Confusion regarding purchasing 3 speciality restaurant package

[steel1203]

Hello, our family is split between 2 rooms and have $100 per room OBC & drinks package (7 day med Epic cruise). We want to go to the circus show and Cagneys so thought it makes sense to use OBC to buy the 3 speciality restaurant offer, but I have been told by NCL I cannot purchase until I am on the ship?? Ok, but does that mean I cannot make reservations until I am onboard and if that is the case would all the best times be gone? Has anyone else had this problem (note we are 2 adults and 2 children).

[hawkeyetlse]

Yes, OBC can only be spent on board, and you can't make reservations using the SDP until you actually have the SDP… For Cagney's you can make resrevations whenever you want, you don't have to pay anything upfront anyway. For Cirque, if you are really worried about availability (personally I would not be, unless you absolutely can only go at one specific time on one specific evening), you can reserve ahead of time and pay the full cover charge for everyone. Buy the dining packages when you get on board, use them to pay for Cirque, and the difference in price will (eventually, maybe with some prodding on your part) be credited back to you in the form of OBC. Even with the refund, this will use up your $100 OBC per cabin: Two 3-meal SDPs purchased on board will cost 2 × $79 + 18% = $186.44, and the Cirque discount for premium seats is something like $30 per person.

[sanger727]

You can make reservations for any of the a la cartes for free but the cover charge locations will need payment upfront unless you purchase SDP. And you can't purchase SDP with OBC until you are onboard.

 

 

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[BirdTravels]

If you reserve the Cirque show in advance, you have to pay the full price of the show online. On board, you can specify that you want to use an SDP for the dinner/show and they will refund the difference in OBC.

But,,, consider,,, If you are buying (i.e., not free promo) a 3-day SDP, consider:

3-day SDP $69 + 12.42 gratuity = $81.42 / 3 meals = $27.14 per meal

Cirque show = $15 upcharge + $2.70 gratuity = $17.70 total upcharge

Cost of Cirque using purchased SDP: $17.70 up charge + $27.14 cost of SDP = $44.84 to see the show.

If you purchased, without the SDP, the Cirque show it is $39.00 + $7.02 gratuity = $46.02.

 

You save a $1.18 using the SDP. Might as well pay full price for the Cirque show (always buy premium seats) and use the SDP for a nice steak dinner at Cagney's.

[steel1203]

Thanks everyone for the advise & keeping me right!! Think I am going to use OBC to partially funds the Specialty dining package for the 4 of us, but going to book Cagneys & another restaurant and then book cirque when I board and pay extra for VIP tickets. This will probably be our only family cruise so I want to make it amazing 😀