PG Cruiser Posted December 1, 2021 Report Share Posted December 1, 2021 From experience, I have never had a problem using a coffee card on several ships until it is used up. I bought one on the Allure and used the remaining slots on the Freedom and Odyssey. I bought a new one on the Odyssey to use on this S2S2S I’m doing right now. Today on the Jewel, I decided to purchase four coffee cards to give as gifts to my friends who are going on a pre-Christmas cruise on the Allure. Someone at Café Latte-tudes told me that coffee cards can only be used on the ship on which they were purchased. When I told him about my experience with coffee cards, I was given the “I am the Bar Supervisor speech.” Has anyone had a problem using coffee cards across several sailings? OFF-TOPIC: I seem to be having issues with authorities on the Jewel. On Day 1, I was approached by two different MDR managers in the middle of dinner demanding to see my SeaPass card and telling me I was at the wrong table. I have not set foot on the MDR since. With all these brushes with TPTB, I’m afraid I will be put in detention or something. Now back to the coffee card issue… cruisellama and WAAAYTOOO 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy Posted December 1, 2021 Report Share Posted December 1, 2021 I don't have any answers, however my wife has never received consistent information about the coffee cards....whether it be usage from ship to ship or how many punches for a drink. After our last cruise, she has decided to never get a coffee card again. Not only was she getting conflicting information from ship to ship, she was getting different answers from different crew members on the same sailing. 15 minutes ago, PG Cruiser said: OFF-TOPIC: I seem to be having issues with authorities on the Jewel. On Day 1, I was approached by two different MDR managers in the middle of dinner demanding to see my SeaPass card and telling me I was at the wrong table. I have not set foot on the MDR since. With all these brushes with TPTB, I’m afraid I will be put in detention or something. This sucks that you were made to feel this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG Cruiser Posted December 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2021 13 minutes ago, teddy said: This sucks that you were made to feel this way. Ironically, I was wearing a shirt I made that says “Happy Return to Royal” WAAAYTOOO, Neesa and teddy 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeWhoWaits Posted December 1, 2021 Report Share Posted December 1, 2021 3 minutes ago, PG Cruiser said: Ironically, I was wearing a shirt I made that says “Happy Return to Royal” Maybe you were seated in the "no happy thoughts" section of the MDR. Neesa, AshleyDillo and WAAAYTOOO 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisellama Posted December 1, 2021 Report Share Posted December 1, 2021 33 minutes ago, PG Cruiser said: From experience, I have never had a problem using a coffee card on several ships until it is used up. I bought one on the Allure and used the remaining slots on the Freedom and Odyssey. I bought a new one on the Odyssey to use on this S2S2S I’m doing right now. Today on the Jewel, I decided to purchase four coffee cards to give as gifts to my friends who are going on a pre-Christmas cruise on the Allure. Someone at Café Latte-tudes told me that coffee cards can only be used on the ship on which they were purchased. When I told him about my experience with coffee cards, I was given the “I am the Bar Supervisor speech.” Has anyone had a problem using coffee cards across several sailings? OFF-TOPIC: I seem to be having issues with authorities on the Jewel. On Day 1, I was approached by two different MDR managers in the middle of dinner demanding to see my SeaPass card and telling me I was at the wrong table. I have not set foot on the MDR since. With all these brushes with TPTB, I’m afraid I will be put in detention or something. Now back to the coffee card issue… No - we used the same card on at least 3 cruises (we keep them in our cruise box and bring them along) I thinks its ridiculous they still use a punch card. If they really want to control it, should just load coffee credits onto the sea pass. tingtang 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neesa Posted December 1, 2021 Report Share Posted December 1, 2021 12 minutes ago, PG Cruiser said: Ironically, I was wearing a shirt I made that says “Happy Return to Royal” I hate that they treated you this way, I'm not sure but our return to the Oasis last week exposed us to more then a few pretty miserable staff. Rough start I guess, maybe in their (RCCL) haste to get going the crew are being neglected in addition to the workload, not allowed to leave the ship, mask requirements etc. Seriously, when I saw the servers and life guards at Coco Cay with masks on outside I thought now this is simply ridiculous. I understand the litigation protection/limiting exposure, limiting monetary pay outs but all I kept thinking was these are human beings who are outside in the sunshine and warm weather...let them breathe, please? Have an enjoyable rest of your sailing. WAAAYTOOO, SpeedNoodles, Baked Alaska and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG Cruiser Posted December 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2021 20 minutes ago, Neesa said: I hate that they treated you this way, I'm not sure but our return to the Oasis last week exposed us to more then a few pretty miserable staff. Rough start I guess, maybe in their (RCCL) haste to get going the crew are being neglected in addition to the workload, not allowed to leave the ship, mask requirements etc. Seriously, when I saw the servers and life guards at Coco Cay with masks on outside I thought now this is simply ridiculous. I understand the litigation protection/limiting exposure, limiting monetary pay outs but all I kept thinking was these are human beings who are outside in the sunshine and warm weather...let them breathe, please? Have an enjoyable rest of your sailing. The thing is, I’m not having any issues with the rank and file. It‘s more with the “titled” ones. I hope I’m wrong but I’m getting the “small ship, big boss” vibe on this ship. With the Bar Supervisor I spoke with, I felt like he was telling me “I’m the boss, my word is canon.” Which apparently is not, because my experience was different in the previous 10 Royal ships I’ve sailed on. I hope I’m wrong but I felt him grumbling as he walked away from the place. If you think about it, I’m bringing their ship revenue for coffee that the Allure will provide. WAAAYTOOO and Neesa 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJones Posted December 1, 2021 Report Share Posted December 1, 2021 This is the fine print I have on my listing for the coffee card: "Beverage selection is limited to those described in the package details and in Cruise Planner and is subject to change without notice. Package is valid only for the sailing for which it was purchased and is non-transferable. " And, technically the coffee card is listed under the Non-Alcoholic Beverage Packages section, so it is considered a package. My take is that the default rule is that it is non-transferable between sailings, but it is up to each ship's beverage department on whether they want to enforce it. It would seem the staff on Jewel is. PG Cruiser 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted December 2, 2021 Report Share Posted December 2, 2021 I'm always surprised when I hear of people using the coffee card or any drink card (10 bear card, 10 any drink card) across multiple sailings. It's long been the policy that these cards are for the current sailing only. Back in 2017 on Grandeur they wrote my folio number on the back and validated it with every card use. So I was surprised when you said you were able to use them on other ships. I've always considered them to be the ship and sail date you bought them on. Although on Empress I was told on a B2B they would let me use it on the next cruise even though they weren't supposed to. CruiseGus 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG Cruiser Posted December 2, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2021 1 hour ago, twangster said: I'm always surprised when I hear of people using the coffee card or any drink card (10 bear card, 10 any drink card) across multiple sailings. It's long been the policy that these cards are for the current sailing only. Back in 2017 on Grandeur they wrote my folio number on the back and validated it with every card use. So I was surprised when you said you were able to use them on other ships. I've always considered them to be the ship and sail date you bought them on. Although on Empress I was told on a B2B they would let me use it on the next cruise even though they weren't supposed to. Ssssshhh, be quiet about it. Let’s wait until my friends use their cards on their Allure sailing ha ha Neesa 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChessE4 Posted December 3, 2021 Report Share Posted December 3, 2021 On 12/1/2021 at 1:53 PM, PG Cruiser said: From experience, I have never had a problem using a coffee card on several ships until it is used up. I bought one on the Allure and used the remaining slots on the Freedom and Odyssey. I bought a new one on the Odyssey to use on this S2S2S I’m doing right now. Today on the Jewel, I decided to purchase four coffee cards to give as gifts to my friends who are going on a pre-Christmas cruise on the Allure. Someone at Café Latte-tudes told me that coffee cards can only be used on the ship on which they were purchased. When I told him about my experience with coffee cards, I was given the “I am the Bar Supervisor speech.” Has anyone had a problem using coffee cards across several sailings? Now back to the coffee card issue… On one of my trips (2017 or 18) the barista insisted I write the name of the ship on the space provided for that purpose on the card. That was how they tracked it. Back then, the card was described as "15 drinks" rather than "15 shots" of espresso. Since that trip, I have avoided filling out the name of the ship, and I haven't been challenged by crew. But they have started charging me double punches (such as for a Caribbean Coconut), which makes the whole matter moot (I use up my card on one sailing). There does seem to be variation from ship to ship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Alt Posted December 4, 2021 Report Share Posted December 4, 2021 I didn't get any attitude from managers on Jewel when I was on her, even the MDR. I actually had a very helpful crew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHollyS Posted December 11, 2021 Report Share Posted December 11, 2021 On 12/3/2021 at 9:45 PM, D Alt said: I didn't get any attitude from managers on Jewel when I was on her, even the MDR. I actually had a very helpful crew. Good to hear! I will be on her on the 23 and have purchased the coffee card. cruisellama 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenC Posted December 11, 2021 Report Share Posted December 11, 2021 How much are the coffee cards and is there a discount if purchased before the cruise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHollyS Posted December 11, 2021 Report Share Posted December 11, 2021 2 hours ago, KenC said: How much are the coffee cards and is there a discount if purchased before the cruise? I paid 31.00 per card, 5.58 grat = $36.58 total on Black Friday ( for Jewel of the Seas) cruisellama 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenC Posted December 11, 2021 Report Share Posted December 11, 2021 1 hour ago, AHollyS said: I paid 31.00 per card, 5.58 grat = $36.58 total on Black Friday ( for Jewel of the Seas) How many coffees does that include? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG Cruiser Posted December 12, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2021 16 hours ago, KenC said: How many coffees does that include? It has 15 slots to be punched. But some baristas punch more than one for a cup depending on number of espresso shots used. TIP: Be friendly with the barista ha ha cruisellama and KenC 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funeegal Posted December 15, 2021 Report Share Posted December 15, 2021 I purchased a coffee card for my Adventure sailing this past summer. I was told by the Adventure folks that I could use the coffee card on other sailings. They only punched once per coffee no matter what I ordered. Fast forward to Thanksgiving on the Symphony....I was told a grande specialty coffee was 2 punches AND they were doing me a favor since coffee cards were no longer transferable to different ships. I stopped using the coffee card and had 5 punches left. While I do not agree with in general with what I am about to tell you, I had my husband, who had a refreshment package, get me 4 more coffees on that sailing using his refreshment package. Sorry not sorry. I paid for a coffee card and I used the value of the coffee card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeWhoWaits Posted December 16, 2021 Report Share Posted December 16, 2021 19 hours ago, Funeegal said: I purchased a coffee card for my Adventure sailing this past summer. I was told by the Adventure folks that I could use the coffee card on other sailings. They only punched once per coffee no matter what I ordered. Fast forward to Thanksgiving on the Symphony....I was told a grande specialty coffee was 2 punches AND they were doing me a favor since coffee cards were no longer transferable to different ships. I stopped using the coffee card and had 5 punches left. While I do not agree with in general with what I am about to tell you, I had my husband, who had a refreshment package, get me 4 more coffees on that sailing using his refreshment package. Sorry not sorry. I paid for a coffee card and I used the value of the coffee card. Your experience is exactly why I take issue with different application of the same program from ship to ship. Either the card IS transferable ship to ship or it IS NOT transferable - it shouldn't be up to each ship whether they accept it or not. And the number of punches per purchase should be clearly defined and followed consistently. Same concept applies to the corkage fee for wine brought on board - either there is ALWAYS a charge for a bottle opened or stored at the MDR or there is ALWAYS no charge for doing so. When we travel with others, this doesn't matter because we'll open the bottle ourselves and the entire bottle is consumed at one dinner. When we travel as just a couple, a bottle is more likely to last two meals and it's more convenient to have them store the re-corked bottle than to take it back to our stateroom (not to mention that they have the facilities to store the wine at a proper temperature). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveWithHat Posted December 16, 2021 Report Share Posted December 16, 2021 We recently did the group cruise on Harmony of the Seas, cruising for the first time as Diamond members. The inconsistency in enforcing policies described in this thread match our experience with the free drink policy for Diamond members. We found the staff was generous as we exceeded the 3 free drink limit several times. This mostly occurred in specialty restaurants with wine. I suspect that in these cases, where they know you are already paying extra for the meal that they have a bit more flexibility. I can understand why it is frustrating when policies are not consistently enforced yet my experience is that when they are not, it is usually in favor of the guests as in our case with the free drink policy. That kind of goodwill improves the experience for me and makes me more generous with my tipping in return. Ali411 and LauraLap 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisellama Posted December 16, 2021 Report Share Posted December 16, 2021 On 12/12/2021 at 8:09 AM, PG Cruiser said: It has 15 slots to be punched. But some baristas punch more than one for a cup depending on number of espresso shots used. TIP: Be friendly with the barista ha ha Sometimes they won't punch it at all... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisellama Posted December 16, 2021 Report Share Posted December 16, 2021 1 hour ago, HeWhoWaits said: Your experience is exactly why I take issue with different application of the same program from ship to ship. Either the card IS transferable ship to ship or it IS NOT transferable - it shouldn't be up to each ship whether they accept it or not. And the number of punches per purchase should be clearly defined and followed consistently. Same concept applies to the corkage fee for wine brought on board - either there is ALWAYS a charge for a bottle opened or stored at the MDR or there is ALWAYS no charge for doing so. When we travel with others, this doesn't matter because we'll open the bottle ourselves and the entire bottle is consumed at one dinner. When we travel as just a couple, a bottle is more likely to last two meals and it's more convenient to have them store the re-corked bottle than to take it back to our stateroom (not to mention that they have the facilities to store the wine at a proper temperature). IMO - I can't figure out why Royal is still messing with cards No reason you can put 15 coffee credits onto someone's account (just like electronic drink vouchers for Diamond and above). teddy and ChessE4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tolkmit Posted December 27, 2021 Report Share Posted December 27, 2021 Yeah... I'm not sure I see the problem with the policy not always being enforced. I believe it's written on the cards, and know it's in the Terms & Conditions when you buy the cards. It's like... if you are going 10mph over the speed limit and go past a couple cops who don't give you a ticket, then the third one you pass does; complaining that the first two either choose to give you a pass, or weren't paying attention, seems weird to me. I get it's frustrating finding out things don't work the way you thought they did... but not reading the rules and making an assumptions based on anecdotal evidence seems like a you thing, not a Royal thing. I'm not going to get mad at the crew who do hook me up, just because a few of the crew do not. ChessE4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG Cruiser Posted December 30, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 On 12/27/2021 at 4:27 AM, Tolkmit said: Yeah... I'm not sure I see the problem with the policy not always being enforced. I believe it's written on the cards, and know it's in the Terms & Conditions when you buy the cards. It's like... if you are going 10mph over the speed limit and go past a couple cops who don't give you a ticket, then the third one you pass does; complaining that the first two either choose to give you a pass, or weren't paying attention, seems weird to me. I get it's frustrating finding out things don't work the way you thought they did... but not reading the rules and making an assumptions based on anecdotal evidence seems like a you thing, not a Royal thing. I'm not going to get mad at the crew who do hook me up, just because a few of the crew do not. I did not read the T&Cs for the coffee card until I encountered this issue. The baristas on the ships have always volunteered the information that I can use the card on future sailings. But now that I've read the T&Cs, I will not expect any of the RC ships I sail on to allow me to use the remaining slots on my card. If they do, fine. If not, there's always the coffee machine at the Diamond Lounge (and the Diamond drink vouchers). I will also also stop giving away Coffee Cards as gifts to my friends. UPDATE #1: My friends who sailed on the Allure were able to use the Coffee Cards I purchased on the Jewel (see original post) UPDATE #2: I asked about this issue on the Brilliance. The barista told me that they have received a memo telling them to allow guests to use coffee cards purchased from previous sailings. Knowing how inconsistently policies are implemented on Royal ships, you may not want to quote me on this. WAAAYTOOO, teddy and ChessE4 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GilliePS Posted February 21, 2022 Report Share Posted February 21, 2022 When do you et the card? Is it when you board? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowTieBrigade Posted February 22, 2022 Report Share Posted February 22, 2022 10 hours ago, GilliePS said: When do you et the card? Is it when you board? Yes, it’s in your cabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCCL2 Posted June 21, 2023 Report Share Posted June 21, 2023 I’m doing B2B on independence of the seas. Can I use the same card across both sailings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recogneyes Posted June 21, 2023 Report Share Posted June 21, 2023 2 hours ago, RCCL2 said: I’m doing B2B on independence of the seas. Can I use the same card across both sailings? Yes - you should have no issue at all. I've bought on one ship and used on another months later and never had an issue. You could mention when purchasing that you will be sailing on a B2B but either way you will be fine. cruisellama 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseMommyOf3 Posted June 29, 2023 Report Share Posted June 29, 2023 Hi! I wanted to buy that Coffee Card on Anthem of the Seas. So far, I didn't see any sales on it compared to drink packages but I do see someone mentioned on Black Friday... anyone ever had a discount other than on Black Friday? Is that a usual thing? How many kinds on sizes is there? I haven't seen any menu on the app for my sail. If I buy one pre-cruise, is there an option to buy another one on the ship? I would really want to know the prices of coffees... I'm a coffee person mostly lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChessE4 Posted June 30, 2023 Report Share Posted June 30, 2023 12 hours ago, CruiseMommyOf3 said: Hi! I wanted to buy that Coffee Card on Anthem of the Seas. So far, I didn't see any sales on it compared to drink packages but I do see someone mentioned on Black Friday... anyone ever had a discount other than on Black Friday? Is that a usual thing? How many kinds on sizes is there? I haven't seen any menu on the app for my sail. If I buy one pre-cruise, is there an option to buy another one on the ship? I would really want to know the prices of coffees... I'm a coffee person mostly lol Never seen card on sale. Caps or lattes in December about $5 with 1 punch for a single and 2 for double, etc. So the most savings is if you get a single espresso shot. 15 shots per card buys 7+ doubles for me which might save 10%. You can get different sized cups if you want extra milk or foam. You can get coffee instead of espresso, too. But they have free coffee elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseMommyOf3 Posted July 1, 2023 Report Share Posted July 1, 2023 Thank you for the explanation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amanalo217 Posted July 3, 2023 Report Share Posted July 3, 2023 Where do you buy them if you get it onboard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RafaellaCG Posted July 6, 2023 Report Share Posted July 6, 2023 On 7/3/2023 at 3:47 PM, amanalo217 said: Where do you buy them if you get it onboard? Any Cafe where you can buy premium coffee. I recommend tasting a cup first to see if you think the premium coffee is good enough to pay for. amanalo217 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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