No more Coffee Cards

[RandallFlagg]

They do offer coffee for free..if you hadn't come to Cruise Critic you would never had known "the type".

 

Sometimes ignorance is bliss.;)

 

Many people find the coffee on Princess cruises acceptable, I have yet to hear any guest in the MDR complain about the coffee, mainly the concerns have been where is my coffee or I need a refill.

 

You'll just have to see what you think of the coffee when you board....many who say the coffee is dreadful do get their coffee card from a mini-bar exchange, In the future will they pay for "brewed coffee" ???? or just settle for the free stuff.

 

2 weeks ago I returned from an Alaskan cruise on Ruby.....2/3s of the Pax were first time cruisers. At the International Cafe there was seldom a line to get coffee or specialty coffees and this was a cold weather cruise. A sharp contrast to several of my other cruises last year, where everyone was manned with a coffee card and the line could be 25 deep on some mornings.

 

 

This is probably true. However, my TA pointed me in this direction….and boy howdy have I learned a thing or two! :D

[land lover]

This is probably true. However, my TA pointed me in this direction….and boy howdy have I learned a thing or two! :D

 

:D

 

 

Well, is all i can say is try the reg. coffee see what you think and if brewed is what you need, use a little of your military OBC to pay for a cup.

[RandallFlagg]

:D

 

 

Well, is all i can say is try the reg. coffee see what you think and if brewed is what you need, use a little of your military OBC to pay for a cup.

 

Oh, I plan on doing just that. Thanks!

[land lover]

That's why passengers "usually" (not always) come back from their cruises with more than one punch left on their cards. That's why they sell them on Ebay - to recoup some of their money back. Now, for Princess to adopt the policy that after a particular date they can no longer be used - then how can they react negatively to someone who wishes to "use up" their card by sharing with their husband, wife, or whomever…makes no sense to me. The card has been paid for.

 

But whatever. I'm not purchasing a card so it doesn't really apply to me. But it IS a damned shame to treat your customers like children…. :D

 

I do not know why I am even in this discussion oh now I remember, but does anyone else NOOOOO!:D;p

 

I'll say it again..almost all cards sold on ebay were NOT, I repeat Not Purchased. L:DL

[neverbeenhere]

Princess owns the ships— they make the rules. Passengers will do whatever they want.

 

Pretty much Newman’s Law.

[RandallFlagg]

I do not know why I am even in this discussion oh now I remember, but does anyone else NOOOOO!:D;p

 

I'll say it again..almost all cards sold on ebay were NOT, I repeat Not Purchased. L:DL

 

 

Pardon my stupidity - but where did they come from then?

[neverbeenhere]

Pardon my stupidity - but where did they come from then?

Elite exchange perk.

[RandallFlagg]

Elite exchange perk.

 

I see…so they TRADED their mini bars for coffee card(s) - alcohol that they had already PAID for. OK. Thanks! :D

[land lover]

I see…so they TRADED their mini bars for coffee card(s) - alcohol that they had already PAID for. OK. Thanks! :D

 

No...just like your military OBC..it was given to you as a gift.

 

Elites are given perks/gifts, did I pay for the alcohol, no.

 

Even if you sail in a suite the mini bar is considered a perk.

[RandallFlagg]

No...just like your military OBC..it was given to you as a gift.

 

Elites are given perks/gifts, did I pay for the alcohol, no.

 

Even if you sail in a suite the mini bar is considered a perk.

 

 

I saw the prices of the suites and the mini-suites. That's why I opted for a balcony cabin. :D

 

Trust me - you PAID for the alcohol….. :cool:

 

But, in any event, thanks for all the info. I am leaving this topic now to those more "experienced" at economics than (apparently) I am.

[land lover]

Those who sell on e-bay defend their choice, by saying I sail solo, I spent 1,000,000.000,00,000,000:D on Princess Cruises, I have every right to do this...they do, they make their own choices.

 

But eventually in this case their choice and others who choose to not follow the policy(by leaving one punch on their card) hurt others, because abuse is seen and options are tweaked, changed and finally eliminated.

Edited June 7, 2018 by land lover

[land lover]

I saw the prices of the suites and the mini-suites. That's why I opted for a balcony cabin. :D

 

Trust me - you PAID for the alcohol….. :cool:

 

But, in any event, thanks for all the info. I am leaving this topic now to those more "experienced" at economics than (apparently) I am.

 

 

Enjoy your cruise.....coffee or not;p

[bobby3334]

I never realized how important coffee was...I don’t think I have ever seen so many posts on any topic on CC in an 10 hour period.....in the past 5 years. Mike

[donswife]

Stupid question here - How the heck would Princess know if they were bought from Ebay?

 

Goofy. That's why we decided to forego coffee that isn't "provided" in the buffet or the MDR. I'll be damned if I pay for their Brewed coffee.

 

Never stayed in a hotel yet where premium coffee ( brewed regular) wasn't provided. So much for the "all inclusive" cruise, right? :D

 

On our trip on the Ruby in January, my husband actually preferred the "free" coffee to the IC brewed coffee. I used my punch cards, left over from the Crown, to get lattes.

 

You must stay at nicer hotels then we do; we have had some wretched excuses for coffee. :rolleyes::p:p

 

Enjoy your trip and remember to pack binoculars!

[Dorset Cruiser]

Must be purchased at least 4 days before sailing

 

 

 

The package details say you can purchase onboard.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[moki'smommy]

If the new deal really is ONE card for the mini-bar, that stinks. Per the list I saw on line, there are 18 items in the mini-bar, 8 of which are bottles of alcohol. These have a replacement cost of $6.25-$6.50 each. The least expensive items have a cost of $2 each. SO, if I calculate 18 items at $2, that roughly equals the cost of a single coffee card. But if I calculate that 8 bottles are worth $6+ each, those alone are $50+. Then I have beer (? replacement cost) as well as waters and sodas. Conservatively, if I take the lowest price for the additional 10, I'm at $60+, and I know that this is very conservative. So they are gaining significantly if I trade for one card, even if I use up the card. In fact, the cost of 2 cards is much closer to the replacement cost of the items in the bar. Alternatively, I can trade the whole bar for 18 diet cokes--Princess replacement value, $36. Real value at grocery store, $5-6. New policy stinks.

 

Bottom line, we each have our breaking point, and I'm not there yet with Princess. Yes, Princess makes the rules, but I have the money. What kind of vacation I choose and what company I choose to use is my decision. Another cruise line hired a new president and the cruise prices went thru the roof...and I started looking around. I like Princess, but I'm not married to Princess. They could well reach a point where decreased perks and increased prices send me looking elsewhere.....or I could become too old and feeble to cruise, still looking first to Princess to determine if they are right for my vacation dollars.

[margob111]

I have always purchased two coffee cards per cruise because we do like our lattes. I have coffee cards left over from our Panama Canal cruise and won’t be on another cruise until October of 2019 so I guess they won’t be valid.

[caribill]

Must be purchased at least 4 days before sailing

 

You can still purchase it on board. You just can't buy it the last four days before embarkation because there is not enough time left to add it to your cruise card.

[neverbeenhere]

If the new deal really is ONE card for the mini-bar' date=' that stinks. Per the list I saw on line, there are 18 items in the mini-bar, 8 of which are bottles of alcohol. These have a replacement cost of $6.25-$6.50 each. The least expensive items have a cost of $2 each. SO, if I calculate 18 items at $2, that roughly equals the cost of a single coffee card. But if I calculate that 8 bottles are worth $6+ each, those alone are $50+. Then I have beer (? replacement cost) as well as waters and sodas. Conservatively, if I take the lowest price for the additional 10, I'm at $60+, and I know that this is very conservative. So they are gaining significantly if I trade for one card, even if I use up the card. In fact, the cost of 2 cards is much closer to the replacement cost of the items in the bar. Alternatively, I can trade the whole bar for 18 diet cokes--Princess replacement value, $36. Real value at grocery store, $5-6. New policy stinks.

 

Bottom line, we each have our breaking point, and I'm not there yet with Princess. Yes, Princess makes the rules, but I have the money. What kind of vacation I choose and what company I choose to use is my decision. Another cruise line hired a new president and the cruise prices went thru the roof...and I started looking around. I like Princess, but I'm not married to Princess. They could well reach a point where decreased perks and increased prices send me looking elsewhere.....or I could become too old and feeble to cruise, still looking first to Princess to determine if they are right for my vacation dollars.[/quote']

 

 

I don’t know about all the calculations, but one per mini bar doesn’t make much sense or cents. I see two elite in a stateroom, if they exchange to one card, one person gets no perk. (No sharing the card)

[caribill]

currently on the Grand. Starting with this cruise coffee cards will be no more. They will swipe your cruise card each time you get coffee. All older cards will not be allowed after this cruise. Also if in a suite and you swap out for coffee cards you only get one not two.. so far I have given away 5 cards 😁😁

 

Per the newly published rules for existing coffee cards:

"Coffee cards cannot be sold or otherwise transferred to any individual."

[Pierlesscruisers]

But eventually in this case their choice and others who choose to not follow the policy(by leaving one punch on their card) hurt others, because abuse is seen and options are tweaked, changed and finally eliminated.

 

What does leaving one punch on a coffee card have to do with the violation of any policy? There has been no requirement to use all punches to the best of my knowledge.

 

Tom

[neverbeenhere]

New rule... use all punches or be forced to drink 5 cups of syrup coffee-like product in the buffet.

[caribill]

According to the documentation' date=' a coffee card that is completely blank is valid until 8/31/2019.[/quote']

 

But it also says:

The honoring of unused punches on future voyages is allowed up to the expiration date but may be discontinued at any time without notice or recourse.

[caribill]

What does leaving one punch on a coffee card have to do with the violation of any policy? There has been no requirement to use all punches to the best of my knowledge.

 

 

 

Up until several years ago, the coffee cards issued where depictions of picture cards from a card deck. No voyage number of ship name was on the back of the card. At that time, the rules were that the unlimited brewed coffee was good as long as one punch remained unpunched. This led to abuse as some people would leave one punch unused and then take the card on subsequent voyages to get unlimited fresh brewed.

 

So Princess changed the design of the card and starting writing the ship name and voyage on the back. The new rule said the card was good for unlimited fresh brewed just for the voyage/ship listed on the back and could be used on that voyage even if all the punches had been used. This meant that the card could not be used for unlimited fresh brewed on future voyages, but unused punches could be.

 

Whether people who still have cards without all punches used received them for $$$ or as an exchange for mini-bar contents, the rules continued to be punches were good on all future voyages until all used. The new policy changes that.

[tospendtimealone]

Will we still be able to use a punch on the card for Gelato?