Comparing the three dining packages

Royal Caribbean Dining Packages are a great way to save money on your vacation. Here's what you need to know about the plans, and how you can get the most value out of them.

Despite having just two dining packages on their website, Royal Caribbean actually has up to three dining packages on select cruises; Chops + 1, the Three Restaurant Package, and the Unlimited Dining Package. All three of these programs come with conditions that I'll go through for you now.

The dining packages are only available to adults (any over the age of 12). Although you cannot purchase a package for a child, they can still dine with you, just be sure to add them when you make the reservation. Most specialty restaurants onboard have a preset cover charge for child dinners. You will be charged the full cover charge at the going rate, but if it exceeds the thresholds below, the difference will be refunded back to you in the form of on-board credit:

• Children aged 5 or under dine for free
• Children aged between 6 and 12 dine for $10.99

The on-board credit you receive will be refunded back to your original form of payment if not used by the end of the cruise. If you used non-refundable on-board credit to pay for the cover charge, that difference will be refunded back to you as non-refundable on-board credit. This means you have to spend it before the end of the cruise or you will lose it.

When you add the dining package to your cruise, you will select a timeslot on day 1 or day 2 of your sailing. This is a placeholder for your first dining reservation (which must be used on day 1 or day 2). Once on board, check in with the maître d', or use the app to make your dining package reservations. If you don't, your first reservation will be made for you, as close to the original time chosen at the point of purchase. Depending on your dining package, the maître d' will assign the restaurant based on which restaurant has the widest availability.

Be aware that only the first reservation is guaranteed, and specialty restaurants do book up fairly quickly. To make sure you receive the maximum value, I highly recommend you make your reservations as soon as possible.

My advice is to plan out your preferred restaurants, dining times, and back up options for each day so that you can refer to this shortly after boarding. This will help you to secure the restaurants you want.

None of the dining package include beverages, however you receive a discount on bottles of wine. For wines priced under $100 you receive a 40% discount. Wines over $100 are discounted by 20%. This is another great way to maximize the value of the plan.

Gratuities are included in the cost of the dining packages, however it is often customary to add an additional gratuity to reflect the service you received during your meal.

The dining packages aren't just limited to those specialty restaurants with a cover charge. You can also dine at a la carte restaurants. Just be aware that the value you receive towards the package is typically less in a la carte restaurants than those with a cover charge.

You will get either a $20 or $35 credit for menu items, depending on the restaurant. If you go over this limit, you will be charged for the difference. This is per person (assuming each person has the dining package). You can close and reopen your check to reset the allowance for the unlimited eating plan, allowing you to really stretch that value even further. I don't recommend performing this on any other dining plan because it would be considered a second meal.