Coffee/tea making in the cabin

[Older Sister]

My husband and I are quite excited to be doing our first Cunard cruise next week, a transatlantic from NYC to England on the QM2.  I’ve read that there are coffee making facilities in the individual staterooms, but can someone give me a little more information . . . is it a Keurig/pod-type coffee (tea) maker?  An electric kettle with instant coffee packs?

 

We both like a good cup of coffee when we first wake up in the morning and it’d be nice to just roll out of bed and brew a cup.  I know we could order Room Service, but I hate to make such a fuss for a couple of cups of coffee, especially when I’m not sure when we’ll wake up.

 

Many thanks for any information you can provide!

 

Allyn

 

 

 

[Jeffrey1950]

There is an electric kettle in your room or you may want to call it a hotpot. There will be packets of tea and instant coffee, the coffee is disgusting. You may want to take some coffee bags with you. 

Edited December 29, 2018 by Jeffrey1950

[warringtonian]

It always amazes me that they don't have, say, a Nespresso machine in each cabin. Other cruise lines have them and many hotels, especially in USA.

[zider]

Coffee Machines are only available in Grills Staterooms and they are cheap and nasty no steamer very basic the kind that you can get at a very cheap market.

[naturelovergirl]

We love good coffee too. On advice from other cruisers, we are planning to bring a french press and coffee grounds with us. This way we can use the Kettle for the hot water and still have delicious coffee in our room in the morning.

[Radar boomer]

We’ve been in reg and recently princess grill,  we thought the coffee was great in the grills especially when we use real cream..(which we save from another breakfast order with coffee)...it was so good we proceeded to buy the same illy coffee at home, to be disappointed that it did not taste the same...room service coffee is good in grills or Britannia..why not spoil yourselves

[mef_57]

Consider packing either a french press or a single cup drip filter for better tasting coffee. However, the drip filter will take a lot longer.

One consideration is to also bring a number of small plastic bags with you to empty the grounds into, as garbage bags are not in the waste containers in the cabin and either method noted above is going to be messy or mean extra work for your steward.

If you have a really good thermos, you might want to consider filling it up the night before from the buffet (though I found it bitter to my taste).

My experience on the QE was coffee was much stronger than by North American standards (and I typically drink bold or espresso at home).

[AspirationalFlyer]

Just to answer the OP question: it is just a kettle with satchets of coffee (I think Douwe Egberts). Four satchets are left from recollection: two satchets are caffeinated and two are decaf. There is no coffee machine in Britannia class rooms. 

 

More generally, I’m a bit of a coffee snob and agree that the coffee in the Britannia staterooms is bordering on awful. The French press is one solution, but I’m too lazy to wash it out everyday, in particular, given the size of the average bathroom and sink. The coffee in the buffet is better, but still isn’t great. It’s drinkable. The coffee served as part of room service is the same. I can’t comment on the Grills, but I believe they have pod machines in their rooms as others have said. 

 

I have never looked into the onboard drinks packages; that’s another option. That said, I’m not sure they help first thing in the morning which is when I need coffee the most!!

 

I’ve previously just brought Nescafé Azura (a high(er) quality instant) and ordered fresh milk/cream from our stateroom attendant who was happy to oblige (we asked for an ice bucket most nights too, but that is a different story!). I’m planning to pack my milk froather on the next cruise so we can have hot chocolate in our room as the Fjords pass by! Thankfully that just requires a rinse out......! 

 

AF

 

p.s. for those of us that drink tea too, only breakfast tea is left in the rooms. However, you can always take peppermint and camomile from the buffet. 

Edited December 30, 2018 by AspirationalFlyer

[Alanxx]

I hope Cunard never put pod machines in the rooms. Pods are not biodegradable and are already responsible for billions of items going to landfill.

[AspirationalFlyer]

32 minutes ago, Alanxx said:

I hope Cunard never put pod machines in the rooms. Pods are not biodegradable and are already responsible for billions of items going to landfill.

 

Is that right? I thought some were biodegradable/reuseable/recycleable now? I agree however that that cruise companies do need to carefully consider their environmental impact. 

 

I suspect with Cunard it is more about cost and the need to differniate between what you get in the Grills and elsewhere, which is understandable. 

[Older Sister]

Oh dear . . . I was hoping for better coffee in my stateroom!  Thanks to all who took the time to reply.  Looks like room service will get to know us quite well in the morning!  I could take a French press pot, but then I’d have to pack one less pair of shoes, and THAT’S not going to happen!  😉

 

Allyn

[orchestrapal]

4 hours ago, AspirationalFlyer said:

 

Is that right? I thought some were biodegradable/reuseable/recycleable now? I agree however that that cruise companies do need to carefully consider their environmental impact. 

 

I suspect with Cunard it is more about cost and the need to differniate between what you get in the Grills and elsewhere, which is understandable. 

 

Every Nespresso pod can be returned, in bags they supply, to be recycled.

[orchestrapal]

2 hours ago, Older Sister said:

Oh dear . . . I was hoping for better coffee in my stateroom!  Thanks to all who took the time to reply.  Looks like room service will get to know us quite well in the morning!  I could take a French press pot, but then I’d have to pack one less pair of shoes, and THAT’S not going to happen!  😉

 

Allyn

 

We found the only drinkable coffee in Sir Samuels. The QG regular was to our taste undrinkable. My husband drank tea and I got a double espresso every morning. The pods in the room were definitely sub-par as well.

not the line for coffee drinkers!!😫

[majortom10]

15 hours ago, zider said:

Coffee Machines are only available in Grills Staterooms and they are cheap and nasty no steamer very basic the kind that you can get at a very cheap market.

The coffee machines installed last year on QE in all grill suites were Illy coffee machines which are hardly machines that you can get "at a very cheap market" as they are one of the best and certainly not one of the cheapest on the market.

[AspirationalFlyer]

1 hour ago, orchestrapal said:

 

Every Nespresso pod can be returned, in bags they supply, to be recycled.

 

Yes. Thought so. 

[Bigmike911]

Not being a coffee snob, I will drink pretty much anything that is offered. Having said that,  I do know bad coffee when I taste it and that I have never had a bad cup on Queen Mary 2. The Grills do have a machine with a quantity of different pods (which are recyclable) as well as some tea bags and a kettle. 

 

It's easy to order coffee from room service when you get up, or you can go to the Kings Court deck 7 where they have coffee all day. If you are in the grills, there is hot freshly made coffee in the Concierge lounge on deck 9. There is also coffee available in the Cunard Connections area forward. 

 

The coffee in Sir Samuels is also excellent though you will be charged for it there. I suspect the Cafe Carinthia  has excellent coffee too. 

 

I don't quite understand the concept of hauling all kind of devices and supplies around on a holiday when alternatives are readily available, maybe some one can explain that to me. 

 

 

[zider]

6 hours ago, majortom10 said:

The coffee machines installed last year on QE in all grill suites were Illy coffee machines which are hardly machines that you can get "at a very cheap market" as they are one of the best and certainly not one of the cheapest on the market.

They are cheap for Q.G Staterooms when you are paying top Doller IE,$1,500per person per night NCL has the same type of machines in there balcony staterooms But when you have a Haven Suite you have a proper coffee machine that is plumbed in with a Steamer and 6 blends of Coffee in fact a large drawer full of  refills Its simply not good enough for Cunard's image and standards   to be paying 1st rate prices for bottom rate goods.

[majortom10]

Just now, zider said:

They are cheap for Q.G Staterooms when you are paying top Doller IE,$1,500per person per night NCL has the same type of machines in there balcony staterooms But when you have a Haven Suite you have a proper coffee machine that is plumbed in with a Steamer and 6 blends of Coffee in fact a large drawer full of  refills Its simply not good enough for Cunard's image and standards   to be paying 1st rate prices for bottom rate goods.

Perhaps so because having never sailed on NCL cannot argue with you but my response was to the comment  "at a very cheap market " which is nonsense because illy is a top brand coffee company producing coffee and machines and are certainly not at budget end of market.

[zider]

16 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Perhaps so because having never sailed on NCL cannot argue with you but my response was to the comment  "at a very cheap market " which is nonsense because illy is a top brand coffee company producing coffee and machines and are certainly not at budget end of market.

Well  the machines on Cunard are a very BASIC and certainly no way  near Grills standards

[Victoria2]

11 hours ago, majortom10 said:

Perhaps so because having never sailed on NCL cannot argue with you but my response was to the comment  "at a very cheap market " which is nonsense because illy is a top brand coffee company producing coffee and machines and are certainly not at budget end of market.

I drink what I think is decent coffee at home but don't consider myself a coffee expert at all and I agree with you as far as the QG coffee machines are concerned. I find them quite adequate for my needs. Fresh milk in the fridge every day and my wake up cup of coffee in the morning is sorted.

[BklynBoy8]

Last year (2017) was the first time in a few years that we had the opportunity to return to the QM2 to sail and was pleasantly surprised with seeing the Brewing Tray added to our Club Britannia Cabin.

 

In the past we would order Room Service that was very appreciated/rapidly delivered to our cabin after our request. Otherwise we would just bring our tea on the run to our cabin from the Kings Court.

 

We appreciate this new addition on that cruise. We did appreciate their choices in the cabin but did add our selections from the Kings Court of additional tea sachets and delicious dutch hot chocolate. But we will bring our packets of favorite coffees and cafes with us on future sailings.

 

We did question one time the taste of the kettle boiled water to our stewardess and she brought a new kettle that was boiled out and the hot water was different and tasty. We appreciated her attention to our request. You do have to be careful of those sailing before you, what did placed in it or how they handled it.

[david,Mississauga]

As a person who rarely drinks coffee, I am pleased that Cunard has put kettles in the staterooms. It is common for hotels in Canada and the US to provide only a coffee maker. Those who like a good "cuppa" are expected to make tea with the somewhat hot - not boiled -  water from these contraptions which is truly disgusting.

[orvil]

Interestingly, there is an active discussion over at Regent Seven Seas about the variety of coffee quality on board their ships.  To summarize, they use Illy coffee.  The quality varies across the various venues.  A lot of people seem to think the coffee is awful.  This discussion mirrors that discussion.

 

I'm a tea drinker.  I only drink coffee after a large meal.  I wouldn't know good coffee if it hit me on the head.  I do wonder why the servers on Cunard insist on using two tea bags when they make me a pot.  It's way too strong even if you take the bags out immediately.

 

I appreciate the kettles that have been added to the cabins.  It is nice to be able to have the odd cup without any fuss.