Room service charge

[weltek]

Re: Iced Tea

 

I think the iced tea in the buffet is less than ideal tasting. I'll drink it, but it's not GOOD iced tea. I brought a clear jar and made sun tea on our balcony most days. :-)

[NLH Arizona]

Re: Iced Tea

 

I think the iced tea in the buffet is less than ideal tasting. I'll drink it, but it's not GOOD iced tea. I brought a clear jar and made sun tea on our balcony most days. :-)

Or they could ask for a pitcher from the Room Steward, fill it with iced water from the buffet, bring tea bags from home (Lipton has tea bags that makes iced tea in 5 minutes in cold water) and they will have iced tea.

[motleyfan]

Many folks do just that, and that is why it was a good thing that NCL reversed the ban.

 

However, it is a cruise. And the idea of "being waited on" is one of the touts of taking a cruise. Sit back, relax, let us serve you. That is part of the experience.

 

Aside from that, some folks NEED room service because of other issues...not just to be served. Sometimes, things happen, and RS is a way to have some food when it is not possible or safe for the persons to go to the restaurant themselves. There is no need to repeat the reasons, they have been stated over and over and over.

 

When did it become a "societal ill" to take a cruise and expect the cruise to offer service?

 

The Cruise does offer service now you just gotta pay a little extra for it

[NMLady]

True, including toast and fruit. They are no longer on the Continental RS menu either.

 

Harriet

 

Oh, no!! What IS on the menu? Just muffins, pastries, & coffee/tea??

 

We always enjoyed sharing a plate of fresh fruit first thing in the morning with our coffee. My husband is mobility impaired so would have that as breakfast instead of having to walk to buffet or MDR or O'Sheehans.

We're not going to pay $7.95 for a plate of fruit so I guess i'll have to make a trip to buffet and bring a plate or bowl of fruit slices back. That means getting dressed earlier for me.:(.

Leisurely dressing had always been a perk of cruising.

Bringing back a banana, apple etc from day before from the buffet is not the same. The plate of fruit has slices of watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew and some strawberries. Often has a piece of pineapple too.

 

And we have never put the tray in the hallway.

Edited May 27, 2015 by NMLady

[herdingdogmom]

Or they could ask for a pitcher from the Room Steward, fill it with iced water from the buffet, bring tea bags from home (Lipton has tea bags that makes iced tea in 5 minutes in cold water) and they will have iced tea.

 

We did exactly this earlier this month. Room steward brought us a pitcher and ice. I brought my cold brew tea bags from home and made a fresh pitcher of iced tea each day. It was much tastier than the syrup based iced tea in the buffet.

[oregonian123]

Oh, no!! What IS on the menu? Just muffins, pastries, & coffee/tea??

 

Does anyone have a copy of the new Continental Breakfast hang tag, please?

[MisterFidgetpants]

Ummm, the Continental breakfast items are still free and have no delivery charge. Just saying. You may want to know what the new room service fees are before posting, just saying.

The continental menu is coffee and bread. Read what I said again. We should lobby for fruit yogurt and cereal

[hpecorari]

The continental menu is coffee and bread. Read what I said again. We should lobby for fruit yogurt and cereal

 

No, there is no bread. Danish, muffins....but no bread of any kind.

 

Harriet

[bangzoom6877]

No, there is no bread. Danish, muffins....but no bread of any kind.

 

Harriet

 

Any juice or just milk available from the hang tag complimentary menu?

 

Coffee and danish are fine for me and DH and we have ordered RS breakfast the first morning of each cruise, as it has been a novelty for our two sons (they're 8 and 10). The danish may be an issue for DS10 because he has nut allergies and I won't know until we board if danish and muffins are safe for him to eat, let alone which specific ones may be safe. There were safe ones on Carnival last time we cruised, and they brought us those in the MDR, but there was also yogurt, fruit and cereal on the RS breakfast menu (as there used to be on NCL's also), so DS10 would eat those as we knew they were safe. We weren't sure which danish they would bring so we wanted to make sure we ordered food he could definitely eat, hence the fruit, yogurt and cereal.

Edited May 27, 2015 by bangzoom6877

[hpecorari]

Oh, no!! What IS on the menu? Just muffins, pastries, & coffee/tea??

.

 

At the top here you can see what is included in the complimentary continental breakfast that can be delivered prior to 10 a.m.

 

As you can see there is no bread, bagels, toast, yogurt, fruit, or cereal.

 

 

Harriet

*Edit: Stop by the buffet and pick up some yogurt and cereal boxes to bring back to the room! Just remember to order lots of milk!

Edited May 27, 2015 by hpecorari

[bangzoom6877]

At the top here you can see what is included in the complimentary continental breakfast that can be delivered prior to 10 a.m.

 

As you can see there is no bread, bagels, toast, yogurt, fruit, or cereal.

 

[ATTACH]350540[/ATTACH]

 

Harriet

*Edit: Stop by the buffet and pick up some yogurt and cereal boxes to bring back to the room! Just remember to order lots of milk!

 

Thank you! I will just go to the buffet and get cereal and yogurt for my son on the way back from the gym, as I work out before anyone else is awake.

[sjbdtz]

Now that the food in cabin issue has been resolved we are hoping that the next order of business is the room service charge.

 

One of the "perks" of cruising vs a hotel vacation is the inclusive concept. Many of us love the luxury of a delivery of morning coffee to our cabin, or that afternoon iced tea with snacks to enjoy.

 

For us - enjoying these things on our balcony is what we dream about on our non-cruising days. Why would NCL choose to nickle and dime away our room service?

 

If anyone has an idea before our Nov cruise on the Breakaway please share it! $7.95/delivery makes for a very expensive pitcher of iced tea!

 

 

One of the "perks" of NCL compared to other cruiselines, is that fares are kept low by having people who USE a service, pay for that service - rather than foisting the fees on everybody.

 

User pays is one of the reasons (along with their crew) why I prefer NCL. I have no objection to funding the vacation of MY dreams without requiring everybody else to fund it also...

 

Although....I will take contributions toward my casino spend.... Bueller? Bueller?

 

 

 

Stephen

 

 

.

[zqvol]

Now that the food in cabin issue has been resolved we are hoping that the next order of business is the room service charge.

 

One of the "perks" of cruising vs a hotel vacation is the inclusive concept. Many of us love the luxury of a delivery of morning coffee to our cabin, or that afternoon iced tea with snacks to enjoy.

 

For us - enjoying these things on our balcony is what we dream about on our non-cruising days. Why would NCL choose to nickle and dime away our room service?

 

If anyone has an idea before our Nov cruise on the Breakaway please share it! $7.95/delivery makes for a very expensive pitcher of iced tea!

 

 

I agree. I think an across the board fare increase in the rage of $200 per week per person in all cabin categories would take care of the issue, and then you could have free room service.

Edited May 28, 2015 by zqvol

[rochelle_s]

I agree. I think an across the board fare increase in the rage of $200 per week per person in all cabin categories would take care of the issue, and then you could have free room service.

 

Just curious; Was there an across the board $200 reduction in fares when the room service fee was tested and then implemented? Traditionally room service has always been free, how do you explain the sudden 'need' to charge?

 

 

Rochelle

[swedish weave]

I have seen it suggested on another thread that the room service fees may not be applicable if they were implemented after you booked your cruise.

 

Some haave even commented about disputing the charges on their credit cards under the above circumstnaces.

[cincicruisers]

Me thinks you are not going to enjoy ice tea on the balcony in November:) And if you do, why not do as others suggest, get your goodies at the buffet.

 

I'm wondering if part of the reasoning for the new charge is to eliminate having staff running back and forth for frivolous things. We've become a society of wanting to be waited on. If I want a snack, I'd rather be able to pick out my items myself rather than get a plate of what someone else has picked for me.

 

One of the reasons people cruise is for the service from staff. Having someone deliver food/snack to your stateroom is a great perk when cruising. Cruise lines have already added specialty dining at an additional cost making "all food included" a thing of the past.

[knight2096]

snack

 

snak/

 

noun

 

plural noun:*snacks

 

1.

 

a small amount of food eaten between meals.

 

LOL great post.

Edited May 28, 2015 by knight2096

[zqvol]

Just curious; Was there an across the board $200 reduction in fares when the room service fee was tested and then implemented? Traditionally room service has always been free, how do you explain the sudden 'need' to charge?

 

 

Rochelle

 

 

Too many free UDP and UDP and Excursions, and Gratuities.

 

Got to make the money someplace.

[mrobstad]

Well said.

[teriwinkle]

Why do people feel the need to be continuously rude with people who inquire about food-related issues? The above response was so needlessly condescending.

 

However you choose to eat, be it only in a restaurant or kitchen setting, or in great moderation, it is exactly that, YOUR CHOICE. There is no need to imply that others simply strap on the ole' feed bag and go to town.

 

Maybe, just maybe, some day we can all embrace the ways we are different and not simply feel the need to put others down because we don't all share the same beliefs or living styles.

Thank you for that, tarps14; it was a stinging barb from that person who has no idea what it is like to travel with a disabled Viet Nam Veteran (who is also diabetic) for whom cruising is a real treat on a fixed income, and every extra charge for things that we do use of necessity takes away a bit of the joy in our situation. In my everyday life (24/7) I have many duties serving others, so that room service on a vacation is truly a luxury much appreciated. We're not lazy, or gluttons. It's just something we have always looked forward to, especially at breakfast (the former light breakfast room service menu that included yoghurt, fruits, and cereals was perfect for us). We have NEVER been charged for room service on ANY of our past cruises to date! I don't understand either why people find the need to say mean and nasty things about others on this site. Perhaps I'm not tough enough to participate in these discussions since I'm almost afraid to post this, knowing I'm probably inviting another scathing response, but here goes---

[SteveH2508]

I have seen it suggested on another thread that the room service fees may not be applicable if they were implemented after you booked your cruise.

 

Some haave even commented about disputing the charges on their credit cards under the above circumstnaces.

 

IIRC that was from a UK poster. It is quite likely that NCL are on dodgy ground re European consumer law by advertising something as free and then charging for it after you have booked. They may have obfuscated the issue enough with their remaining, reduced free RS offer to get away with it however:(.

[dirtgirl]

Thank you for that, tarps14; it was a stinging barb from that person who has no idea what it is like to travel with a disabled Viet Nam Veteran (who is also diabetic) for whom cruising is a real treat on a fixed income, and every extra charge for things that we do use of necessity takes away a bit of the joy in our situation. In my everyday life (24/7) I have many duties serving others, so that room service on a vacation is truly a luxury much appreciated. We're not lazy, or gluttons. It's just something we have always looked forward to, especially at breakfast (the former light breakfast room service menu that included yoghurt, fruits, and cereals was perfect for us). We have NEVER been charged for room service on ANY of our past cruises to date! I don't understand either why people find the need to say mean and nasty things about others on this site. Perhaps I'm not tough enough to participate in these discussions since I'm almost afraid to post this, knowing I'm probably inviting another scathing response, but here goes---��

 

You're not alone. Nasty comments are totally unnecessary. We all have different preferences on our cruises. I order room service breakfast every day. I go to the gym, and I do not want to gross out fellow passengers at the buffet going there all sweaty. I go back to my cabin, have my room service, chill, shower, and get ready for the day. The best protest is to book on lines that allow decent room service for free - which are virtually almost all of them. :rolleyes: Coffee and a danish is not a breakfast I want to have every day. Vote with you dollar. Do what works for you.

[cacj]

Thank you for that, tarps14; it was a stinging barb from that person who has no idea what it is like to travel with a disabled Viet Nam Veteran (who is also diabetic) for whom cruising is a real treat on a fixed income, and every extra charge for things that we do use of necessity takes away a bit of the joy in our situation. In my everyday life (24/7) I have many duties serving others, so that room service on a vacation is truly a luxury much appreciated. We're not lazy, or gluttons. It's just something we have always looked forward to, especially at breakfast (the former light breakfast room service menu that included yoghurt, fruits, and cereals was perfect for us). We have NEVER been charged for room service on ANY of our past cruises to date! I don't understand either why people find the need to say mean and nasty things about others on this site. Perhaps I'm not tough enough to participate in these discussions since I'm almost afraid to post this, knowing I'm probably inviting another scathing response, but here goes---

 

Thanks for taking the time (and risk) to post this. You say it well.

 

We object to the change in the service menu, and the room service fee. Your description of what it means to you echoes our very own. We are not lazy or gluttons either, nor are we seeking something so outrageous. A yogurt and fruit with coffee served to us on a tray is one of our UN-guilty pleasures.

 

We truly are disappointed in the fee and the reactions of some folks who want to insult those of us who want NCL to step up and correct this poor policy.

[mjkacmom]

Can't folks just grab boxes of cereal and containers of yogurt from the buffet the day before? Even fruit? I have a child with celiac, who can't eat the continental breakfast offerings. Some times you just have to plan ahead - it's not the end of the world.

[cacj]

Can't folks just grab boxes of cereal and containers of yogurt from the buffet the day before? Even fruit? I have a child with celiac, who can't eat the continental breakfast offerings. Some times you just have to plan ahead - it's not the end of the world.

 

I hear you. Sure, we can try to plan ahead, but what about those times you cannot.

 

And why was yogurt taken off the complimentary menu...how hard is it to put on a tray? Unless the contract that NCL has had with some yogurt manufacturer has expired and NCL has turned to just slinging a slop of yogurt into a bowl...why can't they just pop a container of yogurt on the tray?

 

If I am going to have them bring a pot of coffee to me, why can't they bring me the cereal and yogurt.