Why would anyone buy UDP?

I have seen the post by people on here about how "great UDP was/is" but I guess I just don't get the accounting.

UDP is $140/pp which works out to $20/night for each and every night which means... drumroll... that you are essentially paying IN ADVANCE for the program. Sure, you "could" split all your dinners between Cagney's & the Teppanyaki restaurants and benefit from about $40 in cost savings but ...... who would ACTUALLY do that?

Isn't the POINT of having so many dinning options kinda the reason we cruise? My wife prefers the buffet over others options as it gives the kids lots of choices and we can cantor into the buffet without having to scramble from a tour to the cabin to get dressed which burns up an hour or two before we even get to dinner?

Sure, we like to go to a nice steakhouse or get dressed up here or there but we can simply do that ONE or TWO nights and save about 65% of the UDP fee.

Signed - I don't get it:confused:

I bought the UDP on our last cruise and for our upcoming cruise. I found it to be worth the $$. We dine in a specialty restaurant every evening, and occasionally do the MDR's, buffet, or O'Sheehans for breakfast or lunch. We also hit the buffet for a snack here and there. But to each their own. You may not find the value in something others do.

i wouldnt buy it , but if it was part of the package id pick it. i thought the main dinning room was very good.

with udp, you can eat in as many specialty restaurants per day.

I've done cagneys and le bistro on the same day.

1st reservation (5:30pm) and last reservation (9:30pm).

also, le bistro has 3 entrees that have a $10 surcharge on top of the $20.

but with udp, those $10 entrees are free.

so essentially, le bistro can be $30 restaurant.

one more thing, I read here (but haven't tried) that at cagneys, you can order an unadvertised lobster tail add-on to your entrée for $10.

but with udp, it's free.

thus:

cagneys @ 5:30pm -> entrée w/$10 lobster tail (6oz?) add-on => $30 + $10

le bistro @ 9:30pm -> twin lobster tail entrée (8oz? each) => $20 + $10

one day = $70 :p

I totally agree that it wouldn't be a good value for us but I guess for some it works for them. We do enjoy the MDRs, and then go to Cagneys and Le Bistro using our Platinum dinners. If we didn't have the free Platinum dinners, we might or might not go to Cagneys. For us it just wouldn't be worth it to buy the package and feel like we needed to go to one of those restaurants every night. We also like the freedom of not having to make a reservation for each night. Guess we all look at what makes the cruise special for us in a different way;)

We purchased it for our 11day and yeah we got our value, 7 dinners at Cagney's but we sure did miss the buffet and didn't get to try O'Sheehans, next time it's pay as we go.

I totally agree that it wouldn't be a good value for us but I guess for some it works for them. We do enjoy the MDRs, and then go to Cagneys and Le Bistro using our Platinum dinners. If we didn't have the free Platinum dinners, we might or might not go to Cagneys. For us it just wouldn't be worth it to buy the package and feel like we needed to go to one of those restaurants every night. We also like the freedom of not having to make a reservation for each night. Guess we all look at what makes the cruise special for us in a different way;)

That is exactly the way we feel.

I agree with you. We our not buying it for our upcoming cruise. I can't imagine we will eat a big heavy dinner every night for 7 days, let alone multiple times in one day. We will just pay as we go for the few days we do decide to do a specialty. My last cruise was only a 5 day and I felt miserable after about day 2 because the amount of food I had eaten.

We have it as part of the promotion on our upcoming sailing on the Getaway. We aren't big drinkers so the beverage promotion doesn't appeal. We don't do ships excursions so that doesn't work and we buy the internet package and bill it to DH's office since that's 90% of why we use the internet on a cruise. With paying the gratuities if we go to Cagneys just once the UDP saves us money and we usually hit a steakhouse at least once on a cruise.

We don't have it for our Med cruise in 2016 because it wasn't a promotion when we booked and with how port intensive the itinerary is I didn't want to change our booking to get it and have to worry about reservations.

We purchased it for our 11day and yeah we got our value, 7 dinners at Cagney's but we sure did miss the buffet and didn't get to try O'Sheehans, next time it's pay as we go.

trust me you didnt miss much.

with udp, you can eat in as many specialty restaurants per day.

 

I've done cagneys and le bistro on the same day.

1st reservation (5:30pm) and last reservation (9:30pm).

 

also, le bistro has 3 entrees that have a $10 surcharge on top of the $20.

but with udp, those $10 entrees are free.

so essentially, le bistro can be $30 restaurant.

 

one more thing, I read here (but haven't tried) that at cagneys, you can order an unadvertised lobster tail add-on to your entrée for $10.

but with udp, it's free.

 

thus:

cagneys @ 5:30pm -> entrée w/$10 lobster tail (6oz?) add-on => $30 + $10

le bistro @ 9:30pm -> twin lobster tail entrée (8oz? each) => $20 + $10

 

one day = $70 :p

OK now THIS is INSANE but (I guess) it makes sense ....for some that eat a lot! Does your moniker stand for "FOOD Stuffed"?

We would never eat two dinners but will enjoy the Le Bistro twin lobster tail entree (Kona live lobster day) and gladly pay that marginal fee. We are suite guests so we will be eating breakfast each morning in Cagney's and have the option of eating there for lunch as well so not certain there is much value for us as there may be for others.

We have it as part of the promotion on our upcoming sailing on the Getaway. We aren't big drinkers so the beverage promotion doesn't appeal.

My wife is allergic to alcohol (yes, SERIOUSLY) so she doesn't drink and I only drink about 1 mixed drink a day (with dinner) so no value in UBP for us either.

With paying the gratuities if we go to Cagneys just once the UDP saves us money and we usually hit a steakhouse at least once on a cruise.

What'chu talk'N 'bout Willis? The UDP is $140 per person for a 7 day cruise. The gratuities are there regardless of UDP or not. One trip to Cagney's only costs $29+ gratuities so that works out to $36 which is nowhere NEAR $140. You would have to hit Cagney's 3 more times in the cruise in order to "break even, right?

I don't think the UDP is available for purchase any longer. It is now the SDP and limits you to one specialty restaurant per night purchased.

double posts

Hello, I am a first time NCL cruiser, but have done over 15 cruises with other lines. My favorite is lobster night! I noticed in one of the posts above, it mentions that there is Kona lobster night - is this the only night that lobster is served? And, how can I find out which night this is on my 7 day med cruise in November? In all restaurants or just Le Bistro?

Sorry if this is a repeat question, and I appreciate all replies! :)

Something else I find interesting is the number of special restaurants that will be on the Escape that will not be part of the UDP. Looking forward to the Escape and the complimentary Margaritaville....love those cheese burgers in paradise:D

I don't think the UDP is available for purchase any longer. It is now the SDP and limits you to one specialty restaurant per night purchased.

What's SDP?

I wS just on NCLs site Reading about the ultimate dining package. Nothing about limits per night.

Last December we were in the Garden Villa and we ordered steak from Cagney's and lobster tail from Le bistro on the nights we dined in our room. No extra charges. No limits.

Hello, I am a first time NCL cruiser, but have done over 15 cruises with other lines. My favorite is lobster night! I noticed in one of the posts above, it mentions that there is Kona lobster night - is this the only night that lobster is served? And, how can I find out which night this is on my 7 day med cruise in November? In all restaurants or just Le Bistro?

 

Sorry if this is a repeat question, and I appreciate all replies! :)

The "live lobster" is only on Kona night on the Hawaiian Pride of America cruise so your lobster night could be completely different. You will need to search this board for your particular cruise to learn more about when lobster night might be on your med cruise

What's SDP?

 

I wS just on NCLs site Reading about the ultimate dining package. Nothing about limits per night.

 

Last December we were in the Garden Villa and we ordered steak from Cagney's and lobster tail from Le bistro on the nights we dined in our room. No extra charges. No limits.

Excuse me but your post is a bit confusing as you didn't state that you had UDP for that cruise. Are you saying that as suite guests you don't have the up charges or are you saying that you had UDP and suite and that was why you weren't charged?

No UDP for me, not really familiar with that Ncl concept but for me I prefer to eat where is free with my fare. I love when a cruise company makes you feel that if you don't buy it you will loose a great opportunity. Again, I'm not really know how the program works but paying over 100$ just so I can eat at the specialty restaurant makes no sense to me.

Maybe the food is delicious and I don't blame you but I believe everyone have a purpose and goal onboard , last cruise in oasis I though the thermal suite spa were a great value my friend told me I was crazy paying for it. But paying extra for something similar and available onboard is a big no for me

What's SDP?

 

I wS just on NCLs site Reading about the ultimate dining package. Nothing about limits per night.

 

Last December we were in the Garden Villa and we ordered steak from Cagney's and lobster tail from Le bistro on the nights we dined in our room. No extra charges. No limits.

SDP is Specialty Dining PAckage, looks like it starts in August http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6401

If you were in the Garden Villa I imagine you had access to some extra perks, given the cost of the room.

Hello, I am a first time NCL cruiser, but have done over 15 cruises with other lines. My favorite is lobster night! I noticed in one of the posts above, it mentions that there is Kona lobster night - is this the only night that lobster is served? And, how can I find out which night this is on my 7 day med cruise in November? In all restaurants or just Le Bistro?

 

Sorry if this is a repeat question, and I appreciate all replies! :)

No lobster night any longer (excluding the aforementioned POA cruise, I don't know anything about that). There may be a seafood night in the buffet, but the reviews I've seen on that seen' t great.

I have seen the post by people on here about how "great UDP was/is" but I guess I just don't get the accounting.

 

UDP is $140/pp which works out to $20/night for each and every night which means... drumroll... that you are essentially paying IN ADVANCE for the program. Sure, you "could" split all your dinners between Cagney's & the Teppanyaki restaurants and benefit from about $40 in cost savings but ...... who would ACTUALLY do that?

 

Isn't the POINT of having so many dinning options kinda the reason we cruise? My wife prefers the buffet over others options as it gives the kids lots of choices and we can cantor into the buffet without having to scramble from a tour to the cabin to get dressed which burns up an hour or two before we even get to dinner?

 

Sure, we like to go to a nice steakhouse or get dressed up here or there but we can simply do that ONE or TWO nights and save about 65% of the UDP fee.

 

Signed - I don't get it:confused:

Obviously, from your perspective it doesn't make sense. But, for others it does. If it doesn't work for you, then don't buy it. It's something I enjoy and it doesn't take me anywhere near an hour or two to get dressed in order to go. Different strokes. Just do what works for you. :)

 

 

What'chu talk'N 'bout Willis? The UDP is $140 per person for a 7 day cruise. The gratuities are there regardless of UDP or not. One trip to Cagney's only costs $29+ gratuities so that works out to $36 which is nowhere NEAR $140. You would have to hit Cagney's 3 more times in the cruise in order to "break even, right?

They said they received the UDP as a promotion, which means they didn't pay $140 for it but only the 18% gratuities for the package. That comes to about $25. So, one trip to Cagney's costs more than what they paid for the gratuities on the entire package...

Got the UDP for free. And I got it before the 18% requirement.

I would not buy it but I might buy the SDP.

Don't eat at the buffet except for snacks.

We were on the Star last fall and did the three meal package for $59, which was good, since we ate at le Bistro once and Cagney's twice.