Want to weigh in on Princess coffee?

[ripaula]

I'm a coffee lover. I love good coffee. I can also drink "bad"coffee, as long as it's not weak!

 

HOW BAD is the bad coffee? What's so bad about it?

 

Not too interested in the coffee card since I don't drink fancy coffees, but I will get it for fresh brewed if the syrup stuff is swill:rolleyes:

[Toto2Kansas]

I'm a coffee lover. I love good coffee. I can also drink "bad"coffee, as long as it's not weak!

 

HOW BAD is the bad coffee? What's so bad about it?

 

Not too interested in the coffee card since I don't drink fancy coffees, but I will get it for fresh brewed if the syrup stuff is swill:rolleyes:

 

I can't get past the 'smell' of the syrup coffee. It just has a very strange odor, and I can't compare it to anything. I have ever smelled before. Maybe I need to hold my nose and give it another try? lol Nope, the smell tells me immediately if I am interested in drinking it. I will admit, I do try a sip on every cruise just to see if they have changed it. So far, no improvement in our opinion. :(

[-Lew-]

Why not try the coffee with an open mind? Decide for yourself with no preconceived opinions.

 

I sold gourmet coffee for 25 years in one of my businesses and love a great cup of coffee as much as anyone, but I have never had a problem with the coffee onboard.

 

I think a lot of people who look down on reconstituted coffee would be very surprised to learn they drink it in shoreside restaurants without knowing it. Just as there is a difference in freshly brewed coffee, there is a difference in reconstituted coffee.

 

Enjoy your cruise...

 

Lew

[jbu]

Sure, I'll weigh in...

 

I drink a LOT of coffee (okay, I might as well tell you that I even have a coffee maker in my bathroom, so I can have a fresh cup of brewed coffee when I step out of the shower and as I do my makeup :eek: !), and while I really appreciate great coffee I can also drink mediocre stuff. I would NOT consider the ship's coffee even mediocre - no matter how hard I try, I just can't drink it. It's not brewed - it's a syrup that's mixed with hot water, and I'm not fooled.

 

I have 2 solutions and use both:

 

1) I get the coffee card. I don't use it for the "fancy" coffees too often, although occasionally I like one, but I DO use it to get as much real brewed coffee as I want, as well as hot chocolate. Both of these are really good, available at the International Cafe, and you don't get your card punched for regular coffee or hot chocolate. That means that I've been carrying the same card around for several cruises (you can use it on subsequent cruises), and it keeps enabling me to have the good stuff.

 

2) I take the packets of Starbucks Via - their instant coffee. I also take a travel mug, and if I want a great cup of coffee but don't feel like going all the way down to the atrium, I just run up to the Horizon Court, make my own coffee with the Via, and I'm all set. If you haven't ever tried the Via, I HIGHLY recommend it - you'd never know it was instant.

 

So IMO, the ship's coffee just doesn't work for me, but I have options. However, there are many people who don't mind it, so I guess the best solution would be to give it a try before deciding you can't drink it - and then get the coffee card!

[ripaula]

Disneyworld coffee is all Nescafe...which i guess is reconstituted. Don't love it but it's drinkable IMO. SO, I'll try before I buy.

[donaldsc]

Undrinkable swill.

 

DON

[Pam in CA]

With one exception, I've never had a problem with the Princess coffee. IMHO, it's a subjective taste with some loving Starbucks, some hating it. Some love Dunkin' Donuts, others hate it. Many have no problem with the Princess coffee.

 

My suggestion is to try it before spending money for a coffee card and form your own opinion. You won't get a concensus here because there are so many opinions and tastes.

[Woobstr112G]

I personally don't mind the syrup coffee......:):):)

 

Bob

[quincytoo]

We always get the coffee card for the umlimited brewed coffee as well as the special coffees BUT about three times in each cruise we do drink the syrup coffee.

 

Once last week at the Horizen Court it was so bad I could not drink it (even with my double sugar, triple cream:eek:) in the dining room it was much better....yea I know it is the same stuff!

[lollypopj]

Have been on lots of cruises..

At home I grind my own beans or drink Tim Hortons, or Safeway ground hazlenut, etc..

I find the reg. Princess coffee bearly drinkable.:eek:

.

They could improve their image and P.R . by brewing really good coffee..IMHO!

[wrecks]

We have packed our own coffee pot and coffee since at least 2005 because of the syrup coffee served onboard. We recently spent 20 days on the Emerald (Nov/Dec '10) and I believe that Princess either has a new vendor of their 'syrup' or they insisted on a new formula to be used. It was drinkable, still not as good as ground coffee, but pretty good. We will still bring our own coffee for our first cups in the morning, but I can easily have a cup or two with breakfast in the dining room. Give it a new try!

Rex

[RickEk]

I am admittedly not a coffee drinker, but I find the dining room coffee to be tolerable. I guess I just don't know any better... :p

 

As an aside, my son is a "Coffee Master" at Starbucks and finds the main dining room coffee to be quite good.

[GeezLouise1]

We went completely prepared to buy the coffee card. But it wasn't necessary. We just diluted the coffee with a little hot water and found it quite drinkable. You may be surprised, taste it, then make up your mind.

[NoGvmnt]

I don't dislike the stuff, it does have the taste (although slight) of coffee, but there is just no kick to get you started.

 

My favorite coffee used to be white castle coffee, never liked dunkin donuts coffee, now I'll drive out of my way for the white chocolate-raspberry flavored stuff Thorntons sells.

 

Jim

[Katie333]

My DH always has a coffee card on each cruise. Sometimes it's the one we had on our last cruise that we failed to use up the specialty punches on. Every 3 cruises or so we buy new ones.

 

With that said, we didn't automatically do this on our first cruise. My DH does occasionally try the buffet or dining room coffee if he's desperate for the caffeine and has had a few that were just fine (no idea what makes the difference!).

[Pia1913]

My DH always has a coffee card on each cruise. Sometimes it's the one we had on our last cruise that we failed to use up the specialty punches on. Every 3 cruises or so we buy new ones.

 

With that said, we didn't automatically do this on our first cruise. My DH does occasionally try the buffet or dining room coffee if he's desperate for the caffeine and has had a few that were just fine (no idea what makes the difference!).

 

Perhaps his mental state at the time. ;)

[BridgeMates]

 

 

2) I take the packets of Starbucks Via - their instant coffee. I also take a travel mug, and if I want a great cup of coffee but don't feel like going all the way down to the atrium, I just run up to the Horizon Court, make my own coffee with the Via, and I'm all set. If you haven't ever tried the Via, I HIGHLY recommend it - you'd never know it was instant.

 

quote]

 

I like the Via too and since we're up before the coffee bar opens, we'd like to get a small pot to just boil water for a couple of cups. A dual-voltage pot would be great. Most that we see are kind of heavy and have a big round handle. Any suggestions out there?

[Pia1913]

 

 

2) I take the packets of Starbucks Via - their instant coffee. I also take a travel mug, and if I want a great cup of coffee but don't feel like going all the way down to the atrium, I just run up to the Horizon Court, make my own coffee with the Via, and I'm all set. If you haven't ever tried the Via, I HIGHLY recommend it - you'd never know it was instant.

 

quote]

 

I like the Via too and since we're up before the coffee bar opens, we'd like to get a small pot to just boil water for a couple of cups. A dual-voltage pot would be great. Most that we see are kind of heavy and have a big round handle. Any suggestions out there?

 

You might want to look for something like this:

 

http://www.magellans.com/store/Health___Hygiene___Food___DrinkEF123?Args=

[u2cruiser]

 

 

2) I take the packets of Starbucks Via - their instant coffee. I also take a travel mug, and if I want a great cup of coffee but don't feel like going all the way down to the atrium, I just run up to the Horizon Court, make my own coffee with the Via, and I'm all set. If you haven't ever tried the Via, I HIGHLY recommend it - you'd never know it was instant.

 

quote]

 

I like the Via too and since we're up before the coffee bar opens, we'd like to get a small pot to just boil water for a couple of cups. A dual-voltage pot would be great. Most that we see are kind of heavy and have a big round handle. Any suggestions out there?

 

The Via is really expensive isn't it? I almost bought some in Tesco yesterday to try it, but it was £2.99 for 7 tiny sachets, so I didn't bother. I will keep checking it out and buy some when I'm feeling more generous ;)

[teripp]

I dont like the free coffee even in the dining room it's pretty bad. SO IC and a coffee card for me. I also dont do specialty coffee but will treat my travel friend to one now and again. So brewed coffee but IC only for me. I can not really be bothered bringing my own pot and Starbucks instant does not do for me at all. SoIll wait for IC to open (I think around 7 am but not positive) There have been some posts here where people give big insilated mugs to the IC staff to fill but I have not tried that yet...

Teri

[BARBYDOLL]

 

The Via is really expensive isn't it? I almost bought some in Tesco yesterday to try it, but it was £2.99 for 7 tiny sachets, so I didn't bother. I will keep checking it out and buy some when I'm feeling more generous ;)

 

I bought loads last week when it was on special offer at about half the price to use this Spring.

 

I thought it was expensive as well. I sometimes buy Lyons coffee bags (also available from Tesco) and just get hot water and use like a tea bag. It is very nice. In fact our waiters fought over what we had left at the end of the last cruise.

[silvercruiser]

On the Crown last week, when the dining room waiter asked if I wanted coffee I answered that no, I'd wait until later and go out to the International Cafe where I could get brewed coffee. He then asked me what brewed coffee is!

[Pia1913]

 

I bought loads last week when it was on special offer at about half the price to use this Spring.

 

I thought it was expensive as well. I sometimes buy Lyons coffee bags (also available from Tesco) and just get hot water and use like a tea bag. It is very nice. In fact our waiters fought over what we had left at the end of the last cruise.

 

Try buying at Starbucks itself, or when in the US at Target. They are usually $2.99 (not GBP) for three, and if you get the stronger one, Italian Roast, you can use just 1/2 packet for each cup of coffee.

[Stevesan]

I'm a coffee lover. I love good coffee. I can also drink "bad"coffee, as long as it's not weak!

 

HOW BAD is the bad coffee? What's so bad about it?

 

Not too interested in the coffee card since I don't drink fancy coffees, but I will get it for fresh brewed if the syrup stuff is swill:rolleyes:

 

You definitely will want a coffee card. The vile concoction in the Horizon Court (buffet) is syrup based. Room service and dining room coffee are also syrup based. I must say the dining room coffee tastes a tad better. Maybe the kitchen staff clean their machine.:p.

 

Not that syrup based coffee is always a bad thing. My home town source, http://www.javacoffee.com/, reminded me there are different grades for syrup coffee, same as ground. Grade aside, the taste of syrup based is always going be somewhat inferior to an equivalent grade of ground. Based on flavor, Princess must use the lowest grade (cheapest) available.

 

You'll find brewed coffee from grounds at the lounges, and in the International Cafe. Not all ships have the Int'l Cafe. They do, however, have a Coffee Bar for regular and specialty coffees.

 

 

In the International Café and/or most bars:

 

Brewed coffee is $1.00/cup, most specialty coffees are $3.00, espresso $2.50.

 

$25 (+ gratuity) buys you a coffee card with fifteen punch outs for specialty coffees, and unlimited brewed coffee at the cafes and other lounges that have brewed coffee. You can also use it in the dining rooms for specialty coffees. The server is directed to take two punch outs for double shot orders, some do, some don't.

Since the coffee card is for a discrete quantity it's not time limited. If there are punchouts remaining at the end of the cruise the card will carry over to the next cruise.

__________________

[jbu]

On the Crown last week, when the dining room waiter asked if I wanted coffee I answered that no, I'd wait until later and go out to the International Cafe where I could get brewed coffee. He then asked me what brewed coffee is!

 

You bring up a good point that should be mentioned for anyone considering the coffee card...

 

With the card you're entitled to unlimited fresh brewed coffee. This is available at the International Cafe or, on ships without that cafe, at the Coffee Bar. You can also use it to get brewed coffee in the Main Dining Room - or so you're supposed to. I have found, however, that the waiters STILL don't know this, and when asked if I want coffee during my meal, if I show the card and tell them I'd prefer the fresh brewed, they invariably seem to have no idea what I'm talking about, or that they should be bringing the fresh brewed stuff. I have found it's just easier to skip coffee in the dining room and get it myself at the IC on my way out. I've even stepped out of the MDR while waiting for my dessert to get a cup and bring it back in with me, but that's obviously not ideal.

 

Anyone else find this to be a problem for them? Have I simply misunderstood how the card is supposed to work? Or what am I doing wrong?