Costa Room Service is NOT free now??

[mattytude]

Just recieved my travel documents for my 12/21 Mediterranea cruise and under the information section, the room service topic is addressed.

Heres what it says

 

"Room service is available 24 hours a day. You can enjoy complimentary continental breakfast in your cabin. Snacks can be ordered for a nominal charge and drinks are also available at the appropriate bar tariff. You will find a room service menu in your cabin."

 

Does this mean sandwiches and such as now being charged for?

[Kimbahh]

We leave on the 12/12/04 cruise tommorow. Our documents say the same thing....I will let you know when we return.

[CruisenChic]

I was on the Atlantica the week of 11/28, and while some room service was free... Continental Breakfast (i.e. rolls, coffee, juice) was free, but cooked breakfast (i.e. eggs, french toast and etc) was at a charge. This was also in the suites. Sandwiches were free.

[Ta421sBtrHalf]

I just got off the phone with Costa and talked with two people regarding this and if you are in a Suite there is NO charge for room service because your butler is the one that brings the room service. I will go to the offices tomorrow and find out for sure. I know it was in the brochure and I am the type that will make sure I get what I was told was included.

[mattytude]

I just called myself and got the same reply. Only suites can get complimentary room service. This is "bate and switch", as room service is talked up quite a bit in the brochure and there is no mention of an additional charge for it, as there is for the "alternative dining". No other line in the "Worlds Leading Cruise Lines" family charges for room service...not even Cunard.

 

It's too bad that I am not even onboard, and my cruise is on a negative note, i'm really disappointed in Costa. I'm sorry I booked it.

[Ta421sBtrHalf]

My DH called as well because he is so much better at getting explinations, and this is what he was told. If you are in a suite you get full room service because it is included with the butler. If you are in a regular room you can order from the room service menu, but if you order hot food you have to pay a service charge, which equates to a gratuity. When I was on carnival 2 years ago this is how it was done as well. We were told room service and assumed that it meant anything, but found out it meant continental breakfast and sandwiches.

[CruisenChic]

I was in a suite and the room service was free... If you ordered cooked breakfast, ie eggs, bacon etc, there is a charge that is posted on the menu. In the suite there was a charge for this also...

[Cruise4Andy]

CruisenChic:

 

Also in the suite there was a charge? I thought that was included with the butler service.

 

"...Passengers in these quarters get a variety of special services-VIP check-in and early disembarkation, butler service, sparkling wine, full-course in-suite dining, a complimentary meal at Club Medusa, plus such added amenities as terry robes, slippers and a daily fruit basket."

 

???

 

Now I am confused!

[CruisenChic]

Andy all of what you listed is true, with the exception of the in-suite dinning. We were not able to order off of the dinning room menu. Only on one night did our butler make an exception... My sister who was also traveling and in the suite next door to me, is ill and did not want to go to the dinning room. He brought her what she ordered from the regular room service menu, but it was not really what she wanted. He then in turn got her dinner from the dinning room, of course at no charge (the butler places a menu in the cabin before lunch and dinner). So while you can get dinner in your cabin, it is not a common practice. Go figure

[Cruise4Andy]

Still does not make any sense to me?

 

I don't know who, but one person here at CC said that they had their butler bringing them their full course dining room dinner to the Panorama Suite and they enjoyed the beautiful view from their balcony. That's certainly what I would like to do one evening, or at least having a nice breakfast in the morning on your own balcony, not in the dining room.

 

Is breakfast then included?

[bts378]

yes the regular cabins - not the suites! do get free continental breakfast served but all other snacks etc are charged room service at 2 euros.

Also you can inform the reception desk that you do not want the automatic gratuities added to your bill and so you can give gratuities as you feel. They obviously do not like doing this - halfway throught the cruise though an item appears in the program informing you that you can do it.

[Cruise4Andy]

CruisenChic:

 

So what you saying is that you can order dinner or breakfast in your suite, for no additional charge, but it is not common practice???

 

Now I am getting more and more confused about the whole thing.

 

I thought with the Panorama Suite, we could enjoy certain amenities, regular cabins won't get offered, such as a private breakfast on the balcony or a romantic dinner outside within your private quarters?

[CruisenChic]

That's right Andy... It was not as if you could just order breakfast, lunch or dinner off of the dinning room menu and have your butler deliver it and set it up. I was also under the impression that this was an available service (as we thought that my sister would not want to go to the dinning room every night) but that was not the case. Maybe our butler did not want to do this service. I did not press the issue as I did not actually want to have meals in the suite. So, I still think that it is sort of confusing... But from my experience, the in room dinning is not a regular offering like they state in the brochures.

[Cruise4Andy]

Mhhh.. now that's interesting! I'll let you know what we'll find out in January!

[CruisenChic]

Great, I would like to know what you find out. I would hate to think that he just did not want to serve meals in the cabin and told us that the service was not available.

[Cruise4Andy]

Now as of curiousity I checked with our travel agent, and she called Costa.

What she said is, that in the categories S (Suite), PS (Panorama Suite) and GS (Grand Suite) full room service is included, that means full breakfast menu as well as full dinner dining room service.

 

That's at least the info which our travel agent could find out from Costa.

 

I think I have to wait and see and find out ourselves what's the situation is. I certainly will let you all know.

 

Happy Holidays!

[Ta421sBtrHalf]

I just got off of the Atlantica on Sunday and THERE IS NO CHARGE FOR ROOM SERVICE IN THE SUITES!!!!! They do have a purchace menu that consist of mimosas, fresh squeezed oj and flowers, things like that, but you can order whatever you want from the dining room menu to be deliverd to your room.

[chris209]

It is correct that there is full room service in all the suites. A menu from the dining room is delivered daily (lunch and dinner) and anything from the dining room can be served in the suite by the butler. That being said, our butler was extremely reluctant to provide this service- he did not mention it and when I asked him he tried to convince me that we would prefer to eat in the dining room (we couldn't because we were late for our assigned seating after exploring Puerto Rico) so he then tried to convince us we would prefer the buffet!! We insisted and he eventually did serve dinner in the room(and got a very nice tip)-it was nice to eat on the balcony but be aware that at least 1 of the butlers was quite hesiatant to do this. However, he was reluctant to do pretty much anything!!

[jeb9860]

Our Butler was superb. She did whatever we needed, which I must admnit was not too much. She would deliver us a menu twice a day for lunch and dinner and told us we could eat in our room, which we never did. As roomy as they are still a bit cramped to eat with 2 adults and 2 kids, as our sofa became one of the boys beds. But we did order hot drinks and hot milk for the boys each day which always came very quickly. Extra pillows and extra blankets and even extra balcony chairs for the boys. Dry cleaning very quick and always so polite.

[JMsax]

Do the poor folk with the inside cabins receive any type of free room service? Or is it all pay?

[Cruise4Andy]

Thanks for all your info, Ta421sBtrHalf, chris209, jeb9860!

 

Great to hear some feedback from suite cruisers...

Can't wait! Only 27 days to go!!!!

[CruisenChic]

Hey Chris209... You must have had Alex as a butler. He gave us the same line that they don't deliver meals from the dinning room to the suites. That sounds very familiar.

[Ta421sBtrHalf]

CruisenChic we had Alex and he gave us the same BS! I longed for Cris Plaza all week!

[chris209]

Yes! It was Alex!

[Krissyann]

I just returned from the Costa Atlantica, and they do have room service and it included in the price of the cabin...You can get sandwiches and fruit salad, orange juice, milk, choc milk, tea, coffee, grapefruit juice, cesar salads with tuna, or chicken. cold soup, and continental breakfast items. It was not a large choice, but for those late night munchies, they are great!