Children and Free Dinning Plan

[MoniMommy]

Hello,

 

I will be traveling with 2 children under 8 who are not adventurous eaters. If I get the "free" dining plan does anyone know if can I make that into 6 meals instead of 3. My 7 and 5 year  old like typical kid foods, and I understand that kids eat for free off of a standard kids menu. Can I go six times, and use  1 meal at each visit, while the children eat from the children's menu and thus use 0 credits?

[Two Wheels Only]

The SDP promo is 3 meals for guests 1&2 each and is not transferable.

 

You might get a server willing to "look the other way" but it isn't supposed to be done.

[dexddd]

I'm not understanding how 3 meals become six?  Are you buying three more?  You can buy a 3 meal package at regular price so if you had a 3 meal package that would be 6.  

[MoniMommy]

Thank you. That answers my question. Guest 2 can't transfer a meal to guest 1. I am sure we can find something on the adult menu for my 7 year old to enjoy. Thanks so much!

[rjm11]

1 minute ago, dexddd said:

I'm not understanding how 3 meals become six?  Are you buying three more?  You can buy a 3 meal package at regular price so if you had a 3 meal package that would be 6.  

As I understand the OP, they are a single adult with 2 children who will be eating off the kids menu.  So they will have the SDP for 2 people for 3 meals (probably as a perk?) and are asking if they could do 6 meals for 1 instead of 3 meals for 2.

 

My answer is I don't know- but I'd ask at the restaurant reservations desk when you board.

[MoniMommy]

Good idea. I will inquire and be prepared for no.

[salty dingo]

12 minutes ago, MoniMommy said:

Thank you. That answers my question. Guest 2 can't transfer a meal to guest 1. I am sure we can find something on the adult menu for my 7 year old to enjoy. Thanks so much!

I think you may actually be able to pull this off without breaking any rules. Assuming the kids will be right there at the table with you, there is no transfer going on. Three meals you order and instruct the server to take the the food off your SDP. The other three meals you do not order (but guest 2 orders what you would like) and they bring that out and guest 2 shares the meal with you.

 

It does not hurt to ask your server about doing this during the first three meals. You paid for it, so you may as well use it.

 

Another option is to just decline the package for guest 2 so you are not charged gratuities but for one of the packages. That is the sensible option if you don't want to try the six meal trick, because you would just be wasting gratuities on meals that are never used.

[MoniMommy]

I didn't realize you could decline the package for 1 person and accept it for the other. 

[ColeThornton]

5 minutes ago, MoniMommy said:

I didn't realize you could decline the package for 1 person and accept it for the other. 

 

 

You can't.  That's bad info.  For the dining package and the drink package you have to accept the offer for both or decline for both.

[rjm11]

I'm agreeing with Salty Dawg.  If you have the package for 6 meals, and have paid gratuity on 6 meals, then you should be able to order 6 meals.  You'll have both passenger 1 and 2 with you at the table.  They won't care who is eating which meal that was ordered.

[Two Wheels Only]

58 minutes ago, salty dingo said:

I think you may actually be able to pull this off without breaking any rules. Assuming the kids will be right there at the table with you, there is no transfer going on. Three meals you order and instruct the server to take the the food off your SDP. The other three meals you do not order (but guest 2 orders what you would like) and they bring that out and guest 2 shares the meal with you.

 

This is one of those things that "on paper" violates the terms and conditions but in reality, you might get away with it. 

 

The idea of "parent allows child to use their SDP then just switch once the food is delivered" would mean that the parent would have to order from the kids' menu....which is also technically not allowed but does happen. 

 

40 minutes ago, rjm11 said:

If you have the package for 6 meals, and have paid gratuity on 6 meals, then you should be able to order 6 meals.

 

Again, that's not how the promo is written. Obviously, it makes sense to us as "6 meals is 6 meals" but NCL has their own way of doing things. 

 

42 minutes ago, rjm11 said:

They won't care who is eating which meal that was ordered.

 

I agree that the server probably won't know or care. The problem is when people (not the OP) try to get over and "share" 6 visits to the specialty restaurants when it is supposed to be 3 visits total for guests 1&2.  

[Bowmanvilletravel]

I think this will work for you. When you give them key cards to "pay" at a restaurant, you really only need one of the cards. So, when my husband and I go, we just use one card, but they charge us for two Specialty Dining. At the end of my last cruise my daughter and I went to the restaurant and the server counted how many we had used and how many were left...they were not actually assigned to my card or my husbands. 

[salty dingo]

1 hour ago, ColeThornton said:

 

 

You can't.  That's bad info.  For the dining package and the drink package you have to accept the offer for both or decline for both.

I'd call NCL on this. I know the drink package is both or none, but I believe the dining package is ok to purchase per person.

 

In other words, there is no rule that says every adult in the cabin must have the dining package if one of them gets it.

[mjkacmom]

4 minutes ago, salty dingo said:

I'd call NCL on this. I know the drink package is both or none, but I believe the dining package is ok to purchase per person.

 

In other words, there is no rule that says every adult in the cabin must have the dining package if one of them gets it.

There is no rule on how many purchase it, but if you get it as a perk, it’s for 2, same as the drink package. Gratuities need to be paid for 2 passengers.

[salty dingo]

2 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

There is no rule on how many purchase it, but if you get it as a perk, it’s for 2, same as the drink package. Gratuities need to be paid for 2 passengers.

The reason I think this may be incorrect is, I did a mock booking on the same cruise I did, on NCL's site, and it forced me to choose the beverage package for two but gave the option to add each passenger individually to accept the SDP (and to add the resulting gratuity to the total price owed.)

 

But my advice was: don't take my advice or anyone else's here, call NCL and ask if you really want to know for sure. I am not the authority on anything, they are.

[ColeThornton]

 

27 minutes ago, salty dingo said:

The reason I think this may be incorrect is, I did a mock booking on the same cruise I did, on NCL's site, and it forced me to choose the beverage package for two but gave the option to add each passenger individually to accept the SDP (and to add the resulting gratuity to the total price owed.)

 

But my advice was: don't take my advice or anyone else's here, call NCL and ask if you really want to know for sure. I am not the authority on anything, they are.

 

I just did a mock booking after I read your post thinking perhaps things have changed since I last booked and I didn't even have a choice of 1 or 2 people for the SDP.

 

Are you booking on the U.S. site?

Edited October 15, 2019 by ColeThornton

[MoniMommy]

12 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

 

 

I just did a mock booking after I read your post thinking perhaps things have changed since I last booked and I didn't even have a choice of 1 or 2 people for the SDP.

 

Are you booking on the U.S. site?

I don't have a choice either.