Royal Caribbean cutting back stateroom service on its cruise ships

Royal Caribbean International is cutting back on stateroom cleaning on its ships, the cruise line said. The line began reducing cleaning from twice to once per day in many of its cabins last month, and the process will be completed throughout the fleet by spring.

"Vacationers will still regularly see the familiar faces of their stateroom attendants, who will continue to do thorough cleaning, provide new towels, refresh amenities, and be available to guests for questions and stateroom requests throughout the cruise," a spokesperson for the line said in an emailed statement.

Suite category rooms will continue to be cleaned twice per day. The spokesperson did not answer a question from USA TODAY about the reason for the change.

Can travelers still find cruise deals?: Yes ... for now

'A completely unique experience': Sail to Greenland's northern tip on this expedition cruise

Norwegian Cruise Line recently made a similar move, reducing turndown service for most room categories.

"In an effort to reduce our overall carbon footprint and apply sustainability practices across all aspects of the business, we have made modifications across the fleet including the reduction of turndown services, optimized itineraries for efficiencies and adjusted the availability of select onboard offerings and services," a spokesperson for the cruise line told Travel + Leisure in January.

Norwegian did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on the change.

Frank Del Rio, president and CEO of Norwegian's parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., said during an earnings call last month that the company is trying to balance what customers pay for and what they get, and noted the company did not cut turndown service "across all brands, nor across all cabin categories."

"It's only in the lower cabin categories that equate to a lower per diem," Del Rio said. "So, look, it's management's responsibility to optimize revenue and minimize costs. That's economics 101, and that's what we're doing."

The changes come as many cruise lines have also raised prices in the wake of inflation and the industry's continued recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Lines including Royal Caribbean and Norwegian have hiked gratuity fees, and a number of brands have increased prices for amenities like Wi-Fi and beverage packages.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter with USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Royal Caribbean reduces cabin service from twice to once per day