Indicate you have free specialty dinning when make reservation?

[elliotlake12]

Do I indicate I have free specialty dinning when I make dinning reservation, online, prior to cruise?

Will it show up as no charge?

[shof515]

book the fixed costs restaurants first like moderneo, teppanyaki and then al la carte places like cagensy, la cuccia, etc last

 

onboard the ship you will the wait staff you are using the dinning package

[ggTexasGal]

7 minutes ago, elliotlake12 said:

Do I indicate I have free specialty dinning when I make dinning reservation, online, prior to cruise?

Will it show up as no charge?

You must be logged into your account for your free dining credits to show up.  If your chosen restaurants include a fee, be sure to book those first!

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, elliotlake12 said:

Do I indicate I have free specialty dinning when I make dinning reservation, online, prior to cruise?

Will it show up as no charge?

You do not indicate your form of payment (Free at Sea Specialty Dining, Purchased Dining Package, Voucher, Cash/Room Charge) until time of dining. 

 

Most NCL Specialty Restaurants are a la carte (you pay for each item ordered... like going to McDonalds). Those restaurant will never have a charge to reserve since, ahead of time, the system has no idea what you will order. There are still two fixed fee restaurants, Teppanyaki and Moderno Brazilian BBQ. If you want to dine at those restaurants, you must make reservations for those restaurants first to avoid any charges. 

 

General restaurant reservations open exactly 120 days prior to departure, 12 midnight eastern time. Log on and make reservations exactly 120 days prior to departure. If you wait, prime time dining on popular days (e.g., sea days, dining times starting between 5:30 and 7:30) will sell out. 

 

Note: Dining reservations for Suites opens 130 days prior to departure. Dining reservations for Club Balcony and top tier Latitudes members (and there are a lot of them) open 125 days prior to departure. So, at 120 days, some dining times at popular restaurants may already be sold out. 

 

Note: The NCL reservation system normally only books even number of seats. So, if you have 3 people in your party, book a table for 4. If you are a party of 2, do not book a table for 8. 

 

Note: Some tables are held for onboard bookings. Pro Tip: Book the restaurants and times you want exactly 120 days prior to departure and do not depend on onboard booking. 

 

[firstimer2009]

4 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

You do not indicate your form of payment (Free at Sea Specialty Dining, Purchased Dining Package, Voucher, Cash/Room Charge) until time of dining. 

 

Most NCL Specialty Restaurants are a la carte (you pay for each item ordered... like going to McDonalds). Those restaurant will never have a charge to reserve since, ahead of time, the system has no idea what you will order. There are still two fixed fee restaurants, Teppanyaki and Moderno Brazilian BBQ. If you want to dine at those restaurants, you must make reservations for those restaurants first to avoid any charges. 

 

General restaurant reservations open exactly 120 days prior to departure, 12 midnight eastern time. Log on and make reservations exactly 120 days prior to departure. If you wait, prime time dining on popular days (e.g., sea days, dining times starting between 5:30 and 7:30) will sell out. 

 

Note: Dining reservations for Suites opens 130 days prior to departure. Dining reservations for Club Balcony and top tier Latitudes members (and there are a lot of them) open 125 days prior to departure. So, at 120 days, some dining times at popular restaurants may already be sold out. 

 

Note: The NCL reservation system normally only books even number of seats. So, if you have 3 people in your party, book a table for 4. If you are a party of 2, do not book a table for 8. 

 

Note: Some tables are held for onboard bookings. Pro Tip: Book the restaurants and times you want exactly 120 days prior to departure and do not depend on onboard booking. 

 

Thank you!  I wondered how this worked.  It seemed less complicated on my last cruise in 2019. If people aren't on Cruise Critic they are missing out on all of this great (free) advice.

Edited July 20, 2023 by firstimer2009

[KeithJenner]

18 hours ago, firstimer2009 said:

Thank you!  I wondered how this worked.  It seemed less complicated on my last cruise in 2019. If people aren't on Cruise Critic they are missing out on all of this great (free) advice.

This hasn’t changed much since before 2019, so if you had it all working ok then you will be fine.