Another specialty dining question

[WITraveler37]

My husband and I are traveling with our 2 teenagers. I know they don't get the specialty meals. But I'm wondering if it's possible to have one of us take one one of our kids to dinner instead of both of us going and leaving them both behind. For instance my husband and daughter go one night and she takes my card, then my son and I go the other night and he takes my husbands card. I nkow this is technically against the rules so please don't jump down my throat about breaking the rules. I'm just wondering if people have done it and it is feasible. Thank you.

[hallux]

If you got the beverage plan they may question how the teenagers had the beverage plan when a card with PBP printed on it is presented by said teenager.

[mjkacmom]

They can’t be transferred, you would have to pay for them. 

[julig22]

It would be up to the Maitre'd or hostess. No harm in asking, make it a family night. You and your husband use your meals, your 2nd meals for the kids.  Worst they can say is no.  Ask at the restaurant before you make your reservations so you aren't disappointed if they say no.

Note that depending on the ship system, your photo appears when the card is swiped so don't count on your plan working.

[zqvol]

Why not just the teens a dining package 

[WITraveler37]

I don't really want to pay the upcharge for all 4 of us to eat at the specialty restaurants. To me they just aren't worth it. Plus it's nice to have one on one time with the kids.  And I just don't understand the rule. If we each get two meals what difference does it make how we use it, why would they care that I want to give one of my meals to my kid?

 

I also didn't realize that the beverage package was labeled on the card or that your picture showed up everytime they swipe it so I guess I'll just have to ask at the restaurants when we get on board.

[cruisinmeme]

Just pay a la cart and order them very little. Share your meals. Example at cagney’s you get a 16 oz rib eye or 16 oz prime rib. They is plenty to share . They could each order a side and with all the food you and husband get will be plenty . 

[mjkacmom]

The reason is the bigger the dining package, the cheaper each meal is. If they could be shared, I could buy a dining package for 8 nights for myself, and hand them out to my 7 family members, and each would be significantly cheaper than if we paid for each meal oop. So there is no sharing, even if it just 4 dinners. NCL would rather you purchase specialty dining for the 2 who don’t have it than let you share.

[WITraveler37]

16 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

The reason is the bigger the dining package, the cheaper each meal is. If they could be shared, I could buy a dining package for 8 nights for myself, and hand them out to my 7 family members, and each would be significantly cheaper than if we paid for each meal oop. So there is no sharing, even if it just 4 dinners. NCL would rather you purchase specialty dining for the 2 who don’t have it than let you share.

Ok, this is fair and makes sense. Thanks for the explanation. I never looked at the dining packages so I didn't know this. I guess I will just ask at the restaurants when I try to make reservations.

 

 

[Traveling Fools]

On 2/29/2024 at 2:47 PM, WITraveler37 said:

If we each get two meals what difference does it make how we use it, why would they care that I want to give one of my meals to my kid?

 

Here is what happened to me on a Jan 7-14, 2024 cruise on the Epic.

 

DW and I booked a DOS and adjoining suite in the Haven.  We also paid for all onboard expenses. Cost us beaucoup bucks.  We were celebrating DD's, GD's, & GS's birthdays.  Both our suites came with 2-specialty dinning dinners for 2.  To supplement our specialty dinning packages, I purchased an 2 additional specialty dinners for 2.  Whereas the grandkids (11 & 14), aren't big eaters and will in most instances will order off the kid's menu, I did not purchase extra dinning packages for them.  And it is a good thing I didn't!

 

Unbeknownst to me, NCL's policy (as stated on their T&C for dinning packages) does not permit transfer of those meals.  I was not a happy camper to be told this by both the hostess and restaurant manager of the Le Bistro.  I was told they couldn't be transferred to anyone not booked in our suite .  Le Bistro's manger was put out by our request to speak to us and rudely delivered the news and told us we needed to address the issue with the concierge.  This happened the night of DD's actual birthday.

 

The next morning (the day before disembarkation) I brought the issue up with the concierge.  He told me he would look into the matter,  I told him that given our 10 year history of sailing exclusively in suites or the Haven, and given the money I had forked out for the cruise, I had faith in him and the hotel manager to find an agreeable solution.

 

Through the course of the last day on board, the concierge did an admirable job of avoiding me....even when he saw me.  The morning we disembarked I asked him what solution had been reached.  Unfortunately, he told me corporate policy prevented anything to been done.

 

In all it cost me close to $500.  Not a huge amount relative to what all I spent, but enough to disappoint me with the lack of loyalty by NCL to me and my family and make me question our future loyalty to NCL.

 

A letter to Katty Bird resulted in a blah blah response with an offer of $300 in OBC, "if we ever booked with NCL again".  That's all it would have taken for the hotel manage and concierge to have done onboard to satisfy us. And, we would have left the ship happy that the onboard staff did something.

 

Bottomline, while never is a long, long time, DW and I have reevaluated our continued loyalty to NCL and have decided to take our money elsewhere.

[adidreh1234]

On 2/29/2024 at 2:07 PM, WITraveler37 said:

My husband and I are traveling with our 2 teenagers. I know they don't get the specialty meals. But I'm wondering if it's possible to have one of us take one one of our kids to dinner instead of both of us going and leaving them both behind. For instance my husband and daughter go one night and she takes my card, then my son and I go the other night and he takes my husbands card. I nkow this is technically against the rules so please don't jump down my throat about breaking the rules. I'm just wondering if people have done it and it is feasible. Thank you.

I have the same situation.  We will be on the Breakaway this up coming Sunday, and then the Getaway in June.  Our DD is 12, but she is a foodie.  She loves to experience different cuisines, and when we travel, we splurge on restaurant experiences.  I plan on just paying for her a la carte.  But at Cagney's, I can't imagine eating a 16oz rib eye by myself so I might just give her half.  If the wait staff says anything, I'll deal with it...like you're telling a mother not to give her kid a bite of her food?  LOL When we were on a RCL cruise two years ago, DH couldn't go because he got COVID, so they allowed DD to use DH's meals.  It's a different cruise line, but like other people said, it might be a case by case basis.  

Edited March 3 by adidreh1234
typo

[FPMoosally]

33 minutes ago, adidreh1234 said:

I plan on just paying for her a la carte.  But at Cagney's, I can't imagine eating a 16oz rib eye by myself so I might just give her half.  If the wait staff says anything, I'll deal with it...like you're telling a mother not to give her kid a bite of her food?

 

If your daughter is ordering items a la carte, and you give her 1/2 your steak, it is unlikely to be an issue. If she sits down, orders nothing, you ask for an extra plate, and then give her 1/2 of your appetizer, salad, steak and side -- that would be a problem.

 

But regardless, the rules apply to you too, so don't be shocked if you don't get what you want if it's against the rules.

 

[kitkat343]

1 hour ago, adidreh1234 said:

I have the same situation.  We will be on the Breakaway this up coming Sunday, and then the Getaway in June.  Our DD is 12, but she is a foodie.  She loves to experience different cuisines, and when we travel, we splurge on restaurant experiences.  I plan on just paying for her a la carte.  But at Cagney's, I can't imagine eating a 16oz rib eye by myself so I might just give her half.  If the wait staff says anything, I'll deal with it...like you're telling a mother not to give her kid a bite of her food?  LOL When we were on a RCL cruise two years ago, DH couldn't go because he got COVID, so they allowed DD to use DH's meals.  It's a different cruise line, but like other people said, it might be a case by case basis.  

Kids 12 and under can order from the kids menu for free.  If our experience with our kids was any indication, they do not care if children under 12  also share in their parents' dishes as long as they don't order anything more than the kids meal.  We had 2 kids under 12 who ordered kids meals and ate some food off our plates also.  It's really between you and your 12 year old if the two of you will both be happy with half an entree.  If your child were over the age of 12, I think you'd need either the dining package or  to order something off the menu (at least an appetizer or dessert) and share and I think they'd probably be okay with it, but we got the meal package for our 13 year old (we have 3 kids so we get 2 rooms and our 13 year old was at the second guest on one of the rooms).   Please note that all kids meals come from one central kitchen, so they can take forever to arrive and your food will probably be there first.  And I think they'd have a really hard time telling you not to share when they've served you food while your kid sits at the table waiting for a grilled cheese.

Edited March 4 by kitkat343

[adidreh1234]

1 hour ago, FPMoosally said:

 

If your daughter is ordering items a la carte, and you give her 1/2 your steak, it is unlikely to be an issue. If she sits down, orders nothing, you ask for an extra plate, and then give her 1/2 of your appetizer, salad, steak and side -- that would be a problem.

 

But regardless, the rules apply to you too, so don't be shocked if you don't get what you want if it's against the rules.

 

That was the plan, she would probably want her own appetizer and some other things.  Not trying to cheat the system 🙂 

[PATRLR]

On 2/29/2024 at 3:43 PM, WITraveler37 said:

Yes, but why? Why does it matter which guest uses the meal? one meal is one meal regardless of who shows up to eat it.

To be crystal clear here, the reason you can't share your meals with your kids is NCL wants you to buy the kids their own meals.  It's really that simple.  If you could give one of your "free" meals to someone else, that decreases the chances of that someone buying their own.  

 

As reasonable as we all may (or may not) think what you want to do is, NCL only cares about increasing the onboard spend.  Period, end of story. 

Any other reason stated in this thread is BS.

Edited March 4 by PATRLR

[KeithJenner]

2 hours ago, PATRLR said:

Any other reason stated in this thread is BS.

As far as I can see there are no other reasons stated in this thread.

 

All of the responses that I have seen to the question are basically saying the same thing. NCL wants people to buy their own meals. Allowing sharing of dining packages means that people will just end up using larger packages to give individuals just one or two meals whereas NCL wants all those people to buy the packages themselves, at higher per meal prices, and hopefully encourage them to get larger packages for themselves.

 

Everyone seems to be in agreement, with no BS required.