For charge restaurants - yay or nay?

[fandssullivan]

Hi there,

We are going on our "first real cruise" next week on the Carnival Breeze (I worked on a cruise 10 years ago for about 6 months, DH and I have been on one free Bud Light 3 nighter, which really doesn't count!) and were thinking whether the upcharge restaurants were worth it or not?

 

We will be doing a 6 night cruise with 3 ports. We are doing excursions in all 3 ports.

 

Since he doesn't eat sushi it would be a question of the Steakhouse and or the Italian. Are they worth the extra money and do they add to the experience of the cruise?

 

Thanks so much for any and all input!

[put me on a ship]

We never eat in the upcharge restaurants on Carnival...MDR food is very good. The Italian restaurant is open for lunch at no charge, it's a pasta bar. You order the pasta dish how you want it, and is very good! The lasagna is really good, too.

 

I know a lot of people who have eaten at the steakhouse, and say it is worth every penny! Enjoy!

[klfrodo]

My wife and I think Yes

[paul929207]

Worth it is subjective. So some feel it is a great deal, while others will say over priced.

[HiCSailor]

On my two RCI cruises, I have visited one specialty restaurant as a special meal, but generally stick to the MDR, which I love. In the name of full disclosure, we got a specialty dinner for two as a TA benefit on our first cruise.

 

I found the specialty restaurants to be a notch above the MDR in overall ambiance and more personalized in service.

 

Whichever way you decide, enjoy your cruise! [emoji485] [emoji492] [emoji509]

[cb at sea]

Up to you....I'd go with the dining room, and if that doesn't suit you, you can always eat elsewhere! I think paying additionally for food is ridiculous.....

[fandssullivan]

Thank you guys so much!! I appreciate all the input.

 

My husband works at The Capital Grille, so he might want to go to the Steakhouse, I will leave it up to him... but great info about the italian being open for lunch, I will definitely check it out during lunch! I LOVE Italian food, but have been low carbing for the past 6 months... so am looking forward to some pasta on my cruise :)

[spookwife]

Hi there,

We are going on our "first real cruise" next week on the Carnival Breeze (I worked on a cruise 10 years ago for about 6 months, DH and I have been on one free Bud Light 3 nighter, which really doesn't count!) and were thinking whether the upcharge restaurants were worth it or not?

 

We will be doing a 6 night cruise with 3 ports. We are doing excursions in all 3 ports.

 

Since he doesn't eat sushi it would be a question of the Steakhouse and or the Italian. Are they worth the extra money and do they add to the experience of the cruise?

 

Thanks so much for any and all input!

 

strictly personal preference and what you consider a good value.

 

I was underwhelmed with the specialty restaurant on my Carnival cruise, but have loved all my Royal ones. the menu on my Celebrity did not interest me at all for the price so we didn't try it. maybe if we had had OBC to burn we would have.

 

 

the MDR on all three have been quite good and I even liked the Buffet on Celebrity so much we ate there many times rather than the MDR.

[wassup4565]

We have done specialty restos twice. The service and the choices are are a cut above the MDR. But here's the question. The MDR is really very nice, I can always find choices I like there, and the staff are eager to please.

 

So how fabulous must it be to satisfy you? Are you willing to pay extra to have a somewhat better meal than you would have had in the MDR? I know what we throw on the table here at home every night for supper. Every meal I have in the MDR is better than that.

 

You have to decide how you want to spend your money.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Some people say it is not worth it -- others say it is worth it.

Only you can decide if it is worth the extra cost.

JMO -- we love the specialty restaurants.

[sparks1093]

I wouldn't eat in the steakhouse on CCL only because DW would order chicken and I'm not going to pay that much for chicken, no matter how well it's prepared;).

[sun_lovin!1]

I eat at the steakhouse one night on almost every cruise I go on. I love the service, the presentation, the ambiance, the delicious food and the free bottle of wine if you go on the first night!

 

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[trish1c]

As has been pointed out, food is so subjective. Even when the on board fee restaurants have been good, they have still never been as good as their counterparts on land. It's entirely up to you but you aren't missing much by skipping them.

 

When our line of choice used to offer 2 for 1 deals, DH & I would indulge but we only ever paid full price once & that was to celebrate the anniversary of our engagement in the very booth on board where he had proposed. But for that sentimental aspect we don't think the fees are worth it.

[Karysa]

It's not all about the difference in the quality of food for us. We love the ambience, service and (sometimes) live music.

 

To us the specialty restaurants on NCL that charge $10-$20 per person more are the most worth it because of the variation in the restaurants from a French Bistro to Asian food.

[DonnaK]

with the abundance of satisfying food that's available in the complementary venues around the ship, we refuse to pay anything additional for food. The main dining room is perfectly fine - we haven't had a bad meal there yet in almost 20 cruises on multiple lines.

[Cuizer2]

Hi there,

We are going on our "first real cruise" next week on the Carnival Breeze (I worked on a cruise 10 years ago for about 6 months, DH and I have been on one free Bud Light 3 nighter, which really doesn't count!) and were thinking whether the upcharge restaurants were worth it or not?

 

We will be doing a 6 night cruise with 3 ports. We are doing excursions in all 3 ports.

 

Since he doesn't eat sushi it would be a question of the Steakhouse and or the Italian. Are they worth the extra money and do they add to the experience of the cruise?

 

Thanks so much for any and all input!

 

I've gone to the steakhouse on several Carnival ships:

 

2004 - Pride

2006 - Glory

2010 - Miracle

2011 - Spirit

 

But as the cost of the specialty restaurant has gone up, I have found the value of the experience has gone down. I have not gone to an extra cost restaurant since 2012 (six cruises).

[Flatbush Flyer]

Our preferred cruise line does not charge for specialty restaurants.

 

 

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[beachbum53]

For at least one evening, to us it is worth it to have a quiet, somewhat romantic dinner without having the wait staff singing and dancing around the dining room. We like the steakhouse. The food is very good, at least a notch (or two) above what you'd get in the MDR. If you're at all curious, give it a try. What's the worse that could happen? You'd have a very good dinner in a quiet, romantic atmosphere. Now wouldn't that be awful? :rolleyes:

[Cuizer2]

Our preferred cruise line does not charge for specialty restaurants.

 

 

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That's great. However, the cruise ship the OP is on charges less than your preferred cruise line and does charge for the specialty restaurant.

[AquaQueenKitt]

Specialty dining is a matter of personal preference. I went on my 5th cruise in 2014 and on that cruise I went to Chops on RCCL. The meal was a special birthday dinner for my BF. However, the meal was so doggone good, we went back on another night.

 

***First day on RCCL, the servers from the specialty restaurants were "pumping up" their restaurants with 20% off the meal. It was awesome! 😇

 

 

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[Discodaisy]

We went to a RC specialty dining to celebrate a birthday. It was lovely.

[Flatbush Flyer]

That's great. However, the cruise ship the OP is on charges less than your preferred cruise line and does charge for the specialty restaurant.

 

 

Thanks for starting picking on on this potential conversation. I only mentioned our preference to remind folks that the advertised price and the actual price plus "cost to benefit" varies significantly. Interestingly, the most "bang for your buck comes from higher end mass market lines like Princess or Celebrity and the premium lines like Oceania or Azamara.

 

Folks wanting a great vacation at a reasonable "curbside" price (as we used to say when I was in Brooklyn), really need to do far more research than is apparent in many CC postings.

You get what to pay for.

 

 

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[Cruisin' Chick]

We were given a complimentary dinner at a specialty restaurant on our last cruise, but in all honesty, we're not foodies (we happen to really like the grilled chicken burgers that are poolside on Princess, just as an example). So not high on our priority list and we probably wouldn't pay for the experience.

[attilamom1217]

We're like to have dinner at least one night in one of the specialty restaurants. It's a wonderful change of pace and usually worth the extra charge. It is more of a restaurant therefore quieter less hectic etc.

 

 

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[wassup4565]

 

***First day on RCCL, the servers from the specialty restaurants were "pumping up" their restaurants with 20% off the meal. It was awesome! 😇

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But that's still 20% off the 100% extra you would pay for the specialty resto. Or, you could go to the dining room and pay 0% more and have a lovely meal there.