Confused- Specialty Dining Packages and reservations online

[jetta8300]

We are sailing on Anthem of the Seas this April. We just got off the Norwegian Breakaway and really enjoyed their specialty restaurants and dining packages, so we thought we would try RCI's.

 

There are 3,4, and 5 night specialty dining packages to buy before the cruise... but am I understanding this correctly that you have to wait until you board to make the reservations? This doesnt make sense to me after cruising with Norwegian. So you're supposed to pre-pay for a package, but not know if there's any good dining times left until boarding? It just seems counterproductive to me and makes me think that just eating in the MDR is a better option if we get to make those reservations ahead of time.

[Clarea]

You can make all your dining reservations pre-cruise if you pay full price. However, as part of getting a substantial break on the price on the dining package, you have to "fill-in" slots left open by the pre-cruise bookers.

[plowboy920]

You can make all your dining reservations pre-cruise if you pay full price. However, as part of getting a substantial break on the price on the dining package, you have to "fill-in" slots left open by the pre-cruise bookers.

 

My experience on EOS in Sept. was we bought the 5 night package for an 8:00 seating and had 8:00 every night, but they picked where you were going each night. We LOVED it! :D

[jetta8300]

My experience on EOS in Sept. was we bought the 5 night package for an 8:00 seating and had 8:00 every night, but they picked where you were going each night. We LOVED it! :D

 

That's really interesting! It didn't sound like picking a set dining time was an option. It seemed like you just book all of the reservations after boarding. We aren't really interested in waiting in a line a worrying about this after boarding so I think we'll pass on this. Disappointing but im sure the MDR will be just fine!

[LisaLisa87]

We booked the 5-night package for our Med cruise on Brilliance this summer. We chose for our first reservation to be on night one at 7pm. You have to choose night 1 or 2 for the first res. After boarding, we made our way to Chops where we learned that our res for that night was at Chops. We were happy with that assignment but could have changed it if we had not been. We made reservations for the other 4 nights while we were there. I had written down the nights and restaurants we wanted and was able to get exactly what we wanted. The whole process took maybe 5-7 minutes.

 

Fast forward to our upcoming cruise on Allure in the spring. I was slightly concerned with being able to get times that work with the shows after boarding, so this time I reserved ahead. I lucked into a great promotion for 20% off a couple of the restaurants, so in the end I feel pretty good about what we're paying. I also booked Sabor, which you don't have to pay for in advance because the pricing is a la carte. I've read that it's tough to spend $30 there, meaning it's not a great choice with the packages. Keep an eye out here and in your cruise planner for promotions.

 

 

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