New $9.95 + 18% grat for room service

[bebe08]

We order room service once or twice per cruise...typically breakfast on a day that we have an early excursion.  An extra charge will not stop us from doing that...its very minor in the bigger scheme of things.  As I was reading this thread I was looking for the right word to describe how this change made me feel.  @chamimayou hit the nail on the head - it is tacky!  That is also how I feel about Celebrity's most recent "sales" and bombardment of emails about these so called "sales" - tacky!  Our first Celebrity cruise was in 2014 and we fell in love and have gone on several cruises since.  Sadly for me the shine is wearing off the Celebrity Brand.  What we once saw as a classy cruiseline is starting to become tacky and as a result don't think they will remain our "go to".

We do have a couple of Celebrity cruises coming up but in future I will do a lot more comparision shopping with other lines as well as land trips before deciding where to spend our vacation dollars.

[chisoxfan]

On 1/1/2023 at 3:21 PM, retird said:

I seldom use room service.   But the new charge will not change my cruising habits.    I have an upcoming 9 night southern Caribbean cruise in a midship balcony.   When I was deciding on the cruise, i shopped for an all inclusive land based Island getaway, with an equivalent  rated accommodation.   I found that even  after including airfare and other expenditures I anticipate for the cruise, the land based vacation would have cost me $1000 to $1500 more for the two of us.    I still find cruising a good bang for the buck , even with some of the cutbacks.

If you mean a land based AlI Inclusive that has a 15sq. ft. bathroom and 180ft. room, requires full payment 90 days before travel with onerous penalties for cancellation and charges for everything from specialty dining to (perhaps now) room service, I don't think you will find one. 

We have adapted our decade long Caribbean Winter cruise habit to go to AI's and haven't looked back partially because of rising cruise prices but also because of a greater overall value and comfort proposition.

The bathrooms of the AI's we have stayed at are as large as typical balcony cabins. The bar is fully stocked daily at no charge and only a tip required for extensive room service menu . Restaurants are at least as varied as ship dining and from our (admittedly truly subjective opinion)  better to much better than what we have had in any mainstream MDR.  There rarely is a premium charge for a specialty restaurant (we have not used one yet where we would pay the specialty tariff to dine 2 to3 X weekly on a cruise).

Wi Fi is fast and free.  We can leave the Midwest on a direct flight typically and be enjoying the resort that evening- no dragging bags to stay the night before at a hotel near port or having the wintertime 'what if our flight is cancelled' blues (we have experienced a few of these). 

We do miss being on the ocean and admittedly better entertainment variety but for us being able to readily find a pool chair after breakfast or lounge on the beach all day is ample compensation.

We were actually talking this morning about arranging an anniversary trip for our 45th and and a cruise never made it past minute five (our adult children despite our past cruise habits) have no interest in cruising. We started looking at the 'unseen cruise costs'  night before hotel rooms, dinner and breakfast on cruise day, specialty dining for 7 (at 25-50each  adds up) not to mention any shore excursions and our consideration ended early. Most negative when a group is involved are potential cancellation penalties.

We still will cruise and for us it remains an ideal way to visit many ports in Europe and Asia. We will probably give a shot at a 7 night Retreat Suite next Winter but even at 60% of current prices we are vacillating. For us cruising has lost the cachet of an easy, relaxing, and high value Winter getaway.

Sorry for the long winded diatribe but I think the Cruise Industry with their massive ship build (and debt) better be careful with how they treat mainstream cruisers.

 

 

[stellarose]

we have both an AI cruise booked and an AI land trip booked this year. BOTH completely different and we know what to expect. Now saying that I have not cruised with it being AI so this will be a first. 

[RichYak]

38 minutes ago, chisoxfan said:

We have adapted our decade long Caribbean Winter cruise habit to go to AI's and haven't looked back partially because of rising cruise prices but also because of a greater overall value and comfort proposition.

Would you mind listing a couple of your favorites? I'm always looking for new ideas and I value the opinions of people on this board.

[bjahil47]

18 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

I think you are correct.  
when they first returned to service after the pause, I think they wanted people to order room service.  Now that things are somewhat back to normal, and shor staffed to boot,  I think they would prefer people got their own food.  

I do believe suites will continue to get their room service at no charge .. one of the perks for booking a suite.  

We are in a RS next September and the app is showing a charge for Room Service after 11 pm.  I’m sure it will change before then but as of now suites are not exempt from charge.

[Nashna]

This is showing on the app for our January 23 Edge Cruise. 

[RichYak]

34 minutes ago, bjahil47 said:

We are in a RS next September and the app is showing a charge for Room Service after 11 pm.  I’m sure it will change before then but as of now suites are not exempt from charge.

Suites are exempt. You're looking at the wrong room service on the app. You need to look at the one specifically for Suite/Retreat guests.

[Tyler414]

On 1/1/2023 at 12:33 PM, Tyler414 said:

Will be on Beyond in two weeks, just checked the app and is still complimentary except for late night..

And now my app is updated to show the $9.95 plus 18% service charge.  

I get they can do pretty much whatever they want, but I left NCL after the never ending nickel and diming they do, I typically do not use room service on a ship (can easily walk up to OVC and get something) so this does not really impact me, but it only seems to be the beginning of nickel and diming to ensue on Celebrity.

[bjahil47]

1 minute ago, RichYak said:

Suites are exempt. You're looking at the wrong room service on the app. You need to look at the one specifically for Suite/Retreat guests.

 

[RichYak]

3 minutes ago, bjahil47 said:

 

What ship is that for? That's either new or wrong, not sure which, but I suspect the latter. I checked my upcoming Millennium and Summit sailing, neither show that charge, but they also don't show the new non-suite $9.95 service charge.

[thebutlerdidit]

2 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

I’m with you .. I really only like a bagel or piece of toast in the morning anyway.  

That’s nice that this won’t affect you. Some people need to consume protein at each meal. 
 

Could they at least throw a cold hard boiled egg onto the continental breakfast menu? They’re cold. 

[bjahil47]

Just now, RichYak said:

What ship is that for? That's either new or wrong, not sure which, but I suspect the latter. I checked my upcoming Millennium and Summit sailing, neither show that charge, but they also don't show the new non-suite $9.95 service charge.

That is for 2 sailings on Equinox in September.  I am sure it will change as the app is never accurate until you board.  On my app for my sailing the above is what it also shows for Aqua and other rooms (different menu).

[DaKahuna]

4 minutes ago, RichYak said:

What ship is that for? That's either new or wrong, not sure which, but I suspect the latter. I checked my upcoming Millennium and Summit sailing, neither show that charge, but they also don't show the new non-suite $9.95 service charge.

 

 We sail on Millennium in April and for standard room service it is only showing the $4.95 for 11 pm to 5 am service,, for Aqua Class room service the same $4.95 is shown for late-hour.  For Suite Room Service there are no fees mentioned at all.    I am sure that will change as we get closer to our sailing date.   

 

[RichYak]

7 minutes ago, bjahil47 said:

That is for 2 sailings on Equinox in September.  I am sure it will change as the app is never accurate until you board.  On my app for my sailing the above is what it also shows for Aqua and other rooms (different menu).

I just went through the app and loaded the current sailing of EVERY ship, one by one. I couldn't find any room service for Retreat for Edge. Constellation shows the $9.95 charge even for suite guests. Equinox, like all the rest, had no charge even for late hours. After reading your reply, I loaded the NEXT Equinox sailing (departing Jan 12) and saw what you saw. My conclusion: the app is not a good proxy for this exercise and no conclusions should be drawn by what we see on it. 

[Mimiya11]

1 minute ago, RichYak said:

I just went through the app and loaded the current sailing of EVERY ship, one by one. I couldn't find any room service for Retreat for Edge. Constellation shows the $9.95 charge even for suite guests. Equinox, like all the rest, had no charge even for late hours. After reading your reply, I loaded the NEXT Equinox sailing (departing Jan 12) and saw what you saw. My conclusion: the app is not a good proxy for this exercise and no conclusions should be drawn by what we see on it. 

Exactly.   Friends going on the same cruise as us - their app, which they loaded yesterday, says no charge except at night and ours shows the $9.95 charge.  Both in AQ.   What the...... 

[jagoffee]

IMO the design of the Edge Class ships is purposely trying to discourage in cabin dining. 
My wife and I have been on 50+ cruises and we have never used  Room Service for dinner or lunch.  We occasionally order Room Service  breakfast ( on early excursion days). 

 

If we were given a choice for even higher  cruise fares or a charge for Room Service, we would prefer the lower cruise fare.  I think there is no doubt that Room Service is a significant variable cost and very difficult to budget and plan.  Reading this thread makes me feel like I have been subsidizing those that frequently use Room Service. Dare I suggest maybe even abuse the feature?
 

I cannot count how many times it has been reported that although the room service menu is limited in some cabin categories, people just write in what the want and it is delivered.

 

A surcharge for Room Service is a reasonable approach, but it easy to say for a person who does not place much value in the benefit.  I suspect most cruisers will not be impacted by this change. (Since they do not use it).  Is $12 each time you use it really unreasonable?

 

I also have never ordered Room Service at a hotel.

 

It could have been worse, Celebrity could have eliminated Room Service.  I suspect Celebrity’s objective to reduce the use of Room Service or make it pay for itself.  

[NutsAboutGolf]

2 hours ago, bebe08 said:

We order room service once or twice per cruise...typically breakfast on a day that we have an early excursion.  An extra charge will not stop us from doing that...its very minor in the bigger scheme of things.  As I was reading this thread I was looking for the right word to describe how this change made me feel.  @chamimayou hit the nail on the head - it is tacky!  That is also how I feel about Celebrity's most recent "sales" and bombardment of emails about these so called "sales" - tacky!  Our first Celebrity cruise was in 2014 and we fell in love and have gone on several cruises since.  Sadly for me the shine is wearing off the Celebrity Brand.  What we once saw as a classy cruiseline is starting to become tacky and as a result don't think they will remain our "go to".

We do have a couple of Celebrity cruises coming up but in future I will do a lot more comparision shopping with other lines as well as land trips before deciding where to spend our vacation dollars.

 

Can't you opt out of the email promos or google how to set up an email filter to move them to a junk folder?  To be fair, they are called "Offers" not "Sales"

 

[NutsAboutGolf]

11 minutes ago, jagoffee said:

It could have been worse, Celebrity could have eliminated Room Service.  I suspect Celebrity’s objective to reduce the use of Room Service or make it pay for itself.

 

They wouldn't have eliminated Room Service; "it could be worse" would be a $14.95 charge 

[cw2go]

1 hour ago, RichYak said:

Would you mind listing a couple of your favorites? I'm always looking for new ideas and I value the opinions of people on this board.

 

I've vacationed with Secrets and LeBlanc in Cancun and Cabo, very similar to Celebrity with the exception of alcohol options, not what I consider premium. The vibe is relaxed and the service is very nice with some entertainment thrown in the mix. The pools are amazing and you'll never need to fight for a lounger. I like to do both AI and Cruise, keeps vacations varied. I also enjoy that these are adults only. 

 

 

Patty 

Edited January 3, 2023 by cw2go

[crimsonbird]

As a benefit of booking aqua class,  guests are offered an expanded room service breakfast menu...is there now a charge??  Hard to believe...but anything is possible.  

[econprofessor]

On 1/1/2023 at 10:43 AM, goofysmom99 said:

 I'm going to spend a few hours researching other cruise lines (Azamara, O, etc., not the big ones) today.  I'll be darned if I'm going to give X nearly $12 per delivery for the privilege of having a GF breakfast/lunch.

You might want to check out Silversea.  I just tried them for the first time in August and I liked them.  I posted a comparison of Silversea Veranda vs. a Sky Suite on Celebrity, if you are interested.

 

[Julma]

This remains my issue - from their site 30 seconds ago -

 

When you’re on vacation, a long morning slumber with an indulgent breakfast in bed is always in the cards. Or perhaps you like the idea of a romantic dinner for two on your private veranda? Room service is complimentary on a cruise with Celebrity between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. or for 24 hours a day for suite passengers.

Tuck into eggs, pancakes, and fresh fruit, or enjoy a cozy movie night with a burger and fries from the comfort of your cabin. There’s a mix of hot and cold all-day items, plus plenty of kids’ options to choose from.

 

No problem with the room service charge, had it been there when I booked.    People are booking today with no idea of this added cost.  Shame on Celebrity. I won't be cancelling my cruise because of this, but I do hope my pool towel is still "free" when I board.  Remember nothing is "free" on a cruise, it's included in the price you paid.   If you'd rather not take your cruise, I'd screenshot the above paragraph from their site, I'm sure your credit card would be interested in this advertising.  

[chisoxfan]

2 hours ago, RichYak said:

Would you mind listing a couple of your favorites? I'm always looking for new ideas and I value the opinions of people on this board.

Since we are new to AI I would never claim to be an expert on same (or one who should provide recos). That said we have found the Hyatt AI's to be upscale in a way I would consider X to be (mainstream plus??). They have acquired Secrets and Dreams so their catalog is now giant. We have stayed at Mexico, Jamaica, and Dominican props which is what we will rebook and are basing our stated opinions on. We are vacationing at a new Secrets Impressions in Playa this Winter and are using accumulated Hyatt Points for this.  Another (possibly) huge factor is that Adult only props are readily available in the world of AI.  I know I sound like an AI pusher but we were once  'promoters' of Disney World for years and likewise strongly recommended cruising for years to anyone who would listen. We enjoyed all of these vacations but lost some (or in the case of Disney, all) of our fervor partially because of changes in taste but perhaps more (in our minds) because the value vs. enjoyment seemed to gravitate away from us. After staying at all the DW props we cannot make sense of 700 a night hotel rooms and 100 plus a day ticket prices. 

[cruisemom42]

I guess for those who equate cruising with a beach holiday, AIs are a viable option. However, for those of us who enjoy cruising as a pleasant way to go places and see sites, they are not comparable at all.

 

[chamima]

3 hours ago, stellarose said:

we have both an AI cruise booked and an AI land trip booked this year. BOTH completely different and we know what to expect. Now saying that I have not cruised with it being AI so this will be a first. 

 

Except that AI cruise you booked is no longer AI.