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Coffee Card worth it?


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Hi! Does anyone know the current cost of specialty coffee drinks onboard? I'm sailing on Adventure next week. With tax, the card is $37. If I get 15 drinks (not likely) the cost per drink is $2.50. If I get large drinks or double-shots it would increase the price closer to $5.00 per drink, since those would cost two punches, right? 

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18 hours ago, jonesjillian said:

Hi! Does anyone know the current cost of specialty coffee drinks onboard? I'm sailing on Adventure next week. With tax, the card is $37. If I get 15 drinks (not likely) the cost per drink is $2.50. If I get large drinks or double-shots it would increase the price closer to $5.00 per drink, since those would cost two punches, right? 

It might be a wash - on a 7N cruise you can get seven 2-shot drinks for about the same price that you would pay with Seapass, but you are protected a little against inflation.  And some baristas may only charge you one "punch" for a nice drink.   Or you might choose to try a 1-shot drink.  My wife likes an occasional Chai Tea, which I pick up for her with my coffee card.  In the end, the coffee card isn't as good a deal as it used to be, but I don't think you would lose money.  The only question is whether you would prefer another drink package.  We don't drink enough to warrant another beverage package.  Have a great cruise!

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  • 2 months later...

We just got off the ship today, Oasis 7 nights and got 2 cards, one for me and one for daughter.

I got 13 mocha or caramel iced coffees and had 2 punches left. My daughter got at least 8 or 9 drinks from hers and only used maybe 6 punches... so there were cases of multiple drinks from 1 punch but never multiple punches for 1 drink! Not sure of the reason for that... 

So.. we did not use up the drink cards and would be willing to send them to someone traveling Oasis in the near future. The cards have our first names on them and "OASIS" handwritten on them so they may or may not be accepted elsewhere. 

Anyone interested, message me... I ll send them US mail to the first Oasis cruiser I hear from... just tell me what sailing you are on.

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8 hours ago, RCCruiser said:

We just got off the ship today, Oasis 7 nights and got 2 cards, one for me and one for daughter.

I got 13 mocha or caramel iced coffees and had 2 punches left. My daughter got at least 8 or 9 drinks from hers and only used maybe 6 punches... so there were cases of multiple drinks from 1 punch but never multiple punches for 1 drink! Not sure of the reason for that... 

So.. we did not use up the drink cards and would be willing to send them to someone traveling Oasis in the near future. The cards have our first names on them and "OASIS" handwritten on them so they may or may not be accepted elsewhere. 

Anyone interested, message me... I ll send them US mail to the first Oasis cruiser I hear from... just tell me what sailing you are on.

I’ve sailed oasis s few times this year and had not seen anything about a coffee card.  Where would I find out more about this when I’m onboard?

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1 hour ago, RCCruiser said:

Ask at the various coffee service locations... Park Cafe, Cafe Promenade, etc. 

We bought ours in the Beverage package section, precruise.

I assume the card is left in your stateroom when you arrive? Drink packages are very pricey now but am considering the coffee card for our next cruise.

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9 hours ago, WannaCruise said:

I assume the card is left in your stateroom when you arrive? Drink packages are very pricey now but am considering the coffee card for our next cruise.

Yes.  If it isn't, go to customer service.  I was once given a soda package (cup and sticker) instead of a coffee card...Fortunately, I brought my binder with receipts and showed them my coffee purchase.

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Is it a physical card that can be used on another sailing if you have not used up the entire allotment?  We sail this coming October and then again in Spring 2023.  I could see getting a few specialty coffees during each cruise (both 7 day) but not drinking 15 on any 1 sailing.

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28 minutes ago, FSUFAN said:

Is it a physical card that can be used on another sailing if you have not used up the entire allotment?  We sail this coming October and then again in Spring 2023.  I could see getting a few specialty coffees during each cruise (both 7 day) but not drinking 15 on any 1 sailing.

Yes and no.  The last time I sailed (fall 2019), it was a physical card, but the rules were that you put in your ship or sailing, so it was non-transferable.  That said, folks have gotten away with leaving the card blank and re-using it on their next cruise.  So it depends upon the barristas you encounter and your sense of ethics.  

Standby for any comments from recent travelers.   We sail next week, but I haven't been told the coffee card will be loaded to my SeaPass.  I believe it will still be a card that is punched.

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25 minutes ago, ChessE4 said:

Yes and no.  The last time I sailed (fall 2019), it was a physical card, but the rules were that you put in your ship or sailing, so it was non-transferable.  That said, folks have gotten away with leaving the card blank and re-using it on their next cruise.  So it depends upon the barristas you encounter and your sense of ethics.  

Standby for any comments from recent travelers.   We sail next week, but I haven't been told the coffee card will be loaded to my SeaPass.  I believe it will still be a card that is punched.

Just got back Sunday.... its a punch card. And they use a sharpie to mark off the uses. 

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We bought a coffee card on Anthem during Jan. 2019 cruise. The crew member told us to save the card if we didn't use all the "punches" and we could use it IF we sailed Anthem again...which we did in Jan. 2020. The card was honored even with us mentioning it was bought the previous year. 

Actually  have another card with a few punches left just waiting to be allowed on Anthem again! ☕

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On 6/8/2022 at 11:05 AM, fireclan said:

We bought a coffee card on Anthem during Jan. 2019 cruise. The crew member told us to save the card if we didn't use all the "punches" and we could use it IF we sailed Anthem again...which we did in Jan. 2020. The card was honored even with us mentioning it was bought the previous year. 

Actually  have another card with a few punches left just waiting to be allowed on Anthem again! ☕

From this response, I am assuming that buying it for our Voyager OTS trip in October, it won't be honored on our Quantum OTS next June. Bummer. 

Good news is that the price of some of the services just dropped on our Voyager trip and I just saved a few bucks. I canceled Voom Surf+Stream and grabbed The Key (which has Voom Surf+Stream). The pricing difference reached a price point that I was willing to pay for getting on the ship early with less hassle (plus the other perks). Although we have cruise a bit, this will be our first RCCL sailing.

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Questions about this coffee card:

Can I get coffee for the person I am traveling with?

I would assume if one were a complete coffee addict, they can use up all 15 in one day?

The planner says that it entitles you to 15 espresso based coffees, so does that mean a regular specialty coffee is not included? It has to be espresso based?

It also says, "or enjoy your favorite cup of joe anytime you'd like and save up to 50% on individually purchased coffees."  What does that mean?  Once you go through your 15 you can purchase more coffee for 50% percent off?

 

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24 minutes ago, Aron_Ross said:

Can I get coffee for the person I am traveling with?

Yes. You can share the coffee card.

24 minutes ago, Aron_Ross said:

I would assume if one were a complete coffee addict, they can use up all 15 in one day?

Yup.

24 minutes ago, Aron_Ross said:

The planner says that it entitles you to 15 espresso based coffees, so does that mean a regular specialty coffee is not included? It has to be espresso based?

Specialty coffees are all espresso based. Not sure what you think of when you're thinking about specialty coffees. Think lattes, cappuccinos, espressos and frappes.

26 minutes ago, Aron_Ross said:

What does that mean?  Once you go through your 15 you can purchase more coffee for 50% percent off?

No..it means the price you pay for the card could be up to 50% less than if you bought the drinks at full value. Different drinks cost different amounts.

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23 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

Specialty coffees are all espresso based. Not sure what you think of when you're thinking about specialty coffees. Think lattes, cappuccinos, espressos and frappes.

   I guess I am referring to a fresh ground coffee that is not espresso based.  Or do they not have those?  I am not a big cappuccino, frappe person.  I just like a nice cup of fresh ground coffee with maybe an added espresso shot.  Perhaps this card is not for me then?

And thanks for answering my other questions...much appreciated!

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9 minutes ago, Aron_Ross said:

   I guess I am referring to a fresh ground coffee that is not espresso based.  Or do they not have those?  I am not a big cappuccino, frappe person.  I just like a nice cup of fresh ground coffee with maybe an added espresso shot.  Perhaps this card is not for me then?

They have complimentary drip self-service coffee available on the ship. It's Lavazza brand coffee. If you want espresso, that's extra.

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Dear OP, are you planning on drinking alcohol at all?

We did the DBP and specialty coffees at all specialty dining, La Patisserie, and Cafe Two70 were included.  We drank at least two, if not three espresso based drinks a day in addition to the free coffee.

As to specialty coffees, the above assertion that all specialty coffees are espresso based is not entirely accurate.  Most ships offer cold brew which may, or may not be (usually not), espresso bean based and made by cold water filtered coffee from any type of bean. 

If you like a good fresh black coffee, AMericanos are great but they are based on espresso beans usually.

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On 6/6/2022 at 9:52 PM, WannaCruise said:

I assume the card is left in your stateroom when you arrive? Drink packages are very pricey now but am considering the coffee card for our next cruise.

Strange how they don’t add this to the Sea Pass saving having to carry another card. 

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On 6/8/2022 at 12:05 PM, fireclan said:

We bought a coffee card on Anthem during Jan. 2019 cruise. The crew member told us to save the card if we didn't use all the "punches" and we could use it IF we sailed Anthem again...which we did in Jan. 2020. The card was honored even with us mentioning it was bought the previous year. 

Actually  have another card with a few punches left just waiting to be allowed on Anthem again! ☕

Question....does that mean that the card is specific for the ship?  

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21 minutes ago, WannaCruise said:

Question....does that mean that the card is specific for the ship?  

Our card(s) have the name of the ship handwritten on the back along with the voyage # and our cabin #. From what the crew member told us and the specific info written on the card, I believe it's ship specific. But I am also aware that RC can have inconsistencies of their policies between ships or even sailings of the same ship. 

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2 hours ago, fireclan said:

Our card(s) have the name of the ship handwritten on the back along with the voyage # and our cabin #. From what the crew member told us and the specific info written on the card, I believe it's ship specific. But I am also aware that RC can have inconsistencies of their policies between ships or even sailings of the same ship. 

Ditto.  On the Mariner last week, l picked up my card at Cafe Promenade.  The associate checked a list, had me sign for the card, and then wrote ship on the back.  Now when I lost the card the next day, they issued me a new one for free (less the 4 punches I stated I used).  I thought that was great customer service!  However, they don't know how to make a dry cappucino.  So I started ordering an iced latte instead.    They definitely punched by the number of espresso shots.  Also, if all you want is a double espresso in the morning, it's only $3.25 a la carte.  Skip the card unless you want more expensive drinks.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 6/8/2022 at 10:22 AM, RCCruiser said:

I picked up the cards at one of the coffee shops... it was not in the room.

And yes, its a physical card. A flimsy paper card. It would have been better on a SeaPass... 

On 6/27/2022 at 11:28 AM, ChessE4 said:

Ditto.  On the Mariner last week, l picked up my card at Cafe Promenade.  The associate checked a list, had me sign for the card, and then wrote ship on the back.  Now when I lost the card the next day, they issued me a new one for free (less the 4 punches I stated I used).  I thought that was great customer service!  However, they don't know how to make a dry cappucino.  So I started ordering an iced latte instead.    They definitely punched by the number of espresso shots.  Also, if all you want is a double espresso in the morning, it's only $3.25 a la carte.  Skip the card unless you want more expensive drinks.

Ours were also not in our room and we had to go to Cafe Promenade (Allure in April 2022). I would skip buying this next time - we enjoyed the drip coffee in the dining room - weren't expecting to! - and ended up scrambling the last two days to use up our punches, and only were able to use them all because we shared with our teens. 

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5 hours ago, Marlena said:

Does anyone know if you can add flavored syrups to a coffee purchases with the coffee card at no extra price? Or will you be charged an extra fee?

You can. The card punches are basically a per drink (sometimes per espresso shot) deal, add-ins aren't additional. 

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  • 9 months later...

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