Cruisers have a range of options to start their day, from the buffet to the main dining room and other grab-and-go options. However, one complimentary option that frequently gets overlooked is room service.
Room service is one of my favorite ways to treat myself to a relaxing morning on any cruise vacation, whether leisurely sipping coffee on a sea day or avoiding the buffet on a busy port day.
After a disappointing SeaDay Brunch in the Vela Restaurant on Carnival Luminosa, I decided to try their room service before my port day in Juneau, Alaska.
Though it was my fifth Carnival cruise, I'd never ordered room service before, mostly because I've always found the quick service options — like BlueIguana Cantina — more appealing.
Plus, outside of basic selections, such as cereal, fruit, toast, muffins, danishes, and yogurt, the continental menu is pretty limited unless willing to pay for upgraded breakfast sandwiches.
Still, I thought it was worth a try before my excursion in Juneau, especially since I hadn't been impressed by Luminosa's buffet or the Tacos & Burritos spot.
Read more: Your Really, Really Dumb Cruise Ship Dining Questions Answered
I woke up at 7:20am to call room service
Carnival ships don't have hanging door menus. Instead of placing my order the night before, I set an alarm to call room service with enough time to make my third-party excursion.
My first attempt was disconnected after three minutes. When I called back, I was left on hold (and stuck listening to annoying elevator music) for over five minutes. Finally, a crew member answered my call and said the estimated delivery time depended on what I ordered.
I kept it simple, ordering wheat toast with jam, a melon plate, and hot coffee, and told it should arrive within 20-30 minutes. Thankfully, I didn't have to be off the ship until 9:15am, so I wasn't in a rush.
Initially, I debated hopping in the shower while I waited for my food, then decided against it in case it came earlier than scheduled.
I'm glad I listened to my gut because I heard a faint knock on my cabin door at 7:43am, less than 20 minutes after placing my order over the phone.
The friendly crew member brought the tray into my stateroom and placed it on my oversized coffee table before handing me a bill, totaling $0.00, to sign and confirm receipt.
The coffee was hot, and the fruit was fresher than expected
I didn't specify how many travelers were in my cabin, so Carnival automatically included two mugs on the tray — even though I was traveling alone.
Had I been with another guest, this would have been appreciated. However, if you have more than two travelers in your stateroom, you will want to specify how many coffee mugs (or glasses of juice) you need.
The coffee was piping hot when it was delivered. After I poured a mug and added my preferred amount of sugar and creamer, I removed the lids on the two plates of food to reveal a bowl of fresh fruit and two slightly under-toasted pieces of wheat toast.
Overall, I was impressed with the fruit tray. While it wasn't large, the watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, and grapes were juicy and chilled. The presentation was simple, but I appreciated that the seven pieces of fruit weren't thrown on a plate to roll around.
The toast was served warmed but lacked the crisp edges I prefer and softened with the jam. However, it wasn't the end of the world.
There was enough coffee for more than three cups, which I finished before rushing out of my cabin to drop off my Canadian customs form at Guest Services before beginning the one-mile from from the AJ Dock to downtown Juneau.
Carnival's continental room service is more basic compared to Royal Caribbean's
Last month, I ordered room service aboard Icon of the Seas before my excursion in St. Thomas. With a 7:00am meeting time, we didn't want to rush to the Windjammer early in the morning.
Instead, we filled out a hanging menu and placed it on our stateroom's door the night before. We indicated what time we wanted the food delivered at, how many guests were in the cabin, and what we wanted to eat.
Royal Caribbean's menu is a little more inclusive compared to Carnival's. For example, while you can't order scrambled eggs or pancakes for free, you can ask for hot grits or oatmeal.
Because of our early tour, my partner and I selected the earliest delivery time, 6:00am to 6:30am, but were awoken by a phone call around 5:45am saying our food was on the way.
Less than five minutes later, we heard a knock on our door, and a crew member brought the tray of food onto our infinite verandah.
While Royal Caribbean has extra-cost items on their room service menu, we stuck with the complimentary options and ordered two fruit plates, grits, a croissant, and coffee — simple but enough to keep us going for our half-day snorkeling tour.
The fruit plate was larger than what was delivered to my stateroom on Carnival Luminosa. I also preferred the variety, with grapes, pineapple, kiwi, strawberries, and cantaloupe. That said, it wasn't the freshest fruit — I couldn't even bite into the unripe kiwi!
There wasn't anything special about the grits or croissant either, similar to the toast on Carnival. However, we weren't expecting anything 5-star.
Another difference I noticed between Carnival and Royal Caribbean's room service is that Royal Caribbean brings a greater variety of sweeteners for the coffee. For instance, the tray had a sugar caddy filled with Sweet'N Low, Splenda, Equal, and regular sugar. Comparatively, Carnival didn't bring any sugar substitutes.
Additionally, Royal Caribbean's extra-cost American breakfast is more intriguing than Carnival's $5 and $6 breakfast sandwiches.
For a set $7.95 fee, you can order as many hot items as you want, ranging from hash browns to pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, chicken sausage, a plain omelet, and more.
Carnival's hot items include four different sandwiches, and they're only served until 10:00am, whereas Royal Caribbean's room service breakfast can be ordered until 11:00am.
Neither include alcoholic beverages, even if you have the line's respective drink package. For example, when sailing aboard Icon, I couldn't order a mimosa to my cabin for free.
Similarly, only drip coffee is included. To make use of the specialty coffee perk of my Deluxe Beverage Package, we had to venture to the Pearl Café. If you have Carnival's CHEERS! Package, you'd have to go to the JavaBlue Café for a specialty latte.
Still, neither was horrible. I'd order room service on Royal Caribbean and Carnival again
Room service on a cruise isn't about the food quality; it's about the convenience.
Sometimes, I'd rather have a light breakfast brought to me (especially coffee) when I have to be awake early on vacation.
Even on relaxing sea days, it's nice not to have to change into lounge wear to venture out for a bite to eat.
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she traveled frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas during her freshman year of high school. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
