P
phaelon56
Guest
Just back from a week on the Princess Grand – my first cruise and despite my initial reservations I’m forced to admit that it’s a great way to spend a week. I can do without the shore excursions and the forays into junky tourist oriented shops in Caribbean ports but the service on board the ship was incredible, the food was decent and the overall experience remarkably relaxing.
My comments here are specifically related to the coffee and espresso offerings – this should be applicable to the Princess Grand class ships – can’t comment on what other cruise lines offer.
If you love Maxwell House or Folger's and consider gas station cappucino from the push button machine to be a gourmet delight.... skip this posting as it's applicable only to folks who truly savoir and enjoy high quality coffee and espresso.
Horizon Court buffet area: Truly rotgut coffee – I’m told that it’s made from a liquid concentrate and it tastes like it. Definitely pass on this.
Dining rooms: Passable regular coffee and mediocre decaf. Lattes and cappas are available at $1.75 each (regular coffee is no additional charge). I ordered a latte a few times after dinner and asked for an extra shot. Was not charged extra for the additional shot. The drink was acceptable but I should have requested two extra shots – very large (probably 12 oz) cappa cup – nice bowl shape akin to an Illy cup but a trifle larger. The cup was obviously preheated and the milk was steamed to too warm a temp for my taste but was not scalded and had a decent mouthfeel - at least some semblance of microfoam was evident.
Promenade bar (in the main atrium area): Good fresh drip coffee is available at all times of day. They make it by the pot in a Bunn style drip machine with both decaf and regular available. NOt sure what the provenace of the blend is but it's made by the per pot packet and is all arabica beans. The creamers are of the non-dairy variety but whole milk is cheerfully served on the side if requested.
This bar also has a La Cimbali two group with matching grinder for espresso. The decaf espresso is pre-ground and stored in a small jar next to the machine. The whole bean regular espresso was often ground to fill the doser half way and then dispensed when needed. I tried double shot cappas (nice small cup – about 8 oz) a few times and they were fair but not as good as those served in the dining rooms. The foam was dry, the milk seemed a bit watery and the steam wand was usually crusted over with milk - it's a shame as everything else is well done and the staff typically pays so much attention to detail. I was pleased to see that "Sugar in the Raw" turbinado sugar was available everywhere that coffee was served.
Also tried a frozen iced mocha – they use the powder mix and the resulting drink was too fluffy with not enough espresso flavor but passable on a hot day and reasonably priced at $2.75.
I strongly recommend bringing a small four cup hot pot, a small Melitta setup and some of your own ground coffee on any cruise ship. I made do with little or no coffee most days but really missed having a good cup when I wanted one. You can order a pot of hot water from room service if having breakfast in your room but I suggest bringing an immersion heater to get it back up to the proper temp if going that route.
We did have a good double shot latte and a phenomenally good iced mocha latte in Georgetown, Grand Cayman – look for a little lunch café on the back street behind the big Scotia Bank building. It ¢s called “Coffee and Bitesâ€Â. Very popular place with the locals for lunch and the prices were moderate.
My comments here are specifically related to the coffee and espresso offerings – this should be applicable to the Princess Grand class ships – can’t comment on what other cruise lines offer.
If you love Maxwell House or Folger's and consider gas station cappucino from the push button machine to be a gourmet delight.... skip this posting as it's applicable only to folks who truly savoir and enjoy high quality coffee and espresso.
Horizon Court buffet area: Truly rotgut coffee – I’m told that it’s made from a liquid concentrate and it tastes like it. Definitely pass on this.
Dining rooms: Passable regular coffee and mediocre decaf. Lattes and cappas are available at $1.75 each (regular coffee is no additional charge). I ordered a latte a few times after dinner and asked for an extra shot. Was not charged extra for the additional shot. The drink was acceptable but I should have requested two extra shots – very large (probably 12 oz) cappa cup – nice bowl shape akin to an Illy cup but a trifle larger. The cup was obviously preheated and the milk was steamed to too warm a temp for my taste but was not scalded and had a decent mouthfeel - at least some semblance of microfoam was evident.
Promenade bar (in the main atrium area): Good fresh drip coffee is available at all times of day. They make it by the pot in a Bunn style drip machine with both decaf and regular available. NOt sure what the provenace of the blend is but it's made by the per pot packet and is all arabica beans. The creamers are of the non-dairy variety but whole milk is cheerfully served on the side if requested.
This bar also has a La Cimbali two group with matching grinder for espresso. The decaf espresso is pre-ground and stored in a small jar next to the machine. The whole bean regular espresso was often ground to fill the doser half way and then dispensed when needed. I tried double shot cappas (nice small cup – about 8 oz) a few times and they were fair but not as good as those served in the dining rooms. The foam was dry, the milk seemed a bit watery and the steam wand was usually crusted over with milk - it's a shame as everything else is well done and the staff typically pays so much attention to detail. I was pleased to see that "Sugar in the Raw" turbinado sugar was available everywhere that coffee was served.
Also tried a frozen iced mocha – they use the powder mix and the resulting drink was too fluffy with not enough espresso flavor but passable on a hot day and reasonably priced at $2.75.
I strongly recommend bringing a small four cup hot pot, a small Melitta setup and some of your own ground coffee on any cruise ship. I made do with little or no coffee most days but really missed having a good cup when I wanted one. You can order a pot of hot water from room service if having breakfast in your room but I suggest bringing an immersion heater to get it back up to the proper temp if going that route.
We did have a good double shot latte and a phenomenally good iced mocha latte in Georgetown, Grand Cayman – look for a little lunch café on the back street behind the big Scotia Bank building. It ¢s called “Coffee and Bitesâ€Â. Very popular place with the locals for lunch and the prices were moderate.
