MDR Surcharge for Specialty Entree etc. Rant

After reading these boards and speaking to a friend who very recently cruised Royal Caribbean, a few trends have become evident and they are trends I’m not sure I am in favor of. First, there’s the extra charge on one of the Princess ships if we wish to order a “specialty restaurant” quality entree in the MDR. I know that’s what they have been doing on RC because we’ve cruised with them recently. And now I’ve heard that on the last night on at least one RC ship an envelope is put on the foot of the bed for extra tips for “wow” service. Now I have nothing against tipping extra for extraordinary service IF you wish and I have done so occasionally. However leaving an envelope is a strong suggestion to do so, and often what one cruise line does, others follow suit. I am a rule follower and if in envelope is given to me, I’m going to put money in it. Is it a big deal? Not really. But the whole beauty of an all inclusive cruise experience seems to becoming somewhat tarnished by these and other such nickel and diming changes. Am I the only one not happy with this?

I get envelopes at the Passenger Services Desk for my cabin steward and/or waitstaff if I plan to tip extra. I don’t always. Doesn’t matter to me whether I go and get them or they’re in the cabin although I tend to resent any waitstaff, cabin steward, tour guide, etc. suggesting I tip. When they do, I don’t.

As for Crown Grill entrees in the dining room, that’s a choice. I don’t have to pay anything extra.

No doubt your waiter will recommend the speciality restaurant items in the MDR, for I would presume they would be getting a commission from the order.:( As for being given envelopes to fill with tips, no sir, my decision, not theirs.:evilsmile:

Out of curiosity, when did the speciality item & charge begin? I didn't encounter it on my last cruise (May 2017, Ruby).

Out of curiosity, when did the speciality item & charge begin? I didn't encounter it on my last cruise (May 2017, Ruby).

LawDog61 posted this today:

I received an interesting email from Princess regarding my Jan 18 Star cruise to Hawaii. For a “nominal fee” you can now order steak, lobster, and “much more” from the Crown Grill in the MDR. I think this is new.

Not Princess but on the one occasion we were in a suite (comped) the butler visited us three times on the penultimate day with "I hope the service I have given you was satisfactory!!"

I reported him to the HD for panhandling/begging.

. However leaving an envelope is a strong suggestion to do so, and often what one cruise line does, others follow suit. I am a rule follower and if in envelope is given to me, I’m going to put money in it. Is it a big deal? Not really. But the whole beauty of an all inclusive cruise experience seems to becoming somewhat tarnished by these and other such nickel and diming changes. Am I the only one not happy with this?

So why shouldn't they extort extra money from you since you're a willing sheep? It is my belief having a friend in corp who told me the auto gratuity does entirely go to crew and therefore more tipping would be to the cruise lines advantage.Princess chooses NOT to inform it's paying customers where and how the gratuity is distributed in writing but as long a people keep paying they don't have to.

ut the whole beauty of an all inclusive cruise experience seems to becoming somewhat tarnished by these and other such nickel and diming changes. Am I the only one not happy with this?

Not sure when you started cruising, but there has not been "all-inclusive" cruising on the mainstream lines like Princess and RCCL for years. They have been nickeling and diming for years!

Recently I was on RCCL and yes, they had a couple of entrees on the MDR menu with a surcharge, but there was plenty on the menu to order that had no surcharge. No need to order the surcharged items if you didn't want. Plus, they serviced steak most nights and lobster tails one night in the MDR with no surcharge.

 

As for Crown Grill entrees in the dining room, that’s a choice. I don’t have to pay anything extra.

True, but to make space on the menu for the Crown Grill items they may need to reduce the number of no-surcharge items listed.

Not sure when you started cruising, but there has not been "all-inclusive" cruising on the mainstream lines like Princess and RCCL for years. They have been nickeling and diming for years!

 

Recently I was on RCCL and yes, they had a couple of entrees on the MDR menu with a surcharge, but there was plenty on the menu to order that had no surcharge. No need to order the surcharged items if you didn't want. Plus, they serviced steak most nights and lobster tails one night in the MDR with no surcharge.

Our first cruise was in 1966 on Oceanic. There were no specialty restaurants. Drinks were cheap because taxes were not applicable once at sea. There were little sandwiches brought on deck at 11 am with bullion. There was tea and pastries at 4. The midnight buffet was lavish and if you were still hungry at 2:00 am, pizza was brought to the lounges. You felt valued and pampered. I know that’s a long time ago but not so long ago Princess brought the warm cookies and cold milk around late afternoon. Unless I’m wrong, that too has been gone for a while. We have taken 3 Oceania Cruises where some of this atmosphere still exists in part. Yes, you pay more, but I’m beginning to see its worth. With over 20 Princess Cruises, I have always loved the product. But just as a tub of ice cream grows so much smaller that I pass it by, I don’t want this to happen to my favored cruise line too.

As for Crown Grill entrees in the dining room, that’s a choice. I don’t have to pay anything extra.

But will the MDR choices (without paying) become fewer and with declining quality to encourage you to pony up the bucks to get something worth eating?

So the waiter comes to the table - "...Sir/Madam can I interest you in the surf and turf tonight, it's only $20 or should I bring the dog food dish..."

Putting an envelope on my bed won't bother me at all. It will go in the same place that all the flyers for art sales and spa specials go. In the trash....:)

True, but to make space on the menu for the Crown Grill items they may need to reduce the number of no-surcharge items listed.

They've already done that over the past 18 months or so. Pasta used to be listed as a separate course, where the one pasta offering appears as an entree

Additionally, the Curtis Stone selection may disappear.

But will the MDR choices (without paying) become fewer and with declining quality to encourage you to pony up the bucks to get something worth eating?

 

So the waiter comes to the table - "...Sir/Madam can I interest you in the surf and turf tonight, it's only $20 or should I bring the dog food dish..."

I wonder about this too. Not dog food maybe, but tuna casserole?

Putting an envelope on my bed won't bother me at all. It will go in the same place that all the flyers for art sales and spa specials go. In the trash....:)

No wonder the costs of spa treatments are so high; the amount of advertising that goes into File 13 is a real waste.

We have mixed emotions about add-on options in a MDR. As somebody who has cruised extensively since the 70s (well over 100 cruises) this goes against cruise tradition. But the reality is that the travel/cruise world has changed. Even if you stay at a very high-end all-inclusive resort (or at a top resort hotel with a meal package) there will usually be some add-ons found on the menus. These are often for very special expensive items such as expensive steaks (i.e. Wagyu) or perhaps Caviar.

It is a myth that mass market cruises are "all inclusive." In fact, they are anything but all inclusive. Even the high end ultra-luxury lines (where you might pay $1000 per passenger day) are not completely all inclusive as they will offer things such as expensive wines, caviar, etc. for an additional fee.

My big issue is that we have noticed a constant degrading of the food options on mass market lines, while those same lines keep developing more alternative dining venues (and menu add-ons). It seems that we now must pay extra for the quality cuisine we used to get in MDRs (and even buffets).

Hank

Hmmmm? I kind of like the idea of being able to order a special menu item in the dining room, even if I have to pay for it. Any information on how much it is, though. Somebody mentioned $20 ... not sure if this was factual, though. I like options, especially if I can't get into one of the specialty restaurants at the time I want.

As far as leaving envelopes, I think it is ticky tacky. It wouldn't be if tips weren't already added to your onboard account or paid up front but since they are, I will reject any envelope left in my room. I have had occasion to tip extra for outstanding service but I will go to the front desk myself and get my own envelopes when I feel the need to do so. Princess seems to be going back to that panhandling that they used to do when we all went to the disembarkation talks in the theater. This was after the automatic tips were implemented and I went to one of those meetings where the cruise director strongly advised everyone to leave more than the recommended amount. Why even recommend an amount then?? And once, when we ordered drinks by the pool, the guy asked my friend to add an extra tip over and above because he doesn't get any of that 15% tip that is already added on. Argh! It just seems so tacky to me when they beg for more. Whenever I have tipped extra, it hasn't been from anyone that was begging or even expecting it. I've even had some of them try to give the envelope back stating it really wasn't necessary. That is exactly why we felt it was necessary. Oh well ... that's my rant.

Anxious to find out more about the expanded menu with upcharge items? Does it include the same sides as the specialty restaurant or just the entree portion? And the pricing??

I know that’s a long time ago but not so long ago Princess brought the warm cookies and cold milk around late afternoon. Unless I’m wrong, that too has been gone for a while. We have taken 3 Oceania Cruises where some of this atmosphere still exists in part. Yes, you pay more, but I’m beginning to see its worth. With over 20 Princess Cruises, I have always loved the product. But just as a tub of ice cream grows so much smaller that I pass it by, I don’t want this to happen to my favored cruise line too.

You basically verified my point - on the mass market cruiselines that type of higher quality expectation has been gone for a while. Comparing Oceania with Princess/RCCL/etc is like comparing a high end restaurant with fast casual. There is no comparison.

Fortunately I cruise for the ports and the destination. The ship and food and amenities on board are way down on my list of priorities. Therefore I spend very little money on board (don't do specialty dining, don't shop in the gift shops for the most part, etc). But you will see me outside every time the ship sails into or out of a port, even if it is "dinner time."

I can't speak to the actual experience on Princess (not having sailed on the line as of yet), but Carnival has had the "Steakhouse Selections" available in the MDR for a couple of years now. There has been no pressure to order them and I don't believe that the wait staff receives any "commissions" for pushing them. The primary benefit has been to satisfy those who want a steakhouse quality meal without burdening the rest of their party with the need (and cost) of having dinner in the steakhouse. I would expect that the Princess experience would be similar.

I am a pretty enthusiastic foodie and I travel with my sister. We enjoy the MDR but do not go as often to specialty restaurants much because they are of little interest to her. So I would probably happily pay for an "upgrade" occasionally.

I think the MDR food will continue to decline as a cost cutting measure as long as passengers allow it. When we vote with our feet by cruising elsewhere they might rethink.

They've already done that over the past 18 months or so. Pasta used to be listed as a separate course, where the one pasta offering appears as an entree

 

Additionally, the Curtis Stone selection may disappear.

I can only hope. I would like the 'always available' beef medallions to come back. :D

LawDog61 posted this today:

I received an interesting email from Princess regarding my Jan 18 Star cruise to Hawaii. For a “nominal fee” you can now order steak, lobster, and “much more” from the Crown Grill in the MDR. I think this is new.

Definitely new. We were on the Star in November and that wasn't offered.

They've already done that over the past 18 months or so. Pasta used to be listed as a separate course, where the one pasta offering appears as an entree

 

Additionally, the Curtis Stone selection may disappear.

Pasta has been gone as a separate course many, many years ago.....and you're still cruising Princess. :)

I guess it isn't all that important after all.

Pasta has been gone as a separate course many, many years ago.....and you're still cruising Princess. :)

I guess it isn't all that important after all.

The Head Waiters/Maitre'D, do their little thing on the side in the MDR, cooking the pasta, once or twice on a cruise.:p

After reading these boards and speaking to a friend who very recently cruised Royal Caribbean, a few trends have become evident and they are trends I’m not sure I am in favor of. First, there’s the extra charge on one of the Princess ships if we wish to order a “specialty restaurant” quality entree in the MDR. I know that’s what they have been doing on RC because we’ve cruised with them recently. And now I’ve heard that on the last night on at least one RC ship an envelope is put on the foot of the bed for extra tips for “wow” service. Now I have nothing against tipping extra for extraordinary service IF you wish and I have done so occasionally. However leaving an envelope is a strong suggestion to do so, and often what one cruise line does, others follow suit. I am a rule follower and if in envelope is given to me, I’m going to put money in it. Is it a big deal? Not really. But the whole beauty of an all inclusive cruise experience seems to becoming somewhat tarnished by these and other such nickel and diming changes. Am I the only one not happy with this?

We have well over 60 cruises, have always tipped extra except once when service was very poor... I get envelops to do so... so if they left it would not bother me.