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Issues with the Unlimited Dining Package


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Has anyone encountered any issues with the Unlimited Dining Package?  Have some ships excluded restaurants that have been promoted as part of the package?  Dinner reservation issues?  Lunch not offered?  Surcharges, add-ons?   What suggestions do you have to resolve these issues?  Any tips on getting the most out of the package?

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Since the UDP was announced a couple years ago as Ultimate and later renamed Unlimited there have been minor issues with restaurants included.  The core restaurants are always good, it usually the places like Johnny Rockets or the Bamboo Room that have been inconsistent.

It became a lot better when they renamed the program and started to name the venues where it worked.  In the beginning Hibachi was often not allowed but then they settled on the small upcharge and it was universally included.  

Playmakers has been pretty good about accepting it since it was introduced after much of the time when there was more ambiguity.  The list you displayed wasn't there originally.  

To avoid reservation issues have a general understanding what you want written down in advance.  On boarding day head straight to the dining tables they set up or a restaurant and make your reservations for the whole week.  You can change them as the cruise evolves but staking your claim early is the best way to avoid reservation issues.   

Lunch is on sea days only with the exception of boarding day.  Not all venues open for lunch.  Look over past cruise compasses to look at the open hours at each venue.  https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compass

 It's a lot of food.  The lunches are for the most part the same menu as dinner with the same size portions so it's like having dinner in the middle of the day.  I was so full from lunch I started moving all my dinner reservations to the last time slot so I might be a little hungry.  

If your ship has Playmakers that is probably the best burger experience on board, at least for my tastes.  Their wings are good too and if you like it hot, they can make wings very hot (spicy).

Not all Izumi have hot rocks and if the ship has Hibachi then the Izumi probably won't have hot rocks.    I'm not a big sushi fan so I generally avoid Izumi unless it has hot rocks and the person I am sailing with is a sushi person.

When you have the UDP there can be a tendency to avoid the MDR so you can get maximum value of the UDP but I'd suggest keeping the MDR in the back of your mind if you really like a certain MDR entree.  The UDP doesn't work there for the upcharge MDR menu items, but don't forget about the MDR for a break from all that food.  

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38 minutes ago, twangster said:

When you have the UDP there can be a tendency to avoid the MDR so you can get maximum value of the UDP but I'd suggest keeping the MDR in the back of your mind if you really like a certain MDR entree.  The UDP doesn't work there for the upcharge MDR menu items, but don't forget about the MDR for a break from all that food.  

I plan to book my My Time Dining for early evening.  I don't want to miss the Appetizers ha ha

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Our cruise on Symphony week after next will be our first time doing UDP. We don’t plan on using it for lunch. We’re always on the pool deck and don’t want to shower and dress for lunch. We got it for all the dinners. I hate that they took away the 5 night plan. It’s either 3 night or UDP. 

When we’ve done the 3 night (and now the UDP), I use the cruise compass to find out when the shows are and book our dinners around the shows we want to see. 

I asked someone currently on Symphony to post the show schedule since Flight just came back this week. 

Yesterday I picked when we wanted the shows and then chose dinner times. As soon as we’re onboard, I’ll head to a specialty restaurant (I choose the restaurants over tables in promenade because sometimes the tables don’t have computers and they’re doing it by phone) and make our reservations. Husband will jump on the App and book our shows. 

Then we head for the bar! 🥂 

I like having a plan. I’m type A and don’t like “winging it.” 😂

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2 hours ago, Jill said:

Our cruise on Symphony week after next will be our first time doing UDP. We don’t plan on using it for lunch. We’re always on the pool deck and don’t want to shower and dress for lunch. We got it for all the dinners. I hate that they took away the 5 night plan. It’s either 3 night or UDP. 

When we’ve done the 3 night (and now the UDP), I use the cruise compass to find out when the shows are and book our dinners around the shows we want to see. 

I asked someone currently on Symphony to post the show schedule since Flight just came back this week. 

Yesterday I picked when we wanted the shows and then chose dinner times. As soon as we’re onboard, I’ll head to a specialty restaurant (I choose the restaurants over tables in promenade because sometimes the tables don’t have computers and they’re doing it by phone) and make our reservations. Husband will jump on the App and book our shows. 

Then we head for the bar! 🥂 

I like having a plan. I’m type A and don’t like “winging it.” 😂

Did you get the new schedule? Would love to see.

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6 hours ago, twangster said:

Since the UDP was announced a couple years ago as Ultimate and later renamed Unlimited there have been minor issues with restaurants included.  The core restaurants are always good, it usually the places like Johnny Rockets or the Bamboo Room that have been inconsistent.

It became a lot better when they renamed the program and started to name the venues where it worked.  In the beginning Hibachi was often not allowed but then they settled on the small upcharge and it was universally included.  

Playmakers has been pretty good about accepting it since it was introduced after much of the time when there was more ambiguity.  The list you displayed wasn't there originally.  

To avoid reservation issues have a general understanding what you want written down in advance.  On boarding day head straight to the dining tables they set up or a restaurant and make your reservations for the whole week.  You can change them as the cruise evolves but staking your claim early is the best way to avoid reservation issues.   

Lunch is on sea days only with the exception of boarding day.  Not all venues open for lunch.  Look over past cruise compasses to look at the open hours at each venue.  https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compass

 It's a lot of food.  The lunches are for the most part the same menu as dinner with the same size portions so it's like having dinner in the middle of the day.  I was so full from lunch I started moving all my dinner reservations to the last time slot so I might be a little hungry.  

If your ship has Playmakers that is probably the best burger experience on board, at least for my tastes.  Their wings are good too and if you like it hot, they can make wings very hot (spicy).

Not all Izumi have hot rocks and if the ship has Hibachi then the Izumi probably won't have hot rocks.    I'm not a big sushi fan so I generally avoid Izumi unless it has hot rocks and the person I am sailing with is a sushi person.

When you have the UDP there can be a tendency to avoid the MDR so you can get maximum value of the UDP but I'd suggest keeping the MDR in the back of your mind if you really like a certain MDR entree.  The UDP doesn't work there for the upcharge MDR menu items, but don't forget about the MDR for a break from all that food.  

So I want to be able to understand what you are saying.  In the main dining room the UDP does not work there.  You cant order a glass of wine or a cocktail and have the UDP cover it.  I know it only covers drinks up to $13 - but  does that exclude the main dining room?  I am a little confused  sorry if I sound naïve this is the first time on RCL and the first time I have an UDP on any cruise line.  Thanks! 

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10 minutes ago, Jim D said:

So I want to be able to understand what you are saying.  In the main dining room the UDP does not work there.  You cant order a glass of wine or a cocktail and have the UDP cover it.  I know it only covers drinks up to $13 - but  does that exclude the main dining room?  I am a little confused  sorry if I sound naïve this is the first time on RCL and the first time I have an UDP on any cruise line.  Thanks! 

You're getting the drinks package and the dining package confused. The drink package would, in fact, work in the MDR, as far as I'm aware. The upcharge items he's talking about are the "upgraded" filet and lobster available nightly for an extra cost.

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9 minutes ago, Jim D said:

So I want to be able to understand what you are saying.  In the main dining room the UDP does not work there.  You cant order a glass of wine or a cocktail and have the UDP cover it.  I know it only covers drinks up to $13 - but  does that exclude the main dining room?  I am a little confused  sorry if I sound naïve this is the first time on RCL and the first time I have an UDP on any cruise line.  Thanks! 

UDP = Unlimited DINING Package so has nothing to do with alcohol.  This package can't be used for MDR upcharges.

DBP = Deluxe Beverage Package can be used in the MDR (and generally anywhere else) to cover drinks/wine up to $13.

Gotta watch your TLAs!  (That's Three Letter Acronyms)

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18 minutes ago, Jim D said:

So I want to be able to understand what you are saying.  In the main dining room the UDP does not work there.  You cant order a glass of wine or a cocktail and have the UDP cover it.  I know it only covers drinks up to $13 - but  does that exclude the main dining room?  I am a little confused  sorry if I sound naïve this is the first time on RCL and the first time I have an UDP on any cruise line.  Thanks! 

The UDP - Unlimited Dining Package does not include the upcharge items on the MDR menu.

The Deluxe Beverage Package does work in the MDR as it does at any bar on the ship, for drinks up to the normal limits.  The Deluxe Beverage Package is indicated on SeaPass cards as "DX" so sometimes people use this in reference to the beverage package and some people refer to it as DBP.  

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49 minutes ago, GKMCruising said:

You're getting the drinks package and the dining package confused. The drink package would, in fact, work in the MDR, as far as I'm aware. The upcharge items he's talking about are the "upgraded" filet and lobster available nightly for an extra cost.

Opps my bad - thanks for the clarification 

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3 hours ago, Bmederson said:

Has anyone tried booking their own meals using the app once on board? Or is it just better to have someone on board do it?

You can try it as soon as you get connected to the wifi. I used the app to book a second dinner while I was at my first one night 😂

I didn't doing the whole week through the app since I was with my mother and she's had it all mapped out and preferred to deal with someone on the ship to book them.

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  • 5 months later...

Hello!  First time on RCL, (in 10 years) and just booked the UDP.  It said this "A courtesy reservation will be made for Day 1 or 2 of your sailing."  So it allowed me to choose from a few different times for Night 1.  I chose 8:30, but it did not tell me which restaurant we are in.  I want to book out the rest of our nights and for sure go to Chops...but how do I find our where we are the first night?  Also as a "pescatarian" and mostly vegetarian...I am hoping not to get sent to a burger joint.  Do we have any control of our "courtesy reservation"?  

Thanks! 

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12 hours ago, Seadogs22 said:

Hello!  First time on RCL, (in 10 years) and just booked the UDP.  It said this "A courtesy reservation will be made for Day 1 or 2 of your sailing."  So it allowed me to choose from a few different times for Night 1.  I chose 8:30, but it did not tell me which restaurant we are in.  I want to book out the rest of our nights and for sure go to Chops...but how do I find our where we are the first night?  Also as a "pescatarian" and mostly vegetarian...I am hoping not to get sent to a burger joint.  Do we have any control of our "courtesy reservation"?  

Thanks! 

It should be on your calendar on your app when it gets closer, but don't worry because when you get on the ship on the first day the first thing you'll want to do is go to one of the specialty restaurants and make reservations for the entire week (so you'll be able to change the time and place of that first reservation if you want, anyway).  Also there are no burger joint specialty restaurants on Royal Caribbean ships, so no worries there.

Enjoy!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Never had a single issue on any ship with our deluxe drinks package. The only limited is $13 per drink, anything over that you have to pay the difference. Much better than other cruise lines who charge you for the entire drink cost if its over the cost limit. The selection is also very good, although this has been reduced over recent years.

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2 hours ago, TracyRevell said:

Never had a single issue on any ship with our deluxe drinks package. The only limited is $13 per drink, anything over that you have to pay the difference. Much better than other cruise lines who charge you for the entire drink cost if its over the cost limit. The selection is also very good, although this has been reduced over recent years.

This was about the unlimited dining package🤣

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My first time having reservation issues with the dining package was last week on Wonder.  I had an 11:30 boarding time and was at Giovanni's at about 11:50.  the earliest reservation I could get for dinner was 8:30 any night, most nights I was only able to get 9:00 pm.  This was across the board for any of the restaurants I was trying to book.  I am not in Favor of eating dinner that late, but it was my only choice last week.

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13 minutes ago, Marga said:

With the Deluxe beverage package; can you go to Johnny Rockets or Mason Jar etc. not eat there, but just get the shakes?

Mason Jar you can order drinks with the package. They have an entire separate bar. You may have to ask about the shakes there since they're technically on the dessert menu of the restaurant, but they do allow you to order food at the bar so I don't see why they wouldn't.

As for Johnny Rockets, every ship is a different experience. Most will, but some ships will refuse if you're not dining.

Also another thing some folks miss the Oasis class ships and the Deluxe package is there are smoothies at the Vitality Cafe at the spa which are included with the package.

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I just purchased the UDP. I can see that RC made my first nights specialty dining reservation however I can’t see exactly where it is we’re dining. When will I be able to see where we’re dining? Also, do I have to wait until I get onboard to modify which restaurant they have chosen if I don’t like what was preselected for me?

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59 minutes ago, BarbA said:

I just purchased the UDP. I can see that RC made my first nights specialty dining reservation however I can’t see exactly where it is we’re dining. When will I be able to see where we’re dining? Also, do I have to wait until I get onboard to modify which restaurant they have chosen if I don’t like what was preselected for me?

You will not know where your first night reservation is until you board...but you can change it to a different restaurant if you don't like the choice they made for you.  All other reservations will be made on board.  Since you will most likely be heading to one of the specialty restaurants for boarding day lunch anyway, I recommend that you have the attendant at the check-in desk make all of the rest of your specialty dinner reservations at that time.  The longer you wait to make your reservations the more likely it will be that your first choices of venues and/or dining times will be filled.

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2 hours ago, BarbA said:

I just purchased the UDP. I can see that RC made my first nights specialty dining reservation however I can’t see exactly where it is we’re dining. When will I be able to see where we’re dining? Also, do I have to wait until I get onboard to modify which restaurant they have chosen if I don’t like what was preselected for me?

ALL reservations for the UDP are handled after you get on the ship.  That was the trade-off to get the UDP discount.  If you book the restaurants individually, you can choose the date and times now, but at full price.

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