can no longer order room service from regular menu?

[cescape]

One of our favorite things to do is order room service off the regular menu and have done it at least a dozen times on past Princess cruises. We just returned from Alaska on the Dawn Princess and were told we could no longer do this. Has anyone else run into this? We always tiped very well. I sprung for a mini suite (wonderfull) this time and was disapointed we could no longer do this. How about other cruise lines? Thanks

[Toto2Kansas]

Hummm, we have always been able to order it from room service and we too book the mini suites. I wonder if this has just taken place in the last few months or if it has something to do with them stopping it to promote their Ultimate balcony breakfast and dinner??

I know on RCI during meal times you can still order off the dining room menus.

[Irishjayne]

Must be a recent thing. We ordered whatever we wanted for breakfast on the Saphhire last November.

[spongerob]

The policy seems to vary from ship to ship, but it sounds like the answer NO is more common than YES these days.

[tumeroll]

Welcome to the world of casual cruising. As the cruise lines relax the dress codes and other aspercts of the "traditional" cruise so more folks feel comfortable, they take away those little nicities that used to be part of the total experience. Beware there are more reductions to come.

[Budget Queen]

Welcome to the world of casual cruising. As the cruise lines relax the dress codes and other aspercts of the "traditional" cruise so more folks feel comfortable, they take away those little nicities that used to be part of the total experience. Beware there are more reductions to come.

 

 

 

Yes, very TRUE and well said. Anyone who started cruising over 20 years ago like myself, has seen a BIG impersonalization of cruising. But prices have never been lower, so the extras are the first to go. :)

[sailinglisa]

I tried to order off the menu on my Diamond Princess 4/23 cruise and was told "No you cannot do that" very abruptly twice. I gave up trying to get scrambled eggs delivered to my cabin in the AM. Another reason why I am gong to check out other cruise lines in the future. I also tip big for room service, so these people missed out on some nice bucks for themselves.

[kruisey]

Tell us all why these services have been cut out?

I stayed in a hotel in London UK recently....and on the first nite after a nine hour flight just wonted a fresh fruit salad toast and a pot of tea.Room service said fruit salad was not on the menu....I offered a good tip....my room was not charged and I gave a good tip....got what I wonted :eek:

[kruisey]

Tell us all why these services have been cut out?

I stayed in a hotel in London UK recently....and on the first nite after a nine hour flight just wonted a fresh fruit salad toast and a pot of tea.Room service said fruit salad was not on the menu....I offered a good tip....my room was not charged and I gave a good tip....got what I wonted :eek:

Does anyone know why having food off the main menu has been stopped?

For instance read on another post earlier in the year parents with a young child like to eat dinner in cabin because some children eat better without distractions. Or an elderly person that is feeling wakked out after a long day........There are many reasons why sometimes one wonts to have a quiete dinner for a change.

[spongerob]

I'm not sure I know the exact answer, Kruisey, but here are my thoughts. Carnival's corporate policy puts the cabin stewards and room service in different departments, unlike the old Princess organization. Under the old regime, the stewards and room service could work together - now, they can't. I think that there just isn't enough people in the food and beverage department to handle the dining room menu requests for the entire ship.

 

Either that, or some bean-counter decided they could save $5 a day by discontinuing the service.

[Dreamer333]

Does anyone know why having food off the main menu has been stopped?

 

I've heard rumors that since they started the Ultimate Balcony dinner/breakfast, they have been becoming more strict on having a full dinner delivered to rooms.

(Although this doesn't make too much sense since the UBD's are very limited... they only do a certain amount per night).

[calikak]

Isn't it now one of the suite/elite perks that you get a better room service menu? Maybe they figure it's not as good a perk if everyone can just order off the dining room menu.

[kruisey]

Isn't it now one of the suite/elite perks that you get a better room service menu? Maybe they figure it's not as good a perk if everyone can just order off the dining room menu.

That does not seem fair.....I'd say many more persons would have Elite Status but either don't have the resources,or have a busy working and family life and cannot make that many trips.When one can ,for whatever reason they should not be denied a sevice which has always been given in the past.

Surely there would not be that many persons each evening wonting to have dinner in their staterooms.The employees in the room service division must loose out their incentives of a nice tip in the process.

[regnig]

Isn't it now one of the suite/elite perks that you get a better room service menu? Maybe they figure it's not as good a perk if everyone can just order off the dining room menu.

 

As an Elite passenger when we sailed on the Star this spring we got no special room service menu and I know the Elite Member Benefits do not list anything about an expanded room service menu. Only one we had was the same as always in the big brown book. No one in our group attempted to order anything special from room service just the normal stuff on the breakfast card. Do we know for a fact that suite passengers still get a special room service menu?

[calikak]

I'm sorry, I thought elites got all the perks of a suite. Suites definitely get extended room service menus, including ordering from the regular dining room menu, as a perk (see this Princess press release: http://www.princess.com/news/article.jsp?newsArticleId=na687). But then I reviewed the Elite benefits page and you don't get that as a perk, just most of the other suite perks (free laundry, canapes, etc.). So, maybe they're just trying to keep it to suite passengers as a perk, instead of offering to everyone like they used to.

[cescape]

Wow, thanks so much for all the input, aparantly this is a concern for a lot of us. Like you have stated, the room service folks are missing out on a lot of cash. I also let them take out the regular daily rate but rarly if ever go to the dining room. As stated, after a long day it's nice to do your thing in your cabin. I wonder if anyone can clarify the exact policy? It will make a big difference as I am already thinking about our next cruise, and Princess will be my ex favorite cruise line very quickly. They also have a "new and improved" disinbarcation in Vancouver, which you pay $15 each for but avoid the long line at customs, and don't see your checked luggage untill your final destination, which was wonderfull to avoid if you've ever done it, however, being new, the call for your colors to get off, and NO ONE anywhere to direct people, unbelieveable, I asked one fellow and he said I needed to be at the other end of the ship, but when I asked what this line I was in was for he replyed " I have no idea" and there were at least a hundred people in the line, turned out to be the correct one! They call it "on-board" disimbarkation, and I guess a lot of people thought it was for "boarding". I liked the disimbarkation for platinum members better, great idea if they get it right.

[rickdeni]

Mini-suites on Celebrity offer the perk of being able to order whatever you want for breakfast and dinner. I think you will find that the cost of their mini-suites is much more than Princess. You have to decide how much this perk is worth. Celebrity mini-suites also have all of the perks that Princess has in its regular suites.

[ssantow]

Seems like Princess may want to change their brocures and web site if they no longer provide room service. The following is a cut and paste from their web site.

 

ROOM SERVICE

Call for personal room service at any time of the day or night. To have breakfast delivered to your stateroom, just fill out the breakfast card included in your stateroom portfolio (one is also placed on your pillow) and hang it out at night on your stateroom door. For a full stateroom menu, please see your stateroom portfolio or call the number listed in your telephone directory.

 

But if you are willing to do the legwork and you want a nice dinner in your room just run up to the buffett and load up on food to take back to your room.

 

Stan

 

[Dreamer333]

Seems like Princess may want to change their brocures and web site if they no longer provide room service. The following is a cut and paste from their web site.

 

Princess DOES still provide room service, however its the standard room service menu...

The issue is about ordering from the dining room menu.

 

Like you said, I have no problem doing the leg work and running up to get some food before dinner... after dinner... :D

[calikak]

They do still offer room service, it's just a very limited menu. Breakfast is continental only, and the lunch/dinner menu isn't very big. The perk for suites is that they can order off the dining room menu, giving them a lot more (and better quality) options than us folks in steerage.

[Strawberry]

We are Elite and were on the Regal this Mar/Apr in an ordinary balcony cabin but from the first day that we got on the ship our Room Steward told us that we could a hot breakfast if we wanted -- just write WHATEVER we wanted on the card that we hung on our door and he would bring it. He reminded of this several times. However, we only took advantage of his offer one morning when we were going through the Panama Canal and wanted to eat breakfast on the balcony. Perhaps it depends on the ship? As the Regal is a relatively "small" ship maybe it is easier to offer that kind of room service?