forests_lover Posted September 24, 2022 Report Share Posted September 24, 2022 I have purchased the UDP package for my upcoming Miami-Bahamas (first ever) cruise in next November on Wonder Of The Seas, after reading the description on the UDP page on RCCL website it states that there may be some surcharges, I've read a lot in this forum and other forums (Cruise Critic) about different people stories regarding those surcharges, so decided not to do mistakes that may incur me extra costs over the UDP original cost. We don't drink Alcohol, we will not choose Hibachi option at Izumi, and we mainly look for Maine lobsters and steaks. can we eat Maine lobsters and steaks without being charged the surcharges ? if yes, where to eat them ? Thank you in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenniM Posted September 24, 2022 Report Share Posted September 24, 2022 Thank YOU for asking this question!! I actually came here to search specifically for this, and also to ask (To piggy back on your topic) about specialty restaurant lunches on Sea days. Are reservations required for lunches as well? Also, are all specialty restaurants open for lunch on Sea Days? C'mon all you awesome cruisers who answer our endless questions! This one's a Two-Fer. forests_lover 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan79 Posted September 24, 2022 Report Share Posted September 24, 2022 Steaks yes and easily, lobsters…only on lobster night and even then, I’m not sure those are Maine lobsters, but Caribbean/warm water ones. Maine will cost extra on all nights. Pooch 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted September 24, 2022 Report Share Posted September 24, 2022 The complementary lobster tails are NOT cold water Maine lobsters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted September 25, 2022 Report Share Posted September 25, 2022 You don't need the UDP to eat steak in the MDR when it's on the menu but the steak in the MDR is not from Chops Grille, the steak house on board. I typically don't eat MDR steak because I find the cut of meat not to my liking but others may be fine with MDR steak. The UDP does not cover upcharges on the MDR menu for lobster or Chops Grille steaks. You need to visit Chops to eat a Chops steak included with the UDP. At least in my experience. I've not heard of anyone who was able to get MDR upgrades included in the UDP but perhaps it has happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forests_lover Posted September 25, 2022 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2022 1 hour ago, twangster said: You don't need the UDP to eat steak in the MDR when it's on the menu but the steak in the MDR is not from Chops Grille, the steak house on board. I typically don't eat MDR steak because I find the cut of meat not to my liking but others may be fine with MDR steak. The UDP does not cover upcharges on the MDR menu for lobster or Chops Grille steaks. You need to visit Chops to eat a Chops steak included with the UDP. At least in my experience. I've not heard of anyone who was able to get MDR upgrades included in the UDP but perhaps it has happened. what's the point of dining at the MDR while I have UDP to dine at specialty restaurants which I guess is way better than the MDR. The description page for the UDP doesn't state that I have a certain amount of balance to not exceed at each specialty restaurant or a surcharge will be added to my account, except for this phrase: "For restaurants with a la carte pricing, you’ll receive a $20 food credit." The question is: how does someone know that an item like "Maine Lobster" (if it's on the menu at a specialty restaurant) is covered or not by the UDP ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adriana Posted September 25, 2022 Report Share Posted September 25, 2022 I believe you may be asking if you are charged more at the specialty restaurants. If so, it will say so on the menu. I want to say all is included as steak IS the specialty at the restaurants. Check out some of the menus online for the restaurants on your ship so you can see what they have and if they are Maine lobster (doubt it). Chops obviously will have steaks. Yes, you do need a reservation for lunch. If not busy, you may be able to do a walk up. Typically, all are open (usually only one on embarkation day). forests_lover 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USCG Teacher Posted September 25, 2022 Report Share Posted September 25, 2022 12 hours ago, forests_lover said: what's the point of dining at the MDR while I have UDP to dine at specialty restaurants which I guess is way better than the MDR. There really isn't one unless you're completely enamored by a dish that is specific to the MDR. 12 hours ago, forests_lover said: The question is: how does someone know that an item like "Maine Lobster" (if it's on the menu at a specialty restaurant) is covered or not by the UDP ? If there's an upcharge, it will be specifically called out on the menu. This is a sample of a page of the Chops Grille. Note how the Broiled 1 1/2 lb. Maine Lobster is the only dish with a price included. WAAAYTOOO and forests_lover 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan79 Posted September 25, 2022 Report Share Posted September 25, 2022 13 hours ago, forests_lover said: what's the point of dining at the MDR while I have UDP to dine at specialty restaurants which I guess is way better than the MDR. The description page for the UDP doesn't state that I have a certain amount of balance to not exceed at each specialty restaurant or a surcharge will be added to my account, except for this phrase: "For restaurants with a la carte pricing, you’ll receive a $20 food credit." The question is: how does someone know that an item like "Maine Lobster" (if it's on the menu at a specialty restaurant) is covered or not by the UDP ? The places that serve lobster as an up charge are NOT considered Al a carte pricing. Playmakers and Izumi are al a carte. Chops is not. You just aren’t going to get Maine lobster for free with the UDP….isn’t happening. forests_lover 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forests_lover Posted September 25, 2022 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2022 14 minutes ago, Ryan79 said: The places that serve lobster as an up charge are NOT considered Al a carte pricing. Playmakers and Izumi are al a carte. Chops is not. You just aren’t going to get Maine lobster for free with the UDP….isn’t happening. how do you know that Chops is not a la carte restaurant while Izumi is ? the UDP description page says the following: "For restaurants with a la carte pricing, you’ll receive a $20 food credit." and the following: "For ships with these venues, Teppanyaki/Izumi Hibachi is included, with a $10 surcharge, Chef's Table is included, with a $49.99 surcharge, and Dadong is included, with a $35 surcharge. These will be charged once onboard." so it's unreasonable that i will be charged $10 at Izumi's Hibachi while at the same time I'll be given a $20 credit to eat there (according to the statement above) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forests_lover Posted September 25, 2022 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2022 51 minutes ago, USCG Teacher said: There really isn't one unless you're completely enamored by a dish that is specific to the MDR. If there's an upcharge, it will be specifically called out on the menu. This is a sample of a page of the Chops Grille. Note how the Broiled 1 1/2 lb. Maine Lobster is the only dish with a price included. wow, I was really looking for a sample menu, thank you dude. However, by showing $21 beside the Maine Lobster meal, does that mean that if i order it, then I will be credited the $20 that's mentioned in the UDP description page which says: "For restaurants with a la carte pricing, you’ll receive a $20 food credit." resulting in $1 + 18% gratuity as a total charge ?? USCG Teacher 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted September 25, 2022 Report Share Posted September 25, 2022 15 hours ago, forests_lover said: The question is: how does someone know that an item like "Maine Lobster" (if it's on the menu at a specialty restaurant) is covered or not by the UDP ? You ask the wait staff. 50% of UDP varies by ship. No one here can say with absolute what is and isn't included with the UDP beyond the basic cover for specialty dining. It depends on the phase of the moon. Generally speaking if a venue like Chops has an additional charge for someone paying to eat at Chops then getting access to Chops VIA the UDP isn't a silver bullet that carries special powers that avoids being charged extra for what others paying per visit without a UDP do or don't get. The UDP gets you in the door instead of paying for that visit on a one meal at a time basis. Beyond getting in the door the UDP had no special power at cover charge venues. CharmMicah68, Dlove707 and forests_lover 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forests_lover Posted September 25, 2022 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2022 14 minutes ago, twangster said: The UDP gets you in the door instead of paying for that visit on a one meal at a time basis. Beyond getting in the door the UDP had no special power at cover charge venues. wow this is interesting to know, they don't tell you that clearly in the description page for the UDP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forests_lover Posted September 25, 2022 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2022 19 hours ago, Pooch said: The complementary lobster tails are NOT cold water Maine lobsters. can i get this tail in the MDR ? if yes, are there specific days for it or is it every day ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted September 25, 2022 Report Share Posted September 25, 2022 Nope, only on lobster night, typically the second “dress your best” night. If you have the app downloaded (and if you don’t, do it) you can view menus for pretty much every specialty restaurant and the MDR by clicking on Dining. Adriana and forests_lover 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted September 25, 2022 Report Share Posted September 25, 2022 4 hours ago, forests_lover said: wow this is interesting to know, they don't tell you that clearly in the description page for the UDP. That is one of my issues with the UDP - it's not exactly clear what is covered and what is not. USCG Teacher and forests_lover 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnSeven Posted September 26, 2022 Report Share Posted September 26, 2022 9 hours ago, forests_lover said: wow, I was really looking for a sample menu, thank you dude. However, by showing $21 beside the Maine Lobster meal, does that mean that if i order it, then I will be credited the $20 that's mentioned in the UDP description page which says: "For restaurants with a la carte pricing, you’ll receive a $20 food credit." resulting in $1 + 18% gratuity as a total charge ?? Chops is not an a la carte restaurant. Your UDP will get you anything on the Chops menu that doesn't have a price. If an item has a price (Lobster $21), you will eat everything else for free, and pay $21 for the lobster. Izumi is a la carte. UDP gets $20 credit at Izumi. If you order $25 of food, you will pay $5. Hibachi has a $10 upcharge when you have UDP. You pay $10 and all other items are free. forests_lover 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forests_lover Posted September 26, 2022 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2022 4 hours ago, Pooch said: Nope, only on lobster night, typically the second “dress your best” night. If you have the app downloaded (and if you don’t, do it) you can view menus for pretty much every specialty restaurant and the MDR by clicking on Dining. I have downloaded the app and checked the restaurants column under the dining section, they have only 8 restaurants listed in that section other than the MDR, which’s weird coz there are lots of restaurants not mentioned like: Wonderland, The Mason Jar and Hooked, my cruise is Wonder of the seas which have about 20 restaurants including the above. So does that mean the UDP doesn’t cover more than 8 specialty restaurants which are those listed in dining section in the app ? one more weird thing: I tried to hit the “Reserve Now” button in Chop’s Grille page and when I pick up a time slot, it shows me a price and my saved credit card to pay that cost if i want to reserve that restaurant, where it should be free considering the I have the UDP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted September 26, 2022 Report Share Posted September 26, 2022 The Maine lobster is an UPCHARGE, not ala carte pricing. Ala carte venues have prices next to every item. forests_lover 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted September 26, 2022 Report Share Posted September 26, 2022 2 hours ago, EnSeven said: Chops is not an a la carte restaurant. Your UDP will get you anything on the Chops menu that doesn't have a price. If an item has a price (Lobster $21), you will eat everything else for free, and pay $21 for the lobster. Izumi is a la carte. UDP gets $20 credit at Izumi. If you order $25 of food, you will pay $5. Hibachi has a $10 upcharge when you have UDP. You pay $10 and all other items are free. No, not right you get a $35 credit at Izumi, hence the $10 upcharge because Hibachi starts at $45. The option is $35 worth of food or the $35 prefix menu which is one small plate, two large plates and a dessert. $20 is for Playmakers or Portside BBQ as the cost of the food is fairly cheap. You also are subjected to one entree at Chops Yo2slick 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedNoodles Posted September 26, 2022 Report Share Posted September 26, 2022 10 hours ago, forests_lover said: one more weird thing: I tried to hit the “Reserve Now” button in Chop’s Grille page and when I pick up a time slot, it shows me a price and my saved credit card to pay that cost if i want to reserve that restaurant, where it should be free considering the I have the UDP. You won't be able to make reservations for the UDP until you board the ship. Yo2slick and forests_lover 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan79 Posted September 26, 2022 Report Share Posted September 26, 2022 Upcharge and Al a carte are two completely different terms that have two different meanings. I know it would be nice if those two concepts were interchangeable, but they are not. Sorry to hear bad news to some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelp1446 Posted September 26, 2022 Report Share Posted September 26, 2022 13 hours ago, forests_lover said: one more weird thing: I tried to hit the “Reserve Now” button in Chop’s Grille page and when I pick up a time slot, it shows me a price and my saved credit card to pay that cost if i want to reserve that restaurant, where it should be free considering the I have the UDP. The price you pay(or don't pay) for the UDP is that you can't make reservations until you board. If you try booking now it does not recognize your UDP purchase. It is treated as a normal reservation at current price of venue at that time. forests_lover 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forests_lover Posted September 26, 2022 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2022 6 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said: You won't be able to make reservations for the UDP until you board the ship. good to know that ... can you tell me why there are only 8 speciality restaurants currently listed in the dining section in the app (sail date will be late November, 2022) ? does it mean that the number of restaurants to open depends on the capacity of the ship at day of travel ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 27, 2022 Report Share Posted September 27, 2022 If you're on Wonder, lobster is on the menu at Hooked. Hooked is included in the UDP. Baked Alaska and forests_lover 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted September 27, 2022 Report Share Posted September 27, 2022 @forests_lover The amount of specialty restaurants on Wonder is on the higher end, some ships have 2-4. There are only 8 specialty restaurants that are included in the UDP, the other places are complimentary. There are no venues closed due to capacity. forests_lover 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forests_lover Posted September 27, 2022 Author Report Share Posted September 27, 2022 I figured out why there are only 8 restaurants show up on the mobile app, i am on a totally different ship, I'm a first time cruiser here, and I'm kind of lost among app and website features when I back did the reservation, anyway that got me to choose the right date for myself but the wrong ship, my ship is Freedom of the Seas, which's no more than a "bottom-glass boat" comparing to Wonder, in terms of everything, from entertainment, to pools to dining, etc .. so I called RRCL to ask for a sail change (to enjoy the cruise on Wonder), they told me that's not possible, the only possible thing to do is to cancel the reservation and get a refund of 75% of the total paid amount and then reserve Wonder of the seas cruise, I've carefully read their cancellation policy and turned out that the customer service rep was wrong, the policy says that I will be refunded 50% of the total cruise amount if the sail date is more than 62 days, which's unacceptable to lose half of what I paid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted September 28, 2022 Report Share Posted September 28, 2022 Abject lesson on the value of a good Travel Agent. KJones 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted September 29, 2022 Report Share Posted September 29, 2022 Freedom isn't bad, it's just not Oasis class. I would do Freedom over any other non-Oasis class ship as it is still fun. The El Loco Fresh is awesome and so are the other speciality restaurants. Wonder is the newest with all the bells and whistles, so lots of ships look like "crap" in comparison. KJones and forests_lover 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forests_lover Posted September 29, 2022 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2022 23 hours ago, Pooch said: Abject lesson on the value of a good Travel Agent. I just finished switching my cruise to Wonder of the seas, 7 nights from Port Canaveral into some Caribbean destinations, I've paid no penalties, just the price difference, I told them that one of your colleagues told me that's not possible to switch cruise without a cancellation and re-booking, which's turned out to be the opposite ... now, returning back to main topic is Eating Maine Lobster under UDP in Wonder of The Sea free of charge ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 29, 2022 Report Share Posted September 29, 2022 1 hour ago, forests_lover said: I just finished switching my cruise to Wonder of the seas, 7 nights from Port Canaveral into some Caribbean destinations, I've paid no penalties, just the price difference, I told them that one of your colleagues told me that's not possible to switch cruise without a cancellation and re-booking, which's turned out to be the opposite ... now, returning back to main topic is Eating Maine Lobster under UDP in Wonder of The Sea free of charge ? https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/resources/menus/hooked-seafood-menu-sample.pdf It's on the menu at Wonder. There's also lobster on the menu at 150 Central Park, but it doesn't specify it is Maine lobster. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/resources/menus/one-hundred-fifty-central-park-menu-sample.pdf forests_lover 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted September 29, 2022 Report Share Posted September 29, 2022 2 hours ago, forests_lover said: I just finished switching my cruise to Wonder of the seas, 7 nights from Port Canaveral into some Caribbean destinations, I've paid no penalties, just the price difference, I told them that one of your colleagues told me that's not possible to switch cruise without a cancellation and re-booking, which's turned out to be the opposite ... now, returning back to main topic is Eating Maine Lobster under UDP in Wonder of The Sea free of charge ? Glad it turned out for you but a TA wouldn’t have let you make that mistake in the first place. forests_lover 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barjpoe Posted September 29, 2022 Report Share Posted September 29, 2022 1 hour ago, AshleyDillo said: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/resources/menus/hooked-seafood-menu-sample.pdf It's on the menu at Wonder. There's also lobster on the menu at 150 Central Park, but it doesn't specify it is Maine lobster. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/resources/menus/one-hundred-fifty-central-park-menu-sample.pdf Remember both of those restaurants are an up charge. So if you get a 3 night dining package you could be fine. The lobster at the 150 is Lobster Thermador which is pretty good in my opinion. I think it is a warm water lobster tail. forests_lover 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan79 Posted September 30, 2022 Report Share Posted September 30, 2022 You are NOT getting Maine lobster without a surcharge….end of story. Period. The lobster at 150 is warm water as are the lobsters in the MDR at lobster night. Same with Hooked. If you have your heart set on free Maine lobster, you booked the wrong cruise line. You will be paying a upcharge on RCL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 30, 2022 Report Share Posted September 30, 2022 31 minutes ago, barjpoe said: Remember both of those restaurants are an up charge. So if you get a 3 night dining package you could be fine. The lobster at the 150 is Lobster Thermador which is pretty good in my opinion. I think it is a warm water lobster tail. UDP is the ultimate dining plan. Both of those restaurants are included with the UDP. forests_lover 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted September 30, 2022 Report Share Posted September 30, 2022 The UDP doesn't have a lot of upcharges, just more so restrictions. I don't eat lobster, but I have heard that most of it is good at specialty restaurants. Also, pretty much every restaurant has a steak and sort of upscale seafood option. Imho the steak at Chops is my least favorite, the one at Hooked is about 14x better. forests_lover 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forests_lover Posted September 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2022 2 hours ago, Ryan79 said: You are NOT getting Maine lobster without a surcharge….end of story. Period. The lobster at 150 is warm water as are the lobsters in the MDR at lobster night. Same with Hooked. If you have your heart set on free Maine lobster, you booked the wrong cruise line. You will be paying a upcharge on RCL AFAIK, any item on the menu that's marked with a price is an up-charge item, exactly like the Lobster at Chop's Grille which has $20 (marked) up-charge, but the ones at Hooked and 150 Central Park are not marked with any price, I will ask the waiter when I get there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forests_lover Posted September 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2022 7 hours ago, Ampurp85 said: The UDP doesn't have a lot of upcharges, just more so restrictions. I don't eat lobster, but I have heard that most of it is good at specialty restaurants. Also, pretty much every restaurant has a steak and sort of upscale seafood option. Imho the steak at Chops is my least favorite, the one at Hooked is about 14x better. why's the steak better in Hooked ? is it the cooking style or the type of meat and cut ? I eat steaks well-done so I may not feel much difference when I try both. Pooch 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted September 30, 2022 Report Share Posted September 30, 2022 5 hours ago, forests_lover said: why's the steak better in Hooked ? is it the cooking style or the type of meat and cut ? I eat steaks well-done so I may not feel much difference when I try both. It was flavor, juiciness and cooking IMHO at Hooked that made it a better steak. Maybe because I have eating steak so many other places but other than the Beach club steak, I hate whatever marinade/seasons they use, every steak everywhere has been better than Chops. I do medium to a medium well, haven't done well done so don't know if that will change the flavor and such. forests_lover 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy67 Posted October 5, 2022 Report Share Posted October 5, 2022 We were on Navigator late August with the UDP and had Maine lobster at Hooked without a surcharge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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