I'm pro-dining package. However, I wish that they would let us make the reservations before we sail. It's a hassle to rush and make all the reservations on Embarkation Day.

It's the best in my opinion. We go for 7 days and that's 3 lunches and 7 dinners. We love specialty dining!

A word of advice for people looking to purchase a dining package - don't wait for the last couple of months to buy them online. I was excited to finally be going on my first Transatlantic cruise, after cancellations in 2020 and 2021, on Wonder of the Seas and enjoying the specialty restaurants. I waited with bated breath for them to be announced and even downloaded all the menus. A few weeks ago, about 2 months away, I went online to buy a dining package and none were showing up. I checked daily. Now we are 30 days out and I called and was told that they sold out a long time ago. And will not be going back on sale now or in the future or onboard. I did the math and I might be able to eat at Wonderland and Izumi, 2 meals, for the price of the 5 dining package.

I just booked my first ever cruise with Royal Caribbean in 2023 and all the information you share is amazing and so helpful! I have learned so much. Thank you!

Problem we have with the meal packages as the meals are so big. I had bariatric surgery and I would waste so much of these meals. We would love to try this if my wife and I could share a meal.

I had the drink package on my December cruise and loved it. Passed on the dining package. As a solo traveler I was fine using the other dining options aboard, might think different if I was sailing with a partner.

Matt, Another couple of reasons, is that you're expected to dress up for some of the specialty restaurants. Also, once your wait staff knows your likes, they will really go above and beyond to make your meals special. We just cam off of Royal Caribbean cruise this morning and our wait staff took fantastic care of us. Early on during our cruise our head waiter asked us how our food was. We mentioned that it would be nice if the serving of vegetables could be a bit larger. Every night after that they brought us an extra plate of multiple vegetables. Our waiter also encouraged me to choose both a soup and salad appetizer. And there was more. The guys were great, so we were happy to give them an extra tip at the end of our cruise. If there is anything that you like or disike about your meals, let your wait staff know. They will bend over backwards to let you know how much they want you to value your experience.

Another pro for the dining package is if you have food allergies. With food allergies, our choices of restaurants are limited since most of the buffets and grab and go areas have too much cross contamination. That only leaves the main dining room as our only option. The signature restaurants however are safer since we can speak to the waiter and the chef about our food allergies and they are usually very accommodating.

I think the unlimited dining package is good if you will use it. It’s no problem to make bookings if you call any restaurant on embarkation day and make all your reservations. If you look at the cost of the dining paid for individually versus the package it would help you make a decision. We only went to each restaurant once and honestly preferred the MDR. We felt the service in the specialty dining was stuffy and I felt the need to tip when I was given a bill for $0.00 and pre paid my gratuities already. We now just stick to MDR and anytime dining and the opportunity for room service, pizza by the pool or buffet. We were disappointed with Johnny Rockets and the found the burgers in the buffet were nicer (less greasy).

Hi Matt, Great video, as always! You consistently provide valuable information and your B-roll is the best!

Every time I come here, I learn something new. Thanks for your video.

Don’t forget Solarium Bistro… good food that has a healthy twist on it

I'm good with the MDR and Windjammer buffet.

Matt seriously thank you for this! Cant wait for December this year!!!

I had to come back and revisit this vlog as I was trying to determine if I should do the unlimited or the 3 night dining package on my solo 7nt cruise on WOTS. You never disappoint. Decision made... Thanks!!!❤❤

Thank you so much for this helpful information!

Good information and advice. Thanks, Matt.

Yay! I was hoping for an updated video on this topic! Thank you so much!

Im pro package... to me the point of vacation especially a cruise is to get the most out of your time and great food and service is one of them

Did a 3 night package, worked well for my friends and I.

I LOVE Unlimited Dining Pkg, ESPECIALLY when it's just my wife of brother with me on the cruise. Each dinner feels more like a "Special Night Out"! With a larger group, I'd do the MDR with maybe one night out at Izumi Hibachi, or a night away from the group. Also, I've found is easy to request my waiter at any specialty restaurant if you find one that's exceptional! Happy Sails To You!

I really do like the dining packages. I love to go to a variety of speciality restaurants and the windjammer just doesn't cut it. (Or the dining room. Great for suite room service, not so great for a visit.) Coastal Kitchen's value is a good call out, but it does depend on how committed you are to it.

Generally get the 3 day dining package…this works well for me since I thoroughly enjoy Chops!!

The first few years we cruised we went to the MDR. It was fine but crowded. As we tried a specialty dining one or twice on a cruise we came to appreciate the ambiance and developing a relationship with the staff and still being able to order and eat what we wanted. My advice to first time cruisers to eat at complimentary restaurants including the MDR. Also, track your cocktail expenditures and determine for yourself if you find value in the package or pay as you go. The bottom line is to relax and enjoy.

I was really happy with the specialty dining on the Oasis class ship I went on, I found the quality of the food in the Main Dining Room to be a little sub-par. I didn’t have a single bad meal in Specialty dining. Room Service and Windjammer were acceptable but not great.

I ain't heard your voice in a long time on these videos. Welcome back. And I Love the videos

Another factor to consider is the unliklihood of using the dining package on ‘in port’ days. Like, you can count on it for dinner for sure, but realistically you wont be eating breakfast/lunch at speciality dining on in port days, which on a, say, 7 day cruise, will be half the cruise. I’m pro dining packages myself, but we would only eat at one maybe 4x during a whole cruise cycle.

The dining package is amazing. It just adds another level to feeling on vacation. And the tables are not as crowded together as the main dining room. I think it’s worth it every time.

Thanks for sharing this will be my first cruise

Just got done sailing on the Navigator on a 7N cruise. My wife and I got the ULD package. This was the 2nd time we did it and we LOVE IT. Specialty restaurant every night and the food was DELICIOUS!! Worth every penny and then some. I do agree that I wish reservations could be made ahead of time when using the ULD package. My guess is that they want the "prime-time" slots for those guests paying A-la-Carte. My wife and I ate at 8:00pm every night which was what we wanted. The one night we had a 8:30pm reservation, we showed up at 7:45 and they sat us right down. Having only 2200 pax does help in that regard.

While I've never been on a cruise (only a couple weeks away now!) I never even gave thought to NOT getting a dining package. I'm a big foodie and though maybe the main dining room is ok for that (or maybe better if you befriend the chef and ask for regional dishes!) all the specialty restaurants sound so good. Plus that is only for dinner so I don't feel like I'm missing out on the complimentary stuff or even the main dining room since I can do those for breakfast and lunch.

Pro-dining package. I'm very organized & head straight to any restaurant on the 1st day to make all our reservations for the week. This is all worked out beforehand. Better to reschedule if necessary. Our deal was around $220 each for the week.

I tried the UDP on my last cruise. My wife and I loved it. Now, it was just her and I. If I bring the kids, I might just go free like usual or do the three day as suggested Matt.

We have been very happy with the main dining room. I would love a breakdown of what the different restaurants charge and are they open for lunch (if they are, is there a difference in the charge). We are sailing in December 2022 and it would be easier to decide with more information. Thank you. We are loyal to Royal and love your videos,

Matt I am really confused about how you said it is a lot of food? You just order what you want to eat, you don't have to get a dessert or apps if you do not want them. On my 11 night cruise engagement cruise, I got use the U.D.P. and my gf now fiancee loved it! As Matt said it did elevate our whole cruise experience. It is something I made sure to book again on our anniversary engagement cruise in 30 days.

This is my first cruise with Royal Caribbean. 10 night. We are doing the 3 night dining package. I figure it’s the best of both worlds and I can get a bottle of wine for 40% off 👍

Great review. I wish you touched on the credit you get at places like Playmakers which really adds value to the unlimited plan.

I have never done a dining package thanks for breaking it down. I might try the 3 night on my next cruise.

We did the two night package on our last Royal Caribbean cruise on Harmony of the Seas. I think it was about $60 on sale during thanksgiving. We went to Jamies Italian and Chops for the same price as Chops would have cost. I enjoyed both restaurants. Personally I would not pay for the unlimited package because the dining room food is very good anyway and there are some restaurants I really would not be that interested in.

We always get the three night pkg , it's the best of both worlds even staying in a jr. suite or above and this is on 7 night or longer. Thanks for all your helpfull info.

My wife and I did the unlimited dining package a couple of years ago on a seven night cruise and it's a requirement from now on. It was a different dining experience for us because we did not have to cram everything into one sitting at one of the specialty restaurants. Wonderland is our favorite, and we ended up going there multiple times on that cruise, each time having a different fun experience. In fact, on the last night, they just brought us our favorite things. Very personalized service. We will be on symphony of The seas later this year and yes we took advantage of the 55% discount and already purchased the unlimited dining package for the cruise.

This must be very new, because this is the first time I’ve seen it, but it looks like Chef’s Table is now available as an up charge similar to hibachi: In the fine print on Cruise Planner for my upcoming Symphony cruise: 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.

3 days for us if we decide to buy one. I do not want to feel obligated to eat a large meal just because of a dinning package. As you say the included food venues are really very, very good and the MDR is in our opinion fantastic.

Just got done with my first ever cruise, 7-nights on RC to southern Caribbean. For us, the main dining room was a complete no-go, service was not that great, even substandard, and the food was served luke-warm. Thankfully, we had purchased the UDP before-hand along with the deluxe bev package so we didn't freak out after leaving and not eating. But, because we had the UDP, we didn't find places like Windjammer until the end of the cruise because we did feel compelled to try out all of the resturants. It was nice to have it for our first cruise so we didn't have to worry about money or restrictions; however, next time it we want to do a special we'll just pay for it out of pocket because the prices are good and El Fresco Loco is so good I tried my hardest to eat it every day 🤣

We are all about the unlimited dining package 😎. Well done Matt!

I'm planning a big group cruise next June. Thinking about the 3-day package to fully try yhe most options. It's our 2nd ever cruise

We did the Chef’s table, and had no idea the amount of wine they served with every course. However, I did enjoy the chocolate martini at the end 😄

Ty for the info! I think we’re gonna do it. $305 for 4 days…there’s 2 adults, 2 kids. They don’t charge for kids under 6. I have a 3 and 6 yo. Chefs table is included in ours but it’s a 49.99 surcharge. We’re going on navigator of the seas 5/30/22

First of all-I'm a food snob, period! I've done the dining package on another cruise line, and I enjoyed it immensely. I've already booked it for all four of us for our next cruises. We are doing back to back cruises on the Allure starting April 2nd. After watching this and hearing what you said about being compelled, and how good the complimentary restaurants are, I'm wondering if I should have booked the unlimited for both cruises! Perhaps a 3 night package on the 2nd would have sufficed, or even for both. This is my first RC cruise and I'm very excited!! Thanks!!

I'm doing a 12 day royal cruise, my first time with them in 20 years. I'm going with the 3 night dining package to get a sampling of all royals food choices.

Variety is a nice thing to have however…. I love the food so much at the Wind jammer and main dining room alone… (there’s also the Pizza place 🤤that closes late) plus the theme days/nights provide a variety…. There aren’t enough days in any cruise, space in my tummy….. 🤤

Just selected the 3 specialty dining package for August Oasis of the Seas cruise

I did UDP on my first royal cruise last October. Loved it. Got it again for my transatlantic on Odyssey in October. Can't wait! Btw I bust a gut laughing. Watching the eyes of the little girl looking at the stack of onion rings in the video....too funny. Matt thanks for all you do. Love your reviews and cruising insight

You missed 2 big Pros. For the UDP you can use it for lunch on sea days. Second is that you can use it on embarkation day and eat at specialty while everyone is headed to the Windjammer.

Dec.11,2022 will be our first UDP! We have always stayed with MDR or 3 dinner pkg. We are excited to try this on Wonder of the Seas. I know we will need to pace our selves. Not to mention we are doing a back to back cruise on two different cruise lines. On the other cruise we are eating in the MDR.Losing 5lbs before we go! LOL🤣

Hoping on the Wonder of the Sea on Friday. Didn't see a 3 Night dining package that I got on the Freedom, Oasis, and Odyssey this year. It was only $100 for the 3 night package on those ships Booked Izumis, Mason Jar and Hooked and it's $200 for the 3 spots if you book al la carte. So it's double now..

Great rundown. Thanks

Thanks for the info

Excellent Video!

Thx so much Matt! We’re going in July on harmony and we’re thinking bout this. It’ll be all our first cruise! Super excited.

We've never tried specialty dining.One cruise we have a dinner for 2 at Chops given to us, but decided not to go because the kids were still young and figured bringing them wouldn't be worth it. Wife also tends to be a picky eater, so I'm afraid she won't like some. I do have an interest to go however, maybe the 3 night package I'll get next time

I usually buy everything unlimited. Drink package, dinning package etc. i hate the feeling of feeling limited on a cruise.

I wish they had something like chef's table for non-drinkers. As a non-drinker I feel the packages as well as the pay dining options are a waste for us. We are eating at Wonderland on our next cruise for our daughter's birthday, but we're just paying for that one dining experience. We are not soda drinker either. We like smoothies and fancy fruit based drinks, but they really don't have much in this category offered that would make any kind of drink package a good option for us.

The main dining room food is fantastic but specialty restaurant food is the next level

I am Diamond Plus, we participate in the Buy one Get one Free for the first 2 nights and maybe we will purchase a full price meal the rest of the week. I believe it is to much food every night for the dining package. I like going to the dining room and having the same waiter (we do My Time Dining and request our waiter). Some days we just want to take it easy and go to the Windjammer.

We book the 3 night package and its well worth it, but its enough for our 7 day cruise. By day two we are stuffed all the time.

The common complaint is that it’s a lot of food. But do what I do, don’t feel like you have to eat everything. I rarely eat dessert or just have the fruit plate for dessert. I love the French onion soup but sometimes I even skip that.

Thank you for explaining that if you get a dining package you can’t book until you are on the cruise! My mom is just itching to book the restaurants 😅

As a solo cruiser I am Pro dining package I prefer the smaller dining rooms of specially restaurant to walking through the main dining room pass hundreds of people each night to get to my table. I will do the main dining room one night of my cruise which is lobster night but the lobsters are getting so small I am considering giving it a miss going forward.

Taste of Royal Lunch with wine pairing is nice

Great video. We prefer the 2 or 3 night package as opposed to the unlimited. We just got off of Brilliance and didnt do anything special. The main dining room staff was excellent as was the food. Had a chance to see Wonder who was tied up next to us at Coco Cay, a wee bit of size difference between the 2 ships. On a longer cruise and larger ship, we would do at least the 2 night package. Thanks for the excellent videos

doing 3 nights dining next month - will see how it goes

Before covid, Cesar's properties in Vegas had a packaged called the "BOB"... The Buffet of Buffet's. For two of us was something over $200 which included the buffet of 5 of their properties and the lure is that it included the Bacanal seafood buffet at Cesar's (1 time only though for this location) but for 24 hrs, you could indulge to your heart's content of eating as much as you possibly can. I tell you what, WE WERE MISERABLE ! We felt like we were forced to eat non-stop to get our $$$ worth. It forced us to cancel our window seating for our anniversary meal at the steakhouse at the top of the Stratosphere ...which I now believe they charge $25 extra per person just to sit there! Never again would i do something like that and I warn all my friends to not fall for it when they did go. My plan of action now for cruise ships is to scope out the menu for the week, then decide on which night is the least appealing and that is the night we will have reserved for specialty dining.

Getting the unlimited for my cruise 1 adult 2 kids at $390 it is definitely worth it and I pay $100 for us to eat at our fav restaurants at home anyway so for a 7 night cruise this is good for me🎉

I really wish on royal and carnival that more of the complimentary food options would stay open later. We really felt the options were lacking after 5pm. We are all night owls and dont eat a lot early in the day. So it sucked that on oasis we never got to even try el loco fresh and some of the little cafes...

Went on Anthem in February, always went with package, not after this, it was better in dining room at least was hot in dining room

just bought they 3 night package thank you very much

Bought a 3 day dining package for my 8 day cruise in August.

Also you get lunch in the specialty restaurant on sea days!!

I booked unlimited package for a 14 day repositioning cruise with 9 sea days. So in theory I can eat at the specialty restaurants 22 times during the cruise. I'm not likely to do so, but for the $320 cost that's a potential of only $14+ per meal. I also prefer a fish-heavy diet, so being able to eat many times at Izumi is for me a plus. I believe the chef's table is not full price if one has the unlimited package. One con you might have mentioned is that it might be better to skip on the 3 and 5 day cruises where there are enough complimentary dining spots for variety. Booking an inside cabin also meant that paying for the package means paying less than a lot of people with balconies in total.

I think I will have to come down on the PRO side of Dining Packages. I usually do the 3-Nights but on my upcoming B2B I'm actually doing the 3N on the 1st leg and trying the UDP on the 2nd leg. Even though I will also have access to Coastal Kitchen, I still think for us it makes sense to do the UDP. I do agree with Matt that we may feel we HAVE to dine at Specialties every night to kind of get our moneys worth. However, we took advantage of a 55% off sale and even if we only eat out 4 or 5 nights and take advantage of the Specialty Lunches on sea days, we will have surpassed the amount we paid. Well, at least that's the way it looks in theory. I'll see how I feel after I come back!!

Definitely PRO dining packages, but generally speaking, the 3-night package is enough. UDP is fun, especially if you have a lot of sea days and you're using it for lunch, like on a transatlantic. But it is a TON of food, something you really have to be ready for.

Booked a Grand Suite on Quantum this May specifically to get Coastal Kitchen in lieu of purchasing the UDP. It might have just been that ship, but the food was really terrible. We were so disappointed that after the 2nd night, we never went back. We're doing a 14 day Transatlantic this October and I immediately booked the UDP. Also important to know that a lot of times the Hibachi restaurant is booked up before you even get onboard, so having the UDP doesn't guarantee you an Hibachi dinner, unfortunately.

I’ve heard over and abundantly that the food on the royal Caribbean ships in the main dining rooms is just OK. But people rave about the specialty dining. So I bought the unlimited package. Keep in mind, it’s free for children under five as long as they eat off the kids menu. Do you have to use a package on the first or second night of the shift and I was able to make my reservation for the first night.

I didn't know there was a three day dining package. Thanks for that tip!

I got the unlimited dining package to try out the food, just what upsets me is u have to be on the ship to make reservations and if you can’t get no reservations at all no matter how much you tried you won’t get a refund for it.

There is nothing wrong with eating in the main dining area. The food and service are outstanding. I've been on about 6-7 RC cruises. I'll tell you what I DO NOT like about the main dining room- A few yrs ago they switched over to a more casual, dine anytime seating arrangement. Personally I enjoyed a fixed seating chart, (You ate with the same group of people every night) I'm probably in the minority here, but I enjoyed meeting people from all over the world and getting to know them over dinner. ALSO, I enjoyed "Formal Nights" where men were in suits 1 night and women wore dresses. It was an elegant touch. - NOW....You may find people in the main dining area in tank tops and shorts. HOWEVER- The specialty restaurants are terrific. I always get a drink package and a specialty dining package. If you use them they are well worth the added expense.

perfect timing! I just booked an Alaskan Cruise. I got the Ultimate Dining but can't reserve anything. Thinking about cancelling so I can be sure to get my specialty dining

Chef's Table is now included with the unlimited dining package with a $49.99 surcharge :)

I leave for my cruise in 8 days I’m so excited my birthday is in 9 days cococay isn’t ready for us 🥳

The MDR is awesome! Fight me!

What would be your suggestion for a first time cruiser for internet package? I will also have my 13 year old son with me.

I have an unusual question and I haven’t been able to find an answer anywhere. If I have the dining package can I still go to the buffet during dinner hours for a pre-dinner snack before I go to Chops for my dinner reservation? Furthermore, could I use the dining package to make a dinner reservation at Chops for 5 pm and also make a reservation for 8pm at a second specialty restaurant? Or is it one dinner per night with the dining package? Just trying to make sure I know my options; my first ever cruise is in 5 months.

Get the drink package and get the dining package 👍

I’m going on Voyager in January. For 4 nights. I was told that I could dine every night for dinner and only 2 twice for lunch on sea days. I thought unlimited ment whenever I wanted to eat

I will be on symphony this July and it's our first royal Caribbean cruise, is there a freestyle dining like the one on NCL?

I really cant figure out why I should pay extra money for food when the ship is absolutely packed with food I've already paid for in the price of my ticket. A drink package is one thing since most drinks aren't included in the fare, but there's a nearly limitless supply of a nearly limitless variety of food on board that doesn't cost anything.

I bought an unlimited dining package for me and my wife on our cruise next month on the Wonder of the seas. Question: can I order multiple entrees when dining at one of the specialty resturants like we can in the main dining room?

I always want to plan and book everything ahead of time. Excursions, dining, ground transport... Because of not being able to book restaurants ahead of the time the dining package is not for me.

The offer on my reservation still says, "Unlimited visits to specialty dining restaurants every night of your sailing and lunch on sea days. Plus the ala carte lists. Do you know if it is retroactive 🙂