Royal Princess - "Free" Sabatini dinner from Amex Platinum question

We have an Amex Platinum card. When we pay for the cruise with it we get a "free first night dinner in a specialty restaurant". This has been handled three different ways on different Princess ships.

1) Dinner first night only and then forfeited

2) Dinner any night of the cruise

3) A credit to our account ($25) that can be used for anything onboard.

Has anyone who has been on the new Royal had experience with how they handle it on this ship?

And before anyone asks, NO you don't get the credit if you have a Costco platinum Amex - just the overpriced one directly from American Express.

We have an Amex Platinum card. When we pay for the cruise with it we get a "free first night dinner in a specialty restaurant". This has been handled three different ways on different Princess ships.

1) Dinner first night only and then forfeited

2) Dinner any night of the cruise

3) A credit to our account ($25) that can be used for anything onboard.

 

Has anyone who has been on the new Royal had experience with how they handle it on this ship?

 

And before anyone asks, NO you don't get the credit if you have a Costco platinum Amex - just the overpriced one directly from American Express.

I am not sure how it is handled on the Royal. When we had the Amex card you are referring to we would always ask if we had to have the dinner the first night and were always told (on several different ships) that we could have our Sabatini's dinner any night. The dinner comes with a bottle of Champagne and the total value is $66. Taking a $25 credit is not worth it in my opinion.

I am not sure how it is handled on the Royal. When we had the Amex card you are referring to we would always ask if we had to have the dinner the first night and were always told (on several different ships) that we could have our Sabatini's dinner any night. The dinner comes with a bottle of Champagne and the total value is $66. Taking a $25 credit is not worth it in my opinion.

You can get the champagne (or a bottle of wine) separately from the dinner if you choose that option. ;)

At least that's how it's worked in the past.

Its at Maitre'd discretion whether to grant an extension. The idea was to fill up the specialty restaurant on the typically empty first night and hopefully entice people to come back. So the policy is first night only.

That said, if the MD wants to be nice, or sees that reservations in the venue are low, they have the option to extend.

So not only could the response vary ship to ship it could vary week to week based on demand.

Amex gives you the free first night dinner with the suite booking and Princess also gives you a free first night dinner. And I believe there was or is a sale that also gives it to other cabins. I also have found that it varies from ship to ship. All but one of our experiences have been that they have let us decide the nights we want. Over Christmas on the Royal, we did not want the first night but they said the suite perk had to be that night and the AMEX could be any night. And we were lucky to even get a table even though I had the concierge book it as soon as we boarded just after 12:00. First time every there were only a couple time slots available at the Crown Grill.

We have never been able to trade the champagne for wine - wish we could - it is the same as the bottle they bring for sail away. We usually just ask them to bring it to us and we give it away.

We had a different experience last month when I booked next months cruise on the Royal and was told Princess would not honor the AMEX perks because of the type of sale they were having. Didn't do a suite because they were sold out but wouldn't because of the soot issues. Amex also gives perks for other cabin categories.

Every time I have used my Amex platinum card when booking a suite I have received a bottle of champagne, a dinner in any specialty restaurant the night of embarkation, and a $300 on board credit. That was on a Princess cruise. On Celebrity the on board credit was not applied if they used loyalty price of cruise.