Breakfast on the balcony & what is roll call?

[Pinky60]

Hi my partner and I are taking our first cruise in June and I have two questions:

how do you arrange to have breakfast on your balcony - a lot of people seem to do it. Do you order room service? Are the choice on room service limited and if so can you visit the dining room and "take away" items for a balcony breakfast?

Also, how does this roll call I've heard about work? Where do you go to find out about the roll call on your cruise?

I guess that's more than two questions :) but there are only two topics!

[CruiserBruce]

Room service is the usual way to have breakfast on your balcony. When you get to your cabin, there will be instructions on how to order room service. Menus vary by cruise line. If you wish to "take away" food to your cabin, it is usually done from the buffet (commonly called the Lido) on the ship.

 

Roll calls are specific threads just for a given cruise of a given ship. It is where you would meet other people on your cruise. Here is the Master List of Roll Calls:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=34

[binkysmom]

not sure about the breakfast question. I've taken room service on the balcony and sometimes coffee and snacks from the buffet. I've never gone to the main dining room to order food and take it back to the balcony.

 

Roll Call. on the main message board page look for the "Roll Call" link. Click on it and look for which cruise line (ie. Carnival, RC, Holland etc). Once there look for your ship - click on it and scroll down to look for the date of your cruise. Just post on that thread to join your roll call :D

[Azulann]

CruiseVirgin,

Welcome to Cruise Critic

We were all once planning our first cruise just like you.

What ship are you sailing on?

Do have breakfast on your balcony. You order breakfast the night before through room service. You only need to tip the person who brings it to you, no addtional charge.

On Celebrity, you fill out the form and leave it on the door outside your stateroom. They call you when breakfast is coming up. Nice gesture so you can throw on a robe.

 

On your roll call page there will also a place to register for your Cruise Critic meet and greet gathering once you are on board. You will receive a card in your room telling you the time and place where this will happen. It is a nice way to see the folks who have been posting on your roll call. Roll call is also the place where people organize private tours that you can join for different ports of call. Otherwise, you can do ship tours or just get off and explore on your own while you are in port.

Keep asking questions.

Glad you will be having a wonderfull vacation, a cruise.:)

[Mary Ellen]

The e-mail you received when joining the CC states:

 

Our famous Roll Calls are for people who are going on a specific cruise to meet each other before cruising, and discuss all aspects of their cruise. This is *the* place to find others who might want to share a shore excursion or tour in a port of call. Roll Call forums are available for most major cruise lines and ships.

[cb at sea]

Be aware that not all cabins have dining tables...so eating a full meal in the cabin or on the balcony can be a bit difficult without a real table to put your plates on!

[sail7seas]

Some ships have large verandas with certain category suites and are perfectly comfortable for sit down breakfast for four at the table and chairs. HAL "S" suites on all their ships are great for breakfast but the so-called "S" and "R" class ships' "S" suite verandas can easily seat you and your partner.

 

Which cruise line? What ship?

[Pinky60]

Thank you to all those who answered my questions - lots of great help :D

 

Any ideas on how much we should tip the server bringing breakfast to our room would be appreciated.

Are there any other situations where an extra tip is called for? We have chosen My time dining so tips have already been charged when we paid.

 

We are sailing with Royal Caribbean on the Navigator of the Seas Eastern med 7 day cruise on 10th June. I'm not a great sailor like my SO but am still very excited about the cruise and visiting so many countries too :)

 

Planning to do a full day excursion in Athens to see the Acropolis and Cape Sounion, which sounds beautiful. Also possibly the Biblical experience full day excursion in Kusadasi. Both excursions are pricey, especially after adding tips for guides and drivers, so we may skip excursions in Crete and Sicily and do our own thing.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

You may want to ask on the Royal Caribbean board about their menu for cabin breakfast here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=83

And your Roll Call is here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1553382

[NorthCarolinaBelle]

If you forget to order the night before, you can always call that morning and order room service. It will just take a little longer, so be prepared to be patient. Be sure to order the night before your excursion days, so you'll have a nice wake-up call and can get ready easier. I usually tip $2 for coffee and rolls, but if we get a full breakfast with lots of heavy plates I'll tip $3-5. Your cruise sounds amazing!

[Marie51]

Thank you to all those who answered my questions - lots of great help :D

 

Any ideas on how much we should tip the server bringing breakfast to our room would be appreciated.

Are there any other situations where an extra tip is called for? We have chosen My time dining so tips have already been charged when we paid.

 

We are sailing with Royal Caribbean on the Navigator of the Seas Eastern med 7 day cruise on 10th June. I'm not a great sailor like my SO but am still very excited about the cruise and visiting so many countries too :)

 

Planning to do a full day excursion in Athens to see the Acropolis and Cape Sounion, which sounds beautiful. Also possibly the Biblical experience full day excursion in Kusadasi. Both excursions are pricey, especially after adding tips for guides and drivers, so we may skip excursions in Crete and Sicily and do our own thing.

 

Hi...........it is so exciting to plan your 1st cruise.

I have been having breakfast on the balcony for years. I think it is one of the highlights of cruising! On Royal Caribbean they have a limited room service breakfast menu but there is plenty for me to make into a breakfast. There will be room service cards in your cabin and just fill out the card and put it on the doorknob outside your cabin when you go to bed. They come around and pick them up in the middle of the night and then your breakfast will arrive in the morning at whatever time you specify. Tip $2-$3. The balcony will have 2 chairs and a small table, and there is also a small table in the cabin next to the sofa.

You can go to the buffet called Windjammer and take food back to your cabin and there will be more of a selection there. But with room service they bring me a big pot of coffee and if you go to the buffet you will only carry back one cup. Hope this is helpful.