Room Service Breakfast Card

[roadbeagle]

We are sailing on the Rottterdam this month and I am concerned by rumors that the room service breakfast card offerings have changed. Can we write in items as in the past? We always looked forward to our steward knocking on the door with our breakfast! Thanks.

[Scrap Addict]

I only used the card once on my recent cruise on the Rotterdam. We were able to modify the card, albeit it slightly. For example, we wanted all chocolate croissants so near the pastry basket, that's what we wrote. And that's what we got! Same with continental breakfast - wanted extra fruit, wrote it down and got it!

 

Cheers.

[ksmaxey]

The new room service menu including the breakfast door tag is the biggest disappointing change since we began cruising HAL. The menu no longer includes beef broth which is helpful on rough sea days. We were on the Rotterdam in January.

[gentlemancruiser]

It changed for our Dec 18 cruise on the Prinsendam. There were fewer items for free and a lot of the hot items were offered for a surcharge. Mostly just cold stuff for free such as Pastries and cereal, very skimpy fruit plate,etc.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Toad]

Does this mean you can no longer get eggs, bacon and toast???? Oh no.

[Krazy Kruizers]

It changed for our Dec 18 cruise on the Prinsendam. There were fewer items for free and a lot of the hot items were offered for a surcharge. Mostly just cold stuff for free such as Pastries and cereal, very skimpy fruit plate,etc.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

 

Thank you for letting us know about the extra charge for some hot items.

[49erteacher]

Toad, There are two no extra charge options for eggs. The classic has 2 scrambled eggs, potato cake, 2 pieces each of sausage and bacon, and a slice each of white and wheat toast. The omelette choice is 3 eggs, potato cake, and One slice each bite and wheat toast.

I tried both and they arrived hot except for the toast which is understandable.

Enjoy your cruise.

[Cruising-along]

Toad, There are two no extra charge options for eggs. The classic has 2 scrambled eggs, potato cake, 2 pieces each of sausage and bacon, and a slice each of white and wheat toast. The omelette choice is 3 eggs, potato cake, and One slice each bite and wheat toast.

I tried both and they arrived hot except for the toast which is understandable.

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Correct. On the Koningsdam a couple weeks ago I crossed out "scrambled" and wrote in "over medium" or "over hard" and they honored my request every time. (the scrambled eggs on the ships are :eek: IMO) :D

[sambamama]

I just got off the Oosterdam, and had breakfast in my cabin all but one day. I wrote in items every day. I wrote in grapefruit every day, and swedish pancakes twices, and had no problems getting them (other than they would bring the pancakes until the Lido was open.)

[rkacruiser]

On my recent Nieuw Amsterdam cruises, I tried to request some substitutions for the items listed and was partly successful. The major issue with breakfast room service was accuracy of the order. For example, I would list the order for one person with an order of 1 orange juice, 1 V-8 juice, 2 coffee because the coffee and V-8 juice was for my traveling companion who wanted nothing else, and one order of their "classic" breakfast as listed. We would get two "classic" breakfasts along with the other items, but an insufficient amount of croissants and butter. This insufficient amount of pastries and butter/margarine also happened when we both ordered the continental breakfast.

 

Never in all of my HAL cruises have I been so disappointed with the Breakfast Room Service as I was on these two Nieuw Amsterdam cruises! Seattle broke something that did not need to be fixed! Or, if it is not Seattle's fault, is this another example of inconsistency of service/expectations from one ship to another?

Edited February 2, 2017 by rkacruiser

[summersigh]

We felt the room service breakfast card was sufficient - especially if you could order eggs done over easy or hard. There was an assortment of cold cereals. There was a continental option with yogurt, fruit and pastries. There was an option for scrambled eggs, potato, sausage and toast. There were 2 omelette options with potato, sausage and toast. There was a wide assortment of juices and hot beverages.

 

Most mornings we each ordered an omelette and split a continental - DH ate the yogurt and I ate the fruit - we split the pastries later. We ordered juice and coffee. Our orders were correct all 8 mornings we put the card out on the door knob.

 

The 3 "pay" items are only pay items for cabins below Neptune status - but if I wanted any of them they could be ordered "free" in the dining room.

[TheAccidentalCruiser]

Confused newbie here: I thought in-cabin-dining/room service of any item served in the MDR was free/complimentary?

[RuthC]

Confused newbie here: I thought in-cabin-dining/room service of any item served in the MDR was free/complimentary?

"Was", past tense. What was is no more. Now there are charges for some items, in some cabin categories, while some items may or may not be available at all.

[POA1]

We had no problems with write in items on the Eurodam in December. I think that there's a certain amount of simplification going on. It's more apparent in the bar menus, but you can still get everything - as long as you know to ask.

 

High end hotels have going in this direction for 12 years or more. (At least Four Seasons & Waldorf Astoria.) Relias & Chateaux have been doing "as you wish" forever.

[kazu]

Confused newbie here: I thought in-cabin-dining/room service of any item served in the MDR was free/complimentary?

 

 

Still in place for dinner. And I suspect if you order breakfast in the morning. People are talking about placing orders the night before and not ordering directly from the MDR ;)

[marysb]

Here is a copy of the new room service menu. http://images.r.cruisecritic.com/news/2016/11/hal-room-service-menu.pdf

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[TheAccidentalCruiser]

Marysb,

 

Thanks so much. Being able to see the menu helps a lot.

 

Still in place for dinner. And I suspect if you order breakfast in the morning. People are talking about placing orders the night before and not ordering directly from the MDR ;)

It still seems counter-intuitive that orders placed earlier, in writing, directly to the kitchen would be the ones charged. Unless the chargeable items are just not available from the MDR?

[esimon]

wait till you get on YOUR ship -- see what's on the menu - be excited they bring it to you cabin. If you want something more elaborate - have coffee, get dressed and go to the lido or MDR - Flexibility is the key to a wonderful cruise . I'd be bummed if they didn't bring me coffee but I'd get over it and move on.

[Slarty]

wait till you get on YOUR ship -- see what's on the menu - be excited they bring it to you cabin. If you want something more elaborate - have coffee, get dressed and go to the lido or MDR - Flexibility is the key to a wonderful cruise . I'd be bummed if they didn't bring me coffee but I'd get over it and move on.

 

Now that's the spirit!

 

Yes, they changed the room-service breakfast menu -- instead of a total "a la carte" menu (e.g. 1 cheese omelet, 2 bacon, 1 wheat toast, 1 sausage, 1 yogurt, 1 coffee, etc.), they now have "combo-plates" that come with a suggested set of sides. Write-in diffs are honored.

 

A few days ago on the Eurodam, I had no problem getting exactly what I wanted (and was able to order in many previous cruises), with no additional charge.

 

RELAX peeps!

[summersigh]

Yes, they changed the room-service breakfast menu -- instead of a total "a la carte" menu (e.g. 1 cheese omelet, 2 bacon, 1 wheat toast, 1 sausage, 1 yogurt, 1 coffee, etc.), they now have "combo-plates" that come with a suggested set of sides. Write-in diffs are honored.

In my view the combo menu items cut way down on the number of plates needed for "sides". With the old menu each a la carte item came on a seperate covered plate. It meant lots and lots of plates on the tray... sort of chaotic :D

[3rdGenCunarder]

In my view the combo menu items cut way down on the number of plates needed for "sides". With the old menu each a la carte item came on a seperate covered plate. It meant lots and lots of plates on the tray... sort of chaotic :D

 

The way the menu card forced them to do all those plates. If I wanted scrambled eggs and bacon and DH wanted fried eggs and ham, all the kitchen knew from the card was 1 scrambled eggs, 1 fried eggs, 1 bacon, 1 ham. They had no way to tell how to combine items.

[onthegogirl]

Just off the Rotterdam and not pleased with the breakfast menu. Sometimes we just want juice and coffee. Sometime a small pot was delivered, sometimes large one. When we eat in the morning we used to order a Danish or croissants. Now they deliver much more food than we want or will eat. The tray is so loaded with plates we have to make room for them on the desk. So much goes back untouched. Very wasteful.

[rkacruiser]

Just off the Rotterdam and not pleased with the breakfast menu. Sometimes we just want juice and coffee. Sometime a small pot was delivered, sometimes large one. When we eat in the morning we used to order a Danish or croissants. Now they deliver much more food than we want or will eat. The tray is so loaded with plates we have to make room for them on the desk. So much goes back untouched. Very wasteful.

 

I totally agree. I don't want yogurt with my danish or croissants. The description of the Continental says that a "basket of pastries will be delivered". For two people, one danish and one croissant does not fit my definition of such a "basket".

 

Too much waste of food not wanted and not enough food served that is desired.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

I have found a copy of the new room service menu - but I can't find a copy of the new room service breakfast hang tag. Does anyone have a copy of the new breakfast hang tag? Also, there was a time that Grand Voyages had a different room service menu. I wonder if that is still the case.

 

Thanks

 

Pete

[marysb]

wait till you get on YOUR ship -- see what's on the menu - be excited they bring it to you cabin. If you want something more elaborate - have coffee, get dressed and go to the lido or MDR - Flexibility is the key to a wonderful cruise . I'd be bummed if they didn't bring me coffee but I'd get over it and move on.

 

Totally agree:D