Ultimate dining package question

[daggct]

We have the same Christmas restrictions on the Harmony. If we keep the package ($152pp) I'm figuring one night at Sabor and one in the Solarium for the holidays. Then we can go to Chops, 150CP, etc on the other five nights. Plus lunches. Still not sure if we're keeping it because I'm concerned with availability of reservations on such a crowded ship.

[HBE4]

On 11/22/2018 at 1:10 PM, twangster said:

Let's face it, $24 per day for dinner when you have already paid for dinner in the MDR is a very high price to pay.  A part of that high price is the gratuity (service charge) for the staff.

 

Not really.  Seeing how most specialty restaurants charge $30 - $50 depending on venue/ship, $25 is not bad price for those that really do not want to eat in the MDR, especially since it includes lunch on sea days.

[HBE4]

On 11/22/2018 at 4:58 PM, twangster said:

 

Right.   Next Royal Sale: 7 Night Cruise $100!  *MDR purchased required at $195 per night.  

 

LOL.

 

Just wait until they go full-bore ala carte pricing and start giving cabins away for free while charging for use of the rock climbing wall, flow-rider and entrance fees to the production shows.

[HBE4]

2 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Not being a fan of Sabor, it would not be worth it to us, losing two nights at those restaurants. 

 

 

Going off topic for a second but why did you not like Sabor? I wanted to try it on my last cruise on Liberty but for various reasons, never got to it. 

 

It seems like its a recent addition to the dining options and some ships are already replacing it.

[Floating Lanai]

Will the $35 for a la carte dining be $70 since both my wife and I have the package?

 

Is the $35 per visit to those a la carte restaurants or is it $35 to spend for then entire cruise? Meaning, can I dine a the a la carte restaurants more than once on the cruise and continue getting the $35 to spend? 

 

For the lunches on sea days, I assume JR is open every day, can I dine there during lunch with the package on non sea days? 

 

First time RC cruiser with a ton of questions. 

[starrcards]

2 hours ago, daggct said:

We have the same Christmas restrictions on the Harmony. If we keep the package ($152pp) I'm figuring one night at Sabor and one in the Solarium for the holidays. Then we can go to Chops, 150CP, etc on the other five nights. Plus lunches. Still not sure if we're keeping it because I'm concerned with availability of reservations on such a crowded ship.

Is Solarium complementary on Harmony? If it is you've lost a night of your ultimate plan.

[Clarea]

7 minutes ago, starrcards said:

Is Solarium complementary on Harmony? If it is you've lost a night of your ultimate plan.

 

Complimentary, except for a couple of extra cost items.

[molly361]

How hard is it to get into these restaurants without reservations?  We eat early. 

[daggct]

22 minutes ago, starrcards said:

Is Solarium complementary on Harmony? If it is you've lost a night of your ultimate plan.

 

Yes, it is and we are. We could try for Jamie's that night but Italian is not our thing, and we wanted to try Solarium anyway.

For us, it is more about options to the MDR and Windjammer.

[starrcards]

1 hour ago, daggct said:

 

Yes, it is and we are. We could try for Jamie's that night but Italian is not our thing, and we wanted to try Solarium anyway.

For us, it is more about options to the MDR and Windjammer.

 

.ust an FYI, although it may be apples and oranges. We loved the Solarium bistro for dinner on Oasis in February. A Mediterranean flair. Starters and deserts were buffet and entrée was served.  IMO a better choice than the WJ.

[Notaworryintheworld]

Chops was open today on brilliance for embarkation day from 12-1:30. Only us and two other groups and it was included in our UDP. Nice surprise! 

[molly361]

The package for the Oasis that was $126 is now $199.

[Ourusualbeach]

On 11/27/2018 at 9:56 AM, daggct said:

We have the same Christmas restrictions on the Harmony. If we keep the package ($152pp) I'm figuring one night at Sabor and one in the Solarium for the holidays. Then we can go to Chops, 150CP, etc on the other five nights. Plus lunches. Still not sure if we're keeping it because I'm concerned with availability of reservations on such a crowded ship.

 

Where are you seeing the restrictions.  I booked the package for Allure over Christmas and there were no restrictions listed ther than Chefs table and Hibachi.

Edited December 1, 2018 by Ourusualbeach

[molly361]

2 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

 

Where are you seeing the restrictions.  I booked the package for Allure over Christmas and there were no restrictions listed ther than Chefs table and Hibachi.

OVERVIEW

 

Savor the savings with the Ultimate Dining Package! For one low price, you can enjoy dinner at our specialty restaurants every night of your sailing. And as an added perk, you’ll also get to eat lunch in our specialty restaurants on sea days. Plus, enjoy a discount of 40% off bottles of wine under $100 and 20% off bottles above $100 while dining in specialty restaurants.

 

 

A courtesy reservation will be made for the first night of your cruise based on your preferred dining time. You will receive your courtesy reservation confirmation in your stateroom on the first day of your cruise. All additional reservations or changes to your courtesy reservation must be made once onboard at any specialty restaurant.

 

 

For restaurants with a la carte pricing, you’ll receive a $35 food credit.*

 

 

Packages are not redeemable for Dinner on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or New Year's Eve in Chops Grille, Giovanni's Table, or 150 Central Park.

[Ourusualbeach]

2 minutes ago, molly361 said:

OVERVIEW

 

Savor the savings with the Ultimate Dining Package! For one low price, you can enjoy dinner at our specialty restaurants every night of your sailing. And as an added perk, you’ll also get to eat lunch in our specialty restaurants on sea days. Plus, enjoy a discount of 40% off bottles of wine under $100 and 20% off bottles above $100 while dining in specialty restaurants.

 

 

A courtesy reservation will be made for the first night of your cruise based on your preferred dining time. You will receive your courtesy reservation confirmation in your stateroom on the first day of your cruise. All additional reservations or changes to your courtesy reservation must be made once onboard at any specialty restaurant.

 

 

For restaurants with a la carte pricing, you’ll receive a $35 food credit.*

 

 

Packages are not redeemable for Dinner on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or New Year's Eve in Chops Grille, Giovanni's Table, or 150 Central Park.

 

That was not listed when I booked.  They have added it.

[twangster]

15 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

 

That was not listed when I booked.  They have added it.

 

Good luck with that.  On Indy last year for the Christmas sailing they didn't sell dining packages at all.  Just the $80 dinners on those nights that included sparkling wine.  3/4/5/UDP was not offered.  

[Ourusualbeach]

36 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

Good luck with that.  On Indy last year for the Christmas sailing they didn't sell dining packages at all.  Just the $80 dinners on those nights that included sparkling wine.  3/4/5/UDP was not offered.  

 

Never said I was going to do anything about it.  I’ve sailed enough Christmas / New Years cruises to know that this was a rarity in them offering the dining packages.  I just found it interesting, however not surprising that they  added the exclusion after the fact. 

[banderboo]

On 11/22/2018 at 6:01 PM, molly361 said:

Is JR's considered a specialty restaurant?  Would it be included for lunch or dinner with the UDP?

On Oasis now and have UDP. Johnny Rockets was not included as part of the package. We were allowed to do Izume habatchi the first night. This is offered if space available.

[molly361]

15 minutes ago, banderboo said:

On Oasis now and have UDP. Johnny Rockets was not included as part of the package. We were allowed to do Izume habatchi the first night. This is offered if space available.

Thanks  was just thinking lunch perhaps  guess not

[DISFANS3]

Keep checking for lower price..

[handbellplayer]

On ‎11‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 5:39 PM, twangster said:

Yes, lunch and dinner on sea day.

 

JR is not considered a specialty restaurant.  It's not included.  I'll caveat that on the standard Royal disclaimer - some ships can vary.  Oasis does not count it as a specialty restaurant and JR is not included.  (I confirmed this yesterday)

 

Hibachi is not included.  That's in the "Additional Terms and Conditions" available in the cruise planner.  However, here on Oasis I got a call on day one from Izumi offering me Hibachi on day one only.  This can vary by ship and sailing.  Don't count it.

On Oasis in November, we had the opposite experience - JR was included and we ate there one day for lunch.  And Hibachi was included - we just had to eat there the first night.

[michelle6213]

On 11/22/2018 at 1:59 PM, Raycin said:

Interesting point about already paying for dinner in the MDR. This is a trip of a lifetime for us and I keep reading such bad reviews about the dining room food. Are the specialty dining restaurants worth the extra cost? My husband is a little disappointed we won’t be experiencing the main dining room aspect of cruising, but we’re huge foodies so specialty dining seems to be a no brainer if it’s truly tastier than the dining room. I did forget about formal nights and that chilled soup (!) Can we request lobster tails or chilled soup in a specialty restaurant if we know it’s on the main dining menu that night?

We usually don't go to the dining room.  I don't like to be locked down to the same specific dining time every night.  We always opt for the my time dining.  However, we typically try to go to the specialty restaurants most nights.  I like the less rushed atmosphere.  The main dining room is very loud and busy, regardless of the time you dine.  The nominal price you pay for the meal above your cruise fare is well worth it to us.  The best meal in have ever had on a cruise was at the Italian restaurant last spring break.  We were with 2 of our girls (both teenagers) and simply asked them to bring us a sampling of the chefs favorites rather than ordering off the menu.  We are not fussy eaters, and are open to trying anything.  It was so wonderful! We had a lot of fun with our server and the chef was awesome! I think he may have been trying new recipes on us and it was great.  If money allows you to skip the dining room, it's worth it.  On the nights were more tired we just went to the buffet.

[aimsta]

On 12/2/2018 at 6:17 AM, Ourusualbeach said:

 

That was not listed when I booked.  They have added it.

Agreed not listed when I booked either for xmas 2019.

[banderboo]

My experience using UDP on the 11/25 sailing of Oasis was the following:

Once on-board we were able to book all reservations for the week. We did not have any issues getting a table for the time/restaurant we wanted.

• Only Giovanni was open for Embarkation lunch. Chops was reserved for people who purchased the 'Key'
• We were able to book Izumi for habatchi on the first night and were told if space is available they will allow you to use the UDP package.
• JR was not included with the package
• Our waiter brought lobster tails to the table on lobster night (we did not ask for them, he just brought them)
• Tip/service charge is included but if you have an exceptional waiter then I would tip more (in cash)
• We were given a $30 discount off the price of the Chef's table - which I highly recommend
• Sea day lunches have limited hours 11:30 - 1:30 so if you want to eat at a specific restaurant for lunch then you need to make a reservation (high recommend doing this)

 

[Raycin]

51 minutes ago, banderboo said:

My experience using UDP on the 11/25 sailing of Oasis was the following:

Once on-board we were able to book all reservations for the week. We did not have any issues getting a table for the time/restaurant we wanted.

• Only Giovanni was open for Embarkation lunch. Chops was reserved for people who purchased the 'Key'
• We were able to book Izumi for habatchi on the first night and were told if space is available they will allow you to use the UDP package.
• JR was not included with the package
• Our waiter brought lobster tails to the table on lobster night (we did not ask for them, he just brought them)
• Tip/service charge is included but if you have an exceptional waiter then I would tip more (in cash)
• We were given a $30 discount off the price of the Chef's table - which I highly recommend
• Sea day lunches have limited hours 11:30 - 1:30 so if you want to eat at a specific restaurant for lunch then you need to make a reservation (high recommend doing this)

 

Thanks for all the great information! Quick question: I know we’ll get a $35 credit at À la cart restaurants. Is this per person or per check? And also is this a one time credit or can we go to one of these restaurants more than?