unlimitied dining package nervousness

[cruisebabe50]

We purchased the unlimited dining package because in the past we really enjoyed the specialty dining.  I am getting nervous though that we might have just wasted our money because the food and the service is not great anymore.  Reviews are pretty negative.  I am wondering if we should call and get it refunded now.  What do you think?  

[rudeney]

I think you should stop reading the negative reviews! 😜  Honestly, I've never had truly terrible food on RCI.  I have had some that was mediocre, and some that I thought was overpriced, but everything on a cruise ship is more expensive than I think it should be.

[taglovestocruise]

2 minutes ago, rudeney said:

I think you should stop reading the negative reviews! 😜  Honestly, I've never had truly terrible food on RCI.  I have had some that was mediocre, and some that I thought was overpriced, but everything on a cruise ship is more expensive than I think it should be.

+1

[CatLadyFemme]

We just did the Allure in April with the UDP, and except for Chops (mushroom soup was good but everything else was meh), the food was great!

[johnjen]

Stick to your bookings. Specialty dining is for those that might want to break away from the large dining tables in the MDR and just be isolated for couple/family time. I recently posted on how I learned that you can get the same filet mignon you get in Chops - at the MDR for an additional $16.95, but it's not the same IMO. By the time the MDR gets it to us, it's more cooked than we wanted it at Chops. They're quicker at Chops in serving than in the MDR, so.....AND, the ambiance for specialty dining is better than in the MDR. I find the quality better when you do specialty dining over MDR.

[CruisingHogFan]

21 minutes ago, rudeney said:

I think you should stop reading the negative reviews! 😜  Honestly, I've never had truly terrible food on RCI.  I have had some that was mediocre, and some that I thought was overpriced, but everything on a cruise ship is more expensive than I think it should 

 

people just like to complain….
 

We have never had a bad experience. Keep a open mind that it’s not a 5 star restaurant and enjoy. 
 

[EntropyGuardian]

Most of them complaining about the food probably never had their taste buds come back after their last bout of COVID.

[yogimax]

I'll offer another perspective... if you are having doubts, listen to your inner voice.

 

The UDP is  an expensive addition, especially when you consider that your cruise cost already includes food.  How about a compromise?  You don't say how long your cruise is but, if it's seven nights, do specialty dining two or three times (possibly doing lunch to reduce the cost).

 

I will also say that we find the food in the MDR to be fine, plenty of choice.

 

Another factor to consider is the volume of food in the specialty restaurants.  We ate in Hooked on a recent cruise and left stuffed.  Too much food.  There's no way we would have considered doing specialty every night.

 

Anyway, just some food for thought.

[TexasRon]

Chops and Izumi Hibachi we’re both very good on our last trip.  The food was cooked perfectly and was tasty and the service was great.

 

Izumi Sushi was also great.  They even made an off- menu roll for me.

 

Playmakers was also a good experience and their Campfire Cookie was off the hook good.

 

UDP is a good deal for us; a little less so on future cruises with price hikes.  Hopefully we hit a “sale” that is actually a “sale” in more than name…

[bigque]

We like the Chops + 1 concept. We get it just to get away from the hustle and bustle of the MDR a couple of nights and not because the MDR food is not good. People say why do it with all the free offerings. We know what we can get free and when we cruise we save and budget for different things we like on the cruise and a couple of night specialty restaurants is one of those things. I don’t get in looking for some 5 star experience but if we get that fine and if it is less than that then fine also. Don’t cancel your reservation but go and see for yourself and if you don’t like it then don’t  do it again. 

Edited May 13, 2022 by bigque

[chiguy67]

Only you can decide id the food is good or not. We’ve had great meals and terrific service in all of the specialty restaurants since the restart and the UDP is worth the extra money if you get it at a great price.

 

 

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, cruisebabe50 said:

We purchased the unlimited dining package because in the past we really enjoyed the specialty dining.  I am getting nervous though that we might have just wasted our money because the food and the service is not great anymore.  Reviews are pretty negative.  I am wondering if we should call and get it refunded now.  What do you think?  

We hardly ever do specialty dining. Food is included in the cost of the cruise. Specialty dining is a hustle to get you to spend more money on something you already paid for. 
 

I can get a steak in the MDR every night. I don’t need to spend $45 to get a steak in chops. 

[George C]

I wouldn’t cruise rccl without the UDP, not every meal will be perfect but they all will be way better than mdr . It’s a better bargain on the bigger ships with more restaurants choices, definitely enjoyed it on allure. 

[cruisebabe50]

Thanks everyone!  You are all correct.  Our cruise is in just 2 weeks and I recently read a review that was super negative.  We got an amazing deal and I just got nervous.  It is a cruise and we have never let anything ruin our fun on cruises!  

[rudeney]

57 minutes ago, yogimax said:

The UDP is  an expensive addition, especially when you consider that your cruise cost already includes food. 

 

Exactly!  I remember paying something like $10pp extra for dinner at Palo on DCL.  That was an amazing bargain (especially for amazing food).  With the RCI specialty restaurants being a $50++ upcharge over existing included meals, and them being on par with the likes of Outback Steakhouse, it's not a very good value.  Having said that, I am still contemplating some specialty dining for our cruise, probably the 3-night package.

[jerseygirl629]

We bought the UDP a few months ago for our August cruise on Ovation. I keep going back and forth on whether it is worth it or not as I'm most nervous about getting reservations we want! I just don't want to spend all this money and then be told there are no time slots left when/where we want to eat 😞

Edited May 13, 2022 by jerseygirl629

[Belle5129]

3 hours ago, jerseygirl629 said:

We bought the UDP a few months ago for our August cruise on Ovation. I keep going back and forth on whether it is worth it or not as I'm most nervous about getting reservations we want! I just don't want to spend all this money and then be told there are no time slots left when/where we want to eat 😞

We will have the UDP for the first time for our Oasis cruise in June. Agree with you, my biggest worry too is actually getting reservations. We tend to eat early, so I am hoping the earlier times slots don't go as fast. But willing to be flexible with when/where if needed. I feel like I won't be able to relax on board until I get everything booked 🙂

[taglovestocruise]

23 hours ago, Belle5129 said:

We will have the UDP for the first time for our Oasis cruise in June. Agree with you, my biggest worry too is actually getting reservations. We tend to eat early, so I am hoping the earlier times slots don't go as fast. But willing to be flexible with when/where if needed. I feel like I won't be able to relax on board until I get everything booked 🙂

The early times and the 8pm slots fill up the quickest. Make the reservations as soon as you board.  8 pm slots may now not be a problem, they used to fill up as that was when Happy Hour was over which now has far fewer attending.

Edited May 15, 2022 by taglovestocruise

[Cruising89143]

I’m with the majority. Stick with it. We’re not a fan of the MDR. Rushed and packed is the way that we see it. Others don’t which is fine. On the other hand, specialty dining you can take your time and enjoy your meal, the smaller venue and much higher quality food. 
 

Also, know that you don’t have to eat everything on the menu. You can choose exactly what you want. Sometimes we might drop a course if we’re not that hungry. 

[LeeW]

We look at the sides.  None of the specialty restaurant sides really appeal to us and doing them for all meals doesn't make sense.  DW is perfectly happy with a steak and fries, which we can get in main dining.  Sometimes Chops steak, sometimes not.  Last cruise the strip steak was actually better than the Chops steak (rarely happens).  

 

The other issue for us is amount of food.  Specialty restaurants will stuff you.  We often order only the main course and dessert.  Doesn't make sense to do this in Specialty (although some folks will do several courses in several restaurants if they have UDP).  

[FPP777]

We did the UDP on our last cruise. We paid 179 dollars and never looked back. We enjoyed every single meal knowing there was included food in the main dining room. It was a great experience and at some point we will do it again. If you can afford it, do it. At the end of the trip you can determine if it was worth it to you and if you would ever do it again.

[PompeySailor]

We had UDP just this week and the only issue we have is hitting every venue and getting our monies worth.

here was our feeding schedule and it was filling.

This was $88 each for a 4 night package, worth every Penny.

 

Ultimate Dining Package

5/16 WJ (Curry) (not part of package, just tradition)

5/16 Chops LUNCH

5/16 Chops 5:30pm

5/17 Fish n Ships LUNCH

5/17 Giovanni’s 5:30pm 

5/18 Chops 12:30pm LUNCH

5/18 Izumi Hibachi 5:30pm

5/19 Playmakers LUNCH $20 each (way too much food)

5/19 Giovanni’s 5:30pm

 

And I have plenty of food pics if you want some teasers

 

Happy Days!

enjoy the package 👍🏻

[Merion_Mom]

46 minutes ago, PompeySailor said:

We had UDP just this week and the only issue we have is hitting every venue and getting our monies worth.

here was our feeding schedule and it was filling.

This was $88 each for a 4 night package, worth every Penny.

 

Ultimate Dining Package

5/16 WJ (Curry) (not part of package, just tradition)

5/16 Chops LUNCH

5/16 Chops 5:30pm

5/17 Fish n Ships LUNCH

5/17 Giovanni’s 5:30pm 

5/18 Chops 12:30pm LUNCH

5/18 Izumi Hibachi 5:30pm

5/19 Playmakers LUNCH $20 each (way too much food)

5/19 Giovanni’s 5:30pm

 

And I have plenty of food pics if you want some teasers

 

Happy Days!

enjoy the package 👍🏻

 

 

I feel stuffed just reading this!  😮 

[erinsmom03]

We just did UDP on Allure a couple weeks ago. We enjoyed the experience in the restaurants as well as the food. The service was great and the food was also. We ate in Sabor, Giovanni's twice, Izumi Hibachi, Izumi Sushi, 150 Central Park. We also ate at Coastal Kitchen for dinner once. Never ate in the MDR and didn't regret that decision at all.

 

We won't be doing the UDP on our next cruise, because we will be on Serenade and there aren't a lot of specialty options. Plus we will eat dinner in the ports at least twice. But on future cruises with a good number of options, I will definitely do UDP again!

[neverbeenhere]

Pretty sure the heart and the +1 have different meaning. To me the heart represents that you like the response, there are various reasons for the like.
 

While the +1 represents “that’s what I do” or “your answer is the one I would have given, if you hadn’t posted it first”. 
 

Could be wrong.