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Another "included" perk being removed......


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While I totally understand what you're saying regarding the principle, it seems a little bit like being mad just to be mad.

 

I do believe this was a really nice perk for those who spend a lot of time in the room or those who have children to make it easier to manage, as well as a perk people are used to just feeling happy knowing it existed, but in the end if you didn't really use it you aren't losing anything. No point in getting worked up over it.

 

(... I hope the tone in this sounds right. You have every right to feel the way you do. I'm not trying to be argumentative.)

You're 100% correct and stated it very clearly. I'm mad on principle, not on the change itself. Should I let it go? Probably. But it still irritates me.

 

Luckily, I'm at the point where I feel comfortable leaving my son in the cabin while I run too to the Windjammer. If he was much younger, that would be a problem. The other concern I have is that the hot options that we previously complimentary are largely the only option for this with dietary restrictions like celiac. They can't eat pastries, so they're basically now limited to yogurt and fruit from room service.

 

Give me another day and I'll get over myself . . . I guess I jumped past denial and went straight to anger (stages of grief). It is also very possible that Royal will offer more in venues around the ship, particularly late at night, to make up for this change.

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Ok Let's dissect this response.

 

"Royal Caribbean International has introduced a new premium room (I WOULDN'T CONSIDER SOME OF THESE ITEMS PREMIUM,SCRAMBLED EGGS,FRIED EGGS,GRILLED CHEESE,HOT DOG AND QUESADILLA WOW)service menu in order to enhance the dining experience and to provide more options for guests. The new menu features upgraded items such as the Royal Wagyu Burger, a classic Philly cheese steak with shaved rib eye, chicken wings with a choice of four sauces, and a healthy grilled salmon dish with cucumber mint yogurt, to name a few.

In addition, new breakfast selections also have been introduced to the menu to provide an upgraded in-room breakfast experience for guests. Continental breakfast items, which remain free of charge, will still be available to all guests.(GUESS WHATS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THOSE WHO ORDER JUST CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST, THEY WILL NEVER GET IT ON TIME OR CORRECT)

A new convenience fee of $7.95 per order will be introduced for any orders including the new premium selections. This was introduced to better manage the high demand for this convenient and upgraded service.(SO NOW THEY WILL GENERATE MORE REVENUE AND BE ABLE TO HIRE MORE STAFF, SO ONE SHOULD EXPECT NO DELAYS, COLD FOOD AND ORDERS CORRECT) Breakfast items listed under the continental menu will still be free of charge.

The new room service menu will be rolled out across the entire fleet starting in March and will be onboard all ships by the end of May."

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Glad they've at least released the menu. We only used room service for continental breakfast items in the past, so ultimately for us, this change has little impact. But I certainly understand the concerns that others have with now having to pay for something that has been included. I certainly hope the new offerings are better quality and worth the charge, otherwise I for one would be demanding the charge removed at Guest Services. 

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After reading all of the comments here and on the original post--am I the only person that doesn't mind paying the $7.95 fee?? lol I think I am for sure

 

I see it as this--as long as the food is "upgraded" from the WJ and it comes within a "fair" amount of time, it doesn't bother me to pay the extra. Paying extra for the same burger or same pizza, I'll for sure pass. And I'll definitely pass on the continental breakfast because let's face it, its poop  :P  but I know my husband would happily enjoy an omelette in our room instead of having to put on pants to go to the MDR, the only other place to get an omelette. You pay for room service in a hotel and you pay much more inflated prices than $7.95 and while I understand that everyone is on this "nickel and dime" you stance, this change is personally not causing me to shop other CL.

 

Just my 2cents :)

 

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And I made $3.35 an hour at my first job in high school; that doesn't negate the fact that by removing something that costs them money--and was previously included in the cost of the cruise--they've effectively raised the cruise fare as you now have to pay more onboard for the same level of service.

 

Personally, I think this is an underhanded way to essentially increase fares rather than actually increasing the fares by a few dollars a day.  In all likelihood, this is an attempt to stay competitive price-wise against the competing lines.  Unfortunately, it looks like Royal, and perhaps the rest of the industry, is going the way of the airlines.

 

Perhaps I need to start looking up market . . . 

$3.35/hour for a high school job???   I made $0.75/hour for my first one........a true "senior citizen" !!  :)   

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Ok Let's dissect this response.

 

"Royal Caribbean International has introduced a new premium room (I WOULDN'T CONSIDER SOME OF THESE ITEMS PREMIUM,SCRAMBLED EGGS,FRIED EGGS,GRILLED CHEESE,HOT DOG AND QUESADILLA WOW)

compared to the continental breakfast this is an upgrade lol....and real eggs hopefully

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compared to the continental breakfast this is an upgrade lol....and real eggs hopefully

There's no guarantee of real eggs unless you go with the fried variety.

 

While I don't consider these premium offerings, I will concede that having eggs cooked to order and delivered to the cabin would be a nice perk. I just think the price point is too high unless you have a cabin full of people all ordering at the same time.

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There's no guarantee of real eggs unless you go with the fried variety.

 

While I don't consider these premium offerings, I will concede that having eggs cooked to order and delivered to the cabin would be a nice perk. I just think the price point is too high unless you have a cabin full of people all ordering at the same time.

and that's why I don't eat scrambled eggs! lol 

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Not that I want to give RCCL any ideas but we should and have to look into the Crystal ball to see what's down the pipe line for more charges that we will incur on future cruises:

 

  1. Window Seats in the MDR
  2. First two towels no charge any additional $5 dollars per towel
  3. Your choice of one roll at dinner each additional $1.50
  4. First ride on Flow Rider, Water Slide, Rock Climbing wall etc Free each additional $5.00

I know I am poking some fun at these topics but god help us if they ever impose them on us.

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The new menu looks like a vast improvement over the previous one... I could see those wings being a huge revenue generator when combined with the drink package late night.

Vast improvement?  I wouldn't go that far, but I'll agree that it is an improvement and I am intrigued by the possibility of getting eggs to order delivered in the morning.  And for a family of 3, that's only $2.65 a person.  I do think there will be more complaints, however, for cold food and slow service particularly now that people are paying for it.  I also wouldn't expect many to tip additional.

 

Time will tell . . . 

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$3.35/hour for a high school job???   I made $0.75/hour for my first one........a true "senior citizen" !!   :)   

LOL.  My first car was also $6199.  Had that one until 2008 and it was still going after 22 years when I finally sold it.

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Vast improvement?  I wouldn't go that far, but I'll agree that it is an improvement and I am intrigued by the possibility of getting eggs to order delivered in the morning.  And for a family of 3, that's only $2.65 a person.  I do think there will be more complaints, however, for cold food and slow service particularly now that people are paying for it.  I also wouldn't expect many to tip additional.

 

Time will tell . . . 

 

I was referring to the non-breakfast menu... it is a huge improvement. 

 

Breakfast... all I ever ordered was coffee and fruit anyway.

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I was referring to the non-breakfast menu... it is a huge improvement. 

 

Breakfast... all I ever ordered was coffee and fruit anyway.

I know you were referring to the "main" menu.  Vast, huge . . .?  There's still a lot of the old crap.  A few improvements, but nothing that knocked my socks off.  The most appealing thing to me was salmon.  Other lines offer a Philly complimentary via room service without a charge and some even allow you to order from the MDR menu during dinner hours without a charge.  Again, time will tell and I know I'm being too critically before everything is laid to rest, but the chicken wings and quesadillas just didn't impress me.  I suspect I was expect a slightly more expanded menu.

 

I know . . . my bad.  I should be happier and gleeful given that my Spring Break just started . . .  

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Well, this topic really got the juices flowing, so to speak.  I guess what it boils down to, like so many other things, is personal choice. If you like room service, then order it. If you don't, then don't. If you don't mind paying for it, then do. And if you do mind paying for it, then don't. Be mad, don't be mad. The choice is yours. You have the right to feel anyway you want about this and you are not wrong. This is just one of the many choices you'll have while on a RCCL cruise. Happy cruising all!

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If they didn't want a PR hit they would just up each person's rate by $1 or $2 to cover it. I think the real reason this is being done is to cut out as much room service as possible. Maybe i'll do it once per cruise and if I'm ordering for the entire family. If I just want something, I'll just huff it down to the buffet haha.

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If they didn't want a PR hit they would just up each person's rate by $1 or $2 to cover it. I think the real reason this is being done is to cut out as much room service as possible. Maybe i'll do it once per cruise and if I'm ordering for the entire family. If I just want something, I'll just huff it down to the buffet haha.

I'd prefer this, but I do understand why they aren't. Risk doesn't want to price themselves too much higher than the competition. This is why Sheridan Airlines, according to their CEO in an interview years ago, said they started charging for baggage, preferred Sears, etc. By doing so, they could come in cheaper on flight search engines rather than getting pushed to the bottom. There are quite a number of people who buy on price alone which is why we have low cost television manufacturers, off brand phones, generic brand grocery items, etc.

 

While I ultimately understand why they're doing it--they're a company that has to make money and be responsible to shareholders--I don't have to like it.

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I dont like it because it further discredits the term 'Included' by adding yet another exception. I do really think this will improve quality, but I doubt that's their intention, more of a byproduct in my opinion.

 

THIS IS CROWD CONTROL (sorry for yelling).

 

People order the entire kitchen. Not sure how this dish will taste? Order it in addition to your five plates and find out. If you don't like it, oh well.

I'm not trying to shame anyone, I do it to, but this creates an insane amount of work for the staff. They can't just keep running crazy amounts of food all over the ship at all times, they also make THOUSANDS of meals a day aside from this service. That's a pretty big deal when you think of it.

 

I am upset about the charge but also understand that this service is being abused. By adding this cost it will help maintain the crowds at a manageable level.

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Which is a better value, a $10 steak or a $15 hamburger? It depends on the steak and the hamburger. It's all about price point and perceived value. If the food and service get better, people will be more than happy to spend the $7.95. If the posts about room service here are honest and I believe they are, the fact that the room service was free or included, might be one of the only reasons people ordered it. People like free stuff, even if it isn't very good. If it's free, it's for me and give me three!

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I dont like it because it further discredits the term 'Included' by adding yet another exception. I do really think this will improve quality, but I doubt that's their intentions, it's more of a byproduct in my opinion.

 

THIS IS CROWD CONTROL (sorry for yelling).

 

People order the entire kitchen. Not sure how this dish will taste? Order it in addition to your five plates and find out. If you don't like it, oh well.

I'm not trying to shame anyone, I do it to, but this creates an insane amount of work for the staff. They can't just keep running crazy amounts of food all over the ship at all times, they also make THOUSANDS of meals a day aside from this service. That's a pretty big deal when you think of it.

 

I am upset about the charge but also understand that this service is being abused. By adding this cost it will help maintain the crowds at a manageable level.

Totally agree! This is one way to weed out the people who abuse the system. A certain percentage cruisers will not be willing to "pay" for room service anymore. Everything has a cost, one way or another. The question is just whether you are willing to pay the price. Remember, there's no such thing as a free lunch! At least not anymore.

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I still think there will be abuse Uber the new system. To justify the charge, why not just order more. Instead of an $8 hamburger, order four entrees so that it's only $2 each?

 

I'll admit that I could be wrong and I do recognize some people will never order room service as they are unwilling to pay anything for it. But among some of those who will, I could see then ordering more than they normally would to maximize the value.

 

Playing devil's advocate about waste, how would you feel if the charge a $5 fee for ordering an extra entree in the main dining room? Wouldn't this also reduce waste and reduce the workload for the crew?

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I still think there will be abuse Uber the new system. To justify the charge, why not just order more. Instead of an $8 hamburger, order four entrees so that it's only $2 each?

 

I'll admit that I could be wrong and I do recognize some people will never order room service as they are unwilling to pay anything for it. But among some of those who will, I could see then ordering more than they normally would to maximize the value.

 

Playing devil's advocate about waste, how would you feel if the charge a $5 fee for ordering an extra entree in the main dining room? Wouldn't this also reduce waste and reduce the workload for the crew?

I agree. You will always have people who are trying to "beat the system" or get as much as they can. You will never be able to totally control it, unless you start to fully charge for room service. Then watch the people ordering two and three meals each from room service fall off. You will have to price the greed out of them.

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I still think there will be abuse Uber the new system. To justify the charge, why not just order more. Instead of an $8 hamburger, order four entrees so that it's only $2 each?

I'll admit that I could be wrong and I do recognize some people will never order room service as they are unwilling to pay anything for it. But among some of those who will, I could see then ordering more than they normally would to maximize the value.

Playing devil's advocate about waste, how would you feel if the charge a $5 fee for ordering an extra entree in the main dining room? Wouldn't this also reduce waste and reduce the workload for the crew?

First off Kris, I don't waste my second entrée, let's get that straight :)

 

Secoldly, you may be right about still having massive orders under the fee system, I can see people 'getting their money's worth'. But I can still see less people ordering on the whole, the fee should be a insensitive to eat elsewhere for most. You can buy a beer for the cost of getting your own food.

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First off Kris, I don't waste my second entrée, let's get that straight :)

 

Secoldly, you may be right about still having massive orders under the fee system, I can see people 'getting their money's worth'. But I can still see less people ordering on the whole, the fee should be a insensitive to eat elsewhere for most. You can buy a beer for the cost of getting your own food.

Nor do I.  Taking a line out of the Hochberg Playbook, it's all in the name of research. :)

 

I was just using this as an extreme example.  As I said before, even though I'm being super critical on something I rarely use, this MAY end up being the best thing Royal ever did IF service and quality DOES IMPROVE.  Being able to order a hot, made-to-order breakfast could be very appealing.

 

I actually have a cruise coming up on the MSC Seaside.  And while they seem to nickel and dime a lot, I going onto that cruise expecting it.  For example, they have beverage packages that only work in the MDR but not in specialty restaurants, and others that only work outside of any of the restaurants.  However, I expect this from them from my research and their much lower fares (except on this sailing).  I may have trouble swallowing this as it's not something we tend to expect from Royal Caribbean.  Yeah, I know NCL and Carnival do it, but they're NCL and Carnival, NOT ROYAL CARIBBEAN.  I guess anything that makes them like the others just detracts from the charm for me.

 

THE GOOD NEWS:  I may have moved past denial and anger.  I may be approaching bargaining.  That means only depression and then I'll finally be at acceptance in my stages of grief.

 

Life must be pretty good if the biggest concern of my week is that Royal is going to charge for room service.

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I don't really mind this change.  I never used room service much and if I did it was to order breakfast or a late night snack.  There are better options for breakfast, especially because room service had a good chance of arriving cold.  As far as the late night snack, just need to make sure you order enough to make it worthwhile.  At least the menu seems to be improved.

 

I think the bigger issue is that it's yet another thing that isn't included in your cruise fare.  Each one is like a little thorn in the side to the typical customer.  I think one of biggest advantages of cruising is its reputation for being very good bang for your buck.  However, each "additional cost" item detracts from that perception.

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I dont like it because it further discredits the term 'Included' by adding yet another exception. I do really think this will improve quality, but I doubt that's their intention, more of a byproduct in my opinion.

 

THIS IS CROWD CONTROL (sorry for yelling).

 

People order the entire kitchen. Not sure how this dish will taste? Order it in addition to your five plates and find out. If you don't like it, oh well.

I'm not trying to shame anyone, I do it to, but this creates an insane amount of work for the staff. They can't just keep running crazy amounts of food all over the ship at all times, they also make THOUSANDS of meals a day aside from this service. That's a pretty big deal when you think of it.

 

I am upset about the charge but also understand that this service is being abused. By adding this cost it will help maintain the crowds at a manageable level.

If by all accounts, the number of people on a cruise that order room service is rather low, isn't this more of a waste cutting move than a revenue generator?

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If by all accounts, the number of people on a cruise that order room service is rather low, isn't this more of a waste cutting move than a revenue generator?

It could well be.  However, in the past, adding a fee has typically been to manage demand.

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What about the idea of limited

 

It could well be.  However, in the past, adding a fee has typically been to manage demand.

 

If demand drops, only those willing to pay the price will be left. Do we think that they are the people abusing the system, ordering half the menu, because it's included? If not, won't the drop in demand cut waste?

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I dont like it because it further discredits the term 'Included' by adding yet another exception. I do really think this will improve quality, but I doubt that's their intention, more of a byproduct in my opinion.

 

THIS IS CROWD CONTROL (sorry for yelling).

 

People order the entire kitchen. Not sure how this dish will taste? Order it in addition to your five plates and find out. If you don't like it, oh well.

I'm not trying to shame anyone, I do it to, but this creates an insane amount of work for the staff. They can't just keep running crazy amounts of food all over the ship at all times, they also make THOUSANDS of meals a day aside from this service. That's a pretty big deal when you think of it.

 

I am upset about the charge but also understand that this service is being abused. By adding this cost it will help maintain the crowds at a manageable level.

How would people feel about something like the Disney Dining Plan? You are limited to one appetizer, one soup, one salad, one entrée and one dessert in the MDR. This would surely cut waste.

 

If you would like to "graze" (I know I do) that is what the buffet is for. That's why it's called the Main Dining Room. It's for dining.

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Gratuities going Up & Room Service

 

This is one of the reasons I have started to included my gratuities when booking any future cruises, because at least I think once you have agreed to pay during the booking your price is locked in.

 

Room Service

 

I think this is a much larger move for Royal Caribbean to save money, by charging for room service less people will use the room service. This will allow them to have less staff in the kitchen and less waiter on hand for these deliveries.

 

I do think that some ships in the fleet should still offer room service complimentary for added value.

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This is one of the reasons I have started to included my gratuities when booking any future cruises, because at least I think once you have agreed to pay during the booking your price is locked in.

 

I just booked Oasis 2yrs out, but included gratuities in case they go up by the time I'm actually on board.
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I just booked Oasis 2yrs out, but included gratuities in case they go up by the time I'm actually on board.

This is another reason why I book dining, beverage packages, and excursions as early as possible. Price protection. In addition, you can always cancel and rebook if the pricing changes.

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This is another reason why I book dining, beverage packages, and excursions as early as possible. Price protection. In addition, you can always cancel and rebook if the pricing changes.

Also another smart thing to do. Lock the potential lower price in now and then change or cancel later without any penalty.

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.....That's not the point, the point is there is a perceived value in cruising, and by slowly eliminating all of these values, aren't they becoming less of a value and more of an expense?  .....

 

EXACTLY!

 

Next time, instead of spending on a cruise, I may just fly to a destination and put my cash into hotel room service and other local dining options.

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If by all accounts, the number of people on a cruise that order room service is rather low, isn't this more of a waste cutting move than a revenue generator?

 

The way I hear people complaining about room service trays cluttering the hallways, I got the impression it was a fairly commonly utilized service.

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