Odyssey and UDP with No Upcharge

[js]

Hi.

 

I have a one night dinner given to me by my TA and thinking about booking the 3 night UDP

for our other nights on the Odyssey.

 

What restaurants can we go to that do not include an upcharge? I believe one is Izumi but I can go to Izumi Sushi.

Also for those that have purchased at different times both the UDP and 3 day, which did you prefer?

Thank you.

[taglovestocruise]

You can go to Wonderland, Chop's, Giovannis, Playmakers.  Izumi  seems to be hit or miss and ship to ship and sailing to sailing.  We have had the UDP once and it was way to much on a 12 night cruise. Three day and TA gift would be perfect for 7 nights. 

[leaveitallbehind]

Well technically all of the specialty restaurants have an upcharge, or a fee.  But any of the dining packages will cover that so you can dine at any of them at no additional charge. That is what the package purchase price covers. (Chef's Table is excluded and would require an additional fee).  Izumi is a la carte and we don't include that in the package as we never reach the fee allowance when we dine there.

 

And to be clear, there is the Unlimited Dining Package, which covers all specialty restaurants for dinner every night on board, and I believe also includes a couple of lunches.  The other packages, such as the 3 night you refer to is for any restaurant for dinner on any three nights, with the first one typically being on day one or two. But they are separate packages - there is no such thing as a UDP 3 night package..

 

So if your TA provided one night and you purchase the 3 night package, you will have 4 total nights at a specialty restaurant.  And you can dine multiple times at any of them within the total nights allowed with your package.

Edited May 10 by leaveitallbehind

[Tree_skier]

2 hours ago, js said:

Hi.

 

I have a one night dinner given to me by my TA and thinking about booking the 3 night UDP

for our other nights on the Odyssey.

 

What restaurants can we go to that do not include an upcharge? I believe one is Izumi but I can go to Izumi Sushi.

Also for those that have purchased at different times both the UDP and 3 day, which did you prefer?

Thank you.

I have purchased both...  I think the UDP, when on sale, is the best value.  Odyssey is great since she has a lot of options. 

 

We did two nights in Chops, two night in Giovanni's, two nights in Hibachi and one night in Wonderland.  If I was cruising Odyssey again I'd do it the same way and pay the uncharge for the hibachi. It was very, very good.

 

For lunches, beyond the specialty restaurants on sea days, you have the option of Playmakers which has great food and the English Pub.  Odyssey's pub is the only one, that I know of, that serves food.  We ate there for lunch at least three days, if I remember right, on our 8 day cruise.  

 

 

[sandebeach]

5 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

I have purchased both...  I think the UDP, when on sale, is the best value.  Odyssey is great since she has a lot of options. 

 

We did two nights in Chops, two night in Giovanni's, two nights in Hibachi and one night in Wonderland.  If I was cruising Odyssey again I'd do it the same way and pay the uncharge for the hibachi. It was very, very good.

 

For lunches, beyond the specialty restaurants on sea days, you have the option of Playmakers which has great food and the English Pub.  Odyssey's pub is the only one, that I know of, that serves food.  We ate there for lunch at least three days, if I remember right, on our 8 day cruise.  

 

 

Currently on Anthem and bought nachos and cheese wedges last night in the Pub. 

[Weluv2cruise2gether]

We had the unlimited dining package on Odyssey this past March. We did Teppenyaki (hibachi), and we had to pay an additional up charge. 

[js]

Thank you all very much.

I'm guessing the first day we get on does not count as a sea day is this correct?

[leaveitallbehind]

17 minutes ago, js said:

Thank you all very much.

I'm guessing the first day we get on does not count as a sea day is this correct?

No.  Day one you are in your departure port and is considered boarding and departure day, even though at some point you are at sea. In most cases you don't leave port until late afternoon, and some itineraries don't leave until the evening.  Days when you are cruising and have no port of call are considered sea days, and will be identified as such on your itinerary.

Edited May 13 by leaveitallbehind

[js]

31 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

No.  Day one you are in your departure port and is considered boarding and departure day, even though at some point you are at sea. In most cases you don't leave port until late afternoon, and some itineraries don't leave until the evening.  Days when you are cruising and have no port of call are considered sea days, and will be identified as such on your itinerary.

Thank you very much.

 

This is helpful.

[js]

On 5/10/2024 at 5:05 PM, taglovestocruise said:

You can go to Wonderland, Chop's, Giovannis, Playmakers.  Izumi  seems to be hit or miss and ship to ship and sailing to sailing.  We have had the UDP once and it was way to much on a 12 night cruise. Three day and TA gift would be perfect for 7 nights. 

Thank you. Do you mean Izumi sushi is hit or miss with the package?

On 5/10/2024 at 5:14 PM, leaveitallbehind said:

Well technically all of the specialty restaurants have an upcharge, or a fee.  But any of the dining packages will cover that so you can dine at any of them at no additional charge. That is what the package purchase price covers. (Chef's Table is excluded and would require an additional fee).  Izumi is a la carte and we don't include that in the package as we never reach the fee allowance when we dine there.

 

And to be clear, there is the Unlimited Dining Package, which covers all specialty restaurants for dinner every night on board, and I believe also includes a couple of lunches.  The other packages, such as the 3 night you refer to is for any restaurant for dinner on any three nights, with the first one typically being on day one or two. But they are separate packages - there is no such thing as a UDP 3 night package..

 

So if your TA provided one night and you purchase the 3 night package, you will have 4 total nights at a specialty restaurant.  And you can dine multiple times at any of them within the total nights allowed with your package.

Thank you. Yes, we technically will have four nights. My dh is a big eater but I am not and happy with an English Muffin or fruit but enjoy going out for a nice meal and drinks.

I'm not going to do the UDP and we will just have to do MDR the other nights.

On 5/10/2024 at 5:16 PM, Tree_skier said:

I have purchased both...  I think the UDP, when on sale, is the best value.  Odyssey is great since she has a lot of options. 

 

We did two nights in Chops, two night in Giovanni's, two nights in Hibachi and one night in Wonderland.  If I was cruising Odyssey again I'd do it the same way and pay the uncharge for the hibachi. It was very, very good.

 

For lunches, beyond the specialty restaurants on sea days, you have the option of Playmakers which has great food and the English Pub.  Odyssey's pub is the only one, that I know of, that serves food.  We ate there for lunch at least three days, if I remember right, on our 8 day cruise.  

 

 

Thank you. We have two sea days and like to be lazy so may just keep the 3 night but your post is very helpful to me. I appreciate it very much (as always)!

On 5/10/2024 at 9:34 PM, Weluv2cruise2gether said:

We had the unlimited dining package on Odyssey this past March. We did Teppenyaki (hibachi), and we had to pay an additional up charge. 

Thank you. Yes, I know that is one of them and now guessing Izumi not sushi is the other, is this correct? 

[leaveitallbehind]

9 minutes ago, js said:

Thank you very much.

 

This is helpful.

You're welcome.  Enjoy your cruise!  I think you will like Odyssey - very nice ship with many good dining and entertainment venues.  We will be on her in October of '25.  

[js]

Also, what approximately is the upcharge for the hibachi once we have the dining package?
Thank you.

[leaveitallbehind]

1 minute ago, js said:

Thank you. Do you mean Izumi sushi is hit or miss with the package.

Thank you. Yes, I know that is one of them and now guessing Izumi not sushi is the other, is this correct? 

It is not a matter of hit or miss. The restaurant is one of our favorites and has always been good. But Izumi is a la carte and as such, we have found that if you are including it in the dining package the fee they provide to cover the a la carte charges is typically more than what we eat a la carte, so to us the value is not there for the package. We would rather pay Izumi a la carte and include other specialty restaurants which typically have a higher individual fee to get our full value from the package.  Just our experience.

 

And to be clear, Izumi is sushi and Teppanyaki (aka Hibachi) is the Japanese steak house.  On many ships the two (Izumi / Hibachi) are next to each other in separate rooms. On Odyssey they (Izumi / Teppanyaki)  are separate deck restaurant locations

[leaveitallbehind]

4 minutes ago, js said:

Also, what approximately is the upcharge for the hibachi once we have the dining package?
Thank you.

$15 pp.  Also a very good and entertaining venue.

Edited May 13 by leaveitallbehind

[Weluv2cruise2gether]

10 minutes ago, js said:

Thank you. Yes, I know that is one of them and now guessing Izumi not sushi is the other, is this correct? 

Teppenyaki is the hibachi restaurant on odyssey and they also have Izumi which is sushi. You can use the unlimited dining package in Izumi however they do the price fix plan so you get one app, 2 large plates and a dessert. But with the 2 large plates, if you are ordering sushi rolls, they no longer give you a full roll, it is half a roll when using the unlimited dining package. 

[js]

I just now saw there is also a 2 day option. Chops plus another day.

So, I can purchase the 3 day and then the 2 day for 5 days and have the TA day, which

makes it 6 nights, which is perfect and less than the UDP, just one day less and no food comps at sea which is fine, I hope to be outside in sun and not inside eating on a sea day.

 

 

[leaveitallbehind]

7 minutes ago, Weluv2cruise2gether said:

You can use the unlimited dining package in Izumi however they do the price fix plan so you get one app, 2 large plates and a dessert. But with the 2 large plates, if you are ordering sushi rolls, they no longer give you a full roll, it is half a roll when using the unlimited dining package. 

They offer the price fix plan as you indicate as one option, but to be clear for the OP that is with or without a dining package. The fix cost typically has been less than the plan credit allowed. But if this option is not chosen, everything on the menu remains a la carte.  Have done both options many times outside of a dining plan, using our plan for other specialty restaurants.

Edited May 13 by leaveitallbehind

[js]

16 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

It is not a matter of hit or miss. The restaurant is one of our favorites and has always been good. But Izumi is a la carte and as such, we have found that if you are including it in the dining package the fee they provide to cover the a la carte charges is typically more than what we eat a la carte, so to us the value is not there for the package. We would rather pay Izumi a la carte and include other specialty restaurants which typically have a higher individual fee to get our full value from the package.  Just our experience.

 

And to be clear, Izumi is sushi and Teppanyaki (aka Hibachi) is the Japanese steak house.  On many ships the two (Izumi / Hibachi) are next to each other in separate rooms. On Odyssey they (Izumi / Teppanyaki)  are separate deck restaurant locations

 

14 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

$15 pp.  Also a very good and entertaining venue.

Thank you. Yes, that isn't bad but wow, it should have stayed included. Thanks.

12 minutes ago, Weluv2cruise2gether said:

Teppenyaki is the hibachi restaurant on odyssey and they also have Izumi which is sushi. You can use the unlimited dining package in Izumi however they do the price fix plan so you get one app, 2 large plates and a dessert. But with the 2 large plates, if you are ordering sushi rolls, they no longer give you a full roll, it is half a roll when using the unlimited dining package. 

Thank you. Wow that they don't give a full roll. We go to Rock Republic on NCL and they give full rolls and so delish. Oh well I appreciate your letting me know. Thank you.

[leaveitallbehind]

12 minutes ago, js said:

 

Thank you. Yes, that isn't bad but wow, it should have stayed included. Thanks.

Thank you. Wow that they don't give a full roll. We go to Rock Republic on NCL and they give full rolls and so delish. Oh well I appreciate your letting me know. Thank you.

@Weluv2cruise2gether indicates that the full rolls are not available using the dining package.  They are available a la carte, which is also part of the reason we don't include Izumi in our dining packages.  We almost exclusively eat in the specialty restaurants and therefore always have some dining package involved with our cruise planning.  Izumi is one of the venues we always go to but have never included it as part of the package. Whether we choose the price fix or a la care option, it just works better for us for the reasons mentioned. Again, just our experience.

 

The upcharge with Hibachi likely is related to the entertainment provided by the Chefs with the dinner preparation.  They are excellent with their presentation and put on quite a show.

Edited May 13 by leaveitallbehind

[js]

Thank you all so so much for taking the time for your detailed responses.

 

I ended up booking so we have six night specialty dining.

 

1 Night from TA

3 Nights we just booked the dining package

2 Nights was new that just came up, one night Chops and we can chose our second restaurant.

So, 6 nights out of 7 and I told my dh that we won't go to a specialty on our Coco Cay day since we can hang on Hideaway Beach as long as we want and eat and drink and not be tied to run back to get ready for dinner.

 

Again, thank you all for your detailed responses.
Now to get the UBP, which is where I will excel. LOL

I wish I could just get the package for me because my dh only drinks beers and we have 4 drinks each being diamond. I will def. make use of the package, and my dh, not so much.

 

[leaveitallbehind]

47 minutes ago, js said:

Now to get the UBP, which is where I will excel. LOL

I wish I could just get the package for me because my dh only drinks beers and we have 4 drinks each being diamond. I will def. make use of the package, and my dh, not so much.

 

Guess we're not quite done yet - LOL. Just another point of view from our experience, but let me start by saying we never buy the drink packages. We are D+ so we each get 5 vouchers.  They are combinable in that I can use hers for me and visa versa, so for us the 10 combined daily pretty much covers our requirements. Especially when you factor in port of call days. We also typically only use them on alcoholic beverages, and with the voucher value at $15 we have never been denied a drink of choice. Water (above that provided) and soda, etc., would be a la carte for us.

 

So on the occasion where our vouchers have been used and we would want additional drinks of any type, paying for them a la carte would never reach the cost of the beverage package. On port of call days when we may have unused vouchers, we cash them in prior to going to bed for unopened canned and bottled beverages (beer, Truly, soda, water) and take them back to our stateroom for another time. It has always worked out well for us. 

 

With 8 combined, your results may vary. But do the (rough) math - the approximate breakeven for the packages is about 6-7 drinks per day per person, including port of call days. So with your 4 vouchers each you would need a total of about 10-11 drinks per day per person every day to justify the cost, since you both need to buy it.  Again I'm focusing on only on alcoholic beverages. Maybe it will work for you as it does for us.  Just saying....

Edited May 13 by leaveitallbehind

[js]

34 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

Guess we're not quite done yet - LOL. Just another point of view from our experience, but let me start by saying we never buy the drink packages. We are D+ so we each get 5 vouchers.  They are combinable in that I can use hers for me and visa versa, so for us the 10 combined daily pretty much covers our requirements. Especially when you factor in port of call days. We also typically only use them on alcoholic beverages, and with the voucher value at $15 we have never been denied a drink of choice. Water (above that provided) and soda, etc., would be a la carte for us.

 

So on the occasion where our vouchers have been used and we would want additional drinks of any type, paying for them a la carte would never reach the cost of the beverage package. On port of call days when we may have unused vouchers, we cash them in prior to going to bed for unopened canned and bottled beverages (beer, Truly, soda, water) and take them back to our stateroom for another time. It has always worked out well for us. 

 

With 8 combined, your results may vary. But do the (rough) math - the approximate breakeven for the packages is about 6-7 drinks per day per person, including port of call days. So with your 4 vouchers each you would need a total of about 10-11 drinks per day per person every day to justify the cost, since you both need to buy it.  Again I'm focusing on only on alcoholic beverages. Maybe it will work for you as it does for us.  Just saying....

Thank you. The 8 drinks (4 mine/4 dh) could work for dh and maybe a couple he would pay for but it won't work for me (4 a day). If I could just purchase the drink package for me, it would be a no brainer and I would do but it looks like I need to purchase for two people in the cabin.

[leaveitallbehind]

1 hour ago, js said:

If I could just purchase the drink package for me, it would be a no brainer and I would do but it looks like I need to purchase for two people in the cabin.

Yes you do, which is why in our case we look at the total drinks combined each day for both of us to justify the total cost for both packages - not just which one of us may end up buying a couple here and there.  We would never together buy the 10 -12 drink combined daily difference between our vouchers and drink package breakeven to justify it.  Again, just our experience. But there is the ease and variety of beverages included to perhaps make it worthwhile

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[js]

On 5/13/2024 at 2:49 PM, leaveitallbehind said:

Yes you do, which is why in our case we look at the total drinks combined each day for both of us to justify the total cost for both packages - not just which one of us may end up buying a couple here and there.  We would never together buy the 10 -12 drink combined daily difference between our vouchers and drink package breakeven to justify it.  Again, just our experience. But there is the ease and variety of beverages included to perhaps make it worthwhile

 

Enjoy your cruise.

Thank you. I appreciate your taking the time to respond. I appreciate it.