The other items, including the lobster tails, were not much better than what we would expect from the main dining room. Meaning if there are two of us with package in cabin, do we get $35 or $70 credit? We did enjoy the food in Playmakers quite a bit while watching a game later in the evening. Search Multiple Sites at Once Instant Real Time Pricing Search Now View All Cruises Powered by Cruiseline.com. Now, cruisers can truly dine at any venue, as much as they like. I ate at Izumi multiple times. It was a quick walk from my lounge chair overlooking the pool on deck 12 midship to Johnny Rockets which is located on the same deck aft. If not, just leave blank, The Ultimate Guide to Royal Caribbean's Unlimited Dining Package, The Ultimate Guide to the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner site, The Mason Jar Southern food restaurant review on Wonder of the Seas. All of the restaurants were amazing so I am a full supporter of the UDP if you have the money to splurge. Grab some potato skins, buffalo wings, and a knockout punch and you will be on your way to getting the party started! Whether you cruise multiple times per year or you're new to cruising, the goal of Royal Caribbean Blog is for it to bea useful resource for keeping up to date with what's new and exciting with Royal Caribbean. Just have a great time! Many guests, however, prefer spending extra to dine at Royal Caribbeans specialty restaurants, and one of the best ways to do this is by purchasing an Unlimited Dining Package. The Whats Included section reads: If that all seems like too much, you may be right because for once a cruise line, Royal Caribbean, appears to feel they have gone too far with their generosity and cut back on one of their most indulgent offerings. It can be used for lunch and dinner anytime the restaurants are open and as long as there is space for you. The Pub food was for whatever reason not included. These are convenient options that allow you to enjoy, Royal Caribbean offers dining packages so guests can enjoy many specialty restaurants at a fixed cost. One of the many great things about cruising is the abundance of dining options on todays mega-ships. Your link has been automatically embedded. Yes, main dining room (MDR) meals are always complimentary. Royal Caribbean's 'Unlimited Dining' Just Got A Lot More Limited. The only limitation with dining packages is that you cannot have reservations regarding the exact time or specific restaurant until you board the ship. Pasted as rich text. It's not included with premium dining experiences, such asWine Pairings Dinners, Taste of Royal, Mystery Dinner Theater, Culinary Activities, and Holiday Celebration Dinners. What is on the RC site isn't super clear. Cruisers must book Specialty Dining Packages at least two days prior to boarding. 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. You can put this credit toward appetizers, main courses, or desserts. For one low price, you can enjoy multiple entrees and visit multiple specialty restaurants every night of your sailing. To make up for our under-performance on day 2, we decided to use our plan for both lunch and dinner on day 3. Depending on the type and length of the cruise whether we choose an UDP. Can someone break down the "rules" around the unlimited dining package? If we had paid the cover charge, it would have been $42.99 a person, pre-cruise. The Princess ordered one item from each category. 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. We always board the ship early. So far, seems not to be offered on my upcoming ships/dates, perhaps because they are longer itineraries ? If you visit Chops Grille, for example, you can make reservations for all other restaurants at the same time. For restaurants with a la carte pricing, youll receive a $20 food credit. Even though there are plenty of complimentary options, there are also several signature options to enjoy during a cruise. Instead of offering one set price per meal, youll have to pay for each individual item. Your email address will not be published. Based on my own experience with the unlimited dining plan, it's possible this change was made to cut down on guests overusing the package benefits at restaurants such as Playmakers. Wonderland - Wonderland is an interesting restaurant, the cuisine is beautifully designed and presents a visual . Are you ready to embark on your journey to sea the world, one port at a time? Dining packages depend on your cruise ship and are typically offered before your trip through Royal Caribbeans Cruise Planner site. With this package, guests can also enjoy lunch at specialty restaurants on embarkation day and sea days. 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". document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Generally do NOT purchase dining packages. Royal Caribbean Dining Packages And Prices The Unlimited Dining Package The Unlimited package and costs 141.60 per adult (Roughly $190) per adult. So, once we were done taking pictures and exploring, we stopped in to speak to the hostess at Jamies Italian. We went relatively light here with an order of nachos ($7), a dozen chicken wings ($8), and the chicken sandwich ($9). Whether you cruise multiple times per year or you're new to cruising, the goal of Royal Caribbean Blog is for it to bea useful resource for keeping up to date with what's new and exciting with Royal Caribbean. With this package, guests can also enjoy lunch at specialty restaurants on embarkation day and sea days. This Chops Grille experience on Navigator of the Seas ranked pretty average at best in terms of food quality. Therefore, we recommend making all dining reservations at Izumi Hibachi and heading to the restaurant right after boarding. Only shows 3 day package. For a quicker choice like snacks and other covered meals, they are offered at the casual buffet, particularly at the Windjammer Cafe. Across its fleet, there are a variety of complimentary, casual dining spots included in the cruise fare. (Sponsored), Looking for the Best Cruise Deals? A single reservation should be used on the first or second night of the sailing. Izzumi was amazing, staff talked us through everything and asked what we liked and made recommendations from there. Reservations often are sold out by the first day of the cruise, if not earlier. I spent most of the day out on the pool deck. Getting a Royal Caribbean dining package is worth it. Cruise ships like Royal Caribbean and Holland America seem to be in an ever-escalating cold war to offer the most decadent experiences possible. Note also that these packages go fast, so make reservations immediately. Jamie Olivers', WOW again really looked after and made to feel welcome and allowed us to chill, the menu was very good indeed. I was able to book the dining package for my February sailing in November. I posted this two years ago and got some good answers but now that our cruise is finally round the corner (March), I wanted to follow up and see if this is still the case. 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. Children 5 and under dine at specialty restaurants for free, and children aged 6-12 can be added to a dining reservation for only $10 per child. We took our first cruise vacation together 13 years ago and have been hooked ever since. Here are some of the estimated prices (as of 2017) for most of the common venues. This was our least favorite of the specialty dining experiences on Navigator of the Seas. Do you know of an explanation for the conflict of information? The going rate for Hibachi a la carte is around $45. If the restaurant is open and has space, you can use it! Especially if you head straight to the buffet (Windjammer in this case) to grab lunch. 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". Below are the complimentary restaurants that are available on different ships. Children 6-12 are $10 per child and should order from the kids menu. Dont let the $10 surcharge discourage you and give it a try. Avoid the main dining room and the Windjammer buffet. Actually you did not save anything.MDR meals included in cruise package at no extra cost. Do not get a dining package for your kids who are 12 years old and below, but rather, dine with your kids and pay for them at the discounted kids rate. Don't worry about going hungry though, you can still get multiple entrees at each specialty restaurant for dinner you just won't be able to subsist on free beer and endless plates of Buffalo wings all day, which seems like a decent compromise to us. It's currently $166.99 per person. This breaks down to $23 per person, per day. A complimentary reservation is made for the first night at your preferred dining time. Factoring that into the equation, purchasing the dining package was only about $12 extra, per person. Says Johnny Rockets is included in the package, but then doesn't really go into what. Royal Caribbean introduced the unlimited dining package in 2019 to replace the Ultimate Dining Package and it allowsguests to enjoy their meals at specialty restaurants as many times as theyd like, based on availability. The total costs for these meals if we did not have the Unlimited Dining Plan would have been $281.91. Love Cruise Fever?Sign Up to Our FREE Newsletter! I made the mistake of ordering one and I was really full before my main course was even served. Once at the restaurant, all the guest has to do is inform their waiter that they have a dining package and the waiter can then verify it and charge it appropriately. 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. Related Post: Guide to Royal Caribbean Ship Classes. Teppanyaki and Izumi Hibachi are included in Royal Caribbeans Unlimited Dining Package; however, there is an additional $10 surcharge, charged at the time of dining. 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. So, the only specialty dining meal was our dinner at Chops Grille. Have you utilized the unlimited dining package before? I have exactly the same conundrum. *Reserve before you sail, and prices will be adjusted for kids once you are aboard, and reflected in your final account statement. Im debating canceling the package for the entire party as I was stunned to learn reservations are unable to be secured until 2 days prior to sailing. Lobster Man 'n Cheese bites are good too, really can't taste the lobster with all the cheese . With an Unlimited Dining Package, you wont have to worry about paying a cover charge for each restaurant individually, as everything is included in the cost of the dining package. For one low price, you can enjoy multiple entrees and visit multiple specialty restaurants every night of your sailing. You do not have to visit each restaurant individually. Meanwhile, transpacific cruises go from Sydney to the U.S., with plenty of white-sand-beach-filled South Pacific ports in between. And as an added perk, this unlimited package also applies to lunch at specialty restaurants on sea days. 2.1k. Get all the details of this inclusive dining option in our complete guide to Royal Caribbeans Unlimited Dining Package (2022). Children ages 0-5 are complimentary. EXCLUSIVE SAVINGS: Get Deals on Royal Caribbean Cruises Now! Follow along on this incredible voyage! We are back to provide all of the delicious details in our Royal Caribbean Unlimited Dining Plan Review. However, it does not include food ordered from the Giovannis Wine Bar menu. Booking the package pre-cruise at sale pricing, we saved over 50% by having the meal plan versus paying out of pocket for our dining experiences. If you are thinking of getting a specialty restaurant package, here are some ways to guarantee that you will have a remarkable dining experience once on the ship. So for us it really depends on the ship and itinerary. Still, it costs $39.99 per person, pre-cruise to dine here. With the exception of Izumi Sushi, you can only dine at la carte restaurants once per day. I recently purchased the package for a three day sailing on Mariner of the Seas. 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. With that said, we suggest you make your remaining reservations immediately upon boarding the cruise ship. The specialty restaurants on Royal Caribbean mostly charge a flat rate. If you withdraw the reservation (48 hours in advance), your money will be reimbursed. Booking prior to your cruise can, at times, save you money. This means that Chefs Table is included (albeit with a surcharge). It appears if I made an individual reservation (without Unlimited Package) at one of the many specialty restaurants aboard Wonder of the Seas I could secure a time and date. For restaurants with a la carte pricing, youll receive a $35 food credit. I took the UDP on Quantum of the Seas in Feb 2021 and was so glad I did. Keep in mind, the venues are not always the same between Royal Caribbean ships, but each of my tips can still be applied to venues on your particular Royal Caribbean sailing. If there are no specialty dining packages scheduled yet for your cruise, that means your sail date is scheduled too early. Unlimited visits to speciality dining restaurants every night of your sailing and lunch on sea days. You can also make any changes to this courtesy reservation once onboard the ship. Well first off we were thinking about skipping Giovanni's because it just looked really casual and to be honest we didn't love Gio's Table the old concept. Starbucks, Ben & Jerrys, La Patisserie, and Sugar Beach are also not included with the Unlimited Dining Package. When dining at a specialty restaurant, children between the ages of 0-5 are complimentary. Basically, the package covers all specialty dining venues, and gives you the opportunity to dine as many times as you like during your cruise. Our goal has been to provide our readers with expansive coverage of all aspects of the Royal Caribbean experience. Additionally, Royal Caribbeans Unlimited Dining Package is not valid for premium experiences including Chefs Table, Wine Pairing Dinners, Taste of Royal, and Mystery Dinner Theater. Royal Caribbean introduced the unlimited dining package in 2019 to replace the Ultimate Dining Package and it allows guests to enjoy their meals at specialty restaurants as many times as they'd like, based on availability. The Royal Caribbean presents various dining packages on their Cruise Planner site, so compare each offering and see which one of those you want the most. Do you think Royal Caribbeans Unlimited Dining Package is a good value? 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. Some nights we were working around their schedule so we ate too early and then on the sea days when we did lunch it felt like we just ate the whole day. 20102023Regal Sea Media LLC. While doing a little research I read something about there being an extra charge of $10 for the Hibachi restaurant. Of course when you spend a lot of that time at sea stuck on a boat, you're going to do a lot of drinking, and you'll need some food to sop all that alcohol up. (additional non meal time stops at Izumi) We would do it again but next time we get it we will not focus on absolutely having to have every possible meal we can in specialty. Get all the details of this inclusive dining option in our complete guide to Royal Caribbean's Unlimited Dining Package (2022). What is on the kids menu? Though, children must order from the kids menu. At a la carte restaurants, like Izumi or Playmakers Sports Bar and Arcade, you receive a food credit for up to $35. To be honest, I did not enjoy specialty dining as much as I enjoyed the Main Dining Room (which is already included in the cruise payment). Restaurants like Chops Grille or Hooked Seafood charge additional fees for a second entree. When booking the package, we selected our preferred dining time of 6:30 pm. Like what you see? The goal of any cruise is total relaxation, an all-inclusive experience where everything is taken care of for you, and when you run out of ideas for concerts and yoga classes that means things like free caviar platters. Drop us an anchor below to share your experiences using the Unlimited Dining Package on a Royal Caribbean cruise. 150 Central Park Chops Grille Giovanni's Table Hooked Seafood Izumi Izumi Hibachi Jamie's Italian by Jamie Oliver Johnny Rockets Johnny Rockets Express Sabor Samba Grill Sichuan Red Wonderland With the package, cruisers can eat at all of the specialty restaurants onboard, minus the Chefs Table, as many times as they want during the trip. So it should show up around 90 days before your sail date. This will be our first time experiencing the UDP. So far, our review of the Royal Caribbean Unlimited Dining Plan was getting a big thumbs up. With that said, it was worth mentioning as it could be a perfect fit for someone! Has anyone done the Unlimited Dining Package? With a dining package, you can enjoy these culinary treats at a cheap rate. We each ordered one appetizer, a pasta dish, an entree, and a dessert. The Royal Caribbeans ship presents a wide range of tasty food is covered in your cruise fare. Over the three day cruise, I was able to dine at Playmakers (2 times), Chops Grille, Jamies Italian, Johnny Rockets, and Izumi Hibachi. 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. Premium items such as the seafood tower or upgraded steaks at Chops Grille will have an up-charge. I think you could order up to 11pm. #1. Sample seasonal, locally-sourced menus. most restaurants found onboard Royal Caribbean. Packages are available as follows We just booked a 2023 Spring transatlantic cruise and added the Unlimited Dining Package. 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. 20102022Regal Sea Media LLC. Unlimited dining package. Once we did it on a three day cruise to nowhere and we felt like we spent my waking hours going from one restaurant to another; too much food. We started our specialty dining research with an embarkation day lunch at Playmakers Sports Bar and Grill. All specialty restaurants are open for dinner each day, whereas the availability of brunch and lunch can differ by restaurant and ship. 2. Dress codes are not important to specialty restaurants in Royal Caribbean, so you can wear your casual clothes. Only onboard our Oasis-class ships, guests can indulge in a premium dining experience in the most exclusive and sophisticated restaurant onboard, offering 6-8 course tasting-style menus.