Specialty Dining Question

[mvh]

Correct me if I'm wrong. From my understanding you can pre purchase specialty dining before the cruise, but you cannot make reservations until on the cruise, is that correct? If so, is there any way to see the main dining room menu for the week so you can book accordingly. I would not want to miss the Gala or Italian night. Thx

[JAGR]

You should be able to see menus for the week at the maitre d's desk in the dining rooms.  At least one will be open on embarkation day.  It's especially easy now that the menu is pretty well set from week to week.

[Brighton Line]

3 hours ago, mvh said:

Correct me if I'm wrong. From my understanding you can pre purchase specialty dining before the cruise, but you cannot make reservations until on the cruise, is that correct? If so, is there any way to see the main dining room menu for the week so you can book accordingly. I would not want to miss the Gala or Italian night. Thx

You are not wrong, but note dining packages are a limited menu if you use the dining package. If you go off the tasting menu for the dining package you do get a 50% discount on the listed price. You should make reservations when you board, seating times go fast.  

[Mark_T]

32 minutes ago, Brighton Line said:

If you go off the tasting menu for the dining package you do get a 50% discount on the listed price.

There are exclusions to that rule, particularly in Butcher's Cut where for example the Tomahawk steak and other high priced steaks cannot be discounted.

[mvh]

1 hour ago, Brighton Line said:

You are not wrong, but note dining packages are a limited menu if you use the dining package. If you go off the tasting menu for the dining package you do get a 50% discount on the listed price. You should make reservations when you board, seating times go fast.  

What I understand is Gala Night is the first sea day, which is the first day after embarkation. Is that correct? It just seems soon, it usually seems around day 3 or 4. Not that it really matters, I just don't want to waste a Butchers Cut night then. I'm sure I will figure it out, not my first rodeo. However, MSC is definitely non conventional and are always changing things. 

[floor13]

My 2nd cruise with MSC but 1st time booking the unlimited specialty dining package. I'm aware of the restrictions regarding the menu choices, and the doesn't impact my decision because the pricing was excellent.

 

However, does anybody know what beverages are available complimentary in the specialty restaurants because my "Easy Package" won't cover drinks while dining at the specialty restaurants. I'm assuming its tap water or iced tea and possibly lemonade? I'm not familiar with the complimentary drinks on MSC because I've never been in a position to need or want ant of them. Alternatively does anybody know what they charge for a large bottle of Pellegrino in the specialty restaurants because that's really the only non-complimentary beverage I would be ordering there?

 

I booked the Easy Package long long ago when it was quite a bit less expensive, and upgrading now doesn't make sense because of my low original price from early 2022 vs the increased cost now for all drink packages. Also, I don't really need to upgrade to Easy Plus because I didn't see the benefit when I did that last time. Mainly I drink Pellegrino mineral water and espresso drinks with occasional diet sodas.

 

Regarding drinks at the bars, I read here recently that now you can now pay just the difference between the $8 allowance for the Easy Package and whatever the cost of the drink you want which in my case would be the $10 drinks. Is that still true? When I sailed Divina last January that was not the case but someone who has sailed since then mentioned the policy has since changed. If that is the case then I certainly don't need to upgrade to Easy Plus because the occasions when I want something not covered by the package at $2 per drink doesn't come close to what my cost would now be to upgrade due to the low initial cost on the old prices. 

[sverigecruiser]

21 hours ago, mvh said:

What I understand is Gala Night is the first sea day, which is the first day after embarkation. Is that correct? 

 

Depends on the cruise, it's not always a sea day.

[cellfree]

1 hour ago, floor13 said:

 

I booked the Easy Package long long ago when it was quite a bit less expensive, …

 

When dining in Specialty Venue, stop by a bar on way and order a few beverages and take with you. We have done that in the past. We have also seen people leave their tables during meal to walk out to a bar and bring back beverages.

[floor13]

Good advice about taking in beverages, but in other forums here people have said they have been denied entry with beverages from outside the specialty restaurant even in cases where they have a package that covers the beverage but the specialty restaurant doesn't stock it.

 

Like many things on cruise ships it often depends on who is working that day, how much attention they are paying and how much they care about making a fuss. We all know some cruise staff are lax and others are sticklers. In my case I only want a large bottle of Pellegrino with dinner and am not concerned about cocktails or beer or wine in that particular situation. I think this is probably going to be one of those depends-on-the-day type of scenarios. 

[cellfree]

Interesting “floor13,” I haven’t seen those posts but as you say it probably depends on cruise staff. We have never been denied. Crazy to deny someone, I would ask if they wanted me to drink it in front of them before I stepped over the threshold. I do recall once not having any package but had a bottle of Prosecco and took it to Steakhouse with us, we had already opened it, waiter said ‘we do not allow bottles from outside’ so I started to stand up and ask if I should take it back to our cabin, waiter replied ‘oh no that’s ok, had to mention it so you were aware.’