NCL Specialty Dining Package

[Finewine99]

Having the dining package, are you required to pay any more $ for dinner, say at Cagney's.   I know drinks are extra.

Thanks

[KeithJenner]

Just now, Finewine99 said:

Having the dining package, are you required to pay any more $ for dinner, say at Cagney's.   I know drinks are extra.

Thanks

There is an uncharge in Cagneys for the Shrimp cocktail, and you are limited to one entree, but everything else is covered.

[All-ready2cruise]

If there is an upcharge for an item, you'll see and likely the waiter will indicate to you when you're ordering. 

[hallux]

1 hour ago, All-ready2cruise said:

If there is an upcharge for an item, you'll see and likely the waiter will indicate to you when you're ordering. 

But none of them can explain WHY the $8 a-la-carte shrimp cocktail has a $4 upcharge when using the dining package but the $9 crab cake does not!  The crab cake on Bliss was excellent, by the way...

[All-ready2cruise]

28 minutes ago, hallux said:

But none of them can explain WHY the $8 a-la-carte shrimp cocktail has a $4 upcharge when using the dining package but the $9 crab cake does not!  The crab cake on Bliss was excellent, by the way...

 

Maybe you should ask FDR about that... maybe he likes his crabs. I couldn't care less about crabs or lobsters and if you do, I guarantee you can find them for a lot less than what you pay for a cruise. 

 

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, hallux said:

But none of them can explain WHY the $8 a-la-carte shrimp cocktail has a $4 upcharge when using the dining package but the $9 crab cake does not!  The crab cake on Bliss was excellent, by the way...

Because it has nothing to do with the cost. It is Marketing 101. It's about shifting the consumer to appetizers with a higher profit margin. NOT how much you upcharge. 

[Aus ATC]

Supplementary question concerning the (complimentary) 3 x dining package.  How would we go about making reservations?

 

There does not appear to be an ability to do so on-line; do we need to call up?  I'm concerned with the likely high numbers of "free at sea" promos on board, we might not get our preferred nights (or even miss out) if we wait till on board.  Australian booking if that makes any difference, for a 7 night cruise ex Venice on Norweigan Star.  Thanks.

Edited May 10, 2019 by Aus ATC

[KeithJenner]

34 minutes ago, Aus ATC said:

Supplementary question concerning the (complimentary) 3 x dining package.  How would we go about making reservations?

 

There does not appear to be an ability to do so on-line; do we need to call up?  I'm concerned with the likely high numbers of "free at sea" promos on board, we might not get our preferred nights (or even miss out) if we wait till on board.  Australian booking if that makes any difference, for a 7 night cruise ex Venice on Norweigan Star.  Thanks.

You just book them online in the usual way. Just do it via myncl. Reservations open 120 days before sailing.

Edited May 10, 2019 by KeithJenner

[newmexicoNita]

9 hours ago, hallux said:

But none of them can explain WHY the $8 a-la-carte shrimp cocktail has a $4 upcharge when using the dining package but the $9 crab cake does not!  The crab cake on Bliss was excellent, by the way...

I don't think that was the question. 

😛

[newmexicoNita]

10 hours ago, Finewine99 said:

Having the dining package, are you required to pay any more $ for dinner, say at Cagney's.   I know drinks are extra.

Thanks

The only extra charges we have seen in Cagney's will be mentioned by your wait person or you will see on the menu. Not sure what ship you are going to be on, but Ocean Blue on the Breakaway does have a $10 upcharge and I am thinking one of the other restaurants has one, but I am not sure about that. 

[drvmywifecrzy]

One tip....be social with your waitstaff at Cagneys.....lately they seem to be so rushed and are off to do other stuff.....slow them down and you may get better service

[Finewine99]

Thanks, I'm on the Pearl. My first cruise on, what is an up-charge?

[debgreg]

43 minutes ago, Finewine99 said:

Thanks, I'm on the Pearl. My first cruise on, what is an up-charge?

Extra money added on we call it a supplement or surcharge in the UK

[debgreg]

4 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

You just book them online in the usual way. Just do it via myncl. Reservations open 120 days before sailing.

They have just said  they cant book online and neither can we..... it says booking not available ?

[KeithJenner]

13 minutes ago, debgreg said:

They have just said  they cant book online and neither can we..... it says booking not available ?

I read it that they were looking for some special way to book the SDP meals, as they assumed it wasn't via the usual method.

 

If it is not possible to book meals generally when they should be available then that is a system issue. You will need to either phone in or wait for either the system to fix itself or to book onboard.

[debgreg]

2 minutes ago, KeithJenner said:

I read it that they were looking for some special way to book the SDP meals, as they assumed it wasn't via the usual method.

 

If it is not possible to book meals generally when they should be available then that is a system issue. You will need to either phone in or wait for either the system to fix itself or to book onboard.

Thanks, it just says not available to book, it has let me book the Manhattan complimentary ?  

[hallux]

I found that some of the specialty restaurants were unavailable for online booking for my cruise last week...

[KeithJenner]

6 minutes ago, debgreg said:

Thanks, it just says not available to book, it has let me book the Manhattan complimentary ?  

Just looking at your posting history, I think you are on the Epic aren't you? I have some vague memories of others saying they have had problems with the online booking on the Epic lately.

 

Depending on how soon you are going it may be worth phoning, but you should also be fine booking once onboard. They only release a proportion for online booking, and if there have been problems with the system then less people will have rebooked anyway.

 

I would do it soon after boarding though, as they may fill up (although sometimes they don't, it can vary from cruise to cruise).

[debgreg]

1 minute ago, KeithJenner said:

Just looking at your posting history, I think you are on the Epic aren't you? I have some vague memories of others saying they have had problems with the online booking on the Epic lately.

 

Depending on how soon you are going it may be worth phoning, but you should also be fine booking once onboard. They only release a proportion for online booking, and if there have been problems with the system then less people will have rebooked anyway.

 

I would do it soon after boarding though, as they may fill up (although sometimes they don't, it can vary from cruise to cruise).

Thanks for your reply :)

 

Yes we are on Epic 30th June , there are only two of us so we should hopefully be ok, where do we go on board to book and can we put one day to the Cirque show and pay a supplement, if so, is it worth it ?

 

[KeithJenner]

2 minutes ago, debgreg said:

Thanks for your reply 🙂

 

Yes we are on Epic 30th June , there are only two of us so we should hopefully be ok, where do we go on board to book and can we put one day to the Cirque show and pay a supplement, if so, is it worth it ?

 

There are various options for booking.

 

You can go to the restaurant reservations desk. This is in the atrium, but sometimes they set up elsewhere on embarkation day.

 

If you make sure you have downloaded the NCL app then you can use that.

 

I can't recall whether the Epic has the touchscreens onboard for reserving things etc. Hopefully someone else will be able to confirm.

 

You can use a credit for Cirque. I think that needs to be booked at the box office (or using the app etc), rather than the restaurant reservations. I hate saying whether things like this are worth it, because it is such personal opinion. We enjoyed it though.

[rcs931]

I called about reservations yesterday.  Could only make 1 on line (Bliss June 2).  Agent told me they only release 25% early, rest on board.  As an aside and in case anyone else is wondering, the reason I called is that I tried to make a reservation for two, but after booking it it only showed one (me).  Husband showed as free for the night.  She said despite that the reservation is for the two of us.  

[KeithJenner]

1 hour ago, rcs931 said:

I called about reservations yesterday.  Could only make 1 on line (Bliss June 2).  Agent told me they only release 25% early, rest on board.  As an aside and in case anyone else is wondering, the reason I called is that I tried to make a reservation for two, but after booking it it only showed one (me).  Husband showed as free for the night.  She said despite that the reservation is for the two of us.  

When you make a reservation using the NCL system it is just allocated to yourself. The system doesn't make any assumptions about who you are taking with you, which is why your husband was still showing as not having any reservations.

 

This is actually quite handy, as it allows you to book for more people than are in your room, for example. However, the way it is displayed on myncl does mean that sometimes you can't see how many people you have booked for. If you have a confirmation email then the numbers are there, and also if you select "print booked items" then it also says the number of seats booked.

[kpjb]

I was going to start a topic on this, but this seems like as good a place as any to ask this question.

 

I've sailed with the dining package before, and I've sailed with kids before, but never with both at the same time.  Just saw the "every offer free" promo for a cruise I've been following and I think I'm going to jump on it.

 

I'm assuming the dining plan is similar to the UBP where only the first 2 guests get it?  Beverages don't bother me because my kids are under 18, but what do they do regarding 3rd and 4th pax for the dining plan?

 

Am I stuck paying for them, or will they let you do (for example) 2 meals with 3 people instead of 3 meals with 2 people?

 

TIA.

[Two Wheels Only]

9 minutes ago, kpjb said:

I'm assuming the dining plan is similar to the UBP where only the first 2 guests get it? 

 

Correct.

 

10 minutes ago, kpjb said:

Beverages don't bother me because my kids are under 18, but what do they do regarding 3rd and 4th pax for the dining plan?

 

You can either pay a la carte for the kids (or cover charge if there is one), buy a package for the kids and use it the same way as guests 1&2 use theirs, order from the complimentary Kids' Menu when guests 1&2 order from the specialty restaurant menu, or send the kids to eat somewhere else such as the MDR or buffet. 

 

15 minutes ago, kpjb said:

Am I stuck paying for them, or will they let you do (for example) 2 meals with 3 people instead of 3 meals with 2 people?

 

SDP is not transferable and cannot be "shared". However, you might get lucky and the server will "look the other way" but it isn't supposed to be done. 

 

 

[kpjb]

That was what I figured.  Thanks for the info. 

 

My youngest will be fine eating off of the kids' menu, but if my 13 year-old sees me with a steak and he's eating grilled cheese he's gonna be mad!