FloridaCruiseGirl1210 Posted March 28, 2019 Report Share Posted March 28, 2019 Hello All, I was looking at possibly booking the Chefs Table for our sailing in October. Can anyone tell me if the menu RC posts on their website is the same menu every day or is it just an example? Also those who have experienced it, how much have you paid for it... i.e. what should i keep my eye out for on the Cruise Planner for a good deal? TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suna Posted March 28, 2019 Report Share Posted March 28, 2019 I've done Chef's Table twice so far, onboard Majesty last september and on Grandeur during the holidays. For what I understand, they have 2 menus. We got the same one twice.I checked the menus posted here. It's not our menu. It might be depending of the ship, that's my guess. We didn't book it on the cruise planner. The chef's table waiter asked us in the MDR, they tend to spot the one who have wine at night. We paid 65 on grandeur and were only 3 couples. We saw a price chart at the Maitre D' desk. 65 is the lowest possible, probably 'cause it was far from sold out. I've always seen it at full price on cruise planner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted March 29, 2019 Report Share Posted March 29, 2019 I've done Chef's Table once, and compared notes with a couple others here (@ellcee and @Broons77) who have done it. Despite being about 6 months apart (April vs. October last year) and on two different ships (Freedom & Anthem), our meals were very very similar. Small variations in the order of the courses or how a particular course was prepared, but generally the same. The real variation is in the wine selections. For instance, while we all had smoked tomato soup as one of our courses, mine was paired with a rosé (which my tablemates and I all thought was nuts until we tried it!) whereas Ellcee and Broons had a more-expected red pairing. The sommeliers are totally free to pair whatever wine they think will work best with each course, so while the food may be the same, the different pairings help to make it a different experience each time. I paid $85 for mine, if I remember right (don't have the note any more), purchased in advance on the Cruise Planner. I don't recall ever seeing it lower there, and I booked for the third night of the trip. Never heard about any discounts when we boarded the first day, but also wasn't looking for them. I'd assume if there were any being offered, it was first night only. ellcee 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiralqueen Posted March 31, 2019 Report Share Posted March 31, 2019 I don’t have any input for the menu since I’ve never been, but if we are sharing Chef’s Table promos we saw, this was posted outside of Chops when I was on Enchantment this past November. SpeedNoodles 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janderson Posted April 1, 2019 Report Share Posted April 1, 2019 Does anyone know if Chef's Table counts in the Dining package or if it is a separate cost no matter what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted April 1, 2019 Report Share Posted April 1, 2019 Separate cost no matter what. One of the few dining options not covered by any dining package, including Ultimate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janderson Posted April 1, 2019 Report Share Posted April 1, 2019 Dang I was starting to get my hopes ups. Better to find out now than when the bill comes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted April 1, 2019 Report Share Posted April 1, 2019 3 minutes ago, janderson said: Dang I was starting to get my hopes ups. Better to find out now than when the bill comes. Believe me when I say that it is a meal worth every penny. Also, I'm very sure the reason it's excluded is because of the wine component. You're getting no less than six glasses of wine with that meal, and often times they are happy to pour additional glasses of whatever wine(s) you liked most. And from what I saw when I found the wines I had listed at Vintages, those are higher-end wines from their menu that go for at least $60 - $80 a bottle when ordered normally on-board; maybe $45 for someone with the Deluxe Beverage Package and the 40% discount that gives you for full bottle purchases. Yes, Royal is buying these at wholesale pricing, but you get the point. A bottle is typically four glasses (more for dessert wines like muscat, where you only have about 2 ounces in the glass), so if you go with the low end of that price range you can figure each person is getting at least $80 worth (on-board pricing) of wine along with a meal that they'd probably price at $50 minimum. Honestly, I'm amazed they don't charge a lot more for Chef's Table; either on board or in the Cruise Planner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGSLC5 Posted April 1, 2019 Report Share Posted April 1, 2019 43 minutes ago, JLMoran said: Believe me when I say that it is a meal worth every penny. Also, I'm very sure the reason it's excluded is because of the wine component. You're getting no less than six glasses of wine with that meal, and often times they are happy to pour additional glasses of whatever wine(s) you liked most. And from what I saw when I found the wines I had listed at Vintages, those are higher-end wines from their menu that go for at least $60 - $80 a bottle when ordered normally on-board; maybe $45 for someone with the Deluxe Beverage Package and the 40% discount that gives you for full bottle purchases. Yes, Royal is buying these at wholesale pricing, but you get the point. A bottle is typically four glasses (more for dessert wines like muscat, where you only have about 2 ounces in the glass), so if you go with the low end of that price range you can figure each person is getting at least $80 worth (on-board pricing) of wine along with a meal that they'd probably price at $50 minimum. Honestly, I'm amazed they don't charge a lot more for Chef's Table; either on board or in the Cruise Planner. I am a foodie but I don't drink. I wish there was an option to pay half price if you don't drink. I really want to try this experience but with the wine component it doesn't make sense for me. Oh well lol bhageerah 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted April 1, 2019 Report Share Posted April 1, 2019 1 minute ago, AGSLC5 said: I am a foodie but I don't drink. I wish there was an option to pay half price if you don't drink. I really want to try this experience but with the wine component it doesn't make sense for me. Oh well lol I don't know if this is an option on Royal, but I have read that on Celebrity (which also has a Chef's Table offering) you can contact them in advance to let them you don't / can't drink alcohol and they will actually provide you with non-alcoholic wines so that you are still able to take some part in it. And in that discussion it confirmed that "non-alcoholic wine" doesn't just mean white or red grape juice (sparkling or otherwise). It might not hurt to speak with someone at Royal and see if that's an option. Probably not an excursion booking rep, but maybe someone at Crown & Anchor or another higher level. bhageerah and AGSLC5 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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