A la carte dining without Specialty Dining Package

[dave.s]

I'm trying to understand how a la carte dining works for people who do NOT buy the Specialty Dining Package. I've searched the forum and haven't found the answer (yet).

 

On my previous NCL cruise, before NCL introduced a la carte pricing, we didn't purchase the SDP, but we did eat a few meals in the specialty restaurants. In our case it was less expensive to pay the cover charges for those few meals than to buy the package. We can do that again for specialty restaurants that have a fixed cover charge, but what about the places with a la carte pricing, like Cagney's? Is the SDP required to eat at those restaurants now? If anyone can eat there, do we pay for everything we order a la carte, meaning we get no credit at all? Clearly, it wouldn't make sense to eat at a place like Cagney's if you had to pay a la carte for everything.

[blackwing]

On the restaurants that are a la carte, such as Le Bistro, if you don't have the SDP, you pay for everything you order. You can order as much or as little as you want. On the restaurants that are flat price, such as Teppanyaki, if you don't have the SDP, you pay the flat price.

 

If you have the SDP, at a flat price, you don't pay for anything. At the a la cartes, you get one entree and then as many as you want of the appetizers and desserts.

[Two Wheels Only]

Is the SDP required to eat at those restaurants now?

No. Anyone can dine there.

 

If anyone can eat there, do we pay for everything we order a la carte, meaning we get no credit at all?

If you have no plan, you pay the price on the menu.

If you have a plan, app, sides, dessert, and 1 entree are covered.

 

Anyone who orders an extra entree pays the price on the menu.

 

There is no "credit" for people who don't have a package (promo or purchased).

[punkincc]

Only two restaurants still have a flat cover fee, Moderno and Teppanyaki. The rest are all a la carte. If you have no dining package, you will pay per item just like you do in a restaurant at home. And the main entrees do not include any sides, so it's truly a la carte for everything. There are menus with prices posted on the board if you want to take a look to estimate what your bill might be if you ordered what looked good to you. Add 18% gratuity fee to your total.

 

Unless you are very light eaters, you can probably dine for much less money by buying a 3 to 7 night SDP package. The 18% is added to the package price. I think your per meal average with a 3 night package comes out to about $23 per meal. It would be hard to beat that going a la carte on your own.

Edited July 19, 2016 by punkincc

[dave.s]

Thanks for the quick responses.

 

I'm disappointed that it makes no sense to eat in the a la carte speciality restaurants unless you buy the package. For my upcoming sailing on NCL Jade, the SDP prices per person per meal range from $27.14 (3-night SDP) to $16.77 (14 nights), including the 18% gratuity.

[blackwing]

It makes sense if you are fine with the MDR and only want to eat at one specialty. Our last two cruises, we ate with the kids in the MDR. But one night each time, we went on a "date night" to Le Bistro without the kids. So it made sense for us just to pay a la carte last time.

[KeithJenner]

It makes sense if you are fine with the MDR and only want to eat at one specialty. Our last two cruises, we ate with the kids in the MDR. But one night each time, we went on a "date night" to Le Bistro without the kids. So it made sense for us just to pay a la carte last time.

 

 

 

Absolutely.

 

It's quite simple really. If you just want to eat at one speciality restaurant then just pay as you go.

 

If eating at two then it's probably still cheaper to pay as you go, unless you are likely to eat a lot at the a la carte places.

 

If eating at 3 or more then it makes sense to buy a package. You are effectively getting a discount for buying more meals.

 

It's no different from the fact that if you just want one drink then you don't buy a six pack, but if you want six you wouldn't buy six individual ones.

[casofilia]

The a-la-carte restaurants on board are just like going to a restaurant ashore, you pay for what you eat.

One thing to look at is to eat starters at a MDR or Buffet, go to the Specialty for your main/entrée and then back to the MDR or Buffet for your desserts.

Then you just pay for your main (+18% of course!!).

[dave.s]

It's a 2-week cruise, so we'll want to eat in some of the speciality dining restaurants and will have to buy the SDP for some number of nights to make it worthwhile.

 

On our previous cruise, before a la carte pricing, you could eat at a specialty dining restaurant for most nights of the cruise without the SDP and still pay less than the SDP package (depending on which restaurants you chose). If I recall correctly, at that time you couldn't choose the SDP for a certain number of nights, it was all or nothing, but I might be wrong.

Edited July 19, 2016 by dave.s

[preppykate08]

Only two restaurants still have a flat cover fee, Moderno and Teppanyaki. The rest are all a la carte. If you have no dining package, you will pay per item just like you do in a restaurant at home. And the main entrees do not include any sides, so it's truly a la carte for everything. There are menus with prices posted on the board if you want to take a look to estimate what your bill might be if you ordered what looked good to you. Add 18% gratuity fee to your total.

 

Unless you are very light eaters, you can probably dine for much less money by buying a 3 to 7 night SDP package. The 18% is added to the package price. I think your per meal average with a 3 night package comes out to about $23 per meal. It would be hard to beat that going a la carte on your own.

 

 

Where can I find pictures of the menus?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[KeithJenner]

Where can I find pictures of the menus?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

 

Google "beyondships Norwegian Escape"

[BirdTravels]

I'm disappointed that it makes no sense to eat in the a la carte speciality restaurants unless you buy the package. For my upcoming sailing on NCL Jade, the SDP prices per person per meal range from $27.14 (3-night SDP) to $16.77 (14 nights), including the 18% gratuity.

 

It is really your personal preference. On our cruise on the Escape in May, we had a 4-day SDP (our free promotion) and 2 free platinum dinners (total of 6 included meals). We ate at specialty restaurants 10 times.

[Danmanchil]

You guys answered a lot of questions I had regarding the ala carte restaurants and how they work with the SDP, so thank you for that! Just to clarify, in these restaurants your apps, entree, sides and dessert are covered by the package?

 

My other question is in regards to the sushi and raw bar upcharge. The sushi restaurant for instance is a $7 upcharge but this doesn't make sense to me when the sushi rolls are inexpensive. If i have the SDP and I want to grab some sushi as a quick snack and only order a couple of rolls (for an ala carte total of $8 or $9) am I being charged the $7 upcharge AND having one of my meals being taken away from my remaining meal balance? In that case it would absolutely not make sense as I would be losing money.

 

Anyone have any experience with this?

[NLH Arizona]

You guys answered a lot of questions I had regarding the ala carte restaurants and how they work with the SDP, so thank you for that! Just to clarify, in these restaurants your apps, entree, sides and dessert are covered by the package?

 

Yes, your appetizers, entree, sides and dessert are covered under the SDP. The only thing you would have to pay for is if you get an extra entree.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

You guys answered a lot of questions I had regarding the ala carte restaurants and how they work with the SDP, so thank you for that! Just to clarify, in these restaurants your apps, entree, sides and dessert are covered by the package?

 

My other question is in regards to the sushi and raw bar upcharge. The sushi restaurant for instance is a $7 upcharge but this doesn't make sense to me when the sushi rolls are inexpensive. If i have the SDP and I want to grab some sushi as a quick snack and only order a couple of rolls (for an ala carte total of $8 or $9) am I being charged the $7 upcharge AND having one of my meals being taken away from my remaining meal balance? In that case it would absolutely not make sense as I would be losing money.

 

Anyone have any experience with this?

 

 

It was cruise before last that I ate at the sushi bar, but the way it worked was I got a discount on the sushi I ordered (I think it was 20%) and it didn't count toward one of my meals. But, that was with UDP not SDP. I believe it still works the same--you just get a discount on it and it doesn't count as one of your meals. Someone will undoubtedly correct me if I'm wrong. :o

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Thanks for the quick responses.

 

I'm disappointed that it makes no sense to eat in the a la carte speciality restaurants unless you buy the package. For my upcoming sailing on NCL Jade, the SDP prices per person per meal range from $27.14 (3-night SDP) to $16.77 (14 nights), including the 18% gratuity.

 

To be fair, it makes sense to some of us. I'm not a big eater and sometimes don't order an app at all, never order two of them, and often don't have dessert. It just doesn't make sense if you plan to order several things per person. :p

[luckyinpa]

i was going to ask a question but then i found this on NCL...i was wanting to know if you can buy more SDP on board.

 

You may purchase it online under our "Dining" section by logging into ncl.com/myncl or through any Norwegian Reservations Team Member. You may also purchase it onboard on the first or second day of your cruise. For three and four day cruises, this package may only be purchased on the first day of your cruise. Please call or visit any restaurant reservations podium.

[hawkeyetlse]

My other question is in regards to the sushi and raw bar upcharge. The sushi restaurant for instance is a $7 upcharge but this doesn't make sense to me when the sushi rolls are inexpensive. If i have the SDP and I want to grab some sushi as a quick snack and only order a couple of rolls (for an ala carte total of $8 or $9) am I being charged the $7 upcharge AND having one of my meals being taken away from my remaining meal balance?

According to the SDP terms:

Guests who have purchased a Specialty Dining Package and wish to dine at one of the following venues will be charged an Upcharge instead of the full cover charge or a la carte price: Ocean Blue - $15 USD (does not include Seafood Extravaganza. If ordered, the upcharge is to be waived); Bayamo - $15 USD; Cirque/Illusionarium - $10 USD regular seating/$15 USD premium seating/$35 USD VIP seating on Breakaway; Supper Club-$15 USD; Sushi -$7 USD; Pincho Tapas Bar - $7 USD; Raw Bar - $7 USD (does not include Seafood Plateau. If ordered, the upcharge is to be waived). If the Upcharge option is selected, that visit will be counted towards one of the meals in the package.

In other words, it will cost you one of your SDP meals, so make sure you eat enough to make it worthwhile.

[Fido Chuckwagon]

I'm trying to understand how a la carte dining works for people who do NOT buy the Specialty Dining Package. I've searched the forum and haven't found the answer (yet).

 

On my previous NCL cruise, before NCL introduced a la carte pricing, we didn't purchase the SDP, but we did eat a few meals in the specialty restaurants. In our case it was less expensive to pay the cover charges for those few meals than to buy the package. We can do that again for specialty restaurants that have a fixed cover charge, but what about the places with a la carte pricing, like Cagney's? Is the SDP required to eat at those restaurants now? If anyone can eat there, do we pay for everything we order a la carte, meaning we get no credit at all? Clearly, it wouldn't make sense to eat at a place like Cagney's if you had to pay a la carte for everything.

 

With a la carte pricing, unless you have a package, you are paying those prices plus an 18 percent gratuity tax. You're basically paying the same as if you went out to dinner at a chain restaurant on land, even though the meals should arguably be cheaper since you've theoretically paid for board in your fare.

[punkincc]

You guys answered a lot of questions I had regarding the ala carte restaurants and how they work with the SDP, so thank you for that! Just to clarify, in these restaurants your apps, entree, sides and dessert are covered by the package?

 

My other question is in regards to the sushi and raw bar upcharge. The sushi restaurant for instance is a $7 upcharge but this doesn't make sense to me when the sushi rolls are inexpensive. If i have the SDP and I want to grab some sushi as a quick snack and only order a couple of rolls (for an ala carte total of $8 or $9) am I being charged the $7 upcharge AND having one of my meals being taken away from my remaining meal balance? In that case it would absolutely not make sense as I would be losing money.

 

Anyone have any experience with this?

 

Yes, everything is covered by the package, app's, sides, entree and dessert.

 

As far as the sushi, it is not mandatory that you use your SDP to cover the charges there. Just let the server know you'll be paying a la carte. Considering you have already paid $20 odd dollars for that SDP meal, unless you are going to eat a lot of sushi it makes little sense to pay an additional $7 and waste an SDP credit for only a couple of sushi rolls. Just pay the charges and save the SDP for somewhere like Cagney's where you will get much more bang for your buck.

Edited August 30, 2016 by punkincc

[suesings]

My other question is in regards to the sushi and raw bar upcharge. The sushi restaurant for instance is a $7 upcharge but this doesn't make sense to me when the sushi rolls are inexpensive. If i have the SDP and I want to grab some sushi as a quick snack and only order a couple of rolls (for an ala carte total of $8 or $9) am I being charged the $7 upcharge AND having one of my meals being taken away from my remaining meal balance? In that case it would absolutely not make sense as I would be losing money.

 

We are going on our first NCL cruise this November (have been on many other cruises on other lines). NCL dining seems so confusing? We have the UDP for 3 nights and I booked Le Bistro, Cagney's and Teppanyaki. Can't I just go get sushi for lunch or dinner sometime and just pay the per roll price? What does a $7 uncharge mean? I was hoping the sushi bar had a per roll price and I could just pay that or send our teens there for lunch. Can I do that? I am assuming there is an 18% gratuity tacked onto the bill (so we don't leave a tip?). Is this correct?

 

thanks!

Sue

:)

[NMLady]

i was going to ask a question but then i found this on NCL...i was wanting to know if you can buy more SDP on board.

 

You may purchase it online under our "Dining" section by logging into ncl.com/myncl or through any Norwegian Reservations Team Member. You may also purchase it onboard on the first or second day of your cruise. For three and four day cruises, this package may only be purchased on the first day of your cruise. Please call or visit any restaurant reservations podium.

 

Yes, you can buy onboard the first two days. You can add to what you already have or you can do original purchase.

[hawkeyetlse]

NCL dining seems so confusing? We have the UDP for 3 nights and I booked Le Bistro, Cagney's and Teppanyaki. Can't I just go get sushi for lunch or dinner sometime and just pay the per roll price? What does a $7 uncharge mean? I was hoping the sushi bar had a per roll price and I could just pay that or send our teens there for lunch. Can I do that? I am assuming there is an 18% gratuity tacked onto the bill (so we don't leave a tip?). Is this correct?

It's not that confusing… you've got it all figured out already! :) There is a menu with individual prices at the sushi bar, you can just order what you want and pay those prices (plus 18% service charge, which means no further tip is expected). The upcharge is only for people with a dining package who want to pay one price for unlimited quantities of sushi.

 

Check the hours for sushi, they're not always open for lunch (depends on the ship, sea day vs port day, etc.)

[candigirl41]

To be fair, it makes sense to some of us. I'm not a big eater and sometimes don't order an app at all, never order two of them, and often don't have dessert. It just doesn't make sense if you plan to order several things per person. :p

 

I am the same way. I am going to Cagney's for a petite filet and baked potato. Much less expensive for me to order a la carte. I couldn't possibly eat a starter and a dessert as well.

 

Candi

[tel2]

According to the SDP terms:

In other words, it will cost you one of your SDP meals, so make sure you eat enough to make it worthwhile.

 

OK, I think there is some confusion here. The "Raw Bar" with the $7 upcharge is NOT the Sushi restaurant. The Raw Bar is part of Ocean Blue, and you can order an app, an order of shellfish, ie. shrimp, clams, oysters etc. and a dessert on the plan (plus the $7 upcharge). if you dont use/have the dining plan, you just pay al a carte for the items you order. The Seafood Tower cannot be ordered under the plan. It is stricktly al a carte, and I think 435 (and worth every single penny)

 

Wasabi Sushi is the sushi place, and it is not part of the plan, doesnt have an "upcharge" and doesnt use a credit. It is purely al a carte.