Disney Cruise Line includes drip coffee at no extra cost, and you can find it on the pool deck and in the main dining rooms during meals. It is perfectly drinkable, and many guests rely on it throughout the day, but it is basic drip coffee rather than specialty café style coffee. Travelers who enjoy stronger brews, espresso drinks, or seasonal flavors often find the free option a little disappointing.
For guests who want a higher quality cup of coffee, Disney sells specialty beverages at the onboard cafés. These drinks are made by baristas and often come with themed designs or seasonal touches that fit the Disney atmosphere. You can order lattes, cappuccinos, iced coffees, and other espresso based drinks, and many locations create fun character themed latte art or toppings. These beverages cost extra, and if you buy them daily, the cost adds up quickly.
Disney offers a coffee card that makes these specialty drinks a little more affordable. When you purchase a specialty coffee, you can ask for a coffee card, and the barista will stamp it each time you buy a drink. After you earn five stamps, the sixth drink is free. This rewards frequent coffee drinkers and makes it easier to justify splurging on better coffee rather than sticking with the complimentary brewed option. Some guests buy the same drink every morning and end up getting a free one partway through their sailing.
In the past, coffee cards could be saved and brought back on a future cruise. This allowed guests who did not use all their stamps to carry them forward, and it encouraged people to collect stamps over multiple sailings. Disney has updated the card, and newer versions state that they cannot be used on a future cruise. Policies can vary slightly by ship or sailing, but the current expectation is that the card is valid only for the duration of your cruise. Most guests finish the card on a single voyage, but it is worth knowing that you should not plan to save it.
If you enjoy specialty coffee, the card can be a nice perk that provides a free drink over the course of your trip. If you are content with basic drip coffee, you can skip it entirely and never feel like you are missing out. Families sometimes get one card and share it between adults, since multiple people buying coffee can fill it faster. Whether the card is worth it comes down to how often you plan to order from the café and whether you are willing to pay extra for better coffee.
