This cruise line is doubling room service fees for orders around the clock

As part of a recent spate of nickel-and-dime charges and fee increases among cruise lines, Celebrity Cruises quietly added a room service fee for all orders, and it’s one of the highest in the industry.

Effective Dec. 30, 2022, the line instituted a charge of $9.95 per order (plus an 18% automatic gratuity) for all room service orders at any time of day on select ships. A representative from the line told The Points Guy that the new fee will be rolled out across the entire fleet by mid-January.

Previously, the line charged only for late-night orders between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., and the cost was $4.95 — about half of the new round-the-clock price.

For cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG’s cruise newsletter.

“In our commitment to deliver best-in-class service, and due to the high demand of our room service offering, a $9.95 fee per … order was instituted … to reduce wait times, provide a high-quality product and support our sustainability goals, which include reducing food waste,” a representative from Celebrity told TPG in an email.

A room service fee of $9.95 quietly showed up on the daily schedules on some Celebrity Cruises ships on Dec. 30, 2022. DAVID HANKES

The charge is per order, rather than per item, so it’s the same price whether you order one snack or several. It will also have an 18% gratuity added, bringing the total to $11.74 per order. Continental breakfast will remain free each morning between 6 and 11, and room service will still be free all day for Zenith-level members of the line’s Captain’s Club loyalty program and anyone booked in a suite.

The new amount is one of the highest flat-fee charges found on any cruise line, putting Celebrity higher than both Norwegian Cruise Line, which also charges $9.95 per order, and Royal Caribbean, which charges about $9.70 after an 18% gratuity is added. In comparison, Virgin Voyages charges just $5 for each order, while lines like Carnival and Princess price some items a la carte. MSC Cruises employs a combination of the two systems, levying per-item pricing and delivery charges, depending on the fare type booked.

Charging for room service on cruise ships is nothing new, and most non-luxury lines began doing it years ago, eliminating one of the last complimentary luxuries at sea.

The change to Celebrity’s room service fee is one of several cost-cutting and revenue-generating actions taken by lines in recent weeks after finding themselves billions of dollars in debt following the pandemic-related industry shutdown. Norwegian Cruise Line raised its daily service fee charges by a whopping 25% to $20 per person ($25 in suites) and said it would cut back on twice-a-day room cleaning and, as a result, decrease pay for some room stewards.

Carnival, which recently raised pricing for some of its alternative restaurants, made similar tweaks, increasing its daily automatic gratuities to $16 per passenger ($18 in suites) and also raising its Wi-Fi prices as much as 25% for a single device. Princess also jacked up its gratuities to a daily fee of $16 per person ($18 in suites) and increased Wi-Fi rates by 50% for a single device. Holland America Line also has plans to raise daily gratuities for passengers.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

• The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
• A beginners guide to picking a cruise line
• The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship
• The ultimate guide to what to pack for a cruise
• A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines
• 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly
• 15 ways cruisers waste money
• The ultimate guide to choosing a cruise ship cabin