NCL dining package for "a la Carte" restaurants

[pokerguy90]

Does anyone know firsthand what NCL allows you to order from a la carte menus.  I know some items have an upcharge, my question relates to what are you allowed to order when using the meal package.

[hallux]

As is said in all the other threads on this topic (there are MANY) - the only restriction is one entree, the rest is "open season" so to speak.

[CleverUserNameHere]

We ordered everything we wanted on the menu with no extra charges and they didn't even charge for the third person in our party who did not have a dining package or our toddler

[pokerguy90]

Thank you both for the quick replies.  Very Helpful, NCL customer service told me otherwise.  They said "Its (1) Appetizer (1) Main under $25 (1) Dessert.  That did not seem right to me because looking at a few menus online.  It states what items have a surcharge with the meal plan.   

[CleverUserNameHere]

17 minutes ago, pokerguy90 said:

Thank you both for the quick replies.  Very Helpful, NCL customer service told me otherwise.  They said "Its (1) Appetizer (1) Main under $25 (1) Dessert.  That did not seem right to me because looking at a few menus online.  It states what items have a surcharge with the meal plan.   

 

I think that's the "rule" but in practice I don't think the crew really want to be bothered with an upset guest. They also don't want to parse out who ordered what when charging a third guest without a dining plan

[UKstages]

also, the $25 reference is arbitrary and predates recent price increases on the menu. my experience has been, as long as it's not an "upcharge" item, it's covered by the dining package. you won't find that in print anywhere, at least not yet, but that has been my experience.

[Jana60]

2 hours ago, hallux said:

As is said in all the other threads on this topic (there are MANY) - the only restriction is one entree, the rest is "open season" so to speak.

This is not true! NCL has clearly printed on their website that you are allowed one appetizer, one entrée, and one dessert.   The main question I have is how many sides you are allowed to have.    I have observed that most of the waiters in the specialty restaurants will allow you to have as many sides as you want because they are hoping for a big tip. But I have had some waiters tell me I was only allowed to have two sides.   I’m also not sure whether a salad or soup counts as the appetizer.

[Liljo22]

2 minutes ago, Jana60 said:

This is not true! NCL has clearly printed on their website that you are allowed one appetizer, one entrée, and one dessert.   The main question I have is how many sides you are allowed to have.    I have observed that most of the waiters in the specialty restaurants will allow you to have as many sides as you want because they are hoping for a big tip. But I have had some waiters tell me I was only allowed to have two sides.   I’m also not sure whether a salad or soup counts as the appetizer.

While that is what their website says, that is not what there computer system goes by.  Multiple apps and desserts are not charged by the computer no matter how much the waiter tells you different.  

[Jana60]

3 minutes ago, Liljo22 said:

While that is what their website says, that is not what there computer system goes by.  Multiple apps and desserts are not charged by the computer no matter how much the waiter tells you different.  

That would be great! My sister and I were wondering how we were going to choose between the French onion soup and the escargot in LeBistro!    

[hallux]

42 minutes ago, Jana60 said:

This is not true!

Are you sure?  Directly from the promo terms and conditions - https://www.ncl.com/about/terms-and-conditions/promotions

• Specialty Dining Packages include one main course per person at Cagney's and Le Bistro
• Additional main courses will be charged at the a la carte price listed on the menu

 

I see no mention of limits on apps or desserts...

[LisaLisa87]

We sailed on Breakaway a couple of weeks go and ate at 3 a la carte specialty restaurants. Here's what we were told at each. Each of these are per person. YMMV, as always.

 

La Cucina

One item from the soup/antipasti/salad section

One item from the pasta/risotto or pizza section, or a second item from the soup/antipasti/salad section

One item from the second course section (or entrée size pasta)

One dessert

 

Cagney's

Two items from the starters or soups/salads section

One entrée

Two sides

One dessert

 

Ocean Blue

One appetizer

One soup or salad

One entrée

Two sides

One dessert

 

We always had more than enough food.

 

ETA: I'm wondering whether this varies by ship and/or sailing depending on stock, especially since some items seem to be in short supply or hard to get due to the pandemic.

Edited June 9, 2022 by LisaLisa87

[snorklinbarb]

Actually the only venues listed in the t & c saying 1 entree are Le Bistro and Cagney's.  And that an extra entree will be charged.  So presumably at other specialties one could order more than one entree even.  Someone here reported they tried to have both a pizza and entree at La Cucina and were told that was not included - but they should have been able to.

 

There are no restrictions regarding the # of apps, soups, salads, desserts. On Escape the waiters informed me that those were "unlimited" and did ask that one choose an entree.

 

Some waiters (and I guess reps on the phone?) have in their mind this "1, 1, 1" formula but it is not accurate.  Ongoing training on this topic as it comes up all the time.  Crew just signing on, especially after 2 years being at home, sometime come on the ship with some previous (mis)conception in their minds.  In Bayamo by Ocean Blue a couple of waiters gave wrong info and the Restaurant Mgr. on Escape immediately held retraining for all staff all venues.

 

Here are the t & c right from the website.  Not sure where on the website something indicating "1, 1, 1" is listed.  @Jana60what part of the website did you find that?  Does not seem correct.  This is what I found just now:

 

• Applicable to guests 1-2 on the reservation
• Dining package is applicable to guest ages 2 and older
• Package prices are subject to change
• Guest is responsible for 20% gratuities on the retail value of the Specialty Dining Package prior to cruise
• 20% gratuities on the retail value of the Specialty Dining Package are included when booking through the Australia office
• For Casino booked reservations – promotion code CASFAS will be added under referral code CASUPALL on sail lengths 7 nights or longer for Balcony and above staterooms
• Packages are based on a per meal basis
• Any Harvest Caye bars, restaurants, or venues, The Bake Shop, Ice Cream Bar, Gelato, specialty items in the Asian restaurant, Special Occasion/Holiday menus (New Year's, Christmas, etc.),
• Jazz Brunch, Wine Lovers and Murder Mystery lunches, and beverages are not included as part of the Specialty Dining Packages
• Guests are permitted to pre-reserve specialty dining with entertainment included However, the guest is responsible to pay the full retail value
• If the guest chooses to use the reservation as part of their specialty dining package, they will need to make these arrangements once onboard
• Specialty Dining Packages include one main course per person at Cagney's and Le Bistro
• Additional main courses will be charged at the a la carte price listed on the menu
• There is no minimum or maximum to the number of meals that can be redeemed in a day, however each meal is counted towards the package

 

 

[hallux]

@snorklinbarb I wonder if @Jana60 is referring to the restrictions on the Platinum perk meals where there IS a limit of 1 on each course...

[KeithJenner]

20 minutes ago, hallux said:

@snorklinbarb I wonder if @Jana60 is referring to the restrictions on the Platinum perk meals where there IS a limit of 1 on each course...

Yes, I think he is.

 

This discussion just goes round in circles. You can just read a random thread out of the hundreds that there are on here and you will see all the same old confusion, random musings from NCL staff, but the facts are the same, only entrees are restricted.

[snorklinbarb]

28 minutes ago, hallux said:

@snorklinbarb I wonder if @Jana60 is referring to the restrictions on the Platinum perk meals where there IS a limit of 1 on each course...

I've often thought that as well - waiters confusing the 2.

Now they've (nicely) expanded the Latitudes dining.  First voucher is to be used at Le Bistro, Cagney's, Onda or Ocean Blue and includes wine.

 

2nd one can be used just like SDP at any venue but at Food Republic or Pincho Tapas one chooses 4 items, again just like SDP.  

 

With this expanded use of the Latitudes vouchers, they were not enforcing 1, 1, 1 nor are they charging the excess over the $35 max - with the new menus, entrees have gone up so much in price that there are often few items under the $35 (such as Le Bistro).   Before covid, guests were receiving bills for nominal amounts (like $2.20) for their "overage".  It put loyal guests off.  NCL apparently listened because now you can order whatever entree you'd like - except a few items like Ocean Blue or Le Bistro lobster that have a $25 surcharge with SDP (or when using Latitudes voucher).  At Cagney's, if you want the crab cake appetizer, it's a $5 surcharge.

 

The actual vouchers have not been updated and still say $35 max for an entree.  They say the next printed batch will be corrected.  There was a letter day 1 on Escape about expanding usage to all specialty venues.  Came as a surprise to me - nice!

 

Some posters here say they actually carry with them the t & c on the SDP because they encounter the 1, 1, 1 issue.  If you do encounter a waiter giving you this misinformation you should ask to speak to the AMD or MD.   At the Meet & Greet, they give out a card that lists key senior officers and direct extensions.  So if all else fails, you can contact the Restaurant Mgr to take care of the issue on the spot.  

 

Agree with @KeithJennerthat this issue seems to go round and round over and over.  NCL has had the SDP around for years, as well as the vouchers, and they need to keep retraining to weed out the incorrect info some of the waiters still give out.  

[nferr]

1 hour ago, Jana60 said:

That would be great! My sister and I were wondering how we were going to choose between the French onion soup and the escargot in LeBistro!    

 

 Went to Le Bistro twice on my recent cruise using the free dining package. First night I could order as many appetizers as I wanted, second night different waitress would only allow me one. Cagneys was letting me order as many as I wanted.

[snorklinbarb]

6 minutes ago, nferr said:

 

 Went to Le Bistro twice on my recent cruise using the free dining package. First night I could order as many appetizers as I wanted, second night different waitress would only allow me one. Cagneys was letting me order as many as I wanted.

Did you speak up at all the 2nd trip to Le Bistro?

Consistency is so important and it doesn't help when different waiters give out different information!

 

One night in Bayamo by Ocean Blue I ordered 3 apps and clam chowder, no entree and 1 dessert.  No problem after the retraining.  I was using an SDP dinner.  

 

Another night used SDP in Food Republic and ordered 4 items.  The AMD insisted I have a dessert as well and covered that.  Fun use of SDP when you don't want a full dinner elsewhere (I was on for a long time).  

 

Showed up with my Latitudes  voucher at one venue and the host incorrectly said it was only good in Moderno or La Cucina (still printed on the voucher).  That was the old system.   He had just signed on and apparently wasn't aware of the Latitudes letter expanding the usage at any venue.  The Restaurant Mgr happened to be there and corrected the issue on the spot.  

 

As @LisaLisa87indicated, they had plenty of food everywhere using SDP but actually they could have had anything they wanted in terms of apps, soups, salads, desserts, sides that they wanted.  There is no limit of "2 sides" or "1 dessert."  

 

Hopefully they will carry out training fleet wide so that inconsistencies and misinformation disappear!

 

 

[LGW59]

2 hours ago, Jana60 said:

This is not true! NCL has clearly printed on their website that you are allowed one appetizer, one entrée, and one dessert.   The main question I have is how many sides you are allowed to have.    I have observed that most of the waiters in the specialty restaurants will allow you to have as many sides as you want because they are hoping for a big tip. But I have had some waiters tell me I was only allowed to have two sides.   I’m also not sure whether a salad or soup counts as the appetizer.

If so, there is a very $imple $olution

[BirdTravels]

4 hours ago, pokerguy90 said:

Thank you both for the quick replies.  Very Helpful, NCL customer service told me otherwise.  They said "Its (1) Appetizer (1) Main under $25 (1) Dessert.  That did not seem right to me because looking at a few menus online.  It states what items have a surcharge with the meal plan.   

Did you read the actual terms and conditions for the offer you paid for? You are talking to a minimum wage call center person who can only reply with what they “google” on their call center system. The restrictions above are the old platinum dinner restrictions (not even current). You restrictions are a single entree. And anything specifically marked with an upcharge. We were on a cruise last month and had no restrictions. 

 

https://www.ncl.com/about/terms-and-conditions/promotions

Edited June 9, 2022 by BirdTravels

[kochleffel]

3 hours ago, hallux said:

referring to the restrictions on the Platinum perk meals where there IS a limit of 1 on each course...

I've only just become Platinum, but I've been the guest a few times of someone who was. This is a frequent matter of confusion, not only among passengers but sometimes on the part of dining stewards who aren't clear about whether people are using a Platinum certificate or a specialty dining plan.

 

[GALSews]

Bird has got it correct. She provided the link. Here is the text and I have italicized and made bold the relevant piece, [I thought they had changed the Platinum and above meals to match the SDP, but now I can't find it and I still see the limit of 1 of all courses.] 

 

"Specialty Dining Packages (SDP) are available online for pre-sale or onboard during the first two days of the voyage. SDP is not available on 1 and 2-day sailings; On 3-day sailings, SDP is for sale on day 1 only. No refunds available if not all meals are used. SDPs are personal (per person, e.g., 2 guests cannot share 1 SDP meal) and non-transferable (guests cannot give their SDP meals to someone else). SDP does not include any beverages and additional main courses/premium menu items will incur charges. An SDP meal in Food Republic, Pincho, Sushi and Wasabi includes 4 menu items. A 20% gratuity and specialty service charge will be added to the package price. No SDP kids pricing available." 

 

Beverages aren't included (however, if you are me iced tea, hot tea and water are free anyway) and there is a limit to 1 main course without additional charge. Since it says nothing about any other course, have at it. Exception is Food Republic through Wasabi which includes 4 menu items.

[hallux]

10 minutes ago, GALSews said:

Bird has got it correct. She provided the link

Yup, same exact link I provided earlier in the thread...

Edited June 9, 2022 by hallux

[insidecabin]

Used a Cagnies/bistro voucher at raw bar recently, got the wine.

 

Now the latitude vouchers are effectively a dinner package meal it will wash out.

 

They had already dropped the $35 limit last year, extra(over 2) starters/soup/salad would not get charged.

 

The T&C on line have rarely reflected reality on the ships.

 

There was a time where one voucher would wipe out all the  bill for 2 people(I had extra the OH had none)

The POS was well broken.

[graphicguy]

NCL has always been "loosey-goosey" on SD inclusions/exclusions for quite some time.  I agree that it really kind of depends on the wait staff and management of any of those particular restaurants.  I've had some waiters/waitresses tell me very specifically what wasn't/was included.  I've had others who would bring me more than one entre if I even hint that I couldn't make up my mind on the selections without me asking.

 

Written policy seems to be more of a suggestion than hard and fast rules.