Hot water for Tea

[Sheilacc]

Will I be able to find boiling hot water to make my own tea - RC Serenade of the Seas?

[CruiserBruce]

I would be asking on the RCI board, here:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/51-royal-caribbean-international/

 

But I think you would be able to get hot water in the buffet area.

[jocap]

Unfortunately tea doesn't brew if the water's not boiling... you end up with tea flavoured water. If you're sailing from the UK, all RCI ships include a kettle in their cabins, and perhaps from other European ports.  You can always ask. 🙂

[mom says]

If you're sailing the Caribbean, then the closest you'll get to boiling water will be in the buffet. If you're sailing a European itinerary, you can ask for a kettle for your cabin. You are not allowed to bring your own heating devices on board.

[shipgeeks]

I always find it hot enough, from the hot water dispenser at the coffee service, and I do like my tea strong.

[shipgeeks]

However, if you order tea in the dining room, a little pot of hot water and a tea bag (separate) will be brought to you, or a tea bag and a pour from a carafe.  Neither of those would be as satisfactory as doing the dispenser yourself, in WJ.

[jlp20]

Never seen any ship where pax has hands on access to boiling water. I can see the law suits lining up now.

[boulders]

 Get your own hot water from the Windjammer or the Promenade Cafe. If you order it from room service, not only will it not be hot enough, the water will be coffee flavoured. Yuck. 

 

[Underwatr]

2 hours ago, jlp20 said:

Never seen any ship where pax has hands on access to boiling water. I can see the law suits lining up now.

They exist.

 

Cunard just added electric kettles to all staterooms. The 220 volt kind that heat the water quickly.

[cb at sea]

The Hot water dispensers are hot enough to make tea.....

[cruising cockroach]

15 minutes ago, cb at sea said:

The Hot water dispensers are hot enough to make tea.....

Green tea, maybe.

 

Stained tasteless luke warm water, maybe.

 

Black tea, definitely not.

[jocap]

18 hours ago, jlp20 said:

Never seen any ship where pax has hands on access to boiling water. I can see the law suits lining up now.

We've only been on ships with kettles in every cabin for the past few years- RCI, Fred Olsen, P&O.

Cunard and some Marella/Thomson ships, and Celebrity out of the UK also provide kettles.

[Heidi13]

8 hours ago, cb at sea said:

The Hot water dispensers are hot enough to make tea.....

Sorry, you obviously have no idea how to make a proper cup of tea.

 

Hot enough doesn't work, unless the water is on a rolling boil.

[cruising cockroach]

47 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

Sorry, you obviously have no idea how to make a proper cup of tea.

 

Hot enough doesn't work, unless the water is on a rolling boil.

 

Tea-making is poorly-understood and -practised in the U.S. (and a good portion of Canada too).

 

Onboard, I do my best by warming my mug before dumping the water and adding more hot water before making tea (always with 2 tea bags) but it's always a weak, insipid cup at best.  Maybe it's quality of the tea used in tea bags but bagged tea don't taste very good even brewed at home with boiling water.  My normal tea is Indian-market black loose leaf tea.

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, Heidi13 said:

Sorry, you obviously have no idea how to make a proper cup of tea.

 

Hot enough doesn't work, unless the water is on a rolling boil.

 

Of course, the instant the boiling water (the ideal) is in the mug, it is no longer boiling.  

 

If the water provided is close enough to 212 F, and you have thoroughly pre-heated the mug by filling it several times with that same very hot water, you will have come sufficiently close to the ideal to get yourself a decent cup.

 

What baffles me is the insistence of some for water at a facing boil - so they can soak some third rate foliage like Lipton or Salada, and then claim they know proper tea.

[cruising cockroach]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

 

Of course, the instant the boiling water (the ideal) is in the mug, it is no longer boiling.  

 

If the water provided is close enough to 212 F, and you have thoroughly pre-heated the mug by filling it several times with that same very hot water, you will have come sufficiently close to the ideal to get yourself a decent cup.

 

The question is what temperature the water coming out of the hot water spigot is.  Ideal coffee temperature is 91-96C and I imagine that's the temperature of this water.  The 4-9C makes all the difference.

[mom says]

3 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

 

What baffles me is the insistence of some for water at a facing boil - so they can soak some third rate foliage like Lipton or Salada, and then claim they know proper tea.

 

Unnecessary pedantics aside, insulting those who prefer their tea prepared properly was also uncalled for.

 

Correct water temp is absolutely necessary to brew a proper pot of tea, as is a decent tea, whether bagged or loose leaf. I don't know why the average American dining or drinking establishment is unable to comprehend this simple fact. In my experience many (or perhaps most) cruise ships fail at this as well. The only time I recall receiving properly prepared tea was aboard Cunard. I bring my own tea (which is most certainly not a 3rd rate selection) with me and hope for the best from the hot water dispenser in the buffet. I've given up on getting decent tea in any ship dining room.

[navybankerteacher]

7 hours ago, mom says said:

 

Unnecessary pedantics aside, insulting those who prefer their tea prepared properly was also uncalled for.

 

Correct water temp is absolutely necessary to brew a proper pot of tea, as is a decent tea, whether bagged or loose leaf. I don't know why the average American dining or drinking establishment is unable to comprehend this simple fact. In my experience many (or perhaps most) cruise ships fail at this as well. The only time I recall receiving properly prepared tea was aboard Cunard. I bring my own tea (which is most certainly not a 3rd rate selection) with me and hope for the best from the hot water dispenser in the buffet. I've given up on getting decent tea in any ship dining room.

 

Of course “tea prepared properly” is a concept requiring definition and understanding.

 

My British kin, who I visit regularly, maintain that it is not a matter of one size fitting all:  

green tea should be brewed in water about 170 F, Oolong about 185 F, and black as close to 212 F as possible but over 210 F.

 

Sadly in Cunard’s dining room they still served the pot of hot water with the tea bag on the side, and the water in the pot was well below 212 by the time they got it to the table.

[spookwife]

On 11/13/2018 at 2:18 PM, Sheilacc said:

Will I be able to find boiling hot water to make my own tea - RC Serenade of the Seas?

 

only if you are in a JS or above, where there is a kettle in the cabin.    otherwise you have to do room service, and the carafe will probably taste like coffee and the water will not be boiling.  nor will the dispensers at the Windjammer be hot enough unless you are wanting to make iced tea.  

[spookwife]

On 11/13/2018 at 8:19 PM, jlp20 said:

Never seen any ship where pax has hands on access to boiling water. I can see the law suits lining up now.

 

 

every Royal JS and above has both a single cup coffee maker and an electric kettle for water.  thats about as hands on as you can get.  

[spookwife]

8 hours ago, mom says said:

 

I don't know why the average American dining or drinking establishment is unable to comprehend this simple fact.

 

 

 Little thing called 'The Boston Tea Party'  means we don't make it like the Crown does.    we stopped drinking it over taxes.   then we discovered coffee and we liked that better.   except Starbucks.  that  is taking things too far.   but at least Tim Hortons is making its way slowly but surely below the Great Lakes.  

[mom says]

1 hour ago, spookwife said:

 

 

 Little thing called 'The Boston Tea Party'  means we don't make it like the Crown does.    we stopped drinking it over taxes.   then we discovered coffee and we liked that better.   except Starbucks.  that  is taking things too far.   but at least Tim Hortons is making its way slowly but surely below the Great Lakes.  

 

And... Timmies makes a pretty decent steeped tea (for a counter service place).

[donaldsc]

If by "boiling" water, you mean 212 F, the simple answer is "no".

 

DON

Edited November 15, 2018 by donaldsc

[cruising cockroach]

6 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

 

Of course “tea prepared properly” is a concept requiring definition and understanding.

 

My British kin, who I visit regularly, maintain that it is not a matter of one size fitting all:  

green tea should be brewed in water about 170 F, Oolong about 185 F, and black as close to 212 F as possible but over 210 F.

 

Sadly in Cunard’s dining room they still served the pot of hot water with the tea bag on the side, and the water in the pot was well below 212 by the time they got it to the table.

 

Fine and good but most British (and their Australian/New Zealand kin, Canadians not so much these days) like black tea (english & irish breakfast, earl grey most common on ships) that do need boiling water for that strong cuppa which you're not going to get from the hot water stations.

 

I'm surprised Cunard would serve tea that way.  Matter of training perhaps (or passengers want to control how long the brew their tea).

 

I've never had good tea (in premium classes on airlines) when travelling on U.S. and Canadian carriers.  Remarkably, Qantas FAs know how to make good tea, as do Sri Lanka Airways ones, even though one can't get water to 100C at the levels airplane cabins are pressurised to (~6,400' ASL equivalent for 787s, 8,000' ASL for others).