CruisingOz Posted February 12, 2021 Report Share Posted February 12, 2021 Hello Community, We are trying to decide whether a dining package is worth it or simply enjoy Coastal Kitchen? All being well, we will be sailing a B2B on the Symphony of the Seas in a Grand Suite. This will be our first cruise on an Oasis class and we will also be the first time to try Coastal Kitchen. We have read through a number of posts on the message board and Coastal Kitchen sounds amazing, especially the night serving fillet steak. As our first time on such a ship, we know we must eat at the dining options only found on this class of ship, like 150 Central Park. If you had the good fortune staying in a suite, do you think it is a waste to buy the Ultimate Dining package, knowing you can eat at Coastal Kitchen? Would you simply purchase a three night package plus Izumi Hibachi and enjoy Coastal Kitchen? Looking through the cruise panner, the ultimate package allows Chefs Table, which we would like to experience of this ship. Also Wonderland I believe to different, with a unique bar on the Oasis compared to the Quantum class ships? Being a B2B would you advise to do the Ultimate package on one leg and a three night on another, save the money and do two three night packages and enjoy CK? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedNoodles Posted February 12, 2021 Report Share Posted February 12, 2021 Symphony is a fantastic ship for the Unlimited Dining Package. If I were you, I'd for sure do the UDP for one leg and CK for the other leg! CruisingOz and JimnKathy 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted February 12, 2021 Report Share Posted February 12, 2021 Food is very personal so this is kind of like asking people should I buy a mattress that is hard or soft? Plush or firm? I am definitely a proud member of #teamCK. Having said I am not going to lie. Not every nightly CK menu appeals to my tastes. If the choices were CK or MDR I would say CK. Once you bring specialty dining into it... that can change the math. You are fortunate to be doing a B2B and that is both fantastic for a bunch of unrelated reasons but also fantastic from a dining perspective given your willingness to entertain all options. The Ultimate Dining Package on any ship but especially Oasis class is a lot of choice and a lot of food. Bring stretchy pants. I have my favorites but that's not important. What is important is that it gives you the opportunity to decide what venues YOU like. UDP on one cruise and CK on the other is a solid strategy. I have mixed feeling the order to do that in. My suggestion would be to do the UDP on cruise #1 of the B2B. Explore eat venue, try different things. By the end of the week you will know what works for your stomach and what doesn't as much. On cruise #2 having eaten so much on cruise you may decide not eat until day 3. Just kidding. CK has lighter meals, not in taste but in portions or size so after a week of so much food with the UDP this may be just what the doctor (or stomach) ordered. Having said that I changed my mind. Do CK on cruise #1 and UDP on cruise #2. By exploring the CK for dinner you can look at the menu daily and maybe even decide to try the MDR one night. While onboard you can visit each specialty venue and see for yourself how the venue appeals to your preferences. A big part of specialty dining is the ambiance. Chops has a covered enclosed glass outdoor area. Maybe that looks appealing for a Central Park dinner after dark on the next cruise for example. With this foundation you can go into cruise #2 with a game plan for UDP. That game plan might include a night in CK to enjoy a favorite entree discovered on cruise #1. Either way don't forget to check out places like Playmakers for the food included with the UDP. I think (as much as I am #teamCK) two weeks of CK would be too much. I also think two weeks of UDP would be wayyyyy toooo muchhhh food. At the end of the day this is about discovering what YOU like. Enjoy the ship, she is fantastic. JLMoran, CruisingOz, Mrs. RoyalMoyal and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisingOz Posted February 12, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2021 29 minutes ago, twangster said: Food is very personal so this is kind of like asking people should I buy a mattress that is hard or soft? Plush or firm? I am definitely a proud member of #teamCK. Having said I am not going to lie. Not every nightly CK menu appeals to my tastes. If the choices were CK or MDR I would say CK. Once you bring specialty dining into it... that can change the math. You are fortunate to be doing a B2B and that is both fantastic for a bunch of unrelated reasons but also fantastic from a dining perspective given your willingness to entertain all options. The Ultimate Dining Package on any ship but especially Oasis class is a lot of choice and a lot of food. Bring stretchy pants. I have my favorites but that's not important. What is important is that it gives you the opportunity to decide what venues YOU like. UDP on one cruise and CK on the other is a solid strategy. I have mixed feeling the order to do that in. My suggestion would be to do the UDP on cruise #1 of the B2B. Explore eat venue, try different things. By the end of the week you will know what works for your stomach and what doesn't as much. On cruise #2 having eaten so much on cruise you may decide not eat until day 3. Just kidding. CK has lighter meals, not in taste but in portions or size so after a week of so much food with the UDP this may be just what the doctor (or stomach) ordered. Having said that I changed my mind. Do CK on cruise #1 and UDP on cruise #2. By exploring the CK for dinner you can look at the menu daily and maybe even decide to try the MDR one night. While onboard you can visit each specialty venue and see for yourself how the venue appeals to your preferences. A big part of specialty dining is the ambiance. Chops has a covered enclosed glass outdoor area. Maybe that looks appealing for a Central Park dinner after dark on the next cruise for example. With this foundation you can go into cruise #2 with a game plan for UDP. That game plan might include a night in CK to enjoy a favorite entree discovered on cruise #1. Either way don't forget to check out places like Playmakers for the food included with the UDP. I think (as much as I am #teamCK) two weeks of CK would be too much. I also think two weeks of UDP would be wayyyyy toooo muchhhh food. At the end of the day this is about discovering what YOU like. Enjoy the ship, she is fantastic. Thank you for the insight and thoughts. We were thinking like yourself, leg #2 UDP. We have done the UDP once before on Voyage and it was way too much food and we vowed to never do it again, but a first time Symphony we thinking go hard, pack extra antacids, and borrow a motorised scooter to aid us to disemarked, LOL. You are right, take the first leg to enjoy, explore and take in the ambiance and then go into leg #2 with knowledge and a plan. Thanks again WAAAYTOOO and twangster 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristiZ Posted February 12, 2021 Report Share Posted February 12, 2021 I gotta say, UDP is always way too much food for us. I prefer a 3-night package myself. Or even just doing ala carte as we go, especially since you can usually get a good price at lunchtime in most venues. CruisingOz 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted February 12, 2021 Report Share Posted February 12, 2021 I would second @KristiZ's vote for just going a la carte. As @twangster noted, not every night in CK is going to be a winner for you as far as dinner selection goes. With 14 nights of dining choices, it should be relatively easy to find enough nights to sample most (if not all) of the specialty venues once. Maybe even one or two of your favorites twice. I haven't sailed O-class ships, ever. So I can't speak for the quality of the food on any O-class' specialty venues. That said, I've sailed twice on Anthem and felt that CK exceeded every specialty venue I tried -- Wonderland, Chops (accidental sampling due to my wife's dislike of Wonderland's menu), and Jamie's Italian. CK's filet puts Chops' to shame. So if you're sailing in a suite I would say to take as much advantage of CK as you can. CruisingOz and KristiZ 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted February 13, 2021 Report Share Posted February 13, 2021 I am #teamCK all the way. Many of the dishes in CK are so similar to specialty venues and CK does it better. That being said, something was slightly "off" with the Symphony CK when we sailed her in July 2019. It wasn't bad, just some of my tried and true CK favourites, I had better in other Coastal Kitchens. Could have just been that particular sailing or the CK team at the time. That being said, it would still be a shame if you did not try it. I agree with @SpeedNoodles. If you are doing a B2B, I would do one week CK and one week UDP. CruisingOz and Snotarni 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DD474 Posted February 14, 2021 Report Share Posted February 14, 2021 On 2/11/2021 at 8:13 PM, CruisingOz said: Hello Community, We are trying to decide whether a dining package is worth it or simply enjoy Coastal Kitchen? All being well, we will be sailing a B2B on the Symphony of the Seas in a Grand Suite. This will be our first cruise on an Oasis class and we will also be the first time to try Coastal Kitchen. We have read through a number of posts on the message board and Coastal Kitchen sounds amazing, especially the night serving fillet steak. As our first time on such a ship, we know we must eat at the dining options only found on this class of ship, like 150 Central Park. If you had the good fortune staying in a suite, do you think it is a waste to buy the Ultimate Dining package, knowing you can eat at Coastal Kitchen? Would you simply purchase a three night package plus Izumi Hibachi and enjoy Coastal Kitchen? Looking through the cruise panner, the ultimate package allows Chefs Table, which we would like to experience of this ship. Also Wonderland I believe to different, with a unique bar on the Oasis compared to the Quantum class ships? Being a B2B would you advise to do the Ultimate package on one leg and a three night on another, save the money and do two three night packages and enjoy CK? This is our first Jr. Suite on Allure. We're looking forward to the Coastal Kitchen. Plus we got the drink package All set for our cruise this December. Baked Alaska, CruisingOz, SpeedNoodles and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob922 Posted February 18, 2021 Report Share Posted February 18, 2021 Good morning hope everyone is doing well. I am taking my family on our first cruise in October. Staying in a crown loft suite on the Allure. I am trying to decide if the Coastal kitchen will be a good option for us (for breakfast and dinner). We are reading a lot of conflicting posts that say the Coastal kitchen is hard to make reservations for and then it’s very easy to get whatever time you want. If any of you have already stayed in a crown loft of grand suite, can you fill me in with your personal experience. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted February 18, 2021 Report Share Posted February 18, 2021 19 minutes ago, Rob922 said: Good morning hope everyone is doing well. I am taking my family on our first cruise in October. Staying in a crown loft suite on the Allure. I am trying to decide if the Coastal kitchen will be a good option for us (for breakfast and dinner). We are reading a lot of conflicting posts that say the Coastal kitchen is hard to make reservations for and then it’s very easy to get whatever time you want. If any of you have already stayed in a crown loft of grand suite, can you fill me in with your personal experience. Thank you Welcome to the message boards! As a Sky Class guest in a loft suite you'll have few problems making reservation as long as you don't leave it to that day to try to make them. You will be contacted by a suite concierge in the days before the cruise by email. Reply with your desired reservations and then adapt them as the cruise goes on once you are onboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob922 Posted February 18, 2021 Report Share Posted February 18, 2021 Thank you for the response. There was a lot of negative information out there but I think it was from guest that were unable to pre-book the times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted February 18, 2021 Report Share Posted February 18, 2021 @twangsteris right (as usual). As a full suite guest you will be able to make reservations in the CK with no problem. It is possible that when cruising returns the CK may experience a reduction in capacity in order to distance the tables...so it might be a little more difficult than it was in the past. BUT you will have help...the Suites Concierge will be able to help you make and change reservations for the CK, the MDR and specialty restaurants. I suspect, but do not know, that at first, when cruising resumes, they are likely to eliminate the ability for JS to book dinner at the CK. If they REALLY reduce capacity, this might also go for Pinnacle Club members. It's just a guess. We won't know such things until cruising resumes. twangster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob922 Posted February 18, 2021 Report Share Posted February 18, 2021 Let’s hope things get better by October. I work at the airlines and flight loads were at 30-40 percent full at the end of the year. Now we have 75-80 percent full flights. A lot can change in a short period of time, but as we are all aware the CDC is making the rules. Baked Alaska 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avfrattner Posted February 22, 2021 Report Share Posted February 22, 2021 Coastal kitchen hands down lol. However UDP's are good for the variety and $$$$. I did UDP and Coastal kitchen on Ovation and found the food much better in Coastal. CruisingOz and Baked Alaska 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisellama Posted February 22, 2021 Report Share Posted February 22, 2021 Highly recommend Chef's table. Which is an extra - but held in CK. Its nice having selected wine pairings with each course of the meal. CruisingOz and JLMoran 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted February 24, 2021 Report Share Posted February 24, 2021 On 2/22/2021 at 8:36 AM, cruisellama said: Highly recommend Chef's table. Which is an extra - but held in CK. Its nice having selected wine pairings with each course of the meal. Is there a chef’s table on Symphony? I recall hearing a while back (2019) that Symphony did not have one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted February 24, 2021 Report Share Posted February 24, 2021 6 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: I recall hearing a while back (2019) that Symphony did not have one. Really ? I had never heard that. Interesting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted February 24, 2021 Report Share Posted February 24, 2021 6 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said: Really ? I had never heard that. Interesting https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/10435-does-anyone-know-if-there-is-a-chefs-table-on-symphony-of-the-seas/ And it was also discussed in other forums too... WAAAYTOOO and CruisingOz 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuzanneM Posted April 8, 2021 Report Share Posted April 8, 2021 On 2/18/2021 at 5:08 PM, WAAAYTOOO said: I suspect, but do not know, that at first, when cruising resumes, they are likely to eliminate the ability for JS to book dinner at the CK. If they REALLY reduce capacity, this might also go for Pinnacle Club members. It's just a guess. We won't know such things until cruising resumes. I'm on a JS on Odyssey in October and it explicitly said when purchasing a couple weeks ago that CK dinner was included. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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