Coffee card update

[cruise pup]

I seriously doubt many of us were gullible enough to think we'd bought a coffee card for life.

It was too good to be true from the very gitgo.

 

The numerous threads on CC bragging about "free" coffee haven't helped. We all know Princess employees and management read CC with a great regularity.

 

That is why I keep some of the "secrets" to myself. I'd love to share the 411 with everyone but I don't want to ruin it for myself or others who are in the know.

[bananavan]

What a tempest in a coffee cup. I have never purchased a coffee card where the Princess employee has told me that this card will get me free brewed coffee forever. We generally take cruises of at least 3 weeks so I can use up a card very easily on a single sailing.

I dont think that Princess either marked or marketed the coffee card as being something that I could leave in my will or sell on Craigslist.

If I have to pay for brewed coffee in the future, so be it.

[cherylandtk]

Our last coffee card we were told the card only lasted for the duration of the cruise....not exactly correct, but neither were we told/implied/promised the free coffee was for life. This was in July of last year, well before all the hoopla about 'new' ship specific cards.

[Vanilla]

Does anyone know if Sabatini's breakfast has brewed coffee and speciality coffees available? Are those available only with the coffee card (in Sabatini's)? And am I understanding that the only way to get Hot Chocolate/Hot Tea is with purchasing a coffee card? We are on an Alaska cruise - I will be needing hot beverages. I have been on Princess before and took my own coffee maker - they were all Caribbean cruises and I only have coffee in the mornings. Recently on Carnival and RCCL and while the coffee is horrid on both - they did offer free hot chocolate and hot tea at their 24 hour cafe's.

[Astro Flyer]

I seriously doubt many of us were gullible enough to think we'd bought a coffee card for life.

It was too good to be true from the very gitgo.

 

The numerous threads on CC bragging about "free" coffee haven't helped. We all know Princess employees and management read CC with a great regularity.

Hopefully that won't be the case for other things so many openly discuss on these boards...it's nice to share info but when it's boasting about how someone has worked around the rules it can lead to changes. :rolleyes: I've read that internet was unlimited at one time but because too many let others use their access all of us now have limited free minutes to use...brag about abusing the system & it will be changed. :(

[cherylandtk]

And am I understanding that the only way to get Hot Chocolate/Hot Tea is with purchasing a coffee card? We are on an Alaska cruise - I will be needing hot beverages.

No, you can purchase these items, including brewed coffee, individually. For people who only want a few of these drinks per cruise it is a better way to go.

[releck97]

I remember when every cruise ship had free, superior tasting coffee anytime you wanted it. I especially fondly remember drinking Pure Kona on the Constitution on our Hawaii cruise. This turned me into a complete Kona junkie for many years. Imagine if Princess ships featured regionally grown coffee (when available) for free and then sold and promoted the beans in their gift shops? Caribbean cruises could feature Caribbean grown coffee, etc...Hmmm, what a concept...

[zonacruiser25]

I bought the coffee card and it was the best $29 I spent for a 14 day cruise. I would go to the IC each morning and get a "free" cup of brewed coffee and get a muffin and meet with others doing the same. Most days I would get a large cappuccino in a to-go cup for my wife.

 

Small or large, single or double it is 1 punch. As long as you have 1 punch remaining the brewed coffee is unlimited. The IC was also open on departure day. They actually gave everyone complementary brewed coffee that day.

 

If we had left with any punches on the card we could use them on any future cruise, just no more brewed coffee. The HC coffee was better than I remembered and the dining room coffee was fine. Again, the $29 did not break the bank at IMHO it was worth it!

[Wildmantoo]

We will be sailing soon on the Island Princess which doesn't have an International Cafe. Where will be the best place for brewed coffee? Can you get brewed coffee thru room service if you notify them that you have a Card?

[windsor26]

As we purchased 2 new coffee cards at full price ()not 2 for 1) on the last day of our previous cruise as we had some OBC left I hope that Princess will exchange them for the new ones on our next cruise which is not until 2013 otherwise we have thrown our money away - we were told they would be use-able on other cruise ships or would not have bought them:mad:

[AndyTheK]

We will be sailing soon on the Island Princess which doesn't have an International Cafe. Where will be the best place for brewed coffee? Can you get brewed coffee thru room service if you notify them that you have a Card?

The only place on the Island (and Coral) serving brewed coffee is the Patisserie on Deck 5. Not available from room service, at any other bar, or in the dining rooms.

[suzyed]

I remember when every cruise ship had free, superior tasting coffee anytime you wanted it. I especially fondly remember drinking Pure Kona on the Constitution on our Hawaii cruise. This turned me into a complete Kona junkie for many years. Imagine if Princess ships featured regionally grown coffee (when available) for free and then sold and promoted the beans in their gift shops? Caribbean cruises could feature Caribbean grown coffee, etc...Hmmm, what a concept...

 

What a great idea!!! I would really go for that idea!!:D

[vmom]

As we purchased 2 new coffee cards at full price ()not 2 for 1) on the last day of our previous cruise as we had some OBC left I hope that Princess will exchange them for the new ones on our next cruise which is not until 2013 otherwise we have thrown our money away - we were told they would be use-able on other cruise ships or would not have bought them:mad:

 

As I am understanding the new policy...you should be able to use the cards for specialty coffees and if you want a brewed coffee it will be a punch. Sounds like you can still use them...just no more unlimited brewed coffee.

[cruise pup]

I remember when every cruise ship had free, superior tasting coffee anytime you wanted it. I especially fondly remember drinking Pure Kona on the Constitution on our Hawaii cruise. This turned me into a complete Kona junkie for many years. Imagine if Princess ships featured regionally grown coffee (when available) for free and then sold and promoted the beans in their gift shops? Caribbean cruises could feature Caribbean grown coffee, etc...Hmmm, what a concept...

 

 

That's possible, provided they double the cruise fare. Don't forget, the cost cuts are made to keep the fares down. My first cruise in 1997 cost me about 40% more than any comperable cruise I take these days.

[releck97]

That's possible, provided they double the cruise fare. Don't forget, the cost cuts are made to keep the fares down. My first cruise in 1997 cost me about 40% more than any comperable cruise I take these days.

 

Seriously, double? For coffee? While I agree with you regarding cruise costs (I've been cruising since 1976), my local greasy spoon still serves brewed coffee for 79 cents a cup. We are talking Princess here. I'll just bring my Christmas Blend VIA and deal with it.

[amazinglife]

Starbucks Via it is

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

That is not fair......

[morriscats]

We just got back from the Golden to Hawaii. We had 3 unused coffee cards. The first morning we presented the card and they took it and gave us back another card with the Golden and date of sailing on the back. The server said the punches were for the speciality coffee and for that cruise only. We have 2 more and asked what would happen to them. He said when we sail again the same thing will be done - the ships name and date on the back.

[framer]

We just got back from the Golden to Hawaii. We had 3 unused coffee cards. The first morning we presented the card and they took it and gave us back another card with the Golden and date of sailing on the back. The server said the punches were for the speciality coffee and for that cruise only. We have 2 more and asked what would happen to them. He said when we sail again the same thing will be done - the ships name and date on the back.

 

Are you saying that un-used punches will not be usable on future cruise?

 

framer

[Astro Flyer]

We just got back from the Golden to Hawaii. We had 3 unused coffee cards. The first morning we presented the card and they took it and gave us back another card with the Golden and date of sailing on the back. The server said the punches were for the speciality coffee and for that cruise only. We have 2 more and asked what would happen to them. He said when we sail again the same thing will be done - the ships name and date on the back.

Thanks for the update but wanted to clarify that I understand you correctly.

 

You gave them an old card with remaining punches & they gave you a new card with the same number of punches that had to be used during that particularly cruise?

 

It apprears to be the same thing for brewed coffee where the new card was only for your cruise?

 

I guess depending upon the length of our cruises, we'll decide how many old cards to exchange for the new ones...thanks for the info. :)

[bdjam]

:D Sorry but I'm finding this thread to be quite humorous. I can just see people standing around with their 20 year old coffee cards all tattered and worn with one punch left and them still using them to get "free" brewed coffee.

I purchase the coffee card because I like my no-fat cap in the morning and it's more economical to have the card. I was never told that if I purchased the card I would get all the "free" coffee and tea I wanted...in fact it wasn't even mentioned. And I never even thought of keeping one punch un-punched so that I could carry the card over to future cruises. Really if we can't afford a cup of coffee we shouldn't be cruising.

 

And when you purchased the card you were TOLD that you could get all the free coffee and tea you wanted as long as you had punches left on your card. This is an implied reason to purchase the card. Can anybody here deny that this was the case when they bought their card? Can any of you who think the purchase is ripping off the company deny this is not what is used to sell the cards? So you see what is written and what is verbally said as implied gets into very murky legal situations. Is a verbal statement by an employee repeated many times by other employees on different ships an implied agreement for the company to uphold?

[pablo222]

:D Sorry but I'm finding this thread to be quite humorous. I can just see people standing around with their 20 year old coffee cards all tattered and worn with one punch left and them still using them to get "free" brewed coffee.

 

This won't happen, because many of those people have

told us --- here --- that they have laminated the cards.

[morriscats]

Thanks for the update but wanted to clarify that I understand you correctly.

 

You gave them an old card with remaining punches & they gave you a new card with the same number of punches that had to be used during that particularly cruise? No, it was an unused card. It may work the same way if there are punches remaining too.

 

It apprears to be the same thing for brewed coffee where the new card was only for your cruise? Yes, the card could only be used for this ship and this time.

 

I guess depending upon the length of our cruises, we'll decide how many old cards to exchange for the new ones...thanks for the info. :)

That is why we saved our remaining 2 unused cards.

[morriscats]

Are you saying that un-used punches will not be usable on future cruise?

 

framer

That is what we were told - good only for this cruise. We left with 2 punches left. Oh well.

[Astro Flyer]

That is why we saved our remaining 2 unused cards.

Thanks...I just wanted to confirm that I correctly understood the procedure you recently experienced.