Dining package question

[de6259]

🙂 hi all.  I’m new to royal, I normally have cruised ncl in the past.  My question is, I purchased the 3 night dining package. I am unable to make reservations for the specialty restaurants and times for this package.  I called royal and the lady informed me I have to wait until I board the ship to do this.  Can this be right?  I

[Ramjet1997]

Yes - seems kind of silly doesn't it?  They will apparently book night one or two for you, then you have to book the rest of your nights once on the ship.  So much for you pre-planning a schedule......

[grouchomarx]

Yes it's true you cannot book. However, many on CC have reported they had no problems making reservations once onboard and got the restaurants/days/times they wanted.  It seems you should do this right after you board to ensure availability.  Personally I'm too uptight for this to work, but I'm sure you can trust what others have said.

[de6259]

Wow ok thanks I appreciate the quick response 

[taglovestocruise]

We have had the 3 or 5 night package on every Royal cruise over the last 10 years, never had a problem getting the days or times we wanted.  As soon as you board go to any specialty restaurant and make your reservations for the week, also no problem changing/canceling first night reservation. It is also now pretty common for finding no pre reservation for first night.  If you get to the terminal early and have to wait for boarding you can make reservations through the app before you board. happy cruising

[beardedladies]

It’s part of the trade off cs buying individually - you’re giving up the ability to book your preferred times in advance to have a discount

[beardedladies]

Just now, beardedladies said:

It’s part of the trade off vs buying individually - you’re giving up the ability to book your preferred times in advance to have a discount

 

[Bobal]

11 minutes ago, beardedladies said:

It’s part of the trade off cs buying individually - you’re giving up the ability to book your preferred times in advance to have a discount

 

This is correct. However, we always have at least the 3 night dining package and have never had a problem getting reservations. However, I would suggest you do it as soon as you board to ensure you get the times you want, particularly if you are hoping for a peak time which seems to be around 7 pm. They will have a desk set up at one of the speciality restaurants and also somewhere on one of the main decks to take bookings

[BTHodgeman]

49 minutes ago, Bobal said:

 

This is correct. However, we always have at least the 3 night dining package and have never had a problem getting reservations. However, I would suggest you do it as soon as you board to ensure you get the times you want, particularly if you are hoping for a peak time which seems to be around 7 pm. They will have a desk set up at one of the speciality restaurants and also somewhere on one of the main decks to take bookings

Exactly this; except, in my experience, you can go to any specialty restaurant and book everything you want. Usually if you go to one of the people at the desk on promenade, they will simply escort you to a specialty restaurant to book your selections.

 

We had UDB on Harmony last October and went immediately to Chops. There was no line and they were able to book all of the restaurants/times we wanted without issue. We were in and out in less than 10 minutes. 

 

Side note - I suspect that even with UDP and the other packages, the specialty restaurants still are not completely full. We made several changes during the week and did not have any issues getting the times we wanted at an alternate restaurant except for Izumi Hibachi, which is understandable since there are such a limited number of seats per evening.  

[katiel53]

The Royal Caribbean website explains:  Experience three of our specialty restaurants and enjoy great savings when you purchase the 3 Night Dining Package for your cruise vacation. A courtesy reservation will be made for the first night of your cruise based on your preferred dining time. You will receive your courtesy reservation confirmation in your stateroom on the first day of your cruise. All additional reservations or changes to your courtesy reservation must be made once onboard at any specialty restaurant.

 

 We have had the 5 night package when it was offered on the Oasis class ships and changed to the UDP when they took away the 5 night package.  We have never had a problem getting the restaurant we wanted, although a couple of times we couldn't go at the time we wanted, but we were able to get reservations within half an hour of the preferred time.  If you were paying the full rate for the restaurant, you would be able to make reservations in advance online, but with a discount, that isn't possible.

 

We make our reservations as soon as we get onboard and that has worked well for us.

[de6259]

Wow that’s insane that because you get a discount you can’t make a reservation for restaurants until onboard.  

[Biker19]

13 hours ago, de6259 said:

Wow that’s insane that because you get a discount you can’t make a reservation for restaurants until onboard.  

Kinda like the lowest basic fares on some airlines you don't get an assigned seat?