Food package vs. Shore Excursion Credit - Decisions Decisions

[JulieJulie311]

I can't math. Help. What do people think is a better deal.

Shore excursion credit is $50 a port up to $200. I would use it in Roatan (so $50) and if I can use it on a debarkation excursion to the airport (so $50 more - $100 total)

Food Credit - I am not even sure what this promo is - is it 3 nights for 2 at specialty restaurants? I will do Raw bar one night and that in itself seems to be a lot of money unless I have the package if we feast..... What kind of savings do people see with the free food package? I am not sure what the costs of the restaurants even are to be honest.... Opinions please!

[pghflyer]

I can't imagine when I would use a shore excursion credit because they are always about 50% more expensive than buying outside....not to mention the delay and slow process of doing ship excursions and transportation to the airport. This is a little better deal if you are a single in a room because the $50 helps better on the price (this is a per cabin discount so not as good with multiple people). Note it is up to $50 discount and it doesn't roll over or anything like that (use it at each port or lose it).

 

If you believe list pricing, the specialty dining is worth somewhere between about $25-$50 per person (some have flat rate, some charge a-la-carte so can vary)....which is again, IMO overpriced considering you can already go get a very respectable meal for "free". However the food is a little better and it is a much nicer/ quiet dining experience. So, I would definitely take the specialty dining package. Please note that now there are even restaurants that are so "special" you have to pay a surcharge even WITH a specialty dining package....your RAW Bar is one of those ($7 per person):

 

https://www.ncl.com/specialty-dining-package/faq

 

So depends how likely you are to want to do an official ship excursion.

[emcelh]

I can't math. Help. What do people think is a better deal.

Shore excursion credit is $50 a port up to $200. I would use it in Roatan (so $50) and if I can use it on a debarkation excursion to the airport (so $50 more - $100 total)

Food Credit - I am not even sure what this promo is - is it 3 nights for 2 at specialty restaurants? I will do Raw bar one night and that in itself seems to be a lot of money unless I have the package if we feast..... What kind of savings do people see with the free food package? I am not sure what the costs of the restaurants even are to be honest.... Opinions please!

The dining package is usually 3 dinners in a specialty restaurant for the first 2 people in the cabin. You will be charged the gratuity on the package, about $14 PP. The previous poster gives the link to the terms and conditions.

 

I'm not sure if you can use the shore excursion for your debarkation transfer. You don't receive the credit until after you complete the excursion and you'd already be off the ship. Also, considering the high prices of the ship excursions, you're really not saving much.

 

I would choose the dining package over the shore excursion credit. Check the Port of Call boards on cruise critic for recommendations for Roatan.

[davesgirl51]

The dining package is usually 3 dinners in a specialty restaurant for the first 2 people in the cabin. You will be charged the gratuity on the package, about $14 PP. The previous poster gives the link to the terms and conditions.

 

I'm not sure if you can use the shore excursion for your debarkation transfer. You don't receive the credit until after you complete the excursion and you'd already be off the ship. Also, considering the high prices of the ship excursions, you're really not saving much.

 

I would choose the dining package over the shore excursion credit. Check the Port of Call boards on cruise critic for recommendations for Roatan.

 

I booked my excursions online and the 50% was taken off then.

[BirdTravels]

The dining package has a value of $96 x 2 people. (I.e., if you were to purchase it on the ship).

 

We used it at the Raw Bar with the $7 upcharge. The retail cost of our meals were about $80 each. Could have/should have ate more.

[JulieJulie311]

Initially I thought shore excursions but even with the discount it is still significantly cheaper to do them with another vendor. My only exception is Roatan but I am thinking of paying more (The Jolly Roger sounds crowded so thinking of using someone not thru NCL). And, the hop on / off bus in Miami with drop off at FLL - if I save $50, that makes it $50 for two of us to the airport with sight seeing if we have a little time. But, I don't need to do that, my flights at 4:30, we could just be last off the boat and meander to the airport.

I also thought I don't need specialty food - the included food is fine.

But, I do want Raw bar - I would have paid for that one night - and I'm thinking I would get my moneys worth if we did that a couple times in itself.

[PelicanBill]

My opinion is you need to have your port plans decided first. If you are inclined to book ship tours, then count how many $50 credits you will get.

And, you need to know if you were going to specialty restaurants without a package or not - and what you would really save if that's the case.

In the end I think it's whichever you will use and get the most value out of.

 

The cost of shore excursions is hotly debated here. Many claim they are way more expensive through the ship. But it is also true that some are only available through the ship - certain tour operators and boats are contracted to operate exclusive for the ship on that date. I have priced the same tours without cruise and with and found some are exactly the same, while others were a little more with the ship. Once you get Latitude Silver and the 10% discout, that extra charge with the ship is largely negated. When you price local tours and operators, you can get widely varying prices and you need to make certain they are reliable with independent reviews. You need to be certain of local time and ship time for the port. And you need to be sure they will get you back to the ship in time. When you take a ship tour the ship won't leave without you. So I consider local tours to be for seasoned travelers willing to take these risks.

 

I take both local and ship tours. I am getting the $50 credit but will only use it for a few ports, because I can choose lower cost options not available on the ship at many of the ports. So the credit was only worthwhile for the few places in which there is a ship tour I really like.

[Chippytoes]

We decided on the shore excursion package, (already paying gratuities on the UBP) and will use our OBC if we want to dine at any of the specialty dining restaurants. Just can't justify spending more $$ when there are plenty of free dining options :)

[poohdreaming]

Some will choose the dining package because they can taste and have good food. Some specialty restaurants are better than the food in the main dining room as well as the buffet. It depends on your choice of food and if you think complementary ones are okay, then you do not need the dining package. If you are going to ports that have expensive shore excursions, then the shore excursions can save some monies. It is $50 per each port.

 

You can also still dine at a specialty restaurant, it is just paying whatever you eat plus the 20%.

[JulieJulie311]

I went with the dining package. Even with the discount it was cheaper to book excursions outside NCL. While I’m fine with the dining room food, I wanted to do raw bar at least a night. And that right there is probably my money’s worth. Even with the $7 upcharge.