Calling all COFFEE LOVERS!

[sunshine426]

I am a black coffee drinker for years, (also drink my iced tea unsweetened). I was very worried abt Princess coffee after reading these boards. My trusty coffee maker that I was going to bring from Atlanta to LAX lost it's trustworthiness and I had to leave it behind. I am glad I did. I found Princess coffee ok, not the best, but certainly not as bad as I feared. It was much nicer to call room sevice, than brew my own, and have to clean up after!! I confess to stopping at the pattisserrie on my way into breakfast in the dining room and taking a cup of fresh brewed in with me tho. I say to each her own! I would rather bring a few bottles of wine than my own coffee maker.

[calikak]

Before I found these boards, I had figured the reason I didn't like the coffee in the buffet on Princess ships was because I'm a Seattle native and therefore a coffee snob. But on our last cruise on the Golden, our friends from Alabama were also complaining about the coffee in the buffet too, so now I know it's not just me.

 

I've found that if you mix half a cup of that syrupy coffee from the buffet with half a cup of water, it gains the texture of normal coffee. The flavor still isn't great, but at least it's not the wrong texture anymore. For a good cup of coffee, the patisserie is the only way to go.

 

I find that the dining room coffee is almost always better than the buffet coffee on Princess. The exception has been on the two Sun-class ships I've been on (the Sun and the Dawn), where the buffet coffee was a lot better than on other Princess ships.

[Genessa]

The bottom line is, if the coffee is bad to you that is as far as you should go. You can not insist that the coffee should be bad to me when i like the coffee. I am definately a coffee drinker and have tasted many different coffees over the years and i state again for me, I have no Problem with the coffee on Princess. As stated above, to EACH their OWN ! Again just my humble two cents.

 

 

I agree with you completely!

 

There are several menu items that I don't like the taste of, but I certainly wouldn't call or write to Princess and demand that they change the recipe or substitute a different brand, because for everyone who doesn't like something, there will be someone who does.

[coiran]

HEAR! HEAR! - Princess coffee lovers unite - those that dislike it and can't live without Starbucks are in a minority here.

 

Ron

[stoneharborlady]

I also dislike Princess coffee (and the nasty bitter Starbucks) Think Princess should coffee shop at Cafe Britt!!

[iancal]

Each to his own. We think Princess coffee is terrible. Much worse that Celebrity, Crystal or RCI. WIll be able to compare with HAL soon but our vote would be to swab the deck with it. You can not expect good coffee from a bag of concentrated coffee.....the only expectation is cost saving by Princess. Oddly enough, for the next cruise it came down to HAL and Princess from a price, itinerary perspective. My DW picked HAL because, as she put it, '...if they are equal then I would like a decent cup of coffee in the morning' Will let you know how it turns out.

[coiran]

That's a new one - coffee being the deciding factor in choosing a cruise!

 

 

Ron

[Druke I]

Ron

 

Itinerary is still more important to me than coffee.

[Larry lobster]

Just returned on the July 2 sailing Island Princess (Northbound) and was glad the get to the airport for some coffee. On ship, the coffee is made from a concentrate which we saw being poured into the dispensers. No better at the four Princess Lodges.

[PrincessAddict]

Someone should ForceFeed some of that "SLUDGE" and "DRIVEWAY SEALER" to Mickey Arisson and see how he likes it on his 10 day cruise before he begs for Foldgers/Maxwell House or Starbucks!:rolleyes:

[coiran]

Not to offend anyone - because- I have some of our wonderful posters on "IGNORE", thus, I cannot know what they are posting - I am not a coffee gourmet but if coffee is that important to some people then, by all means, if you go on Princess and you cannot stand their coffee bring your own.

How is my grammar TEACH?

 

How is my FONT? It is not bold - Thy do not have a BOLD option.

 

Ron

[bjboothman]

The syrup coffee on Princess is undrinkable. My husband and I always go to the Patesserie, Atrium Bar, or the bar at the casino where they have drip-brewed coffee with which to make the fancy coffee drinks. The plain coffee is free there, but we always make sure to tip the bartender for it.

[legalslave]

I'm not a coffee snob but I can't stand the coffee in Horizon Court on Princess. It doesn't smell or taste like coffee to me. I really do like the coffee on HAL. Only on Celebrity once and it was okay back in 2001. Will bring a coffee maker for our cabin next cruise on the Coral. We all have different tastes. Just because some of us don't like something, doesn't mean there is something wrong with it.

 

Diane

[MelissaDBA]

Don't recall the coffee being offensive on our previous Princess cruise, but we are going on CB in 12 days, so I'll try and pay attention. With that said, you could give me "brown water" and as long as I'm on vacation, I won't care!!!:D

[rickcohen2]

One interesting thing I've observed is that people who drink Starbucks coffee seem to put a lot of cream and sugar in it. IMHO, it means that they really don't like the coffee they're paying so much for. :)

If a cruise I'm on starts serving Starbucks, I'm jumpin' ship. I drink coffee all day (and night) long and would rather drink weak tea than that burnt-bean coffee. Just Google "Starbucks Burnt".

 

Best shipboard coffee, so far, has to go to the NCL Star. The then foodservices manager was a coffee wierdo and got installed two truely GREAT machines (one in the Beer Garden, the other in the Main Dining Room [calibrated a bit stronger]). Best coffee afloat, by far! IMHO

[pvmkmyer]

Another coffee snob here. I haven't been on Princess for a few years but am going twice in the next 12 months. I don't remember the coffee on Regal Princess being undrinkable. Starbucks, on the other hand, is some of the worst coffee I've ever drunk, and I've been grinding my own beans for over 30 years. Everything at that place tastes burnt, every variety tastes the same because it is over-roasted, and they use cheap beans. I'll take The Coffee Bean coffee any day.

[coiran]

Another coffee snob here. I haven't been on Princess for a few years but am going twice in the next 12 months. I don't remember the coffee on Regal Princess being undrinkable. Starbucks, on the other hand, is some of the worst coffee I've ever drunk, and I've been grinding my own beans for over 30 years. Everything at that place tastes burnt, every variety tastes the same because it is over-roasted, and they use cheap beans. I'll take The Coffee Bean coffee any day.

 

Have you tried the McDonalds NEW blend - it is equally as bad as Starbuck's. I can't understand why anybody drinks Srarbuck's - it must be a status thing!

 

Ron

[PrincessAddict]

No it's called still having your taste buds alive and working!...SLUDGE = Princess Coffee AKA Coloured Water at best most days!

....how's my font?:eek:

[coiran]

Speaking of Starbucks - We don't have a starbucks nearby, but, I once bought a cup of coffee at a Starbucks - saved the cup - now, when I want to impress my friends I pull out my cup and put my regular stuff in it!

 

Ron

[Breezey]

CALLING ALL COFFEE LOVERS: for those of us (and I believe there are many!) who can’t live without Starbucks or a great independent coffee house, it’s pure torture to be on a ship that serves coffee that tastes like ditchwater. Wouldn’t it be great to know the inside scoop on which ships(lines) are the best for people passionate about coffee?

We need your help! Please share your opinions and experiences for an upcoming Cruise Critic article on the best brews at sea. Let us know about coffee you’ve loved or despised. If you’ve noticed the dining room is serving up better morning coffee than the breakfast buffet, great shipboard coffee venues, plus anything else you think a fellow coffee lover would want to know.”

 

 

OK so as I read through most of these responses, wonder if anyone really is helping Laura out here. The question is not who likes Starbucks but what are the best brews at sea.

[Northender]

Princess Coffee is the WORST coffee in the world.

 

No ifs, ands, or buts.....

 

A

[Pam in CA]

OK so as I read through most of these responses, wonder if anyone really is helping Laura out here. The question is not who likes Starbucks but what are the best brews at sea.

Actually, the original post assumes that Princess coffee sucks and that one likes Starbucks and can't live without it. Well, the responses so far should be enlightening in that most people don't think Princess coffee sucks and most can live without Starbucks. The responses are very much on-topic.

[coiran]

CALLING ALL COFFEE LOVERS: for those of us (and I believe there are many!) who can’t live without Starbucks or a great independent coffee house, it’s pure torture to be on a ship that serves coffee that tastes like ditchwater. Wouldn’t it be great to know the inside scoop on which ships(lines) are the best for people passionate about coffee?

We need your help! Please share your opinions and experiences for an upcoming Cruise Critic article on the best brews at sea. Let us know about coffee you’ve loved or despised. If you’ve noticed the dining room is serving up better morning coffee than the breakfast buffet, great shipboard coffee venues, plus anything else you think a fellow coffee lover would want to know.”

 

This is the OP - as anyone can see from the opening paragraph Starbuck's is indicated to be the popular choice and, since this is a Princess board, the same sentence indicates that Princess coffee is "ditchwater". The result of the many posts seem to indicate just the opposite! Nuff said!

 

Ron

[momofkipper]

I find the coffee in the restaurants OK -- not Starbucks or even home-brewed quality, but way better than anything in the Horizon Court. Bringing a french press or in-room brewer worked well on this last voyage (June) on the Grand.

[Breezey]

How I read this was that Starbucks was just being used as an example.

 

Regardless I think all cruiseship coffee sucks.

 

And you are right enough said.