Dining package

[Gingercruiser]

Hi, on the free at sea dining package (for14 nights on Star) what restaurants can you choose from and can you choose from any item on the menu or do you have to pay extra for fillet mignon for example? Thanks

[Sailing12Away]

It depends on the restaurant.  I'm not sure which ones are specifically on the Star, but the hibachi grill is a prix fix, soup, salad, edamame, rice and your choice of meat (shrimp, filet, chicken, etc). Moderna would be all you care to eat from the salad bar and endless meat (save room for the grilled pineapple). The rest you typically get to pick one appetizer, one main course, and one dessert. The italian place you also got a small dish of pasta before your main course. 

Generally speaking, filet mignon is always included without an upcharge. There are menus from most of the restaurants posted in threads here, not many have upcharges that I can recall. I don't think we've ever paid one. 

[JamieLogical]

Looking at the restaurants on the Star, the package will include Moderno, La Cucina, Cagney's, Le Bistro, and Teppanyaki. Of those, I believe only Cagney's has an upcharge for anything. If I remember correctly, they had an upcharge for the Tiger Shrimp Cocktail appetizer and the Surf & Turf dinner that include lobster tail.

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, Gingercruiser said:

Hi, on the free at sea dining package (for14 nights on Star) what restaurants can you choose from and can you choose from any item on the menu or do you have to pay extra for fillet mignon for example? Thanks

Monderno - All you can eat Brazilian BBQ (wonderful salad bar and all you can eat meat); no upcharges

La Cucina - multiple appetizers, one entrée, multiple desserts; no upcharges 

Cagney's - multiple appetizers, one entrée, multiple desserts; All steaks included; upcharges for lump crab cake appetizer ($5) and lobster tails ($19 upcharge for surf and turf)

Le Bistro - multiple appetizers, one entrée, multiple desserts; no upcharges 

Sushi - You can order 4 items with your dining package; no upcharges

Teppanyaki - Fixed menus; no upcharges

 

Edited March 3, 2021 by BirdTravels

[230462]

Just to add to the above, I think that you will get 4 speciality restaurant meals per person on the free at sea promotion on a 14 night cruise.

[ColeThornton]

3 minutes ago, 230462 said:

Just to add to the above, I think that you will get 4 speciality restaurant meals per person on the free at sea promotion on a 14 night cruise.

 

Correct, under the CURRENT promotion.

 

https://www.ncl.com/termsandconditions/promotions

[valleyvillage]

14 Days on NCL Star! That was our last long cruise, PC. We just rotated the specialty restaurants every night, bought the extras. Just loved it! We just did Le Bistro, then La Cucina, then Moderno, then Cagney's. Never did any upcharges.  Rinse and repeat! Bon Voyage!

[foodcruiser]

How is the specialty dining package used? Do I tell them when I make the reservation if I am using the package or do they automatically charge against it the first couple of specialty dining restaurants?  I want to make sure I get the best use of the package.

[complawyer]

57 minutes ago, foodcruiser said:

How is the specialty dining package used? Do I tell them when I make the reservation if I am using the package or do they automatically charge against it the first couple of specialty dining restaurants?  I want to make sure I get the best use of the package.

they should know when you get the bill, and give them your key card

[JamieLogical]

58 minutes ago, foodcruiser said:

How is the specialty dining package used? Do I tell them when I make the reservation if I am using the package or do they automatically charge against it the first couple of specialty dining restaurants?  I want to make sure I get the best use of the package.

 

You don't have to tell them when you make the reservation. You just tell them when you check in at the host stand and then you may want to mention it to your server as well.

[KeithJenner]

In my experience, they generally assume that you will be using the dining package (assuming you have credits available) unless you tell them otherwise.

[Named-Tawny]

On 3/2/2021 at 7:38 PM, BirdTravels said:

Monderno - All you can eat Brazilian BBQ (wonderful salad bar and all you can eat meat); no upcharges

La Cucina - multiple appetizers, one entrée, multiple desserts; no upcharges 

Cagney's - multiple appetizers, one entrée, multiple desserts; All steaks included; upcharges for lump crab cake appetizer ($5) and lobster tails ($19 upcharge for surf and turf)

Le Bistro - multiple appetizers, one entrée, multiple desserts; no upcharges 

Sushi - You can order 4 items with your dining package; no upcharges

Teppanyaki - Fixed menus; no upcharges

 

Does La Cucina count Pasta as an entree (like American-Italian restaurants sometimes do), or do they treat it s as a second appetizer (like Italian restaurants do)?

Edited March 4, 2021 by Named-Tawny

[Two Wheels Only]

4 minutes ago, Named-Tawny said:

Does La Cucina count Pasta as an entree, or do they treat it like Italian restaurants as a second appetizer?

 

It's like a side but you can "upsize" it to be an entrée.

[Sermenn1]

If I have three promotional restaurants (10 nights cruise), can I book them online before the cruise? We are celebrating a special date one evening and would like to be sure that we will be able to get a table.

[KeithJenner]

3 hours ago, Sermenn1 said:

If I have three promotional restaurants (10 nights cruise), can I book them online before the cruise? We are celebrating a special date one evening and would like to be sure that we will be able to get a table.

Yes you can.

 

Meals using the dining package are booked in exactly the same way as if you were paying on the day.

[AstoriaPreppy]

It’s also important to remember that you can tell the staff not to use your dining credit.

If  you’re just doing a few rolls or sushi or pieces of sashimi, it can be a horrible value. It makes sense to pay out of pocket in those cases. 

[complawyer]

On 3/2/2021 at 2:36 PM, Gingercruiser said:

Hi, on the free at sea dining package (for14 nights on Star) what restaurants can you choose from and can you choose from any item on the menu or do you have to pay extra for fillet mignon for example? Thanks

we usually use them for cagney's, moderno and teppanyaki.  i've never been crazy about le bistro, they seem to have an attitude problem and are a little stuffy.  i agree with astoria preppy that it's probably not a good idea to waste this at the sushi bar.  

 

usually if we have more than 3-4 dinner packages, we will go to cagneys and teppanyaki again,

 

 we d oget an extra 2 dinners being platinum +

[Sailing12Away]

On 3/3/2021 at 8:01 PM, Two Wheels Only said:

 

It's like a side but you can "upsize" it to be an entrée.

Oh man... that pesto gnocchi just makes my heart sing. The first time we tried La Cucina we went in with expectations of Olive Garden, and were pleasantly surprised. It's a requirement for me to get that gnocchi every time we sail.

 

15 hours ago, complawyer said:

we usually use them for cagney's, moderno and teppanyaki.  i've never been crazy about le bistro, they seem to have an attitude problem and are a little stuffy. 

Cagneys has been going down in quality the last few times we ate there. I had put off eating at Le Bistro for a while because I'm not a fan of French cuisine, but hands down it has been the best filet I've had on board for the last 2 cruises in a row. When the French place cooks the steak better than the steak place, that's saying something. I've never been able to get dinner done in <2 hours at Cagneys, the service is always so slow we fall asleep.

[JamieLogical]

5 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

Oh man... that pesto gnocchi just makes my heart sing. The first time we tried La Cucina we went in with expectations of Olive Garden, and were pleasantly surprised. It's a requirement for me to get that gnocchi every time we sail.

 

Cagneys has been going down in quality the last few times we ate there. I had put off eating at Le Bistro for a while because I'm not a fan of French cuisine, but hands down it has been the best filet I've had on board for the last 2 cruises in a row. When the French place cooks the steak better than the steak place, that's saying something. I've never been able to get dinner done in <2 hours at Cagneys, the service is always so slow we fall asleep.

 

I was going to say the exact same thing about the filet at Le Bistro. Definitely the best steak on the ship! I am also a huge fan of the Pesto Gnocchi at La Cucina! We haven't done Cagney's in the last few sailings for the same reasons you mention.

[Named-Tawny]

2 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

Oh man... that pesto gnocchi just makes my heart sing. The first time we tried La Cucina we went in with expectations of Olive Garden, and were pleasantly surprised. It's a requirement for me to get that gnocchi every time we sail.

 

Cagneys has been going down in quality the last few times we ate there. I had put off eating at Le Bistro for a while because I'm not a fan of French cuisine, but hands down it has been the best filet I've had on board for the last 2 cruises in a row. When the French place cooks the steak better than the steak place, that's saying something. I've never been able to get dinner done in <2 hours at Cagneys, the service is always so slow we fall asleep.

Le Bistro is absolutely my 100% doing again restaurant.  Teppanyaki was nice, but I feel that once I've done it once, I don't really need to do it again.  I haven't done La Cucina or the Brazillian yet, so I'm debating doing either of those next time, but Le Bistro was just so fantastic last time that it's a no-brainer for me.  They had a lobstertail special the night we were there, and my partner was just through the roof (I don't eat shellfish though; I had the lamb, which was divine)

[cruisinmeme]

When reservations open up you will want to make your choices pretty fast so you get date and time you want.  We are platinum and get 2 fee meals plus whatever we get with the package.  I just make the reservations on line.  When i check into the restaurant they will ask if we are using package or platinum coupon. 

[All-ready2cruise]

For specialty reservations, it depends on the ship, IMO.  Smaller ships, like the Star, reservations can be made once onboard, mega ships, you may want to make them before cruising. Of course, you can make your reservations prior to your sail date. 

 

When I go for a Free Platinum dinner, having made a reservation on whichever ship, I bring my Platinum coupon so the dining staff knows immediately that this dinner has some restrictions.  No big deal for me, I know my limits. 

 

 

[Lionkingrichard]

Question.

 

So we get the 2 free now for 7 nights. My Princess does not. We never had a problem as she shared Teppanyaki with the 2 of us(so much food) and Monderno they always told her eat what ever she wants. We always tip extra when treated with extra touches for a young girl.

 

Next cruise Princess will be 14 going on 15.

 

If we buy her a 5 meal package can we use 1 each so that the 3 of us get 3 meals? 5+2+2=9

 

Thank you everyone!

Edited March 9, 2021 by Lionkingrichard

[JamieLogical]

5 minutes ago, Lionkingrichard said:

Question.

 

So we get the 2 free now for 7 nights. My Princess does not. We never had a problem as she shared Teppanyaki with the 2 of us(so much food) and Monderno they always told her eat what ever she wants. We always tip extra when treated with extra touches for a young girl.

 

Next cruise Princess will be 14 going on 15.

 

If we buy her a 5 meal package can we use 1 each so that the 3 of us get 3 meals? 5+2+2=9

 

Thank you everyone!

 

Technically, dining packages cannot be gifted or shared. That being said, some servers will let you get away with sharing. A few of my experiences:

• On my first sailing on the Escape, we were sailing with two friends who did not have a dining package. It was one of their birthdays so we decided to take them out to Moderno for dinner, planning to pat out of pocket for their meals. At the end of the dinner, we received a receipt with a zero balance because the server had charged all four meals (ours plus theirs) to our remaining specialty dining credits.
• On my second sailing on the Gem, we had a sail away room, so we did not get any dining perks and we opted to buy one specialty dining package for my SO and I planned to pay a la carte, for myself, since I tend to eat less anyway. One night we went to Cagneys, where I only ordered appetizers for myself, planning to pay out of pocket. In the end, we received a receipt for a zero balance, because the server had charched my appetizers to my SO's single meal. Then we went to La Cucina where I ordered an app and entrée. At the end of the meal we received a zero balance because they had charged both our meal to my SO's remaining two dining credit.

[Lionkingrichard]

Thank you Jamie! You are always so quick with answers that are accurate. 

 

I do now remember the no sharing, but it might work.

 

Our little extra story for meal credits. I do all the leg work and somehow used 1 of wife's credits for a discount on the dinner show. So to my surprise we show up our last planned meal at the French place and we only have 1 credit left not 2?

 

She explains what she sees on her screen and I didn't understand at first, but not her fault and decide to just pay out of pocket for wife at the more expensive place. lol

 

Well when the bill came they had added all meals and extras on my credit and it said $0.00!

 

Needless to say, extra large tip left!😀