Coffee and Wine

[tapdancemom]

How good or bad is the coffee served in the MDR and buffet? Wondering if I should bring my individual Starbucks instant? 😉 Also if we bring wine onboard for the cabin and not to be opened in the dining room would we be charged a corckrage fee?

 

Thanks

[Judie621]

Excellent question

[phisha]

2 hours ago, tapdancemom said:

How good or bad is the coffee served in the MDR and buffet? Wondering if I should bring my individual Starbucks instant? 😉 Also if we bring wine onboard for the cabin and not to be opened in the dining room would we be charged a corckrage fee?

 

Thanks

I am not a coffee drinker so can’t help you with that but you can bring two bottles of wine per state room in carry on luggage. You will not be charged corkage if you drink it in your room but you will be charged if you take it to dinner.

[chemmo]

The coffee in the buffet and MDR isn’t bad but no where near as good as the coffee at Cafe al Bacio. If you enjoy a good coffee but are not likely to drink much alcohol you could consider a non alcoholic package....However, the alcoholic coffees are yummy too!

[GastroGnome]

Coffee is such an individual thing!  The stuff in MDR isn't bad - some folk like it.  But it is mass made and carried in metal jugs which I personally find taints the taste.  Its percolated type rather than continental - I presume more familiar to American guests?  (I'm assuming - no offense intended!)   El Biaco coffee comes out of a machine.  Its fine - in my view better than MDR or Ocean View.  If only because no-one put it in a metal jug!  But I would prefer "proper" fresh made continental style coffee.  I drink my coffee black, strong and unsweetened.  I expect the experience would be different if you wanted to add syrups, cream etc.

[Mynki]

Agree with Chemmo about the Lavazza coffee in El Bachio being good. 

I'm really not a fan of the stuff served n the buffet though. 

[Plato123]

I find the coffee in the buffet, which is supposed to be Lavazza,  varies from ship to ship, but I definitely agree that the Al Bacio coffee is very good.  In the mini Al Bacio by the buffet on the Edge the "baristas" could never get our coffee order straight and the default presentation was in a paper cup (without asking), not ceramic which was oddly wasteful considering what Celebrity seems to be doing to reduce waste. I did mention it to the food and beverage manager who was surprised so it might have changed.

On wine, our butler brought us an excellent premium Napa Cabernet one day for no particular reason, so we took it with us to Luminae and it was served with our dinner.  The sommelier opened and served it without any question or charge. 

[cruisestitch]

If you’re worried about the coffee why not bring your packets?  They are small and if you like the coffee you would just take them home unused.

[Palms2Pines2Sea]

We bring (and enjoy) the Starbucks Via coffees for the first cup of the morning.

We do find the MDR and buffet coffee to be pretty poor, but we prefer a fairly strong cup.

[davekathy]

10 hours ago, tapdancemom said:

How good or bad is the coffee served in the MDR and buffet? Wondering if I should bring my individual Starbucks instant? 😉 Also if we bring wine onboard for the cabin and not to be opened in the dining room would we be charged a corckrage fee?

 

Thanks

No corkage fee. You can fill your wine glasses in your stateroom and enjoy your wine anywhere on the ship including the MDR. You can request your stateroom attendant provide you with wine glasses or stop by any bar and get them. 

[yorky]

Very average but way better in Al Bacio

[tapdancemom]

Thanks everyone  for your responses. I plan on bringing my Starbucks Vias anyway just in case I need them and plan on visiting Cafe al Bacio too. 

 

Thanks also about the wine info too. 

[cruisinatdawn]

2 hours ago, davekathy said:

No corkage fee. You can fill your wine glasses in your stateroom and enjoy your wine anywhere on the ship including the MDR. You can request your stateroom attendant provide you with wine glasses or stop by any bar and get them. 

Will they also provide a cork screw and/or can we bring our own?

[Von & John]

6 minutes ago, cruisinatdawn said:

Will they also provide a cork screw and/or can we bring our own?

 

I travel w/ a corkscrew in my toiletry bag...

Your room steward will also provide one, upon request 🙂

[davekathy]

9 minutes ago, Von & John said:

 

I travel w/ a corkscrew in my toiletry bag...

Your room steward will also provide one, upon request 🙂

Agree. We always carry our corkscrew in our travel first aid kit. Always prepared for emergencies. 😉

Edited April 13, 2019 by davekathy

[Jim_Iain]

I drink lots of coffee daily and have found the coffee in the buffet and main dining room to be like battery acid.   I bring my Starbucks Via and with a drink package usually get my coffee fix at al Bacio.   I usually order a double cappuccino DRY as their regular ones are more like a Latte. 

[petefoss]

I loved the coffee in Al Bacio (but I will admit I never order Americano).  I had cappuccino, Mocha, espresso and frappe and they were all great!

 

The swill in the buffet was undrinkable in my opinion.

[shofer]

You might try asking the cabin attendant for an electric kettle to make your coffee.  We had one on our TA from England.   You didn't say which ship you were taking but my understanding is that they keep some in supply.  

Also, if you ask for wine glasses in your cabin they bring very small ones, not the size you get in the bars or MDR.  We just asked for a couple at a bar and took them back to our room.  And yes, we did pour our wine into them and take it in for dinner.   A bottle of our favorite was $6 in Costco and $42 on the ship.