Food On NCL compared to Carnival

[sonicbuffalo]

I was just wondering if NCL also serves Filet Mignon, lobster, and prime rib in the MDR of their 'complimentary' restaurants like Carnival does? I was just wondering what to expect from the MDR's? Thanks!:)

[kylenyc]

I was just wondering if NCL also serves Filet Mignon, lobster, and prime rib in the MDR of their 'complimentary' restaurants like Carnival does? I was just wondering what to expect from the MDR's? Thanks!:)

The first evening of the cruise is traditionally "lobster night" and the only night they serve lobster in the main dining room. This is usually half a spiny lobster tail and salmon. Tip: You can ask for an extra half tail. They don't have whole filets but I vaguely remember having seen tenderloin "medallions". They serve a nice ribeye and prime rib but not every night.

 

In the MDR there is a fixed part of the menu and then there are some dishes that change each night. The menu is posted in the afternoon in front of each main dining room. I like to look at it in the afternoon and then decide if any of the dishes appeals, and if not then go to one of the specialty restaurants. Le Bistro(French) and Cagneys(Steakhouse) are favorites.

 

As far as what to expect -- Norwegian doesn't have traditional dining times. Drawback is there can be a slight wait to get into the dining room during peak time (you get a beeper). Benefit is all dishes are made to order and you get the flexibility of eating what you want, when you want, where you want, with who you want. If you like to socialize, then you'll be seated faster if you ask to share a table. It's fun sharing tables and meeting new people.

[sonicbuffalo]

I agree with you.....we always meet interesting and very nice couples when we share a table. We do enjoy the socialization aspects of dining. I think I will like freestyle dining...althouh we've always had early dining so that we have the same waitstaff, that learns our likes and dislikes, and we can get to the early shows.

[sparks1093]

We found the food choices and quality on the two lines to be very similar. Of course a true comparision would require a sailing on one followed immediately by a sailing on the other, which I would gladly volunteer for if someone picks up the tab:D.

[hartsnvt]

I agree with you.....we always meet interesting and very nice couples when we share a table. We do enjoy the socialization aspects of dining. I think I will like freestyle dining...althouh we've always had early dining so that we have the same waitstaff, that learns our likes and dislikes, and we can get to the early shows.

Once you dine in an MDR and find you really enjoy your waitstaff you can return to the same MDR and ask for their station so you can get the same waiter every evening if you prefer.

[Family Travel Story]

I find that in general the food in the main dining rooms on NCL is not as good as Carnival. However, the specialties restaurants, specifically Cagney’s and Le Bistro are much better then the limited one steakhouse on Carnival ships. I also think that NCL does serve such a higher quality of food and have very nice atmospheres in their specialty restaurants (Mama Mia's outdoor dining on the aft of the ship for example), that many people opt out of the main dining room for a small up-charge.

The way I look at it, when I price a cruise, I always presume to add an extra $105- $130 a person to the fee, knowing I will only eat once or twice at best in the MDR. With that said, NCL's prices are petty low and it is well worth the little extra for the superior dining experience.

[ETski]

Have just recently cruised a Royal ship and a Carnival ship. I will be doing the Gem in less then 2 weeks. I will say that I always wondered why our Royal cruises where more expensive then both Carnival and NCL. I think it just may be the quality and cuts of meat are a little better on Royal. But I never have had a problem with the food on NCL or Carnival. Not 5 star dinning, but generally tasty. As another poster said the speciality resturants are a higher quality of food. So I do factor in some $$$ for the speciality resturants for a couple of nights. I will say that on a few NCL cruises we never went to a specialtiy resturant. We dinned most nights in the smaller of the two "free" resturants and enjoyed every meal. But I think this changes from ship to ship, year to year. Remember when NCL had the same menu everyday, with no changes or additional items?

[Izzybeff]

I've cruised on Carnival & NCL in the past year. As far as food, I think in the main dining room NCL tries to make their food a little fancy and in doing so, loses some of the flavor. Carnival tends to serve not as much fancy food so people seem to think its plain. I'm not a huge cook, so any meal that is made for me is good.

 

Carnival's desserts hands down beat NCL's every time. From the dining room to the coffee bar. No question. However, that's bad in a way because on Carnival I just can't stay away from the desserts and on NCL, aside from their chocolate filled croissants at breakfast, I don't have a problem just having a little bit and leaving it alone.

 

I like both cruises, but just feel NCL's draws just a little better class of people and I think the staff is more willing to please. But then again I think that depends on the time of the year you sail. Basically I wouldn't turn down a cruise on either. I do prefer NCL's version of anytime dining to Carnivals though. They just seem to have perfected it.

[jdvmd]

Once you dine in an MDR and find you really enjoy your waitstaff you can return to the same MDR and ask for their station so you can get the same waiter every evening if you prefer.

 

Exactly! We have done this numerous times!

 

Find the food to be much better on NCL than on Carnival.

[Lisa86]

Do NCL offer a 'lighter' option for courses like RCCL etc. do?

Last year on RCCL there was an option for gluten and lactose free--is this something that is available on NCL?

Hoping to go on the Jade this year and my sister is on a lactose-free diet so just wonering how accomodating they are for dietary needs!

Thanks!:D

[jdvmd]

Do NCL offer a 'lighter' option for courses like RCCL etc. do?

Last year on RCCL there was an option for gluten and lactose free--is this something that is available on NCL?

Hoping to go on the Jade this year and my sister is on a lactose-free diet so just wonering how accomodating they are for dietary needs!

Thanks!:D

 

Yes, they do.

 

NCL offers gluten free, sugar free, salt free, vegetarian, Kosher and low cholesterol, low fat meals. This can be requested at time of booking.

[chill6x6]

Overall....I'd say Norwegians food is slightly better than Carnivals. NCL evening dining room food is superior. REAL steak(NY strip I'm thinking!) is available every day. And it's GREAT! Carnival wins with desserts for the most part. Breakfast dining room experience is about equal...both good tho NCL may be slightly faster service tho I know this varies. Norwegians grill by the pool is GREAT! CCL buffet probably a little better. The MDR is not going to be an issue for the Carnival cruiser coming to Norwegian.

 

ALSO....In my case there were two main dining rooms. One is a little dressier than the other. We ate in both and both were GREAT! Dress up, dress down, YOU decide where to eat!

 

As far as the "alternative" dining options. They are there if you want them. Carnival for the most part is limited to "the steak house" as their only alternative dining option. You will have MANY on NCL ships. We only ate in Teppanyaki once(it was GREAT!).... Only because we wanted some hibachi Japanese food! Every other time...ate in what is included.

 

If you're used to CCL you'll have no real food issues IMO. It takes a LITTLE to get into the swing of things but I'm sure it will be a non issue for you. It was way easier for use to go from CCL to NCL than from CCL/NCL to PCL.

[cowtowngals]

We eat ***** the MDR a majority of nights but also put aside a couple of evenings for specialty dining. We always to Cagneys where they have some great steak meals and that's saying something when we live in an area know for it's Alberta beef! We are also dining in Moderno (The Brazilian BBQ) again this cruise. We tried it for the first time last year on The Jade and loved it. Be prepared to be very very full after that meal as they will bring you all the meat you can eat! The grilled pineapple is to die for!

[kylenyc]

Carnival's desserts hands down beat NCL's every time. From the dining room to the coffee bar. No question. However, that's bad in a way because on Carnival I just can't stay away from the desserts and on NCL, aside from their chocolate filled croissants at breakfast, I don't have a problem just having a little bit and leaving it alone.

LOL. Yes I'd characterize NCL desserts as "Delicious", Carnival desserts as "I've got to have that again tomorrow", and Princess as "OMG I can't stop." I'm torn on whether I actually want NCL to have richer desserts. It just means more on laps on the walking deck. :p NCL can use some improvement on the coffee bar too.

[Tatka]

I found buffet food on Carnival to be overfried and oversalted. NCL's food while not a gourmet either was better quality. I wish they offer more seafood dishes. Meat is definitely better quality on NCL ships.

 

I cannot say NCL's desserts were great, but we loved fondue!

[SteveH2508]

We eat ***** the MDR a majority of nights but also put aside a couple of evenings for specialty dining. We always to Cagneys where they have some great steak meals and that's saying something when we live in an area know for it's Alberta beef! We are also dining in Moderno (The Brazilian BBQ) again this cruise. We tried it for the first time last year on The Jade and loved it. Be prepared to be very very full after that meal as they will bring you all the meat you can eat! The grilled pineapple is to die for!

 

We had the Modernos on the Jade over Christmas. Some of the meat was lovely but most of it was vastly over-salted - so much so that we could not eat it (lamb chops especially). I hope our complaint was relayed back up the chain for next time. The rest of the food was excellent BTW.

 

Le Bistro jazz brunch is a must-do.

[hockeygirl14]

We have been on NCL and Carnival and found the food varied by meal. Breakfast went to NCL overall because of the selection in the buffet and the set up overall. Lunch was a tie between the 2 lines, and dinner in the MDR also split - selection went to carnival, quality to NCL. We eat at a couple upcharge restaurants over our vacation, and on our upcoming cruise we have Teppanyaki, Moderno and La Cuicina booked so far. Its really a matter of personal taste I suppose - being someone who eats mostly chicken, no seafood or steak, I find the options on either line kind of repetitive, but still tasty :)

[sonicbuffalo]

I'm a learnin'! Keep posting....things sound very positive so far!

[jonbgd]

in the past 14months Ive done 2 Carnival, 2RCCL and 2 NCl cruise

and thats including a B2B NCL/CCL around Thanksgiving

 

Carnival had the best MDR food on avg NCL had the worst and RCCL was in the middle

 

NCL Epic was the best buffet food and POA was the worst Ive ever had on a cruise ship. RCCL was in the middle and Carnival was just a little better than POA

 

Best Pizza Carnival followed by NCL than RCCL but also depends on how may drinks I had or how late at night im eating it:o

 

MDR deserts Carnival

Buffet deserts NCL

RCCl deserts are not that good anywhere

 

Room service Bfast on the Epic is the best we have ever had as we would write in whatever we wanted like Salmon Benedict with sauce on the side or an omelet and no problem. Than Carnival because we can get Lox and Bagels and cant on RCCL

[PCHENG]

I sailed with both Carnival (Spirit) and NCL (Dawn) in 2012, and as far as MDR food is concerned, I will have to give the edge to Carnival.

 

NCL employs better ingredients than Carnival (it has Ribeye and NY strip in its everyday menu as opposed to flat iron on Carnival). Carnival dishes, however, has more flavor. This is especially true of the fish and seafood dishes. While Carnival's fish dishes are moist and flavorful, NCL's tend to be dry, tough and overcooked.

 

Another problem with NCL MDR food is that its lunch menu is limited and doesn't change throughout the cruise like Carnival does. (I can't confirm this personally as I stayed in a suite and only dine at Cagneys for lunch. I asked Virginia our concierge if the MDR has rotating menus, and she advised me that it does not)

 

Service wise I would call it a draw. Waiters are attentive and courteous on both lines. NCL dishes usually arrive hot, while Carnival dishes tend to be luke warm. It takes longer, however, to finish a meal with NCL than with Carnival because the dishes are not served as quickly.

 

NCl definitely has more elegant dining venues than Carnival. The dancing waiters and the Joe Farcus dining rooms are inline with Carnival's "fun ship" theme, but does make the dining experience feel less classy.

[Tatka]

In our experience Carnival's food was dry and overcooked.

 

Btw try lamb from everyday menu on NCL. It is nice and moist.

[luddite]

Before we can assist you with a food query, we need some info about your desieres and tastes.

[lisakoivu]

I have two CCL and two NCL cruises, so by no means an expert. Sailing the Jewel in March.

 

IMO, Carnival suffers from "form over function". You go to the dining room, you have a specific time to eat, you get to have a waiter fawn over you, everything is presented in a very pretty way, but the taste of the food and the type of food on offer is very average. I know this sounds crazy, but we felt we "wasted" time eating - it was such a performance, and we just wanted to "fill our tanks" as it were, and get on our way. I know that some people like to cruise to meet folks at dinner, and I respect those people, but that's not why we cruise, so for us, it was just a big production, getting dressed, etc., for average food. We were traveling with our 17 and 12 year old and they were TRULY not impressed, much preferred NCL.

 

NCL food also average. For sure. BUT you get to pick when you eat it and how you dress to eat it. Also, I found NCL to have more international options - I can get stir fry, pasta or curry, which my 17 year old and I really liked - basically, it's cool to eat stuff you wouldn't cook at home, even if it is "average".

 

On our two NCL cruises, we NEVER paid for food at the specialty restaurants. Shocking, I know. But we found plenty to eat at the Garden Cafe and the Blue Lagoon. That being said, both cruises were either 4 or 5 days. This time, we're at 7 days, in a suite, so will eat at Cagney's for sure, and probably will try a few specialty restaurants. But from my limited experience, I would say there is no major differences between the free food on each line. The major difference is, do you want to be seated at dinner and meet folks and be made a fuss over by a waiter (so do Carnival) or do you see food and fuel and just want to eat whenever so you can get on to other activities (so do NCL).

 

It's really a question of figuring out what you want.

 

My DH is VERY clear. After our last foray onto Carnival (which we chose for price and ports) he refuses to do ANY line but NCL ever. He wants to eat when he's hungry. He wants guaranteed french fries. Period. So we're doing the Jewel, even though the ports are kind of boring. I've promised my son and nephew a "graduation" Breakaway cruise next year. They just want to run through the buffet and get on to other things.

 

I don't know if this is helpful, but I hope so....

[Love my butler]

 

My DH is VERY clear. After our last foray onto Carnival (which we chose for price and ports) he refuses to do ANY line but NCL ever. He wants to eat when he's hungry. He wants guaranteed french fries. Period.

 

Since you are in a suite and your husband loves fries, if he gets a craving for them anytime at lunch or beyond, have your butler deliver some Cagney's fries to your room. You can even get them during the evening WITHOUT paying the surcharge. Your butler will be happy to get them for you.

[Sizzlechest]

I tried both Carnival and NCL, and I found the food on NCL to be significantly better. The specialty dining options takes it up a notch further. NCL has more variety, IMHO. The food by the pool is awesome, too. My wife and I found ourselves going there to get onion rings, burgers, and sausages for lunch rather than what was offered in the buffet.

 

The only thing I miss from Carnival was the Mongolian station. Carnival has a station where you pick your own ingredients and sauces and a chef cooks it for you to order. NCL doesn't have that. NCL has some guy making Asian food in the buffet, but it's not made to order. He's just making the stuff that goes in the tray in front of everyone rather in the kitchen. It's silly.