NCL dining venues

[nb125]

We have just completed our very first cruise on RCI and the only disappointment we had were the dining venues. We found the MDR to be too much of a long drawn out pretentious procedure, especially after a day in port, and wanted to eat in the buffet for dinner. Unfortunately so did everyone else apparently and it was a nightmare trying to find a free table. We are thinking of trying NCL next and wonder would we have the same experience.

[DMH15]

That's pretty much all the lines in a nutshell. Sorry.

 

If you book a fill suite in NCL you have more options, but at a price.

 

 

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[Travel R]

We have just completed our very first cruise on RCI and the only disappointment we had were the dining venues. We found the MDR to be too much of a long drawn out pretentious procedure, especially after a day in port, and wanted to eat in the buffet for dinner. Unfortunately so did everyone else apparently and it was a nightmare trying to find a free table. We are thinking of trying NCL next and wonder would we have the same experience.

 

And there are those of us that like a nice relaxed meal. Being on the Legend this past summer - the WJ is just too small to handle the # of people (note: the MDR was filled each night).

[cruise4kicks]

I beg to differ. Our experience in the MDRs on NCL are that dinner is usually done in an hour or less, YMMV as sometimes the service can be slow, but I've never found it to be pretentious.

 

Never a problem finding a table in the buffet at dinner time, but lunch and breakfast are definitely a different story.

 

I'm not sure what the previous poster meant by having more options if you book a full suite??? The only additional option I'm aware of would be full dinner service in your suite.

[punkincc]

Timing is everything, and we seldom eat in the buffet for dinner, but when we do, it is generally less crowded than the MDRs.

 

The MDRs can be a long drawn out process on NCL as well, but at least you are not waiting for your table mates to finish before the next course can be served. And, the dress can be as casual as you like, as long as the pants are long for the men:). Just let the server know is you are in a hurry.

 

NCL does offer many dining venues, many of them free, as well as several for fee venues, so people have lots of places to spread out for dinner. If your budget allows, I would encourage you to add $150 total for two and try 3 or so of the specialty venues. You can make reservations for these if you like or just show up. Dress is casual in all, only long pants required in one, but they can be jeans. It would really enhance your cruise, IMO.

 

Just a note on the MDRs, there are 2 on every ship, one larger and more formal, but jeans OK. The other is smaller and more intimate, shorts OK. Also a 24 hour venue.

[realtorlady42]

We rarely eat at the buffet when we cruise because we like the relaxed pace (generally) of the MDRs

Having said that On NCL there are lots of options besides those two.

Every/most ships have a pub that is often not very busy and open 24hrs they serve breakfast lunch and dinner as well as any in between you need. On port days we will often head there for a quick, cooked to order breakfast.

 

There is also on most ships if not all a grill. which also serves quick typically cooked to order or just cooked food. and often not overly crowded especially at supper time

 

Some of the ships have a garden cafe...which will have several selections set up buffet style. usually things that are different than in the buffet. It is a great spot to get breakfast or a quick supper.

 

Room service is free and if you call as soon as you get back from your excursion by the time every one showers etc it will be there.

 

We travel a couple of different lines and like them for different reasons. The variety of places and choices for food on NCL is one of their strengths.

 

Go into the website and look at a couple of their ships and see all the dining options there is something for everyone..both in taste and in time served.

[nb125]

Thanks for the responses. Has anyone cruised with both lines and if so could you tell me what are the major differences in the overall experience if any.

[cruise4kicks]

Thanks for the responses. Has anyone cruised with both lines and if so could you tell me what are the major differences in the overall experience if any.

Our first RCI cruise was in July. We had "My Time" dining (or whatever it is they call it :p). Since we didn't have to share a table with 5 other people, our food service moved along nicely. We also didn't have to worry about getting cleaned up and dressed in time for a set time dinner.

 

My estimation would be that "My Time" dining on RCI is not all that different in service style and speed from NCL's Freestyle.

[skyfire53]

NCL also has electronic boards all over the ship and on some of the ships, on the tv as well where you can check and see how busy any of venues are at a given time. I have never had to wait for dinner, but from what I have read on here, a lot of the time they give you a buzzer box and tell you that you can wait in a bar and some even will comp a drink while you wait...never have done that myself, but have read about it on CC...not sure if thats for the main DR or just the pay venues

[hamrag]

Thanks for the responses. Has anyone cruised with both lines and if so could you tell me what are the major differences in the overall experience if any.

 

We have cruised on six occasions on each line, and the differences have been fairly consistent across these twelve cruises. We have no real preference, and our main criteria for cruises is itinery.

 

RCI offer my time dining, so the speed of service is quicker than the fixed dining room times. That means that service speeds are similar across both lines, if you choose MTD, but our experience is that RCI service is better.

 

NCL do not have any formal nights, and some cruisers prefer that whilst others enjoy two formal nights on a one week cruise. We have no preference.

 

In our experience the food served in MDR is of a higher quality on RCI, whilst we find the opposite is the case for buffet food where NCL win narrowly.

 

My advice would be to try NCL, and judge the whole cruising experience across both cruiselines for yourself, as you will receive conflicting opinions. You should be able to identify the cheerleaders from both cruiselines, who often offer a biased opinion. ;)

[skyfire53]

Timing is everything, and we seldom eat in the buffet for dinner, but when we do, it is generally less crowded than the MDRs.

 

The MDRs can be a long drawn out process on NCL as well, but at least you are not waiting for your table mates to finish before the next course can be served. And, the dress can be as casual as you like, as long as the pants are long for the men:). Just let the server know is you are in a hurry.

 

NCL does offer many dining venues, many of them free, as well as several for fee venues, so people have lots of places to spread out for dinner. If your budget allows, I would encourage you to add $150 total for two and try 3 or so of the specialty venues. You can make reservations for these if you like or just show up. Dress is casual in all, only long pants required in one, but they can be jeans. It would really enhance your cruise, IMO.

 

Just a note on the MDRs, there are 2 on every ship, one larger and more formal, but jeans OK. The other is smaller and more intimate, shorts OK. Also a 24 hour venue.

 

Hey, Brenda, are we getting excited yet?...DD and I CAN'T wait!!!!!!! :D

[travel dog]

We had been on NCL several times but recently to an RCI cruise because of itinerary. We are now returning to NCL ... primarily because of the dining choices. On RCI we wound up eating at the buffet all but two nights because, as you say, the MDR dining was just too 'ponderous' --slow and a bit too formal for us. This was true whether we had a table just to ourselves or with others (which was interesting but even slower). However the buffet became old (it was a 16 day cruise, most sea days) and there weren't really other options except one grill (open strange hours and very limited food) and the 2 pay restaurants.

 

On NCL (Dawn, Pearl, Sun) the two dining rooms are different and if you go at something other than the 'prime time' for a meal there is hardly ever a wait. Then, in addition to the buffet, there is the 24-hour 'comfort food' cafe (which we loved!), food in the pub at some times, the and there WERE free alternative restaurants also -- Salsa and the Asian one, which was particularly good. Now, I gather, you have to pay for any of the alternatives -- but at least there are more of them, not just steakhouse and Italian.

 

In many ways I enjoyed RCI a bit more (less loud music, more quiet spots) but the dining experience is a big part of cruising and we all, without even discussing it much, started looking at NCL for our next cruise. When we did talk about why, it turned out we were all rather spoiled with the greater dining choices on NCL.

[cruise4kicks]

NCL do not have any formal nights, and some cruisers prefer that whilst others enjoy two formal nights on a one week cruise. We have no preference.

Just a clarification ~required~ formal nights. What they do offer is "Dress Up or Not" Night, the number varies depending on the length of your cruise. Many people choose to dress up... or not! :cool: Your Freestyle choice.

[hamrag]

Just a clarification ~required~ formal nights. What they do offer is "Dress Up or Not" Night, the number varies depending on the length of your cruise. Many people choose to dress up... or not! :cool: Your Freestyle choice.

 

Indeed, that is absolutely the case, but no more than 1% of passengers dress formally. Many will dress to a greater extent on these nights, but not truly formal in our experience.

[nb125]

We had been on NCL several times but recently to an RCI cruise because of itinerary. We are now returning to NCL ... primarily because of the dining choices. On RCI we wound up eating at the buffet all but two nights because, as you say, the MDR dining was just too 'ponderous' --slow and a bit too formal for us. This was true whether we had a table just to ourselves or with others (which was interesting but even slower). However the buffet became old (it was a 16 day cruise, most sea days) and there weren't really other options except one grill (open strange hours and very limited food) and the 2 pay restaurants.

 

On NCL (Dawn, Pearl, Sun) the two dining rooms are different and if you go at something other than the 'prime time' for a meal there is hardly ever a wait. Then, in addition to the buffet, there is the 24-hour 'comfort food' cafe (which we loved!), food in the pub at some times, the and there WERE free alternative restaurants also -- Salsa and the Asian one, which was particularly good. Now, I gather, you have to pay for any of the alternatives -- but at least there are more of them, not just steakhouse and Italian.

 

In many ways I enjoyed RCI a bit more (less loud music, more quiet spots) but the dining experience is a big part of cruising and we all, without even discussing it much, started looking at NCL for our next cruise. When we did talk about why, it turned out we were all rather spoiled with the greater dining choices on NCL.

 

Thanks for this, it's just what I was hoping to hear.

 

With regard to outside space I know this can vary between ships just as much as between lines. For us this is an important part of cruising and wonder if anyone can say which ships are better for this.

[opalinem]

We had been on NCL several times but recently to an RCI cruise because of itinerary. We are now returning to NCL ... primarily because of the dining choices. On RCI we wound up eating at the buffet all but two nights because, as you say, the MDR dining was just too 'ponderous' --slow and a bit too formal for us. This was true whether we had a table just to ourselves or with others (which was interesting but even slower). However the buffet became old (it was a 16 day cruise, most sea days) and there weren't really other options except one grill (open strange hours and very limited food) and the 2 pay restaurants.

 

.

 

 

Funny, I had exactly the same experience as you and the same reaction. I don't mind breakfast and lunch in buffet but I want dinner to be more special without being ultra formal and taking forever (+ having to sustain small talk with strangers whose company I haven't chosen and with whom I don't necessarily feel like socializing when table sharing is involved) And no, I don't want to pay extra when plenty of free food is available . NCL is the only line (that I have tried) that provides the constraint free, sophisticated yet casual dining experience that I enjoy. I like that you can pick your time, venue, table and dinner companions every night and nothing is "assigned" or "fixed". A few minutes wait to be seated is a small price to pay for that flexibility. As for the service once seated, it can be more or less fast but nothing different from what would happen if you ate out in town and I would say so far in my case, rather faster than slower and waiters are usually super nice. (without overdoing it, which can be the case when the wait staff is assigned and hunting for tips).

[wvfrogg]

Thanks for this, it's just what I was hoping to hear.

 

With regard to outside space I know this can vary between ships just as much as between lines. For us this is an important part of cruising and wonder if anyone can say which ships are better for this.

 

 

This is one of the reasons I like the Jewel series - esp. the Pearl. They have "The Great Outdoors" which is at the adjacent to the buffet. I almost always have my breakfast and lunch there after choosing my food from the buffet. I can watch the ocean, relax in the sun and know that I am on vacation! I think there may be a couple of other ships that also have the Great Outdoors.

[Cloudyrain]

I have only ever been on one cruise and that was a very full Epic. However, I never once found it slow or pretentious. We are not foodies or bothered about formalities, and I am so picky that I just eat because I have to not for pleasure; apart from pudding, that's different :D

 

We ate in the MDRs every night and tried to time it so it was at its busiest so we got a pager and a free glass of cava each for waiting, but that was only because I didn't have the drinks package and like Cava so for me it was worth a few dollars :D

 

If you go later in the service there isn't a wait and because they want to clear you out they were super fast.

[luddite]

There is a difference between dining and gittin' fed.

That's why there are different venues.

[GORDONCHICK]

Indeed, that is absolutely the case, but no more than 1% of passengers dress formally. Many will dress to a greater extent on these nights, but not truly formal in our experience.

 

I didn't find RCCL truly formal either. It's cruise line formal - which is quite a bit more relaxed than true formal.

[emcelh]

This is one of the reasons I like the Jewel series - esp. the Pearl. They have "The Great Outdoors" which is at the adjacent to the buffet. I almost always have my breakfast and lunch there after choosing my food from the buffet. I can watch the ocean, relax in the sun and know that I am on vacation! I think there may be a couple of other ships that also have the Great Outdoors.

 

All of the Jewel Class ships, Pearl, Jade, Jewel and Gem have the Great Outdoors. I agree, it's a great spot. As long as the weather permits, there's a smaller buffet there too so you don't have to carry your food from inside.

[uncleboo]

HI JUST GOT OFF BREAKAWAY

TERRIBLE SHIP IN ALL AREAS

FOOD SERVICE ENTERTAINMENT

 

i do not recommend ship to anyone NCL has went downhill tremendously from the past.

 

the dining experience was slow and long.

It took 2 people 2 hours for a dinner

service was slow food was cold

 

PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM NCL

[ColinIllinois]

HI JUST GOT OFF BREAKAWAY

TERRIBLE SHIP IN ALL AREAS

FOOD SERVICE ENTERTAINMENT

 

i do not recommend ship to anyone NCL has went downhill tremendously from the past.

 

the dining experience was slow and long.

It took 2 people 2 hours for a dinner

service was slow food was cold

 

PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM NCL

 

 

 

 

[legion3]

Dinner should take 2 hours.

 

We eat to fast these days and completely dismiss the social aspect of dining.

 

Food should not be cold however, unless of course its designed to be a cold dish.

 

And service should not be slow...but timely so that you savor the course and meal in the proper.

 

Its terrible what we have lossed in eating and unfortunate what we have gained. Bigger waist lines.

[Demonyte]

PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM NCL

 

Nope. But if you find NCL so terrible, it's best for all that you will. Thanks for your opinion. :)