accio7 Posted February 13, 2018 Report Share Posted February 13, 2018 Hello everyone, I have two solo cruises booked on Adventure (Dec 2018) and Harmony (Dec 2019) and am intrigued by the specialty dining offered by Royal Caribbean. I would like to try one or two restaurants, preferably for lunch on sea days as I really like the MDR experience at dinner. I am completely flexible, however, and would like to book at the lowest price point available as I am cheap LOL. Which of these options would you recommend for someone trying specialty dining for the first time? First Night Done Right BOGO 2 night dining package Booking individual restaurants for lunch (Note: I do not see an option for FNDR in my Cruise Planner for my Adventure cruise, only the BOGO.) Thanks ahead in advance, Christine P.S. Matt, if you're reading this, I'm glad I decided to listen to your advice and book Harmony :) See, Oasis-class ships aren't scary! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted February 13, 2018 Report Share Posted February 13, 2018 Dining options vary for each sailing. If specialty restaurants are selling well they may not offer FNDR and/or BOGO2, or they may not offer one or the other for other reasons. I could be on the same ship as you a week later and be presented with completely different options compared to you. Both FNDR and BOGO2 are for dinner. They both must start on day 1. BOGO2 also includes a day 2 dinner. You can not move these to other days and they do not include lunch. They are an excellent way to test specialty dining which is partly why they exist. The primary reason they exist is to fill the specialty restaurants on days early in the voyage when many people haven't discovered the specialty restaurants yet. They are cutting the price to fill the restaurant when it is historically less busy which explains why they can't be used later in the voyage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
accio7 Posted February 13, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2018 1 minute ago, twangster said: Dining options vary for each sailing. If specialty restaurants are selling well they may not offer FNDR and/or BOGO2, or they may not offer one or the other for other reasons. I could be on the same ship as you a week later and be presented with completely different options compared to you. Both FNDR and BOGO2 are for dinner. They both must start on day 1. BOGO2 also includes a day 2 dinner. You can not move these to other days and they do not include lunch. They are an excellent way to test specialty dining which is partly why they exist. The primary reason they exist is to fill the specialty restaurants on days early in the voyage when many people haven't discovered the specialty restaurants yet. They are cutting the price to fill the restaurant when it is historically less busy which explains why they can't be used later in the voyage. Thanks for the excellent explanation! So, there is a chance that FNDR may not be offered for my cruise? I guess my options are either a) pay individual pricing for lunch or b) BOGO for first two nights for dinner (which is available through the Cruise Planner). Are Chops and Giovanni's still $19 for lunch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted February 13, 2018 Report Share Posted February 13, 2018 32 minutes ago, accio7 said: Thanks for the excellent explanation! So, there is a chance that FNDR may not be offered for my cruise? I guess my options are either a) pay individual pricing for lunch or b) BOGO for first two nights for dinner (which is available through the Cruise Planner). Are Chops and Giovanni's still $19 for lunch? That's around the pricing I've seen, but I think lunch pricing may vary by ship so don't quote me on that. There may be specials some days even cheaper than that but those vary greatly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LetsTryThisPlace Posted February 13, 2018 Report Share Posted February 13, 2018 54 minutes ago, accio7 said: Are Chops and Giovanni's still $19 for lunch? For our freedom trip next month I thought I saw it at $22. I have convinced my wife to go to chop lunch one day after seeing so many yummy pics lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted February 14, 2018 Report Share Posted February 14, 2018 18 hours ago, accio7 said: P.S. Matt, if you're reading this, I'm glad I decided to listen to your advice and book Harmony :) See, Oasis-class ships aren't scary! Glad to hear it! I love Harmony of the Seas! In terms of which to try, I think working in 2 restaurants during your cruise is a good idea. The issue with the First Night or BOGO deals is you have to go there on night 1 and night 2. I think as a first timer, it's best to work in specialty dining during the cruise, and not all at the beginning. I'd book one in advance and look for perhaps a dinner special onboard, or drop in for lunch on another day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
accio7 Posted February 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2018 Just now, Matt said: Glad to hear it! I love Harmony of the Seas! In terms of which to try, I think working in 2 restaurants during your cruise is a good idea. The issue with the First Night or BOGO deals is you have to go there on night 1 and night 2. I think as a first timer, it's best to work in specialty dining during the cruise, and not all at the beginning. I'd book one in advance and look for perhaps a dinner special onboard, or drop in for lunch on another day. Thanks for your input, I really appreciate this :) For Adventure then, I will probably plan to go to Giovanni's for lunch on one of our sea days (Days 2, 7 or 8) or check whether any of the restaurants are offering a dinner special onboard. Will they be included in the Cruise Compass? I'm definitely looking forward to trying Sabor on Harmony as you are constantly raving about it LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted February 14, 2018 Report Share Posted February 14, 2018 42 minutes ago, accio7 said: Will they be included in the Cruise Compass? Not necessarily. In my experience, any discounts are often mentioned in passing to guests around the ship. Do keep an eye on the Cruise Compass for any demonstrations at a specialty restaurant...they usually offer a discount at the end of the demo . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
accio7 Posted February 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2018 4 minutes ago, Matt said: Not necessarily. In my experience, any discounts are often mentioned in passing to guests around the ship. Do keep an eye on the Cruise Compass for any demonstrations at a specialty restaurant...they usually offer a discount at the end of the demo . Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted February 15, 2018 Report Share Posted February 15, 2018 This isn't always the case but on Anthem mid-cruise I was walking past a table where they were offering specialty dining lunches for $19. I asked a few questions then thanked before starting to walk away. They then offered Jamie's lunch for $15. If they are selling well they won't offer any additional discounts but it does demonstrate how there can be onboard specials you won't see ahead of time in the cruise planner or even in the cruise compass onboard. PrincipalTinker and accio7 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LetsTryThisPlace Posted February 15, 2018 Report Share Posted February 15, 2018 On 2/14/2018 at 9:34 AM, Matt said: In terms of which to try, I think working in 2 restaurants during your cruise is a good idea. The issue with the First Night or BOGO deals is you have to go there on night 1 and night 2. I think as a first timer, it's best to work in specialty dining during the cruise, and not all at the beginning. Now, what would happen if you had already reserved the mystery dinner and then had the BOGO package? Would the bump one to a later day? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
accio7 Posted February 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2018 On 2/13/2018 at 5:32 PM, LetsTryThisTech said: For our freedom trip next month I thought I saw it at $22. I have convinced my wife to go to chop lunch one day after seeing so many yummy pics lol. Managed to get a hold of Compasses for this week's re positioning cruise from Miami :) Chops is $19 for lunch ($35 dinner), Giovanni's $15 ($28 dinner) on Adventure. LetsTryThisPlace and PrincipalTinker 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincipalTinker Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 On 2/15/2018 at 7:40 AM, twangster said: This isn't always the case but on Anthem mid-cruise I was walking past a table where they were offering specialty dining lunches for $19. I asked a few questions then thanked before starting to walk away. They then offered Jamie's lunch for $15. If they are selling well they won't offer any additional discounts but it does demonstrate how there can be onboard specials you won't see ahead of time in the cruise planner or even in the cruise compass onboard. This is great info. I have not booked any speciality dining on my Anthem cruise since it is my first cruise. I have been tempted to book a lunch but I think I will just wait. I really don’t need it, but maybe I want it..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTripp Posted January 8, 2019 Report Share Posted January 8, 2019 Hi thank you for the input on Specialty Dining posted last Feb. FYI now for the BOGO the fine print seems that YOU do NOT choose the restaurant on cruise day one, it is chosen for you (I would presume whichever restaurant needs patrons?)and the second day is cruise day two only which I believe is formal night? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiny260 Posted January 8, 2019 Report Share Posted January 8, 2019 2 minutes ago, RTripp said: Hi thank you for the input on Specialty Dining posted last Feb. FYI now for the BOGO the fine print seems that YOU do NOT choose the restaurant on cruise day one, it is chosen for you (I would presume whichever restaurant needs patrons?)and the second day is cruise day two only which I believe is formal night? What you say is true, but once you get on the ship (It is the very first thing I do) go directly to one of the restaurant and tell them which restaurant you want and what time, pick both of your specialty dinning nights this way, you may have to adjust your schedule depending on what times are available, but at least you get the restaurant you want and time and day you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted January 8, 2019 Report Share Posted January 8, 2019 8 minutes ago, RTripp said: and the second day is cruise day two only which I believe is formal night? This is generally true but not always. Check a compass from a recent sailing on the ship you are going on to see. Night 2 is almost always a formal night but it is not 100% true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiselife Posted January 8, 2019 Report Share Posted January 8, 2019 On 2/14/2018 at 8:42 AM, accio7 said: I'm definitely looking forward to trying Sabor on Harmony as you are constantly raving about it LOL. I am not sure what type of room category you are staying in on Harmony, but if you stay in a Central Park balcony it includes a complimentary specialty lunch at your choice of Jamie's Italian or Sabor and a bottle of red wine. That would pair well with a First Night Done Right package and you'll get to try a lunch and a dinner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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