All you seasoned cruisers please spill the beans. Which cruise line has the best coffee, you know the kind you get in gourmet restaurants, not Starbucks.

Not Princess.

Okay, I admit I know that it's not Carnival either. :)

I found the coffee on Holland American to be pretty bad too!

The Celebrity Millennium has the Cafe Cova Milano on board. They have a cappuccino and latte bar. Prices are higher than Starbucks.

Last year, it seems to me that the Navigator had pretty good coffee in Room Service. It was different than the coffee in Compass Rose.

I like the stronger coffees, Italian Roast and French Roast and actually make my coffee at home from Expresso Roast Starbucks.

So none of you recommend the coffee on Radisson or Silversea I guess.

Kathy, your comment about the Celebrity Millenium charging more than Starbucks is a good reason to chose a line that includes specialty coffee.

I have traveled in France and Italy, never had a bad cup of coffee either place. I find it amazing that Americans will drink the dishwater they sever in most hotels and restaurants elsewhwere. I guess there is a reason for Starbucks, otherwise we would all be drinking Maxwell House, yuck!

Thanks for your replies.

KarenM

I actually like the coffee on the Mariner...all venues except La Veranda...somehow it always seems to be a tad off.

And definitely, the Italians know how to do coffee best, with the French close behind...except for any cup of coffee you can get in Guatemala (I'm horribly biased, I know)

We've been on the Voyager twice, Navigator and Diamond. Sorry to say that the coffee quality on all three ships was poor, in our opinion. Upon filling our our comment card, we have consistently written of our disappointment in this particular area. We're hopeful that the next time we sail with Radisson, we'll be able to enjoy a really good cup of coffee.

I love the coffee corner on the Voyager and I am so glad to hear the Mariner has one now! The coffee from the machines tastes fresh brewed.

Has this topic not been bandied about forever on CC? I seem to recall that I've read all kinds of crazy scenarios - everything from reconstituted from a liquid coffee base to pellets to combat the waste problem of coffee grounds, people bringing their own coffee makers (I find it hard to believe someone would do this or that it would be allowed) or french press...etc, etc.

What's the story with cruise ship coffee and why is it almost universally loathed?

Of course I just can't go to the store and buy coffee off he shelf. My instructions are to order it from Vermont. I do as I'm told.

I'm a tea drinker and have yet to find a cruise line that makes a decent cup; even on P&O and Cunard, who should be experts! I always thought the poor tea and coffee was due to the desalinated water.

If you're ever in London - the best cappucinos can be found at Providores in Marylebone High St.

ian & gus

R...Green Mountain? Really good, but then I'm an upstate NYer (at least by proxy)so I guess I'm prejudice.

Robert, P would be aghast but I just tried Maxwell house's new "Smooth blend", it is the best coffee I have ever had and I have had them all! It is sooo smooth, I don't even have to use sugar, as I normally do!

As a coffee lover myself, I would say that it's just not possible to find a decent cup of coffee on ANY cruise line! Not that I've tried them all, but I can attest that it's absolutely horrid on Carnival, Royal Carribbean, and Celebrity. Actually, the coffee on Voyager was the least horrid of them all...it was at least drinkable.

But I'll tell you what...I will be bringing my single-cup French press on my next cruise! Really, this is an excellent solution. It's no bigger than a coffee mug, and all you need is hot water. Three minutes later you've got a fantastic cup of coffee (provided you brought some coffee grounds, of course!) I wish I'd brought mine on my Med cruise -- having visited all those wonderful places with such sublime coffee available, then have to drink what they were pouring after a spectacular meal...what a crime! ;)

I'm with LeeAnne on this topic. None of the Carnival (shame!), Princess, or even Radisson ships on which we've sailed has what I would describe as good coffee.

The one way to get a reasonable cup is to switch to espresso. That gets a good, tasty jolt (!) on the Radisson ships!

george

On the Voyager last week, I packed one of those plastic travel mugs, I would go down to the coffee corner and fill it up to take back to my room. Both the "latte" and the "regular" coffee choices were delicious! It sure beats the taste of room service coffee and you can fit two of the regular size coffee cup servings in the mug.

Robert, when we did a 10 day Panama Canal cruise on Princess a couple of years ago I brought one of the Braun Two-to-Go coffee makers and my own coffee. I didn't want to take a chance on not getting my morning fix. It worked out pretty well.

Now I usually get coffee from a specialty coffee shop on board in the mornings. I loved the coffee area on the Mariner.

Karen, great idea. I don't like the room service coffee on Voyager. I'm going to pack my mug!

I order Expresso or Lattes/Cappucino on board ship. Much bettr than the regular coffee. Even for room service.

I find the latte and expresso was always be cold when I orderded it in the dining room! But I agree with Kathy, it is still better than the regular coffee.

I tried double expressos on the Voyager as a substitute for morning coffee and actually think it was worse than the regular coffee. WIth dessert or a cookie, however, it is OK. The coffee corner coffee wasn't any better, but we did hear they were ordering some new fancy machines.

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Leslie

Although I've been dissing Radisson's coffee, I do like it in the Compass Rose after dinner. Of course I have it with Bailey's so that makes a difference <img border="0" alt="[naughty]" title="" src="graemlins/naughty.gif" /> .

AHH! That's the solution -- add a shot of booze! That'll make ANY morning coffee worth drinking.

Yes, Margo, Green Mountain, good stuff. Ships itself in once a month. All I have to do is sign and brew...

I must say that I have always found the morning coffee to be ok...never fantastic, never awful (I almost always have breakfast on deck)
Coffee after dinner has always been wonderful! I am sure that the fact that I never have more than one glass of wine (that never seems to be empty) has nothing to do with this review.

As far as coffee in France or Italy or Europe in general goes..... our friends there have told us that while they love to visit America, the first thing that they do, once home, is to have a coffee. We just do not produce up to their standards.

Anyone get a Tassimo machine? Any good?

Doug, who will not be getting a Tassimo regardless of how good it may be. My bride brought home a machine that could be put to use at a coffee bar!

We bought one of these as a Christmas stocking stuffer for our son, Alden, who loves coffee and who loves to camp. It's lightweight and unbreakable. After this discussion, we were tempted to "borrow" it for our upcoming cruises. But what would you do about coffee? Buy it ahead, already ground, and pack it in your suitcase? Is room service hot water hot enough for a good cup of French press?

Marsha, I use these coffee pods when I want only one cup of coffee. They come in their own filter.

But, Karen, wouldn't you then need one of these?

That is the coffee press I'm referring to. You can get them in small sizes that only make one cup. I take mine camping. Yes you'd need to bring your own coffee, but if you're going to be visiting places where they produce wonderful coffee, then you get to enjoy that even while on board.

LeeAnne, what about the hot water issue? We make French press every morning and it seems like it's best when made with very very hot water.

Y'know, I was thinking about that...certainly, the water brought by room service wouldn't be hot enough. Wasn't there hot water available at the coffee corner on the Voyager? I can't remember. I would imagine that if you brought your little coffee press to the table in a restaurant, they would be happy to bring you very hot water. But for room service that could be a problem. Anyone have any ideas?

How about this? It's billed as a mini-tea kettle, designed to take up a minimum of space.



Bodum White Mini Electric Water Kettle

Of course, your coffee appliances will require their own steamer trunk. Hey! Speaking of steamers, maybe we should bring an espresso machine!!

This one is pretty cool, it's small in size, 6" x 4" and weighs just over 1 lb. It's also dual voltage, which is a great feature. I bought all Conair dual voltage appliances (blow dryer and curling iron) for our last trip, they were great. No need for the big bulky current convertor, all I needed to do was to put the plug adapter on them.

Brisk Brew coffee maker

Wow, I really started something with my question. I think I found a possible solution if I can figure out how to pack it so it won't get broken:

http://www.kitchenkapers.com/695.html

Karen1029 - this is how it works around here. You ask a simple question and before you know it, your topic has been twisted into all sorts of tangents before you know it. :D

Masaki

Wow, KarenS that looks like a good idea! I might have to find me one of those. I also like Karen1029's suggestion, as I really like the flavor of pressed coffee, but it's just too big, and I'd be worried about breakage.

It's amazing the stuff we can learn on this site!

I don't mean to sound negative, but tea and coffee are uniformly bad on the cruiselines (and airlines). You're probably better off bringing a french ground and a french press to make your own. Seriously!