"Free" Room Service Breakfast on HAL Ships..........

[sail7seas]

In my opening post, I typed "free', thus to bring attention to the concept of 'free' on a cruise ship.

As I posted in post #23 above in this thread, there is nothing free on a cruise ship. You pay for it in the fare or you pay for it at the time you use/do it aboard.

 

I was sure most people would understand my point of this thread.

 

Room Service is included in the fare we pay to cruise.

 

The same breakfast we might order on the ship has 'unknown to us' value. I don't know how to compute exactly what the cost for the identical breakfast on HAL ship is vs what it cost at the hotel I am quoting. The value is whatever someone charges for it.

 

If someone paid $699 for seven days on HAL cruise and they order that breakfast each morning, presumably in the market place of moderate to upscale hotel accomodation, that breakfast bears a cost of roughly $50 per day. Under that theory, the cruiser who paid $699 for the week would be eating the (hotel comparison) value of $350 in breakfast if they were to order that meal, room service each day.

 

I would have done a comparison of lunch and dinner and it's easy to see how there are some folks who are getting amazing bargain by cruising.

 

I thought it an interesting comparison.

I'll not bother to post the lunch and dinner comparison. :rolleyes:

 

Happy to answer any questions if someone doesn't understand my point.

[ironin]

Sail: FWIW, I thought your initial post was humorously self-explanatory. I guess this is just another example of how some people don't get it, some of them never will, and some of them just don't want to get it. Then again, some people just enjoy picking nits. ;)

[mudscraper]

The vendeteria in any Motel 6 has a fine selection of delicious consumables at nominal cost.

[SwissMyst]

Sail: FWIW, I thought your initial post was humorously self-explanatory. I guess this is just another example of how some people don't get it, some of them never will, and some of them just don't want to get it. Then again, some people just enjoy picking nits. ;)

 

And some people here always love complaining about the complainers. They don't get it either.;)

[sail7seas]

Sail: FWIW, I thought your initial post was humorously self-explanatory. I guess this is just another example of how some people don't get it, some of them never will, and some of them just don't want to get it. Then again, some people just enjoy picking nits. ;)

 

 

Sometimes one just can't win for trying. :D

 

I love your 'picking nits'. Hope you don't mind if I borrow it in the future.

 

Now about all that free wine and champagne on board. :)

[ironin]

Sometimes one just can't win for trying. :D

*LOL* So it would appear.

IOW, humor doesn't always translate.

I love your 'picking nits'. Hope you don't mind if I borrow it in the future.

*LOL* Not at all! Be my guest!

I borrowed it myself, many moons ago.

 

Now about all that free wine and champagne on board. :)

*LOL* As if!

Wrong cruise line, I think :D

[Oceanwench]

"Picking nits" makes me itchy ... :D

It brings me back to my days of teaching junior high/high school, and how the school nurse was always checking kids' hair!

[ironin]

"Picking nits" makes me itchy ... :D

It brings me back to my days of teaching junior high/high school, and how the school nurse was always checking kids' hair!

 

We're even now, because that thought brought back distant memories and made me itchy, too!:D

[Oceanwench]

We're even now, because that thought brought back distant memories and made me itchy, too!:D

 

I wonder how many people stop to think where the term comes from? I know a restaurant reviewer who uses it often in his reviews, and I find it funny! :p

[ironin]

I wonder how many people stop to think where the term comes from? I know a restaurant reviewer who uses it often in his reviews, and I find it funny! :p

 

Funny! (And a tad gross.) Having long ago lived where nit-picking was serious business for some, I have no excuse, save that the phrase was one I learned from my grandfather well before I understood the etymology (not to mention entomology :eek:).

[Linda&Vern]

Sail: FWIW, I thought your initial post was humorously self-explanatory. I guess this is just another example of how some people don't get it, some of them never will, and some of them just don't want to get it. Then again, some people just enjoy picking nits. ;)

I couldn't agree more. Thanks for your post Sail. I considered it great "food for thought." ;) ;)

[mariner]

Sail is correct. All juices at the St. Regis are freshly squeezed and if I recall, a glass of tomato juice at breakfast is $18.

[mudscraper]

Sail is correct. All juices at the St. Regis are freshly squeezed and if I recall, a glass of tomato juice at breakfast is $18.

So true. But of sufficient size as I recall.

[mariner]

They never skimp

[Cygneagile]

Being a frequent cruiser, I find the Cabin service for breakfast a real treat. Sitting on the balcony and having coffee and fresh fruit just makes the day. Most hotels these days offer free breakfast and free internet. But then the breakfast is just to start you off. When we travel down to Florida it is nice to get an early start on the road. The same goes for our Cabin breakfast is an indulgence that I thoroughly enjoy. It starts off our day. We are early riser so I just love it. We cannot compare Hotel to cruises. Our cruise cost includes all the meals. Life is good.:rolleyes:

[Kathyh1313]

Sail, I "got" you. Cruising remains an excellent value for the money. Your example certainly supports that. My word, for the price DH and I paid per diem for our upcoming Noordam cruise, we would only get a nice dinner in Boston, forget about breakfast and lunch:eek:

 

And you can't beat the view from your verandah while enjoying that breakfast. :)

[michmike]

For those who begrudge the room service steward a small tip, I can only hope that you are reincarnated to a job in the service industry. Would love to have your take on things then.

 

As for anyone who would pay $18 for a glass of juice, they need to be in a 50% tax bracket as even ther govt can spend that money in less ridiculous ways.

[m steve]

I never heard of a restaurant or hotel serving fresh squeezed TJ. I would think it would be watery. There is no 50% tax bracket in USA. Definately not for the super rich.

[SwissMyst]

For those who begrudge the room service steward a small tip, I can only hope that you are reincarnated to a job in the service industry. Would love to have your take on things then.

 

As for anyone who would pay $18 for a glass of juice, they need to be in a 50% tax bracket as even ther govt can spend that money in less ridiculous ways.

 

I begrudge creating a tip expectation for room service on ships when this is an included dining option. I did work my whole life in the service industry and proud of it. It is a great working environment and to do it right you do it because you love it and it was your chosen work venue; not because someone is paying you a "small tip". That actually is offensive.

[JJGlanton]

My wife and I used room service on the Eurodam quite a bit - I gave $2 every time (a buck per tray, basically).

 

Don't know what other people do - whether that was too much/too little? But it felt right to us, and we never failed to get prompt room service.

 

And in the scheme of things, breakfast every day = $14 on a 7 day cruise?

[SwissMyst]

My wife and I used room service on the Eurodam quite a bit - I gave $2 every time (a buck per tray, basically).

 

Don't know what other people do - whether that was too much/too little? But it felt right to us, and we never failed to get prompt room service.

 

And in the scheme of things, breakfast every day = $14 on a 7 day cruise?

 

The mystery here is why has room service been teased out among all the included services HAL offers as part of the total cruise experience that it alone warrants an "extra" tip.

 

Watching the waiters carry all those heavy stacked up dinner trays every evening in the main dining room do not. I believe room service trays get rolled down the hallway in large racks and are easily delivered to the individual rooms.

 

Delivering room service is probably sought after as a work shift option because it is so much easier. No need to tip extra for it at all. It just one of the many included services already covered in your total cruise cost.

 

Food gets delivered all over the ship from the central kithcen galleys. Room service is just one of many delivery end points and no different than delivering it to seated diners in the MDR or in their cabins.

[kazu]

The mystery here is why has room service been teased out among all the included services HAL offers as part of the total cruise experience that it alone warrants an "extra" tip.

 

Watching the waiters carry all those heavy stacked up dinner trays every evening in the main dining room do not. I believe room service trays get rolled down the hallway in large racks and are easily delivered to the individual rooms.

 

Delivering room service is probably sought after as a work shift option because it is so much easier. No need to tip extra for it at all. It just one of the many included services already covered in your total cruise cost.

 

Food gets delivered all over the ship from the central kithcen galleys. Room service is just one of many delivery end points and no different than delivering it to seated diners in the MDR or in their cabins.

 

oh my heavens - here you go again ;) Might be no different to you - but since we tend to tip our MDR waiters extra when we have had terrific service, we do the same to the room service.

 

I don't see what the problem is if people CHOOSE to pass a few dollars in appreciation of great service :confused: we also tip the PG staff extra if we have had good service.

 

Sure the food is on trolleys - in my younger life, putting myself through University, I was a waitress. I would have far rathered carry a tray than try to manoeuver a trolley. I appreciate good service and am happy to top it off if i feel it is warranted. i realize it is not required. It's our choice. :)

[Randyk47]

I don't tip based necessarily on level of effort. It indeed might be that the room service staff have carts to at least get their deliveries in the general location and that makes sense. If I were tipping based on level of effort I guess I'd seek out those poor fellows who have to deliver hundreds of bags at the beginning of a cruise and then collect them at the end. That I consider a significant level of effort. :) I tip because they have provided me a service that has made my cruise more enjoyable, kept me from getting totally prepared to be seen in public, and, in return, protected the rest of the ship from seeing me not totally prepared for public. :rolleyes::D

[kazu]

I don't tip based necessarily on level of effort. It indeed might be that the room service staff have carts to at least get their deliveries in the general location and that makes sense. If I were tipping based on level of effort I guess I'd seek out those poor fellows who have to deliver hundreds of bags at the beginning of a cruise and then collect them at the end. That I consider a significant level of effort. :) I tip because they have provided me a service that has made my cruise more enjoyable, kept me from getting totally prepared to be seen in public, and, in return, protected the rest of the ship from seeing me not totally prepared for public. :rolleyes::D

 

Love it! ;):D:)

[MICHARCH]

Okay,

 

I don't feel comfortable saying the name of the hotel- but yes, it was indeed Boston and a large scale chain, probably 4 star.

 

 

Awww come on, what's the name? I promise not to tell on you.:)