Question about initial time when booking dining package

[davisrnr]

Looking at booking a 3-night dining package. Two questions: 

 

1) it asks you to put in a time for your initial use of this, but it doesn't ask you which restaurant. Can someone explain how this works? 

2) for a 7 night cruise, based on your experience what do you recommend? Is a 3-night package fine or you recommend the ultimate package where you can also get lunches (in addition to more dinners) . 3-day is currently $89/pp and UDP is $199/pp. From past cruises, we do like to do a few dinners in the MDR (but not every night, esp formal nights), and lunches tend to be mostly the buffet option or even the poolside options. Breakfast is hit or miss and can be MDR, buffet, room service, or skipped altogether. 

[Balsam12]

You'll be allocated a restaurant, but won't find out which one until you get on board.

 

I am led to believe you can then go to any specialty restaurant and change the restaurant if you want (subject to availability).

[Clarea]

Plus, the time chosen is only for the first night.  Reservations for all subsequent nights have to be made onboard.

[LadyBeBop]

We got the ultimate package during the Black Friday deal. 

 

Should we we make reservations as soon as we board?  We will want to hit all the specialty restaurants. Some, we will have to hit more than once. Should we make reservations for the first few days, then come back later for reservations to the restaurants we like the best?  We’ll do Chops more than once, but other than that,  I don’t know. 

 

We’re early diners, so 5:30 every night won’t phase us.

[Ourusualbeach]

3 minutes ago, LadyBeBop said:

We got the ultimate package during the Black Friday deal. 

 

Should we we make reservations as soon as we board?  We will want to hit all the specialty restaurants. Some, we will have to hit more than once. Should we make reservations for the first few days, then come back later for reservations to the restaurants we like the best?  We’ll do Chops more than once, but other than that,  I don’t know. 

 

We’re early diners, so 5:30 every night won’t phase us.

 

We did the UDP 2 weeks ago on Allure.

 

make all your dining reservations the first day.  They fill up quickly.  You can always change them later if they still have availability.

Edited January 12, 2019 by Ourusualbeach

[LadyBeBop]

Thank you. Just thinking about it makes me hungry. 🙂