*Unlimited Dining Package*(how many times can it be used per day)

[FitCruiser]

Hello I am going on the Ovation for an Alaska cruise Sept 12, 2022. I have purchased the unlimited dining package for myself and my SO. I have cruised before but have never used the dining package. I am wondering how it actually works? Can you reserve more than one specialty restaurant per day? For example if I wanted to go to Izumi for lunch then Chops for dinner? Or is it exclusively one restaurant per day? Could I get something from FISH & SHIPS then make a reservation for Jaime's later on etc? At Izumi if I want to order another food item over my $35.00 limit would I just pay the difference out of pocket? If someone could help answer all my questions I would really appreciate it. 

[SpeedNoodles]

Yep. you can go as many times as you want,  however I don't believe Fish & Ships is included in the UDP (your mileage may vary).  And, yes, you would just pay the overage.  A nice server may close out the first bill and start a new one, avoiding the overage (often happens at Playmakers, but, again, YMMV).

[Ampurp85]

So as long as they can accommodate your reservation, you can go as many times a day as you want. Some specialty restaurants won't be open on port days for lunch. Usually, Izumi's is always open on the sushi side for lunch. You will be making your reservations for the week when you board, so plan accordingly. 

[FitCruiser]

Thank you so much for the clarifications! I see that we also get 40% off of bottles. If we don't finish a bottle at dinner do they save it for another day? Do they just discard it? 

[CruisingNewb]

We used the UDP twice a day and on one occasion, twice plus Fish and Ships for the fried lobster tails, so technically three times that day.

[FireFishII]

On 6/23/2022 at 10:27 AM, FitCruiser said:

Thank you so much for the clarifications! I see that we also get 40% off of bottles. If we don't finish a bottle at dinner do they save it for another day? Do they just discard it? 

They will re-cork the bottle and save it for you.

[FitCruiser]

Thank you so much everyone! I made a mistake and the ship we are actually going on is Quantum.  

[CruisingNewb]

On 6/28/2022 at 6:14 AM, FitCruiser said:

Thank you so much everyone! I made a mistake and the ship we are actually going on is Quantum.  

Quantum, Ovation, same same.

[TeRriii]

 

On 6/23/2022 at 9:12 PM, Ampurp85 said:

So as long as they can accommodate your reservation, you can go as many times a day as you want. Some specialty restaurants won't be open on port days for lunch. Usually, Izumi's is always open on the sushi side for lunch. You will be making your reservations for the week when you board, so plan accordingly. 

The FAQ on the website stated UDP can be used only for Embarkation Day and Sea Days Lunch. Are you really sure I can use UDP for lunch on port days (if the restaurant is open) ?

[Xaa]

If the restaurant is open and you can get in, you can use UDP.

[Ampurp85]

6 hours ago, TeRriii said:

 

The FAQ on the website stated UDP can be used only for Embarkation Day and Sea Days Lunch. Are you really sure I can use UDP for lunch on port days (if the restaurant is open) ?

Yes. Most specialty restaurants are closed port days with exception being something like Playamakers, Johnny Rockets and occasionally Izumi. Thats why the FAQs says as such. 

[PG Cruiser]

7 hours ago, TeRriii said:

 

The FAQ on the website stated UDP can be used only for Embarkation Day and Sea Days Lunch. Are you really sure I can use UDP for lunch on port days (if the restaurant is open) ?

Yes, you can.  I had lunch at Giovanni's Italian (on Freedom, I think) on embarkation day.  

While waiting for my order, I made all my dining reservations for the entire cruise there.  This is important for all who have dining packages.  Make plans to go to any open restaurant on embarkation day, with a dining plan/schedule if possible, and make ALL your reservations.  Popular dining times, between 6-8 PM,  book pretty quickly.  

This is the plan/schedule I made for the Wonder.  I included all the info I needed because I noticed some crew go by day of the cruise (Day 1, Day 2, etc), some go by day of the week, some go by destination.  This is an old list, but I have since added the date.  Another advice is don't do it over the phone; I like having a visual of the schedule they see on their screens, especially if you have to change things around in your plan.