One of the best enhancements Royal Caribbean has made to its pre-cruise planning has been extended.
Specialty dining has long been one of the most popular add-ons for a cruise. Royal Caribbean has invested heavily in offering new cuisines and experiences for its customers to enjoy. Going beyond the Main Dining Room and Windjammer, some cruisers want different dining choices.
Dining packages aren't new, but for the longest time there was a major caveat that you had to wait until you boarded the ship to book restaurant reservations.
Luckily, all that changed last year when Royal Caribbean introduced a way to book individual restaurant times with the Unlimited Dining Package before the cruise began.
However, it left one package unavailable to pre-book.
Royal Caribbean extends functionality to the 3-night dining package
In addition to being able to pre-book restaurants with the Unlimited Dining Package, that option now works with the three night dining package.
Up until now, it was just the Unlimited Dining Package that offered it.
RCB reader Steve Wilson alerted us to the new option, and here's how it works:
Login into Royal Caribbean's website and go to the Cruise Planner for your sailing.
Go to the Dining section, and choose the Unlimited Dining Package.
Click the Reserve button and then select the people you want the package for, and click add to cart. At this point, you wait for each day's options to open up, with the ability to select times for each restaurant.
Be sure to follow through and make payment for the dining package to lock in your day and times.
You'll have the choice to make reservations for dinner or lunch (when available), and it even indicates which times are available and which are sold out.
Just as before, it appears you cannot pre-reserve restaurants if you have already booked the dining package previously. You could cancel and rebook the dining package, but you'd be subject to the prevailing rates for it.
This new functionality still doesn't work with the Chops Grille + Your Choice option.
In our testing, I also noticed it doesn't yet work with Star of the Seas.
A major improvement for cruisers
With the addition of the three night package to become pre-bookable, it reduces stress for guests looking to lock in their reservations.
Because you couldn’t make any dining reservations until you boarded the ship under the old system, it created anxiety about getting times.
Worse yet, it added an errand to do once onboard the ship. This often lead to long lines at restaurants with people trying to book reservations.
Embarkation day is busy to begin with, but Royal Caribbean did not want its guests running around the ship on the first day of their vacation doing a task like this. They want them to start off their trip enjoying it all.
With the ability to pre-reserve restaurants, it makes embarkation day much easier and makes purchasing a dining package much more compelling.
Having seen how helpful the change was with the Unlimited package, the fact the 3 night package can now enjoy this functionality is a big win for cruise fans.
I'm all for eliminating pain points, especially on the first day of the cruise when it feels the most difficult to get into vacation mode because so much is happening.
Unlimited Dining Package vs. 3 Night Dining Package
Which dining package makes more sense to buy?
Both dining packages can save you money compared to trying to book individual restaurants on your own. Think of it like a bulk discount, where Royal Caribbean is incentivizing you to eat at more specialty restaurants in exchange for a reduced price.
The question of which dining package depends largely on your preferences and which ship you are sailing on.
The bigger, newer ships have more specialty restaurant choices. Plus, they also have the newest dining concepts offered.
While smaller ships may not have as much variety, they still offer dining choices that go beyond the complimentary options.
If you're planning to eat at more than two specialty restaurants on your cruise, there's a good chance a dining package will save you money.
Be aware that both packages have surcharges at certain restaurants that you'll have to pay on top of the dining package price:
- Izumi Hibachi/Teppanyaki — $15
- Wonderland by DaDong — $25
- Royal Railway: Adult — $50, Child — $25
- Chef's Table & Holiday Dinners — $50
- Izumi Omakase — $60
- Empire Supper Club — $130
For ships with the following venues with a la carte pricing, you’ll receive a $20 food credit:
- English Pub
- Fish & Ships
- Giovanni’s Wine Bar
- Playmakers
- Portside BBQ
- Trellis Bar
- Vintages
- Izumi in the Park: you’ll receive a $10 food credit.
Children ages 0-5 are complimentary.
The choice to go with the Unlimited Dining Package means you're effectively forgoing the included meals.
I usually consider which specialty restaurants are available on the ship, and how much repetition I'm willing to accept.
The advantage of the 3 Night Dining Package is you can delve into a few nights out at specialty dining, but still return to the free options.
The Unlimited Dining Package is great for trying every restaurant on the ship, especially if you're new to cruising.
