Can we get by w/o specialty restaurants?

[FLAHAM]

I find the food and service very inconsistent in the MDRs. I find the specialty restaurants significantly better.

[cruise pup]

Done NCL 6 times, and have never been to one and never will unless it's given to me.!!

 

I am a Platinum Latitudes memeber and they are given to me and I still don't care for them, even for free. Last cruise (on the NCL Star) I went to the Asian restaurant and walked out. I was going to do Moderno too but decided to do the mdr that evening instead since they featured prime rib and I enjoyed that a lot more.

[Valen9]

You'll be fine without any specialty restaurants. I really like eating in the MDR (there are at least 2), at the buffet (lots of choices and they change some of them every evening), and even occasional room service.

 

For dinner in the MDR, the left side of the menu are dishes they'll have every night. The right side changes completely every day so if you don't order it when you see it, you won't see it again. I don't usually make it to the MDR for breakfast or lunch, so I'm not sure how much they vary.

 

I'm not sure what it's called on Breakaway, but there should be another non-charge restaurant whose menu is the same for the whole cruise. That's another choice, especially if you eat at off times. There is at least one non-charge restaurant open all night. There's rarely an excuse to be hungry on a cruise!

 

I do also enjoy the specialty restaurants but they're definitely an "if you want a special treat" rather than "if you want an enjoyable meal you have to pay extra".

 

Another tip: if you are very hungry (gasp!) or just can't decide, you can order more than one appetizer or dessert, and often more than one main dish. Just ask your server.

[Richpontone]

I have eaten at the MDRs for dinner except for the Italian restaurant for dinner, one night per cruise. Loved being served and it is a bit more intimate especially for family conversations. Ate at the buffet for breakfast and lunch as there are some variety of foods especially pizza and soft ice cream for children. It is a good balance although I would sneak in the dinner buffet--it is the variety of foods you know. Of course, the Blue Lagoon is great for kids--chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks, Mac and cheese, brownie sundaes. I hear Cagneys is great if you are steak lover.

[jmcdon7230]

If NCL is trying to encourage people to use the specialty restaurants by serving poor food in the MDR's (as is frequently suggested on these boards), they are doing a very poor job of it. On our recent Star cruise the MDR's were packed and the specialty restaurants were virtually empty.....especially the Asian, Italian restaurants and Moderno.

[cruise pup]

If NCL is trying to encourage people to use the specialty restaurants by serving poor food in the MDR's (as is frequently suggested on these boards), they are doing a very poor job of it. On our recent Star cruise the MDR's were packed and the specialty restaurants were virtually empty.....especially the Asian, Italian restaurants and Moderno.

 

My last 2 NCL cruises were both on the Star and the mdr food was excellent. Besides the changin menu there was also a regional special every night and some of them were outstanding. I think it was a blackened pork chop one evening that knocked my socks off. And don't get me started on the spaghetti bolognese which is available all of the time at both lunch and dinner. I could live off that alone.

[nosekh]

Booked on Breakaway in Aug. Already a fortune! With a family of 4, are the MDR and buffets just as grandiose and diverse as eating and paying at the specialties?:confused: is it really value added?

 

If you are a family of 4 watching your pennies....then the MDR and the buffets

are more than adequate...have sailed 11 times and have never dined in a

specialty restaurant....

Trust me the food in great in MDR and if you don't like something than the buffet is still there:D:D:D