Celebrity specialty dining package?

[Froufie]

New to Celebrity and in doing my research I notice there seems to be a specialty dining package, but I can't seem to get any exact information on what is included, what the cost is and how to purchase it (planning to cruise on the Reflection if that helps).

 

Anyone able to provide details and/or direct me to more specific information about this?

 

Thanks 🙂

[jelayne]

If you are booked on a cruise the dining packages will show in your cruise planner.

There are 3, 4, 5, etc night packages. 
 

On our Reflection cruise the 3 night packages are sold out.  The 4 N is $149 per person and 5 night is $182 pp., 6N is $204 pp

[Fouremco]

As @jelayne says, if you are booked, your cruise planner has all the information under Dining.

 

If you haven't booked yet, and don't have access to a cruise planner for that sailing, you won't be able to access the details of the packages. As different ships have different restaurants with different prices, the packages are also different.

 

Our next cruise, 12 nights on the Equinox, offers packages from 3 nights ($159.42 CAD per guest) to 11 nights ($436.24 CAD per guest). The Overview and Highlights for these packages are as follows:

Overview

Book your specialty dining package now to enjoy the best value and experience as many specialty restaurants as your appetite desires.

Highlights

• Package provides flexibility to book different restaurants for lunch and dinner.
• A Day 1 courtesy time reservation can be made prior to sailing.
• Your restaurant location will be confirmed in your cabin on embarkation day.
• To make any changes and to plan remaining reservations, please visit the specialty dining desk which is open during embarkation day or speak to the Maitre D’ any day throughout your sailing.

Important details and advisements

• Specialty dining packages and restaurants are based on availability and may not be offered on every voyage.
• Dining Packages Specialty Dining Package pricing include restaurant cover charges only.
• Additional items such as beverages, menu supplements, food and wine pairings and gratuities are not included.
• Cancelled packages are subject to full cover charges and there are no refunds for unused amounts.
• Guests dining in Sushi on Five or in Raw on 5 will receive a maximum of $30 credit towards the food items on their bill.
• All dining package are per person only and cannot be shared or combined with other promotions.
• Reservations are subject to change based on availability of ship and sail date.
• Restaurant reservations are subject to availability, and reservations are non-transferable.
• Offers are non-transferable and not combinable with Captain Club discounts or any other offer or promotion.
• This is non redeemable for cash.

 

For more information on the restaurants themselves, follow this link:

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/things-to-do-onboard/onboard-packages/dining-packages

 

 

 

[jg51]

1 hour ago, Froufie said:

New to Celebrity and in doing my research I notice there seems to be a specialty dining package, but I can't seem to get any exact information on what is included, what the cost is and how to purchase it (planning to cruise on the Reflection if that helps).

 

Anyone able to provide details and/or direct me to more specific information about this?

 

Thanks 🙂

.

Aboard the Reflection, the specialty restaurants are the following:

Tuscan Grille 

Sushi on Five

Le Petit Chef At Qsine

Murano

The Porch

The Lawn Club Grill

 

When you purchase a package, you can work with one or more of the restaurants' Maitre d's (beginning on Embarkation Day) to choose your various dates and times.  You don't need to rush into anything.  Take your time -- and change your mind later, if you wish.  You can even choose just one restaurant for all your dinners/lunches.  You have no obligation to visit any one of them.

 

You are not required to purchase a package from home (before boarding).  From personal experience on the Reflection, we know that you can purchase a package on the ship, on Embarkation Day.  Keep an eye open for a table that is set up, for this very purpose, not far from the Guest Relations desk.

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Edited October 19, 2021 by jg51

[Froufie]

26 minutes ago, jg51 said:

.

Aboard the Reflection, the specialty restaurants are the following:

Tuscan Grille 

Sushi on Five

Le Petit Chef At Qsine

Murano

The Porch

The Lawn Club Grill

 

When you purchase a package, you can work with one or more of the restaurants' Maitre d's (beginning on Embarkation Day) to choose your various dates and times.  You don't need to rush into anything.  Take your time -- and change your mind later, if you wish.  You can even choose just one restaurant for all your dinners/lunches.  You have no obligation to visit any one of them.

 

You are not required to purchase a package from home (before boarding).  From personal experience on the Reflection, we know that you can purchase a package on the ship, on Embarkation Day.  Keep an eye open for a table that is set up, for this very purpose, not far from the Guest Relations desk.

.

Thanks so much for this info....so is there a limit to the # of restaurants in the package?  what is the cost? I know on other lines you can pick 3 specialty restaurants and there is a reduced price when you do this (instead of booking each separately) - is it the same on Celebrity?  Will it be hard to make reservations if I wait until we are onboard?

[jelayne]

The 3, 4, etc night packages are at a discount compared to booking individually. A 3 night package gives you 3 dinners,  it’s your choice high you want to select.

FYI the packages are per person, so you can not buy a 4 night package and split it between you and your travel companion.

[jg51]

5 hours ago, jelayne said:

... There are 3, 4, 5, etc., night packages.  On our Reflection cruise the 3 night packages are sold out.  The 4 N is $149 per person [$37 per meal] and 5 night is $182 pp. [$36+ per meal], 6N is $204 pp [$34 per meal].

 

3 hours ago, Froufie said:

....so is there a limit to the # of restaurants in the package?  what is the cost? I know on other lines you can pick 3 specialty restaurants and there is a reduced price when you do this (instead of booking each separately) - is it the same on Celebrity?  Will it be hard to make reservations if I wait until we are onboard?

 

"Froufie," you must have overlooked the post of "jelayne," who tried to give you some numbers [see above], to help you notice that the price per meal keeps going down as you purchase a bigger and bigger package.  The biggest one we ever bought was for all fourteen nights of a transatlantic cruise, perhaps four ago -- and it cost less than $30 per meal (instead of the $40 to $50 they would have cost, if purchased individually).

 

No, there is no limit to the number of specialty restaurants [SRs] that you can use.  Earlier, we listed the six SRs on the Reflection for you.  You can go to each of them at least once, if you purchase a big enough package.

 

It is impossible to know for sure if "it [will] be hard to make reservations if [you] wait until [you] are on board."  In September/October, with just 1/6 to 1/2 of a ship's staterooms being used for guests, it has probably been easy to get into the SR(s) of one's choosing.  That was not always true, however, prior to the current health-related mess; back then, ships often sailed with no empty staterooms, and reservations were harder to get (at least, for the most desirable times).

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Edited October 19, 2021 by jg51

[Froufie]

Sorry I did miss some of the posts above and now understand I can choose # of dinners - I assume it is a savings?  How do I know what the 'original price' is of a particular restaurant?  And once we purchase the package (cruise planner/once booked) can we then make the reservations as well?  Thanks for any additional info! 🙂

 

[Mr. Click]

You can check the price of each restaurant by looking in the cruise planner.  Booking a package in advance does save you some money but when we tried it pre-covid  we could not book any reservations in advance and when we boarded the ship we went straight to the booking desk and found out there were no dates and times that worked for us and we ended up just canceling the package and did one night of specialty dining when things opened up later in the trip.  I won't do it again, just not worth the hassle, even using their money aka OBC.

[chemmo]

Availability of speciality dining varies greatly from cruise to cruise hence the differences in experience related by others. 
 

If you pre book the dining package then head to one of the speciality dining restaurants to arrange your dates and times. I would recommend you make your bookings early in the cruise. We always do it on boarding. On some cruises we have been on some of the restaurants only have very early or very late dining slots left by a few days into the cruise and we have cruised where Murano was fully booked by day 5 of an 11 night cruise. If you do change your mind the restaurants will do their best to accommodate changes.

 

Some people do not book a package but then negotiate once on board. There is usually a member of the speciality restaurant team outside the buffet most mornings offering deals. We have spoken to fellow guests who have managed two for one deals for Tuscan and LPC, deals for the Lawn Club and Murano are usually harder to come by. These deals are very variable. If you like to barter and are willing to risk discounts less than package discounts then this is an option…

 

We loved cruising on Reflection. I would also recommend a visit to The Porch one sea day lunchtime, much nicer than a busy buffet.

 

Hope you have a fantastic cruise!

 

 

[ChucktownSteve]

Pre Covid embarkation day we would always be offered a specialty restaurant discount by the buffet for the first night. Sometimes they offered us a 30 or 40% discount.  We were usually able to negotiate a BOGO (50% off).  We told them never mind if they didn't budge. Sometimes they had to check with their supervisor before being able to grant it. 

 

Obviously I don't know how it is post Covid, however we found before, that if SP restaurant bookings were down, they'd offer discounts on successive nights. With the ships sailing at low occupant rates, that may work in your favor. I wonder if they'd negotiate a dinning package once on board under current conditions?  Maybe someone who's sailed recently, might have an experience.

 

 

[jg51]

.

In case anyone wants to know the September, 2021, specialty dining package prices, etc., on Equinox -- especially folks who are new to Celebrity -- here is the info (as stated on an official "X" flyer, tucked into one of our "Celebrity Today" issues):

 

"Now, when you book a dining package, you have full control over your dining experiences!  With our newly updated specialty dining package program, YOU choose how many visits fit your schedule, when you want to dine, and whether it will be for lunch or dinner (subject to restaurant availability).  You can visit the same restaurant every night or try all our restaurants throughout your cruise.  It's totally up to you!"

 

"Specialty Restaurants:  Murano, Tuscan Grille, Le Petit Chef at Qsine, and Sushi On Five"

 

"Pkg.    Price     Save (based on an average $45 cover charge

3  = $129  [7%]

4  = $149  [23%]

5  = $182  [26%]

6  = $204  [35%]

7  = $233  [38%]

8  = $265  [36%]

9  = $299  [36%]

10 = $331 [36%]

11 = $353 [40%]

Additional visits available."

 

Suppose a couple wants to dine in SRs every night of a 9-night cruise.  We don't know if that would be considered an 18-meal package (possibly super-deeply discounted) ... or if it would be considered two 9-meal packages (costing $299 X 2 = $598).

.

There were uniformed crew members at the entrance to the Equinox's Oceanview Cafe (buffet) throughout almost the entire cruises (twelve and nine nights), offering packages and trying to persuade people to dine in the SRs.  There were about 1,250 and 975 guests aboard.  Besides the folks outside the buffet, there was a table on Deck 3, near Guest Services, on Embarkation Day, where people were being persuaded to book packages as they came aboard the ship.

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Edited October 20, 2021 by jg51