puli Posted December 14, 2018 #1 Share Posted December 14, 2018 I would like advice about the value (if any) of purchasing non-alcohol beverage cards and if it is a good idea, which card should I buy for purchasing coffee from the Explorer's Cafe. Our cruise is only for 7 days and on a Princess ship , for a week's cruise we would buy 2 coffee cards, amounting to 15 special coffee selections per card and if there were many sea days we might spring for an additional card. So... minimum servings of specialty coffees for the cruise would be 30 for the two of us.....assuming you can share a card. The card would never be used for alcoholic drinks and I doubt even for any other beverage....soda or fancy water. When I explored my options on the web site I found 2 different $50 cards options...one was for any type of drink including specialty coffee and the other was only for non alcohol beverages. Is there a difference between the two regarding our coffee consumption? If we opt for the "non alcohol " card would we get more cups of coffee for our money? We have 2 more HAL cruises booked so if one can carry over a HAL beverage card from one cruise to another that would certainly affect our purchase choice. But..the bottom line is...do you save any money using these cards? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knittinggirl Posted December 14, 2018 #2 Share Posted December 14, 2018 Check out where the Explorations Cafe is located. We got more coffee when it was near the dining room, than in the Crow's Nest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knittinggirl Posted December 14, 2018 #3 Share Posted December 14, 2018 (edited) I believe there are three different cards. The beverage card is for both alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks. We had some beverage cards on one of our cruises, and got coffee with it. The coffee card is only for coffee. I think there's an option for a coffee set that includes coffee mug and card. The third is a soda value card. Pay $25 get $50 worth of fountain soda. I'm considering bringing a six or twelve pack of soda onboard if the husband will let me. They don't have root beer. I'm wondering if I can slap on a luggage tag printed on a label and check it. Hopefully, someone else will weigh in on that. I got refunded for what I didn't use on the beverage card. I did not get refunded for my $1 or so from the soda value card. I heard that if one gets over $25 worth of soda, no refunds since one originally spent $25. If you're a three-star or higher Mariner, you'll need to charge coffee to your account to get that discount. Edited December 14, 2018 by knittinggirl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlsSalt Posted December 14, 2018 #4 Share Posted December 14, 2018 (edited) Best card just might be your cabin key card - leave your room, go to the Lido for endless supplies of free hot coffee. Add sugar and milk for your own free "latte". DH is a coffee fan and he likes the standard HAL coffee a lot. Others find it too strong. Alas, they used to serve Sumatra coffee at the former Indonesian Tea which was a delicious option. I understand they still offer Sumatra coffee at the Pinnacle. Room service will also deliver in-cabin hot coffee. BTW: we bought "Shade Lady" coffee beans from the dockside stall at Puntarenas, Costa Rica and this has become our own very favorite, after years of also ordering Argovia coffee from our port stop in Puerto Chiapas Mexico. If anyone is a coffee fan and going to Costa Rica, seek this Shade Lady brand out - from the Canadian who selects his Terrazu beans carefully and honors fair trade coffee production in his adopted homeland. Edited December 14, 2018 by OlsSalt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puli Posted December 14, 2018 Author #5 Share Posted December 14, 2018 6 minutes ago, knittinggirl said: I believe there are three different cards. The beverage card is for both alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks. We had some beverage cards on one of our cruises, and got coffee with it. The coffee card is only for coffee. I think there's an option for a coffee set that includes coffee mug and card. The third is a soda value card. Pay $25 get $50 worth of fountain soda. I'm considering bringing a six or twelve pack of soda onboard if the husband will let me. They don't have root beer. I'm wondering if I can slap on a luggage tag printed on a label and check it. Hopefully, someone else will weigh in on that. I got refunded for what I didn't use on the beverage card. I did not get refunded for my $1 or so from the soda value card. I heard that if one gets over $25 worth of soda, no refunds since one originally spent $25. If you're a three-star or higher Mariner, you'll need to charge coffee to your account to get that discount. Thanks so much for the information...especially the part about being 4 star .. I forgot all about the discount...well there goes the need for a beverage card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puli Posted December 14, 2018 Author #6 Share Posted December 14, 2018 4 minutes ago, OlsSalt said: Best card just might be your cabin key card - leave your room, go to the Lido for endless supplies of free hot coffee. Add sugar and milk for your own free "latte". DH is a coffee fan and he likes the standard HAL coffee a lot. Others find it too strong. Alas, they used to serve Sumatra coffee at the former Indonesian Tea which was a delicious option. I understand they still offer Sumatra coffee at the Pinnacle. Room service will also deliver in-cabin hot coffee. BTW: we bought "Shade Lady" coffee beans from the dockside stall at Puntarenas, Costa Rica and this has become our own very favorite, after years of also ordering Argovia coffee from our port stop in Puerto Chiapas Mexico. If anyone is a coffee fan and going to Costa Rica, seek this Shade Lady brand out - from the Canadian who selects his Terrazu beans carefully and honors fair trade coffee production in his adopted homeland. It is wonderful finding a product you enjoy through traveling...a treat you often adopt..We have ordered coffee from Hawaii for years. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knittinggirl Posted December 14, 2018 #7 Share Posted December 14, 2018 We've bought Blue Mountain at the Jamaica dock for years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlsSalt Posted December 14, 2018 #8 Share Posted December 14, 2018 8 minutes ago, knittinggirl said: We've bought Blue Mountain at the Jamaica dock for years. We have the makings of a very good new thread - what products did you discover while cruising that you now order at home. And to add to the coffee intrigues when cruising, we did purchase the infamous "civet digested" (ahem) coffee when at a port stop in Indonesia. It was absolutely delicious. Informed guests what they were going to be drinking and we all took our first sips and the same time - and we all universally agreed it was delicious regardless of our round or "ewws" at the thought of its curious production methods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puli Posted December 14, 2018 Author #9 Share Posted December 14, 2018 19 minutes ago, OlsSalt said: We have the makings of a very good new thread - what products did you discover while cruising that you now order at home. And to add to the coffee intrigues when cruising, we did purchase the infamous "civet digested" (ahem) coffee when at a port stop in Indonesia. It was absolutely delicious. Informed guests what they were going to be drinking and we all took our first sips and the same time - and we all universally agreed it was delicious regardless of our round or "ewws" at the thought of its curious production methods. You are a brave soul! I bet next you will be eating the crickets and other bugs often found at local stalls! Now that would also make an interesting thread..." What was the most unusual dining experience you have encountered in your travels?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knittinggirl Posted December 14, 2018 #10 Share Posted December 14, 2018 Not food, but I purchased a merino possom resort wrap after visiting New Zealand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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