calex1976

This post brought back a lot of memories. I think it was just before my 3rd cruise.  I had never been a coffee drinker myself until we went to Ochoa Rio's. Blue mountain coffee is one of my favorites still. On one of our last cruises I had not brought the areo press and was tired of the free coffee.  I bought the Irish coffee at the coffee bar. It was much better than expected, the few shots of Jameson Whiskey in it was nice also.  

Crewsweeper is correct, a French press can be messy and time consuming.  So like everything with cruising do what you like to enjoy your cruise. Weather it's making your own or buying coffee from the bar. One thing I learned was if you have to drink ship coffee a little ice cream does sweeten it and helps with the bitterness.  Also if they still sell the tortuga coffee in the gift shop it is really good.

Thanks everyone for keeping this a good discussion instead of an argument. 

Chervil I just got back into roasting again. I found the beans in the back of my cabinet and tried them out. After 3 years they were still better than store bought. I will have to check out the other supplier you mentioned.  

Ludyboodie sorry if I  came off as a jerk.  I checked my mail and had a load of replies that I skimmed through.  Cruise Critic used to be a great source of information on cruising, but as you see it only takes one @$$ to make it a argument instead of a discussion. As far as bringing a French press I really see no reason that anyone would stop you. I made my coffee in front of staff a few times and they only said the coffee smelled great.

I'm the OP and so glad this post got brought back up. I did bring the French Press, the coffee was great, and no coffee grains went in the plumbing.  After over 25 years working on the water, 19 as a Captain, I do understand ship plumbing, and wound never dump trash in the sewer. Why people could not just give a decent answer instead of arguing acting like children I do not know. The reason I was glad this post was brought up is that it reminded me why I left this site. 

I would not book a excursion in Key West. The island is very small, 4 X 6 miles I think. Do some research on Key West and you will see what you like. I recommend the conch trolley, it shows you the high lights of Key West. Also walk down Duval Street, it's the main area of activity. Hemingway ' s house is also nice, it's close to the light house. I spent many winters in Key West and do love it, also took a cruise there so my girlfriend could see it. Chef out the city's Website, can't remember the name off hand, but they will send you plenty of info. As for the Bahamas I really don't know about a excursion. I have not been there since I was a kid.

We brought the kids to Chankanaab Park, and loved it. Don't do it through Carnival though. Just walk to the taxis at the end of the shopping center. Rate should be $8, cabs were very professional. Try to find the coupons online for the park. The trail through the jungle was very cool. The beach was rocky, but the stairs were easy to use. There is also a beach area that you can walk to the water. The snorkeling was also very good in the area.

I decided on using a Aeropress, itr breaks no rules and was easy to use. Some days I made coffee in the room and sometimes on the Lido. Just used a Bubba Keg to get hot water then made my morning coffee. No one said a word about it and clean up was simple.Just drop the puck into a plate and wipe of the few grains left. BTW there is no chance that coffee grains could possibly stop up a septic system.

Where would you wash your French press? In the stateroom sink? I only ask because I'm thinking of bringing a tea infuser mug to make tea, but I'm wondering about cleaning it after use.

I've decided on the Aeropress because it will be much easier to clean than the press. I think the Aeropress can be used for making tea also. If using a press I think I would shake the grounds out in the trash and wipe out what may be left. Any thing else I would rinse out in the sink, it is just silly to think the spoon full of grounds could actually stop up the plumbing on board.

I'm sure you will like the Aeropress, we've been very pleased we discovered it. Clean up is a slam dunk, and if you are stopping in Panama or Costa Rica you can pick up local coffee to try on your way home.

Unfortunately we are going to Mexico only, but I do love trying coffee from many nations. I buy unraosted beans from Sweet Maria's. So far Bolivian has been my favorite, but I am constantly trying new types.

Since susie8862 didn't answer, Mary Ellen, a quick Google search shows that she's quoting from the Royal Caribbean FAQ. As you point out, it's not the same wording as the Carnival FAQ.

 

firefly333 has asserted twice that Carnival's rules are being ignored when cruise guests pack a non-electric coffee maker like an Aeropress or a French Press, but doesn't offer us a quote from either the Royal Caribbean FAQ or the Carnival FAQ to support his claim.

 

firefly333 said in one post: "What dont people get.. no household objects and no coffee makers... it doesnt ... but if its not electric the rules dont apply to you." Royal Caribbean mentions coffee makers, but this is a Carnival board. Carnival's FAQ doesn't say "household objects", instead says "Electrical and household appliances (i.e. coffee makers, hot plates, toasters, etc.)" are banned.

 

 

I'd say a reasonable person would interpret this to mean household appliances which are electrical should be left at home, and to clarify this Carnival lists three obvious electric appliances that are dangerous. Each of the itemized examples have heating elements, and we all know fire aboard ship is not very desirable.

 

firefly333 is, imho, making the unreasonable assumption that any electrical OR household appliance is banned, since he wants the Aeropress and French Press banned. I say this is unreasonable because it's a broad reading of the restrictions and based on the examples given it's easy to infer that the problem is the heating element.

 

I bring my electric razor on board. It has a plug for charging and it's clearly a household appliance. Is it banned? Of course not. Even with a narrow reading of the FAQ, not ALL electrical and household appliances are banned.

 

firefly333 tries to build a case involving exactly what we should or shouldn't flush down the plumbing system. In this case he's engaging in pure speculation without quoting any cruise line's FAQ on this topic. I tried searching Carnival's FAQ section for words like "flush", "drain", "plumbing", or even "Charmin" :) which he mentions specifically. No luck.

 

So if I'm qualified to use my judgement when I avoid flushing my dirty laundry or even a Winnebago down my toilet, I'll also consider myself qualified to judge that an Aeropress or French Press is powerless to sink, set on fire, or otherwise damage a 100,000 ton oceangoing vessel, or to harm or interfere with firefly333's ability to enjoy his cruise.

Thank you, I knew someone else could word this better than I could.:)

Its still a coffee maker... and could clog up the pipes. I dont think people know how tempermental the pipes are who would inflict this on other cruisers and think its ok.

 

Bring a pack of instant Starbucks you add to water.. this having to dispose of grounds is taking chances .. they wouldnt even let you put real toilet paper in the toilets for goodness sake.. it has to be that stuff that breaks down they have.

 

What dont people get.. no household objects and no coffee makers... it doesnt ... but if its not electric the rules dont apply to you.

 

Everyone thinks the rules dont apply to them!!!

 

Seriously ... think about it. You cant use Charmin in the toilets because its not biodegradable .. but you think throwing a bunch of coffee grounds into the sink is ok.. and even if you get most of them into the trash for the cabin steward to clean up.. you still have to wash the press out and grounds will go down into the sink.

With the areopress the grounds are held in the filter so nothing goes down the sink. Do some research before shouting next time.

Looks like I will be bringing the aeropress on board, just need to order it from Wally world. My local one does not carry them.

Has anyone measured the temperature of the water from the Lido? Optimum for FP is 200F.

 

Coffee snob and home roaster for 13 years :cool:

I'm not sure about the exact temp, but I know its very hot. There's nothing quite like roasting your own beans is it.

For several cruises we took a french press, and no problem getting hot water, the problem was the clean up mess. A few years ago I came across something called Aeropress, and picked one up. We take it on cruises now and find it much easier than the french press, and darn good coffee too. The used coffee grounds are formed into a hockey puck shape and just drop into the garbage can. Clean up is easy peesy

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AeroPress

I've heard about the aeropress, but have not seen one before, thanks for the link. I might have to find one.

I had never used one until last week. My mom, knowing how much of a coffee geek I am, gave me a French press. She had a few laying around for gifts. I love not tasteing the paper filter in my coffee. And can't wait to drink mild coffee on board. Carnival makes the coffee too strong for my taste.

I have heard if the thermos carafe of hot water is too cool...people take it up to lido themselves and get it..just explain you want really hot water for your french press...I have not used mine in a while..they are fun..Sarah

Sounds good to me, I love drinking coffee on the lido. A fresh cup of real coffee will be so nice. I might even splurge and order some Jamaican Blue Mountain to roast for the cruise. Thanks for the info.

I forgot to mention that French press is not electric. Mainly wondering if the water will be hot enough to boil my grounds. I might get some odd looks, bit doubt they will confiscate my press. Goofycruiser if you love coffee you should try home roasting. After the first batch I was hooked.

I am planning on bringing a small french press on board the Elation this October. Has any one ever used on for making fresh coffee? I'm not sure if the hot water from the coffee makers will be hot enough to brew in a press, but might try it.

I know they have free coffee, but I find it repulsive. And I refuse to buy the flavored coffees they sell, reminds me of over priced stuff Starbucks sells. I roast my on coffee and have become spoiled to the taste of fresh roasted.

If any one has any experience with a french press on board please let me know if it is possible to brew using the water they provide. We plan on bringing the press up to the Lido in the morning and enjoying our coffee on deck.

I don't remember ever seeing a Mexican deck party this cruise. I just asked my husband and he said he didn't remember it either.

 

Yes, the light snacks were throughout the entire cruise. I also love going up to the Lido late at night to grab some fries and pizza. Was pretty disappointed they didn't have that.

There was a party on the Lido the last night of the cruise, it started around 11pm. I'm not sure if it was a Mexican party though, but they did end up forming a long Congo line and there was plenty of dancing.

I thought the pizza bar was open all night. I went up there one night at 4am and got a slice. It was pretty greasy so I did not bother getting anymore.

Navybaby, I've been meaning to ask you if you'd let me know how you post photos within the board. I tried doing it once, but it didn't work. I hosted some of my Carnival Pride pictures on Flickr and then tried using the "Insert Image" button and then put in the URL from Flickr, but it didn't work. Does Flickr not allow hot linking? What photo hosting site do you use?

I tried using Snapfish and Facebook for making a review, but ended up going with photobucket. Once all pics were uploaded they were easy to insert. Would be much easier to up load straight from a computer though.

After dinner, went to the theatre where there was supposed to be a True or False game at 7:30pm. It was about 7:45pm and the ACD came out onto stage. Everyone asked him what was going on and he slinked back behind the curtain. He came out at about 7:55pm and did a rush game where people stood on either side of the stage depending on whether they thought the answer was true or false. DH and I both got on in the first round each time.

 

After that was the Gender Showdown (men won), 60 Seconds or Less, and then the Liars Club. Very entertaining!

 

After all of the fun in the theatre, we headed back to our room for bed and found this cutie!

 

 

 

We only made it to the Liars Club, and it was hilarious.

Sorry to hear that you had a bad experience on the sub. We looked at doing it also, but Lynda is very claustrophobic and I did not think she could handle it. You got some great shots of the Freedom that day. We actually got caught in the rain shower, but after snorkeling it felt nice. You really did not miss much by skipping out on the shopping unless you wanted to buy a diamond from one of the 10 diamond dealers we passed.

We thought about going to the Turtle Farm, but decided on Eden Rock instead. Looks like y'all had a great time.

Hi, sorry we did not meet up on the cruise. I recognize ya'll by your husbands back pack :D. Every time I saw it I told Lynda that I wanted one like that next time we travel. I need to start on my own review soon. But, have been busy since I got home. Great review, love the pics. We have 600 to go through ourselves.

My thoughts exactly! It's easy to make your own fresh iced tea any time of day or night if you don't care for the tea in the dispensers. ;)

 

And if you really love tea, don't miss tea time on the cruise! The scones are to die for! :)

I've been hearing about making your on tea. Guess I need to bring a bag of sugar with me. Thanks every one for the info

Thank you for the quick replies. Looks like I will be getting a coke card for sure then. Thanks again.

I am from the South and prefer Lipton tea with the sugar brewed into the tea. Does anyone know if they serve sweet tea or do you have add sweetener? I have looked up a few old post on this, but have not seen any recent ones.I'm hope they have changed the practice of serving unsweetened only.