Is Carnival really going to….

[TRAYSEE]

take away the FREE room service and make every cost $$$ at a la cart prices (with the exception of continental breakers still being free? 

[Crismess669]

I’m trying to wrap my mind around Carnival charging actual money for a really hard sandwich of a mysterious origin, but I’m coming up blank.

Edited September 15, 2022 by Crismess669

[Guest BasicSailor]

 I think there still will be a few items that remain free. But you can take this check to the bank and cash it. There will be more paid food items / products coming.

[LadyMac72]

Just get a free sandwich from the deli and take it back to your room. Problem solved. 

[groundloop]

To be honest I think this is a good move by Carnival.  

 

For starters, if I really really really want to stay in my cabin and avoid going to Lido I'll be willing to pay a few dollars for the privilege.

 

I've also read that Carnival is trying to cut down on food waste, and this seems like an excellent start to that.  I've seen far too much wasted food sitting on room service trays in the hallway.  I don't blame them a bit for trying to put a dent in this problem.

[knagl]

3 hours ago, TRAYSEE said:

[Is Carnival really going to....] take away the FREE room service and make every cost $$$ at a la cart prices (with the exception of continental breakers still being free? 

 

Yes, they are. Previously discussed here:

 

 

 

 

3 hours ago, BasicSailor said:

 I think there still will be a few items that remain free. But you can take this check to the bank and cash it. There will be more paid food items / products coming.

 

The only items that will be free are selected breakfast items during breakfast hours only. Outside of breakfast, all food selections will be fee-based.

[pc_load_letter]

Wife and I were talking about this the other day.

 

I think CCL management probably just looked long and hard at a number of aspects like food costs and labor costs and figured room service is just a loss leader. Sure, a few balcony folks like eating bfast or coffee or whatever and having food delivered.

 

But really, it takes what, five minutes for a guest to go to the buffet. Whereas it takes probably no less than a half dozen people for a room service trip and clean up. I don't mind if room service went away all together.

[shof515]

ive been on over 20+ cruises on multiple cruise lines and i never used room service. any i the only odd one? this room service change will have no effect on me

[asalligo]

Yes and eventually they will remove all free room service. This has been their plan for years and we would probably already be at that point if not for Covid. I would say 1.5 to 2 years, no more free room service at all. 

 

 

[DallasGuy75219]

9 hours ago, LadyMac72 said:

Just get a free sandwich from the deli and take it back to your room. Problem solved. 

Based on recent posts, expect to wait in a 30 minute line for said sandwich. Or longer now that there will be more demand with complimentary room service gone. 

[DallasGuy75219]

1 hour ago, shof515 said:

ive been on over 20+ cruises on multiple cruise lines and i never used room service. any i the only odd one? this room service change will have no effect on me

And I've been on 65 cruises and do use it from time to time.  So let's find the onboard amenity or activity that you like but I don't use/attend, then when it gets cut I'll call it a first world problem and insinuate you're petty for complaining🙄

[Bostwick girl]

Guess I’m the oddball here since I do use room service. I enjoyed putting my card out the night before to have my coffee and danish for DH delivered at 6 am since we are early risers. I always chose between 6 and 6:30 and it was usually around 6:10 which was great! I now call when I get up and so far have only waited about 20 minutes. If they were to do away with it, I’d have to get up, get dressed then go up to Lido with our cups to get coffee and go back to the room. Not a big deal nor a deal breaker, but it’s just a part of my cruise that I’ve always enjoyed. The August 29 cruise we were on was the first time we ever ordered lunch from Room Service, it was good, and was good for us in that circumstance as DH had back issues and could hardly walk for the entire 4 days.

 

[ninjacat123]

I hope trays will be provided on Lido so if one wants to bring food and drink for more than one person back to the room, they can.  My past waitressing skills were put to the test when I wanted to surprise my DDs with breakfast in bed and no trays were available.

[mz-s]

1.5 to 2 years? I think the continental breakfast delivery will be toast (pardon the pun) by the end of the year.

[mz-s]

41 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

I hope trays will be provided on Lido so if one wants to bring food and drink for more than one person back to the room, they can.  My past waitressing skills were put to the test when I wanted to surprise my DDs with breakfast in bed and no trays were available.

 

Carnival stopped providing trays on Lido years ago. I don't expect they'll return.

[DallasGuy75219]

9 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

Carnival stopped providing trays on Lido years ago. I don't expect they'll return.

Exactly. Providing trays brings back one of costs they were looking to cut (collection of trays from rooms and hallways) and increases the likelihood of people bringing Lido plates back to their rooms (which in turn leads to more plates to clear from rooms and hallways).

 

If they're looking to increase sales of paid room service, they're certainly not going to cannibalize those sales by making it easier to bring back complimentary food from the Lido.

[ShakyBeef]

46 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

I hope trays will be provided on Lido so if one wants to bring food and drink for more than one person back to the room, they can.  My past waitressing skills were put to the test when I wanted to surprise my DDs with breakfast in bed and no trays were available.

 

Thank you for reminding me!  THIS is what I come to the Carnival CC boards for!  This is a cutback for which I need to DIY a workaround, now.  For years, after the Lido trays disappeared from other Carnival ships, my Baltimore-ported Pride still had them, so I didn't have to worry about packing my own tray.  But just now, thanks to your post, I bought this:

 

..and will be bringing it on my next cruise.  All of my serving trays at home are heavy - either silverplate or wood.  This one is lightweight, sanitizable melamine.  One more thing for my considerable luggage.🤪🤭

 

 

[mz-s]

40 minutes ago, ShakyBeef said:

 

Thank you for reminding me!  THIS is what I come to the Carnival CC boards for!  This is a cutback for which I need to DIY a workaround, now.  For years, after the Lido trays disappeared from other Carnival ships, my Baltimore-ported Pride still had them, so I didn't have to worry about packing my own tray.  But just now, thanks to your post, I bought this:

 

..and will be bringing it on my next cruise.  All of my serving trays at home are heavy - either silverplate or wood.  This one is lightweight, sanitizable melamine.  One more thing for my considerable luggage.🤪🤭

 

 

 

At least you won't have to pack your own butter anymore!

[ShakyBeef]

1 minute ago, mz-s said:

 

At least you won't have to pack your own butter anymore!

 

Yes, thanks for letting me know about the reversal of that cutback.  Are you certain, though, that real butter, individually wrapped has come back fleetwide?  I'd hate to get onboard and discover I was on a margarine crock cruise.

[mz-s]

Just now, ShakyBeef said:

 

Yes, thanks for letting me know about the reversal of that cutback.  Are you certain, though, that real butter, individually wrapped has come back fleetwide?  I'd hate to get onboard and discover I was on a margarine crock cruise.

 

It is not individually wrapped. It is a small pat of butter served in a small stainless steel sauce cup.

 

It tasted like butter to me. It did not taste like margarine. I like to think I can tell the difference.

[pc_load_letter]

12 hours ago, LadyMac72 said:

Just get a free sandwich from the deli and take it back to your room. Problem solved. 

 

Yup! And if breakfast, get up and make a plate. Buffet only really gets busy around 9am.

 

I guess my wife and I don't understand the desire to be in your room. I am paying to be on a cruise. If I wanted to sit in a hotel room I could do that at home.

[ShakyBeef]

6 minutes ago, pc_load_letter said:

 

Yup! And if breakfast, get up and make a plate. Buffet only really gets busy around 9am.

 

I guess my wife and I don't understand the desire to be in your room. I am paying to be on a cruise. If I wanted to sit in a hotel room I could do that at home.

 

Maybe it depends on the type of cabin you book?  I am also paying to be on a cruise.  A significant part of my cruise enjoyment comes from being able to escape the sometimes obnoxious crowds and retreat to the comfort and relative peace of my balcony, or even my bed with the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto my balcony.  My "hotel room" is a fairly spacious Suite, with a large balcony, a table at which to eat my Room Service food, and a jetted tub in which my DH loves to relax, eating his Room Service sandwich while drinking a beer.  And my "hotel room" moves along the Sea, providing me with a dynamic view and experience as I relax in its private comfort.  We enjoy the luxury and convenience of having food delivered to us in said "hotel room".  Also, I avoid buffets like the plague, so Room Service is an appealing onboard food option for us.

 

But, if my "hotel room" on the ship were an Interior (which it will never, ever be), I would not want to "sit in it".  There is no appeal to me to sitting in a dark little box with no view of the water.  So I can see your point for that type of cabin.

 

Different people enjoy their cruises in different ways.  And we can all be on the same ship, on the same cruise, having drastically different but very enjoyable cruises. 

[pc_load_letter]

4 minutes ago, ShakyBeef said:

 

Maybe it depends on the type of cabin you book?  I am also paying to be on a cruise.  A significant part of my cruise enjoyment comes from being able to escape the sometimes obnoxious crowds and retreat to the comfort and relative peace of my balcony, or even my bed with the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto my balcony.  My "hotel room" is a fairly spacious Suite, with a large balcony, a table at which to eat my Room Service food, and a jetted tub in which my DH loves to relax, eating his Room Service sandwich while drinking a beer.  And my "hotel room" moves along the Sea, providing me with a dynamic view and experience as I relax in its private comfort.  We enjoy the luxury and convenience of having food delivered to us in said "hotel room".  Also, I avoid buffets like the plague, so Room Service is an appealing onboard food option for us.

 

But, if my "hotel room" on the ship were an Interior (which it will never, ever be), I would not want to "sit in it".  There is no appeal to me to sitting in a dark little box with no view of the water.  So I can see your point for that type of cabin.

 

Different people enjoy their cruises in different ways.  And we can all be on the same ship, on the same cruise, having drastically different but very enjoyable cruises. 

 

Meh, sitting in a room on a cruise is a waste, suite or not.

[mz-s]

36 minutes ago, pc_load_letter said:

 

Yup! And if breakfast, get up and make a plate. Buffet only really gets busy around 9am.

 

I guess my wife and I don't understand the desire to be in your room. I am paying to be on a cruise. If I wanted to sit in a hotel room I could do that at home.

 

One of the things everyone learns in life, sooner than later for some, is that everyone is different. You have yet to learn that lesson I see.

[Crismess669]

37 minutes ago, pc_load_letter said:

 

Yup! And if breakfast, get up and make a plate. Buffet only really gets busy around 9am.

 

I guess my wife and I don't understand the desire to be in your room. I am paying to be on a cruise. If I wanted to sit in a hotel room I could do that at home.

Do you know who desires to drink coffee in their cabin before dealing with other humans? It’s me. Getting up and making a plate involves waiting in long lines and dealing with people before getting caffeine, then trying to get back to the cabin with a plate, silverware and cup while trying not to scald yourself. It can easily take an hour. Not everybody is equipped for that life.