Report: Disney Adds New $5 Food Service Fee, Plus Automatic 18% Gratuity

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Guests having room service in a stateroom on the Disney Cruise Line

Credit: Disney

One Disney Cruise Line vessel is reportedly implementing a controversial new charge for guests ordering room service.

While nothing is technically “free” on a cruise ship, Disney Cruise Line’s room service remains one of the most generous offerings at sea. Most menu items are included 24 hours a day, from sandwiches and desserts to late-night snacks, with guests also able to order fan-favorite Mickey Premium Bars directly to their staterooms.

Mickey Mouse and friends in front of a Disney Cruise Line ship
Credit: Disney

The only items that are not complimentary are the likes of alcoholic beverages and other select snacks.

But one ship has recently been forced to introduce an extra fee for its room service.

Disney Adventure Adds New Upcharge for Guests

As per recent passengers, the Disney Adventure – the Disney Cruise Line’s newest vessel – will start charging $5 per room service delivery.

Disney Adventure
Credit: Disney

This comes amid reports of lengthy waits for room service, with some people waiting an hour or more to receive their orders.

This isn’t the first post I’ve seen about it but apparently the #disneyadventure is implementing a $5 charge for room service deliveries excluding breakfast. If this is true then I’m not surprised they went this route. Wait times for room service have reached well over an hour and there isn’t enough delivery crew members to meet demand. This is the most logical step imo. Hopefully it doesn’t translate to other ships but we already know the Adventure is a VERY different animal.

The changes will apparently kick in next week, combined with a new automatic 18% gratuity. Disney hasn’t directly confirmed the new delivery fee.

Given the Disney Adventure’s size and expected demand for room service, the new fee is understandable. Even so, some guests have expressed concerns that similar charges could eventually be introduced across the rest of the Disney Cruise Line fleet.

“I’d hope they don’t get any ideas to add a delivery fee to the other ships… and [an] auto 18% gratuity… so for a “free” item it’s gonna be $5.90?” said one X user. “That $0.90 tip is even less than i leave them… but that $5 cuts into my tip fund…”

Room service food on the Disney Cruise Line
Credit: Disney

The ship was previously forced to introduce other rules to reduce stress on its room service. For example, unlike other Disney Cruise Line ships, Mickey Premium Bars are only available upon request in restaurants, not via room service.

What Other Issues Have Guests Faced on the Disney Adventure?

Disney Adventure is Disney’s largest ship ever, features seven themed “lands,” and introduces Marvel Landing, an upper-deck attraction zone with Ironcycle Test Run — Disney Cruise Line’s first roller coaster and the longest roller coaster at sea. The vessel is also Disney’s first homeported vessel in Asia, sailing exclusively from Singapore, and includes unique features such as the first Disney castle at sea and large-scale entertainment spaces built around an open central garden.

Other unique upcharges aboard the ship include The Lion King: Celebration in the Sky, a dessert party for the nightly fireworks akin to the Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party.

Guests watch fireworks on a Disney Cruise ship
Credit: Disney

Beyond room service wait times, the Disney Adventure has faced its fair share of teething problems. That includes complaints about the comfort level of its mattresses, the last-minute decision to pull a planned show revolving around Captain Jack Sparrow, and the cancellation of an entire voyage due to technical issues.

Most notably, its meet-and-greets caused chaos when virtual queue slots filled rapidly, leaving many passengers unable to meet their favorite characters. The ship later switched to what Disney described as “Selfies at Sea,” limiting interactions to distanced photos. It later began offering character meet-and-greets without reservations.

What do you think of Disney’s new room service fee?

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