Ultimate Specialty Package

[riandei]

I also wonder if this package will be discounted further for AQ guests to relieve some of the stress on Blu now that suite guests may request to dine (or the increased number of AQ guests overall on Reflection).

 

On my Solstice cruise in August I was offered a 50% discount on the 5-meal dining package because I was in AQ, with a net cost of $30 per couple per restaurant.

 

On ships with Silk Harvest, $29 per person (or $58 per couple) this makes absolutely no sense for AQ guests who already get a specialty restaurant for breakfast and can dine for $25 pp at Silk for dinner. (And technically Blu is already a specialty restaurant anyway.)

 

For my upcoming 7-night reflection cruise (also in AQ), DW and I want to dine again in Tuscan, but just reading the menu I am totally uninterested in QSine and Murano was not worth $40 pp for us on any day. Similarly, based on reviews the Lawn Club at $40 pp is horribly overpriced for what is served. Therefore, even at $29 pp I would not purchase this, but if it were discounted to $15 pp for AQ we might consider trying both Murano and QSine again, as well as the Lawn Club. We did enjoy Blu and the MDR, however, but an additional cost of $30 per day total ($210) still seems steep when the cruise is short and menus are unlikely to repeat in either Blu or MDR.

 

Just my thoughts.

 

interesting observation regarding blu ... I was just thinking ...if they allowed breakfast in blu with this package I would purchase in a heartbeat... we have sailed AQ twice but in Feb dropped down to a regular balcony and took the 600 $ difference in cost and are applying that to specialty dining. We will still come out ahead ... Its not so much the food in blu that interests us ...its the fact that it is like dining out in a restaurant ... more so than MDR

 

and breakfast there ...its just plain good

[ellie424]

• Breakfast is free at The Porch. Lunch is $5 cover
  
• Breakfast and Lunch are $5 each cover at Bistro on 5
  
• Lunch at specialty restaurants vary. On our Reflection cruise, lunch at Lawn Club Grill was the full menu at $40 and $25 lunch menu at Murano
  
• Lunch was served in a specialty restaurant on 2 of the 7 days during our cruise.
  
• Dinner prices are $5, $30 or $40 depending on where you eat.
  
• High Tea is ~$29
  

 

Based on all of this, if one were to eat Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner every day at these venues and one High Tea, the maximum savings one could see is about 56%.

 

Of course, one wouldn't be spending as much money were it not for the package; so, don't forget to factor that in the big picture equation.

 

 

Thank you so much for this information! It is very helpful! :)