Too Few Cruisers Know About These 9 FREE Afternoon Tea’s At Sea
Too Few Cruisers Know About These 9 FREE Afternoon Tea’s At Sea
Several times a year, my Mum and I would seek out the best English afternoon teas on land, places like Fortnum & Masons. These would cost us up to a £75/ $100 per person. On my travels, I always seek out renowned afternoon teas, like at the Old Cataract Hotel in Luxor, Egypt and at the Oyster Box in South Africa. Again, costing a lot.
But, my happiest time is when I’m at sea, because there are some incredible afternoon tea options costing me nothing, as they are included within the fare.
Because I see only a small percentage of passengers going to many of them, and as I think too many are missing out on one of the best culinary experiences on a cruise, I’m going to let you in on my list of the best of the best, so you too know where you can indulge in this fantastic experience.
What is it all about?
Afternoon tea date backs to 19th century England, when the Duchess of Bedford, one of Queen Victoria’s ladies in waiting, used to get hungry late afternoon, as the aristocracy would only have two meals – breakfast and then dinner at eight or nine at night. She started having a light meal of tea, bread and butter bought to her at four o’clock.
She started inviting her fancy friends, including royal courtiers, to join and when Queen Victoria became aware of this custom, she adopted the ritual, turning it a fashionable social event with sandwiches, scones, cakes and pastries.
Despite what many North America hotels call the event, it is not “High Tea”. That is just plain wrong! While “afternoon tea” referred to the fancy sandwiches, scones and cakes the aristocracy, enjoyed easing their hunger between meals, “High Tea” was for the more common folk.
“High Tea” referred to the evening meal that the working and middle classes had on returning home from working in factories, fields or offices. Being British, it included tea, but was a substantial meal. It was eaten at a high table, what we call a dining table now, hence the name. Today, you will still hear many Brits call their dinner or supper “tea”.
Afternoon Tea
A proper afternoon tea consists of tea and three key elements. Importantly this is also the order they should be eaten: finger sandwiches, followed by scones with jam and clotted cream, a specific type of cream made with the cream of full fat cow’s milk, and finally cakes and pastries.
That’s’ why many afternoon teas are served in a tiered stand, which should have those three elements in that order from bottom to top.
There is a much argued about issue about whether cream or jam should go first on scones, and more on that later, as I want to reveal my list of the 9 best afternoon teas at sea included in cruise fares.
Cunard Cruise Line
Cunard is the most famous line to have afternoon tea at sea.
It’s a big daily event across multiple venues. The most dramatic of these is in the Queens Room, their ballroom. It starts with a parade of white-gloved waiters carrying the trays of sandwiches, scones, and cakes, and live music plays in the background.
Passengers travelling in suites can have afternoon tea in the Princess Grill restaurant, one of the suite-only dining rooms, where they are served a traditional tier of sandwiches, scones, and cakes.
Cunard also serves afternoon tea out on the suite-only deck using a trolley service, and the buffet restaurant offers a self-service afternoon tea option.
While Cunard are a leading line on afternoon tea with their Queens Room event, it has several downsides that others do better, as you will see. They don’t do the tiered stands with everything on, it can be frustrating and a bit random, as you rely on waiters passing your table making it hard to follow the “right” order, and there is no tea choice, as they pour from large teapots.
Viking Ocean
A magnificent afternoon tea at sea is on Viking Ocean ships, served in the beautiful Wintergarden lounge also with live music.
They do some aspects better than Cunard, as they serve loose leaf tea, with around 25 to choose from.
Guests get a tiered stand with the sandwiches and the cakes, with different varieties every day, and a waiter comes round with a tray of warm scones, clotted cream and jam.
Regent Seven Seas
High on my list is Regent Seven Seas, and what I like is they have themed afternoon teas during the cruise, with one of my favourites being the cupcakes one with a massive range and display of them.
They do not serve tiered stands full of the goodies, instead Regent waiters bring a trolley around to each table with sandwiches and cakes to choose from, and have a station with a selection of scones.
I like that they have a wide choice of Twining’s teas and bring a box around for you to choose from. Though, unfortunately they are tea bags and not loose leaf tea.
Oceania
Oceania, their sister line in the Norwegian Cruise Group, follow a similar approach and have the trolley coming around to each table, but with a smaller choice compared to Regent.
They also offer the same choice of teas, but also only teabags.
While they don’t have the themed extras and larger choice, the quality is very similar to Regent Seven Seas, and I rate them high overall.
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MSC Yacht Club
One of the lines I had not expected to ever be on my list before cruising with them, is afternoon tea on the Italian and value line MSC Cruises, served in their Yacht Club.
The Yacht Club is their suites ship-within-ship area, and the Butlers serve afternoon tea in the Yacht Club lounge. They bring a trolley to your table with a selection of loose leaf teas to choose from, followed by a tiered stand with sandwiches, scones and cakes.
It feels like a special occasion, in part because it is served by butlers, and the choice and quality are good.
I had not expected an Italian line with a value offer to get such a British tradition so nailed.
Seabourn
Seabourn also has great afternoon teas on both their classic and expedition ships.
On Classic cruise ships, it is in the Observation Lounge and on Expedition ships, in the Constellation Lounge. On the classic ships it’s daily, but I found on expedition sailings it was only served on sea days or when cruising in the afternoons.
Seabourn afternoon tea follows the British traditions, but the actual sandwiches and cakes are more adventurous and less classically British.
I like the good range of about 9 loose leaf teas, and they serve them with a timer to help get the brew time just right. They bring a tiered stand and both whipped and clotted cream, and have live music playing to set the scene.
While the sandwiches and cakes are a bit more on the fancy French patisserie inspired side, I enjoy them and rate them highly too.
So far, most of the best afternoon teas have been on the luxury and ultra-luxury ships, or for suite guests. So, are there any great ones on less costly lines? Yes!
Holland America
Holland America has been in service for over 150 years and with that longevity comes a popular daily afternoon tea event.
Held in the main dining room, there’s normally long lines, particularly on sea days, waiting for the doors to open.
I have kept them on my list, although I feel in recent years the quality of afternoon tea has fallen, and it also lacks some of the drama and ceremony of some others.
They pour tea from large tea pots, not offering a choice, though you can request something different which they will do, a bit reluctantly.
They bring round tiered stands which do have sandwiches, scones and cakes on.
First, there are not many items on the stands compared to the other lines on my list so far, and they do the most terrible thing with their scones because they serve them like a sandwich with whipped cream and jam in the middle. That is not the way that you should be serving or eating scones.
While I feel it could be a better, they still make it onto my list as I never miss it when on board.
P&O Cruises
In addition to Cunard, most of the UK-based lines, not surprisingly, offer afternoon tea. With mixed success.
P&O Cruises is the largest UK-based line by some margin and offer an included afternoon tea daily in the main dining room, which is popular.
Like Holland America, they serve tea from big teapots, and serve a plate of sandwiches and rolls, and another with cakes and scones when I cruised with them.
Like Holland America, it lacks the ceremony and sense of occasion others I spoke about earlier provide. It’s a good if low-key afternoon tea.
I do wonder if one reason for this is to encourage people to pay for the fancier and elaborate added-cost afternoon tea on some of their ships. Like the one by one of their culinary partners, Eric Lanlard, which can be found on P&O Britannia.
Princess Cruises
There is a non-British line, which competes in the same category as Holland America and P&O Cruises, and has a similar approach to the included afternoon tea on both, and that’s Princess Cruises.
As with those lines, it takes place in one of the Main Dining Rooms, and I have experienced two different methods on their ships.
Sometimes, there has been a modest menu of sandwiches and cakes to choose from and they bring your selection on plates. On other ships they brought trays with sandwiches, cakes and scones around to the table.
It’s a good solid afternoon tea. If lacking some magic.
Right Way To Eat Scones
Earlier I mentioned one of the most argued about things with afternoon tea is how to eat scones.
Putting the jam first and then the cream is known as the Cornish method because people in Cornwall, England eat it that way, while cream and then the jam is how those in Devon eat them.
The most popular way to have it is the Cornish way (jam and then cream) with 62% of British people saying they do that, including the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Cornish way is my preferred way of all too!
Do you have any favourite included-in-fare afternoon teas that is not on my list? Let me know in the comments.
