Lunches worth buying ahead?

[Kurtp13]

We are sailing on Anthem and I would like to have lunch at Jamie's and Chops.   Are the pre sailing prices different than on board prices.  The lunch prices never seem to change.    

[JimnKathy]

As everyone else will likely tell you, better to book it now vs. waiting until you get on the ship...the prices are typically higher if you wait until you're aboard.

[Kurtp13]

Dinners I know are higher but I've never paid attention to the lunch prices.   Right now chops is $24.99 and Jamie's is $22.99.   Is it really higher on board?

[KristiZ]

Those are the same prices I'm used to seeing onboard. However, that was Before, so they might have gone up. You can always book ahead and then reschedule onboard if you decide that day/time don't work for you. I've rarely seen a specialty restaurant full at lunchtime.

[HeWhoWaits]

The main reason to pre-purchase would be to lock in a guaranteed dining opportunity. Waiting until on board might mess with availability at times you're interested in eating.

[BrianB]

Booking early and locking in my preferred time and place would be considered a win for me. If I end up having to pay more (which really isn’t much) then I consider it a ‘peace of mind’ convenience fee. Beats stressing pre-cruise…especially with limited capacity dining. Enjoy!

[Ampurp85]

I was new to cruising on RCG when I was on Mariner in 2019, so I got my specialty lunch and dinner at a discount on board. JI was like 25-30% off and I remember paying something like $20 pp with gratuity. I got Chop's for $35 pp and thought that was a steal for a steakhouse style restaurant. Of course now with limit capacity and such, it is better to book everything asap.

[JasonOasis]

My advise would be to buy in advance, if you know you want to do lunch at both Chops and Jamie's just buy it now because one thing is for sure prices will not be lower onboard.