Unlimited Dining Package

[danoconnl]

Couple questions for anyone that's used the new Unlimited Dining Package.

 

I hear the playmakers is included, in Fish and Ships included as well?  Do you know if the $35 ala carte fee is per day or per venue(could you go to JR in the afternoon and PM in the evening)?

Can you use the $35 credit during lunch on sea days, wondering if I could get nachos for a snack  for lunch from playmakers.

 

Anything else that was noticed?  Probably going to get this for our IOS cruise next March, we did it last year after getting a pretty good deal.

 

Dan

[suesnake2002]

I too would love to know these answers. And if the new BBQ restaurant being added to oasis is included. 

[gijoe76]

We had the unlimited dining package on Symphony this summer. We could not eat at Chops on embarkation day because of The Key people eating there, but we ate a great burger at Playmakers. The $35 a la cart price is per meal, per person. Anything open for lunch on sea days is available to you.  You could even have appetizers at one place, dinner somewhere else and dessert somewhere else.  You could also have dessert at three different restaurants on the same night.  It would be possible to snack at Playmakers all day long.  It was truly unlimited!  

 

The only exceptions we found were:  Chops on embarkation day, Hibachi, and Chefs Table.

[Ourusualbeach]

18 minutes ago, gijoe76 said:

We had the unlimited dining package on Symphony this summer. We could not eat at Chops on embarkation day because of The Key people eating there, but we ate a great burger at Playmakers. The $35 a la cart price is per meal, per person. Anything open for lunch on sea days is available to you.  You could even have appetizers at one place, dinner somewhere else and dessert somewhere else.  You could also have dessert at three different restaurants on the same night.  It would be possible to snack at Playmakers all day long.  It was truly unlimited!  

 

The only exceptions we found were:  Chops on embarkation day, Hibachi, and Chefs Table.

Were you not allowed to dine at Hibachi?  Reports from other ships said that it was included.

[gijoe76]

We were not allowed to eat at Hibachi, but my understanding is that it can vary between all the ships.

 

Best of luck!

[Clarea]

6 hours ago, gijoe76 said:

We were not allowed to eat at Hibachi, but my understanding is that it can vary between all the ships.

 

Best of luck!

 

Strange that they would change this so fast.

[gijoe76]

4 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Strange that they would change this so fast.

We were there in early summer, so maybe they have started allowing Hibachi. That would be great!  Keep me updated. 

[depplep]

While we didn't do Hibachi on Mariner last month, we were told that it was included.

[CTCruiser76]

Do you think the UDP is worth it on the 4 night Mariner Cruise?

[Clarea]

Just now, CTCruiser76 said:

Do you think the UDP is worth it on the 4 night Mariner Cruise?

 

Hard to know "worth it" without the cost.

[CTCruiser76]

42 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Hard to know "worth it" without the cost.

True - forgot about that...….currently listed at 99 PP.  

[Oxo]

We always divide total cost by number of meals to get individual cost per meal. $99/4=$25 per meal. Where can you go and get app, Main and dessert for $25?

JMHO!

[Clarea]

2 minutes ago, Oxo said:

We always divide total cost by number of meals to get individual cost per meal. $99/4=$25 per meal. Where can you go and get app, Main and dessert for $25?

JMHO!

 

Main Dining Room.😉

[Oxo]

7 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Main Dining Room.😉

I thought the MDR was included in the price of the cruise????? 

[Clarea]

5 minutes ago, Oxo said:

I thought the MDR was included in the price of the cruise????? 

 

Yes.  I was saying that you could get app, main, and dessert in the MDR for less than $25.

[Oxo]

1 minute ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Yes.  I was saying that you could get app, main, and dessert in the MDR for less than $25.

LOL, I was pulling your chain. No, the MDR is free,  not $25 or less. Have a great day. Happy Cruising.

[danoconnl]

yes, you've got to decide if it's worth it.  You're paying $25 per person extra for the food.  We've really enjoyed it and pampered ourselves, but it isn't necessary(unlike the drink package :-)).  I've had many great meals in the MDR.

 

Dan

[Oxo]

1 hour ago, danoconnl said:

I've had many great meals in the MDR.

MDR meals are good,  but very few great. Totally cut back from years ago. This applies to all cruise lines. Not only RCI.JMHO!

[Yorkshire-Pudding]

On 7/22/2019 at 2:50 AM, danoconnl said:

Couple questions for anyone that's used the new Unlimited Dining Package.

 

I hear the playmakers is included, in Fish and Ships included as well?  Do you know if the $35 ala carte fee is per day or per venue(could you go to JR in the afternoon and PM in the evening)?

Can you use the $35 credit during lunch on sea days, wondering if I could get nachos for a snack  for lunch from playmakers.

 

Anything else that was noticed?  Probably going to get this for our IOS cruise next March, we did it last year after getting a pretty good deal.

 

Dan

 

Dear Dan,

I recently sailed Independence of the Seas sailing ex Southampton on 29 June 2019 and purchased the UDP for my party. The terms of UDP when I sailed was that it was valid for lunches on sea days only, but dinner on all days.

 

The $35 per person allowance was per venue at restaurants which were a la carte, which included Fish and Ships, Sushi at Izumi and Playmakers. If you manage to spend the $35 allowance at Fish and Ships, that is a lot of food. Similarly, the nachos from Playmakers was large and the 4 of us did not manage to eat an entire serving for one person. Again if you wished to use the UDP for lunch at Playmakers, it must be a sea-day, otherwise you will be charged.

 

We went to JR for a couple of evening casual meals. Also because we were never able to get to dessert, we did do a take-out of apple and ice-cream from JR on a sea-day for lunch.

 

Negatives

1. The recurring problem we experienced at Fish and Ships was that we were charged every time and had to go to Guest Services to have the charge removed. The problem is caused because there is nothing on the card to indicate that the holder has UDP and even though when the charge is put through the till, the servers at Fish and Ships for some reason, chose to ignore it.
2. IMHO, if your cruise has a lot of sea-days, I am not sure that it is worth the purchase. Our 14 day cruise had 9 ports of call and the UDP could not be used on those days for lunches, nor on embarkation day. It was a great convenience but in this instance, I think it offered poor value. 

Hope that helps.

[mayleeman]

20 hours ago, Yorkshire-Pudding said:

 

IMHO, if your cruise has a lot of sea-days, I am not sure that it is worth the purchase. Our 14 day cruise had 9 ports of call and the UDP could not be used on those days for lunches, nor on embarkation day. It was a great convenience but in this instance, I think it offered poor value. 

Hope that helps.

You must mean not a good value if you have a lot of port days?

[Yorkshire-Pudding]

20 hours ago, mayleeman said:

You must mean not a good value if you have a lot of port days?

Thanks for correcting.

[danoconnl]

On 7/27/2019 at 4:17 PM, Yorkshire-Pudding said:

 

Dear Dan,

I recently sailed Independence of the Seas sailing ex Southampton on 29 June 2019 and purchased the UDP for my party. The terms of UDP when I sailed was that it was valid for lunches on sea days only, but dinner on all days.

 

The $35 per person allowance was per venue at restaurants which were a la carte, which included Fish and Ships, Sushi at Izumi and Playmakers. If you manage to spend the $35 allowance at Fish and Ships, that is a lot of food. Similarly, the nachos from Playmakers was large and the 4 of us did not manage to eat an entire serving for one person. Again if you wished to use the UDP for lunch at Playmakers, it must be a sea-day, otherwise you will be charged.

 

We went to JR for a couple of evening casual meals. Also because we were never able to get to dessert, we did do a take-out of apple and ice-cream from JR on a sea-day for lunch.

 

Negatives

1. The recurring problem we experienced at Fish and Ships was that we were charged every time and had to go to Guest Services to have the charge removed. The problem is caused because there is nothing on the card to indicate that the holder has UDP and even though when the charge is put through the till, the servers at Fish and Ships for some reason, chose to ignore it.
2. IMHO, if your cruise has a lot of sea-days, I am not sure that it is worth the purchase. Our 14 day cruise had 9 ports of call and the UDP could not be used on those days for lunches, nor on embarkation day. It was a great convenience but in this instance, I think it offered poor value. 

Hope that helps.

 

It helps alot, thank you.  Do you know the hours when it's considered lunch and when it's considered dinner?  Again thinking, apps in playmakers around 4/4:30, dinner in specialty rest around 7:30/8, maybe dessert somewhere else.

 

Thanks

Dan

[Mcolema7]

I splurged getting this package for our upcoming honeymoon cruise on Oasis. I see it covers lunches on sea days. Does anyone know if it can be used for lunch embarkation day as well? 

[tomservo]

On 7/27/2019 at 5:17 PM, Yorkshire-Pudding said:

The terms of UDP when I sailed was that it was valid for lunches on sea days only, but dinner on all days.

That’s good to know, and a really annoying exclusion. I thought all the restaurants were closed on port days, but that the UDP was good for anything that was open anytime (again excluding stuff like chefs table). It pays to read the fine print!

[tomservo]

3 hours ago, tomservo said:

That’s good to know, and a really annoying exclusion. I thought all the restaurants were closed on port days, but that the UDP was good for anything that was open anytime (again excluding stuff like chefs table). It pays to read the fine print!

 

I just checked my cruise planner for the Ultimate Dining Package and I didn't see any exclusions for port day lunches in the T&C: 

 

Prices are per person for the full sailing. All selections are subject to change. Royal Caribbean International reserves the right to verify eligibility upon arrival to the activity. Specialty Dining Packages must be booked at least two days prior to boarding and may not be available for every sail date. One reservation will be automatically created for the first night of the sailing. All other reservations must be made onboard and are subject to availability. Packages include service charge and food portion only for dinner and, when available, lunch service. For restaurants with a la carte pricing, you’ll receive a $35 food credit. Beverages not included. For Dining Packages, It is not required that children 12 and under purchase this product. Children ages 0-5 dine for free and children ages 6-12 will be charged a $10 cover at the restaurant. Not available on holiday sailings. Not valid for Chef's Table, or Culinary Experiences/Activities. Purchase of dining packages provides 40% discount off bottles of wine priced at $100 or less; 20% discount off bottles of wine priced over $100 while dining in Specialty Restaurants. Wine discount valid only with the purchase of 3-night, 4-night, 5-night, or Unlimited Dining Packages; other Dining Packages excluded. Terms of Royal Caribbean’s Alcohol Policy apply, including a minimum drinking age, which varies by itinerary. Offer is not transferable, not redeemable for cash, and expires on the final night of the cruise. VAT will be added to the price where applicable.  Terms of Dining Packages apply.

Although I did see mention of it in the description:

 

Technically the the T&C says the UDP applies for lunch service, "when available". If lunch is available at Playmakers on port days, it should be included according to the T&C, no? There seems to be a disconnect between the T&C and the description.