Continental Breakfast/coffee is no longer free? Rumor or Not?

[BermudaBound2014]

NCL is lagging behind RCL and CCL in terms of getting customers back at sea. According to their quarterly release statements filed with the SEC they hope to get to mid 80% occupancy in fourth quarter and don't expect profit until mid 2023. Keep in mind, originally they expected profitable by the end of 2022 so another push back date is distinctly possible (probable imo). Increasing revenue onboard is inevitable. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mking8288]

27 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

Those breakfasts look yummy.  Do you know if you can use the hang tag and write in some of the items that are in the book menu, like Express Breakfast?

33 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

... I used Uber/Grub Hub for business when I was at a charter school, because no one had time to leave to grab food for meetings. I literally never use those services personally. Way too freaking expensive! ... I'll continue bringing lunch to the office, thanks! And, if I had to pay room service fee of $4.95, I'd just wander my fat arse to the main dining room or buffet for breakfast, rather than pay an extra $4.95 (I'm cheap). 

 

cruiseny4life - I remember the hash brown shortage back in September ... we had them on our sailing, which I think, followed yours or shortly thereafter, both in the Local and in MDR for sit-down breakfast.  Yeah, they're yummy good but sometimes, on the oily or greasy side, not sometime that my PCP and cardiologist wanted to hear about, LOL.  

 

There was a news article about these popular (but, pricey) on-demand delivery services ... merchants losing 20% to 30% to the markup and/or raising prices for everyone to cover their margins; and, then even with all the fees & add-ons, some drivers won't deliver or pickup the "job" unless their tip is at least $5 to $10, not 20% or 25% or even 30% ... that it often come to like 50% ++ of the food costs subtotal.  And, most often, that McDonald or Popeyes delivery get dropped off 45 minutes to an hour later, cold & needed to be reheated.  That was the story for metro NY area ... delivery drivers in the upstate area, perhaps, aren't as picky (my baby brother lived & worked at Rome Cable nearby in the 80's)  

 

We typically don't order breakfast in room but the ship was rocking and rolling still in 20' to 25' waves and very rough sea state in the morning en route out to Bermuda, a wise move for us to call for delivery ... besides, we had the living room space & small dining table in the Family Suite then. 

 

laudergayle - sorry, I'm not sure but you can probably write your request on the door hanger ... items like white toast or whole wheat toast hasn't been listed as an easy order item for room service, that was possible for us.  

 

Birdtravel uploaded the long list of items currently offered ... and it looked fine on what's available.  Hmmm, maybe - we'll write in smoked salmon & toasted bagel with cream cheese for delivery, and see what happen.  

 

[Perkolater]

Why all the uproar?  Breakfast delivered to your cabin including as many pots of coffee as you like for less than the price of a single cup of Starbucks.   That is chasing some of you away from NCL?   

[nonchalant_muse]

13 hours ago, asmit4 said:

I absolutely agree! I am hearing a TON of people booking MSC lately b/c of all the high costs of the other lines. Could be interesting as I have heard negatives re: MSC but considering it myself for next Fall. We are booked on NCL Escape in February but the pricing for MSC is very attractive and I'd be far more forgiving given their price point- sorta like the 'budget brand'. 

 

Personally, I love MSC. DH and I have a sailing booked with them early next year. Most of the negative comments are attributed to the fact that it is an international cruise line and operates a little differently from an American cruise line. However, MSC has paid close attention and is working hard to cater more towards the preferences of American customers. 

 

Pricing-wise, MSC is hands-down the best. And, in my humble opinion, accommodation, service and amenities on MSC rivals that of any other cruise line despite paying far, far less. 

[Red-Sol]

21 minutes ago, Perkolater said:

Why all the uproar?  Breakfast delivered to your cabin including as many pots of coffee as you like for less than the price of a single cup of Starbucks.   That is chasing some of you away from NCL?   

[cruiseny4life]

Just now, Red-Sol said:

 

23 minutes ago, Perkolater said:

Why all the uproar?  Breakfast delivered to your cabin including as many pots of coffee as you like for less than the price of a single cup of Starbucks.   That is chasing some of you away from NCL?   

I think because $5 here and $5 there adds up to real money soon. $1 upgrade on Baileys, $5 on room service, $25 upgrade for lobster thermidor...now you're starting to talk impact on people's vacation budget. Plenty of other extra charges, that weren't extra just a few months ago/years ago. 

To be clear, not mine, because I won't use any of the items I just mentioned. Others will and, for those on a tight budget, it could mean a real difference in cruising or not. 

[nonchalant_muse]

27 minutes ago, Perkolater said:

Why all the uproar?  Breakfast delivered to your cabin including as many pots of coffee as you like for less than the price of a single cup of Starbucks.   That is chasing some of you away from NCL?   

 

I hear ya, but for some cruisers, it adds up beyond just the cost of a cup of coffee. As some have stated, they enjoy a daily morning coffee/pastry delivered to their room. If you're talking a lengthy cruise (let's say 10-nights or more) that's $50+ in just daily coffee alone, not including gratuity/tips paid on top of it. 

[Red-Sol]

18 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

I think because $5 here and $5 there adds up to real money soon. $1 upgrade on Baileys, $5 on room service, $25 upgrade for lobster thermidor...now you're starting to talk impact on people's vacation budget. Plenty of other extra charges, that weren't extra just a few months ago/years ago. 

To be clear, not mine, because I won't use any of the items I just mentioned. Others will and, for those on a tight budget, it could mean a real difference in cruising or not. 

I agree that added costs can eventually reach a point where those on a very strict budget may not be able to afford cruising. Where these disagreements become problematic to me is when person A will no longer cruise on NCL because they took away something that there was no charge for previously but will happily switch to cruise on cruisline B because they don't charge for it. (as if cruiseline B is so much better yada yada) If someone wants to switch cruiselines for other legitimate reasons that is certainly their perrogative...but saying they will switch because of a $5.00 delivery charge for room service is definitely something I would never understand.

And as long as my wife and I continue to cruise we will never need breakfast room service...I am her gofer and will continue going into the buffet early in the morning for her! 🤣

 

Edited December 6, 2022 by Red-Sol

[cruiseny4life]

36 minutes ago, Red-Sol said:

I agree that added costs can eventually reach a point where those on a very strict budget may not be able to afford cruising. Where these disagreements become problematic to me is when person A will no longer cruise on NCL because they took away something that there was no charge for previously but will happily switch to cruise on cruisline B because they don't charge for it. (as if cruiseline B is so much better yada yada) If someone wants to switch cruiselines for other legitimate reasons that is certainly their perrogative...but saying they will switch because of a $5.00 delivery charge for room service is definitely something I would never understand.

And as long as my wife and I continue to cruise we will never need breakfast room service...I am her gofer and will continue going into the buffet early in the morning for her! 🤣

 

I'll agree with your disagreement. That is a correct assessment, in my oh so very humble opinion! I know I'm not as experienced as others (only two NCL and one Carnival complete, with two NCL cruises on the horizon), but I'm very happy with NCL's product. As you likely have read, I have a disdain for their marketing practices, but every cruise line gets you somewhere. Carnival, you have to pay per item on the room service menu, RCL, you have to pay for that second lobster tail, other lines...well you have to dress up (and that ain't for me, no matter how cheap a cruise is). 

 

Like you, we'll continue getting up to go get the breakfast. No room service charges here. 🙂

 

Happy cruising! 

[LGinPA]

Being a new cruiser I have some related breakfast and room service questions:  

 

1. Is the $4.95 service charge per cabin or per person? (I realize someone asked this but there was no clear response. )

 

2. Will I fill out one door hanger per person or one per cabin (entering numerals next to the items ordered)?

 

3. If I request a coffee maker in the cabin, is there a way to get real half & half/creamer?  We don't like powdered creamer. 

 

4. If I go early to the buffet to bring coffee and hot breakfast back to DH, is there a way to box it up?  Are there insulated paper cups with lids for the coffee?

 

Thanks. 🙂

[Red-Sol]

22 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

I'll agree with your disagreement. That is a correct assessment, in my oh so very humble opinion! I know I'm not as experienced as others (only two NCL and one Carnival complete, with two NCL cruises on the horizon), but I'm very happy with NCL's product. As you likely have read, I have a disdain for their marketing practices, but every cruise line gets you somewhere. Carnival, you have to pay per item on the room service menu, RCL, you have to pay for that second lobster tail, other lines...well you have to dress up (and that ain't for me, no matter how cheap a cruise is). 

 

Like you, we'll continue getting up to go get the breakfast. No room service charges here. 🙂

 

Happy cruising! 

[JamieLogical]

7 minutes ago, LGinPA said:

Being a new cruiser I have some related breakfast and room service questions:  

 

1. Is the $4.95 service charge per cabin or per person? (I realize someone asked this but there was no clear response. )

 

2. Will I fill out one door hanger per person or one per cabin (entering numerals next to the items ordered)?

 

3. If I request a coffee maker in the cabin, is there a way to get real half & half/creamer?  We don't like powdered creamer. 

 

4. If I go early to the buffet to bring coffee and hot breakfast back to DH, is there a way to box it up?  Are there insulated paper cups with lids for the coffee?

 

Thanks. 🙂

 

1. I am confident the charge will be per cabin/delivery, not per person.

 

2. You only fill out one card per cabin with the correct number written in.

 

3. On NCL in the past at least, the room steward left those tiny plastic cups with the paper lids of creamer. Not packets of powdered creamer.

 

4. I don't think they have to go cups for coffee in the buffet on NCL.

[prmssk]

19 hours ago, CWMixer said:

FWIW, I don't know how this new breakfast charge compares to Carnival/RCCL/Celebrity/Princess/etc.

This new room service policy seems to be better than Carnival's new policy but worse than a lot of the other lines.

 

Carnival just recently went to a fee per item.

 

RCCL offers a continental breakfast with no additional fee but has a cover charge for all other room service (including hot breakfast items).

 

I believe with MSC it depends on what experience you book as to what, if anything is included.

 

Celebrity's room service is complimentary and includes both cold and hot items at breakfast.  The only exception is there is a fee for any room service between certain hours in the middle of the night.

 

Princess offers 24 hour room service including a complimentary continental breakfast and a few hot items.  There are some additional items you can order for an additional charge.  One huge plus for some with Princess is you can order drinks to your room and your drink package covers them.

[AstoriaPreppy]

1 hour ago, Perkolater said:

Why all the uproar?  Breakfast delivered to your cabin including as many pots of coffee as you like for less than the price of a single cup of Starbucks.   That is chasing some of you away from NCL?   

 

I'd just note that NCL room service pots of coffee barely deserve to be labeled "coffee" in comparison to a basic Starbucks drip brew. 

 

Still, no standard cruise ship coffee will ever come close to the infamous Princess "syrup coffee" that was essentially reconstituted liquid Nescafe that came out of a spigot in the buffet. I still have confusion over that product even being offered for human consumption. 

[cruiseny4life]

54 minutes ago, LGinPA said:

 

4. If I go early to the buffet to bring coffee and hot breakfast back to DH, is there a way to box it up?  Are there insulated paper cups with lids for the coffee?

Your best bet here is to bring a travel mug/thermos to get your coffee. Or, ask your room steward for a single-brew coffee pot that uses those round tea bag style coffee bags. I don't know the official term. 

 

[laudergayle]

Complimentary room service hot/cold breakfast would be an excellent benefit to add to Platinum and higher.  

[graphicguy]

4 hours ago, mking8288 said:

When we order hot breakfast earlier this year on the Joy, it was $9.95 for the cabin ... 2 trays worth for 3.  I believe and expect that to be the same, each time an order is called into room service or using the door hanger.

 

 

 

 

On a side note:  has anyone used Uber Eat to order lately ... and know what their charges & fees are, on top of tipping ?? 

Henry.....you know how to do it the right way!!!!!! 😉

[gmbhardy]

2 hours ago, nonchalant_muse said:

 

I hear ya, but for some cruisers, it adds up beyond just the cost of a cup of coffee. As some have stated, they enjoy a daily morning coffee/pastry delivered to their room. If you're talking a lengthy cruise (let's say 10-nights or more) that's $50+ in just daily coffee alone, not including gratuity/tips paid on top of it. 

You’re right. To put things in perspective, we are Canadians cruising on a 15 day Panama Canal cruise in early January. With this new policy and if we choose to get breakfast room service every day, that will cost us $6/day for 15 days equals $90 plus 35% exchange equals $121.50 Canadian plus tips (say $2 per delivery) for a grand total of $151.50. Where I come from, that’s not chump change.

[Perkolater]

1 hour ago, gmbhardy said:

You’re right. To put things in perspective, we are Canadians cruising on a 15 day Panama Canal cruise in early January. With this new policy and if we choose to get breakfast room service every day, that will cost us $6/day for 15 days equals $90 plus 35% exchange equals $121.50 Canadian plus tips (say $2 per delivery) for a grand total of $151.50. Where I come from, that’s not chump change.

 

It isn't chump change, but it also isn't enough for the dramatic "I'm never sailing NCL again" reactions from some people either.    At the end of the day when I am planning my vacation,  a discretionary expense of $150 over a two week period isn't really a factor.   I get disappointment at the new charge, but changing cruise lines over it seems a tad over the top to me.   

 

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, gmbhardy said:

You’re right. To put things in perspective, we are Canadians cruising on a 15 day Panama Canal cruise in early January. With this new policy and if we choose to get breakfast room service every day, that will cost us $6/day for 15 days equals $90 plus 35% exchange equals $121.50 Canadian plus tips (say $2 per delivery) for a grand total of $151.50. Where I come from, that’s not chump change.

It's $5 per day, so $75 for 15 days, plus 35% exchange equals $101.25, plus $2 per delivery tip equals $131.25, so about $20 less than you calculated.

[JamieLogical]

2 hours ago, Perkolater said:

 

It isn't chump change, but it also isn't enough for the dramatic "I'm never sailing NCL again" reactions from some people either.    At the end of the day when I am planning my vacation,  a discretionary expense of $150 over a two week period isn't really a factor.   I get disappointment at the new charge, but changing cruise lines over it seems a tad over the top to me.   

 

 

I wouldn't change cruise lines over it, but it's yet one more reason for me not to sail NCL again, which I wasn't planning to do anyway.

[dbrown84]

2 hours ago, njhorseman said:

It's $5 per day, so $75 for 15 days, plus 35% exchange equals $101.25, plus $2 per delivery tip equals $131.25, so about $20 less than you calculated.

there is 20% gratuity, so it's $6 per day.  the $2 delivery tip would be what you'd choose to give the delivery person, but it's in addition to the 20% already added to the order

[RD64]

4 hours ago, gmbhardy said:

You’re right. To put things in perspective, we are Canadians cruising on a 15 day Panama Canal cruise in early January. With this new policy and if we choose to get breakfast room service every day, that will cost us $6/day for 15 days equals $90 plus 35% exchange equals $121.50 Canadian plus tips (say $2 per delivery) for a grand total of $151.50. Where I come from, that’s not chump change.

Also Canadian here - but $150 over 10 days = $15 per day. Everyone’s finances are personal - and obviously different, but if $15 per day were going to cause me stress and break th3 bank, I would personally just stay home.

 

One other thing - not directed to you - but these boards are always filled with posts about how people tip over and above and $1-$2 per drink etc. blah, blah, blah. It seems like this new charge is sending people over the edge. Don’t order room service - get out of bed -walk up to the buffet and grab your own coffee.

 

I am just waiting for the inevitable - “ I do not use room service - so it doesn’t affect me - and I shouldn’t have to subsidize those who want room service” comments. 
 

Those of you who whine about every nickel and dime that you have to spend - perhaps a time machine back to 1995 aboard the Norway to show you what classic main stream cruising was all about - and how it can’t even be compared to what is passing a vacation now.

Edited December 7, 2022 by RD64

[julig22]

1 minute ago, dbrown84 said:

there is 20% gratuity, so it's $6 per day.  the $2 delivery tip would be what you'd choose to give the delivery person, but it's in addition to the 20% already added to the order

20% gratuity appears to be for items you have to pay for, not on top of the $4.95.  At least that's how I read it.  Guess I'll find out in a couple of weeks.

[dbrown84]

Just now, julig22 said:

20% gratuity appears to be for items you have to pay for, not on top of the $4.95.  At least that's how I read it.  Guess I'll find out in a couple of weeks.

oh.  You may be right.  I didn't realize there was anything you had to pay for.  I thought everything was free, but there was simply a room service charge.  I definitely wouldn't pay for anything I could go get from the buffet for free

Edited December 7, 2022 by dbrown84