Is this the beginning of a new trend?

[MadManOfBethesda]

Royal Caribbean has instituted a $3.95 service charge for room service orders delivered between midnight and 5:00 a.m. However, it does include a tip which means that it won't be much of a change (if any) for those passengers who tip for room service anyway. Nevertheless, i wonder if this is just the beginning of a new nickle-and-dime way of generating revenue, and one that will end up being expanded to all hours and to other cruise lines.

 

And let me stipulate at the beginning of this thread that I understand that most passengers (espacially on HAL) don't order room service between those hours. That should obviate the need for pages of posts from people to state that they are asleep during those hours or otherwise would not be affected by the change.)

[the_dylaness]

I hope not.

 

Although I don't frequent the RCCL boards, the few times I have been over there I've gathered that a lot of people are upset about the steak upsell surcharge in the dining room. There is even one person on CC who apparently cancelled their RCCL cruises in protest.

 

I think nickle-and-diming is sadly becoming the wave of the future in mass market cruising. Now, I know that the cruiselines are in business to make money and I can't say they're wrong for doing that. But there ARE certain things that one expects to be included in their fare, and in my book, that includes 24-hour-room-service (gratis, with the obvious exception of a tip.) My expectations also include chocolate milk for adults and cranberry juice (both of which are now being charged for on Princess- I don't even like chocolate milk but I think it's clearly a non-soda non-alcoholic beverage so why does it cost extra?)

 

Will upscale toppings on pizza start being extra? What about extra visits to the Lido (sir, I see this is your third time visiting us today... that'll be $5). I don't mean to sound alarmist as there are surely more important things in the world to worry about, but this IS a cruise forum.

 

As I haven't sailed HAL yet (soon!) I can't say what level of nickel and diming I felt them to have onboard, but I know that I hope it's not much.

 

I think there is clearly a difference in charging for extra services (craft classes involving lots of materials, alcoholic beverages, etc) and charging for things that used to be included (choc milk, early AM room service.)

 

Is RCCL trying to make money with the $4 charge or trying to dissuade people from ordering so late (early?)

 

I can see this being a big hassle for them----

 

"Well my ROOM clock says 11:59"

"I ordered at 4:30 and it didn't come until 5:05 so I shouldn't have to pay"

"I was mistakenly charged for a room service order we put in at 7pm"

"If I put in the order at 3am for a 6am breakfast, do I have to pay?"

 

YIKES!

[Akheila]

I think we are in for a bunch of little charges, here and there. but I fear with so many little charges here and there...there won't be enough complaints for the lines to take notice.

 

3.95 for certain service hours, is only likely the begining:rolleyes:.

[lettienets]

Royal Caribbean has instituted a $3.95 service charge for room service orders delivered between midnight and 5:00 a.m......)

 

At least on HAL there is still a small buffet in the Lido between 11 and 12 am. On RCI they got rid of the late night buffet and so people are probably ordering more room service. They have more late night entertainment and people are probably hungry. They only give out small snacks in the bar instead of the old buffet. On the megaships there are snacks on the Promenade till 2am.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I really don't think that will happen on HAL any time soon.

Especially if they still offer the snack buffet from 11 - Midnight where people can eat as much as they want to get them through the night until it is time for breakfast -- which usually starts at 6 AM -- Continental.

[DFD1]

It would not surprise me if this creeps across the entire industry over time, especially if RCCL can get by with it.

 

I would expect all the other carriers are watching this carefully and will act according to the reaction from passengers on RCCL.

 

IMO, in order to keep basic cruise fares as low as possible, the carriers are relying more and more on income from on-board spending. For those who do not spend very much while on board, that's a benefit. For others, it's obviously and additional unwelcome expense.

[Philip217]

Room service is a sore subject on ships.

 

Cruise Lines do not like to have people eating in their cabins.

Food gets dropped and spilled everywhere, inviting insects and illness.

Trays of dirty dishes in corridors are a safety hazard in an emergency.

 

People who order room service spend less money than those who eat in the dining rooms.

 

Most of you may have noticed that your cabin is not really large enough to have a proper meal there anyway.

 

Cruise line room service departments do not have the proper equipment to keep hot food hot and cold food cold.

They also do not have sufficient manpower to serve the food properly.

 

Room Service is one of the areas that receives the highest number of complaints.

 

The US Public Health Service does not like room service on ships.

They insist that we maintain strict time and temperature controls on all food served onboard ships. But once it is delivered to your cabin, we cannot control it. There are too many idiots out there who order somethig like potato salad and let it sit in the sun on their balcony for a few hours before eating it. Then they get food poisoning and blame the cruise line

 

Once the families and teens learn that room service is free of charge, they are calling every few minutes for cookies, sandwiches, pizza, juices, ice - and everything else you can imagine - keeping the room service telephone lines busy every hour. This means that someone who really wants to have a room service meal in the cabin can rarely get through to order. And even if they do get through, delivery time is far too long, as the room service staff is so busy delivering cookies and pizza to every teen on the ship.

 

So how do the cruise lines solve these problems?

They add a delivery charge.

It works just like the cover charge in the specialty restaurants.

 

The serious cruisers pay the charge and are satisfied with a better product.

The tire kickers and cheap charlies make other arrangements.

 

Is this the beginning of a trend?

Definitely not.

The trend started many years ago when cover charges were added for specialty restaurants.

But this is also not the end of the trend.

Other cruise lines will follow before long.

In a few years you will have to pay for room service deliveries at any time of the day or night.

[CowPrincess]

Nevertheless, i wonder if this is just the beginning of a new nickle-and-dime way of generating revenue, and one that will end up being expanded to all hours and to other cruise lines.

 

I think it IS the beginning of a trend. And I'll be happy to pay the $3.95 including tip any time I order room service, if that's what it takes to maintain the kind of crew, ship and overall cruise experience I've become accustomed to. It's a bargain, especially if one usually tips the room service steward. And no one is forcing me to order room service, so the "cost" or lack thereof is entirely up to me.

 

Now for the parents who leave their kids in the room unattended, with unlimited access to the room service menu and the phone, this might not be such a great thing :D

[sail7seas]

We have room service breakfast almost every morning and our orders arrive hot and cold as appropriate. HAL is using keep hot plate holders beneath hot omelletes etc and the food is as hot as would be if served to us in the dining room. Yes, we tip each morning so if they start to charge us for our room service breakfast, it will not be costing us anything more. That is something that matters to us in our cruise enjoyment. There are so many things on ships we don't care about but we very much care to have our breakfast served in our cabin. If they stopped offering it, we would be unhappy about it.

 

Maybe that will turn into another amenity included in the higher cost of suites? No additional charge for room service breakfast?? :shrug:

[MadManOfBethesda]

Is this the beginning of a trend?

Definitely not.

The trend started many years ago when cover charges were added for specialty restaurants.

But this is also not the end of the trend.

Other cruise lines will follow before long.

 

In a few years you will have to pay for room service deliveries at any time of the day or night.

 

That sure sounds like a trend to me. :D

[the_dylaness]

Once the families and teens learn that room service is free of charge, they are calling every few minutes for cookies, sandwiches, pizza, juices, ice - and everything else you can imagine - keeping the room service telephone lines busy every hour. This means that someone who really wants to have a room service meal in the cabin can rarely get through to order. And even if they do get through, delivery time is far too long, as the room service staff is so busy delivering cookies and pizza to every teen on the ship.

 

I think it is a bit unfair to pin room service woes on families and teenagers. They are as equally entitled to room service as any other passenger on the ship--- whether or not they actually order more or less than couples traveling solo I have no idea and wouldn't really know how to figure that out for sure.

 

DH and I order room service at least once but rarely twice almost every day during a cruise. Are we using this service more than we should be? Are we contributing to the downfall of room service? Will I start getting dirty looks from fellow cruisers who have seen the coffee carafes and fruit plate remnants removed from my room?

[cruz chic]

I

DH and I order room service at least once but rarely twice almost every day during a cruise. Are we using this service more than we should be? Are we contributing to the downfall of room service? Will I start getting dirty looks from fellow cruisers who have seen the coffee carafes and fruit plate remnants removed from my room?

That seems like a lot of room service to me. I might not be the best guage however. In my 152 sea days with HAL I've ordered room service once:D. It was very good and everything that was supposed to be hot was. I'm in the cheap seats so I like to see the light of day with meals. I think this is why I haven't ordered it more.

[Felizcruiser08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Philip217

Once the families and teens learn that room service is free of charge, they are calling every few minutes for cookies, sandwiches, pizza, juices, ice - and everything else you can imagine - keeping the room service telephone lines busy every hour. This means that someone who really wants to have a room service meal in the cabin can rarely get through to order. And even if they do get through, delivery time is far too long, as the room service staff is so busy delivering cookies and pizza to every teen on the ship. end quote ""

I took my cues from the information that CC members provided about tipping for the complimentary room service. Princess charges the going rate so I did what was suggested with Holland America.

We had breakfast and /or coffee delivered to our stateroom almost every morning, and We DID tip - on average for breakfast for my son- $3.00 , if my DH and I ordered a meal to share we tipped more, and if just coffee $2.00.

We also tipped our wonderful room stewards a total of $100 as they did a spectacular job. We also tipped Club HAL staff - though my DS only used it a few hours in the evening and during sea days. We tipped others as well.

We were on the holiday cruise and I do not recall waiting more than a few minutes for a call to room service- never encountered busy phone lines.

 

I cannot speak for other families and their ordering and tipping habits, and I do not understand how others can either.

[gizmo]

I have been wondering just how long Hal will continue with the room service menu they currently offer since it is one of the best. It wouldn't surprise me to see it cut back to match what other cruise lines offer.

 

As far as a service charge for room service, I believe it is not far off.

[CowPrincess]

I think it is a bit unfair to pin room service woes on families and teenagers. They are as equally entitled to room service as any other passenger on the ship

 

The next time you're told "We are very busy right now, your order will be there in 1 to 1 1/2 hours", you may not feel the same. As well, while everyone is welcome to use room service, there is no one entitled to abuse it. IMHO, having a room steward schlepping cookies and milk and hamburgers and pizza and and and..... as separate orders, over the course of an hour or two, wasting the room steward's and kitchen staff's time, is abuse of the offered service.

 

We are all allowed to use what is offered on the ship, not just room service -- that doesn't give us the right to abuse any of it. There are reasons that the dining room food isn't as good as it once was, and one of the reasons must be laid squarely on the people who would insist on 6 lobsters, 8 servings of caviar, and 5 or 6 filet mignons for their dinner. When a company identifies places it is hemorrhaging cash and/or time, the company must address it.

[gizmo]

I think it is a bit unfair to pin room service woes on families and teenagers. They are as equally entitled to room service as any other passenger on the ship--- whether or not they actually order more or less than couples traveling solo I have no idea and wouldn't really know how to figure that out for sure.

 

DH and I order room service at least once but rarely twice almost every day during a cruise. Are we using this service more than we should be? Are we contributing to the downfall of room service? Will I start getting dirty looks from fellow cruisers who have seen the coffee carafes and fruit plate remnants removed from my room?

 

There is nothing wrong with ordering room service once or twice a day.

 

What Philip is talking about is the abuse by families and teens. I have read on some of these boards (not Hal) how the teenage son orders 4 and 5 times a day. Kids love picking up the phone and ordering ice cream, cookies, chips, pizza and etc.

 

I cannot speak for other families and their ordering and tipping habits, and I do not understand how others can either.

Philip has worked for cruise lines and would know exactly what goes on. :)

[serendipity1499]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Philip217

Once the families and teens learn that room service is free of charge, they are calling every few minutes for cookies, sandwiches, pizza, juices, ice - and everything else you can imagine - keeping the room service telephone lines busy every hour. This means that someone who really wants to have a room service meal in the cabin can rarely get through to order. And even if they do get through, delivery time is far too long, as the room service staff is so busy delivering cookies and pizza to every teen on the ship. end quote ""

I took my cues from the information that CC members provided about tipping for the complimentary room service. Princess charges the going rate so I did what was suggested with Holland America.

We had breakfast and /or coffee delivered to our stateroom almost every morning, and We DID tip - on average for breakfast for my son- $3.00 , if my DH and I ordered a meal to share we tipped more, and if just coffee $2.00.

We also tipped our wonderful room stewards a total of $100 as they did a spectacular job. We also tipped Club HAL staff - though my DS only used it a few hours in the evening and during sea days. We tipped others as well.

We were on the holiday cruise and I do not recall waiting more than a few minutes for a call to room service- never encountered busy phone lines.

 

I cannot speak for other families and their ordering and tipping habits, and I do not understand how others can either.

 

Phillip is a well known poster to this board & is fully qualified as Officer on a Ship...He does know the ordering & tipping habits of others including families with teenagers..He's worked his way up the ladder & is fully qualified to express his observations..You & your family might be the exception to what Phillip has observed over the years..

HAL specifically requests that passengers don't put trays outside the cabins in the corridor..We were on the Maasdam in Nov. & for two solid weeks the cabin right next to us placed an overflowing tray with dirty dishes, cups & saucers etc. out in the corridor every single morning & night..

If there was an emergency power outage & passengers had to evacuate the ship during this emergency with only emergency lights working, it could be a hazard to others..:eek:

A nominal charge for room service between midnight & 5:a.m is fine with me, unless someone is confined to the cabin by the ship's Doctor due to illness...Then the charge should be waived..

JMO..Happy New Year..

Betty