Room service charges May 2017

[Malcolm142]

I have noticed under FAQ's on P&O website they make mention of more chargeable items.

 

'Most room service items are free of charge however there are some exceptions to this, please see the *room service menu for an idea of costs.

Also, from May 2017 we are introducing an exciting new range of chargeable items to the menu.'

I know there are a few items which carry a small charge at the moment but is this the thin end of the wedge towards room service not being complimentary.

Edited April 4, 2017 by Malcolm142
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[jeanlyon]

Never used room service.

[Scriv]

Well, I'm afraid I think it is very reasonable to have a charge for room service as there often is in hotels. It is not a service that everyone uses and is a definite extra. It will help spread the costs more fairly. An exception of course is if someone is confined to their cabin through norovirus or similar.

[Florry]

It's not bad actually! It is a handy way of getting something to eat avoiding the stampede if the ship is docking at lunchtime.

 

 

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[tartanexile81]

I like room service especially for a late lunch after a day ashore and breakfast of course. I was confined to my cabin for nearly a week recently, crossing the Atlantic, and room service was a Godsend. There are items on the menu for which you have to pay already so my reading was that this would continue but there would still be mainly free items

[daiB]

I like room service especially for a late lunch after a day ashore and breakfast of course. I was confined to my cabin for nearly a week recently, crossing the Atlantic, and room service was a Godsend. There are items on the menu for which you have to pay already so my reading was that this would continue but there would still be mainly free items

 

 

I got the impression that the menu was to be enhanced and some of the items would be charged.

 

Like others we have only ever used the room service 2/3 times in xx cruises.

 

 

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[smokey01]

Does anyone tip the person who delivers the room service items or is this covered by the auto gratuity?

[Strawberry field]

Does anyone tip the person who delivers the room service items or is this covered by the auto gratuity?

 

What a good question. I wanted something from room service last year but didn't order as I didn't know about whether to tip or not. Also how do they charge your cruise card if you have chargeable items?

 

If we do tip......how much as I wouldn't like to offend anyone

[Alan & Giselle]

I always tip £1 for room service every time I get it and I also do the same at breakfast if I have it if we are out on an early trip when in port.

 

 

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[Firefly Fan]

Room service breakfast is lovely when you are going on an early excursion. Drinking coffee, eating cereal and toast as we sailed through the fjords ...yummy

 

We tipped the gentleman who delivered our breakfast on the morning of our last indulgent delivery. We were unsure of the etiquette, but the trays had been delivered at the requested times with a smile and a chat every time by the same person.

 

We always leave the auto grats on as we like freedom dining, but as we were not sure if room service was included and we had enjoyed the smile and chat we gave a tip.

 

We gave him £1 per room service ordered then rounded this up to the nearest note. We still don't know if this was correct, but those mornings are one of our many stand out memories from our holiday.

[insanemagnet]

Well, I'm afraid I think it is very reasonable to have a charge for room service as there often is in hotels. It is not a service that everyone uses and is a definite extra.

 

Since not everyone uses the gym there should be a charge for that, as there is in a lot of hotels.

 

The sea day talks are not to everyone's taste, so people should be required to buy a ticket as they do at theatres.

 

Some don't get off the ship at some ports, so perhaps there should be a disembarkation charge.

 

Etc, etc.

[john watson]

The charges probably relate to hot items which require an immediate delivery and as such impact on the staff doing other things of a routine nature.

 

Regards John

[tartanexile81]

Does anyone tip the person who delivers the room service items or is this covered by the auto gratuity?

 

We always take £1 coins with us in a little purse and give them to room service staff but as I said above, we use it quite regularly.

[Scriv]

Since not everyone uses the gym there should be a charge for that, as there is in a lot of hotels.

 

The sea day talks are not to everyone's taste, so people should be required to buy a ticket as they do at theatres.

 

Some don't get off the ship at some ports, so perhaps there should be a disembarkation charge.

 

Etc, etc.

 

Agreed, insanemagnet : Certain minority activities are already chargeable in the gyms........ Certain venues are already chargeable on Britannia, are they not? ...... But as the majority get off a ship in port, no disembarkation charge necessary..... But hey, maybe we could think of a way to charge those who decide to remain on board???;) ;) ;) LOL..... Etc. etc.

Edited April 5, 2017 by Scriv

[pete14]

Agreed, insanemagnet : Certain minority activities are already chargeable in the gyms........ Certain venues are already chargeable on Britannia, are they not? ...... But as the majority get off a ship in port, no disembarkation charge necessary..... But hey, maybe we could think of a way to charge those who decide to remain on board???;) ;) ;) LOL..... Etc. etc.

 

If they charged a £5 fee for leaving the ship in port and a £5 fee for services used by those staying on board, just think how easy it would be to administer.

 

To get back to the OP, the room service menu needs to be revised. Provided the items that are currently free of charge (or similar) remain, I don't see a problem with adding more chargeable items. More choice seems to be a good idea but may result in them having to increase staffing to cope with extra demand.

[annieuk]

On our December cruise on Aurora we had Cathy Jones (Hotel Manager aka Executive Purser) on our table at the Caribbean lunch and she told us that the Room Service menu was the next thing to be re-vamped - this was after the introduction of the new MDR menus. We have often used Room Service for breakfast if we have to be off the ship early for a tour and sometimes have also used it when returning late from a morning tour - I hate the buffet so sometimes we've ordered a Chicken and Bacon baguette (for which there is a charge - I think £1.50) and we really like this. The Room Service Steward who delivers the item for which there is a charge will get you to sign a slip - just like you do in the bars or shops. My husband is also partial to the apple pie and cream, for which there isn't a charge. A friend likes the burger they do. It will be good to have some additional items, about time it was re-vamped.

 

As for tipping, well we've found that, particularly at lunch time, or rather late lunch time it's often the same Steward who delivers the items we've ordered so we've tended to tip him at the end of the cruise. Other than that I've often tipped a £1 each time. It's just remembering to take pound coins. I think it's fair enough to charge for some items on the menu. I know when we've stayed at airport hotels the night before a cruise there's always been a charge for room service - not that we've ever used it. I don't think it unreasonable, especially as you can have a Continental Breakfast without any charge.

[mandylennon]

We usually order room service for breakfast when we have an early excursion planned and although there is a nice choice for continental breakfast, we would like the addition of some cooked items. The menu has always had some items which have an additional charge. We usually tip £2 but that covers two cabins as we order for both. Any additional charges do onto your onboard account.

[dgs1956]

I tip a £1 or a dollar if in the Caribbean. I don't feel I need to though. Hopefully this won't start another tipping debate

[FAB1]

I wouldn't mind paying a bit extra for a cooked breakfast on room service ;p

[P&O SUE]

Just to further expand this a bit - do people find the pre-ordered room service for early breakfasts always show up on time? I've never used it before because I worry it won't arrive and I'll oversleep and miss my excursion!

I fancy trying it this year though

 

 

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[Mysticalmother]

Just to further expand this a bit - do people find the pre-ordered room service for early breakfasts always show up on time? I've never used it before because I worry it won't arrive and I'll oversleep and miss my excursion!

I fancy trying it this year though

 

 

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We have never had a problem with room service breakfast not turning up (more or less!) on time. I think once it was 5 mins "late" ..and once it was a bit early and woke us up! You chose a 15 minute slot, so if you are worried at all, just chose a slightly earlier time.

[mandylennon]

Just to further expand this a bit - do people find the pre-ordered room service for early breakfasts always show up on time? I've never used it before because I worry it won't arrive and I'll oversleep and miss my excursion!

I fancy trying it this year though

 

 

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Yes, they usually are on time, give or take 5 minutes or so but if there are a lot of early excursions, you would be best selecting an earlier time just to be sure, they give you slots of every 15 minutes. If you do not answer the door they will ring you. You put your order out the previous night and it it worth checking before you retire that the order has been taken as has happened to us before. Also with your excursion, if you are not at the meeting point, someone will telephone your cabin to see where you are. You can also ring reception for a wake up call.

[Scriv]

Please can I ask people who use Room Service - how do you eat your meal if it is a knife and fork meal with sauces etc and not a simple matter of sandwiches/baguettes etc if you don't have a table? And where do you lay it all out in the cabin?

Edited April 6, 2017 by Scriv

[chris11256]

Please can I ask people who use Room Service - how do you eat your meal if it is not a simple matter of sandwiches etc if you don't have a table? And where do you put it all?

 

 

We've tried breakfast as well as lunch delivered by room service. On both occasions we ate on our balcony with the food on the small table.

[antsp]

Never used room service.

Very helpful