Royal Caribbean is renowned for its extensive selection of specialty dining options, particularly on its newest and largest ships. Several vessels in its fleet offer over a dozen dining venues in addition to the standard options such as the main dining room and Windjammer. Guests seeking an enhanced dining experience throughout their cruise can opt to purchase a dining package in advance.
The Unlimited Dining Package offered by Royal Caribbean allows passengers to dine at numerous specialty restaurants on board for a fixed price. This package includes various benefits, such as:
– Dinner at a specialty restaurant each night of the cruise.
– Lunch at specialty restaurants on sea days.
– Food credits usable at certain a-la-carte venues, like the Playmakers sports bar.
– Discounts on wine purchases, with savings of up to 40% on bottles.
It is important to note that the package is not entirely “unlimited,” as there are specific restaurants that require an additional charge. For instance, some passengers booked on a 7-night cruise on Wonder of the Seas in December will need to pay a $15 fee to dine at the Izumi Teppanyaki restaurant and a $25 fee for dining at Wonderland. However, establishments such as Chops Grill and 150 Central Park are included.
Initially, the Unlimited Dining Package posed a challenge for cruisers, as the package could be purchased beforehand, often with cost savings, but reservations could only be made after boarding the ship. According to the description on Royal Caribbean’s website, “A courtesy reservation will be made for Day 1 or 2 of your sailing. All additional reservations or changes to your courtesy reservation must be made once onboard at any specialty restaurant.” This situation sometimes led to long lines and congestion as guests competed to secure their desired dining reservations upon embarkation.
In late 2023, Royal Caribbean unveiled a plan to allow cruisers to make their dining reservations in advance when purchasing a dining package. This feature was initially tested with Ultimate Dining Package (UDP) bookings on Allure of the Seas and has now been expanded to include all ships, as reported by the Royal Caribbean Blog.
For now, the system allows users to log into the Royal Caribbean website, select the Ultimate Dining Package for their sailing, and choose times for each restaurant after adding the package to their cart. Nonetheless, there are limitations. Passengers who have already purchased the Ultimate Dining Package cannot pre-book restaurants without canceling and repurchasing the package at the current prices. On a Wonder of the Seas cruise, the current price for the package is approximately $80 per person higher than the original purchase price, meaning that unless a sale occurs, passengers may need to rely on the traditional system of booking after they board.
Despite some remaining challenges, Royal Caribbean is making significant progress towards improving the embarkation experience by reducing time-consuming tasks, thereby enhancing passenger satisfaction.
