2023 ?? Specialty Dining meal packages going up & Moderno / Teppanyaki price fixed @$59 + 20% added.

[cruiseny4life]

4 minutes ago, J0Y0US said:

 

Go to a crappy hole in the wall around you (what American Diner is themed after) and you likely can find 3 mozzarella sticks for $5.

 

You can get like 7 for $9 at Pizza Hut. Without knowing your area that you live couldn't point you to the locations with cheap offerings. I would suspect there is even bars that offer 1/2 off apps during happy hour along with drinks.

My local pizza place (non-chain, been around forever with the same owner that's in his 70's) offers those run of the mill frozen fingers of ooey gooey mozzarella ($8.00 for 6). They're perfect.

 

Applebee's (it's been years since I've had them) are too thin and the herbs distract from the cheese. Probably purposely. 

 

My husband and I don't drink....well, I do drink on cruises and have a bottle of wine at home maybe twice a year. So, bar offerings aren't really for us.

 

I did actually go to a hole in the wall where prices are decent: $9 or $10 for a club sandwich, $12 - $15 for an entree. $7.99 for six mozzy sticks. They're good...not great, but good. 

 

If I went into the Utica neighborhoods, you're right. I might find a small bodega-style joint that serves up some yummy sticks for just a few bucks. 

[spanishguy1970]

9 hours ago, SunshineGal2022 said:

You essentially get meal vouchers (added to your account, you never see them) that can be used at the specialty restaurants.  I can add 2 specialty meals for my cruise for $70.80/person.  That comes out to $35.40/meal.

 

For each voucher, you get one appetizer, one entree, and one dessert per person.  You can also use them at the Teppenyaki restaurant (one trip = one voucher) or the sushi bar or tapas restaurant (each voucher used here gives you 4 small plates).  (SOME people are able to get more than one appetizer and dessert at the restaurants.  Just don’t count on that).

 

Is the meal worth the $35 for you?

At my local Texas Roadhouse, a 20 oz bone in Rib-eye is currently $34.  That price doesn’t include an appetizer, dessert, drink or tip.  Teppenyaki places here run about $50/meal. Plus tip and drink.  The specialty meals are a great value for us.

Thank you, now i get it. As Diamond we already get two meals. and we only like le Bistro and maybe at times Moderno, the rest of the restaurants are not a big deal to us, I guess we wo alright without the dining package. Thank you for clarifying how it works. 

[BirdTravels]

6 hours ago, PATRLR said:

So you when you go out at home, you pay Applebee's or Friday's or Grand Buffet for a meal first, and then go somewhere else?

So,,, the question answered was “would we pay Specialty Dining Restaurant prices at home”. The answer was “yes”. 
 

Yup, we go to an Applebees-like Dining from time to time. But if we go to a steakhouse, we’ll easily drop $125 per person (not Sizzlers). Heck, we’re taking the family out to a Christmas brunch on Sunday and that runs $105 per person before drinks (and the mimosas will be flowing). 

[zzdoug]

8 hours ago, J0Y0US said:

I wouldn't ever go out for a steak though as I learned long ago that a majority of "top" steakhouses have a hard time routinely putting out a medium rare steak. Once had a waiter at one place say the temp is taken only from the dead middle of the steak for medium rare meaning the rest of the steak was overcooked, I just left it instead of worry about it (oh and this specific I place I even stated I would rather have it under than overcooked).

This is true.  "Rare", "medium", etc are subjective and the chef and I seldom agree on what they are.  Ergo, my new policy for ordering steak in restaurants is to ask for it to be cooked to 125 degrees farenheit / 52 degrees celsius center temperature, and then serve it to me when the resting temperature reaches 130 / 55. 

 

I encourage others to try this more objective approach so the wait staff become accustomed to it.  Then we will get exactly what we want.  A $75 steak overcooked by 10 degrees is a throwaway.

Edited December 23, 2022 by zzdoug

[ChiefMateJRK]

6 minutes ago, zzdoug said:

This is true.  "Rare", "medium", etc are subjective and the chef and I seldom agree on what they are.  Ergo, my new policy for ordering steak in restaurants is to ask for it to be cooked to 125 degrees farenheit / 52 degrees celsius center temperature, and then serve it to me when the resting temperature reaches 130 / 55. 

That's a good idea, but do you think the chefs on the NCL ships are using thermometers on each steak?  We've just resorted to ordering them rare hoping we get something between medium rare and medium.

[zzdoug]

10 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

That's a good idea, but do you think the chefs on the NCL ships are using thermometers on each steak?  We've just resorted to ordering them rare hoping we get something between medium rare and medium.

I don't know.  But chefs at premium restaurants presumably accommodate many special requests, and as far as special requests go, this would be a fairly easy one to handle.  Given that it also reduces the risk that a costly steak is returned by a persnickety customer who disagreed with the chef's opinion of doneness, I would think most chefs would welcome it.

 

In any case, I doubt they would be less likely to use a thermometer if I asked for my steak at a particular temperature.

 

Ever since I have been cooking steaks at home with a thermometer, I have been able to execute them perfectly.  When I don't, they always come out way overcooked.  Blech.

 

Your method is what I did before I thought of this and what I would do if the waitperson seems flummoxed by the request.  But if even a few people started doing this, maybe after a few days it wouldn't seem so peculiar.

Edited December 23, 2022 by zzdoug