How does the "Free At Sea" specialty dinners work? What is included?

[DaDead]

We just booked an Alaska Cruise on the NCL Bliss.  It includes a "Free At Sea" package.  Drinks - I know that it covers any drinks up to $15, but how does the Specialty restaurant work?  Is there a price limit? Or can you order anything?  Can anyone recommend which restaurants I would get the most bang for my buck?

[ggTexasGal]

5 minutes ago, DaDead said:

We just booked an Alaska Cruise on the NCL Bliss.  It includes a "Free At Sea" package.  Drinks - I know that it covers any drinks up to $15, but how does the Specialty restaurant work?  Is there a price limit? Or can you order anything?  Can anyone recommend which restaurants I would get the most bang for my buck?

There are lots of posts that exist with the information you seek. 

Yes, there are price limits, as well as each person being limited to 1 starter/appetizer, 1 soup or 1 salad (not both), 1 entrée (some have UP-charges), and 1 dessert.

Lots of differing opinions about restaurants.  Therefore, you will want to study NCL's website for those on the BLISS, and/or read other recent posts.

[DaDead]

Thank you for your response.  I did try to find this info, but there are so, so many posts - maybe I didn't look far enough back.  

[ggTexasGal]

24 minutes ago, DaDead said:

Thank you for your response.  I did try to find this info, but there are so, so many posts - maybe I didn't look far enough back.  

I'm not sure if you have looked at the NCL website, but, if you go to:

 https://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/bliss/deck-plans  you can find the restaurants by deck plan.

Then if you scroll down you can see what's listed on that deck.

Deck 8, for example, has Ocean Blue, Los Lobos, Food Republic, Cagney's, La Cucina.  Each of those restaurants has a "sample menu" that you can click on to open. 

We like Cagney's, Ocean Blue, La Cucina, and Le Bistro (different Deck...17).

 

Edited February 21, 2023 by ggTexasGal
added

[ggTexasGal]

@DaDead I also want to state that many of the same restaurants are on each of the other ships, and there are some great recent reviews that have photos and comments about specific items.

Perhaps those might be of interest/help you!

[complawyer]

dedad. we have never been precluded from ordering or limiting anything  on the menu at cagneys, or le bistro. including appetizers, soup, salad, main course and add ons like mushroom, baked potato, onion rings, etc. i believe, however you are limited to 1 item as the main course .

 

enjoy your cruise and eat up!

[wcook]

This may be obvious, but you get a set number of dinners depending upon what kind of room you booked. Usually 2. 

[hallux]

1 hour ago, complawyer said:

dedad. we have never been precluded from ordering or limiting anything  on the menu at cagneys, or le bistro. including appetizers, soup, salad, main course and add ons like mushroom, baked potato, onion rings, etc. i believe, however you are limited to 1 item as the main course .

 

enjoy your cruise and eat up!

There are many reports of this changing, including a link to the NCL page (posted by a knowledgeable member) where this policy is actually now in writing - 

That said - I can pack food away but have never left hungry when limiting to 1/1/1/1.  Shoot - I left food on my plate at Cagney's last year!!!

[moody cruiser]

And if you're still hungry after dining all courses at any of the specialty restaurants, there is always The Garden Cafe where you can buffet your way to a fuller stomach.  Not like this is something I do on a routine basis when sailing, btw, of course........

Edited February 22, 2023 by moody cruiser

[BirdTravels]

7 hours ago, DaDead said:

We just booked an Alaska Cruise on the NCL Bliss.  It includes a "Free At Sea" package.  Drinks - I know that it covers any drinks up to $15, but how does the Specialty restaurant work?  Is there a price limit? Or can you order anything?  Can anyone recommend which restaurants I would get the most bang for my buck?

Enjoy the Bliss! Alaska is a beautiful place to cruise. 

 

You can use this link to get to the roster of restaurants on the Bliss.

https://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/bliss/whats-on-board/specialty-dining

The restaurants have a link to sample menus. As pointed out a very very limited number of selections have an additional charge if you are using the dining package (e.g., Surf and Turf at Cagney's has a $25 supplemental charge if you are using the dining package). 

 

The most popular is Cagney's Steakhouse. The least popular is Q BBQ. Personally, we would pick Le Bistro, Ocean Blue, Teppanyaki, Los Lobos, Cagney's, La Cucina, and Q in that order,,, but that is a personal choice. 

 

The new rules for specialty dining can be found at

https://www.ncl.com/specialty-dining-package/faq

All Specialty Restaurant menu items are included except Seafood Platter in Raw Bar. An SDP meal in a la carte restaurants includes 1 appetizer, 1 soup or salad, 1 main course and 1 dessert (does not apply to cover charge restaurants or Food Republic, Pincho Tapas Bar and Sushi, where a meal includes any 4 menu items). SDP does not include beverages and additional and/or premium menu items will incur charges.

 

As you noted, the beverage package covers the first $15 of each drink. If the cost of the drink exceeds $15, you pay the difference plus a 20% gratuity on the difference. So, if you order a $16 drink, you pay $1 + $0.20 = $1.20 for the drink. Unless you are ordering top-shelf liquor, it is hard to exceed $15. 

 

Edited February 22, 2023 by BirdTravels

[complawyer]

hallux! if it changed, it must have been recently, we were on the jewel trans canal cruise, jan 27 thru feb 4th, and no one gave us any dining/ordering restrictions, especially in cagneys.

 

unlike bird travels, my 1st dining choice is always cagneys

[chev29]

ON the Jade, our two meals are only for La Cucina and Moderno. All others we have to pay.

[Two Wheels Only]

5 hours ago, complawyer said:

hallux! if it changed, it must have been recently, we were on the jewel trans canal cruise, jan 27 thru feb 4th, and no one gave us any dining/ordering restrictions, especially in cagneys.

 

unlike bird travels, my 1st dining choice is always cagneys

 

The 1/1/1/1 restriction is probably going to be one of those things that starts inconsistently on one ship then spreads (like a virus) to the rest of the fleet.

[hallux]

2 hours ago, chev29 said:

ON the Jade, our two meals are only for La Cucina and Moderno. All others we have to pay.

Those are the Platinum certificates.  Specialty dining as part of the Free At Sea (what the topic was asking about) are valid at ALL specialty venues.

[Liljo22]

To piggyback Bird Travels' comment about the supplemental charge, any item that has an extra charge will be clearly label as $XX Dining Package Supplement.  You are not limited by a price and have to pay the difference like how the drink package works.  This is only for at most 2 items at a couple of the higher end restaurants.  

[BirdTravels]

19 minutes ago, hallux said:

Those are the Platinum certificates.  Specialty dining as part of the Free At Sea (what the topic was asking about) are valid at ALL specialty venues.

Platinum certificates can be used at any specialty restaurant now. And they are only restricted by SDP upcharges. One with wine. One without. 

[BirdTravels]

1 minute ago, Liljo22 said:

To piggyback Bird Travels' comment about the supplemental charge, any item that has an extra charge will be clearly label as $XX Dining Package Supplement.  You are not limited by a price and have to pay the difference like how the drink package works.  This is only for at most 2 items at a couple of the higher end restaurants.  

And there is nothing stopping you from ordering an upcharge item, you will be charge the supplemental fee plus grats.  For example, we will order the Lobster Thermidor or Filet with Foie Gras in Le Bistro. 

[hallux]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

Platinum certificates can be used at any specialty restaurant now. And they are only restricted by SDP upcharges. One with wine. One without. 

I understand that.  However those certificates are the only place, recently, where specialty dining 'credit' was restricted to certain venues, which I was pointing out.  I wasn't saying they are currently restricted.

[DaDead]

On 2/22/2023 at 7:57 AM, BirdTravels said:

And there is nothing stopping you from ordering an upcharge item, you will be charge the supplemental fee plus grats.  For example, we will order the Lobster Thermidor or Filet with Foie Gras in Le Bistro. 

Le Bistro is my favorite restaurant, and I LOVE Foie Gras!

[sid_9169]

In the past, you could pretty much order as many apps and sides as you wanted, but they're becoming much more restrictive now. On my recent Prima cruise I tested the waters at Le Bistro by ordering an additional app, and was presented with a bill for the additional item at the end of service. 

[C Dog]

Anyone know how the new rules of "An SDP meal in a la carte restaurants includes 1 appetizer, 1 soup or salad, 1 main course and 1 dessert" applies to La Cucina, specifically, with the pastas/pizzas?  They weren't usually considered "main course" in the past, but will they count as the main course now?

[MCMC100]

10 minutes ago, C Dog said:

Anyone know how the new rules of "An SDP meal in a la carte restaurants includes 1 appetizer, 1 soup or salad, 1 main course and 1 dessert" applies to La Cucina, specifically, with the pastas/pizzas?  They weren't usually considered "main course" in the past, but will they count as the main course now?

Just sailed the Getaway and ate at LaCucina. I ordered a pasta and the beef tenderloin. Other family did the same with one exception who wanted a pasta as a main entree. The entrée portion was notably larger.
The menu states that you can order the pasta as an entree for $5 more (assuming you’re paying for the meal outside the FAS package) so clearly they view the pasta as the first part of the main entree as is traditional in most Italian restaurants. 

[victory2020]

On 2/21/2023 at 11:37 PM, complawyer said:

hallux! if it changed, it must have been recently, we were on the jewel trans canal cruise, jan 27 thru feb 4th, and no one gave us any dining/ordering restrictions, especially in cagneys.

 

unlike bird travels, my 1st dining choice is always cagneys

Just got off the Joy, Ocean Blue limited it to one app, salad & dessert only.

[Ellis1138]

I tried looking but haven't seen how the Free At Sea Dining applies to Moderno, since that one doesn't generally have the appetizer, salad, etc.

[hallux]

Just now, Ellis1138 said:

I tried looking but haven't seen how the Free At Sea Dining applies to Moderno, since that one doesn't generally have the appetizer, salad, etc.

Moderno is a 'cover charge' rather than an a la carte venue.