Bringing Loose tea on Royal

[WinksCruises]

Has anyone here ever tried to bring loose tea leaves onboard a Royal ship?

I would like to start the day with the tea I enjoy, rather than steeping the mass produced teabags available onboard, but fear being called down to the bad boy room suspected of being a pot smuggler!  Any experience with this. Serious replies only please! 😁

[gerig]

4 minutes ago, WinksCruises said:

Has anyone here ever tried to bring loose tea leaves onboard a Royal ship?

I would like to start the day with the tea I enjoy, rather than steeping the mass produced teabags available onboard, but fear being called down to the bad boy room suspected of being a pot smuggler!  Any experience with this. Serious replies only please! 😁

sorryi have only brought tea bags

[Biker19]

8 minutes ago, WinksCruises said:

I would like to start the day with the tea I enjoy, rather than steeping the mass produced teabags available onboard, but fear being called down to the bad boy room suspected of being a pot smuggler! 

Put it in your carry on, preferably in the original container/packaging.

Edited May 19, 2022 by Biker19

[lm_chance]

This will be my first RC cruise, but I have brought it on Carnival and on many flights in the US and overseas with no issues.

[MrsKMB]

Where are you sailing from? If you can get it through customs, you should be good to go. I have a lot of loose tea and it looks and smells nothing like pot. 

[smokeybandit]

Loose tea isn't going to show up on any scan. You'll be fine.

[shipgeeks]

How do you plan to dispose of it once you've made your tea?  Where do you plan to make it? Other inquiries about making one's own coffee have led to a request to not put coffee grounds in the cabin trash unless enclosed in a disposal bag, as cabin stewards must separate everything. And, I would think, not down the toilet.

[Hogbay]

9 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

How do you plan to dispose of it once you've made your tea?  Where do you plan to make it? Other inquiries about making one's own coffee have led to a request to not put coffee grounds in the cabin trash unless enclosed in a disposal bag, as cabin stewards must separate everything. And, I would think, not down the toilet.

***** 

[WinksCruises]

2 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

How do you plan to dispose of it once you've made your tea?  Where do you plan to make it? Other inquiries about making one's own coffee have led to a request to not put coffee grounds in the cabin trash unless enclosed in a disposal bag, as cabin stewards must separate everything. And, I would think, not down the toilet.

 

Thanks, good point.

 

Plans are to take my tea ball infuser to the Windjammer at breakfast and steep using their hot water. Discard the used leaves from the infuser into a napkin or a to-go cup and toss as normal buffet trash. No worse than disposing a tea bag. 

 

But you're right, I might want to enjoy  a cup on the balcony for which I'll need to employ a mindful disposal plan. (That is, if I didn't get denied boarding for contraband! 🙂 ) 

 

Thanks everyone for your thoughts on this.

 

[LooneyCruzer]

I take loose tea for every cruise. No issues in any sense. I take pre-measured amounts because the scale never seems to weight correctly while moving up and down with the waves. 

[ChanaC]

Maybe get a new tin or bag that's still sealed? Hopefully that wouldn't cause any suspicion when you bring it on the ship or though an airport.

[sandy toes]

Easy with infuser. Just prefill in the cabin, and take dinner or buffet for use. I have always carried some of the smaller paper towels from home (tear to size) and empty into the towel after use, fold and dispose. I have been doing this for years now with no issues at all. I do carry the tea in a tin that is labeled, bringing 3 varieties. For me, I use my purse to carry my tea items. I have a nice small size Rubbermaid container that is the perfect size for my filled infuser. I think this size container was created for salad dressing in lunch bags. I have 3 of these and usually carry 2.  Hope this helps. 

[cruisegirl1]

There was a similar thread a few years ago, except it was more more of an “herbal” tea, legal is some states but not others. 
 

Be prepared to potentially be questioned by security and or others. If it’s something you must have then you can give it a try, but you’ll have to decide if it’s worth the potential hassle.  
 

If your cruise is only a week or two perhaps you can make do with what they offer or find some teabags that suit your taste. 
 

m

[CntPAcruiser]

A few years ago, a friend gave me a lovely travel set for tea that includes 4 tins and a brewing vessel, all in a lined zip kit. I've used it a few times for travel and have never had any issues. On board Royal's ships, you can get boiling water from the urn in the Promenade cafe, or perhaps elsewhere, or if you have a a junior suite and up, the kettle in your room (unless someone has used it to heat coffee, which ruins it for tea. I also bring teabags for extra convenience, but properly brewed loose tea is always better.

[rj59]

The problem is that you'll probably make a mess for the servers/stewards and delay meals while you go through your rituals, cause confusion and show a lack of respect for the dining room (just as you would if you went into a coffee shop and spurned their tea for your precious leaves), and it's carrying snobbery a bit too far, I'd say. Why not just bring some Twinings tea bags on board, or some other brand that your delicate palate might tolerate? I like good coffee, but on a ship I don't bring a grinder and beans and go through my home ritual on a ship, I either enjoy the ship coffee, or their espresso, or in dire cases, like the coffee syrup served in older Princess ships, I bring coffee sold in tea bags. It's the same with food--instead of complaining about food, I find things on each line that I like, or try new things, so on Carnival next week I'll be eating Guy burger's for lunch and an Indian vegetarian meal at dinner every night, and on Royal I enjoy trying some soups and other dishes from their vegan menu. 

[CntPAcruiser]

People bring their own wine on board and drink it in the dining room, and no one considers that snobbery. Each to their own, and in any event the OP never said they were doing this in the dining room. They said "start the day," so they could be brewing tea in their cabin or at the cafe, just like the many folks who bring their own coffee to brew fresh. And the used tea leaves can easily be disposed of in plastic bags in a way that will not inconvenience the cabin attendant.

 

Heck, I've brought on board little travel bottles of cocktail bitters to supplement my Diamond drinks, since they rarely have anything but Angostura's, and you can't make a good Highland Fling or Affinity cocktail without orange bitters. Fussy? Yes, but everyone likes to enjoy what they like, and to the extent they like, and if it's not hurting or bothering anyone else, then what's the problem?

[monorail81]

On 5/20/2022 at 9:30 AM, WinksCruises said:

 

Thanks, good point.

 

Plans are to take my tea ball infuser to the Windjammer at breakfast and steep using their hot water. Discard the used leaves from the infuser into a napkin or a to-go cup and toss as normal buffet trash. No worse than disposing a tea bag. 

 

But you're right, I might want to enjoy  a cup on the balcony for which I'll need to employ a mindful disposal plan. (That is, if I didn't get denied boarding for contraband! 🙂 ) 

 

Thanks everyone for your thoughts on this.

 

How about disposable tea bags instead of the ball?  There are quite a number on Amazon or at your local tea shop. I like the ones that have a string that cinches the top closed. I prefer the larger bags so the tea had ample room to expand inside the bag. Very easy to dispose of and less mess since it keeps the leaves contained. 

[CntPAcruiser]

12 minutes ago, monorail81 said:

How about disposable tea bags instead of the ball?  There are quite a number on Amazon or at your local tea shop. I like the ones that have a string that cinches the top closed. I prefer the larger bags so the tea had ample room to expand inside the bag. Very easy to dispose of and less mess since it keeps the leaves contained. 

 

This is an excellent idea! I have bought fillable tea bags from Simpson & Vail, which has excellent loose tea, both straight varietals and blends. Highly recommended.

[christygobar]

After learning our upcoming stateroom would probably have a kettle in it (Quantum, JS), we decided to bring loose white tea with us.  It's what DH drinks and will be nice to be able to have it available in our room.  But that said, I just bought a 100 pack of the disposable teabags on Amazon so it isn't a trash problem.  We'll give it a test run at home and make sure it works well first.

I never figured we'd get set aside for contraband, but also figured I'd bring it in the original package...... 🙂

[Sunshine3601]

On 5/20/2022 at 9:30 AM, WinksCruises said:

 

Thanks, good point.

 

Plans are to take my tea ball infuser to the Windjammer at breakfast and steep using their hot water. Discard the used leaves from the infuser into a napkin or a to-go cup and toss as normal buffet trash. No worse than disposing a tea bag. 

 

But you're right, I might want to enjoy  a cup on the balcony for which I'll need to employ a mindful disposal plan. (That is, if I didn't get denied boarding for contraband! 🙂 ) 

 

Thanks everyone for your thoughts on this.

 

Ask for a kettle for your cabin.   We had a kettle in our cabin on 3 Anthem sailings out of NJ.   If available on your ship, I'm sure they will be happy to accommodate you.   Ask your room steward when you board.