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Specialty dining, and who will tell you the price
Three of the five big lines publish what their specialty restaurants cost. Two will not tell you until after you have given them money for a cruise. That is worth knowing before you budget.
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Norwegian publishes specialty dining cover charges of $40, $50 or $60 depending on the restaurant. Carnival publishes $52 for its Steakhouse and Rudi's Seagrill. Princess publishes $39 for Crown Grill and $35 for Sabatini's on its menu PDFs. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity publish no specialty dining prices until after you have booked.
Specialty restaurants are the most reliable upsell on a ship. The food is usually very good and the rooms are quieter. Whether it is worth it depends on the price — and that is where the lines split sharply.
Norwegian publishes the clearest prices in cruising
A plain, tiered cover charge, published openly:
| $60 cover | Steak, Teppanyaki / Hasuki, French, Seafood |
|---|---|
| $50 cover | Brazil, Asian, Food Republic, Sushi |
| $40 cover | Italian, BBQ, Pincho, Mexican |
All plus taxes and fees. Their per-ship pages also label every venue either "Cover Charge" or "À la carte," so you know which model you are walking into.
For families: with the dining package, 13 to 18 year olds pay $20 per person per meal in gratuities, and children 12 and under eat free from the kids' menu but pay $20 in dining gratuities if they order off the adult menu. Without the package, under-18s pay the full cover charge.
Carnival and Princess publish figures too
| Carnival Steakhouse | $52 adults, $15 for the children's menu (11 and under). Includes appetizer, salad, entrée, side and dessert. |
|---|---|
| Carnival Rudi's Seagrill | $52 adults, $15 children |
| Princess Crown Grill | $39 per person cover, extra main courses $10 each, Surf & Turf supplement $10 |
| Princess Sabatini's | $35 per person, one selection from each course. Supplements: filet mignon $15, lobster tail $15, veal Milanese $10, extra pasta or main $10. |
Royal Caribbean and Celebrity will not tell you
Royal Caribbean's published position, in their own words: "Pricing varies by package, ship and sailing length. Please visit Cruise Planner for the most up to date pricing for your sailing." Cruise Planner requires a booking. So you cannot price specialty dining before you commit.
The only public figure they publish is a range inside a guide article: "there's no flat rate, prices could range anywhere from $30 to $200 per person." That is a range so wide it is not a budget.
Celebrity is the same. No package prices, no per-restaurant covers, just one FAQ mentioning "$45 to $150 per person."
I am not going to pretend that is acceptable. If you are choosing between lines partly on cost, Norwegian, Carnival and Princess let you do the arithmetic and two lines do not.
The à la carte trap
Some venues charge a cover, others charge per dish, and a dining package treats them differently. Royal Caribbean publishes that package holders at à la carte restaurants get a $35 credit towards the food portion, with anything above that charged at normal à la carte rates — naming Izumi Sushi and Sichuan Red. Celebrity publishes a $50 credit for dinner at an à la carte specialty restaurant, or $35 for lunch with a package.
So "I have the dining package" does not mean dinner is free. At an à la carte venue it means you have a credit, and ordering past it costs money.
Royal Caribbean also publishes that packages "are not shareable between guests and every guest that wishes to dine must pay the posted cover charge or have their own package." Children 6 to 12 can be added at $10.99 a night on the children's menu, or $12 on the regular one.
How I would approach it
- On Norwegian, Carnival or Princess: price it before you sail. The numbers are published; use them.
- On Royal Caribbean or Celebrity: assume nothing and look in Cruise Planner as soon as you book, because packages are usually cheaper pre-cruise than onboard.
- Check whether your venue is cover or à la carte before you use a package there. That $35 credit disappears fast at a sushi counter.
- Remember gratuity is added — Celebrity publishes 20% added to dining packages at purchase.
- Go once, not every night. The main dining room is included and on most ships it is genuinely good.
Questions I get asked
Is specialty dining worth it?
At $35 to $52 for a full steakhouse dinner, most people think so once or twice a cruise. At $200 a head, that is a different question, and Royal Caribbean's own range goes that high.
Can I book before I sail?
Yes, and on most lines it is cheaper than booking onboard.
Do children pay?
Yes, in some form. Norwegian charges gratuities for under-18s with a package. Carnival publishes $15 children's pricing. Royal Caribbean publishes $10.99 to $12 a night.
What if I do not like the main dining room?
Try it twice before you spend. Menus change nightly and the first night is the busiest of the week.
Is the food genuinely better?
Usually, and the room is quieter, which for a lot of people is most of the value.
Where these facts come from
- Norwegian Cruise Line, specialty dining cover charges
- Norwegian Cruise Line, under-18 specialty dining costs
- Carnival, steakhouse
- Carnival, Rudi's Seagrill
- Princess, Crown Grill menu (PDF)
- Princess, Sabatini's menu (PDF)
- Royal Caribbean, specialty dining packages
- Celebrity Cruises, dining packages
Ports change their rules and their prices. Check the official pages above before you sail.
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