Booking "Free" Specialty Dining With Another Cabin

[Cruiser1976]

Hello! New to NCL, usually sail RCCL and have a question about booking the free specialty restaurants. We are sailing with another cabin and if they book a restaurant online and say it's for 4 people (which includes my cabin) will that allow us to use the free dining option or do we need to book it separately? I had read someplace that the "free" perks needed to be booked in advance and could not be redeemed onboard. Thanks

[bkrickles1]

13 minutes ago, Cruiser1976 said:

Hello! New to NCL, usually sail RCCL and have a question about booking the free specialty restaurants. We are sailing with another cabin and if they book a restaurant online and say it's for 4 people (which includes my cabin) will that allow us to use the free dining option or do we need to book it separately? I had read someplace that the "free" perks needed to be booked in advance and could not be redeemed onboard. Thanks

I sailed Encore in January 2020 with my wife and daughter in addition to my aunt and uncle.

I booked 3 specialty restaurants as part of the free perks after I boarded for all 5 of us and we easily redeemed without a hitch. 

[pandncruisers]

We usually travel with another couple and I always book our dinner reservations for 4 under my account and we have no problem using all of the free dinners.  When you get to the restaurant you give them your room numbers and tell them that you want to use the free dinners. 

[hallux]

Yup, just book the number in the party, 'payment' (use of the dining credits) will be sorted out at the venue.

Edited November 26, 2021 by hallux

[Cruiser1976]

Thanks everyone!

[KeithJenner]

43 minutes ago, Cruiser1976 said:

Hello! New to NCL, usually sail RCCL and have a question about booking the free specialty restaurants. We are sailing with another cabin and if they book a restaurant online and say it's for 4 people (which includes my cabin) will that allow us to use the free dining option or do we need to book it separately? I had read someplace that the "free" perks needed to be booked in advance and could not be redeemed onboard. Thanks

The meals don’t need to be booked in advance. If there is availability then you can reserve onboard or just walk in. They hold back a lot of spaces for booking onboard, so it isn’t essential to prebook (but you want to do it soon after boarding).

 

Just to expand on the earlier answers, when you reserve online you just state the number of people who are in your dining party, you don’t say who they are. When you arrive at the restaurant you say how you will be paying, so at the point you reserve online NCL don’t know whether you are booking a free at sea meal or one you will pay for a la carte. 

[phillygwm]

You'll be asked for your key cards.  If you have free meals, they would apply those first (unless you specified otherwise.)  If some people have freebies left, others have Platinum meals, and still more are paying, the waitstaff will figure it all out.