Is Princess charging room service fees fleet wide or only on the Regal?

[Cruise Junky]

Does this mean that the charge goes up to $12 if 4 of us share a pizza delivered to the room?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

We have no confirmation yet if the $3 delivery fee is per person or per order but I'd be willing to bet it's per order just like it currently is for pizza

[Loreni]

I feel the same way and it saddens & disappoints me to feel this way about the cruise line who has provided us with our best cruise experience within our budget. Hopefully Princess HQ will realize what a bad decision they've made & will rescind these changes before the negative PR news spreads even further. :(

 

I tend to agree with these comments. It almost feels like Princess is creating an adversarial relationship with its passengers. That can't be wise. Maybe adversarial is not quite the right word. But advertising certain things as free and then charging for them seems like Princess holds its passengers in contempt. Why else treat someone dishonestly? One reason could be that Princess is truly desperate. They need the revenue so badly that they would mistreat passengers. I know fuel and food costs have increased. How is CCL doing financially. If they are still making a good profit, then these changes are a shame.

Edited May 26, 2014 by Loreni

[insidecabin]

I tend to agree with these comments. It almost feels like Princess is creating an adversarial relationship with its passengers. That can't be wise. Maybe adversarial is not quite the right word. But advertising certain things as free and then charging for them seems like Princess holds its passengers in contempt. Why else treat someone dishonestly? One reason could be that Princess is truly desperate. They need the revenue so badly that they would mistreat passengers. I know fuel and food costs have increased. How is CCL doing financially. If they are still making a good profit, then these changes are a shame.

 

What makes things worse is they are still advertising that 24hr room service is included and the Pizzeria/Alfredo are an included casual option onboard all ships..

[Astro Flyer]

What makes things worse is they are still advertising that 24hr room service is included and the Pizzeria/Alfredo are an included casual option onboard all ships..

Here's what it says in the Princess promotional brochure they created for the Royal and Regal:

 

Alfredo’s Pizzeria

Just one of a few ships to offer Alfredo’s pizzeria, Royal Princess & Regal Princess pair an expanded menu and more spacious seating with our complimentary hand- tossed Neapolitan-style pizza, served hot out of the oven.

[Cruise Junky]

Here's what it says in the Princess promotional brochure they created for the Royal and Regal:

 

Alfredo’s Pizzeria

Just one of a few ships to offer Alfredo’s pizzeria, Royal Princess & Regal Princess pair an expanded menu and more spacious seating with our complimentary hand- tossed Neapolitan-style pizza, served hot out of the oven.

 

It is complimentary, it's the mandatory drink that's $10 :p ;)

[Astro Flyer]

Here's some encouraging news just posted on the Princess Facebook page 5 minutes ago. Although they say "for the time being" and without notification so it still could be in our future.

 

"We appreciate your feedback regarding our room service. We've listened to our valued guests and Facebook fans. Based on the feedback, for the time being both room service and Alfredo’s pizzeria charges being trialed on Regal Princess will be halted. We acknowledge we need to provide our guests prior notification of any such changes to our onboard experience, and we promise to do this in the future".

Edited May 26, 2014 by Astro Flyer

[shredie]

Just weird, the whole fiasco.

Edited May 26, 2014 by shredie

[insidecabin]

About time.

 

I expect they should refund all those charges already paid by those currently onboard.

 

 

I wonder if they alerted their travel partners(TAs) to this trial, as for the majority of passengers that's often a source of information about the cruise lines value proposition.

[Astro Flyer]

I wonder if they alerted their travel partners(TAs) to this trial, as for the majority of passengers that's often a source of information about the cruise lines value proposition.

 

It's been posted that even the Princess call center employees were not informed about this change & someone who knows a hotel manager on another Princess ship said he was not aware of it either so I doubt if TAs were informed of this change.

Edited May 26, 2014 by Astro Flyer

[caribill]

Here's some encouraging news just posted on the Princess Facebook page 5 minutes ago. Although they say "for the time being" and without notification so it still could be in our future.

 

"We appreciate your feedback regarding our room service. We've listened to our valued guests and Facebook fans. Based on the feedback, for the time being both room service and Alfredo’s pizzeria charges being trialed on Regal Princess will be halted. We acknowledge we need to provide our guests prior notification of any such changes to our onboard experience, and we promise to do this in the future".

 

That's good news as far as far as those currently booked on Regal are concerned. However, it seems to just answer the major complaint about bait and switch.

 

It does not address the fact that if re-instituted with appropriate advance notice that Princess would be the only cruise line charging for all room service all the time.

[insidecabin]

It's been posted that even the Princess call center employees were not informed about this change & someone who knows a hotel manager on another Princess ship said he was not aware of it either so I doubt if TAs were informed of this change either.

 

 

Oh yay forgot those,

 

one has to wonder if this was a deliberate conscious policy decision to have no communication or briefings or monumental incompetence.

[Pam in CA]

I just got the exact same response to my post on FB five minutes ago.

[Astro Flyer]

That's good news as far as far as those currently booked on Regal are concerned. However, it seems to just answer the major complaint about bait and switch.

 

It does not address the fact that if re-instituted with appropriate advance notice that Princess would be the only cruise line charging for all room service all the time.

I agree & said in my post that it was halted "for the time being" & they wouldn't make future changes without prior notification. This could just be damage control to minimize the PR issue & they still could add it at a later date with prior notification. Only time will tell if their promise to not make changes in the future without notification is accurate but I hope so. Hopefully they won't reinstitute these changes & they realize it was a bad idea to make these changes.

Edited May 26, 2014 by Astro Flyer

[insidecabin]

I just got the exact same response to my post on FB five minutes ago.

 

Why respond individually?

 

Why not stick a proper apology announcement on the main timeline.

[shredie]

Why respond individually?

 

Why not stick a proper apology announcement on the main timeline.

 

They apparently did a canned response to everyone who posted on Facebook. I think the idea was to make them look "sincere" to each person who complained. Yes, I am convinced of the sincerity of the message and trust them never to do this bait and switch thing again--not.

[caribill]

They apparently did a canned response to everyone who posted on Facebook. I think the idea was to make them look "sincere" to each person who complained. Yes, I am convinced of the sincerity of the message and trust them never to do this bait and switch thing again--not.

 

And they did this in the middle of a holiday weekend!

[Shogun]

Hi All

 

The power of social media a few years ago

We would have not known about these changes and by the time we did there would be nothing we could do about it.

 

But today we as a consumer have the ability to be heard.

 

Let's hope Princess listens to us.

 

Yours Shogun

 

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Forums mobile app

[gailjen]

This is the reply I got from Princess via my FB page

 

Hi Gail, we apologize for the confusion this weekend regarding charges onboard Regal Princess. We've listened to our valued guests and Facebook fans, and based on the feedback, for the time being both room service and Alfredo’s pizzeria charges being trialed on Regal Princess will be halted. We acknowledge we need to provide our guests prior notification of any such changes to our onboard experience, and we promise to do this in the future.

 

Hats off to them x however I'm sure it'll be officially announced and charges back on by Aug x

[Woobstr112G]

This is the reply I got from Princess via my FB page

 

Hi Gail, we apologize for the confusion this weekend regarding charges onboard Regal Princess. We've listened to our valued guests and Facebook fans, and based on the feedback, for the time being both room service and Alfredo’s pizzeria charges being trialed on Regal Princess will be halted. We acknowledge we need to provide our guests prior notification of any such changes to our onboard experience, and we promise to do this in the future.

 

Hats off to them x however I'm sure it'll be officially announced and charges back on by Aug x

 

Just saw the same message on my FB page as well.....:):):)

 

Bob

[cruisequeen4ever]

Accolades to Princess for correcting this wrong! Like others, I'm concerned they will eventually reinstate these absurd charges. I hope they take all of the feedback seriously and will never again try to charge for room service and Alfredo's. Other cruise lines have a much more extensive room service menu, and they don't charge! I'm thrilled to now go back to our original plan for our 6/2 cruise...Alfredo's on embarkation day with a Shirley Temple from my UKP and my husband will still order a glass of wine anyway, late night pizza at Alfredo's other nights, afternoon tea on our balcony one sea day, coffee from room service, and chocolate covered strawberries on formal nights! These little touches will help us "come back new"! ;-)

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[lexdisic]

I wouldnt be surprised that it was the European consumer protection laws that influenced this decision. Celebrity appears to be doing the same over the drinks package debacle. If both companies did "bait & switch", which would be illegal, rather than grandfather in the increases, I would now suggest that they will simply regroup, get their legal dept act together, do it properly, and then we'll see the charges being re-introduced but this time "grandfathered"

Both PC & X have shown their true colours and have no respect for their customers because of the way they tried to do this in the first place, so as gailjen says - give them until August and they will be back.

Sometimes I question the loyalty some have shown these cruise lines - it is certainly not deserved.

 

JMO of course

[thinfool]

Oh yay forgot those,

 

one has to wonder if this was ....... monumental incompetence.

 

Good chance!!!

 

And, sadly, an example of the disconnect between corporate decision making and the real world.

[Love.II.Cruise]

I'm glad they halted the trial. But I'm guessing they are eventually going to impose some sort of fee for Alfredo's (perhaps without drink) and for room service. I think they are looking for more ways to get revenue.

[pilotsh]

If Princess changed the goal posts on these charges, then simply:

Fill in the complaint form on the ship; and

Tell the steward who brings the meal that the $3 charge is their tip; and

When you get back from the cruise complain in the survey email.

 

If enough people do this (they will also get complaints from crew who stop getting tipped), then Princess will hopefully get the message.

[Mapu]

This is the reply I got from Princess via my FB page

 

Hi Gail, we apologize for the confusion this weekend regarding charges onboard Regal Princess. We've listened to our valued guests and Facebook fans, and based on the feedback, for the time being both room service and Alfredo’s pizzeria charges being trialed on Regal Princess will be halted. We acknowledge we need to provide our guests prior notification of any such changes to our onboard experience, and we promise to do this in the future.

 

Hats off to them x however I'm sure it'll be officially announced and charges back on by Aug x

 

The same was on my FB page. Now we have to watch for possible "prior notice" and respond accordingly.