Update: Carnival reports that it is putting its plan to introduce an a la carte room service menu "on hold" for now. Here's the latest: https://www.travelagentcentral.com/cruises/carnival-puts-room-service-fees-hold.
Carnival Cruise Line will be moving to an a la carte room service menu in mid-January, a cruise line spokesperson tells Travel Agent. Costs will range from $2 to $5 per item for lunch, dinner and late-night service, while continental breakfast will continue to be offered free of charge.
“Over the last several years, we have heavily invested in bringing more variety to our complimentary food choices across our fleet, while at the same time trying to find effective means to continue to reduce food waste,” the spokesperson said.
On his Facebook page, Carnival brand ambassador John Heald shared a bit more about the decision.
“This new pricing structure position Carnival on par with similar charges by other cruise operators in the contemporary market,” Heald wrote, noting that continental breakfast would remain free of charge following a Facebook poll in which 40 percent of 12,000 respondents said that they enjoy room service breakfast.
Heald also asked that, despite the new charges, guests should please continue to tip their servers.
The last time Carnival updated its room service policy was this time last year, when it discontinued late-night complimentary room service between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. That change also saw the introduction of a number of new options available during that period, including salads, sandwiches and specialty items.
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