Booking Shows/Dining Questions

[crackycruiser]

I have booked the Epic (balcony spa suite) for the end of February. This is my first NCL cruise and I am very exicited. When will I be able to book the shows? Regarding the Freestyle MDR, are there certain hours that it is open, say 6-10 for dinner? How about breakfast and lunch? What about the buffet? Are there certain hours? Do we book the speciality dinning beforehand or wait until we get on the ship? l see that people tip in the speciality restaurants and was wondering what is the norm for that. My husband is a big eater (he's thin) and likes to get two dinners!! Is that doable at the MDR? Thank you.

[jlacy1987]

[quote name='crackycruiser']I have booked the Epic (balcony spa suite) for the end of February. This is my first NCL cruise and I am very exicited. When will I be able to book the shows? Regarding the Freestyle MDR, are there certain hours that it is open, say 6-10 for dinner? How about breakfast and lunch? What about the buffet? Are there certain hours? Do we book the speciality dinning beforehand or wait until we get on the ship? l see that people tip in the speciality restaurants and was wondering what is the norm for that. My husband is a big eater (he's thin) and likes to get two dinners!! Is that doable at the MDR? Thank you.[/QUOTE]

Unless it's change since my last cruise (in 2011), you don't have to book shows. You can just show up.

As far as dining goes. Breakfast is usually from 6:30 or 7:30-9:30 and Lunch is typically from 12-1:30 or 2. Dinner is usually from 5:30-9:30. The buffet has the same hours, if I remember correctly. There is usually at least one 24 hour place on the ship, so don't worry about going hungry.

Yes you can get two dinner at the MDR.

[MeHeartCruising]

[quote name='crackycruiser']I have booked the Epic (balcony spa suite) for the end of February. This is my first NCL cruise and I am very exicited. When will I be able to book the shows? Regarding the Freestyle MDR, are there certain hours that it is open, say 6-10 for dinner? How about breakfast and lunch? What about the buffet? Are there certain hours? Do we book the speciality dinning beforehand or wait until we get on the ship? l see that people tip in the speciality restaurants and was wondering what is the norm for that. My husband is a big eater (he's thin) and likes to get two dinners!! Is that doable at the MDR? Thank you.[/QUOTE]

Shows that can be reserved ahead of time on the Epic will be available online 45 days prior to your sailing. All dining venues are open during posted hours. You can find the hours in the daily paper what will be delivered to your room each evening, but it is pretty much the hours you would expect. Specialty dining CAN be pre-booked at the 45 day point as well, but it's generally not necessary unless you really want to guarantee yourself a specific spot on a specific night. You can almost always walk up to a specialty restaurant and be seated, in my experience. However, I suppose during peak dining hours there might be a short wait. One likely exception is Teppanyaki since it has very limited seating. Some people will tip a little extra in the specialty restaurants however it is by no means expected of you. Do not feel you need to unless it is your preference to do so. Personally, I do not unless I'm particularly pleased with my experience.