Booking free dining

[Cruise a holic]

Hi

We have the all in package on our upcoming NCL Breakaway cruise. Can we book our restaurants/shows/shore excursions prior to coming on board. When I do it on other cruise lines you have to pay as part of the booking process.

 

I do not want to pay for something that I am entitled to for free even if I am promised a refund. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

[Carnac767]

If you have the dining package, the charge will show up as zero when you make the reservation.

[RikkuCat]

If you have the UDP, you can book online without incurring a fee - unless they've changed the process since we made our reservations. I went through the process of making a reservation and the total came out to $0. If it rings up as the normal cover fee, the UDP is probably not reflecting on your account yet. (In which case, you can either check back in a few days, call NCL, or wait until you board).

[Kingofwylietx]

I booked ours recently online and have the UDP. I made the reservations, but the total was $0 when I did the checkout. You won't pay anything.

[Cruise a holic]

I booked ours recently online and have the UDP. I made the reservations, but the total was $0 when I did the checkout. You won't pay anything.

Since our cruise is more then 90 days out, I assume until all is paid in full you cannot make reservations. My dh likes good steak. Which Restaurants have the best steak? Also heard one restaurant is a dinner theatre, what is the name of that venue? Are shows typically 8 and 10 pm? need to coordinate dinner and show times . We will be on the breakaway to Bermuda Thanks all for your help

Edited April 7, 2015 by Cruise a holic

[Kingofwylietx]

I've never been on the Breakaway, so I can't answer to that specific ship.

 

Our cruise is less than 4 weeks out, so we have paid in full. I didn't try to book the dinners until after we had posted our final payment. That wasn't intentional, it's just how it worked out. I was trying to think of something fun for our 10 yr anniversary. Since I had just booked a cruise for next year, I went ahead and booked one for our anniversary too. We were already within the 90 day window and had to pay in full (I think we may have had a few days, but it was almost immediate).

 

People report that Cagney's and Le Bistro are the best places for steak. While Cagney's is the steakhouse, some have said Le Bistro is as good or better.

 

I'm not very helpful to you, sorry. I just don't know anything about the Breakaway.

[Cruise a holic]

I've never been on the Breakaway, so I can't answer to that specific ship.

 

Our cruise is less than 4 weeks out, so we have paid in full. I didn't try to book the dinners until after we had posted our final payment. That wasn't intentional, it's just how it worked out. I was trying to think of something fun for our 10 yr anniversary. Since I had just booked a cruise for next year, I went ahead and booked one for our anniversary too. We were already within the 90 day window and had to pay in full (I think we may have had a few days, but it was almost immediate).

 

People report that Cagney's and Le Bistro are the best places for steak. While Cagney's is the steakhouse, some have said Le Bistro is as good or better.

 

I'm not very helpful to you, sorry. I just don't know anything about the Breakaway.

 

Any NCL information is helpful. Did you book the shows yet?

[Kingofwylietx]

No, I have only booked our dinners. We are going to just go with the flow for everything else.

[mking8288]

Consistent with NCL's new Feestyle cruising - Disclaimer - with NCL these days, nothing is definitive and everything is subject to change, amendments, cancellations, modifications - with and without advanced notices & expressed consent, implied authorization is taken for granted.

 

Okay, here we go - we just finished our 2nd. Breakaway sailing a week ago & you can also see our detailed pictorial review as you might find it interesting & informative.

 

Unless you are booked into Haven/Suite - your booking windows will be available 90 days out, use MyNCL dot com to log in, and, you can book the free MDR options as presented to you, with the available dates & time slots - at no charge (currently, for your convenience) as well as any desired specialty dining (prepaid, charged to credit card) as comp'd dinner (Platinum's LeBistro meal for 2) can be booked once onboard - if prepaid, you will received OBC adjustment posted back to your stateroom account (currently, without a service fee/handling charge)

Based on the current 2 week "trial" show reservations are no longer taken or necessary (Concierge will reserved an entire section midway in the theater for their VIP booked into Haven/full suites only) except for comedy.

The bathhouse tubs (a/k/a "small" pool on deck on 15) is on a first come, first served basis so best of luck with the chair/lounger hogs from sunrise to sunset, except at meal times - no reservations with the blue beach towels.

 

The free (still, for now) iConcieerge App is very usable on the Breakaway without the optional paid features enabled (at a nominal fee, of course) to access the ship's WiFi intranet only - satellite internet access is at extra charge (various packages by MB data used are offered) You can use it onboard to book dining reservations & even last minute available Shore-Ex. It does not show ALL pre-cruise bookings made and/or paid for, print or save a PDF file to your smartphone/tablet device to bring along to check on your confirmed dining times (if booked before sailing).

 

Otherwise, go with the flow - wait time is usualy minimal at 5:30 PM when MDR first open (one open at 6:00 PM) but expect crowds at lunch in MDR, which are still more civilized than the crowded buffet as typically - 4,500 to 4,800 are joining you onboard.

 

Enjoy your upcoming cruise. :cool:

[LrgPizza]

Since our cruise is more then 90 days out, I assume until all is paid in full you cannot make reservations.

That's a bad assumption. You can make dinner reservations at 90 (or 100 for suites) days out whether or not final payment has been made. We have done this, and so have plenty of others.

[wildeklave]

I am sailing in 88 days on the Pride of America. I have the UDP but not all restaurants are available to be booked ahead of time. The Italian restaurant was not on the site but the agent at NCL booked it for us. For the Asian bistro we were told we need to book on board and that it is not available ahead of time. For Cagneys steakhouse we were told we need to book on board. Cagneys is not part of the UDP but we get a slight discount. We looked at exactly 90 days out and the missing restaurants were not their either.

 

Has anyone else seen this?

[Cruise a holic]

That's a bad assumption. You can make dinner reservations at 90 (or 100 for suites) days out whether or not final payment has been made. We have done this, and so have plenty of others.

 

Thanks for the information. This is our first NCL cruise. And we are in a Suite- so I guess I will mark my calendar for 90 days to make dinner arrangements.

[LrgPizza]

Thanks for the information. This is our first NCL cruise. And we are in a Suite- so I guess I will mark my calendar for 90 days to make dinner arrangements.

Mark it for 100 days since you are in a suite. :)

[Diver2014]

We didn't care for the steak in Cagney's - had to send it back because it was undercooked (I mean, really undercooked - almost raw). The steak in the main dining room (Taste) was awesome - cooked exactly the way I requested. This was on the Epic but both cruises on the Pearl that we took, again the main dining room was our choice of excellent food. The Manhatten Room was also good and has no cover.

Edited April 7, 2015 by Diver2014

[OceanBlue123]

Which Restaurants have the best steak?

Just off a 10 day cruise on the Gem with the UDP, so my answers are not Breakaway specific, but ...

 

You can get a Filet Mignon / Tenderloin in Cagney's ($30), LeBistro ($20), and Moderno ($25). I cannot remember the last time I saw one offered in an NCL MDR. :( All 3 restaurants appeared to serve equally excellent cuts of meat. Moderno's is off the skewer, but when I asked for something rarer -- on the Gem Moderno's served the beef medium-well, while on Breakaway 2 years ago Moderno's was serving it very rare -- our goucho soon brought a plate with a beautifully cooked rare Filet on it. That was a wonderful surprise and we took advantage of the custom order option once more before the cruise was over. Cagney's gives you a wide selection of toppings and sauces to choose from. Of course, plain is also an option. LeBistro served it only with a nice peppercorn sauce.

 

So, for a Filet/Tenderloin, Le Bistro at $20 is your best value, while Cagney's gives you the most options, but all 3 can give you a great piece of meat.

 

Moderno's also offered 2 sirloin choices, and with their serving style you get to try all their meats side by side on your same plate. Both sirloins were good, but sirloins just don't compare to a filet/tenderloin for me.

 

Cagney's offers a Ribeye off the normal $30 menu. LeBistro has a 32 ounce Ribeye for 2 that costs an extra $10 for each of the 2 people it serves, so that effectively makes it also $30 per person. We found Cagney's a bit dry and LeBistro's a bit fatty. In other words, good, but not great. The filet/tenderloins were great.

 

Cagney's also offers a very nice NY Strip and a Bison steak. I never would have risked a $30 upcharge dinner on Bison but with the UDP I figured it was worth a try. It was another wonderful surprise. Not quite as nice to my taste as their NY Strip, but pretty close and well worth it.

 

Is there anything you wanted to know about the lobster options? :D

[Diver2014]

I would have sworn the title of the OP's thread was 'free dining'. Must be my mistake. I looked through my souvenir menus from Pearl and Epic and yes, by gosh, we did have steak in the main dining rooms. Didn't think I was going crazy.

[OceanBlue123]

I would have sworn the title of the OP's thread was 'free dining'. Must be my mistake. I looked through my souvenir menus from Pearl and Epic and yes, by gosh, we did have steak in the main dining rooms. Didn't think I was going crazy.

Was there a Filet Mignon or Tenderloin listed on your souvenir menus? The last few NCL cruises I have been on only served the less expensive cuts in the MDR.

 

The OP said they have the "all in package" and others here referenced the UDP so I made the assumption that every place would be "free" to them.

[punkincc]

I am sailing in 88 days on the Pride of America. I have the UDP but not all restaurants are available to be booked ahead of time. For Cagneys steakhouse we were told we need to book on board. Cagneys is not part of the UDP but we get a slight discount. We looked at exactly 90 days out and the missing restaurants were not their either.

Has anyone else seen this?

 

Whoa!!! Wait just a doggone minute! Who told you Cagney's is NOT included in the UDP, and since when??? A "slight discount only"???

 

Cagneys has not been available for booking online of late off and on. On the thread discussing it, Norwegian made an official statement this afternoon to the effect that no reservations for Cagneys were available pre cruise while they "enhanced" the menu as part of the Norwegian Next program which came out in May of last year. No mention of it being removed from the UDP in the statement.

Edited April 7, 2015 by punkincc

[laurabegorrah]

Thanks for the information. This is our first NCL cruise. And we are in a Suite- so I guess I will mark my calendar for 90 days to make dinner arrangements.

 

Are you in a Mini Suite, or a Haven Suite? If you are in the Haven, you don't really have to worry about reserving before you board - unless you are 100% tied to a specific venue on a specific night. The concierge can normally get you into any of the specialty places, with little to no advanced notice -even if the reservation board is showing booked the concierge will make an effort to see if they can get you in, there are always people who make a reservation, but then don't show up. Obviously, if the place is 100% full, there's nothing the concierge can do, which is why I would say reserve early if you know for sure where and what night you'd like to eat at a certain venue

[Cruise a holic]

Are you in a Mini Suite, or a Haven Suite? If you are in the Haven, you don't really have to worry about reserving before you board - unless you are 100% tied to a specific venue on a specific night. The concierge can normally get you into any of the specialty places, with little to no advanced notice -even if the reservation board is showing booked the concierge will make an effort to see if they can get you in, there are always people who make a reservation, but then don't show up. Obviously, if the place is 100% full, there's nothing the concierge can do, which is why I would say reserve early if you know for sure where and what night you'd like to eat at a certain venue

 

Yes we are in the Haven. I just want to be sure that we get the times/days we desire for all shows and dining. Like not to have any worries once on a ship. I also am concerned that while we have the all in package for unlimited special dining- that many items have an upcharge in the dining venues. We also hope that all of the Martini's we enjoy are included in the drink package that we have- it is the highest level- allegedly. If the drink is more then the package allowance, do you pay the difference only?

 

We are truly looking forward to our first NCL experience, and if all goes well, hope for others. If not, it is back to Celebrity and RCI.

Edited April 8, 2015 by Cruise a holic

[OceanBlue123]

If your "all in package for unlimited special dining" is the same as the regular UDP (Ultimate Dining Plan) that we enjoyed last week on the Gem, then all the $10 upcharge items in the specialty restaurants are included. :D Enjoy it -- we certainly did!

 

My earlier post listed prices and upcharges for the better steak options. Obviously, with the UDP package, you can ignore the $$ in that post!

Edited April 8, 2015 by OceanBlue123

[Cruise a holic]

If your "all in package for unlimited special dining" is the same as the regular UDP (Ultimate Dining Plan) that we enjoyed last week on the Gem, then all the $10 upcharge items in the specialty restaurants are included. :D Enjoy it -- we certainly did!

 

My earlier post listed prices and upcharges for the better steak options. Obviously, with the UDP package, you can ignore the $$ in that post!

 

Great! That is what I thought!!

[Diver2014]

Was there a Filet Mignon or Tenderloin listed on your souvenir menus? The last few NCL cruises I have been on only served the less expensive cuts in the MDR.

 

The OP said they have the "all in package" and others here referenced the UDP so I made the assumption that every place would be "free" to them.

 

I stated that steak was served in the MDR and I was perfectly happy with my 'less expensive cut' of NY strip steak. You seemed to indicate in your previous post that no steak was served in the MDR, which I disagreed with.

[OceanBlue123]

I stated that steak was served in the MDR and I was perfectly happy with my 'less expensive cut' of NY strip steak. You seemed to indicate in your previous post that no steak was served in the MDR, which I disagreed with.

 

I am not sure why you keep harping on this. My original post was directed towards the OP, not to you. As you can see below, I clearly specified that the Filet Mignon / Tenderloin steak is the one that NCL does not, to my knowledge, currently serve in the MDR. I am a fan of NY Strip steaks too, especially since they are almost half the cost, per ounce, of a good tenderloin.

 

You can get a Filet Mignon / Tenderloin in Cagney's ($30), LeBistro ($20), and Moderno ($25). I cannot remember the last time I saw one offered in an NCL MDR. :( ...

[Cruise a holic]

I am not sure why you keep harping on this. My original post was directed towards the OP, not to you. As you can see below, I clearly specified that the Filet Mignon / Tenderloin steak is the one that NCL does not, to my knowledge, currently serve in the MDR. I am a fan of NY Strip steaks too, especially since they are almost half the cost, per ounce, of a good tenderloin.

Thanks. My DH would not be happy with the less expensive cuts of steak. He only enjoys Filet mignon! And I am the one with high cholesterol!