cruiser2015

Not too important, but to be specific, NCL"s menus have a set grouping of mains on the left side, available every night. Above those, though is the appetizers & salads for that day's rotation, with the daily mains & desserts on the right side. NCL does have the lobster in some specialty restaurants. I believe it's a $25 bump. It seems that outside of the specialty restaurant package that NCL has been giving away for a few years now, their specialty spots no longer charge a flat rate (say, $25 or $50), but have all ala carte prices. If you were to order several course, the tab would get very steep, even without lobster. I do not know how many items (categories) they allow with the package. When it was a flat rate, you could order one of everything (appetizer, soup, salad, main & dessert). May the formal nights RIP. Amen, brother. I was a business suit guy for over 40 years; plus, 6 years in the Army Reserves. When I was a young lad, I though it was cool to "dress" for dinner (my first cruise was in 1975 on Costa). Those days have long ago passed!

That's an interesting insight to their methods. We're not the most frequent cruisers, but have been sailing for decades. So, my experiences may not reflect the current methodology. That said, there used to be 1-2 "formal nights", depending on cruise length. There was a "Captain's Dinner" on the formal night; it usually highlighted their best cuisine - lobster tails. Therefore, that meal could not be in some standard rotation - it wouldn't sync. So, you'd see a rotation of 7 days, 9 days, whatever. ggTexasGal, in this thread, said that NCL doesn't have those nights (any longer). That would free up their menu options. My last time on NCL was on Pride of America in Hawaii, about 9 years ago. Still had the tails back then, and, I believe, a 7 day rotation. Our last cruise was on RCCL about 4 years ago. 9 days out of NJ. Had the fancy/lobster tail night. They sailed alternate 9 day and 5 day itineraries. Rinse, repeat. I would expect them to have 2 separate menus groups, one for each sailing. As for now on NCL, pure speculation by me, 21 days is too much variation (except on very long sailings). I would expect a set group of menus, cruise specific, and they stick to them, again and again. Unless we get another poster here who knows more, I'll find out when we sail - because I'll ask them onboard - just for fun. So, Pete, you're on the 1/12 sail? What part of Canada are you from?

As it happens, we just booked the LA departure on January 12. I agree with your first sentence. My theory is that that will repeat that 15 sequence in the same order, over and over again, on a 15 day itinerary. My experiences with NCL and RCCL show this to be the patterns that they use. No guarantees, of course, but its a starting point - as opposed to having zero basis. It can't be any worse then randomly guessing, if it turns out to be incorrect. Thanks for your input.

Over 4600 miles in 19 days. My daughter moved to just outside Austin 3 years ago as of last week. I made the drive with her, her husband and their dog over 4 days, then flew back a few days later. We've visited by air last year. Decided to go on an adventure. Did some sightseeing in Tennessee on the way down; visited for a few hours with an old friend of my wife's just west of Dallas; then hit Austin for a few days. On the return, we drove through Houston headed for a stop in New Orleans and then some national parks in TN, NC & VA, Finally, a quick visit the last day with our oldest near Philadelphia. WHEW! We don't expect to try it again. Flying sucks, but makes it a bit easier.

I get that. But I figure that, outside of periodic changes, they repeat the same menus and sequences for an extended period of time. I like to try and find out this information on any cruise for one goal - to find the nights with my least favorite meal options so that I can book my specialty venues those nights.

Thanks, TexasGal. It's been a while since I sailed with NCL. Last cruise, a few yours ago, was with RCCL, and they still had the tails on one night. We drove to Texas and back in April to visit kids. What part of the state are you in?

Would anyone happen to have copies of the main dining dinner menus for the 15 day Panama Canal itinerary? Someone posted an extensive review of their cruise, but only hit 8 of the 15 nights. Also, is there still a captains dinner? Are they still doing lobster tails (on that or any other evening)? Any enlightenment welcome!

Thanks, Bruce & Bill, for your wise comments. In any case, we bit the bullet and booked January. Partially, trying to "buy" the better weather chances. Also, the 11/19 cruises over Thanksgiving, which we host for our family every year; nad, as stated, the 12/19 is westbound.

Greetings, CC world. I've been looking at a full transit cruise for January 2024. My DW is always concerned about winter travel (to and from ports) because of potential weather issues. Seeking alternatives, the same itinerary has a 11/19/23 departure eastbound (my preference) and a similar westbound on 12/19/23. Is the weather likely to be much worse than in January? Also, I noticed that these other two departures are both substantially less expensive than January - makes one wonder why.