3 day dining package

[Brad J]

Is the 3 day dining package worth it? 
- is there enough variety in the main dining restaurants 

-  where it says a la carte $30 dollar credit, is that for all the restaurants? Eg Wonderland…. Does this include in the dining package or will I be paying on top?  
 

thanks 

[Matt]

Which ship are you sailing on?

[BrianB]

For me…on the Anthem, Oasis and Wonder, I had great food and variety in the MDRs. But, I also get the three meal package every cruise. On the Anthem, I absolutely love Jaime Oliver’s. I also love Chops Grill. On the Oasis and Wonder, I’ll do Giovanni’s, Chops and 150 Central Park (veal medallions!). The specialty restaurants are not just for the great food, but the ambiance and the great service. Purchasing the specialty restaurants separately are always more expensive then the usual $109 for three. The only issue I have is I can not make reservations pre-Cruise. I have to wait until I’m onboard and then I go right to the nearest restaurant host desk to make all my reservations. 
It is a personal preference if you wish to spend more to have a ‘special’ meal…or just eat all your meals in MDR.
Oh, and I believe the drinks package covers your drinks in the specialty restaurants…as long as they don’t go over the individual drink price limit, in which case you’ll just pay the difference.

[Spang1974]

I personally ALWAYS get the 3 night package. We like the specialty restaurants and the Unlimited package is not in our budget:)

[AshleyDillo]

14 hours ago, Brad J said:

where it says a la carte $30 dollar credit, is that for all the restaurants? Eg Wonderland…. Does this include in the dining package or will I be paying on top?  

If you opt to use one of the three dining credits at a restaurant that has ala carte pricing then you get that credit amount to spend.  The only restaurant where this makes sense to use a dining credit is Izumi. You will have $35 towards the menu cost.  Most of the specialty restaurants onboard have a flat cover charge. Those restaurants, including Wonderland, would be covered with one of your credits.

[Spang1974]

The $35 credit for Izumi, is more than enough IMO:) We had to be "rolled" out both times we ate there with our a la carte pricing! Seriously so much sushi:)

[AshleyDillo]

2 hours ago, Spang1974 said:

The $35 credit for Izumi, is more than enough IMO:) We had to be "rolled" out both times we ate there with our a la carte pricing! Seriously so much sushi:)

Their $34.99 menu deal is an insane amount of food!

[MoneyMan702]

We love the MDR and specialty dining. For me, the decision to get a dining package is based on the variety of specialty dining venues on the ship, itinerary length, and a variety of other factors. 
 

Three or four nights is what I would consider perfect for most ships and 7ish night itineraries, as you will split your time between complimentary and specialty dining.
 

We did the ultimate package on Allure and didn’t regret it since we got to try out all the specialty dining on board. We also did ultimate on our 4 night Mariner sailing since it wasn’t much more than the 4 night package that didn’t include lunch at specialty restaurants on sea days. We have done 3-5 night packages otherwise since though. On ships with fewer specialty dining options, I’d go with a shorter length dining package. 
 

As others have said, the $35 credit at Izumi is more than enough to cover a huge amount of food.