New room service menu starting October 1

[csj092809]

At least they are adding the Tomato soup back on the brunch menu, so some people will be happy about that maybe. . .

[gkbiiii]

26 minutes ago, gkbiiii said:

I forgot to mention, all tips are comped, so bar prices (which are lower priced) are what you actually pay!

I forgot to mention, with your phone, you can order Room Service anywhere on ship, for delivery in ANY Public Area on ship.  They offer New York Steak on the menu, snacks like gummy bears, mixed nuts, and chocolate dipped pretzels. The $5.00 fee can be waived, by order a single Red Bull for example.  All soft drinks brought to cabin are free too.  You also get a daily $10.00 Coffee Credit.

 

All Specialty dining rooms, are equal to South Beach (where I live), with the Steakhouse offering Filet Mignon Steaks, for lunch every day!  Breakfast & Dinner are impressive too: Dinner Steaks are truly Capital Grille quality.

Edited September 28, 2022 by gkbiiii

[gkbiiii]

I should mention, all voyages taken in November, get a Comped $300 Bar Tab included.

[gkbiiii]

Virgin Status match:  Match and Sea More Program.

Deep Blue Extras Program: Carnival's VIFP Club, Platinum & Diamond.

https://www.virginvoyages.com/sites/sailing-club

Edited September 28, 2022 by gkbiiii

[DanOO]

10 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

As promised, Mr. Heald revealed the new room service menu that will be implemented fleetwide October 1.  As expected, the continental breakfast remains complimentary.  Also as expected, everything else on the menu has a price tag attached to it.  Some prices are up from what I remember them to be pre-pandemic (e.g., philly cheesesteak sandwich up to $7 from $5, cookies up to $3 from $2/free).  I'll attach the pictures of the menu that Mr. Heald so kindly provided:

 

10 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

As promised, Mr. Heald revealed the new room service menu that will be implemented fleetwide October 1.  As expected, the continental breakfast remains complimentary.  Also as expected, everything else on the menu has a price tag attached to it.  Some prices are up from what I remember them to be pre-pandemic (e.g., philly cheesesteak sandwich up to $7 from $5, cookies up to $3 from $2/free).  I'll attach the pictures of the menu that Mr. Heald so kindly provided:

 

Thanks for posting the Menu.  Does anyone know if Excel Suite Guests will still have Free Room Service as part of the Suite Perks.  Thank you.

[BlerkOne]

Hmmm... Business must be great! 🤣

 

Richard Branson's Virgin Voyages cruise line has delayed the launch of its third ship, Resilient Lady, until 2023.

[gkbiiii]

14 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

Hmmm... Business must be great! 🤣

 

Richard Branson's Virgin Voyages cruise line has delayed the launch of its third ship, Resilient Lady, until 2023.

Carnival offering (Casino) Comped 30 day Australian Transpacific cruises, said the same to me! 

[BlerkOne]

6 minutes ago, gkbiiii said:

Carnival offering (Casino) Comped 30 day Australian Transpacific cruises, said the same to me! 

Virgin will never have as many ships as Carnival.

[Bandman]

This is it for me. I will not hunt for the one or 2 food spots that are open but understaffed. I will not pay $25 for a couple of white bread sandwiches, sides, and desert, when it used to be free. This cutback, combined with many previous ones, is where i get off.
 

Sad. We have enjoyed so many Carnival cruises. It isn't what it was. Hasn't been for a long time. We have overlooked many of the changes. For us, there have now just been too many.  

✌️

 

[Joebucks]

8 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

Funny... I was reading this and received an email from our shoreside concierge at Celebrity (upcoming sailing on the Reflection), and I thought "yep, it's definitely worth more upfront to get more - and not have to pay extra for a PB&J sandwich"! We managed to book a B2B on Celebrity in a RS for under $5k/wk. Yes, that's a chunk of change - but it's essentially all inclusive. We'll have tips covered, premium beverage package, Wi-Fi, specialty dining, suite restaurant, 2 liters of alcohol in our cabin (each week), etc... yes, a true vacation! 

 

We used to sail Carnival exclusively - and then decided to try another line perhaps 15 years ago. It was sooooooo nice to be able to have full/hot room service breakfast delivered to our cabin - white table cloth included. I've wasted my breath with Carnival for years, asking them to offer the same... or at a certain past guest level... or for those in suites. I was briefly hopeful that we'd at least see a coffee maker in the room when they promoted their Excel Suites on the Mardi Gras, only to have that perk pulled from the list only weeks prior to sailing. 

 

Yes - two different products, appealing to - and targeting - different groups of people. Having said all of this - we still enjoy Carnival and, when we sail with them, we just adjust our expectations. I'm REALLY looking forward to our ABC sailing on the Celebration next May - and the sizable OBC we'll both receive for our Milestone (75th) Rewards. 

 

Excerpt from today's Celebrity email: 

 

Additionally, as guests in one of our top suites, we are pleased to offer a complimentary minibar that is stocked daily. I was able to retrieve your previous mini bar selections from your previous sailing with us on the Celebrity Reflection that departed on February 26th, 2022, as follows:

•       (2) Grey Goose 
•       San Pellegrino 
•       Club Soda
•       Sierra Nevada Pale Ale 
•       Decaf Coffee and Decaf Tea
•       English breakfast tea
•       Heavy whipping cream
•       Lime slices
•       Coffee machine and tea kettle in suite
•       And a fan

As I would love the opportunity to have these Royal Suite Class Amenities available to you upon your arrival, please kindly confirm if these are still correct or choose from the attached liquor list.

I am delighted to let you know that you will receive unlimited complimentary Specialty Dining. Arranging for your dining plans before sailing will give you more time to relax and enjoy the Celebrity Reflection. Please find the attached sample menus for our Specialty Restaurants aboard the Celebrity Reflection to give you an idea of what each of them offer, ...

 

Maybe one day my interests will evolve. I just don't get the constant desire for all-inclusive where the victory is a single price, but not actually saving any money whatsoever. I could literally buy almost all of those things on Carnival, and have plenty of money left over. 

 

I guess the difference is things you absolutely can't get. Like a coffee machine and hot breakfast in the room. I agree that things available already on the ship shouldn't be impossible to get in your room (for a fee). 

[khewston]

I too thought the room service menu was going to be expanded.  All Carnival has really done is add additional charges.  Last time we cruised on the Mardi Gras, the room service was the worst we have ever had.  We don't order much but the items we did order, which had an additional charge, were just awful.  The last cruise we skipped the main dining room every night and ate mostly at the specialty restaurants.  We paid for them because the food is so much better.

 

Years ago, when we first started cruising, all your food was included, and it was good.  I know the cruise industry took a big hit during Covid, but we are still paying for our cruises.  

[kona_wahine]

Ok. This is how my CHEAP mind works. Take some sandwich bags, go to the deli during lunch, get a sandwich and put it in the fridge for later. I am my mothers daughter. Ahem…. Anyhoo….. service charge and a tip. That’s quite a racket. I’m bothered by that. 
 

i do get it though. I’ve seen whole, big plates of food just wasted sitting in the halls and it makes me sick. I’ve seen people order several entrees at dinner and eat a small amount and just eat a little. I’ve seen people with plates full at lunch and leave them mostly full. Lots of waste. 

[BlerkOne]

35 minutes ago, kona_wahine said:

Ok. This is how my CHEAP mind works. Take some sandwich bags, go to the deli during lunch, get a sandwich and put it in the fridge for later. I am my mothers daughter. Ahem…. Anyhoo….. service charge and a tip. That’s quite a racket. I’m bothered by that. 
 

i do get it though. I’ve seen whole, big plates of food just wasted sitting in the halls and it makes me sick. I’ve seen people order several entrees at dinner and eat a small amount and just eat a little. I’ve seen people with plates full at lunch and leave them mostly full. Lots of waste. 

Sadly you aren't too far off from what some cheap people would do. Order a free sandwich from room service, put it in a ziplock and take off the ship in port to avoid spending a few dollars.

 

I've also seen people order too much food at breakfast when in port and also ziplock that to take ashore.

[bguppies]

7 hours ago, csj092809 said:

At least they are adding the Tomato soup back on the brunch menu, so some people will be happy about that maybe. . .

Thanks for pointing out something good.

[sparks1093]

Here's the thing (for us, likely for many, but who knows)- we typically cruise about once a year, year and a half. If it weren't for Cruise Critic most of these changes (whatever you want to call them) would go absolutely unnoticed by us. We never go thinking things are going to be the exact same thing they were, or that no changes will ever occur. We go and take things as they come. If something that we liked is no longer available we make do with what is available. We cruise to have fun. To be at sea. To visit different ports. To eat food we wouldn't eat at home prepared by someone else. To have different activities available day and night. To spend time together. Actually, spending time together, either as a couple or with family and friends, is the most important part of any vacation. We do recognize that other cruise lines offer more amenities, but that always comes at a price. If we can cruise with another line for about the same price as Carnival we won't hesitate to jump on it (that is what happened when we cruised Anthem, Royal was actually $400 less that time) but we are more than comfortable booking Carnival at the prices they charge. (And Royal was nice but they didn't "wow" us enough to get all of our business, either.)

 

I don't sweat the small stuff at home, I am certainly not going to sweat the small stuff on vacation.

[pacruise804]

18 hours ago, ShakyBeef said:

 

If X would only come back to sailing out of Baltimore, I'd jump on that deal in a heartbeat, and probably sail them exclusively (when not taking the kids) for even twice that price!

I would love for X to sail from Baltimore!  Bayonne isn't too bad, but Baltimore is our favorite port too.

 

@sparks1093 You made some excellent points.  Thanks for bringing me back to an attitude of gratitude for being able to cruise.  

[csj092809]

More positive news...they added the BLT back on the new room service menu.  🙂

[mz-s]

9 minutes ago, csj092809 said:

More positive news...they added the BLT back on the new room service menu.  🙂

How much is it now? And is it a real BLT or a turkey BLT?

[csj092809]

9 minutes ago, mz-s said:

How much is it now? And is it a real BLT or a turkey BLT?

 

9 minutes ago, mz-s said:

How much is it now? And is it a real BLT or a turkey BLT?

I am not sure, JH just posted that it was put back on the menu, he did not elaborate

 

[BlerkOne]

27 minutes ago, mz-s said:

How much is it now? And is it a real BLT or a turkey BLT?

Still free at the Deli.

[ObstructedView2]

Hi @Honolulu Blue🙂

 

Thank you so very much for posting the new room service menu. I see no life altering drastic changes to dissect ad nauseum that would cause me to discontinue ordering room service or switch cruise lines. 

 

Again, thank you for posting!🙂

 

 

On 9/28/2022 at 7:42 AM, mz-s said:

 

To me $5 for a PB&J is an insult.

 

 

(Between 6am - 10am) you can COMPLIMENTARY Create, Build, Construct, Spread your very own peanut butter & jelly sandwich. All ingredients complimentary through room service.

 

Various toast/bagel options along with three different complimentary jellys as well. Grape jelly, Strawberry jelly or Orange marmalade. Complimentary Peanut Butter Too!!

 

Simply order as many servings as you wish & you can be in COMPLIMENTARY PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY HEAVEN.

 

 

🍕🍟🍔🥓🌮🧀🥯🥐🍳🥙🥪🌯🥦🍓🍕🍔

Edited September 30, 2022 by ObstructedView2

[MississippiMom]

On 9/28/2022 at 11:11 PM, BlerkOne said:

Sadly you aren't too far off from what some cheap people would do. Order a free sandwich from room service, put it in a ziplock and take off the ship in port to avoid spending a few dollars.

 

I've also seen people order too much food at breakfast when in port and also ziplock that to take ashore.

I have never seen anyone doing this nor am I advocating it, however, let me play devil's advocate about this, because we don't know everyone's situation.

 

On my very first cruise (way back when, in 1992), I had saved up my young twenty-something money to fly to Miami to go on my first (3 day) cruise and spend a few days after in Ft. Lauderdale.  I traveled with two twenty-something cousins.  We paid for the cheapest three-person cabin (inside, but were surprised to get upgraded to an oceanview) and knew we could afford ONE alcoholic drink per day.  (Yes, one.)  We had cash set aside for our onboard tips (back then, you put cash in an envelope and handed it out) and to pay a cab in Nassau to take us to/from a beach.  Had it occurred to any of us to take Ziploc bags on the trip to take snacks off the ship, we would have done so, because our budget was very, very tight.

 

Fast forward to our first family cruise with children; youngest was 4.  Had it occurred to me to take Ziploc bags on the ship, I would have most definitely grabbed some items to take to port so that our picky middle child would definitely eat something.  I would have also filled those bags with dry cereal for the room for the bottomless-pit 4 year old to snack on at random times.

 

Fast forward again to recent cruise travel with my parents in their 80s; one in a scooter.  Lots of medication for them, means lots of snacks needed in order to have something in their stomach before the meds.  How many times did I find myself hustling around the ship to get them something to eat and deliver it to their cabin at just the right time?  (They didn't need a meal, so why order room service, when their children and grandchildren could go find them a muffin, a plate of fruit or veggies, etc.?)  I would now like to kick myself for not taking Ziploc bags to grab some extra slices of that dang cranberry bread my dad liked so much.  I would have grabbed an extra slice of pizza, if I had thought about it.

 

We don't always know the full picture.

[Joebucks]

A few of these "permanent cutbacks" are getting reversed before I can even be mad about them. 

[BlerkOne]

4 hours ago, MississippiMom said:

I have never seen anyone doing this nor am I advocating it, however, let me play devil's advocate about this, because we don't know everyone's situation.

 

 

It isn't a cruise line's job to feed people when they aren't on the ship. There is nothing to stop someone from bringing pre-packaged snacks onto the ship for picky eaters, etc.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

The last time I went to order a BLT through room service it was the no bacon day, so I guess it was turkey bacon as an option. I passed. Are they still doing that alternating bacon days both through room service and in the buffet?