Some cruise lines charging for room service, others considering it
 

Current cruise lines charging for room / cabin service.

Royal Caribbean charges $7.95 for room service other than Continental breakfast orders (as of March 2017).

Norwegian Cruise Line charges $7.95 for room service other than Continental breakfast orders (as of 2015).


Carnival Cruises actively considering room service charges link to USA Today article

Carnival Cruises announced on December 31 that they’d begin charging for room service orders ordered prior to 10 p.m., “to reduce food waste”. A per food item charge of $2.00-$5.00 charge was proposed.

The cruise line received a ton of feedback (40,000 posts and comments on Cruise Critic alone) and announced this week they’d be "making some adjustments to that plan to balance the interests of our guests with our efforts to reduce food waste costs. For the time being, there will be no changes until we finalize a plan that will be communicated to guests and travel agency partners alike."

Note that Carnival Corporation & PLC owns

. . . AIDA Cruises
. . . Carnival Cruise Line
. . . Costa Cruises
. . . Cunard Line
. . . Fathom
. . . Holland America Line
. . . P&O Cruises
. . . P&O Cruises Australia
. . . Princess Cruises
. . . Seabourn Cruise Line

If one initiates room service charges, you can bet these will become as ubiquitous as airline baggage fees and the like, and imagine other items currently considered included in cruise charges will become monetized. The unbundling of cruise fees will not be welcome, but they offer lots of revenue to cruise ship companies now left with over capacity due to their ship building binge.

Seems it'll be no better than European ferries eventually: Pay for a seat, or a berth, pay for food and drink. All that'll be included is transportation.

A lot of capacity needs to be sunk or scrapped but no one wants to do that and take a hit in write offs or revenue. Either that or a lot of ships will need to be moved to new markets (the one for primarily english-speakers is oversaturated). I notice that cruise rates for markets such as the German-speaking one (Aida, TUI Mein Schiff) seems high but perhaps more is included, or I haven't been able to find where they dump unsold inventory.

Then there's also the listed cruisecos that need to maintain their rate of earnings and revenue growth.

Small fees won't affect overall spend, but they will reduce overhead because people won't order just because it is "free".

Nothing is "free" it is simply included.

The average consumer is so fickle and uneducated about what really goes on. We hear all of the time of things that went away from cruising and how much better it was 30 years ago. When it reality, there are so many apples to oranges comparisons. Mass market brands of today were closer to luxury cruises back in the day. That model would not have made cruising as large as it is today. People want a lower barrier to entry. Adjusted for inflation, the mass market is more affordable that cruising used to be, by far. It is basically a different product. The luxury cruises still exist, but we'd rather complain instead of paying more for them.

Carnival has back peddled their change. What their final decision is, we will see. People feel like this is a victory as Carnival will no longer "take anything away". Like the cost cutting/revenue boost will be forever paused because the people fought back. The money will be just rolled up somewhere else. People would be ok with a $100 price hike, but god forbid there is $50 in itemized charges. In the end, the people who don't use this service are largely subsidizing the gluttons who demand they be pampered, will take one bite, and waste the rest, all because they "are on vacation!"

Other than paying the kitchen staff who are already on duty anyway, and waiting stewards who do it for tips, and some loss of service items and cost of individual packaged condiments, I really don't see any incremental cost in offering room service. I can certainly see the stewards getting fewer tips. Maybe kitchen staffing levels will be reduced.

Agreed that cruise fares are lower when inflation-adjusted but certainly the bigger ships have produced significant economies of scale. Same could be said for (long-distance) air travel and surface freight (thanks to container ships). I didn't pay for any cruises as a kid but I remember what air fares (IATA-regulated) were in the mid '70s. No matter which airline you chose, the lowest published R/T fares between LON and SIN and HKG respectively were GBP 350 and 500.

With all the said enlargement of ships to achieve economies of scale, huge amounts of capacity had to be filled. And even so, some cruisecos are adding even more cabins to existing ships. One ship I was on recently is currently having more cabins added where a lot of the spa used to be located. The same cruiseco introduced a new ship in the past couple of months and is rumoured to be sailing with empty cabins to maintain a huge premium in fares (no dumping of fares supposedly.)

On a big ship, that may be some number of fewer crew needed. Each one of them gets paid, is fed, and requires berthing space.

The flip side is that given the small charges being discussed, I find it unlikely that anyone who really wants it won't order it.

100% agree. I tend to only order room service early mornings on port days & late at night anyway. It's worth paying $2-5 when you have an early port & want to get out quickly!

In my minimal cruising experience (6 on Princess, 2 Royal, 1 Carnival), I've noticed quite a big demographic change from 15 years ago when I first started. Albeit I'm only 24, so the way I viewed things at a younger age very easily could have been misconstrued, I remember really only seeing older couples on the ships. Princess (our families preferred line) had very little to offer to families/kids for on-board activities, the sports decks & putting range were quiet frankly unusable & seemed completely ignored by the staff. Further, the teen zone & kids centers were lucky to have 10-20 on board participating previously. Now, my brother and sister seem to have 30-40 each time they go in.

It appears to me that families & the 20-40 year old base has grown significantly from when I first started cruising. With the 3rd & 4th passengers in each cabin having heavy discounts, it's made cruising a cheaper vacation for most families. A lot of these changes seem to shift more towards that consumer base. Most parents would prefer to just go up to the buffet real quick in the morning instead of having kids stuck in a tiny room eating breakfast. I'd also assume very few would even consider room service throughout the rest of the day. They'd rather be out exploring the ship and just getting a quick meal at the top decks. As for on-board libraries, I don't even know if Princess Royal or Carnival even had these. But I'd be willing to guess Holland America is experiencing a demographic change as well.

While some of these changes aren't too significant to me & I welcome the changes as a younger person. I feel for the older crowd. I remember the days as a 10 year old kid when the Princess staff wouldn't let me enter the dining hall at night because I had on blue jeans & a tee shirt! I had to go back up to my room & throw on some slacks/chinos & even have my parents buy a shirt with a collar from the shops! Last year I saw a 50 some year old guy wearing swim shorts and a tank top at dinner for formal night :rolleyes: Cruising appears to be shifting from a formal/higher class vacation towards a cheap way to get away for a couple days. As the pricing can be extremely favorable for consumers that choose inside cabins (sometimes less than $50/day). I can see why the cruise lines are cutting some of these programs. The margins are probably much tighter from what they used to be.

Holland America's (a.k.a. HAL) mgmt is not just reducing expenses but trying to boost revenue. Staffing in the library - namely the librarian - was reduced or eliminated some years ago (sometime after I took my last cruise on HAL in late 2014) and the library was then left uncurated. Part of the library had already been converted to a pay coffee bar. Haven't read what the plans are for the space. On a trial basis, HAL is also trying to jack up revenue by selling most privileges afforded to suite pax for $50 pp pd.

To continue on the subject of cutbacks and revenue enhancement, a ship that I used for a TPAC trip, the Celebrity Millennium, is currently in drydock. Major work includes eliminating the two saunas and part of the spa and exercise room to add more premium cabins. The library and a pay acupuncture clinic hidden in the middle of the ship, taking up space on 3 decks, will be turned into more inside cabins. I believe I've read that more open deck space will be reserved suite pax too. A few weeks before I embarked last year, mgmt trialed converting the pool side grill (or really burger bar) on one ship into a pay facility selling what it claimed to be Kobe burgers. Some pax were itching to file deceptive advertisement as the beef used would likely be anything other than even Wagyu but the trial was discontinued pretty quickly

I think the revenue-boosting plan is in play for every publicly-traded cruiseco as they all try to maintain earnings growth rate.

Not sure how it is with privately-held lines such as MSC but I do know that Ponant (now owned by a French family who buy up luxury brands) has apparently been treating passengers with bookings pretty poorly; namely cancelling their long-booked booked cruises at relatively short notice (5 to 11 months) so as to charter out the boat with almost nothing in compensation or moving over to another cruise.

Room Service. Hmmm.

For us, most cruise cabins are very small and we spend as little time in there as possible. Even breakfast can be hard to negotiate. Our room service experiences have been very few, and mostly limited to breakfast before a very early tour departure (booked through the ship) and when the only other option would have been a very rushed breakfast - like 5 minutes rushed. I'd expect any fees to be comped in situation where it was an issue caused by the ship. Then there was the one night when we just had the munchies after dining service had closed down and we ordered some chips and guac. For that, I guess I wouldn't mind paying a small fee. Oh, there was the one lunch where the entire ship went on an island picnic and we didn't feel like going, the only option was room service, which we actually ordered and then took up on deck. For an obscure reason they don't deliver to the deck but you are free to take it up there yourself.

All that having been said, this whole idea seems more palatable when the ship already has dining options you pay far above the basic dining room, My experience is mostly with Windstar which has no dining options with additional fees, I'd have a harder time if they imposed a room service fee.

There are several reasons people choose to eat in the room.

ONE of those reasons is that they are SICK. Does the cruise line really want to incentivize sick people to eat with the general public? This IS one way virus's are spread. When that happens the cost to the cruise line is gigantic, and the impact on reputation can also be very costly.

We tend to eat breakfast in the room, almost always. An exception to this is when we are in Club on HAL, then we eat breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill. The few times one of us had a cold, that person would eat breakfast and dinner in the room, and the other would bring back a bit of lunch from the Lido. WE have never ordered anything from room service and not eaten it, except in the often events we get something we did not order (breakfast potatoes added but not ordered), but we did not want to eat. Lots of food is wasted in the dining room. This has grown since they plate the food in the kitchen versus adding "sides" dished at the table. Waste has also grown since the steaks are often too tough/grislily for people to eat. We order our food from the menu in detail. We ask what sides are on the plate, excluding ones we will not eat. If we are not that hungry, we get 1/2 orders, or even split a course. That whole process was easier when they brought your entre and then "offered" you the side at the table...this has been gone for a very long time for you younger readers.

Another reason people may choose to eat in their room is to avoid getting dressed/dressed up. Charging for room service may put additional pressures on sorting out diners that are not dressed to "code" on those special nights. This could impart bookings?

Another reason people may choose to eat in their room is getting back too late from a tour to eat during the scheduled periods. The 2 pm lunch. Not allowing this might put more pressure to keep the Lido open more hours, a very costly alternative.

The reason we mostly use room service for breakfast, is that we do not like all the crowds that early in the morning, we are slow risers, and we pay for upgraded suites that afford comfortable in room dining. The main shortcoming is minimal choice. On cruises to some locations the viewing from the veranda is spectacular, and we do not want to waste any time...Arctic, Antarctic, whales in Hawaii, etc. These places really yell for breakfast in the room (casual dining...a bit at a time).

As an aside, hotels charge for room service...inflated prices, plate fee, delivery fee, required gratuity, and optional tips too! These charges have gotten so crazy, that we often will bring back a bottle of wine, Subway sandwich and chips for dinner. Obviously this option does not work on a cruise. To be fair, dining is NOT a big deal with us.

The argument that people waste more food ordered to the room versus served at a table or selected at the buffet do not ring true to me. The argument that the cruise line could do this and many people would pay seems true. So it could raise revenue, but at what COSTS?

Many other reasons exist for people choosing room service...too numerous to name all of them. Charging for a current service will always impact someone negatively. Cruise lines are doing well in this improved economy, changes line these can be very costly in a down turn.

Finally, when you are paying $250-$1,000 pp/pd, does this really make sense? Yes I know there are cheaper cruises/cabins.

This. There is no better summary of the situation.

I wonder if they'd consider waiving the room service charge as a perk for high status loyalty members and suite guests. Seems like they would be able to satisfy those who have been cruising long enough to remember "the good old days" and newer cruisers who might not expect an all inclusive vacation on a mass market cruise line.

Also, to be fair as a cruiser who tends to go through at least a book a day, I see a lot more cruisers attending "Facebook tips and tricks" style classes than using the library. A lot of people bring kindles or tablets with adjustable font sizes. It'd be nice to be borrow a physical book but it also makes sense to deploy a digital library similar to airlines and let people use their own devices via the ship's local wifi.

I don't think the cruisecos are looking to eliminate every passenger comfort, but just looking at any potential to increase revenue (in mgmt's relentless quest to grow earnngs), so any "dead" space is now converted. I think there are still sobriety/abstinence and religious services but those are unhosted and self-led and certainly the personnel that did some of the above (dance host, etc. - even if unpaid) and gone.. They'll probably provide a venue until the available venues have been turned into revenue-generating functions. Certainly there are no card rooms left which is why you have people occupying any sit-down space with tables available.

As for suite privileges,this will make life more difficult for those not in suites. The new Celebrity Edge reportedly has no forward-looking spaces - inside or out - for non-suite pax. Great swarths of open deck (and there's only so much of this no matter how big the ship) are increasingly reserved for suite pax (the Celebrity Millennium is schedule to have all deck space forward of the pool to be converted into such). It's only a matter of time before non-suite pax are crammed into small spaces of deck in a partial reversion to steerage.

In ranles's post above re: suite privileges, Holland America was recently trialing selling suites privileges to non-suite passengers. Prioirity disembarkation and suite dining privileges for one.

Maybe the younger clientele who are new to cruises will tolerate this, as you speculate, or maybe not.

It certainly appears cruise ships are reverting to what trans-atlantic crossings once were. Cunard Line and French Line, 2 classes first and tourist. Italian Line, 3 classes, first, cabin, and tourist. Celebrity for e.g. is now just like Italian Line once was with (1) Luminae for suite passengers, Blu for Aqua class, and main dining room for everyone else.

Cruising has morphed into something I no longer recognize. After 137 of them taken since 1971, I've had enough. Just rather stay home and sit in my house!

Cruise companies exist for one reason alone and that is to extract the maximum amount of money from you that they can. If they can't do it on the initial fare they will do it to you in every possible other way.

I think the public wants a modicum of service and comfort, and that is only achievable by "buying up," either to a suite on a ship or a J/F cabin on a plane. For those who can't afford these classes, they either purchase an "amenity package," such as Club Orange or -- in the UA ecosystem, an Economy Plus subscription. The travel providers need to brand their offerings so the public can ask for them, hence the class distinctions.

Only skimmed the thread so please correct me.
But as mentioned in the thread, I have to agree with the analysis that the industry is increasing capacity and trying to fill those berths by attracting customers with low base fares but at the trade-off of nickle and diming previously free amenities/perks/services. And if you want the previous experience, you're needing to purchase a higher end category or cruise on a higher end line. However, as they push people towards that choice, they will likely be correspondingly higher expectations by people buck up for the higher end cabins.
And for better or worse, we're in the age of analytics where businesses are analyzing habits and responses on how to best maximize their profits. .

I'm torn about the changes. Personally, I don't mind paying for things I selectively choose. I have paid for breakfast room service to get up and going before an early port day or enjoying it on the balcony at sea. But I do hate to see the demise of the cruise experience where most everything is included. We'll likely eventually migrate to higher cabin classes.

I feel like I have to care about this issue. I don't, but I do care about "erosion". Of course, it's super cheap to cruise today if you're willing to cruise that way. I'm not. My issue isn't so much luxury or all-inclusiveness (though it's nice!) but that we like small ships. All the mass market lines have been getting rid of their small ships, and they've been going to more expensive (premium or luxury) lines, so to get the experience we want, we have to spend more money up front. Ah well. I don't have a problem creating a travel spreadsheet (I really like it ;-) to compare my options & prices, but having been a long time member of this message board and even longer at Cruise Critic, I'm aware there are MANY people who don't do that level of research, then they get disappointed, THEN they come to the message boards to complain. Instead of STARTING at the message board to do the research in advance to avoid disappointment....I'm way off target now so I'll stop ;-)

Not exactly. Rather, they're simply doing what every sector in the hospitality industry is doing: Recognizing consumer behaviors and adapting. We flew on Delta airlines last weekend. In the main cabin, itself, now, there are three separate classes of service, Basic Economy, Economy, and Comfort+. A new Disney hotel will have two different classes of studio unit, one so small that it is capacity limited to two and the other with a capacity limit of five. Effectively, the family-friendly company is surcharging traveling with your family. We can also talk about how ballparks and movie theaters and concert venues are all adapting to consumer behaviors in the same way.

It's fitting that they call it Cruise Critic. I've been a member there for almost fifteen years and I have never seen a change reflective of adapting the business to consumer behaviors that Cruise Critic members haven't hated - not just disliked - hated. The internet in general often serves as a dumping ground for pent up frustration of consumers not being able to get one over on service providers, so I don't put any significance on reviews and comments in that regard. What matters - and all that matters - is what people pay for. "I hate it but I did it anyway," should be viewed as a ringing endorsement. Even, "I hate it and won't ever do it again," is an endorsement, since that frustration factor makes that comment indistinguishable from, "I hate it and will say I won't do it ever again but I actually will."

There is a core cabal at Cruise Critic that is bitterly opposed to anything that falls outside of the "traditional" cruise model. They are horrified at new concepts like anytime dining, relaxed standards for formal night, lower-price options with reduced service, etc. and no doubt bemoan the loss of the Baked Alaska Parade. :rolleyes:

Don't forget wearing a hat in the dining room. That ruins the lobster tail somehow, oh wait mass market lines no longer have lobster tail on less than 7-day cruises.

The same can be said here about some and their airlines/FFPs, some much more than others.

We cruise with Seabourn which is owned by Carnival, there are no charges on board and I mean no charges everything from wines to liquors are included, the Thomas Keller restaurant the amazing sushi restaurant and bar EVERYTHING. Tipping is not only not allowed it is actively discouraged so a completely stress free experience which is how a good cruise should be.

With the possible exception of Cunard the mass-market lines have concluded it is better to stop expecting passengers to accommodate what was once the "traditional cruise model." The ancients may despair at the mere thought of shorts and t-shirt in the dining room or an absence of formal wear on fancy pants night but it is a small price to pay to attract new people who when told they need to wear a suit and tie will respond with "screw that noise" and select another travel option.

The airlines have aided this shift with checked baggage charges. I did two cruises last year both carry-on only. The suit and tied stayed at home.

As stated in previous post, you can still cruise and not pay an extra cent. You can even do that on Seabourn if you enjoy drinking cheap wine. Still looking for a sushi restaurant on Seabourn.....oh, you are referring to the 650 capacity ships. Sad to say, many passengers have brought their filthy tipping habits from other cruise lines to Seabourn.

I would prefer paying for meals on cruises, rather than having them included.

Under the current system, there is a tendency to overeat. Charges for individual meals would act as brake on that.