"real" iced tea on Carnival?

As a southerner, I was thrilled to see that iced tea is one of the "free" drinks on Carnival, because that's really all I want to drink all day.

But it just occurred to me - does Carnival serve real iced tea, made from tea bags? Or do they serve the fake stuff they have up north that comes from the coke machine and tastes like bad lemonade?

It comes from a carton. They do have tea bags available on lido along with hot water and ice so I'm sure you could make up your own iced tea if you wanted to. I usually mix the iced tea and the lemonade for an Arnold Palmer and it's somewhat palatable but nothing to write home about.

It isn't fresh brewed.

As a southerner, I was thrilled to see that iced tea is one of the "free" drinks on Carnival, because that's really all I want to drink all day.

 

But it just occurred to me - does Carnival serve real iced tea, made from tea bags? Or do they serve the fake stuff they have up north that comes from the coke machine and tastes like bad lemonade?

Hi

Welcome to cruise critic.

You will have to make your own. Get a pot of tea from room service. You can get two and have more on the go. Wait for it to cool, then add ice and prepare as you like.

When you are done, keep the pot. There are tea bags and hot water available on Lido deck (buffet areas). Just continue making as you like. PIA but at least you get what you like. Make sure to advise your cabin steward not to remove the pots.

have a great cruise

have a great cruise

It's unsweetened. Which is good with me because I don't like sweet tea.

If you do, you'll probably want to make your own. Or you may have success by adding lemonade to it.

I make my own iced tea at work almost every day. Definitely bring a bigger glass. I also bring my own tea bags for hot tea because I don't like Lipton and I don't want to pay for the good ones.

It is disgusting, unsweetened and you will likely hate it. BUT...if you make an Arnold Palmer with the lemonade it works out just fine. If I want pure tea, as others have said, you have to use the Lipton (again, not generally used for iced tea in the south) to make hot tea then pour it over ice, so brew it stronger than normal. Also, it helps to have your own large cup to mix it all in.

Yep, it's nasty from dispensers on Lido deck.

Your servers in the dining room will make you/bring you real brewed iced tea (you will have to sweeten it)

As a southerner I will say, the tea on the ship is undrinkable. Tea varies across the country. Northerners calls raspberry tea "sweet tea". People in the midwest make sweet tea by making a gallon of tea and putting 3 teaspoons of sugar in it. In the south, we make a gallon of sugar and put 3 teaspoons of tea in it. The stuff they have on the ship is NOT tea for a southerner. :)

As a southerner I will say, the tea on the ship is undrinkable. :)

A review from a fellow southerner is exactly what I needed - thanks! :-) I'll be perfectly happy brewing my own - if there's a fridge in my room I'll make some cold brew.

Exactly, as a southerner it’s nasty.

Best bet make your own.

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Thanks all!

As a southerner I will say, the tea on the ship is undrinkable. Tea varies across the country. Northerners calls raspberry tea "sweet tea". People in the midwest make sweet tea by making a gallon of tea and putting 3 teaspoons of sugar in it. In the south, we make a gallon of sugar and put 3 teaspoons of tea in it. The stuff they have on the ship is NOT tea for a southerner. :)

I live in the south but I am from the north. This is not even remotely true. Raspberry tea is just that. Raspberry tea. People brew fresh tea in the north all the time. The only difference is that most people aren't addicted to it.

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As a southerner I will say, the tea on the ship is undrinkable. Tea varies across the country. Northerners calls raspberry tea "sweet tea". People in the midwest make sweet tea by making a gallon of tea and putting 3 teaspoons of sugar in it. In the south, we make a gallon of sugar and put 3 teaspoons of tea in it. The stuff they have on the ship is NOT tea for a southerner. :)

It sounds like the "tea" you make in the south is not tea either. Sounds more like lightly tea flavored sugar.

No, there is no "real" southern sweet tea on board! I have made my own with tea bags, hot water, sugar, and ice on board before though!

It sounds like the "tea" you make in the south is not tea either. Sounds more like lightly tea flavored sugar.

It's not exactly "tea", it's more, "heaven in a cup". :D

We love our tea!

It sounds like the "tea" you make in the south is not tea either. Sounds more like lightly tea flavored sugar.

Yep. That's why southerners are so particular...they are looking for a specific taste...and the stuff on Carnival is closer to diesel fuel....

It sounds like the "tea" you make in the south is not tea either. Sounds more like lightly tea flavored sugar.

In Atlanta, every restaurant that has iced tea now also has unsweet tea. The younger generation is not as enthusiastic about big glasses of sugar water. (And lots of people drink half-and-half.) But both kinds are still brewed fresh.

As a southerner, I was thrilled to see that iced tea is one of the "free" drinks on Carnival, because that's really all I want to drink all day.

 

But it just occurred to me - does Carnival serve real iced tea, made from tea bags? Or do they serve the fake stuff they have up north that comes from the coke machine and tastes like bad lemonade?

As another southerner, please don't even bother with the tea. I do prefer unsweet (yes, the sweetness down here is now too sweet for me as an older adult), but the stuff on the ship is not what you are looking for. Not brewed at all.

I drink the ice tea. My drink of choice in the main dining room. I do add sugar since I like sweet tea. I don't think it is any different from ice tea at most of the resturants on the main land

I don't mind the tea. Its not my favorite but it gets me through the week without fresh brewed (unless I make it myself)

CCL tea is bad news. Take your own tea bags.

Another southerner here. I can't drink the tea on the Lido, in the dispensers. I use tea bags, hot water, and make my own in a travel cup. After appropriate steeping, add sweetener and ice. Good to go!

Take it from a true southerner who consumes real "sweet tea" daily and am pretty much known for it so much that people thought the attached tattoo was really mine - let me tell you the stuff on Carnival is absolutely disgusting and no matter how much you doctor it you will not fix it. Just realize you will go through withdrawals. When we land in Charlotte I literally run to Bojangle's (although Chick Fil A's sweet tea is better than Bo's.) I bide my time on the ship by drinking Carnival Cosmos......

As a TRUE southerner who drinks sweet tea every day for every meal, the sweet tea on Carnival ships is gross! I can't stand to drink it. There's nothing that can be done to it to make it taste even a little better. I usually stick with water or lemonade while cruising. The tea tastes somewhat like a raspberry tea. Yuck!

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Southern sweet tea lover here from just north of you in N Ga. The "free" tea onboard is only drinkable if you mix it at least half and half with the lemonade. That makes it tolerable.