In room Ice?

[jphks]

I have tried using the search and it isn't working.

 

Is there a way to have ice in our suite in the evenings?

[kcdancerkc]

What we do, is as soon as we board, and find out steward, we tip them a bit up front

and ask that we have Ice 2x day   : )

[CruiserBruce]

Just ask your cabin guys. Simple as that.

[Red Haired Lady]

I always ask for ice twice a day.  And I keep the bucket in the refrigerator so the ice lasts longer.  Persoally, I feel this is part of the service for which I am already paying a daily gratuity.  At least it alway has been.  

[VMax1700]

15 minutes ago, kcdancerkc said:

What we do, is as soon as we board, and find out steward, we tip them a bit up front

and ask that we have Ice 2x day   : )

We don't 'tip a bit up front' nor do we specifically ask, but always, always, ice is delivered twice a day.

It is part of the service and adequately covered by the daily 'Crew Appreciation/Hotel Service' charge.

[poinsettiaplate]

If you require a full bucket, be sure to say so.  I have found that sometimes I only get a partial one.  And, yes, keeping it in the frig works great.  You just to need to ask your room steward to remove all the for-sale items to give you room.

[Mary229]

I put it on the comment card they give you when you first arrive in your room.  It is now on the app too.  The app has a lot of request options - more hangers, more ice, extension cord and others. 
 

I now simply empty out the fridge and place the contents into a drawer.  I return them to the fridge when I leave

Edited August 28, 2022 by Mary229

[Crusin-Suzan]

We bring a soft sided cooler with a large plastic bag onboard and ask steward to fill it every morning and night!   We always give them a 20 when we ask!   Plus more as cruise goes!

 

 

 

 

[kdakda]

We use a lot of ice for soda and water and always request AM and PM ice.............. it's almost silly to see the tiny little ice buckets provided on the ships we've been on.   We splurged on a Neptune Suite upsell a couple years ago and were given TWO of the tiny little ice buckets.    🙂

[*Miss G*]

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

 

I now simply empty out the fridge and place the contents into a drawer.  I return them to the fridge when I leave

 

Doesn’t that cause an issue when In-Room Bar Service comes to take stock/replenish or do you let the room stewards know in advance?

[Chickadee910]

We have the mini bar emptied the first thing. Have not problem . Even sent a message last cruise to guest services I think and it was empty when we got to our room.

[CruiserBruce]

22 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Doesn’t that cause an issue when In-Room Bar Service comes to take stock/replenish or do you let the room stewards know in advance?

Nope, never has for us.

[*Miss G*]

19 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Nope, never has for us.

 

You also hide the beverages in a drawer and haven’t had charges appear on your account?  I know I’ve had the bar steward empty it (by request via the room steward) but there are times when I’ve left it and they have come in to do inventory and replenish and the charge appears on my bill.

[CruiserBruce]

12 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

You also hide the beverages in a drawer and haven’t had charges appear on your account?  I know I’ve had the bar steward empty it (by request via the room steward) but there are times when I’ve left it and they have come in to do inventory and replenish and the charge appears on my bill.

No, WE don't hide the fridge contents. We let the cabin attendants do it.

 

On our most recent cruise,  we had the drink package,  so we figured we didn't need to empty the fridge. But we did stockpile a couple waters and a couple diet cokes. On morning we suddenly discovered about half the pre-stocked items were missing from the fridge. We talked to our cabin guys and discovered they have removed expired items. No problem,  but had us concerned for a few minutes.

[Crew News]

As noted in above posts, the little ice buckets in the rooms are just too small.  For several years, I asked my Room Steward to bring a champagne bucket with ice and wrap the bucket in a towel to control any sweating.  A dinner plate under the bucket and one on top kept the ice cold for a long time. 

 

In 2021, I began cruising with a collapsible, insulated, cooler that only needs filling every two days.  It does not sweat or require daily refilling.  Canned warm sodas can be quickly chilled in the cooler ice.  Canned beverages stay a lot colder when surrounded by ice.  Using Ziploc bags, one may keep refrigerated foods chilled on larger plates than will fit in the minibar.  Some medications require colder temperatures than the minibar can provide but an ice-filled cooler can.  Lots of available ice enhances entertaining friends on your balcony.

 

FWIW several years ago, I used an infrared thermometer to measure the temp of sodas stored in my minibar.  38-degrees in the back of the minibar and 43-degrees in the door. Items in an ice-filled, collapsible cooler should be just a bit above 32 degrees.

Edited August 28, 2022 by Crew News

[Mary229]

11 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Doesn’t that cause an issue when In-Room Bar Service comes to take stock/replenish or do you let the room stewards know in advance?

No, it has not.  It was how I was instructed to do so many cruises ago.  Everything is removed including the desktop water and order cards.  They seem to know that I didn’t clean out the mini bar between embarkation and first night dinner.  If it is a long cruise and I have no spare drawers I will have them completely remove it from the room. 

[StLouisCruisers]

12 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

 

You also hide the beverages in a drawer and haven’t had charges appear on your account?  I know I’ve had the bar steward empty it (by request via the room steward) but there are times when I’ve left it and they have come in to do inventory and replenish and the charge appears on my bill.

 

We do the same as you do.  We would never remove items and hold them until end of cruise to return.  The steward, room service,  or someone has to be informed we don't want the items left in the refrigerator, so that we don't end up with any charges.  They handle the removal for us.

[julia]

It would be SO easy for HAL to simply ASK if you want the minibar stocked prior to your cruise (like bed configuration? dining time? options) and save the hassle.  I have NEVER wanted or even used the minibar in 20+ years of cruising, (and yet there always seems to be that one charge that shows up!)

I will definitely have ours emptied and removed for our 35 nts on the Kdam.

[*Miss G*]

3 hours ago, Mary229 said:

They seem to know that I didn’t clean out the mini bar between embarkation and first night dinner.

 

My question seems to have put you on the defensive.  I was genuinely curious.  That’s all.

[MogeyMan]

20 hours ago, Crusin-Suzan said:

We bring a soft sided cooler with a large plastic bag onboard and ask steward to fill it every morning and night!   We always give them a 20 when we ask!   Plus more as cruise goes!

Exactly us. I let the stewards know first day & seal the deal with a $20. Keep the cooler on my balcony.

20 hours ago, Crusin-Suzan said:

 

 

 

 

 

[Mary229]

9 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

 

My question seems to have put you on the defensive.  I was genuinely curious.  That’s all.

Not at all.  Should have used a 😉

[tensixmom]

Newbie question:  Do all rooms have a mini bar or just certain ones?  (We are not interested in having one).

[Mary229]

21 minutes ago, tensixmom said:

Newbie question:  Do all rooms have a mini bar or just certain ones?  (We are not interested in having one).

All have some sort of minibar.  When we say minibar we simply mean a selection of beverages left in the room. Like a hotel they come at a cost.  This discussion has lots of ideas on minibar removal. 

[tensixmom]

4 hours ago, Mary229 said:

All have some sort of minibar.  When we say minibar we simply mean a selection of beverages left in the room. Like a hotel they come at a cost.  This discussion has lots of ideas on minibar removal. 

Thank you!  Just trying to know what to expect.