We would certainly consider booking this package again, especially if it goes on sale pre-cruise. September 16, 2021 in Royal Caribbean Dining. Teppanyaki dining at Izumi is one of the most popular specialty restaurants on any Royal Caribbean ship. Its a super fun atmosphere for dinner, and even more so if you are with a group. Any pros and cons would be appreciated,1st time cruising and want to experience it all. Royal Caribbean offers its guests that are fans of specialty dining the opportunity to purchase dining packages that, Royal Caribbean will introduce a new dining package that includes the most specialty dining options of any of its, Royal Caribbean has started offering dining packages on select Allure of the Seas sailings,that allow guests to enjoy, Royal Caribbean has a new pre-cruise purchase option on select sailings that combines the deluxe beverage package and, Royal Caribbean has quietly begun including Izumi Hibachi with the Unlimited Dining Package.Royal Caribbean's website, Theres no denying that there is plenty of unlimited, complimentary food on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Unlimited visits to speciality dining restaurants every night of your sailing and lunch on sea days. With that said, we suggest you make your remaining reservations immediately upon boarding the cruise ship. Meaning if there are two of us with package in cabin, do we get $35 or $70 credit? For bottles of wine under $100, you will receive 40% off, and bottles over $100, you will receive 20% off. Your email address will not be published. We did an analysis of Royal Caribbeans Unlimited Dining Package on a 3-day Navigator of the Seas cruise back in 2019. Home Cruise Royal Caribbean Royal Caribbean Unlimited Dining Plan Review. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Royal Caribbean Blog. When we first done it, we made the mistake of treating it like a three night package where to want to try a larger selection for a particular speciality resturant forgetting the fact you can go back there again, and again, and lunch on sea days. Dont let the $10 surcharge discourage you and give it a try. Apprently appetizers are not unlimited anymore. Welcome Aboard! Now, did we need to dine at specialty restaurants for all of these meals? All rights reserved 2022-2023 Copyright BoatingGeeks.com. Specialty, Do you know about when you'd like to sail? Unlimited visits to speciality dining restaurants every night of your sailing and lunch on sea days. I have a question about the unlimited dining package. When booking the package, we selected our preferred dining time of 6:30 pm. This is of course to say that you are able to secure reservations for a specialty restaurant each day once you are onboard the ship. If the restaurant is open and has space, you can use it! For specialty restaurants with a la carte pricing, the Unlimited Dining Package provides a $35 food credit per person for each visit. Do you have a review of Royal Caribbeans Unlimited Dining Plan? Breakfast is not included but we found a lot of options at MDR or Solarium Bistro. Guests are not able to make reservations for specialty dining before the cruise when they have a dining package. You can post now and register later. Regardless the food is not very expensive in the Pub to begin with, like 4-8$ for appetizers. Display as a link instead, All 4 of us have the Deluxe Beverage Package and hoped to have a few glasses of wine and a light lunch as we reserve our shows and dining. Thanks for the help! Once the check was closed out, you were free to return and start a new tab with another round of $20 credit. For this rate, you can eat as much as you want. Posted December 4, 2021 (edited) Hello Cruisers! Prior to this change, there was no limit at a la carte restaurants and guests could return to any a la carte restaurant on the same day and get another $20 per person credit. Thankfully we decided to have lunch there on like day three and it was incredible and we went back for dinner on the last night. The Unlimited Dining Package allows guests to enjoy multiple specialty restaurants* every nights of their sailing for one low price. Therefore, an Unlimited Dining Package is cheaper than paying for all cover charge restaurants individually if you plan to enjoy several meals during the cruise. Related Post: Complete Guide to Royal Caribbean Beverage Packages. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Generally do NOT purchase dining packages. Your previous content has been restored. Grab some potato skins, buffalo wings, and a knockout punch and you will be on your way to getting the party started! The Royal Caribbean does not announce a schedule of entertainment in advance, so it is best tocheck for it on their site. Premium items such as the seafood tower or upgraded steaks at Chops Grille will have an up-charge. This breaks down to $23 per person, per day. Wonderland - Wonderland is an interesting restaurant, the cuisine is beautifully designed and presents a visual . You can simply put your bags in a corner, and forget about them as you hang out until your cabin is ready. 1. The answers I received two years ago stated that we could buy wine by the bottle with dinner and buy more bottles if we wante. So, expect a supplementary cost on certain specialty restaurants aside from what you paid for the trip. We just booked a 2023 Spring transatlantic cruise and added the Unlimited Dining Package. If we had paid the cover charge, it would have been $42.99 a person, pre-cruise. Please note that restaurants vary by ship and are subject to availability. For more insight into the Royal Caribbean Dining Package, and the various options, see the below video: For a great review of the restaurants on board the Royal Caribbean, see the below video. 4 minutes ago, rs45thompson said: We have decided to get the UDP on our next cruise. All rights reserved. Plus, little cruisers get their very own menu a round-up of kid-friendly favorites from the grownups menu. This is great - Ill be on Odyssey in 3 weeks. ? 150 Central Park and Wonderland, on the other hand, are only open for dinner. Stay tuned as we will update this post as more details emerge. A courtesy reservation will be made for the first night of your cruise based on your preferred dining time. I purchased Black Friday discount on UNLIMITED Dining Package for upcoming family trip on Wonder of the Seas. Buy-Out Available Giovanni's Table Capacity: 70 Price: $$$$ Package does not include beverages, but does provide 40% off bottles of wine under $100, and 20% off bottles over $100. Can someone break down the "rules" around the unlimited dining package? Matt started cruising in 2004 and has since taken over 50 cruises. Meanwhile, transpacific cruises go from Sydney to the U.S., with plenty of white-sand-beach-filled South Pacific ports in between. Pasted as rich text. While I have done some other dining packages on Royal Caribbean, this was the first time I had done the unlimited package. *Reserve before you sail, and prices will be adjusted for kids once you are aboard, and reflected in your final account statement. Portside BBQ, Playmakers, and Giovannis Wine Bar are the exceptions, as you will only receive a $20 food credit. You can also make any changes to this courtesy reservation once onboard the ship. Children ages 6-12 are $10 per child. Instead, they must wait until they got onboard a ship to make reservations. 20102022Regal Sea Media LLC. Royal Caribbean first introduced their Unlimited Dining Package on cruise ships back in early 2019. For restaurants with a la carte pricing, youll receive a $20 food credit. Savor the savings with the Unlimited Dining Package! The Pub food was for whatever reason not included. Packages are available as follows Courteous do Diamond + member get a discount to go to the Coastal Grill or in buying a Restaurant pkge. We took our first cruise vacation together 13 years ago and have been hooked ever since. Though, our recommendation would still be to make your reservations immediately upon boarding the ship. Basically, Royal Caribbean uses the dining packages to replenish reservations that were unsold at their restaurants to boarders as soon as they board the ship. Check the prices of dining packages before your cruise, particularly when theres a sale on Cruise Planner. Enjoy multiple restaurants for a discounted price and save up to 40%. I purchased the Unlimited Dining Plan for the November 19th, 2020 sailing on Independence OTS a 7 day cruise. Ben & David give their take on their favorite and not-so-favorite RC restaurants. All the specialty restaurants are open for dinner, while some are open for lunch on selected sea days like Johnny Rockets, Sabor, and Jamies Italian. A single reservation should be used on the first or second night of the sailing. We did enjoy the food in Playmakers quite a bit while watching a game later in the evening. Royal Caribbean offers its guests that are fans of specialty dining the opportunity to purchase dining packages that, Royal Caribbean has quietly begun including Izumi Hibachi with the Unlimited Dining Package.Royal Caribbean's website, Royal Caribbean has a new pre-cruise purchase option on select sailings that combines the deluxe beverage package and, Royal Caribbean's unlimited dining package won't be as unlimited as it has been in the past, Have you heard about Royal Caribbean's specialty dining packages? Children are complementary from age of 0-5. Now, cruisers can truly dine at any venue, as much as they like. On selected days, breakfast and lunch are also offered in the main dining room. There's no official word why Royal Caribbean added a limit of one use per day for the fixed price menu. With its wide array of amenities, activities, and destinations, it's no surprise it's a popular choice among travelers, but are Royal Caribbean cruises. The average cost will be around $21 to $25 per night, depending on the length of the package you acquire. Also to note, the package does not include Chefs Table. Your kids can get their very own menu a collection of kid-friendly picks from the grownups menu. Beginning April 12, 2019, Royal Caribbean introduced a new dining option allowing cruisers to enjoy multiple specialty restaurants during their cruise for one set price. For short 3-day cruises, Royal Caribbean advertises the package as low as $29 a day, per person for the plan. Any lunches or snacks would provide you with additional cost savings. This breaks down to $23 per person, per day. So it should show up around 90 days before your sail date. Currently we have it booked for upcoming Symphony and Wonder. Here's the reasons to (and not to) get one. Royal Caribbean's unlimited dining package won't be as unlimited as it has been in the past. There is a lot to love about the dining on Royal Caribbean ships. Two brothers started Cruise Fever in 2011 when they decided they couldn't stop cruising so they might as well write about it. Even if it is a formal night, formal attire is not required, although a lot of guests opt to wear their formal dresses. In total, we had five specialty dining sessions (two lunches and three dinners) during this 3-day cruise. Do you have Cruise Fever too? When you plan on having a cruise and want to get the Royal Caribbean dining package, book your reservation for each meal before boarding the ship. Everything is awesome. Our goal has been to provide our readers with expansive coverage of all aspects of the Royal Caribbean experience. September 29, 2016. (Sponsored), Looking for the Best Cruise Deals? Getting a Royal Caribbean dining package is worth it. Royal Caribbean offers 4 different types of dining packages: Royal Caribbeans Unlimited Dining Package allows cruisers to enjoy multiple specialty restaurants every night of their cruise for one low price. We only had 4 nights and would of like a few more so we have booked for 15th October from Southampton , Liverpool (back home), Belfast and back to Southampton, 5 nights and we can actually get off this time at port. This tip might feel a bit like common sense, but its still worth noting. Actually you did not save anything.MDR meals included in cruise package at no extra cost. For one low price, you can enjoy multiple entrees and visit multiple specialty restaurants every night of your sailing. Follow along as we share our travel tips, cruise reviews, information on ports of call, and the latest cruise news to help you plan the ultimate cruise vacation. So, we essentially paid that difference to dine at Chops Grille and Hooked Seafood, the two most expensive restaurants on the ship. The average cost will be around $21 to $25 per night, depending on the length of the package you acquire. October 8, 2011. It's also possible this was meant to reduce crowding at these locations. Dining Packages - Royal Caribbean A PALATABLE ADVENTURE TO SATISFY ANY CRAVING SPECIALTY DINING PACKAGES You can experience several unique specialty restaurants and enjoy great savings when you purchase one of our Specialty Dining Packages for your cruise vacation. Using The Unlimited Dining Plan For our sailing, we took advantage of a pre-cruise sale and received 20% off the list price of the package, paying a total of $69 each. Once youve chosen your desired dining package, it As an additional perk, you will receive adiscount of 40% off bottles of wine under $100 and 20% off bottles above $100 while dining in specialty restaurants. To simplify your dining package decision-making, you should know how many specialty restaurants you would like to try. Izzumi was amazing, staff talked us through everything and asked what we liked and made recommendations from there. I tried Royal Caribbeans least well-known specialty restaurant: heres what I thought, Spotlight: Royal Caribbean dining packages, Izumi Hibachi now included with Unlimited Dining Package, Spotted: Deluxe Beverage and Ultimate Dining Package combo, Royal Caribbean adds daily limit to unlimited dining plan a la carte restaurants, 4 Easy steps for getting a Royal Caribbean dining package, Royal Caribbean specialty dining packages guide, 2022 Royal Caribbean Cruise Planning Guide, Guests with a dining package must wait to make reservations at specialty restaurants until they board the ship, One reservation must be used on the first or second night of the sailing, For restaurants with la carte pricing, you receive a $20 credit which can only be used once a day, Izumi Hibachi has a $15 surcharge on top of the dining package, which will be charged onboard, Certain venues are excluded from dining packages(Chefs Table, Vintages, etc. Dinner at this hallmark Royal Caribbean specialty restaurant goes far beyond the typical steakhouse experience, though, with reimagined classics like succulent Maine lobster, gruyere cheese tater tots, white truffle-scented mushroom soup, and of course, expertly prepared prime beef. I recently purchased the package for a three day sailing on Mariner of the Seas. Basically, the package covers all specialty dining venues, and gives you the. The prearranged dining on the first night of the cruise shows on the calendar as the third day of the cruise instead of the first. In addition to their complimentary choices,Royal Caribbean Cruises have a host of specialty restaurants like the Asian-inspired Sichuan Red and a Jamie Oliver Italian spot, and a la carte options like Playmakers sports bar, where you pay by the item. We took our first cruise vacation together 13 years ago and have been hooked ever since. I personally wouldnt do this though, as it would take up way too much time in one evening. Plus, the Princess had been hinting that she wanted to dine at Johnny Rockets for a snack one day. My fave was Wonderland (for the experience) & Chops (filet mignon of course), my teenage girl loved Izumi & my boy preferred Jamies & Chops. On the second day of this cruise, we spent all morning and afternoon on Perfect Day at CocoCay. We have a 12 night on Odyssey next October and our group has settled on the 5 night package because it is a very port intensive cruise (Holy Land/Greece) and we have several ports that leave late. When we went for lunch they recommended three appetizers (The meat and cheese plate, stromboli, & Caprese) all was great but then we each ordered our own actual pizza when we could have split one or really just had the apps for lunch. Guide to Royal Caribbeans Unlimited Dining Package. Royal Caribbean International Unlimited Dining Package Unlimited Dining Package By Coolhand, December 15, 2022 in Royal Caribbean International Followers 4 1 2 Next Page 1 of 2. We have 3 sea days plus embark day and one day where we leave the port at 3:00, so we figured theres 5 nights we could easily do. Some of the Royal Caribbean ship stations arrange solely for those with dining packages to book their reservations faster. Departing from Florida, Barcelona, Southampton and Copenhagen, these cruises include both tropical and cultural island stops, in ports such as the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Greenland and Iceland. Search Multiple Sites at Once Instant Real Time Pricing Search Now View All Cruises Powered by Cruiseline.com. Be cautious of prices: theres not a ton of info out there about the Unlimited dining package, so this article has been helpful. The going rate for Hibachi a la carte is around $45. As for breakfast, the only non complimentary breakfast I have seen is there is a new additional charge section on the Johnny Rockets menu for breakfast. With a dining package, you can enjoy these culinary treats at a cheap rate. If you do opt for the plan on a longer voyage, you would most likely need to eat about 5 of the 7 dinners in a specialty restaurant to get your value. Get all the details of this inclusive dining option in our complete guide to Royal Caribbeans Unlimited Dining Package (2022). The feeling that I got while I was dining at Chops Grille, Izumi, and Samba Grill was that they were trying too hard to be "special". You can experience several unique specialty restaurants and enjoy great savings when you purchase one of our Specialty Dining Packages for your cruise vacation. Get all the details of this inclusive dining option in our complete guide to Royal Caribbean's Unlimited Dining Package (2022). For ships with these venues, Teppanyaki/Izumi Hibachi is included, with a $10 surcharge, Chefs Table is included, with a $49.99 surcharge, and Dadong is included, with a $35 surcharge. At present, you can get a 3 to 5-night dining package for a 7-night cruise. Therefore, we recommend making all dining reservations at Izumi Hibachi and heading to the restaurant right after boarding. At present, you can get a 3 to 5-night dining package for a 7-night cruise. We are traveling with our adult kids. Clear editor. Do they have to eat from the kids menu in the main dining room? Specific specialty restaurants are omitted from all specialty dinner packages such as: A price cut of 40% off bottles of wine under $100 and 20% off bottles above $100 while dining in specialty restaurants. After experiencing it on Mariner, its safe to say I would definitely book it again. On the Cruise Planner website, some sailings now show an update for the a la carte pricing, "For restaurants with a la carte pricing, youll receive a $20 food credit, which can only be used once a day.". At dinner, we certainly made sure to sample a little bit of everything. My husband and I tried to share our food but the serves just bring out more food. Further, they are limited and can sell out. Royal Caribbean Unlimited Dining Plan Review. I dont want to purchase anything when the included meals are just fine. . I ordered two apps, an entree, and a dessert. We always board the ship early. Very nice for sure, but even for a cruise that seems pretty over-the-top. Below are the complimentary restaurants that are available on different ships. While he may be obsessed with doing extensive amounts of research on ships and all elements of a cruise, Don enjoys sharing his new found knowledge with fellow cruisers. Children must order from the kids menu. Aside from the dining package you purchased, there are a few basic rules and limitations to the packages inclusions as well as the additional costs. Teppanyaki - has one of the best views on the ship and is definitely worth one of your dinners. The Unlimited Dining Package can be booked prior to your cruise via Royal Caribbeans Cruise Planner website. UDP Question - can you use that for lunch at say, Giovanni's Kitchen on boarding day? ), Youll receive a discount of 40% off bottles of wine under $100 and 20% off bottles above $100 while dining in specialty restaurants. The feeling that I got while I was dining at Chops Grille, Izumi, and Samba Grill was that they were trying too hard to be "special". Cruise ships like Royal Caribbean and Holland America seem to be in an ever-escalating cold war to offer the most decadent experiences possible. CHOPS! Yes and no. Cruisers can also dine at multiple specialty restaurants every day of the. Children 6-12 are $10 per child and should order from the kids menu. A few of the newer Royal Caribbean cruise ships have supplementary casual choices that are also complimentary, such as the Park Caf, which serves sandwiches and salad stop that is available for breakfast, lunch, and late afternoon bites. So reservations are filling up. Are you ready to embark on your journey to sea the world, one port at a time? I spent most of the day out on the pool deck. 20102023Regal Sea Media LLC. Competitor lines do allow you to make reservations before you board even with a dining package. I booked this package for $168 per person for our seven night June 2022 Greek cruise on Brilliance of the Seas. Planning this out before you board will save you time and less stress once you get on the ship. Basically, Royal Caribbean uses the dining packages to replenish reservations that were unsold at their restaurants to boarders as soon as they board the ship. Love Cruise Fever?Sign Up to Our FREE Newsletter! Cover charge restaurants include an all-you-can-eat meal for one set cost. All of the restaurants were amazing so I am a full supporter of the UDP if you have the money to splurge. This saved us over 51% by having the meal plan. Boarders who acquire a dining package should wait to make a booking at any specialty restaurant before they board the ship. Terms of Royal Caribbean's Alcohol Policy apply, including a minimum drinking age, which varies by itinerary. Lobster Man 'n Cheese bites are good too, really can't taste the lobster with all the cheese . Here are some helpful tips: Have our travel agency partner get you a free quote for a Royal Caribbean cruise. Though, we are not sure if we would opt for the plan on a seven night cruise. Though it is not impossible, it is still best to secure your dinner seat. I don't know if that would be covered with the dining package or not if you ordered those new breakfast food items. Required fields are marked *. Also, there is no limit to the number of times you can dine at a specialty restaurant. If you want to book an Unlimited Dining Package for your cruise, however, its best to do so as soon as possible. The Royal Caribbean will charge you for the reservation of the total prices of the dinner. Over the three day cruise, I was able to dine at Playmakers (2 times), Chops Grille, Jamies Italian, Johnny Rockets, and Izumi Hibachi. I would like to share a few tips to maximize your experience. Is food included on a Royal Caribbean cruise? Thanks for the help! So, enjoy and indulge yourself in all the starters, mains, and desserts, as they will be included in the rate. How does this work with a dining package? The pricing for the package does vary based on cruise ship, time of year, and itinerary. The pre-cruise price was $34.99, per person. It is commonly known as the cover charge. But you can still enjoy their starters, sides, and desserts as much as you want for no additional fee. I have a upcoming cruise in June 2020 on Symphony of the Seas and want to purchase the unlimited dining package, but its not showing up in my cruise planner. Royal Caribbean's new Unlimited Dining Package allows cruisers to enjoy multiple entrees at specialty venues. We will do MDR for the rest. Although the Compass is for a previous sailing, most schedules of events (particularly the evening shows) are most likely to be very similar from sailing to sailing. Welcome Aboard! We very much enjoyed it; but as it was our first time graduating from the 3 night package we felt the need to get the most bang for our buck and did it for lunch and dinner every night and even got some food in playmakers with it. We have sailed on a few times on Royal Caribbean and our first time on Anthem in July on a 4 night around the UK (no stops as it was the first sailing after Covid), we purchased the UDP and it was well worth the money. Why do I feel disadvantaged after spending money on the unlimited package ? Wondering if the Unlimited Dining Package would be worth it? With the exception of Izumi Sushi, you can only dine at la carte restaurants once per day. One reason we decided to test out the Unlimited Dining Plan on Navigator of the Seas was the addition of all the new restaurants to the ship. For pricing and reservations, visit your MyCruise portal. The other items, including the lobster tails, were not much better than what we would expect from the main dining room. If you are wanting to get the most bang for your buck out of the package, be sure to dine somewhere that normally would have a cover charge every single night. Here are some of the estimated prices (as of 2017) for most of the common venues. These will be charged once onboard. We are normally fans of the main dining room, but on a short cruise like this, booking the Specialty Dining package provided us with more options. Have our travel agency partner get you a free quote for a Royal Caribbean cruise. Across its fleet, there are a variety of complimentary, casual dining spots included in the cruise fare. If you withdraw the reservation (48 hours in advance), your money will be reimbursed. With Royal Caribbean rolling out new specialty dining concepts in recent years, the focus on specialty dining has been greater than in years past. We also have a suite so access to the Costal Kitchen which we've never had before. Here is to being able to get further afield in the future and sailing TA and over in the States! Kids aged 6-12 years old can now dine at the Royal Caribbean specialty restaurants for only $10, while ages 5 and below can eat free! What is on the kids menu? Related Post: Navigator of the Seas Cruise Review. We would say that was a good deal! Spotlight: Royal Caribbean dining packages, Royal Caribbean introduces new Unlimited Dining Package, Royal Caribbean offering new dining packages on Allure of the Seas, Spotted: Deluxe Beverage and Ultimate Dining Package combo, Izumi Hibachi now included with Unlimited Dining Package, The Ultimate Guide to Royal Caribbean's Unlimited Dining Package. Price: $$$$. Children under 5 eat free. If you visit Chops Grille, for example, you can make reservations for all other restaurants at the same time. The Unlimited Dining Package comes with a few basic rules that you should know about before your cruise: Special dining experiences like Chefs Table, wine pairing dinners, and the Mystery Dinner Theater are excluded from the Unlimited Dining Package. Especially if you head straight to the buffet (Windjammer in this case) to grab lunch. I made the mistake of ordering one and I was really full before my main course was even served. Chef's Table and culinary activities are excluded. Get Deals on Royal Caribbean Cruises When You Book Today! You must eat at one restaurant on either the first or second day of your cruise. Though many of the meals on board are covered in your cruise fare, not all of those delicious meals are complimentary.