Are they Charging for Afternoon Tea??

[JF - retired RRT]

21 hours ago, geoherb said:

 

The waiters have large pots of tea already prepared, but you can also ask for something else. Darjeeling, English breakfast, chamomile, lemon herbal, and peppermint are the ones I remember. I drink only decaf teas, so I usually order a pot of chamomile.

Earl Gray, too. My fave.

[antsp]

5 hours ago, TravelingEA said:

We just got off the Regal on a Baltic cruise. There were no free afternoon teas on this cruise, only the ones for a charge.

 

Are you a %100 sure. It’s always in the aft dining room. It’s buried in the patter.  Big changes if this is gone. 

[h-sar]

10 hours ago, brian1 said:

Cheers,do they still have string quartets playing in the background and waiters with white gloves and tails.That's what we had on the Diamond in 2012,when we stumbled upon it by accident ,just fancying a cuppa,lol.It was like another world.

 

Honestly can’t remember the live music, so not sure. You’re right in that it WAS like being in another world - a wonderful respite from all the activities on board. 

 

Here are a few pics of the free MDR tea time from the Regal this past Christmas and the Christmas before. Tray upon tray of sweets and little sandwiches. The pink meringue? cookie in the middle of the plate was a piece of sugary heaven! And I could eat the cream for the scones with a spoon 😁. Absolutely nothing better than those warm scones. Christmas break can’t come soon enough...

 

 

Edited August 10, 2019 by h-sar

[h-sar]

9 minutes ago, antsp said:

Are you a %100 sure. It’s always in the aft dining room. It’s buried in the patter.  Big changes if this is gone. 

 

I missed it three yrs ago for that very reason - buried deep in the Patter and didn’t find out until the last day, ☹️

[happy cruzer]

Buried deep in the Patter??  Is it not with the food options/hours?

[antsp]

Not completely sure, it’s usually with all the events, at 3pm. The pub lunch is the same. The patter need to be gone through with a fine tooth comb and a highlighter pen. 

[h-sar]

23 minutes ago, happy cruzer said:

Buried deep in the Patter??  Is it not with the food options/hours?

 

Typically, yes, which is where I looked. Not seeing it there, I just assumed they weren’t doing it. Unfortunately, that cruise, it was in a section I wouldn’t have expected. From then on, I’ve learned to read the Patter carefully, rather than scanning quickly. 

Edited August 10, 2019 by h-sar

[keithm]

On ‎8‎/‎9‎/‎2019 at 3:32 AM, casofilia said:

Phew!   Glad to see that the normal Afternoon Tea will still be there.

We did the deluxe on the Regal in 2016. It was over $20, but we thought it was worth it....until our last 2 trips on Oceania. For those who love their Tea service, try it on the Riviera or the Marina.  Far out weighed anything on Princess, also blew anything Cunard offered right out of the water, including tea in the Queens Grill.

[Colo Cruiser]

1 hour ago, keithm said:

We did the deluxe on the Regal in 2016. It was over $20, but we thought it was worth it....until our last 2 trips on Oceania. For those who love their Tea service, try it on the Riviera or the Marina.  Far out weighed anything on Princess, also blew anything Cunard offered right out of the water, including tea in the Queens Grill.

Sailed the Riviera/Marina a few times.

I would have to disagree about far out weighing Princess.

I think it's comparable.  

[h-sar]

I have been to Victoria multiple times, but never did get into the Empress for tea. For those who have had the privilege and have also done the MDR tea on Princess, how would you compare the two? Food/tea/overall experience. Are they completely worlds apart (as I suspect they might be) or not too far off?  At the very least, I assume that the quality and variety of teas at the hotel would be vastly superior. Me, I’m absolutely happy with what I get on Princess 😀.

[4cats4me]

On 8/8/2019 at 8:51 PM, West Coast Gal said:

Hi have been cruising other lines and coming back to Princess after 4 years.  One of my favorites is afternoon tea . . . I thought I saw a picture . . . are they now charging $10 for afternoon tea, don't tell me it is so??? okay, you can if it is true. 

What else has changed?

 

There is free tea service in the main dining room.  You only paying for the nicer tea on the Royal or Regal. It is held in the atrium  twice during a 7 day cruise and appears to be very nice.  $10 pp. 

 

[4cats4me]

On 8/9/2019 at 10:07 AM, Britboys said:

 

As part of our Elite benefits, my travel companion and I recently had the deluxe afternoon tea delivered to our cabin on Coral Princess one afternoon.  The amount of food was ridiculous.  We had (between us) 10 finger sandwiches/rolls, 7 (full size) Scones with Jam & Cream, 10 cakes and 6 large cookies.  There is no way we could get through that - and struggled to get through somewhere approaching half of it.  Such a waste...

 

On 8/9/2019 at 11:39 AM, Shaver John said:

I have ordered the afternoon Tea in our cabin and as we so do eat so much before dinner I just asked to have 4 scones and 4 cookies and a pot of coffee.  I did get the jam and cream and this lasted me for a couple of days by putting the cream in the fridge.  It was very nice to sit on the deck and enjoy this snack. Nice they would let me just get what I wanted so I did not have to toss away good food. By the way, LOVE the scones.......

 

On 8/9/2019 at 1:59 PM, antsp said:

We have done Elite afternoon tea a number of times on our balcony, if you do choose be sure you don’t want to eat in the evening in the Dining room, too much food.  Ahhhhhhhh

 

Thank you.   I never thought to have tea time in our stateroom.  I think we will try this in October.  

[Lucky TGO]

My wife goes all the time no charge so far. 

Tony

[brian1]

duplicate post

Edited August 11, 2019 by brian1
duplicate

[LindaMG]

We are on the Golden in 4 weeks.  Do they have the daily afternoon tea on this one and do you need to make a reservation?

[cougaraz]

8 hours ago, LindaMG said:

We are on the Golden in 4 weeks.  Do they have the daily afternoon tea on this one and do you need to make a reservation?

There is a daily afternoon tea offered (almost) everyday in the one of the dining rooms.  The timing will be specified in the patter and there is no need to make a reservation, nor do I think that is even an option that is made available.

[cougaraz]

15 hours ago, h-sar said:

I have been to Victoria multiple times, but never did get into the Empress for tea. For those who have had the privilege and have also done the MDR tea on Princess, how would you compare the two? Food/tea/overall experience. Are they completely worlds apart (as I suspect they might be) or not too far off?  At the very least, I assume that the quality and variety of teas at the hotel would be vastly superior. Me, I’m absolutely happy with what I get on Princess 😀.

Having been the Empress for tea both as a cruise ship passenger and as a land tourist, I would say this is a difficult comparison to make.  The physical structure, architecture and location of the Empress Hotel is absolutely phenomenal.  The food and tea service is very nicely delivered with tasty selections offered.  However, especially during cruise ship season the place is quite the madhouse with lots of people trying to enjoy the experience in a compressed period of time.  The result is that it can feel quite crowded and a little rushed.  I do think that you will find the tea offerings at the hotel to be broader and deeper, but for me, I think that the food is very similar, if not leaning toward Princess in terms of variety and tastiness.  Again though, food is very subjective and I doubt this post will be up long before someone accuses me of enjoying a cattle trough because I think the food on Princess remains delicious and enticing.  I don't really pay them any mind.

 

My advice would be that if you've never done tea at the Empress it is well worth it for the experience at least once in a lifetime.  If you are just looking for a nice, tasty and relaxed tea, the shipboard offering in the dining room is a pleasant and thoroughly civilized way to spend part of an afternoon.

[West Coast Gal]

16 minutes ago, 4cats4me said:

There is free tea service in the main dining room.  You only paying for the nicer tea on the Royal or Regal. It is held in the atrium  twice during a 7 day cruise and appears to be very nice.  $10 pp. 

 

AND of course I am going to be on the Royal in April!  I just loved being able to go to team most days!

 

[h-sar]

Thank you, cougaraz, for the detailed comparison. We visit the west coast of British Columbia frequently for family events, so will make sure that, when I do get to the Empress, it is on a day or time when there are no ships in the harbour. Something to be done once as the Empress is such an iconic symbol of Canadiana. Like you, though, I’m very happy with the Princess tea experience. Keeping my fingers crossed that Princess continues to include it without a surcharge.

 

If anyone is ever in Vegas and wants a reprieve from the madness, tea at the Waldorf (formerly Mandarin) is a wonderful experience. Top floor, overlooking the strip, small venue which is a positive, $45, very quiet as they only have a limited number of tables, elegant, food was quite high end, reservations would be best. It’s the absolute antithesis of the strip - wonderful escape for a couple of hours.

Edited August 11, 2019 by h-sar

[West Coast Gal]

1 minute ago, h-sar said:

Thank you, cougaraz, for the detailed comparison. We visit the west coast of British Columbia frequently for family events, so will make sure that, when I do get to the Empress, it is on a day or time when there are no ships in the harbour. Something to be done once as the Empress is such an iconic symbol of Canadiana. Like you, though, I’m very happy with the Princess tea experience. Keeping my fingers crossed that Princess continues to include it without a surcharge.

 

If anyone is ever in Vegas and wants a reprieve from the madness, tea at the Waldorf (formerly Mandarin) is a wonderful experience. Top floor, overlooking the strip, small venue which is a positive, $45, very quiet as they only have a limited number of tables, elegant, reservations would be best. It’s the absolute antithesis of the strip - wonderful escape for a couple of hours.

Wonderful to know about Vegas, thanks for the information!

[happy cruzer]

Early traditional dining at 5 sorta of messes up tea time.  But all else is good!

[4cats4me]

6 hours ago, West Coast Gal said:

AND of course I am going to be on the Royal in April!  I just loved being able to go to team most days!

 

 

 

We’ll be on the same cruise. 

[MandD]

On 8/9/2019 at 10:01 AM, BarbinMich said:

We haven't been on the Regal, but have sailed on the Royal twice, the first one in 2015 when the ship was 3 years old.  That year (and I assume prior years) they offered a "high" tea (for a fee) in the atrium, while the regular tea was served in one of the dining rooms.  As I recall the latter was free for Elite pax.  It included a selection of finger sandwiches and sweets. https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/ships/products/activities/afternoon-tea.html

This is where the link takes you (minus the pictures):

Celebration of Tasty Teas and Divine Desserts

Afternoon tea is a treasured tradition whether it’s a special occasion, an intimate moment for two, a mother-daughter tea party or just quiet time for reflection. Enjoy a wide selection of teas, or coffee if you prefer, served by white-gloved waiters in formal attire. The setting is an elegant dining room, with tables crowned with sparkling samovars and a delicious array of tasty treats: freshly prepared finger sandwiches, cookies and cakes.

 

I don't remember any samovars, sparkling or not, and the pictures don't show any.

[West Coast Gal]

On 8/11/2019 at 3:21 PM, 4cats4me said:

 

 

We’ll be on the same cruise. 

HI THERE!   I saw you over there on the roll call . .   right now it is just Cliff and I exchanging notes over there!

[West Coast Gal]

20 hours ago, MandD said:

This is where the link takes you (minus the pictures):

Celebration of Tasty Teas and Divine Desserts

Afternoon tea is a treasured tradition whether it’s a special occasion, an intimate moment for two, a mother-daughter tea party or just quiet time for reflection. Enjoy a wide selection of teas, or coffee if you prefer, served by white-gloved waiters in formal attire. The setting is an elegant dining room, with tables crowned with sparkling samovars and a delicious array of tasty treats: freshly prepared finger sandwiches, cookies and cakes.

 

I don't remember any samovars, sparkling or not, and the pictures don't show any.

What IS a samovar?