Dining package

[zitsky]

Possibly going from S class ship to M class.  Enjoyed my time on Equinox.  Maybe next on Millennium. 

 

Is the price for the dining package consistent, regardless of cabin or when booked?  I'm debating another cruise.  Didn't pay attention last time because I had Blu.  (And will again, if I sail.)

 

Is there a three meal package and what would it cost?  Is Tuscan Grill likely to have a first day special and if so, how much would it be?

 

It's likely I'll want to try Tuscan Grill and Sushi on Five once or twice.

Edited December 27, 2019 by zitsky

[ONT-CA]

We were about to sign up for the three package only to find out that the first of the three is the evening you board the ship.  To have come through the rigours of luggage, flights and transportation, customs/immigration and registration, I would not like to then find myself booked into a specialty restaurant.  So we will take our chance on finding reservation openings that suit the occasion.

[zitsky]

We did do first night at Murano and liked it. Ci believe it was $35 pp.

[Luvcrusn]

16 minutes ago, zitsky said:

We did do first night at Murano and liked it. Ci believe it was $35 pp.

Murano is not on any M-class ships and the removed the Ocean Liners (same menu as Murano) from all the M-class as well. There is only Tuscan, Qsine (may have been replaced by Le Petite Chef on ships that have undergone the Revolution), and Sushi on 5.

[zitsky]

3 minutes ago, Luvcrusn said:

Murano is not on any M-class ships and the removed the Ocean Liners (same menu as Murano) from all the M-class as well. There is only Tuscan, Qsine (may have been replaced by Le Petite Chef on ships that have undergone the Revolution), and Sushi on 5.

 

If you start reading at the first post, you'll see I was on the Equinox.  Yes, I'm aware of changes to M class ships.

[CruiseLifeIsTheBest]

1 hour ago, ONT-CA said:

We were about to sign up for the three package only to find out that the first of the three is the evening you board the ship.  To have come through the rigours of luggage, flights and transportation, customs/immigration and registration, I would not like to then find myself booked into a specialty restaurant.  So we will take our chance on finding reservation openings that suit the occasion.

We have always been able to change our 1st night reservation to a different night when we boarded. If you book a dining package I would recommend you make all your specialty reservations as soon as you board. Best chance at getting days/times you prefer. 

[SeasideMemories]

We are booked on Equinox for May and just checked my Cruise Planner for pricing on the packages (I believe they are the same regardless of ship)...

 

3-night $129pp, 4-night $149pp, 5-night $182pp, 6-night $204pp.  Sushi on 5 is ala carte and is an odd one in that the package gives you a max of $35 credit. So not sure I’d use one of my package specialty nights on that since you’re paying more than what you’re getting. I want to try Sushi on 5, too and am still trying to figure out what is the best way to do it.

 

Tuscan is showing as being able to be booked pre-cruise for $30 for the first night vs $45 for the others.

Edited December 27, 2019 by SeasideMemories

[fstuff1]

2 hours ago, ONT-CA said:

We were about to sign up for the three package only to find out that the first of the three is the evening you board the ship.  

 

 

does that also apply to the 4 meal package? (ie: 1 meal must be 1st night of the cruise)

 

also, the 3 meal package is definitely not worth it, even if it doesnt force you to eat at a speciality restaurant the 1st night.

you can get 1st night special pricing by pre-booking. on the silhouette, $45 lawn grill was $30 if you pre purchased. (33% off)

and when i boarded the silhouette, they offered le petite chef at 50% off for the 1st night!!! 

 

also, while on board, you can get other speciality restaurants at 20% off.

ie: $45 lawn grill for $35.

 

Edited December 28, 2019 by fstuff1

[Mark_T]

1 hour ago, SeasideMemories said:

I want to try Sushi on 5, too and am still trying to figure out what is the best way to do it.

Odds are good that there will be an offer onboard for a set menu at $20, I’d use that to try Sushi on 5.

 

The noodle options were good when we were there, but the sushi barely ranked as average sadly. 

[ONT-CA]

21 minutes ago, fstuff1 said:

 

"...they offered le petite chef at 50% off for the 1st night!!! 

also, while on board, you can get other speciality restaurants at 20% off.

ie: $45 lawn grill for $35."

 

 

Thanks for this.  As we will be on a B2B2B we can learn from the first segment, applying the information to the next two.  That is assuming each 7 day segment commences with a new slate.  Sorry, not sure about the 4 package.  

[fstuff1]

26 minutes ago, Mark_T said:

Odds are good that there will be an offer onboard for a set menu at $20, I’d use that to try Sushi on 5.

 

The noodle options were good when we were there, but the sushi barely ranked as average sadly. 

 

i am used to all you can eat sushi buffet for $20 so i cant get myself to eat at Sushi 5, even at 20% off.

i usually order 7-10 rolls for myself :o

[zitsky]

On Equinox, I thought Sushi on Five was quite nice.  We got a small discount but not much.

Edited December 28, 2019 by zitsky

[fstuff1]

22 minutes ago, ONT-CA said:

 

Thanks for this.  As we will be on a B2B2B we can learn from the first segment, applying the information to the next two.  That is assuming each 7 day segment commences with a new slate.  

 

to get the discounts, dont go to a generic restaurant worker trying to get you to book. they usually dont have the authority to give discounts.

find an employee working at that restaurant that's trying to get people to book and ASK for a discount. you can tell by the uniform/apron he's wearing. 

a generic restaurant worker will look like a mdr waiter.

 

both types of workers  will be standing public areas  in the afternoon with a tablet during sea days.

 

from my experience on the Silhouette:
i asked a generic for a discount to Lawn Grill and got shot down.
5 min later, i bumped into someone with a Lawn Grill apron and asked for a discount. got 22% off.
he made my reservation on his tablet and noted the $10 discount.

 

Edited December 28, 2019 by fstuff1

[SeasideMemories]

32 minutes ago, Mark_T said:

Odds are good that there will be an offer onboard for a set menu at $20, I’d use that to try Sushi on 5.

 

The noodle options were good when we were there, but the sushi barely ranked as average sadly. 

Thanks for the tips! We are also considering maybe doing lunch instead of dinner. Kind of have come to the conclusion that there doesn’t seem to be any value to booking anything for Sushi on 5 before boarding. Will be on the lookout for deals once onboard!

[Mark_T]

7 hours ago, SeasideMemories said:

Thanks for the tips! We are also considering maybe doing lunch instead of dinner. Kind of have come to the conclusion that there doesn’t seem to be any value to booking anything for Sushi on 5 before boarding. Will be on the lookout for deals once onboard!

Just wander up to the entrance to the restaurant occasionally, they will usually have a bunch of promo cards for the fixed price offer if they are running it, and if not just ask, especially if it looks empty, there are always deals to be had 🙂

[jkgourmet]

Why does everyone keep talking about the Lawn Club Grille?  The OP is considering the Millennium  - no LCG or Murano. 

[Luvcrusn]

18 hours ago, zitsky said:

 

If you start reading at the first post, you'll see I was on the Equinox.  Yes, I'm aware of changes to M class ships.

I did read from the beginning, but was clarifying that Murano and Lawn Club were not on M-class which was what was first asked about in post #1. I was trying to provide helpful info and had no way of knowing what you knew about M-class ships. 

[zitsky]

11 minutes ago, Luvcrusn said:

I did read from the beginning, but was clarifying that Murano and Lawn Club were not on M-class which was what was first asked about in post #1. I was trying to provide helpful info and had no way of knowing what you knew about M-class ships. 

 

Thanks for clarifying that.

[sanger727]

On our last cruise we were able to purchase the 3 night dining package onboard which eliminated the need to use it the first night. 

[fstuff1]

1 hour ago, sanger727 said:

On our last cruise we were able to purchase the 3 night dining package onboard which eliminated the need to use it the first night. 

 

why 3 night instead of 4 night?

MUCH better savings with the 4 night.

 

also, how does the dining package work for Sushi on 5?

[Luvcrusn]

I think it's really interesting to read that so many people don't like to do specialty dining the first night of a cruise. We really enjoy it. Doing specialty dining avoids the chaos of newly boarded passengers getting acclimated, finding their tables and getting to know their wait staff. The specialty restaurants are so much quieter and relaxing partly because they are smaller venues and partly because they are geared to greeting new guests each evening. Also, by delaying dining in your regular dining venue, when you do go on the second night, your waitstaff only need to get to know you instead of learning everyone all at once. I guess it's just a different perspective. Whatever floats your boat....so to speak.😉

[zitsky]

Agreed.  +1

[sanger727]

23 hours ago, fstuff1 said:

 

why 3 night instead of 4 night?

MUCH better savings with the 4 night.

 

also, how does the dining package work for Sushi on 5?

 

We did 3 night because we only wanted to try 3 of the restaurants. 4 night may be a better deal.

[mikkelhansen]

On 12/29/2019 at 4:00 PM, fstuff1 said:

 

why 3 night instead of 4 night?

MUCH better savings with the 4 night.

 

also, how does the dining package work for Sushi on 5?

I believe you get a 35$pp credit to use. If the total is over that, you pay extra on top.

[Guindalf]

9 minutes ago, mikkelhansen said:

I believe you get a 35$pp credit to use. If the total is over that, you pay extra on top.

 

Yes, this is true, and it's more than enough generally. the $35 is per person.

 

We didn't go over, or we were within a few dollars of the limit and were given a zero dollar bill. We were told that if we went over by a little (up to about $10), it would still be zeroed out. I guess if you are genuinely eating the food, they will allow overages, but if you order many different dishes and leave them uneaten, then you would get charged!