$7.95 Room Service Charge

[famof4togo]

The information she posted states that the change is to be "fleet wide". That is specific.

 

The clarification I was looking for was if I would only have free room service for one night since its starts (03/27) and we sail (03/26) and clearly other needed clarification too as I just called and it took the gal on the phone asking 3 people before she got an answer....and it does start with NEW sailings so since I sail 03/26/17 I am good to go the whole cruise and it will not go into effect on the FOS until 04/02/17 (the first full sailing after the start date) but thank you so much for your concern and comment...

[Ocean Boy]

I think that's a pretty typical attitude for most things in life, not just with cruises and on CC.

I agree. But I go to the office everyday and deal with things that affect other people so maybe it makes me a bit sensitive when I encounter that attitude here and other places.

 

It reminds me of the laundry thread. Some people are just adamant that they don't want laundries on the ship because they don't want to wash clothes while on vacation... as if someone is going to force them to use it.

Edited March 15, 2017 by Ocean Boy

[Tony O]

There is a royal Caribbean blog site that has this information and tweets from Royal Caribbean about the service charge.

[KG1924]

Solution>>>>Just go to guest services and reduce your daily gratitude's by the amount of room service charges for that day. They might get the message.:evilsmile:

 

I'm not sure how that solves it? Aside from not costing an individual cruiser more out of pocket....not sure how Royal charging a fee should reduce what room stewards/waitstaff, etc get as tips?

[Clarea]

If this follows the path of Johnny Rocket's history the price won't be $7.95 for long. J.R. used to be included in the cruise fare. Then, if I remember it right, the first implemented charge was $3.95 and it has gradually kept going up. And then you get the people who proclaim they don't care as they will gladly pay for a good burger.

 

There are definitely some folks around here who are a C.E.O.'s best dream.

I also remember when the $3.95 late charge was added. Goldstein promised they would have at least one venue open for snacks during the midnight to 5am period, so people could avoid the charge. That did not last long. I see Park Cafe venues closing at 1am or 2am on Vision and Radiance class ships now.

[Ocean Boy]

I also remember when the $3.95 late charge was added. Goldstein promised they would have at least one venue open for snacks during the midnight to 5am period, so people could avoid the charge. That did not last long. I see Park Cafe venues closing at 1am or 2am on Vision and Radiance class ships now.

Yes, I remember when we last sailed on Serenade, there was a small snack venue located in the Solarium. When it closed around 1 AM there was NOTHING to eat on that ship other than using room service.

[juliea344]

It starts March 27th, so you get 1 day of room service. This sucks! I bought my cruise to include RS free between 5am-11pm 😡

It starts on sailings after March 27th. If you sail the 26th you can still get your free room service.

 

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[emdia43]

There is a complaint on their Facebook page by a Laura Ward that says she called Customer Service and was told the new charge was necessary to avoid bankruptcy! :o:o

[Clarea]

There is a complaint on their Facebook page by a Laura Ward that says she called Customer Service and was told the new charge was necessary to avoid bankruptcy! :o:o

That's a good one.:D

[Ocean Boy]

There is a complaint on their Facebook page by a Laura Ward that says she called Customer Service and was told the new charge was necessary to avoid bankruptcy! :o:o

Well, I am sure who ever it is that holds the loan on Symphony will be very interested in that!;)

[bUU]

Honestly, I have almost no doubt one of the major cruise lines will try and pull this within the next 5-10 years. Hopefully it will not be RCCL.

If consumers want a lower base price and surcharges, then it would wrong of the cruise line to ignore that.

[BigHouseFootball]

We only ever ordered room service but one time on two cruises but we won't every use it now. This is how things get chipped away. One of the main things we like about going on a cruise is that the price includes everything and is a better value than a land vacation.

 

I wonder if this is a result of the cruise lines aggressively getting first timers one board and then taking advantage of them because they simply don't understand that everything is included with your price? I mean think about it, if you are only used to land vacation then paying $700 for the hotel for a week and then having to pay for food and activities on top of that is completely normal. You wouldn't even think twice about having to pay for Johnny Rockets or Room Service.

[emdia43]

Solution>>>>Just go to guest services and reduce your daily gratitude's by the amount of room service charges for that day. They might get the message.:evilsmile:

 

Oh, good idea. We use room service almost every night . IMO I have paid for all food in my cruise fare, so it's just the delivery they are going to charge extra for. If I cruise RCCL again, I will remove all gratuities.

[Ocean Boy]

If consumers want a lower base price and surcharges, then it would wrong of the cruise line to ignore that.

I haven't noticed prices dropping with the advent of new charges. They are going to charge however much they can and still reach peak profit in the booking category. The extra charges, bar charges, etc., are all figured to maximize profit in their own categories. The addition of a charge is not used to offset a corresponding price drop for the cruise.

[bUU]

Solution>>>>Just go to guest services and reduce your daily gratitude's by the amount of room service charges for that day. They might get the message.:evilsmile:

They will get a message but paid a different one than that intended. From what I've read, the daily gratuity is not booked as revenue. It is considered Direct compensation from Passenger to crew members. So the only real impact from this would be that crew members would get short-changed and management would probably get the message that crew members aren't doing their jobs well.

[voyager70]

There is a complaint on their Facebook page by a Laura Ward that says she called Customer Service and was told the new charge was necessary to avoid bankruptcy! :o:o

 

They've got to come with a better one than that :rolleyes:

[Merion_Mom]

Directly from RC:

 

The room service menu has had a fleet-wide update, with new menus and pricing designed to deliver the best service possible to all our guests.

With the exception of the Continental breakfast options, all room service orders now come with a charge of $7.95 per order, no matter what time of day they are placed. The charges are applied at the time guests place their order, so if they order from the American breakfast menu in the morning and then the All-Day menu in the afternoon they will be charged $7.95 both times.

The complimentary Continental breakfast menu offers a wide and delicious range of options, so guests can still take advantage of room service without additional fees in the morning.

[bUU]

I haven't noticed prices dropping with the advent of new charges.

But we have noticed prices increasing significantly slower than the rate of inflation over the last 25 years. That's how it works. The airlines, hotels, and cruise lines have an option to raise fares 3% or to raise fares 2% and add or increase a surcharge.

[FSUNole]

There is a complaint on their Facebook page by a Laura Ward that says she called Customer Service and was told the new charge was necessary to avoid bankruptcy! :o:o

If they are this close to bankruptcy, everyone not past final payment needs to get a refund because this alone won't save them.

[famof4togo]

I called and it worked out for our cruise personally but I got the impression that the supervisors were fielding a lot of calls on the issue...the gal I spoke to didn't come right out and say it but she seemed to imply that if you called and complained along the lines of "I booked with free room service, I'd like to sail with free room service" etc...that maybe I'd get some OBC to supplement my room service...I'd say worth a call and try for those who it applies too....

[soccer2010]

I sent an email last nite to RCL press and got called back today from someone in the executive office. Here's the general response:

1. Room service charges are being rolled out. Based off of consumer feedback, they want to offer better service and better selections. Based off the menu shown on another post, it looks like the selection will be better. If fewer people order, that should help with the slow service.

2. Prices for next year appear to be considerably higher than what I have been able to get the past few years. RCL response was that over the last decade or so, prices have been inline with other items (airfare, etc). Also that prices are about supply and demand. Looking at how RCL fills ships, its hard to argue with that. I have booked an MSC Seaside cruise for next year. If I don't find a really good deal from RCL, we'll keep the MSC cruise.

3. RCL is investing to improve the dining experience in both the MDR and the Windjammer. This is based on feedback that they have received from customers.

 

I felt that I received honest responses and I was on the phone for over 10 minutes. Email the president with your concerns and they will listen. If they get enough feedback, changes may happen but realize that their 1st obligation is to the corporation and the stockholders.

[emdia43]

They will get a message but paid a different one than that intended. From what I've read, the daily gratuity is not booked as revenue. It is considered Direct compensation from Passenger to crew members. So the only real impact from this would be that crew members would get short-changed and management would probably get the message that crew members aren't doing their jobs well.

 

I think if enough people did this it would be a powerful message . This cost cutting ie Nickel and diming can work both ways. Maybe if everyone removed grats in protest, they would be obliged to pay their own staff, and consequently find a way to change this policy.

[cheggy]

That's where I saw it this morning. The article said it starts after March 27, 2017. There were at least 100 comments already. A lot of very unhappy cruisers! :mad:

Yes it was . Cruise Fever put it on their website.

[Clarea]

... 1. Room service charges are being rolled out. Based off of consumer feedback, they want to offer better service and better selections. Based off the menu shown on another post, it looks like the selection will be better. If fewer people order, that should help with the slow service. ... .

If RC follows their typical SOP, the room service menus will be improved, for a while. Then slowly they will go back to the way they were when they were free.

[jbrezen]

Oh, good idea. We use room service almost every night . IMO I have paid for all food in my cruise fare, so it's just the delivery they are going to charge extra for. If I cruise RCCL again, I will remove all gratuities.

 

 

 

And that will just punish the servers and cabin attendants and anyone else who gets part of that gratuity. It's along the same line that a chef cooks your meal incorrectly so you don't tip the server.

 

 

 

 

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