Late Night Room Service Fee?

[NYcruzzer]

NCL charges $7.95 day or night for room service. Only exception there is complimentary Continental Breakfast limited to Danish, toast, and Crossants as well as Coffee and tea.

[RICCruisers]

Is the charge Per Item or Per Order?

[varoo]

It says that the fee is for items delivered between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Room service delivery can be extremely slow at night, so if enforced, they can end up charging people who ordered earlier.

 

If they are going to charge such a petty nickel-and-diming fee at all, it should be for items ordered during those hours.

 

 

As Celebrity does not even offer room service breakfast at all on disembarkation days, some passengers who want to disembark early do order late room service the night before to save time on the final morning.

 

That way they don't need to waste time rushing back and forth to get breakfast someplace else and waiting to be served.

Instead, they can stay right in their stateroom taking turns eating, getting ready, and packing up that morning.

Then they can leave their room ready to get right off the ship.

 

 

[JaneStarr]

As I recall, room service was discontinued the final night of our Aug 1 cruise. I believe the end time was midnight.

 

I don't know why this surcharge bothers me so much; it just seems to cheapen the brand. Doesn't feel like "Modern Luxury" to me, whatever that means!

 

We haven't even ordered room service (aside from breakfast) on our last few cruises. Since we've been cruising mostly in suites lately, it doesn't personally affect me. I still don't feel this is a good business decision. Seems like Celebrity would lose more good will than it would gain in $3.95 fees.

Jane

[barneyboy]

I guess they did have to give back some "perk" for CC since most of the others have been discontinued like flowers, etc.

 

Like others, I've never used it but it seems pretty petty. Are there more than 10 people up after 11 pm on Celebrity ships anyway?

 

 

We are just off Constellation Rome to Istanbul. The ship was buzzing until late every night, and we sometimes closed the Martini Bar at 2am!

[GUT2407]

A new one on me.

 

More and more charges

[GUT2407]

NCL charges $7.95 day or night for room service. Only exception there is complimentary Continental Breakfast limited to Danish, toast, and Crossants as well as Coffee and tea.

 

 

Oh well NCL rip you off Celebriity may as well too :confused::mad:

[JFontaine]

The explanation that I heard was that many times the server would get to the room, knock on the door and there'd be no answer - the passenger fell asleep, left to go to a bar, or it was "kids" fooling around. This delayed orders to people actually waiting. I don't believe Celebrity looks at this as a money maker; it is more of a service enhancer in response to a bad trend seen across some cruise lines. .

Edited September 19, 2015 by JFontaine

[sleepless]

Royal Caribbean has had this fee on their ships for a few years now. It is assumed that this charge was instituted because of the "waste" of food during the late night hours. Many reasons were given: 1) people would order the food late, fall asleep before delivery, 2) people who had to much to drink would order the food, not eat it 3) people would order a lot of food, then only eat some.

 

This fee was accepted by most people as a way of cutting out waste. There did seem to be less trays cluttering the hallways in the morning still filled with food (or on the stateroom attendants carts).

 

One thing to note, unless things had changed on Royal Caribbean, the fee was not put into effect until midnight.

[springfire]

Just sad that they would do this!

[gergles]

The explanation that I heard was that many times the server would get to the room, knock on the door and there'd be no answer - the passenger fell asleep, left to go to a bar, or it was "kids" fooling around. This delayed orders to people actually waiting. I don't believe Celebrity looks at this as a money maker; it is more of a service enhancer in response to a bad trend seen across some cruise lines. .

 

Only on CC could a new 'beacuse we can' nickel-and-dime fee be called a 'service enhancer' in what appears to be a completely unironic way.

 

Next 'service enhancer', a $20 fee for 'priority service' at the bars onboard... then a $30 fee for priority service ahead of the priority service line...

Edited September 19, 2015 by gergles

[Brad1185]

It's ridiculous and sad celebrity would do this

 

I'm glad I have no cruises planned for the next several years

 

The cruise lines have taken the "fun" out of cruising

[NYcruzzer]

It's ridiculous and sad celebrity would do this

 

 

 

I'm glad I have no cruises planned for the next several years

 

 

 

The cruise lines have taken the "fun" out of cruising

 

 

While disappointing , I certainly wouldn't cancel my upcoming cruises or be glad I have none booked.

[pinkrosesdeb]

We cruise mostly with Royal and this has been done with them for quite awhile now. It seems like at least 2 years. It hasn't bothered us at all because we are usually asleep. I know it must be worst for the night owls just looking for a "little something" before bed. We would usually grab something elsewhere and take it back to the cabin but I know that doesn't solve your craving in the middle of the night problem. I sincerely hope it doesn't affect your enjoyment of the cruise!

[happy cruzer]

The fee starting at 6am could be a problem for us. A few times we have had early port calls and used room service to get more protein than the continental breakfast offered in the buffet.

[sleepless]

The fee starting at 6am could be a problem for us. A few times we have had early port calls and used room service to get more protein than the continental breakfast offered in the buffet.

 

 

The fee ends at 6:00 am, but yes, that would be an issue if you wanted a 6:00 am breakfast. Ask for delivery at 6:05 am to avoid the fee.

Edited September 20, 2015 by sleepless

[Desertbelle]

Perhaps the reason no one has been charged so far is because it IS a tip fee and if you give the server a tip, the Service Charge is not activated. Just a thought.

 

As for having the charge, I can see why they would want to discourage middle of the night room service. Having a staff of people sitting by awaiting a call for food is probably very expensive for the cruise line. The service charge makes for fewer people using the service and allows them to keep the staff very small to cover those late night times.

[charmed101]

After several cruises with celebrity I have yet to order room service, but even if we did take advantage of this service 4 or 5 times a cruise (usually 14 day cruises) that would be driving our cruise price up by $20. !!!! If we stay up late and have a few drinks and get back to the room ,,, a bit to lazy to go hunting for food,, then I think I can handle that extra charge to have someone deliver it to me.

[fleckle]

After several cruises with celebrity I have yet to order room service, but even if we did take advantage of this service 4 or 5 times a cruise (usually 14 day cruises) that would be driving our cruise price up by $20. !!!! If we stay up late and have a few drinks and get back to the room ,,, a bit to lazy to go hunting for food,, then I think I can handle that extra charge to have someone deliver it to me.

I don't think the issue is the amount of the fee, but rather the cheesy idea of imposing a fee for room service at all when they never did before

 

Most who object to the $3.95 room service fee would feel the same way about it even if the fee was only $1.

Many of us tip the room service delivery person more than that, but we do it voluntarily.

[chamima]

I don't think the issue is the amount of the fee, but rather the cheesy idea of imposing a fee for room service at all when they never did before

 

Most who object to the $3.95 room service fee would feel the same way about it even if the fee was only $1.

Many of us tip the room service delivery person more than that, but we do it voluntarily.

 

 

 

EXACTLY !!!!

 

 

 

c

[Jane2357]

We order room service every single day - it is our wake up call and we get it at 5:30 or 6:00 a.m. depending on the class schedule in the gym or for watching ourselves pull into port from our balcony. We always tip. Just coffee $2.00 - full breakfast $5.00.

 

I really won't be changing our habits due to the fee but I feel like this is the slippery slope downhill to the end result of a fee for all room service deliveries. They are just priming us.

Edited September 21, 2015 by Jane2357

[AnnaMiami]

That's a bummer and a big thumbs down from me. We usually order a midnight snack after coming back for the night and late night room service is one of our favorite cruise indulgences. We never get anything huge, and it's annoying that now I'll have to think "well, do I really want to spend $7 (service charge plus I always tip) on an overcooked burger that I really shouldn't be eating this late in the first place?" I like to indulge a little more on a cruise, and I know this is going to be a reminder of why I probably shouldn't, and that's annoying :p

[POA1]

Does anyone know if the late night service charge is given to the person who delivers the meal? If they got to keep $3.00 or $3.50 of the $3.95, it makes sense. Or, if the 3rd shift cooks got something as did the delivery person, that would seem fair too.

[curiouscat]

EXACTLY !!!!

 

 

 

c

 

Exactly.. agreed. When it came out on the RCL line I felt it fit that product but not on X.. Sigh

 

CC

 

And 11 am is awfully early to charge for "late" night service:eek:

 

CC

[lovemylab]

Exactly.. agreed. When it came out on the RCL line I felt it fit that product but not on X.. Sigh

 

 

 

CC

 

 

 

And 11 am is awfully early to charge for "late" night service:eek:

 

 

 

CC

 

The charge is for after 11 pm, not 11 am.

 

I see this as just one more way the cruise lines are nickel and diming passengers. Not a fan.

Edited September 22, 2015 by lovemylab