Help, complimentary coffee question

Hi everyone, I have read that the complimentary coffee on the ship does not taste great.

My question is does it tend to be normally weak or on the strong side? I know my dad will not pay for coffee on the ship and likes it really strong. If it's bitter he'll just add a pinch of salt like he did in the Navy. :p

Just trying to figure out if I need to get him some Starbucks or some other brand instant packets before we go.

Thanks!

Not sure what ship you are sailing but we have never had an issue with coffee on any ship we have sailed. Some people find it bitter, we have never had that issue. If your ship has a Cafe Promenade, we have always found the complimentary coffee there to be the best on the "free" options.

I never find the free coffee to be too strong, but I do take some instant coffee packets to add if it's too weak. In the DL and CL it's usually pretty good from the machines, since the beans are freshly ground for each cup.

Personally, I quite like the complimentary coffee and I like my coffee strong.

Pack some packets of Starbucks VIA coffee just in case.

I like the idea of the other poster to add a little VIA to the coffee to taste.

I have never been on a cruise ship where the coffee was weak but this is a matter of taste and to each his own.

I am one that is not a big fan of the coffee, but it may be because I use flavored creamer at home and that is not an option on board.

I am going to buy the Coffeemate2Go squeeze bottle. Hopefully that will help.

Thanks so much for your help. We will be on the Independence and will not have accesses to the DL or CL for fresh ground coffee. Maybe someday. :)

I'll tell dad to try cafe promenade. He is not picky about his coffee at all, but would not be happy if it was too weak. I'll go ahead and get him some packets just in case.

Didn't even think about him adding it to the existing coffee. He'll like that. Knowing him he might even use a few packets and make his own espresso. :rolleyes:

Hi everyone, I have read that the complimentary coffee on the ship does not taste great.

Thanks!

The coffee that is included in your cruise cost is just fine - I believe the contract is currently with Seattle's Best a subsidiary of Starbucks. With 20 plus ships in the RCI fleet there will be differences in the resulting product.

We find the coffee to be strong for our liking. The decaff seems to have a better taste.

Thanks so much for your help. We will be on the Independence and will not have accesses to the DL or CL for fresh ground coffee. Maybe someday. :)

 

I'll tell dad to try cafe promenade. He is not picky about his coffee at all, but would not be happy if it was too weak. I'll go ahead and get him some packets just in case.

 

Didn't even think about him adding it to the existing coffee. He'll like that. Knowing him he might even use a few packets and make his own espresso. :rolleyes:

We are just off Indy and the regular coffee in the Promenade Café was sometimes weak and sometimes strong ... not consistent but still tasted OK ... when It was weak, I would go over and get a $2.75 shot of espresso and dump it in. I know that defeats the purpose of free, but I only needed to do it twice over the whole week. Room service coffee was always watery .. and we got it each morning.

They did have an urn of dark roast coffee right net to the other though ... but since I don't really care for the taste of dark roast, I never tried it.

As compared to Explorer last June .. OMG that coffee was disgusting all over the ship .. the WJ, it was as strong as Jet Fuel ! (and I like it strong !)

I'll tell dad to try cafe promenade. He is not picky about his coffee at all, but would not be happy if it was too weak. I'll go ahead and get him some packets just in case...

Hi there - I think the ships' coffee, like the food, entertainment, service, etc. is subjective for everyone. One might love, another might hate. I think your idea is a good one, and it's something we have done on the past 3 or 4 cruises. I take the packets of Folgers instant or Starbucks Via just in case I need them. If I don't, that's cool. If I find the coffee needs a little help, I've got it. :)

Have fun!!!

No free coffee complaints from us. Enjoy a foo foo once in a while.

Hello everyone -

I drink a lot of coffee. I will drink pretty much any coffee you put in front of me. The coffee machines on Voyager and Freedom class ships created a burnt taste that was beyond "acceptable". Lots of complaints at our MDR tables and even from the upper level crew in the Café. We just drank it and laughed thinking......If this is "Seattle's best".......I would hate to try "Seattle's worst".

For this reason I would get up early and get my coffee fix in the Diamond Lounge.

These older machines were replaced (on the ships I have sailed) and the coffee is now in line with what I drink everyday. I have noticed more strength variation, but never had a cup I couldn't drink.

I may bring some "back-up" instant on my next trip since we have a large group.

The coffee in the WJ is too strong for me...add some hot water. I like the dining room and room service coffee just fine!