Why is the coffee so bad on Celebrity

[buffi001]

Why is the coffee so bad on Celebrity Cruises? It makes 7-11

coffee seem like the best in the world. During these q and a 's

with the CEO, has anyone addressed this very important issue?

[Gonzo70]

It actually has improved (they went from syrup to actual grinds about two years ago), but still has room for improvement. The coffee at Cafe al Bacio (they use Lavazza) is really good - but costly. On Silhouette the best "free" coffee seemed to be the self-service urn in the Hideaway. I had felt this to be the case and later overheard two other people comment on this. I had the privilege of having a brief one-on-one conversation with Jacques Van Staden on my recent cruise and he actually mentioned that Celebrity is looking into making further improvements with the "free" coffee, so there is hope. At least the current coffee is very drinkable compared to the coffee on my first Celebrity cruise. We did hit a Starbucks though when we found one in Athens last cruise!

[buffi001]

That is very encouraging. The last Celebrity cruise we took had

coffee that was an unusual combination of acidic and weak. Gonzo,

you are an encyclopedia of cruising! Thanks for all your answers.

 

We're going on the Silhouette in November. I know you just got back,

any special advise or tips for me?

[SFL]

It actually has improved (they went from syrup to actual grinds about two years ago), but still has room for improvement. The coffee at Cafe al Bacio (they use Lavazza) is really good - but costly. On Silhouette the best "free" coffee seemed to be the self-service urn in the Hideaway. I had felt this to be the case and later overheard two other people comment on this. I had the privilege of having a brief one-on-one conversation with Jacques Van Staden on my recent cruise and he actually mentioned that Celebrity is looking into making further improvements with the "free" coffee, so there is hope. At least the current coffee is very drinkable compared to the coffee on my first Celebrity cruise. We did hit a Starbucks though when we found one in Athens last cruise!

 

Hi

I will admit I am a coffee snob and I roast my own beans. That said, the "free coffee" across the Royal Carribbean cruiseline family ain't great. The closest to "good" is the fresh made /ground coffee on Azamara in the Mosiac, which is an included free amenity. I am not a great Starbucks fan but their Via instant packets are easy to travel with and you can either add it to the "Free coffee" to strenghen it or have it on its own. I find it's a viable alternative to the expensive LaVazza coffee at the pay per cup onboard coffee bars.

[nycmode]

Look on the bright side ... bad coffee is better than no coffee in the future! :D

 

(Though thankfully it's not in the immediate future ...)

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/starbucks-says-climate-change-threatens-coffee-eyes-juice-bar/2011/10/14/gIQAECRsjL_blog.html

[Gracie115]

It actually has improved (they went from syrup to actual grinds about two years ago), but still has room for improvement. The coffee at Cafe al Bacio (they use Lavazza) is really good - but costly. On Silhouette the best "free" coffee seemed to be the self-service urn in the Hideaway. I had felt this to be the case and later overheard two other people comment on this. I had the privilege of having a brief one-on-one conversation with Jacques Van Staden on my recent cruise and he actually mentioned that Celebrity is looking into making further improvements with the "free" coffee, so there is hope. At least the current coffee is very drinkable compared to the coffee on my first Celebrity cruise. We did hit a Starbucks though when we found one in Athens last cruise!

 

 

I agree with Gonzo, our coffee on Silhouette was much better than past cruises and I used the urn at the Hideaway several times too. Both my DH and I noticed the improvement, which was very much needed as it used to be just horrible!

[caribsun]

Any coffee is better then the Army Mess Hall coffee.:D I thought the coffee on the Summit was pretty good.:)

[pete_coach]

We just got off the Solstice and with the exception of the Oceanview Buffet, we thought the coffees were quite good.

I am not a certified coffee snob but do know what a good cup of coffee is and was not at all upset with what was offered on the ship. We visited Baccio several times and had great coffee.

[Lois R]

I have read different articles about cruiseship coffee and in general,

it seems coffee on most cruiselines is not good. Now, maybe the true

luxury lines grind the beans for you;).

 

The one thing I do notice? Is the consistant lack of consistancy:rolleyes:

Sometimes it is a really good, smooth cup of joe....the next one?

Well......not so much:eek:

[The Londoners]

In answer to one of the early posts, a fellow cruiser on the 16 night Eclipse sailing from which we have just returned did indeed raise the coffee in person with Dan Hanrahan when they met onboard (possibly this was the Eclipse inaugural), and after a check of supplies he even confirmed a change of brand (for the worse I believe).

It seemed to me the coffee at Al Bacio changed mid cruise but DH said he didn't notice. I found most of the coffee too bad to drink, and tended to prefer the speciality teas ( fruit or herb) though the coffee in Blu, when served with cream, wasn't too bad! I am no aficionado but really think most of the coffee was pretty poor quality.

[helen haywood]

Where/what is the Hideaway?

[Gonzo70]

Where/what is the Hideaway?

 

It is only on the Silhouette; it is an indoor reading room designed to look kind of like a treehouse. It is decks 7 & 8 midship.

[iancal]

I grant you that it is not great but it is not that bad either when you compare it to that liquid based slop that at lease one other cruise line serves up.

[Bridge Maven]

I think it is to encourage people to buy coffee at their overpriced coffee stands. It is just another way that Celebrity keeps their cruise fares low and makes up the difference with additional onboard spending.

[Fblack]

The free coffee and espresso drinks that Elites get in the morning was very good LaVazza Gold coffee on my last cruise.

[Springrun]

I agree with Gonzo, our coffee on Silhouette was much better than past cruises and I used the urn at the Hideaway several times too. Both my DH and I noticed the improvement, which was very much needed as it used to be just horrible!

 

Just returned on Shilouette. Coffee taste varied from day to day an from location to location. We found that odd. MDR seemed the most consistent.

[RMSeadog]

Anybody, and I mean anybody, can brew a bad pot of coffee. If one takes care in measuring the coffee and water in the correct proportions it will yield a decent cup of coffee. I know the machines are supposed to take the guess work out of brewing but there must be settings that control the amount of water and coffee. Why does one coffee station make a bad cup and the one across the mess deck make an excellent one? ~ Ric

[Lois R]

I think it is to encourage people to buy coffee at their overpriced coffee stands. It is just another way that Celebrity keeps their cruise fares low and makes up the difference with additional onboard spending.

 

So you think it is an evil conspiracy? That they really want to brew

a bad cup of joe?

[Gonzo70]

Anybody, and I mean anybody, can brew a bad pot of coffee. If one takes care in measuring the coffee and water in the correct proportions it will yield a decent cup of coffee. I know the machines are supposed to take the guess work out of brewing but there must be settings that control the amount of water and coffee. Why does one coffee station make a bad cup and the one across the mess deck make an excellent one? ~ Ric

 

I remember on an old thread about this topic someone (perhaps it was Jacques Van Staden when he did his Q&A session on Cruise Critic) mentioning that the water pressure is constantly changing on cruise ships, so that it is extremely challenging to have consistent ratios of water to grinds on the coffee machines. Some batches will have too much water, some not enough, occasionally the right amount will mix.

[Christine Frances]

Hi

I will admit I am a coffee snob and I roast my own beans. That said, the "free coffee" across the Royal Carribbean cruiseline family ain't great. The closest to "good" is the fresh made /ground coffee on Azamara in the Mosiac, which is an included free amenity. I am not a great Starbucks fan but their Via instant packets are easy to travel with and you can either add it to the "Free coffee" to strenghen it or have it on its own. I find it's a viable alternative to the expensive LaVazza coffee at the pay per cup onboard coffee bars.

 

I agree: I have taken/used Via for our last three cruises and it works great. Didn't need it on Azamara but did on our 2 week land tour of China.

[Bridge Maven]

So you think it is an evil conspiracy? That they really want to brew

a bad cup of joe?

 

Lois, I am assuming your comment was a joke because you couldn't possibly believe that was what I meant.

 

Of course, I am not saying that they purposely brew a bad pot of coffee. What I am saying, though, is that the quality of coffee in their high priced coffee shops is completely different than the quality of what they use in their free coffee venues. So if someone wants a good cup of coffee they have to pay for it. In some ways this isn't much different than the average quality of food in the main dining room vs the good quality of food in their pay specialty restaurants.

 

As I have said many times before, given the current price of a Celebrity cruise vs what it was years ago it is understandable why they are cutting corners on what is included in their cruise fare. I, for one, would rather pay more for the cruise itself and enjoy better food, coffee, etc without having to use their pay venues. However, it appears that I am in the minority.

[Lois R]

Lois, I am assuming your comment was a joke because you couldn't possibly believe that was what I meant.

 

Of course, I am not saying that they purposely brew a bad pot of coffee. What I am saying, though, is that the quality of coffee in their high priced coffee shops is completely different than the quality of what they use in their free coffee venues. So if someone wants a good cup of coffee they have to pay for it. In some ways this isn't much different than the average quality of food in the main dining room vs the good quality of food in their pay specialty restaurants.

 

As I have said many times before, given the current price of a Celebrity cruise vs what it was years ago it is understandable why they are cutting corners on what is included in their cruise fare. I, for one, would rather pay more for the cruise itself and enjoy better food, coffee, etc without having to use their pay venues. However, it appears that I am in the minority.

 

I was making a tonge in cheek comment but your post sounded

totally serious...you said, they are doing it so people will spend

more money on other coffees. So, I replied back because the tone

of your post sounded like you think they are purposely making

it bad.

[Bridge Maven]

I was making a tonge in cheek comment but your post sounded

totally serious...you said, they are doing it so people will spend

more money on other coffees. So, I replied back because the tone

of your post sounded like you think they are purposely making

it bad.

 

Lois, since "tonge" is a euphemism for a male body part, I was hysterical laughing when I read the "tonge in cheek" portion of your post.

[johnb0529]

Lois, I am assuming your comment was a joke because you couldn't possibly believe that was what I meant.

 

Of course, I am not saying that they purposely brew a bad pot of coffee. What I am saying, though, is that the quality of coffee in their high priced coffee shops is completely different than the quality of what they use in their free coffee venues. So if someone wants a good cup of coffee they have to pay for it. In some ways this isn't much different than the average quality of food in the main dining room vs the good quality of food in their pay specialty restaurants.

 

As I have said many times before, given the current price of a Celebrity cruise vs what it was years ago it is understandable why they are cutting corners on what is included in their cruise fare. I, for one, would rather pay more for the cruise itself and enjoy better food, coffee, etc without having to use their pay venues. However, it appears that I am in the minority.

 

In some ways, they are brewing a bad pot of coffee on purpose...they know they are buying cheap coffee beans, which translates to bad coffee... but that is part of the business model...if you want free coffee, you get the cheapest they can brew...if you really want better coffee, you will pay a little more. The majority of cruisers will settle for the free stuff, those that really need a good cup of coffee will pay for it! So, to some degree, it is on purpose, but probably not out of trying to drive people to purchase coffee, but out of economics.

 

Coffee is like wine, the crowds will accept what you give them, because they don't care or know better...others of us will pay for the good stuff!

 

Now if you want some really good coffee, have a pot at the Rome Cavaleri, poolside in the morning. For a low-low price of 25 Euro, you can have a pot of the worlds best coffee. After that, you will appreciate the price of coffee on the ship!

[Toronto Guy]

Lois, I am assuming your comment was a joke because you couldn't possibly believe that was what I meant.

 

Of course, I am not saying that they purposely brew a bad pot of coffee. What I am saying, though, is that the quality of coffee in their high priced coffee shops is completely different than the quality of what they use in their free coffee venues. So if someone wants a good cup of coffee they have to pay for it. In some ways this isn't much different than the average quality of food in the main dining room vs the good quality of food in their pay specialty restaurants.

 

As I have said many times before, given the current price of a Celebrity cruise vs what it was years ago it is understandable why they are cutting corners on what is included in their cruise fare. I, for one, would rather pay more for the cruise itself and enjoy better food, coffee, etc without having to use their pay venues. However, it appears that I am in the minority.

 

I'm in the minority with you then! Charge me more for the cruise up front and give me better food, coffee and service. I will gladly pay for it.