We know our fellow coffee aficionados will be eager to learn all about this new money-saving offer being tested on Oasis of the Seas. Being offered for only a few weeks now, Royal Caribbean is still in the trial phases of the new Café Select Coffee Card. That being said, some of this information is subject to change, but we wanted to share these current facts about the Coffee Cards on Oasis of the Seas.
Coffee Cards on Oasis of the Seas – Photo Courtesy of Royal Caribbean International
What is the Café Select Coffee Card
This cost-savings card is currently being trialed on Oasis of the Seas. For one set price, passengers get a punch card that covers the cost of 15 espresso based drinks. The card can be shared among individuals, and you can purchase multiple drinks at a time with the card. You must present the card and your Sea Pass card when ordering a drink.
The Cost of the Card
Currently, the card is priced at $31 (plus 18% gratuity) totaling $36.58. On our cruise, we purchased the card while docked in Ft. Lauderdale and ended up paying a total of $38.47, so we must have paid a local tax. Even at this inflated price, you are paying a total of $2.57 a drink.
Where the Card Works
While this is still a work in progress, the coffee cards are currently available for purchase and redemption at numerous places onboard the ship including Café Promenade, Park Café, and Starbucks. Yes, it DOES include a variety of drinks at the free-standing Starbucks. No other drink packages currently work at these Starbucks kiosks. However, do keep in mind that the Ultimate Drink package does include specialty coffees from Café Promenade and Park Café.
Breaking in the new Coffee Cards on Oasis of the Seas
The Drinks Included with the Café Select Card
The Oasis of the Seas Café Select Card includes a variety of espresso based drinks like lattes, mochas, and cappuccinos, among others. The card entitles you to 15 drinks of the tall or grande size. At Starbucks, some of the iced teas are covered, but not the new refreshers, other promotional drinks, or frappuccinos.
What’s Not Covered with the Card
In addition to the drinks listed above, the coffee card does not include any beverages with alcohol or the frozen coffee drinks at the Café Promenade. The drink card also does not include any extras like additional shots or syrups. For these, you have to pay the difference plus 18%. So, for a caramel latte, your total will be .59 cents.
Coffee Cards on Oasis of the Seas Work at Starbucks
The Savings from the Card
With most medium (grande) lattes, iced and hot, costing around $4.50 plus the extra 18% service charge, you are looking at a total of around $5.30 per drink. This means that you can save up to 50% by using the card. Not a bad deal!
What’s Still Not Known
Since the card is brand new, there are still a lot of things that can change as Royal Caribbean gets feedback. Whether or not these cards will appear on other ships or be rolled out fleet-wide is still uncertain. Stay tuned as we keep our eyes out for the further developments on this new Café Select coffee card option. For what it is worth, we found the card to be a great value!
Comments
What are your money saving tips for cruising? Do you purchase drink packages when sailing? Drop us an anchor below to let us know if you would take advantage of the Oasis of the Seas Café Select Coffee Card. We would love your feedback.
9 comments
Chuck
If i get the card will I still get mystarbusks stars for the drinks? Will you have the starbuckspastries also
Deb B
The coffee card is NOT accepted at Starbucks kiosks. Just returned from Oasis cruise and found out rather quickly the card is not accepted at Starbucks…major bummer….
TC
Purchased this on the Oasis at the pub, near the Starbucks and was told it would work at that Starbucks. When I tried to use it there I was told otherwise. They called a manager over who explained it originally WAS accepted there, but not as of a couple of weeks ago (around 9/15/16).
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Hi TC, thanks for the update. We are going to try and get confirmation from RCI about this. Sorry to hear it didn’t work on your cruise. It worked for us, and was a god send as the wife loves her lattes. If they are no longer going to include Starbucks, then the deal isn’t as good because the new drink packages include lattes from Cafe Promenade and Park Cafe. Appreciate the breaking news. Thanks for reading and happy sailing.
Norma
Has this been deployed fleet-wide with the new beverage packages?
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
HI Norma, appreciate the question. This is still a wait and see. UK reports are the cards will be available to purchase onboard, but we have not gotten any confirmation. As with any major roll out, things may take some time to be fully implemented. As soon as we get word they are on other ships, we will be sure to update the site. When is your next cruise?
Norma
Not until end of March, Adventure out of San Juan….I think this card would be a much better buy for me vs the beverage packages as we have long days on the islands and I anticipate making most of my boozy purchases ashore but the iced latte in the mornings would be fantastic!
Tink
I will definitely purchase if it will be available on Independence of the Seas in Spring 2017!
DB and The Princess (@EatSleepCruise)
Hi Tink, Appreciate the comment. We agree, these cards are a great cost saver for those who are coffee drinkers and do not get a beverage package. Come back and let us know if you do end up purchasing one on your cruise on Indy. We have sailed on that ship and had a great time. Happy sailing.