7 Cruise Cutbacks I’ve Noticed Since I Started Cruising – I Only Miss 3

When I first set foot on a cruise ship, way back in 2005, my eleven-year-old mind was blown by all the amazing food and drink options, the entertainment, and the many things I could do onboard that I couldn’t do at home.

As the years go by and I have taken more and more cruises, there are certain things that I have seen lost in cruise line cutbacks. Some I miss, and some I never needed in the first place!

In this article, we look at some of the things that have changed and which ones have actually affected my cruise experience.

I miss:

#1.The Chocolate Midnight Buffet

On my first cruises with Norwegian, they had Chocolate Midnight Buffets.

As a child, this was heaven – both because of the amount of free chocolate on offer, and because we were allowed to stay up late to go.

As well as tables and tables full of chocolate goodies, there were often elaborate ice carvings too.

My mum does remember seeing trays of half-eaten chocolate cake, etc, in the corridors outside the cabins the morning after, and I can only imagine there was an awful lot of wastage.

There is only so much chocolate most people can eat before starting to feel a little sick!

Doing away with this chocolate buffet must save Norwegian a lot of money on every sailing, so I can see why they did it. I, for one, would love to see it brought back again though.

The midnight buffet has mostly been replaced by late-night snacks or longer buffet hours.

I remember being particularly disappointed with P&O’s Arvia’s late-night snack offering in the buffet.

When the buffet opened around 11 pm for late-night snacks, there were crowds of people waiting to go inside. Snacks were obviously something people wanted at that time of night.

There was only ever one small section of the buffet open, and the selection was disappointing.

That seemed like one cutback too far. At least provide a decent selection of food if you are going to open up for late-night snacks.

#2. No Chocolates on the pillow

I used to love coming back to my cabin to find it turned down for the evening, with a chocolate left on the pillow.

It used to be the norm, but fewer and fewer cruise lines are now doing it. This is doubtless linked to the change to once-a-day visits by housekeeping – if there is no nightly turn-down service, there will be no chocolate.

Some lines do still leave you a chocolate, these include:

• Marella
• Cunard
• Celebrity
• Holland America

#3. Free Room Service

Room service that used to be free often now comes with a delivery charge or limited complementary options.

Sometimes it feels like a two-tier system. Those who have paid for a higher fare package may get room service included, whereas those who have paid the standard fare don’t.

Princess is a great example of this. If you have paid extra to have the Princess Plus and Princess Premier experience, room service delivery is included at no extra cost. If you paid the Princess Standard fare, there is a delivery fee.

Cunard recently caused a stir by introducing room service fees for some customers. As a line that prides itself on offering an upmarket, luxury experience, customers were outraged at this cut in service.

Again, it is a two-tier system. Those in Grills Suites (Princess and Queens Grill) still get free room service, but for the majority of passengers who book Britannia staterooms, there is an extra charge.

Find out more about that here:

Cunard Now Charges For Room Service After Breakfast – Price Lists & More

One of my favourite things about Cunard was the complimentary room service. It made the line feel more luxurious than many others.

I have great memories of sitting out on the balcony in Kotor, having our room service dinner outside as we enjoyed the beautiful sailaway.

On my most recent Cunard sailing, we chose to have room service after we had sailed out of New York City.

We were cold and tired – and we didn’t want to have to conform to Cunard’s strict dress codes on that first evening.

Have a look at the memorable transatlantic crossing I took on the last Ocean Liner at sea here:

I don’t miss:

#4. Fewer Housekeeping Visits

Many cruise lines now offer a once-a-day housekeeping service instead of the twice-daily service you used to get. The nightly turn down service has gone.

This reduces the cabin stewards’ workload and the cruise line can get the cabin staff to work in the bars and restaurants in the evenings.

I noticed this when I sailed on P&O’s mega ship, Iona. We often saw our room steward working in a bar in the evenings.

This doesn’t bother me at all – apart from the loss of the nightly turn-down chocolate!

I don’t need my room cleaned and tidied twice a day. I am reasonably tidy, so there is little for the steward to do anyway.

I can see why some cruise lines have done away with the nightly turn-down service. It frees the staff up to work elsewhere on the ship, thus reducing staffing costs.

#5. All items In The Main Dining Room Being Free

There are often items on the menu that cost extra. These are often more expensive “premium” items, like lobster and steak.

I don’t even look at the paid section, and always eat from the included food menu.

Another sneaky charge that has recently been introduced in main dining rooms is charging you for an extra item from the menu. You used to be able to ask for two mains, but now it might cost extra.

As of September 2025, if you order an extra main meal in a Norwegian cruise ship main dining room, there will be an extra $5 charge per item.

This new rule wasn’t widely announced, it just appeared instead in small print at the bottom of dining room menus.

Again, this doesn’t really affect me. I don’t think I have ever ordered two main courses. If I am still hungry at the end of a meal for any reason, I will make a quick trip to the buffet later in the evening.

#6. Fewer Printed Materials

Traditionally, daily schedules and menus were always printed.

Now, many are digital to save printing and labour costs.

There is something lovely about settling down with the paper schedule at the end of one exciting day and looking to see what interesting things will be happening tomorrow.

I completely understand why cruise lines are doing away with paper documents, but I think it affects people who aren’t as comfortable with using their phones for everything as me.

It is easier for cruise lines to alter things in the app if there is a change in schedule at the last minute. Once the daily schedule is printed, no changes can be made.

It is also helpful for cruise lines if guests book experiences via the app. This can help shows and experiences from becoming overbooked.

#7. Towel Animals

On my first Norwegian cruises, I used to come back to the cabin to find a towel animal of some sort – but making towel animals seems to be a dying art!

Seeing a towel animal when I return to my cabin always makes me smile – but it certainly doesn’t ruin my cruise if I don’t get one!

Other Small Things That Have Disappeared:

Other things that guests have mentioned to me that they miss:

• A welcome glass of sparkling wine on embarkation.
  • It seemed to get the cruise off to a good start after travelling to embark the ship.
• Ice carving demonstrations.
  • I often used to go up to the top deck to see ice carving demonstrations.
  • I also used to see carved ice sculptures in the buffet. That seems to have been replaced by fruit carving, which is probably far easier for the cruise line.
• Not providing, or scimping on, the packets of biscuits left in the cabin with the tea and coffee making facilities.
• Opening the main dining room on sea days and embarkation days for lunch.
  • More and more, it seems that the main dining rooms only open for breakfast and dinner.
• Afternoon tea offerings have been cut back.
  • I remember having lovely afternoon teas on P&O.
  • Now the afternoon teas are cut back, and paid options are promoted instead.
• Cutbacks to perks if you are a member of the cruise line’s loyalty programme.
  • I remember getting wonderful solid chocolate cruise ships as one of my MSC loyalty perks.
  • Now you get a bar of chocolate – and that’s nowhere near the same!

Before You Go:

MSC is one cruise line that allows you to match your loyalty status with other cruise lines and hotels. Find out whether this is worth doing here:

MSC Status Match – What Is it And is it Worth Doing? A Step-by-Step Guide

One thing I don’t remember, but certainly wouldn’t miss, is smoking on cruise ships. Some cruise ships still allow guests to smoke in the casinos when smoking inside was widely banned in 2007. Find out more here:

Smoking Inside Was Banned in 2007: But Not on Cruise Ships! – Here’s Why