When you book a cruise fare, it comes with a number of things included.
In addition to your cabin, your cruise fare includes access to the ship's pools, most entertainment and many onboard venues. You also get access to the main dining room and select restaurants.
On Royal Caribbean, those choices include snacks at Cafe Promenade, Mexican favorites at El Loco Fresh and pizza at Sorrento's as well as select other venues depending upon the ship.
Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) offers free meals in its main dining room as well as included pizza, Guy Fieri's Burger Joint, Shaq's Big Chicken (on select ships), and a free Mexican eatery, Blue Iguana Cantina.
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On both cruise lines the selection varies by ship, but you won't go hungry even if you spend no additional money. Royal Caribbean and Carnival both also offer room service.
On Royal Caribbean, passengers can order continental breakfast items for free while a hot breakfast or the lunch and dinner menu costs $7.95 plus an 18% gratuity (total $9.38). That's a good deal since passengers can order as much as they want for that single price.
Carnival passengers also get a free continental breakfast, but the rest of the menu is a la carte. It's not expensive but passengers pay per item. The cruise line also has made a major change to how passengers order breakfast via room service.
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Carnival makes a room-service change
Before they go to sleep many cruise passengers order breakfast to be delivered to their door. Traditionally, passengers filled out tags, marked with with their breakfast orders, to hang on their door handles for their room stewards to collect.
The cruise line has opted to change that system, according to Brand Ambassador John Heald. On his Facebook page Heald said that it was Mother's Day in the U.K., and he reflected on the tradition of having breakfast in bed.
"Now the reason I am talking about this is to remind everyone that while we no longer have the room service door hanging signs you can call room service on 8000 the night before to order your 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. complimentary coffee and pastries etc.," he wrote.
Heald also issued a request that may offend some passengers.
"One last thing and I hope I am not out of place saying this. If you do order room service, no matter what time of day or night please remember to tip the server if you feel they deserve it," he wrote.
"A dollar or two is fine because seeing a server carry tray of sandwiches and drinks to your cabin and have them place it on the dresser, ignoring the sight of someone in their underpants disappearing into the bathroom is bad enough. To have the door slammed in their face with bugger all tip is far, far worse."
Carnival has improved dining options
One common passenger complaint on Royal Caribbean ships has been that after the Windjammer buffet closes at night, Sorrento's Pizza and snacks at Cafe Promenade are the only dining options aside from room service.
The cruise line has solved that issue on its newest ship, Icon of the Seas. The largest cruise ship in the world, Icon offers Aquadome Marketplace, a hall of five separate eateries that offer Chinese, crepes, Mediterranean, sandwiches, and more into the late-night hours.
Carnival has addressed the problem by adding a late-night menu that goes well beyond pizza and cookies.
Last year the cruise line added its Good Eats late-night snack menu. It includes pizza but also chicken soup, fried chicken tenders, hot dogs, meatball subs, and a ham and cheese roll among other choices.
It's not the famed midnight buffet that many cruisers miss, but the offering gives late-night diners more choices than they previously had.
