Illusionarium

We would like to attend the performance of Illusionarium. The reviews I read have been positive.

My issue: the food reviews have been universally bad. Is it every item on the menu or just certain options? Has anyone had a good dining experience? What did you order? Is the menu posted somewhere, unable to locate it on NCL site.

Thanks in advance for your help.

We would like to attend the performance of Illusionarium. The reviews I read have been positive.

 

My issue: the food reviews have been universally bad. Is it every item on the menu or just certain options? Has anyone had a good dining experience? What did you order? Is the menu posted somewhere, unable to locate it on NCL site.

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

I believe it is steak and shrimp. You really don't have any choice of selections unless you are a vegetarian. If you don't eat seafood, you'll probably get two pieces of steak instead. I don't recall it being that bad, but you are not restricted to one meal per night, after all. You are free to go to any dining venue later if the food is not to your likeing. I think of the fee as being for the show itself and the food a freebie, take it or leave it.

. . . You are free to go to any dining venue later if the food is not to your likeing. I think of the fee as being for the show itself and the food a freebie, take it or leave it.

That's what I'm doing in a few weeks.

Going to attend Illusionarium strictly for the visuals.

I will ask for two glasses of iced tea on arrival, and then advise I'm having no dinner to be served whatsoever. I can give full attention to the actual show.

I'll eat a dinner of my choice after departing the theatre. :)

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We were on the Getaway in September. It is an awesome ship! I too had read all the reviews about the food in the Illusionarium. My friend and I both found it not to be bad at all. We were pleasantly surprised. You will love the show. I am still trying to figure out how they did some of the tricks!

We were on Getaway in October. We really enjoyed the Illusionarium show. Don't miss it. The food was good. Steak and shrimp. Steak was tender. No complaints.

I was worried about the food too after reading all the negative reviews but I found the food to be pretty good. Was it amazing? No, but it certainly was not deserving of the horrible reviews.

Unless you're a vegetarian there are no other menu options.

While there are no other menu options, you CAN ask for your steak as rare or well as you want. It wasn't at all bad medium rare.

We might skip the meal at the illusionarium and dine at a different restaurant later. Is the meal 1st then the show? Or is the meal during the show? Also looking for kids menu (if there is one) since our son does not eat steak. Thanks.

The meal is during the show. The steak was good but not great.

The idea of not eating at all during the show is not a bad one.

Illusionarium menu:

We went in September to the Illusionarium. I too kept hearing how bad the dinner was. IMO the dinner was very good.

You get a fantastic show and a good dinner for a good price. What more can you ask?

Only thing that might make it better is not eating at all during the show. Eating takes away from the show.

What is the seating like? Can you get a table for four? Or are seated at large tables?

The show is extremely good.

The food? meh. Its a thick hunk of dry pot roast, 3 shrimp with parts of the peel attached randomly and some goofy veggie thing. The prosciutto was flavorless and leathery.

I think they should just get rid of the dinner , lower it to $15 or $20 and fill more shows.

My main gripe is the seating. I booked it weeks before the cruise and chose all floor seats. They had every other one of us in banquet seats and said there is nothing they can do. Well I was off to cancel it and they managed to fix it (took a while and we ended up in the very back) but it was very irritating to basically ignore what we booked and paid fore before the cruise and act like it was no big deal.

Would I do it again? Yes if they offered a non dinner show as an option during the cruise as well as a dinner show for those who want that.

 

Only thing that might make it better is not eating at all during the show. Eating takes away from the show.

Agreed. Nothing like peeling the shrimp and looked up after the awesome (apparently) trick.

I was planning on skipping the food since the Cirque food has been consistently bad on the Epic, but I was pleasantly surprised! It's not Le Bistro or Cagneys, but way better than The main dining room....IMHO...

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Is Illusionarium on Jewel also? Where do they show it?

Is Illusionarium on Jewel also? Where do they show it?

No, it's only on the Getaway.

No, it's only on the Getaway.

The area was actually built specifically for this. I understand there will be a few renos to it soon so they can tweak a few performance changes.

 

The food? meh. Its a thick hunk of dry pot roast, 3 shrimp with parts of the peel attached randomly and some goofy veggie thing. The prosciutto was flavorless and leathery.

Gotta love the anonymity of the Internet. Way too many positive posts about the food. Good but not great is very acceptable as a comment. But, this post rates right up there with "putrid and inedible" comments of the past.

SMH!

Gotta love the anonymity of the Internet. Way too many positive posts about the food. Good but not great is very acceptable as a comment. But, this post rates right up there with "putrid and inedible" comments of the past.

 

SMH!

Just what does being anonymous have to do with jack squat? Please answer. Do you think all opinions have to be the same? Some people in my group thought it was ok. I didnt. No one smacked thier heads in disbelief like you.

I didn't care for the food at all. My opinion.

Who gives a flying (insert your favorite answer here) what others like or do not like. A member asked for opinions, I shared mine from personal experience. "Putrid and inedible"? LOL HARDLY. Its wasn't bad, but it was nowhere to being worthy of money IMHO. Still, even if I flat out said it was "putrid and inedible", why do you take it so personally?

I shared my experience. You DID NOT. All you did was crap on someones honest opinion and that says much about you. So how was it in your opinion since you obviously ate there as well?

To the OP. While I gave my honest opinion, the food was not "putrid and inedible", I ate it all. I just found it to be not worth the cost and feel the show should offer seating's with no dinner. The food quality was well below my expectations. I figured it would be more flavorful and tender. Evidently some here got better pieces of meat than I did, it happens.

Just what does being anonymous have to do with jack squat? Please answer. Do you think all opinions have to be the same? Some people in my group thought it was ok. I didnt. No one smacked thier heads in disbelief like you.

 

I didn't care for the food at all. My opinion.

 

Who gives a flying (insert your favorite answer here) what others like or do not like. A member asked for opinions, I shared mine from personal experience. "Putrid and inedible"? LOL HARDLY. Its wasn't bad, but it was nowhere to being worthy of money IMHO. Still, even if I flat out said it was "putrid and inedible", why do you take it so personally?

 

I shared my experience. You DID NOT. All you did was crap on someones honest opinion and that says much about you. So how was it in your opinion since you obviously ate there as well?

 

To the OP. While I gave my honest opinion, the food was not "putrid and inedible", I ate it all. I just found it to be not worth the cost and feel the show should offer seating's with no dinner. The food quality was well below my expectations. I figured it would be more flavorful and tender. Evidently some here got better pieces of meat than I did, it happens.

I apologize profusely. I forgot that the new normal around here is that differing opinions are not allowed and will be countered with attacks.

Please forgive me for my ill advised questioning of you opinion.

I apologize profusely. I forgot that the new normal around here is that differing opinions are not allowed and will be countered with attacks.

 

Please forgive me for my ill advised questioning of you opinion.

Says the one who dumped on my opinion. Its ok, you fired a round across my bow at me, I returned in kind. I have offered information the OP sought, your only interaction in this thread has been attacking me, then attacking me for defending myself. You have offered no good information for the OP and I had a right to defend my opinion while still sharing information based on experience of the OP's question at hand. I think perhaps it would be best if you put me on ignore or we at least both drop it for the sake of the OP's thread. I am done with you here and I hope its likewise with you. We are both being silly over this point I guess. I just felt the need to defend myself. Its over now.

Again to keep on topic and not make the thread about me and beaver--

For those who wondered why my opinion was less than glowing of the food. It is what it is, I didn't care for it. Its best to explore on ones own as food it the most subjective of all topics. I heartily encourage you to book the show and try it. Go for the show and if you like, then its an even better value. The show was incredibly well done. Please go see it and if you are like me and don't care for the food, there are tons of options after the show.

Gotta love the anonymity of the Internet. Way too many positive posts about the food. Good but not great is very acceptable as a comment. But, this post rates right up there with "putrid and inedible" comments of the past.

 

SMH!

RP offered his personal opinion.

I shall offer mine.

The food option in this location is not something I've raved about in the past (and I've raved about A LOT on Norwegian) . . . and in a few weeks I will not be raving once again. That's because I'm skipping the Illusionarium meal entirely. I will request "Two unsweeteded iced teas right here please", present a gratuity for the understanding of my assigned wait staff, and then enjoy the visual show with zero interruptions of them attempting to add/subtract plates, or me not looking up at a time I should be looking up.

This exact meal has been served to me six previous times (Epic x 5; Breakaway x 1), so I know what to expect. I'll choose to eat elsewhere after the performance, and it will be something I enjoy more. My choice.

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I do want to add that the desert wasn't bad. It was interesting and different. I wouldn't order it off a menu but being what it was, it wasnt bad at all.

Definitely give it a go.

Thank you for replying to my question.