Jump to content

Mini Bar - Does anyone get charge in error for this service?


SeaFarers

Recommended Posts

I heard that the stateroom mini bar service will no longer be available and I for one am glad to see this go.  It has been more of an inconvenience for me to get the charges reversed for something that I did not consume in my 2 previous cruises.    I believe the confusion was the Evian bottled water that I brought to the room from the casino were mistaken for mini bar consumption.  So if you happen to see this in your stateroom and do not plan to use it, you can request them to be removed from the mini fridge/room.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From what I remember from our Dec NAV cruise, the fridge was empty but there was a "order sheet" to use if you wanted anything stocked in the fridge.

 

I agree that this is a much better system.  #1, it leaves the fridge available for use if you have something you want to put in there, #2 it avoids unintended/erroneous charges and #3, you only get what you want in your fridge.  I guess you could add #4, the bar service person no longer has to bother you to "check" the fridge unless you do have it stocked, in which case I guess he/she is still going to come by occasionally.

 

So the mini bar service has not actually STOPPED, it's just been modified.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We didn't have a setup on the Allure a couple of weeks ago, but that didn't keep us from receiving an erroneous charge once we got home. It took Risk a couple of days to clear it up saying that we were charged for a bit of water that was in the room. Next time I'm simply going you ask that anything with a charge be removed since they can't seem able to track their inventory.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just off the Navigator, a new $6 charge appears on the credit card after we are home. And then 10 minutes on the phone.

 

A big deal? not really. This is the third time for us though. Imagine how many people don't bother with the call......food for thought.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just off the Navigator, a new $6 charge appears on the credit card after we are home. And then 10 minutes on the phone.

 

A big deal? not really. This is the third time for us though. Imagine how many people don't bother with the call......food for thought.

It's easy to miss. In my case, I don't think the rep understood the issue, so it took a couple of days to clear up as she had to contact the ship to get a copy of the folio. We also had an issue with an onboard gift delivery, but the rep did all the work and called me back to tell me everything had been rectified. She even called me once the refund had been processed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I heard that the stateroom mini bar service will no longer be available and I for one am glad to see this go.  It has been more of an inconvenience for me to get the charges reversed for something that I did not consume in my 2 previous cruises.    I believe the confusion was the Evian bottled water that I brought to the room from the casino were mistaken for mini bar consumption.  So if you happen to see this in your stateroom and do not plan to use it, you can request them to be removed from the mini fridge/room.

Does anyone know if the mini bar service has been discontinued? If not, couldn't you just request that it be emptied and that marked somewhere on your folio? I've done this in the past at hotels. Also, a lot of people state that the fridges don't work so well. I have purchased a water package as my wife doesn't drink a lot of soda and coffee and such, but is it worth it if the fridge can't keep it cold.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We didn't have the stocked refrigerator like in years past on the Allure in January and up until that point I had never had an erroneous mini bar charge. After this cruise, I was charged for a bottle of water I did not consume, but the charge was added after we left the ship. A call to Royal and they reversed the charge. While it was easy to recertify, what annoyed me it's that they said they did it as a courtesy rather than acknowledging that it was an error on their part. I'm going to take a picture when I leave the cabin on the last morning in the future.

 

I did stay at a hotel precruise where their automated system charged because housekeeping bumped an item and it threw their system off. Unfortunately, they charged a $25 to remove the mini bar, so we kept it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We didn't have the stocked refrigerator like in years past on the Allure in January and up until that point I had never had an erroneous mini bar charge. After this cruise, I was charged for a bottle of water I did not consume, but the charge was added after we left the ship. A call to Royal and they reversed the charge. While it was easy to recertify, what annoyed me it's that they said they did it as a courtesy rather than acknowledging that it was an error on their part. I'm going to take a picture when I leave the cabin on the last morning in the future.

 

I did stay at a hotel precruise where their automated system charged because housekeeping bumped an item and it threw their system off. Unfortunately, they charged a $25 to remove the mini bar, so we kept it.

I guess with at least that hotel, you have to pay, not to pay!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
On 1/21/2017 at 4:14 AM, L454S said:

Just off the Navigator, a new $6 charge appears on the credit card after we are home. And then 10 minutes on the phone.

 

A big deal? not really. This is the third time for us though. Imagine how many people don't bother with the call......food for thought.

I emailed RCCL less than 4 hours ago about the charge for 2 bottles of water that was billed AFTER debarkation from Adventure OTS on 5/27 (I had previously had the charge removed via telephone). I called the practice despicable. I got a phone call about it "from Michael Bayley's office" a few minutes ago.

I was told that "a decision was made today that effective July1, water will no longer be left in the staterooms" and that an order form will be left for those that do want it.

We are not sailing again until next May, so it would be nice if anyone here sailing July 1 or later can let us know if that happens. Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

There are always bottles of water in my cabin when I get there and others appear throughout the cruise.  I never know where they come from or whether they are C&A "gifts" or something else.  If they have a paper tag on them I do not use them.  If they do not, I do.  I have never been charged for anything from the fridge (even when they did stock it) or bottled water.  Lucky ?  Probably.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

42 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

There are always bottles of water in my cabin when I get there and others appear throughout the cruise.  I never know where they come from or whether they are C&A "gifts" or something else.  If they have a paper tag on them I do not use them.  If they do not, I do.  I have never been charged for anything from the fridge (even when they did stock it) or bottled water.  Lucky ?  Probably.

You Pinnacle people always get the free stuff...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Skid said:

Can anyone that has gotten back recently please post here to let us know if they were charged post cruise for unused water? And if Royal truly did stop putting the bottles of water in the cabins? Thanks.

I got hit with this.  $5.84.  Just called RC this morning to rectify the situation.

Easy enough to fix, but seems odd it happens this frequently.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

29 minutes ago, Matt said:

I got hit with this.  $5.84.  Just called RC this morning to rectify the situation.

Easy enough to fix, but seems odd it happens this frequently.

So much for them doing away with the bottles and the charges. I guess when they called me from "Michael Bailey's office" immediately after my complaint to say the policy will change on July1, they were just flapping their lips to appease me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, whitsmom said:

We sail this Sunday on the Oasis so I will have our cabin steward remove the extra "sitting around" water.  I get bottled water with my package anyway.

I'm assuming this means that there is water placed in the cabin, and is charged to you if you drink it? I guess some would assume, if it's just sitting around , it's complimentary?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, FManke said:

I'm assuming this means that there is water placed in the cabin, and is charged to you if you drink it? I guess some would assume, if it's just sitting around , it's complimentary?

If you didn't pre order it and its in the room you will  be charged.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, FManke said:

I'm assuming this means that there is water placed in the cabin, and is charged to you if you drink it? I guess some would assume, if it's just sitting around , it's complimentary?

 

58 minutes ago, FManke said:

I guess better to ask it to be removed to avoid any possible charges. But, I'm sure this isn't fool proof, but should help.

The mini bars are empty. However, they were putting 2 bottles of water on the vanity and then billing for them after debarkation. Either the cabin steward or someone then moved or removed them and a bar staff inspection started the billing process. They were supposed to stop leaving those water bottles on July 1, and just leave an order form, but it seems that may not have happened. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Skid said:

 

The mini bars are empty. However, they were putting 2 bottles of water on the vanity and then billing for them after debarkation. Either the cabin steward or someone then moved or removed them and a bar staff inspection started the billing process. They were supposed to stop leaving those water bottles on July 1, and just leave an order form, but it seems that may not have happened. 

Maybe they will get it straightened out by Oct, when we cruise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hope they do stop leaving anything in the fridge or on the counter.

I always order a big package of bottled Evian (it is the only bottled water you can pre-order).  They leave the package in our JS closet before we arrive.  We drink a lot of water, take it on excursions, take it to the pool and have it on our nightstands.  I really wish they were regular individual water bottles instead of those giant quart bottles - because those big ones are so hard to carry around and are heavy in a backpack. You never can drink it all and it ends up getting warm.  It's just dumb to make you buy that giant size.  I also wish the fridge was more than just barely cool so the water could be cold, and we have to take stuff out of the fridge to fit it in.  However, with all that said, there are always 2 additional bottles left on our counter that we never use because we have to pay extra for them.  Nonetheless, because we have empties from the pre-paid package in the trash, we inevitably get charged for those 2 extras.  I guess the cabin steward just gets confused.  I always have to call to fix it and it's really annoying, because they do act like it's a "courtesy" rather than a correction.  I think RCCL just assumes most people won't bother with 2 incorrect charges for $4.75 each or whatever it is.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, cruise-y said:

Nonetheless, because we have empties from the pre-paid package in the trash, we inevitably get charged for those 2 extras.  I guess the cabin steward just gets confused.  I always have to call to fix it and it's really annoying, because they do act like it's a "courtesy" rather than a correction.  I think RCCL just assumes most people won't bother with 2 incorrect charges for $4.75 each or whatever it is.

Absolutely ridiculous (Royal, not you cruise-y). I may just email them again and if they aren't living up to what they told me about stopping this despicable practice I will consider cancelling the cruise we have booked for May. That may seem like an over reaction, but I hate being lied to!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, jticarruthers said:

In their defense they really aren't lying to you, corporate just has no idea what either the left hand or the right hand are actually doing onboard ship. So many of their policies are completely inconsistent across different ships and sailings.

Respectfully disagree. I was told it was a "corporate decision" to change the policy on July 1st. If corporate failed to get that out to all ships there is no defense. It's on them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm sailing on July 16.  If they really stopped this practice on July 1, I'll be thrilled.  That means I can fit all my pre-paid water in the fridge (without having to take out the stale candy bars and airline-size vodka bottles) and I also won't get charged for additional water left on my counter.  I'll let you all know if it really got stopped.

Now if they'd only package individual water bottles instead of those damned giant liter sizes all would be perfect.  I can't even lift those to my lips with one hand.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was on Indy last week.  Two bottles of Evian up on a high shelf - not touched.  Also received 2 bottles of "other" water, left on the side with a Crown & Anchor compliments tag (first cruise as Emerald so I guess a perk) - these we used

No account statement left on last night / morning - have always received this in the past.  Didn't have time to go to the desk to query it.

RCI emailed my friend her account statement and charges included $6 for one bottle of Evian.  She has queried the charge and is being refunded

I had to email and ask for my account statement and I wasn't charged

Very odd

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Sarah said:

I was on Indy last week.  Two bottles of Evian up on a high shelf - not touched.  Also received 2 bottles of "other" water, left on the side with a Crown & Anchor compliments tag (first cruise as Emerald so I guess a perk) - these we used

No account statement left on last night / morning - have always received this in the past.  Didn't have time to go to the desk to query it.

RCI emailed my friend her account statement and charges included $6 for one bottle of Evian.  She has queried the charge and is being refunded

I had to email and ask for my account statement and I wasn't charged

Very odd

Thanks for posting, Sarah. I just sent an email to Michael Bailey:

Mr. Bailey,
 
After debarkation from our cruise in May of 2017, we were billed for 2 unused and unwanted bottles of water that were put on the vanity by an Adventure of the Seas staff member. I had to call and get the charge reversed. After that I emailed your office about this apparently widespread practice, noting that the perception is that RCCL is doing this deliberately. Someone from your office called me the same day (June 6) and said that "a decision was made today that effective July 1, water will no longer be left in the staterooms" and that an order form will be be left for those that do want it.
 
It is now July 14th and from what I see on some websites, water is still being left and being billed for post-cruise. I am truly upset at RCCL for either not eliminating the practice or for an employee telling me something that may not have been true.
 
Although it may be an overreaction, your response to this situation may determine whether or not I cancel the cruise we have booked for May 2018.
 
Respectfully,
 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...