Food that is NOT FREE

[TexasMel]

I understand the dining room, room service and the buffet is all free. Does that mean any of the other food establishments charge?

 

Also, I've read that the drinks they offer at the time you set sail are for a fee. How do they scan your card if you're not at the bar?

[Cruisenouvelle]

on the cruise line. Most have specialty (really high-end) restaurants that assess a per-person cover charge. Another example- the specialty coffees on Celebrity's Cova Cafe's cost extra.

If you accept a drink from a roving bartender, you will sign for it, just as if you're signing for a credit card purchase. Another good reason to keep your seapass card w/ you at all times.

Happy cruising...!

[SandyW]

Carnival also has a bakery of sorts for sale where it sells it's specialty coffee.

Outside of that and the Supper Club with the $30/pp charge...I can't think of any other food that costs "extra". (with the possible exception of lunch during an excursion)

[kitty9]

Some cruise lines charge for premium ice cream. Others have a Johnny Rockets restaurant that costs extra.

[Happy ks]

Absolutely none of the food is free on a cruise, you have pre-paid for it in the way of your cruise fare. There are very few things that have an added charge. Specialty dining, coffee (if you buy a specialty coffee, the pastries are usually no charge then) and ice cream (except the soft serve machines at the pool, those are included in your cruise price) come to mind. Sometimes there is a sushi bar. I think on some lines, like RCI, they charge a small fee to eat in Johnny Rockets.

 

But, these are all choices and you will know prior to getting these items that there is a charge for them, with the exception of the drinks on trays when you board, there really is no "surprise, this costs extra!". So don't worry that you'll be caught off guard with having to pay a fee you weren't expecting.

 

BTW, the specialty restaurants can be well worth the extra charge. The typical food allowance for each cruise pax on a mass market line is far lower than people think it is (something like $12-15 per day/pp). So $20-30 extra for a dinner that would cost upwards of $50-75 on a land based restaurant is a great deal. I'm figuring if you were to order all courses on land, appetizer, salad, entree and dessert. But, while some enjoy fine foods and can tell a difference between the dining room food and specialty dining, there is absolutely nothing wrong with sticking with just the main dining room.

[zeitgeist]

Beware: Sea air makes the clothes shrink!

 

On a cruise, you can eat all day (and night) without extra charge. Try to avoid eating as much as you can just because all food is included in your cruise fare.

 

Some people like to order two entrees for dinner, in addition to appetizer, soup, salad and dessert (my sons did). And go afterwards to the buffet restaurant, before having the midnight snack. In between you can help yourself with cabin service.

 

Next morning, before dawn, the early bird breakfast, and after that, the later risers breakfast. A hamburger at the pool, and then lunch. After lunch some icecream and a little later pastry. Some sushi as appetizers before dinner and then hurry for the dining room...

[Cotton]

It helps us answer questions if we know which cruiseline... Here's something I posted awhile back about Carnival:

 

Beverages included in the cost of your cruise:

 

Lido buffet area - Iced tea, hot water & tea bags, coffee, decaf, hot chocolate, juice varieties, water, lemonade, fruitpunch. On buffet, milk, skim milk, chocolate milk.

 

Dining room - Iced tea, hot tea, coffee, water, decaf, milk, chocolate milk, juices, espresso and cappuccino.

 

Room service - MOST of the beverages that are available on Lido, but not lemonade or fruitpunch.

 

Food included in the cost of your cruise:

 

All meals in the dining room, Lido buffet, as well as the pizzeria, deli, salad bars, ice cream and frozen yogurt machines, room service.

 

Pizzeria and room service available 24 hrs. a day.

 

Sometimes they have a MakeYourOwn Sundae bar on Lido Deck.

 

'Tea Time' on sea day afternoons has hot tea, coffee, tea sandwiches, scones, petite fours, etc.

 

The Captain's Cocktail party has hors d'oeuvres, as well as cocktails.

 

No extra charge for any of the above.:)

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 26th, 2006 06:58 AM

[Nliedel]

I understand the dining room, room service and the buffet is all free. Does that mean any of the other food establishments charge?

 

Also, I've read that the drinks they offer at the time you set sail are for a fee. How do they scan your card if you're not at the bar?

 

On most lines the free sailaway champagne/rum punch, etc has gone the way of the dodo. No one has had that for a long time, now. The last time I experienced it, was on the Sovereign of the Seas in 2001.

 

As for free food. One of the things that people often don't think about is that none of the food is free. Most food is included in the price, but it's not free. Not that it's either here, nor there, but I do like to point that out. Food is not a gift from the cruiselines to the passengers. You did pay for it and you should get good food. Keeping in mind, that it's banquet style food.

 

There are up-charges on several lines for specialty restaurants. Each line has their own and they are almost all quite good and worth the upcharge. On most lines room service is free, sometimes whole pizzas are more.