at dinner.

 

Interestingly enough, the worst coffee that I had on the Dawn was in LeBistro. It looked and tasted like instant coffee. Best meal, worst coffee, go figure.

[butlercat]

I'll be on the Dream in a week and a half - do they (or other ships) offer real half and half or the powdered creamer? Thanks!

[angeljt]

Coffee "quality," or lack thereof, seems to be a big thing on NCL cruises. I seem to recall reading that the cabins have individual coffee makers as one of the regular appliances, but I'm wondering if anyone who has recently cruised on the NCL Sun could confirm that fact.

 

My wife is a real coffee lover, and these reports about sub-par coffee are not going to go over well!! All information would be helpful - Sometimes it is the little things that can spoil a vacation.

 

Does the Coffee Bar have better coffee than the rest of the ship? Also, are the specialty coffees in dining rooms an extra charge?

 

Thanks for all help.

I can't speak for the Sun, but we were on the Dawn in October and they left 2 regular and 2 decaf every day. I made the coffee with two coffee packs instead of one and it was okay. We both like our coffee on the strong side and find that one pack is very weak. A bit of Kahlua in it helps too.

The coffee, expresso and cappuccino in the dining rooms were not an extra charge. They do charge you in the Java Cafe, but not if you buy a liqueur to go with it.

Jackie:cool:

[angeljt]

I don't know if the Sun has a coffee bar like the Dawn does but I would suspect the coffee is better there. Personally I didn't check it out but I think you have to pay extra for coffee there. I found the coffee to be pretty much undrinkable. I also wasn't wild about the coffee that you could make in the coffee maker, either. Then, again, I have a Starbucks addiction and there aren't too many other coffee brands that I really like.

We also buy Starbucks coffee and grind it. It is a much stronger, fuller coffee than you get most places. We never go to Starbucks for coffee though. We got a coffee grinder and a bag of Starbucks for a Christmas grab a few years back and we've been hooked ever since. It's like having a balcony....there's no going back.

I would suggest bringing your own coffee with you if it's going to put a damper on your cruise.

Jackie:cool:

[Smooth Sailing]

No extra charge for cappucino or expresso in the dining rooms. If you like your coffee strong (I thought I did!), you will like the Sun. It was too strong for me, including the cappucino. After the first day I put about 1/4 cup hot water in my cup before adding the coffee. The coffee in the room was instant Folgers/Sanka/Maxwell House. No coffee maker, but a "hot water" maker to boil water for the instant coffee.

The Coffee on the Sun is like Black Mud - I like strong coffee - but, this was too much - the coffee in your room is a bit weak - Folger's - but, ok. I drank both - no real complains - it's coffee - it's better than Burger King - not even close to Starbucks. I loved the cappucino in the dining room - Just for reference - I drink all my coffee black - no milk or cream - just 1/4 package of sweet & low to take a bit of the bite out.

[Aliann]

As the others have said, each preference is different. I've never had a problem on any ship with the coffee, but then again, I like mine very strong, as a matter of fact, just give me coffee beans to chew on and I'll be fine. Always get an espresso after dinner and as others have already answered, there is no charge for that or cappachino.

 

I don't use half and half, but they do have it and not the powdered. It's either half and half or cream (save difference I guess?).

 

Also, we never bothered to take and make our own, always order from room service and they'll bring in a carafe. As a matter of fact, the thermol one's they had on the Dawn were so good, we'd order 2 pots in the morning, and have some in the 2nd for a quick cup when we came back from a long port day and it would still be hot! We just left a note for the steward not to take it though, or they'd clean it up.

[B4andAFT]

We just returned from our second Dawn cruise and had a carafe delivered to the room every morning. I'm addicted to DD coffee, and found the coffee to be just fine.

[capncarp]

We just returned from our second Dawn cruise and had a carafe delivered to the room every morning. I'm addicted to DD coffee, and found the coffee to be just fine.

 

My DW is very particular about her coffee, not in the "cappa-frappa-ccino-whatsis" sense, but in that the hot water was not "merely frightened with a poor-quality photocopy of a picture of a coffee bean":eek: sense. Firehouse Coffee, in that an upright spoon when released will slowly lean until it gently touches the rim of the cup, is the norm in our house. IOW, do NOT serve her weak coffee.

We found the Dawn's coffee, in restaurants, the Java cafe, the Garden Cafe, and in room service to be adequately strong for our battery-acid palates.

 

Yours,

CapnCarp

proud member of the NCL Dawn 11/20/05 Good Samaritan Cruise

[NJGRANNY]

I drink decaf and found it to be very good on the Dawn. And I know they use real beans because I saw them making it. Someone who drinks "real" coffee said it was nice and strong. It also was always hot. On our last cruise on Celebrity, the coffee was always lukewarm, so I appreciate the hot coffee on the Dawn.