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Can you order room service hours ahead?


katrina915

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I will be traveling with my elderly father who is also hard of hearing. I will be going on some morning excursions on my own and would like to order room service for his lunch before I leave or the day before. He will be using a wheelchair for the cruise, so I don't think he will want to go out to eat on his own.

 

Has anyone done this before? Would the steward be able to help if room service won't let me call hours in advance?

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I will be traveling with my elderly father who is also hard of hearing. I will be going on some morning excursions on my own and would like to order room service for his lunch before I leave or the day before. He will be using a wheelchair for the cruise, so I don't think he will want to go out to eat on his own.

 

Has anyone done this before? Would the steward be able to help if room service won't let me call hours in advance?

 

What line/ship will you be on?

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I will be traveling with my elderly father who is also hard of hearing. I will be going on some morning excursions on my own and would like to order room service for his lunch before I leave or the day before. He will be using a wheelchair for the cruise, so I don't think he will want to go out to eat on his own.

 

Has anyone done this before? Would the steward be able to help if room service won't let me call hours in advance?

 

Have never done this so you could check on board about ordering room service in advance. However there are some things to seriously consider if your plan to leave your father alone .

 

Room service isn't always that reliable so than who will be able to assist you father in that event his meal does not come and a follow-up call has to be made ?

 

You stated that your father is hard of hearing so will he be able to hear the when room service comes and knocks on the door ? Room Service does NOT use a master key card , knock and just walk in .

 

The room attendant is extremely busy through out the day with their own responsibilities . Attending to the needs of your father by requesting them to order lunch and make certain it arrives is not the responsibility of the room attendants .

 

Cruise lines make it very clear that if the person needs assistance beyond just making up their room that the individual must have a personal aid with them. Cruise lines are very serious about this and have even been known to have the parties leave at the next port of call because of failure by the family not to look after the needs of their loved ones. There is no refunds made when this happens . You than have to make and pay for arrangements home for the two of you. So if your father is unable or unwilling to go to the Windjammer on his own where a Matre' D or unable top follow-up on room service than you might have to rethink your plans.

 

IMO you need to proceed cautiously on this matter as the outcome may not be what you were expecting.

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Have never done this so you could check on board about ordering room service in advance. However there are some things to seriously consider if your plan to leave your father alone .

 

Room service isn't always that reliable so than who will be able to assist you father in that event his meal does not come and a follow-up call has to be made ?

 

You stated that your father is hard of hearing so will he be able to hear the when room service comes and knocks on the door ? Room Service does NOT use a master key card , knock and just walk in .

 

The room attendant is extremely busy through out the day with their own responsibilities . Attending to the needs of your father by requesting them to order lunch and make certain it arrives is not the responsibility of the room attendants .

 

Cruise lines make it very clear that if the person needs assistance beyond just making up their room that the individual must have a personal aid with them. Cruise lines are very serious about this and have even been known to have the parties leave at the next port of call because of failure by the family not to look after the needs of their loved ones. There is no refunds made when this happens . You than have to make and pay for arrangements home for the two of you. So if your father is unable or unwilling to go to the Windjammer on his own where a Matre' D or unable top follow-up on room service than you might have to rethink your plans.

 

IMO you need to proceed cautiously on this matter as the outcome may not be what you were expecting.

 

I am not expecting the cruise line to take care of my father- I am his only caregiver all year round eventhough he lives by himself.

 

And I am only do it 1/2 day so that I can see Pompeii for the first time and then we are both rushing to Easy Naples excursion.

 

The radiance size ships on RCCL have loud buzzers in the HC room when someone is at the door, so I will try to do room service. If we have refrig, I can put sandwich there from previous day lunch for back up. Or try to get ice from from steward for milk and cereal. If that doesn't work, I will leave peanut butter.

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I am not expecting the cruise line to take care of my father- I am his only caregiver all year round eventhough he lives by himself.

 

And I am only do it 1/2 day so that I can see Pompeii for the first time and then we are both rushing to Easy Naples excursion.

 

The radiance size ships on RCCL have loud buzzers in the HC room when someone is at the door, so I will try to do room service. If we have refrig, I can put sandwich there from previous day lunch for back up. Or try to get ice from from steward for milk and cereal. If that doesn't work, I will leave peanut butter.

 

 

Please don't think that I was judging you ... which I'm not. Just wanted to state some possible concerns that could potentially create a problem for you that might not have been considered.

 

Here's a thought if the room has a refridge. Order a cold sandwich plate from room service the night before. Request that all the condiments on the side ( they usually are but just in case ) so as not to get the bread/bun soggy. This way than all you need to do in the morning is to prepare the place setting on coffee table or desk so that you're father just has to take the plate out of the refrige. The attendant will freshen the ice bucket when the room is made up .

 

Is you father capable of operating a mobility scooter ? If so than perhaps you might consider renting one for delivery to the ship. This would give him some flexibility to get of the room on his own when you're not there. Also if would give you a break from having to push the wheelchair even when you're with him. Just a thought .

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Hopefully, we will have refrig. Your idea of room service night before with things on side is good. I am taking ziploc bags so can keep it fresh with that.

 

If no refrig, can get milk and hard boiled eggs to put on ice before I go to Pompeii. Hopefully, the steward can handle getting ice.

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Hopefully, we will have refrig. Your idea of room service night before with things on side is good. I am taking ziploc bags so can keep it fresh with that.

 

If no refrig, can get milk and hard boiled eggs to put on ice before I go to Pompeii. Hopefully, the steward can handle getting ice.

 

I often travel with a small collapsible cooler . Basically the size that can hole a 6pack of pop. It's easy to pack and I use if no refrige is available.

 

The room attendant will get you all the ice you need. That's not a problem .

 

Since you are planning to bring zip-lock bags in case of no refridge, you might also consider going to the Windjammer the day before to get cheeses, cold cuts, cookies , fruit and bread and placed them in the little cooler should you decide to bring one. This way your father just wouldn't have to eat hard boiled eggs. Though I would still try seeing if you can pre-order room service.

 

Were there's a will there's way. It will all work out.

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Thanks, cooler is great idea. I can pre order sandwiches night before and put it in there if no refrig. And supplement with things from Windjammer.

 

I may try using the cooler on other shore excursions. We have private car for Rome and Florence and Rome is going to be really tight schedule and it always is tough to find places to eat with someone in wheelchair (esp. if he is picky eater).

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Thanks, cooler is great idea. I can pre order sandwiches night before and put it in there if no refrig. And supplement with things from Windjammer.

 

I may try using the cooler on other shore excursions. We have private car for Rome and Florence and Rome is going to be really tight schedule and it always is tough to find places to eat with someone in wheelchair (esp. if he is picky eater).

 

FYI - Amazon has a plethora of cooler options. Also the stores are now stocking back to school supplies and nylon lunch coolers should be easy to find locally.

 

I started out traveling with the cooler due to medication that needed refrigeration and now find it comes in very handy for just the situations you have mentioned.

 

Enjoy the cruise !

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Every breakfast buffet I have seen on ships always has cold cuts and cheese slices. You could go to the breakfast buffet, make a plate of cold cuts, cheese and whatever else. Take some bread and you could easily use ziplocs and your cabin refrigerator to have a nice sandwich available for Dad at lunch. Bring along a few individual packets of mustard if he likes that on the bread. We don't make sandwiches but we always put some ziplocs in our suitcase. They come in handy for lots of things.

 

 

You could place a room service order in advance and have the cold cuts as 'back up' just in case the order is not delivered.

 

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From what I understand cabins no longer has refrigerators but that you can request one.

 

 

I'm used to HAL. We have a cooler/mini-bar in our cabin. (Not all their ships have the frig in every cabin..... just some of the various classes of ships.)

 

I'm not current on whether other cruise lines have them.

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When we were on the Voyager last year, one of the people in our party was in a wheel chair and didn't feel up to leaving the boat. She was brand new to cruising and was scared to go out of her room by herself. The room stewards (even though it wasn't there job) check on her and made sure she got her lunch.

We didn't ask for the help, he just saw the need.

It could never hurt to talk to the room steward to see if he could check on your father, of course a tip would be most considerate.

Have a great time!

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If we left my mother on the ship while going ashore, she stayed in public areas (she had a power wheelchair so could easily get around the ship by herself). She liked to talk to people, look at the view, and read, and would not have been happy being stuck in the cabin. She took herself to lunch at the buffet or dining room, and staff always helped her with getting water or iced tea out on the deck. She would often order a Virgin Mary as well. One time I set her up for a manicure in the spa and pre-paid for her (including tip) and she took herself there at the appointment time.

 

I would look at some creative ways to let your father enjoy the cruise more than just sitting in the cabin while you are going ashore.

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  • 1 month later...

I know this thread is a little old, but I did want to mention this.

 

I have mobility issues so getting up quickly and getting through the cabin to open the door is just not going to happen! In the past (on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity) I've ordered room service and told them I'd be on the balcony...please just knock and then come on through to the balcony. It's never been a problem.

 

I've found the ships' staff to be very helpful and gracious.

 

OP, if you've already sailed, I'd love an update on how things went. I hope you enjoy(ed) your cruise!

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