Latest Specialty Dining Promo Questions

[Red-Sol]

Hi Folks,

 

As much as I have tried I have been unable to keep up with the many changes in policies and promos and how they work. We just booked our next cruise and chose the Specialty Dining as the promo offered. I know that we pay the Service Fees upfront (which is about $20.00 per person) and that is fine but the following are the questions that I have:

 

Are we limited to only doing individual restaurants once? Or is it possible to repeat any of them?

 

In the past I believe that the Cirque could be done as part of the package *if* it was the first night..is that still true or not?

 

Can reservations be made through MY NCL in advance? Or must it be done once onboard? If they can be done in advance approximately when does the window open to do that?

 

TIA :)

[Got Tequila?]

Hi Folks,

 

As much as I have tried I have been unable to keep up with the many changes in policies and promos and how they work. We just booked our next cruise and chose the Specialty Dining as the promo offered. I know that we pay the Service Fees upfront (which is about $20.00 per person) and that is fine but the following are the questions that I have:

 

Are we limited to only doing individual restaurants once? Or is it possible to repeat any of them?

 

In the past I believe that the Cirque could be done as part of the package *if* it was the first night..is that still true or not?

 

Can reservations be made through MY NCL in advance? Or must it be done once onboard? If they can be done in advance approximately when does the window open to do that?

 

TIA :)

 

No problem eating at the same restaurant more than once. Here's the terms& conditions for the current promotion on the dining packages/credit...

 

Ultimate Dining package:

Applicable to guests 1-2 on the reservation 3 years of age or older.

Ultimate Dining Package available at specialty restaurants.

Does not include beverages or gratuities.

Includes add-ons in Le Bistro such as Fruit de Mer, Lobster and Cote De Boeuf. Does not apply to Special Occasion Menus e.g. New Year's, Christmas, Valentines day, etc.

$10 per each additional main course will be charged in Le Bistro & Cagney’s.

A 25% Discount applies on a la carte priced restaurants Bayamo and Ocean Blue.

A 25% Discount applies to all Entertainment based dining(Murder Mystery, Cirque Dreams & Dinner, Illusionarium, Supper Club, Wine Lovers, and Pajama Jam).

Spiegel tent/Illusionarium Chef’s Table, Jazz Brunch, Carlo’s Bakery items, Ice Cream Bar and Gelato are not included.

Guest is responsible for 18% gratuities & service charges on the retail value of the Ultimate Dining Package prior to cruise.

Dining Credit:

$50 dining credit per person for guests 1 -2 on the reservation.

Guest is responsible for 18% gratuities & service charges on specialty dining once on board.

Dining credit can be used towards specialty dining gratuities.

[mrobstad]

I've always bought UDP, but I'm not understanding the last part. When the fee was recently raised from $119 pp to $140 pp, it was allegedly for 18% gratuity. Must we now tip 18% on top of that? In May, the bill read $30 for Cagneys. Will it now read $30 +18%?

[Red-Sol]

No problem eating at the same restaurant more than once. Here's the terms& conditions for the current promotion on the dining packages/credit...

 

Ultimate Dining package:

Applicable to guests 1-2 on the reservation 3 years of age or older.

Ultimate Dining Package available at specialty restaurants.

Does not include beverages or gratuities.

Includes add-ons in Le Bistro such as Fruit de Mer, Lobster and Cote De Boeuf. Does not apply to Special Occasion Menus e.g. New Year's, Christmas, Valentines day, etc.

$10 per each additional main course will be charged in Le Bistro & Cagney’s.

A 25% Discount applies on a la carte priced restaurants Bayamo and Ocean Blue.

A 25% Discount applies to all Entertainment based dining(Murder Mystery, Cirque Dreams & Dinner, Illusionarium, Supper Club, Wine Lovers, and Pajama Jam).

Spiegel tent/Illusionarium Chef’s Table, Jazz Brunch, Carlo’s Bakery items, Ice Cream Bar and Gelato are not included.

Guest is responsible for 18% gratuities & service charges on the retail value of the Ultimate Dining Package prior to cruise.

Dining Credit:

$50 dining credit per person for guests 1 -2 on the reservation.

Guest is responsible for 18% gratuities & service charges on specialty dining once on board.

Dining credit can be used towards specialty dining gratuities.

 

Thanks Margaret! :)

[Red-Sol]

I've always bought UDP, but I'm not understanding the last part. When the fee was recently raised from $119 pp to $140 pp, it was allegedly for 18% gratuity. Must we now tip 18% on top of that? In May, the bill read $30 for Cagneys. Will it now read $30 +18%?

 

I believe if you were to go to Cagneys and you did not have the UDP and the fee was $30.00 then yes you would see 18% added to the $30.00. The current promo however (assuming you were to choose that one) I don't believe you would see the prices of any of the individual restaurants and simply pay an upfront service fee of about $20.00 per person. I don't know however what you would see for pricing and service fees if you were to purchase the UDP as a standalone option.

[pepsicrave]

I believe if you were to go to Cagneys and you did not have the UDP and the fee was $30.00 then yes you would see 18% added to the $30.00. The current promo however (assuming you were to choose that one) I don't believe you would see the prices of any of the individual restaurants and simply pay an upfront service fee of about $20.00 per person. I don't know however what you would see for pricing and service fees if you were to purchase the UDP as a standalone option.

 

Does that mean we pay 20 pp per day, or is it a one time charge when you choose the UDP??

[Guindalf]

It's 18% of the $119 that the UDP would have cost if you were paying for it, so yes, it's $20 for the whole thing.

 

I don't believe the free Cirque on the first night is available any more. It was done because it was quiet that night and now a lot more people are doing it, there's no need to give it away.

 

Back in January, we had appetizers in the Asian restaurant (now free) and then dinner in Cagney's later that same night, so yes, you can eat in multiple restaurants on the same day.

[NH Cruisers]

Just off Dawn this AM. We pre booked Cagney's for sailaway night. All other times for the entire week were booked before the first full day at sea. The UDP promo is my guess. Everyone wanted that place.

[Red-Sol]

Does that mean we pay 20 pp per day, or is it a one time charge when you choose the UDP??

 

No it isn't a daily charge.. it is $20.00 per person total..for the week.

[rvsullivan]

If you purchase the UDP they charge you the 18% one time when you book. That comes to a total of $140 for the week, no other charges. If you go to a specialty restaurant, you will pay the charge for that restaurant plus 18%.

[mrobstad]

Ok....it sounds like how it was on the BA May 2....$119+ 18%=$140. When you go to a speciality, your bill says $30 Cagneys. No mention of the 18%. This is different from drinks with the UBP, which indicates the 18% on the bill, but the total amount is then taken off your daily bill. The other two big changes are no free first night for Cirque/Illusarium, and free Shanghais noodle bar, which is pretty good.

[NLH Arizona]

I've always bought UDP, but I'm not understanding the last part. When the fee was recently raised from $119 pp to $140 pp, it was allegedly for 18% gratuity. Must we now tip 18% on top of that? In May, the bill read $30 for Cagneys. Will it now read $30 +18%?

If you purchase an UDP, the 18 percent is added at time of check out, which will bring the cost to $140 and no you wouldn't have to tip anything else if you didn't want to, as it is already taken care of in the $140 cost. If you dine in a specialty restaurants without an UDP, for example, Cagney's would be $30, plus 18% gratuity, bringing that total to $35.40 when you sign your tab and would then appear on your onboard account. Edited June 6, 2015 by NLH Arizona

[mrobstad]

In May, only the $30 appeared on your bill. I questioned the servers and asked if they had, indeed, received an 18% raise, since the increase was alleged to be for gratuities. They replied that it actually has resulted in a decrease. Why? Because people used to tip in the speciality restaurants, and now they're not tipping. I was torn, but due to excellent service, I gave an additional tip. I wish they had just called the 18% an increase, cuz that's what it was/is.

[NLH Arizona]

In May, only the $30 appeared on your bill. I questioned the servers and asked if they had, indeed, received an 18% raise, since the increase was alleged to be for gratuities. They replied that it actually has resulted in a decrease. Why? Because people used to tip in the speciality restaurants, and now they're not tipping. I was torn, but due to excellent service, I gave an additional tip. I wish they had just called the 18% an increase, cuz that's what it was/is.

 

Did it actually result in a decrease or were they trolling for tips...we will never know.

[mrobstad]

I brought it up. I asked. I mentioned the 18% gratuity increase. They still seemed grateful to have a job.

[NLH Arizona]

I brought it up. I asked. I mentioned the 18% gratuity increase. They still seemed grateful to have a job.

Even if you brought up the subject, we don't know if they were giving you the correct information or not.

[mrobstad]

That's true, but I still felt bad for them...

[tarps14]

Can reservations be made through MY NCL in advance? Or must it be done once onboard? If they can be done in advance approximately when does the window open to do that?

 

Reservations can be made in advance, even with the UDP. If you are in a suite, they open up on MY NCL 100 days in advance and for all regular cabins, 90 days in advance. If you pull up your vacation summary online it will give you the days remaining until your cruise.

 

I just made all our reservations for the entire week for our Sept cruise on the Getaway yesterday. With the UDP there is no charge when pre-booking. This might be different though with the newer dining credit as opposed to the unlimited plan.

[Sarahellen]

Hi Folks,

 

 

 

As much as I have tried I have been unable to keep up with the many changes in policies and promos and how they work. We just booked our next cruise and chose the Specialty Dining as the promo offered. I know that we pay the Service Fees upfront (which is about $20.00 per person) and that is fine but the following are the questions that I have:

 

 

 

Are we limited to only doing individual restaurants once? Or is it possible to repeat any of them?

 

 

 

In the past I believe that the Cirque could be done as part of the package *if* it was the first night..is that still true or not?

 

 

 

Can reservations be made through MY NCL in advance? Or must it be done once onboard? If they can be done in advance approximately when does the window open to do that?

 

 

 

TIA :)

 

 

We had the UDP on the Breakaway last month and there were no restrictions on how many times you could go to any of the restaurants. You could even go to two different restaurants in one night although I think you would go into a food coma from so much food haha. We went to Le Bistro on the first night and fell in love with the vanilla creme brûlée and chocolate fondue so much that we would have dinner at one of the other restaurants then swing by Le Bistro just to have dessert :)