The first day of a cruise can be a hectic day for many passengers.
Not only does the process of getting to the cruise port and onto the ship sometimes feel a bit stressful, your first afternoon on board may also be quite busy. Passengers often come on board with a list of things they need to take care of right away before they can relax.
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For many passengers, the embarkation day to-do list includes things like registering their kids for the cruise ship’s kids’ club program, stopping by guest services to address a question or concern, or making specialty dining reservations.
When it comes to dining reservations, passengers who add on Royal Caribbean’s Unlimited Dining Package have recently benefited from a major perk that let them bypass that part of the embarkation day rush. With the Unlimited Dining Package, Royal Caribbean gives passengers the opportunity to prebook dining reservations online in advance of their cruise.
Now, the cruise line is expanding this popular perk to help more cruisers avoid embarkation day anxiety about securing the dining times they want.
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Izumi Hibachi is a popular specialty dining experience on some Royal Caribbean cruise ships.
Image source: Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean adds pre-cruise reservations for 3-Night Dining Package
For cruisers who want to enjoy some specialty dining meals during their sailings but don’t want to splurge on the Unlimited Dining Package, Royal Caribbean’s 3-Night Dining Package is an attractive option. Until now, the package came with a major drawback — passengers couldn’t prebook their dining reservations.
That downside of the package was recently eliminated, according to RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com, an unofficial fan blog not affiliated with the cruise line. Now, passengers who purchase a 3-Night Dining Package can enjoy the same dining reservation prebooking perk as those who purchase the Unlimited Dining Package.
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To book the package and your dining reservations in advance, visit Royal Caribbean’s online Cruise Planner for your sailing, navigate to the Dining section, select the package, and then click Reserve. From there, you will need to select the cruisers in your party who want the package and then add it to your cart for checkout.
Once the package is in your cart, you’ll have the option to make your dining reservations, selecting from available times for the restaurants you want to enjoy during your cruise. Your selected dining times will be locked in once you check out and make the payment for the add-on dining package.
New reservation perk not available for previously booked packages
At this time, the option to make dining reservations doesn’t seem to be available for 3-Night Dining Packages that have already been booked for upcoming cruises. To gain the option, you could cancel and rebook your dining package, but this could cost you more if the price for the package has gone up for your sailing.
This new reservation option is not yet available for dining packages booked for sailings on the cruise line’s upcoming ship, Star of the Seas, according to RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com.
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The new prebooking benefit makes the 3-Night Dining Package much more appealing to cruisers who want to enjoy a few specialty dining experiences. But keep in mind that there is some fine print on the package. Restrictions apply and certain restaurants come with surcharges on top of the package price. Beverages are not included in the package, and some premium items and experiences are excluded as well.
Royal Caribbean’s 3-Night Dining Package price varies by ship, season, and sailing, often running anywhere from $80 to $150 or more per adult. Packages for children ages 6 to 12 ordering from kids’ menus are also available at a lower price. There’s no specialty dining charge for children ages five and younger.
