specialty restaurant package expensive

[jellybabe2]

am i the only person who feels specialty restaurant package expensive?
we are on radiance in sept transpacific
royal package 4 specialty restaurants chops 1st or second nt others booked on board £49.50 pp GBP
chefs table not included £46.20 pp GBP expensive when we have already paid for the drinks package
however we have booked both as its a special birthday for both of us & many here highly rate chefs table
we also loved chops on our last cruise

[Yorkshire-Pudding]

Jellybabe2,

I have booked this for 3 of us on our Alaska cruise next week. Is it expensive, that depends on what you are comparing it to. After paying £10 for one portion of fish and chips at Wimbledon this week, it does not seem so bad. I just think that the daily MDR gratuity should be subtracted when you book the package since I don't plan on eating more than one meal each evening.

[cruisenfever]

[quote name='RETNAVY1996']I do try to stay out of most of the tipping fights, but I agree with you to a point. We do tip in the specialty restaurants, and think that on those nights we should be able to get the head waiter tip taken off, the assistant waiters work in the other places so they should get it. I don't mind tipping for nights I don't show up at the MDR and not eat some where rlse, but when I am paying a tip at another restaurant sometimes it does get to me. But I just have another drink and get over it.[/quote]
I believe that the OP is talking about the cost of the dining package at the Specialty Restaurants on Radiance and not about tipping.:confused: If I remember correctly the dining package includes Chops, Giovanni's Table, Samba Grill and Izumi and the charge us $70pp USD.

[Yorkshire-Pudding]

My response was not intended to kick off a debate about tipping but consider the overall cost of the dining package which is their concern.

I certainly see where they are coming from. You pay for your cruise and then there are all these extra things that you can add on, ie drinks package, dining package etc. Before you know it, you have added a significant cost to your holiday which I guess is what Jellybean2 is coming from.

From a British perspective, all these extras may seem a tad expensive.

[Merion_Mom]

Then don't buy them.

[Paulxyz2004]

[quote name='Merion_Mom']Then don't buy them.[/quote]


Exactly!

Afterall there´s as much food included in your cruise fare as you can eat. The package is at a reduced price from booking seperately already. It´s totally your choice to use those restaurants or not.

Talking about extra costs, it´s entirely up to you how much you spend and there´s certainly no Need to pay anything extra. I´m just back from a cruise recently (11nights) and had prepaid for tips and excursions, but no drink packages of any Kind or specialty Restaurants.

My onboard account at the end of the cruise was around 75 USD for two and I had to get some cash to not waste my non-ref. OBC of 150:cool:

It´s entirely possible to have a great time onboard without having to pay for anything extra, but the choice is yours and if you fancy some extras, there´s nothing wrong with it, but don´t moan about the Price tag.

[steamboats]

jellybabe2,

There are two dining packages onboard the Radiance:

Radiance Dining Package for 75$/pp which includes:
- Chops Grille (worth 30$)
- Giovanni´s Table (worth 20$)
- Izumi (acutally a 20$ voucher)
- Samba Grill (worth 25$)
-> You save 20$ booking the package!

Chef´s Dining Package for 145$/pp which includes:
- Chef´s Table (worth 95$)
- Chops Grille
- Giovanni´s Table
- Izumi
- Samba Grill
-> You save 45$ booking the package!

So if you want to go to all those restaurants the package is a good deal.

Yorkshire-Pudding, the gratuities are not just for the MDR. The same people are serving you for breakfast and lunch in both the MDR and Windjammer (and other food outlets onboard). And although many people are tipping extra in the specialty restaurants the surcharge is meant to include the tips for those venues.

Paulxyz2004, I love to eat good food so I think the specialty restaurants are worth the surcharge. But drink wise I´m more the iced tea person so my bar bill will nothing the cruise line is happy about. As I´m booking the package plus prepay my tips my onboard account ain´t much different from yours.

steamboats