Unlimited dining plan

[Twohsieh]

Hello all,
We just booked our first Royal Caribbean cruise last night for a 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise (July 23, 2023) on the Wonder of the Seas.
We have sailed only with DCL so I'm not familiar with this cruise line. I've tried to read up on the basics but there are so many things to consider.
Our kids will be 17, 16, and 14 at the time of sailing so we hope they will be able to explore and participate in many activities on this ship.
The Royal Caribbean site does not provide much information on the unlimited dining plan.
So, is it worth it to buy the unlimited dining plan? We like the quality of entrees on the Disney Cruise especially Palo.
If we need to book a reservation for the restaurants, is it hard to get a reservation?
Are there any excluded restaurants from the ship's restaurant list? I did read that some restaurants do have a surcharge,

 

[starvenger]

From what I've seen on YouTube and read on blogs, it does look like the dining plan is worth it if you book a specialty restaurant every night. If you're just planning to use it at the a la carte places like Playmakers and Johnny Rockets, probably not worth it.

I think you have to do reservations on board the ship, but there's usually spots for walk-ins at Chops and Giovanni's from what I remember.

There might be an upcharge for the hibachi and Chef's table. Not really sure though.

 

[Twohsieh]

From what I've seen on YouTube and read on blogs, it does look like the dining plan is worth it if you book a specialty restaurant every night. If you're just planning to use it at the a la carte places like Playmakers and Johnny Rockets, probably not worth it.

I think you have to do reservations on board the ship, but there's usually spots for walk-ins at Chops and Giovanni's from what I remember.

There might be an upcharge for the hibachi and Chef's table. Not really sure though.

Thank you so much for your tips and comments. I’ll plan on adding it to our cruise.

 

[DizneyNutz]

Hello all,
We just booked our first Royal Caribbean cruise last night for a 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise (July 23, 2023) on the Wonder of the Seas.
We have sailed only with DCL so I'm not familiar with this cruise line. I've tried to read up on the basics but there are so many things to consider.
Our kids will be 17, 16, and 14 at the time of sailing so we hope they will be able to explore and participate in many activities on this ship.
The Royal Caribbean site does not provide much information on the unlimited dining plan.
So, is it worth it to buy the unlimited dining plan? We like the quality of entrees on the Disney Cruise especially Palo.
If we need to book a reservation for the restaurants, is it hard to get a reservation?
Are there any excluded restaurants from the ship's restaurant list? I did read that some restaurants do have a surcharge,

We cruised many cruises without any specialty dining at all. Then we decided to try it when cruising resumed from Nassau during Covid last July. Now we have had the Unlimited dining every cruise for our last 6 and upcoming 2. It gives you all the Dining locations onboard. Also on sea days some of them are available for your lunch also. On port days if you find yourself onboard at lunch, Playmakers, Johnny Rockets, etc. are available for your lunch if you don't want to go to the buffet where it can get crowded. Also if you watch for the sales, you can usually find it for around $30/day/Person which we feel is a value because most dining venues are over $50 alone not including adding your lunches. Since you are going next July you can probably find the best sale on cruise planned items around Black Friday. I strongly recommend discussing which dining venues you would like each night and once you get onboard book them immediately so you can get the location and time your family prefers to dine. otherwise if you try doing walk up you may not find availability or may be very late. Try Wonderland one night for a fun and unique experience. If your family does not care for it ( I believe they will), then when you leave you can still go find somewhere with availability and eat there because you have the unlimited plan. The Wonder is an awesome ship. A group of us sailed on her for her Inaugural cruise. Be sure to download the Royal Caribbean App. because you will use it to complete your health questionnaire the day before embarkation and also to complete your muster requirements the day of embarkation then once onboard just report to your muster station and show them your completed tasks of your phone and they will check off your cabin. You may want to consider they Key also if you find a good price around Black Friday. The age of your teens they may like the Flowriders, and with they Key there are usually some blocked off times that only people with the Key can ride as well as the ice rink if anyone wants to try that? Also some reserved seating for different show venues and it provides internet to anyone who has it along with early boarding behind the suite guests (around 11 am). Hope some of this info helps. Happy Cruising

Will you be stopping at CoCo Cay? if so check out this youtube video of a walkthrough of CoCo Cay.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...D8C3B5B78A4D128CFA85D8C3B5B78A4D128&FORM=VIRE

Also there is a large Facebook group about all thing CoCo Cay where you can get anything answered regarding questions you may have about CoCo Cay. Just search Facebook:

CoCo Cay - The Perfect Day

 

[OKW Lover]

The PP has pretty much covered everything. I'll just add that the UDP decision might depend on the ship. The OP doesn't state which ship they are on, but the Oasis class ships have more dining options than some of the smaller ships.

At any rate, we have booked the UDP for our sailings on the Oasis class ships and been very happy with it. Had no problems with reservation times as we also sail in a suite and the suite concierge takes care of it.

 

[Twohsieh]

We cruised many cruises without any specialty dining at all. Then we decided to try it when cruising resumed from Nassau during Covid last July. Now we have had the Unlimited dining every cruise for our last 6 and upcoming 2. It gives you all the Dining locations onboard. Also on sea days some of them are available for your lunch also. On port days if you find yourself onboard at lunch, Playmakers, Johnny Rockets, etc. are available for your lunch if you don't want to go to the buffet where it can get crowded. Also if you watch for the sales, you can usually find it for around $30/day/Person which we feel is a value because most dining venues are over $50 alone not including adding your lunches. Since you are going next July you can probably find the best sale on cruise planned items around Black Friday. I strongly recommend discussing which dining venues you would like each night and once you get onboard book them immediately so you can get the location and time your family prefers to dine. otherwise if you try doing walk up you may not find availability or may be very late. Try Wonderland one night for a fun and unique experience. If your family does not care for it ( I believe they will), then when you leave you can still go find somewhere with availability and eat there because you have the unlimited plan. The Wonder is an awesome ship. A group of us sailed on her for her Inaugural cruise. Be sure to download the Royal Caribbean App. because you will use it to complete your health questionnaire the day before embarkation and also to complete your muster requirements the day of embarkation then once onboard just report to your muster station and show them your completed tasks of your phone and they will check off your cabin. You may want to consider they Key also if you find a good price around Black Friday. The age of your teens they may like the Flowriders, and with they Key there are usually some blocked off times that only people with the Key can ride as well as the ice rink if anyone wants to try that? Also some reserved seating for different show venues and it provides internet to anyone who has it along with early boarding behind the suite guests (around 11 am). Hope some of this info helps. Happy Cruising

Will you be stopping at CoCo Cay? if so check out this youtube video of a walkthrough of CoCo Cay.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...D8C3B5B78A4D128CFA85D8C3B5B78A4D128&FORM=VIRE

Also there is a large Facebook group about all thing CoCo Cay where you can get anything answered regarding questions you may have about CoCo Cay. Just search Facebook:

CoCo Cay - The Perfect Day

Hello DizneyNutz,
Thank you so much for the detailed review of your experiences and awesome tips. We will be buying the UDP for our cruise-I'll make sure to look for the deals around Black Friday. I was on the fence about the Key services, but it seems like it would add to the overall cruise experience. It would be wonderful to get priority bookings on certain popular activities.

And yes, we will be stopping at CoCo Cay. I appreciate the CoCo Cay video link and the FB group recommendation.

Thanks again! We are all very excited to be sailing on our first RC cruise next year.

 

[Twohsieh]

The PP has pretty much covered everything. I'll just add that the UDP decision might depend on the ship. The OP doesn't state which ship they are on, but the Oasis class ships have more dining options than some of the smaller ships.

At any rate, we have booked the UDP for our sailings on the Oasis class ships and been very happy with it. Had no problems with reservation times as we also sail in a suite and the suite concierge takes care of it.

We are sailing on the Wonder of the Seas. Thanks you for your recommendation.

 

[OKW Lover]

We are sailing on the Wonder of the Seas. Thanks you for your recommendation.

Coincidentally, we just today booked a sailing for next year on the Wonder of the Seas.

 

[Jsoenning]

We booked it on the Liberty of Seas (July 2022) and in retrospect I wouldn't do it again. I booked it as I had read reviews that post COVID the main dining was inedible.

Chops steaks were overcooked (medium was very well done), sides weren't good (macaroni & cheese ordered for kids had no cheese on it, asparagus was limp & no flavor). Tried the pork belly and can't imagine why anyone would ever eat it - sort of saw it on the expression of the waiter when he put it in front of me. You couldn't cut it let's put it that way. Overall my dinner that night was the salad I had ordered...first time in cruise history I was hungry after dinner. We didn't eat at Chops a second time after first experience, and I was disappointed in this as was looking forward to some good steaks. They offered to cook another round of steaks but it took well over an hour to get the first batch and waiting another hour with kids is not a real possibility.

Giovanni's was our favorite, loved the gnocci, but eating there 3 nights is tough as the specialty restaurants menus aren't all that big. I did get a medium steak here.

Sabor (2 nights) was good overall but also overcooked the steaks, even after we mentioned that Chops had overcooked them and they said "we won't do that here". I just skipped eating it as there was plenty of other food. We ordered a little of everything and shared it.

I think overall it's from restaffing post COVID but to me none of the food really wowed me. Much of it seemed like on the whole Denny's quality or maybe a little lower. I was left with the feeling, I paid extra for this? The desserts were often better on the buffet. A good percentage of our table would get the ice cream as the other desserts were, eh (not worth the calories)? To put it in perspective, Johnny Rockets for dinner was probably the favorite meal in terms of quality.

Best part was it was intimate time with the family as none of the restaurants were ever sold out. The wait staff in Giovanni's was also super personable.

Our cruise was fun because mother-in-law & husband came and had great quality time with our kids, but overall LOS was a disappointment. Ship badly needs a dry dock. Things such as pool television had been broken apparently for almost a year and the Tidal Wave had been for months. Smells in the hallways, stained carpets, worn decking. Hardly any entertainment beyond selling stuff.
Had it been our first cruise it might have been our last.

 

[LSUfan4444]

Hello all,
We just booked our first Royal Caribbean cruise last night for a 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise (July 23, 2023) on the Wonder of the Seas.
We have sailed only with DCL so I'm not familiar with this cruise line. I've tried to read up on the basics but there are so many things to consider.
Our kids will be 17, 16, and 14 at the time of sailing so we hope they will be able to explore and participate in many activities on this ship.
The Royal Caribbean site does not provide much information on the unlimited dining plan.
So, is it worth it to buy the unlimited dining plan? We like the quality of entrees on the Disney Cruise especially Palo.
If we need to book a reservation for the restaurants, is it hard to get a reservation?
Are there any excluded restaurants from the ship's restaurant list? I did read that some restaurants do have a surcharge,

We don't think it's worth it on a cruise just because of how much time and effort it takes. If there were more "unique" options that we couldn't get at home (chef's table, wonderland, etc.) we may consider it but we just don't think it's worth the time each day to invest (getting ready and the entire dining experience) for alot of the same stuff we can eat at home just about any night (Italian, Sushi, Steak, etc.).

Instead, we do casual dining most nights, pick one or two specialty dining locations to do for dinner on "formal" nights and maybe one night in the MDR.

 

[ScooterScott44]

We just booked our first Royal Caribbean cruise last night for a 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise (July 23, 2023) on the Wonder of the Seas.

We just came off Allure last week with UDP and had the UDP on the Wonder 7 night eastern back in March. Looking through the thread there is some good advice. Happy to answer any specific questions about that ship and the specialty restaurants. It does have some good choices and unique options. A couple of the venues you find on this ship might actually be the best version in the fleet (150). With the UDP on that route you should be able to do each location once. Happy sailing.

 

[starvenger]

We just came off Allure last week with UDP and had the UDP on the Wonder 7 night eastern back in March. Looking through the thread there is some good advice. Happy to answer any specific questions about that ship and the specialty restaurants. It does have some good choices and unique options. A couple of the venues you find on this ship might actually be the best version in the fleet (150). With the UDP on that route you should be able to do each location once. Happy sailing.

I feel with these two ships there's a lot more value to be had with UDP versus Liberty which Jsoenning did, simply due to the greater variety. Samba in Allure isn't the greatest Brazilian steakhouse I've ever eaten at, but I do like it better than Chops, which tbh is about the same as going to The Keg for me.

I also think that there's value to be had if there are a la carte places like Playmakers that can feed you mid-afternoon or late at night.

 

[peacefrogdog]

I’m a loyal RC cruiser , but word of warning to the OP - do not use Palo as your comparator to RC’s dining options. IMO Palos food (at least when I last ate there in 2013) is soooo much better than anything I’ve had on RC and I think I’ve eaten at all restaurants Covered under the UDP except Wonderland and the Mason Jar. This is not to say that RC restaurants are bad by any means - just don’t expect Palo quality food at any of the specialty restaurants.

People we met on our cruise enjoyed the Mason Jar. We have resisted paying regular price for it because we feel we can get quality southern style food in the US. The servings seem to be quite large so if your teen kids eat like mine, would guess it would be a good match for your family.

 

[peacefrogdog]

Samba in Allure isn't the greatest Brazilian steakhouse I've ever eaten at, but I do like it better than Chops, which tbh is about the same as going to The Keg for me.

just got off the Wonder, and felt that steaks at Chops were much worse than what I could get at the Keg.
‘I ordered a rib steak - while cooked to what I requested, the cut was fatty and the steak was underseasoned.

 

[frank808]

Just got off Navigator of the Seas a couple weeks ago. This would have been our first UDP out of 54 cruises on Royal.

It was just to much food. Food was good and definitely very good at Jamie's Italian. Wife liked Hooked more than me and we ate at Chops 4 times(lunch and dinner). Rich food for lunch and dinner was just to much. We will just stick to the BOGO offers that we have been using all these cruises.

BTW the UDP you can now only use it once a day at venues that give you credit like Playmakers. This just changed within the past week. Used to be able to eat at playmaker multiple times a day. Hankering for chicken wings, order 24 and eat that. Want a playmaker burger later that day, go ahead and order it and not pay anything. That has been changed and now you only get one $20 credit for playmaker venue.

Try it if you can get it for a good price. Only reason we bought it was the price of $99 each for a 7 night cruise.

 

[Twohsieh]

I’m a loyal RC cruiser , but word of warning to the OP - do not use Palo as your comparator to RC’s dining options. IMO Palos food…

We ended up purchasing the UDP for our cruise. I figured that if my family didn’t like the food at the main dining room or buffet, we can try different restaurants without spending too much money.

We’re going in open minded about the food quality as there are wide disparities of food reviews. Thank you for your response.