Nickels and Dimes - Room Service Delivery Charge? Really?!

[Hlitner]

On 6/10/2022 at 7:42 AM, ChucktownSteve said:

 

All the cruise lines you mentioned are mass market. Celebrity marketing claims to be luxury.  Luxury lines don't charge for room service delivery.  Do they?

 

I have cruised on luxury lines and I have cruised on Celebrity (many times),  Read my lips....Celebrity is not a luxury line!   As to what is charged on Luxury lines, it does vary.  But as an example, on Seabourn they do not charge for anything (not even tips) except for higher end wines and very high end booze such as Remy Martin Louis XIII (that stuff normally costs about $3500 a bottle).  On lines like Seabourn and Silverseas if you want caviar you simply ask....and there is no extra charge.  

 

Hank

[bookitdanno]

21 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I have cruised on luxury lines and I have cruised on Celebrity (many times),  Read my lips....Celebrity is not a luxury line!   As to what is charged on Luxury lines, it does vary.  But as an example, on Seabourn they do not charge for anything (not even tips) except for higher end wines and very high end booze such as Remy Martin Louis XIII (that stuff normally costs about $3500 a bottle).  On lines like Seabourn and Silverseas if you want caviar you simply ask....and there is no extra charge.  

 

Hank

Refresh my memory, what's the typical per day charge for Seaborne and Silverseas in a balcony?

[Dolebludger]

As cruises are part of the hospitality industry, which is having a near fatal labor shortage, I have wondered if the ships are going with fewer service crew than in the past — and/or less experienced service crew. I know of hotels, resorts and restaurants that were once “luxury” that are barely operating. So I wonder if cruise lines might be adding additional fees and restrictions where none existed in the recent past.

 

As far as Celebrity’s status on the mass market to luxury scale, we found our pre-pandemic experiences in the CS and RS to be  every bit as good as our experiences on Regent and Silverseas. But that was then, and this is now.

Edited June 12, 2022 by Dolebludger

[ChucktownSteve]

18 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I have cruised on luxury lines and I have cruised on Celebrity (many times),  Read my lips....Celebrity is not a luxury line!   As to what is charged on Luxury lines, it does vary.  But as an example, on Seabourn they do not charge for anything (not even tips) except for higher end wines and very high end booze such as Remy Martin Louis XIII (that stuff normally costs about $3500 a bottle).  On lines like Seabourn and Silverseas if you want caviar you simply ask....and there is no extra charge.  

 

Hank

 

I concur re: Celebrity laughingly luxury.  We sailed Regent a couple of weeks ago.  No charge for liter bottles of Grey Goose, Seagram's VO and Johnny Black premium liquor in the suite or anything ordered for that matter.  All excursions included at no additional cost. So were WiFi and gratuities. (yeah I understand the cost was built into the cruise price along with the air and hotel room. lol)  However when I booked this cruise the beginning of last year, I priced a Celebrity suite with the same square footage as the Regent suite. Regent actually came out a little less PP/PN with all the Regent extras included.

 

Our bill at the end of the cruise was $0.  Even left about $8 NF OBC on the account.  The whole amount was spent on overpriced stuff in the ship store.

[terrydtx]

42 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I have cruised on luxury lines and I have cruised on Celebrity (many times),  Read my lips....Celebrity is not a luxury line!

That is funny, there is a current thread on the HAL boards about the buffet restaurants not being open from 2pm to 5pm on port and embarkation days leaving the Burger bar (Dive-in) the only place to get food when returning from excursions or boarding late. Evidently this was happening on the Oosterdam this week. Some of the HAL cheerleaders were saying this was no way for a "Premium" line to treat their passengers. I pointed out the almost exact same words on the thread that HAL is not a "Premium" line. I then said if anything Celebrity is more premium than HAL with their Retreat product and amenities for Suite guests and the HAL cheerleaders went crazy. The Edge class ships are even more premium than any HAL ship. Please note I am saying Premium not luxury as there is a huge difference between the 2 classes of cruise lines. I am waiting for the Cheerleaders to show up at my house with torches and pitch forks, LOL

Edited June 12, 2022 by terrydtx

[Hlitner]

49 minutes ago, bookitdanno said:

Refresh my memory, what's the typical per day charge for Seaborne and Silverseas in a balcony?

Interesting question.  On Seabourn the prices really vary depending on the itinerary.  Our most recent 27 day cruise (Miami to Monte Carlo) cost less than $400 per person/day.  On a previous Alaska cruise our cost was about $350 per passenger day.  But on a Greek Isles cruise price was about $650 per passenger day.  These are truly all-inclusive prices except for shore-based things such as excursions.  Also keep in mind these kind of prices are for a small suite.  If we price out a suite on some of the Celebrity cruises and add-in all the extras it actually costs a lot more.  Go figure. I think the most expensive Seabourn cruises would be in the area of $1000 per passenger day and that would be for some very special cruises such as to Antarctica on their new exploration ship....which includes two excursions per day...while in Antarctica.   Since you asked the price question I just took a look at the March 4, 2023 fourteen day Seabourn Ovation cruise which is a simple Caribbean voyage.  The cost for a regular suite is less than $500 per day.  You pay that price and take that cruise and your on board account would be zero at the end of the cruise unless you decided to take the cruise line's excursions.  A sky suite (the smallest suite) on the Celebrity Apex for 14 days around the same time is just about $30 per passenger day cheaper.  But you would than need to upgrade to the Premium Beverage Package and consider the add-on cost of the alternative restaurants.

 

The truth about so-called Luxury Lines is that while they seem outrageously expensive at first glance they sometimes offer a better value than higher end suites on mass market lines.  You also need to consider that the space ratios on a line like Seabourn is about 70 which is about twice the space per passenger as found on most mass market lines.  

 

For those who book suites on mass market lines they might be surprised to find they could cruise for less money on a small luxury ship.   While the suite on the luxury ship might be smaller than on the mass market vessel, the amenities, lack of lines, quality of food, service, etc. is on a different level than on the mass markets.   We still enjoy mass market lines but the luxury ships are great for a change of pace.  One of our friends on the last Seabourn cruise actually had a standing order for a double portion of Caviar and two glasses of French Champagne which was delivered to their suite every day at 5:30.  If you could get that room service order on a mass market line you would likely pay over $100 per day (price out Caviar on a mass market ship).

 

Your cost question is actually a great topic.  Some of my cruising friends and I have discussed the merits of a high-end suite on a nice mass market ship (such as the new Celebrity vessels) vs a regular suite on a luxury line vs some of the ship within a ship concepts (i.e. Haven Suites on NCL, Yacht Club on MSC, etc).  Personally I like all the options :).  The variety is fun and keeps cruising very fresh and interesting.  

 

Hank

[terrydtx]

4 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Interesting question.  On Seabourn the prices really vary depending on the itinerary.  Our most recent 27 day cruise (Miami to Monte Carlo) cost less than $400 per person/day.  On a previous Alaska cruise our cost was about $350 per passenger day.  But on a Greek Isles cruise price was about $650 per passenger day.  These are truly all-inclusive prices except for shore-based things such as excursions.  Also keep in mind these kind of prices are for a small suite.  If we price out a suite on some of the Celebrity cruises and add-in all the extras it actually costs a lot more.  Go figure. I think the most expensive Seabourn cruises would be in the area of $1000 per passenger day and that would be for some very special cruises such as to Antarctica on their new exploration ship....which includes two excursions per day...while in Antarctica.   Since you asked the price question I just took a look at the March 4, 2023 fourteen day Seabourn Ovation cruise which is a simple Caribbean voyage.  The cost for a regular suite is less than $500 per day.  You pay that price and take that cruise and your on board account would be zero at the end of the cruise unless you decided to take the cruise line's excursions.  A sky suite (the smallest suite) on the Celebrity Apex for 14 days around the same time is just about $30 per passenger day cheaper.  But you would than need to upgrade to the Premium Beverage Package and consider the add-on cost of the alternative restaurants.

 

The truth about so-called Luxury Lines is that while they seem outrageously expensive at first glance they sometimes offer a better value than higher end suites on mass market lines.  You also need to consider that the space ratios on a line like Seabourn is about 70 which is about twice the space per passenger as found on most mass market lines.  

 

For those who book suites on mass market lines they might be surprised to find they could cruise for less money on a small luxury ship.   While the suite on the luxury ship might be smaller than on the mass market vessel, the amenities, lack of lines, quality of food, service, etc. is on a different level than on the mass markets.   We still enjoy mass market lines but the luxury ships are great for a change of pace.  One of our friends on the last Seabourn cruise actually had a standing order for a double portion of Caviar and two glasses of French Champagne which was delivered to their suite every day at 5:30.  If you could get that room service order on a mass market line you would likely pay over $100 per day (price out Caviar on a mass market ship).

 

Your cost question is actually a great topic.  Some of my cruising friends and I have discussed the merits of a high-end suite on a nice mass market ship (such as the new Celebrity vessels) vs a regular suite on a luxury line vs some of the ship within a ship concepts (i.e. Haven Suites on NCL, Yacht Club on MSC, etc).  Personally I like all the options :).  The variety is fun and keeps cruising very fresh and interesting.  

 

Hank

Hank, I have to admit  that we have never looked at Seabourn to compare. We have compared Regent and Crystal and found them to be more in the $800 to $1000 per person per night. I may need to look at Seabourne now.

 

You do have one error above the Celebrity Suites all come with the Premium Drinks Package and enough OBC to book specialty restaurants. We got off the Equinox last year in a Sky Suite with a $0 balance owed, a first for us. The only charge we had to pay was the onboard booking of our Apex cruise next year, the OB deposit was $200.

[Mark_K]

1 hour ago, bookitdanno said:

Refresh my memory, what's the typical per day charge for Seaborne and Silverseas in a balcony?

I don’t know about Seabourn, but Silversea only has suites.  It’s been a few years, but our last Silversea cruise in a Veranda Suite was about the same per day as our last Celebrity cruise in a Sky Suite.

 

Edited June 12, 2022 by Mark_K

[Hlitner]

Just now, terrydtx said:

Hank, I have to admit  that we have never looked at Seabourn to compare. We have compared Regent and Crystal and found them to be more in the $800 to $1000 per person per night. I may need to look at Seabourne now.

 

You do have one error above the Celebrity Suites all come with the Premium Drinks Package and enough OBC to book specialty restaurants. We got off the Equinox last year in a Sky Suite with a $0 balance owed, a first for us. The only charge we had to pay was the onboard booking of our Apex cruise next year, the OB deposit was $200.

We only cruised on Crystal one time, thought it was an excellent product, but did not think it was a good value.  But our friends who were big Crystal fans would disagree.  We have never tried Regent and I admit that their pricing is the reason.  But Regent fans will point out that the line generally includes excursions, and sometimes even Business Class air.   Two guys we know who generally cruise on Seabourn and Oceania gave Regent a try just before the COVID Pandemic.   They were somewhat disappointed.  Many of the folks we have met on Seabourn also cruise Silverseas and now you will find a lot of "Crystal Refugees" on Seabourn.  But we seldom meet folks that talk about Regent.  

 

I do think that the small ship luxury lines are not for everyone!  You certainly do not have some of the amenities found on the mega ships and daytime activities may not meet the expectations of those that love all that group stuff.  To us, much of the charm is in the socialization.    As a general rule the folks we have met on Seabourn are friendly, interesting, and great company.   Prior to this COVID mess there was also a lot of socialization between the senior crew, entertainers, and the passengers.  All that was curbed because of COVID but that is temporary change.  When we cruised in the Greek Islands last summer (14 days) on different nights we dined with the Captain, Staff Captain, Chief Engineer, Assistant CD, and several of the entertainers.  These were all at relatively small tables (with the Captain there were just 4 of us) and all these folks had interesting life stories.   Seabourn calls these "hosted tables" and anyone can just let the hostess know that they are open to invitations...and they take care of the rest.  We really missed this on our recent (March-April) cruise but understood that the company wanted to minimize contact between passengers and crew because of COVID.  And yes, we did have a fair number of COVID cases on that 27 day voyage (they got quarantined in a suite for 7 days).

 

Hank

[terrydtx]

16 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

We only cruised on Crystal one time, thought it was an excellent product, but did not think it was a good value.  But our friends who were big Crystal fans would disagree.  We have never tried Regent and I admit that their pricing is the reason.  But Regent fans will point out that the line generally includes excursions, and sometimes even Business Class air.   Two guys we know who generally cruise on Seabourn and Oceania gave Regent a try just before the COVID Pandemic.   They were somewhat disappointed.  Many of the folks we have met on Seabourn also cruise Silverseas and now you will find a lot of "Crystal Refugees" on Seabourn.  But we seldom meet folks that talk about Regent.  

 

I do think that the small ship luxury lines are not for everyone!  You certainly do not have some of the amenities found on the mega ships and daytime activities may not meet the expectations of those that love all that group stuff.  To us, much of the charm is in the socialization.    As a general rule the folks we have met on Seabourn are friendly, interesting, and great company.   Prior to this COVID mess there was also a lot of socialization between the senior crew, entertainers, and the passengers.  All that was curbed because of COVID but that is temporary change.  When we cruised in the Greek Islands last summer (14 days) on different nights we dined with the Captain, Staff Captain, Chief Engineer, Assistant CD, and several of the entertainers.  These were all at relatively small tables (with the Captain there were just 4 of us) and all these folks had interesting life stories.   Seabourn calls these "hosted tables" and anyone can just let the hostess know that they are open to invitations...and they take care of the rest.  We really missed this on our recent (March-April) cruise but understood that the company wanted to minimize contact between passengers and crew because of COVID.  And yes, we did have a fair number of COVID cases on that 27 day voyage (they got quarantined in a suite for 7 days).

 

Hank

We had sailed on Oceania pre Covid and loved the product but after we sailed in the Retreat with Celebrity we found the Retreat to be a much better value than Oceania. We looked at Viking Ocean cruises, but their policy of final payment 12 months out or upon booking scared us away. I wouldn't give any cruise line $14,000 of my money to hold for a year. Based on your experience and insight, I will this week take a look at some Seabourn cruises to compare them to our booked Retreat cruises.

[Guppy99]

7 hours ago, terrydtx said:

If you want to experience real nickel and diming, sail on HAL. Our last HAL cruise will be this August on a 14 day Greek cruise. After looking at the app for our cruise in the MDR, there are addon charges for a Shrimp cocktail ($8.50) everyday and a lobster tail ($10) on the Gala night it is offered. Note Celebrity does not charge for either, yet. The Standard drink package is capped at $11 per drink, but if you order any drink over $11 you will pay the FULL price not the difference in cost like Celebrity. HAL has a very limited room service menu and they charge addons for many items that are free on Celebrity like a hamburger or hot dog.

they probably don't charge for the burger or dog, but charge for the ketchup and mustard (joking). Like buying a car and having to pay extra to get a steering wheel.

[terrydtx]

1 minute ago, Guppy99 said:

they probably don't charge for the burger or dog, but charge for the ketchup and mustard (joking). Like buying a car and having to pay extra to get a steering wheel.

The HAL app shows the burgers and hot dogs from Dive-In are $4.95 per item on Room service.

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

We had sailed on Oceania pre Covid and loved the product but after we sailed in the Retreat with Celebrity we found the Retreat to be a much better value than Oceania. We looked at Viking Ocean cruises, but their policy of final payment 12 months out or upon booking scared us away. I wouldn't give any cruise line $14,000 of my money to hold for a year. Based on your experience and insight, I will this week take a look at some Seabourn cruises to compare them to our booked Retreat cruises.

We are interested in Celebrity's Retreat but when we looked at a possible cruise the sticker shock gave us pause.  We used to be very big fans of X until LLP started what I call her "death by a thousand cut-backs,"   But their Retreat concept has our interest and will likely be somewhere in our future plans.

 

Hank

[mfs2k]

Curious what the average passenger age is on a Celebrity cruise compared to Seabourn, Silverseas, Crystal, and Regent. (Similar itinerary).

[LGW59]

6 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

Curious what the average passenger age is on a Celebrity cruise compared to Seabourn, Silverseas, Crystal, and Regent. (Similar itinerary).

The latter four could open a retirement home on their ships

[hcat]

Extra charge for late night service seems fair...other hrs you can get what you want,,maybe save a few goodies for late night! 

 

A late night cafe  ( one window in the buffet for lite snacks ) would be great too but not  happening in tight times!