Paying for Extra & Specialty Dining

[SteveH2508]

Pot pies and meatloaf are on at least O'Sheehan's menu (the 24/7 comfort/pub food place on newer ships) - not on any MDR menus.

 

OK - fair point - but not offered in the MDR like some cruise lines. O'Sheehans is unashamedly comfort food - you know what you are getting. LMB is trying to imply (and failing) that MDR food is meatloaf/burgers etc. which is plainly wrong.

[hladygirl]

We were on the dawn last month for two weeks. This is the first time we booked speciality restaurants for 6 nights. Usually we do 1 or 2. This trip the main dining rooms didn't have as good choices as before. We also couldn't resist the filet mignon in cagneys or the beef tenderloin in lebistro. They were excellent. Really liked the loaded baked potato soup in cagneys. The desserts were also wonderful. We could have eaten for free in mdr but figured what the heck, we are on vacation.

[SteveH2508]

Couldn't agree more.

 

 

Our (American's) culture has become "high speed" when it comes to meals. Everywhere you go...Fast Food. And we don't even want to get out of our car for that! Hurry, Hurry, Hurry. Even Dominos is 30 minutes or less. We are all used to pay restaurants that depend on turn-around (get you in, get you fed, and get you out) to get to the next customer. Great Grandma cooked over a hot stove for hours....we get impatient waiting for the microwave! :eek:

 

We forget that cruise ships are more relaxed...they don't make money by speeding you thru the meal. If you want to eat quickly...say something, and plan accordingly. Sometimes I think that is the reason people love buffets...the food is ready and you can just grab and go....rush, rush, rush.

 

 

So I always wonder...Is the service REALLY that slow, or is the issue that the guest is impatient and in a hurry?

 

I think you have got to the nub of the issue here. I am a great fan of the 'slow food' movement (not sure whether it has reached the US) but - in a nutshell - it is about treating food and the ingredients with respect. Using less popular (and cheaper) ingredients to produce wholesome and tasty meals is the way to go.

 

Some of the stews/casseroles that can produced with time and care are awesome eating. I do wonder whether some of the public health regulations that cruise lines need to follow mitigates against some of these culinary delights being served?

 

Your original point about food must be available NOW or basically not at all is a great one - it saddens me that so many people see food as a 'stop and fill up and go' option rather than a pleasurable experience to be savoured.

[NH Cruisers]

Sometimes I think that is the reason people love buffets...the food is ready and you can just grab and go....rush, rush, rush.

Yep! I am guilty! That is exactly the reason I like the buffet for breakfast and lunch. Eating at those times is an inconveinience to me. I love eating, but hey I love going to the Captains talk, Meet and Mingles, entering a port, looking for flying fish, relaxing in the hydroplasty pool etc... So much stuff to do and see. I must eat, but I just want it done. I do like to eat good and not be rushed at supper time though. So I like the specialties for that.

[DMH15]

What some call "nickel and diming " I call "ala carte" cruising. This is a good thing.

 

I ask you, what's your favorite restaurant for going out for a meal? Not a fancy special occasion one... Just one you like in your neighborhood? Basically this is the MDR. If you don't want to eat there 7 nights in a row, NCL gives you an option at various prices. I break down the price increase 1/3 each for food, service and ambience.

 

I am a foodie. But I am not a food snob. I cruise in suites so I have Cagney's for breakfast and lunch. I guess I do about 50/50 specialty and MDR/Blue Lagoon. As a suite guest I can have anything, (almost) room service and I love Le Bistro ensuite after a long port day.

 

It's all about choices. And plenty of people have a great cruise sticking to the basics. Others opt to mix it up.

 

 

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[rmandmm]

OK - fair point - but not offered in the MDR like some cruise lines. O'Sheehans is unashamedly comfort food - you know what you are getting. LMB is trying to imply (and failing) that MDR food is meatloaf/burgers etc. which is plainly wrong.

 

 

This whole LMB meatloaf thing is too funny. Because what were some of the options on the CCL ship I was just on?? The MDR proudly served a meatloaf dinner, a fried chicken dinner and a pot pie dinner. I kid you not.

 

To put my two cents in re: specialty restaurants, we did try Teppanyaki, Bamboo, Cagneys, Moderno and La Cucina. They were all really good and we had lots of OBC so it was really no big deal. I'd pay to eat at them all again!

[all4gizmo]

I love the specialty restaurants for a few reasons. Like another poster said, price. A good Brazilian steak house charges way more then the cover charge to Moderno and La Cucina was so good I ate there twice on my last cruise. I don't dine out much at home so vacation is my one time of year that I splurge. I like the term a la carte cruising because I can modify my experience to my wishes. I bought the UBP for my upcoming cruise, again a splurge. Do I need to pay extra for specialty dining, no, but for me it's about the experience of trying new foods or cuisines that I normally wouldn't have at home.

 

I like the buffet at breakfast, great selection of foods..

[mpk218]

If you want traditional 'cruise' food and atmosphere then yes you need to pay to eat in the specialty restaurants. With the included venues now serving chicken pot pie and meat loaf types of food, it is more like having dinner at your local Denny's. Sure it's edible, but it isn't anything special at all.

 

 

Hhahhahahaha , Do you still get $ .20 a post for these ?

 

Meatloaf :p PotPie :p What no Potted Meat ?? No innards and onions??

 

Thanks I needed that .. really ;)

 

Edit : No offense , I enjoy them all mind you !

Edited December 4, 2013 by mpk218

[planet211]

DH and I eat at a minimum of 2 specialty restaurants on a cruise. Usually when we cruise we are celebrating an occasion so we make plans to eat at a specialty restaurant. We always have OBC so we use this for the restaurants and drinks. The specialty restaurants are also priced considerably less than those on land. A Brazilian restaurant that we have frequented would cost us $51.50 per person for dinner. I would rather pay less on a cruise vacation while overlooking the ocean in a dim-lit room enjoying the ambience. I am also one who has ordered room service several nights because once I got back to the room, I didn't feel like going back out. Some days I enjoy the buffet for breakfast, other days I enjoy the MDR. Yes, it comes down to choices/preferences and if you can, I would suggest sampling the specialty dining so that you can form your own opinion.

Edited December 4, 2013 by planet211

[cheaperts]

I love this! :D We may sail the Sky for a quick getaway soon and I see mixed reviews too. I love the insight. I just saw it was popular to dine elsewhere so I was curious why. I wonder if NCL's buffet, MDR food is better than the CCL Imagination we just came from. I ate a lot of bread on that ship. And I am not really a picky eater! So we are looking at trying NCL next.

We love the Sky, perfect quick get away. Always found good food, pay or free. We just think the Sky has a happy vibe, and we love the outdoor portion of the buffett out back, eat breakfast and drink coffee there everyday, and get those late night cookies there too! :rolleyes:

[nlsoftly]

Major foodie here. And the couple we usually travel with are even more - ahem, discriminating...picky - than I am. I have never had a bad meal in MDR. Some of them fell in my 'acceptable' category. Quite a few of them were 'dang, this is really good!'.

 

I do think the specialty restaurants are a lot of fun. When we want something unusual, we enjoy them very much. But, I suspect we tend to post about them just because they are special. For me, I can happily eat the whole cruise in MDR.

[che5904]

What some call "nickel and diming " I call "ala carte" cruising. This is a good thing.

 

I ask you, what's your favorite restaurant for going out for a meal? Not a fancy special occasion one... Just one you like in your neighborhood? Basically this is the MDR. If you don't want to eat there 7 nights in a row, NCL gives you an option at various prices. I break down the price increase 1/3 each for food, service and ambience.

 

It's all about choices. And plenty of people have a great cruise sticking to the basics. Others opt to mix it up.

 

 

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Donna you beat me to it ;)

 

This is exactly how I feel. NCL keeps their base price down, so it allows you option to enhance or add to your cruise experience as you wish.

 

At home we usually go to a couple of average restaurants but like to treat ourselves now and then to something special. The same as on the cruise. We eat in the MDR (I'm personally not a buffet person) and have no issues with the food. But once during our cruise we will treat ourselves to the steakhouse.

[Love my butler]

 

So I always wonder...Is the service REALLY that slow, or is the issue that the guest is impatient and in a hurry?

 

No need to wonder. Take a cruise or two and you will find out it usually IS really that slow.

[che5904]

Couldn't agree more.

 

 

Our (American's) culture has become "high speed" when it comes to meals. Everywhere you go...Fast Food. And we don't even want to get out of our car for that! Hurry, Hurry, Hurry. Even Dominos is 30 minutes or less. We are all used to pay restaurants that depend on turn-around (get you in, get you fed, and get you out) to get to the next customer. Great Grandma cooked over a hot stove for hours....we get impatient waiting for the microwave! :eek:

 

We forget that cruise ships are more relaxed...they don't make money by speeding you thru the meal. If you want to eat quickly...say something, and plan accordingly. Sometimes I think that is the reason people love buffets...the food is ready and you can just grab and go....rush, rush, rush.

 

 

So I always wonder...Is the service REALLY that slow, or is the issue that the guest is impatient and in a hurry?

 

Well I wouldn't go as far as saying "impatient", but I do think you are onto something. I do think it is based on the passenger's expectations.

 

In my case, I am not impatient, I just don't enjoy sitting in a restaurant for long periods of time, I don't think of meals as an experience or whatever words people use when sitting at a dining table for hours. My vacation is very short and I'd rather use that time doing things that I enjoy like sitting on my quiet balcony watching the ocean waves, walking the promenade or taking in a show.

 

Now in saying that, I have not had an issue on past NCL cruises, I find that for the most part the MDR staff have been very good at reading their passengers. The same waiter as we had, allowed another table to dine leisurely while bringing our food out in a timely manner to suit us. On the couple of occasions that this didn't happen, I just ask for less time between courses and the wait staff seemed more than willing to accommodate our wishes. I can't say the same thing about our wait staff on MTD on Carnival, but it certainly didn't taint our wonderful vacation.

[Warm Breezes]

I agree with the above posters. I've never felt obligated to eat at an upcharge restaurant. I personally think the food in the MDR has always been very good, be sure to check the MDRs daily menu. They have one fixed menu and one that has a different selection at each MDR everyday.

 

The only complaint I had about the upcharge restaurants was that NCL got rid of the Tex Mex one's and replaced them with Moderno (Brazilian steakhouse). I really like Moderno and wish NCL was able to keep the Tex Mex place too because it was very good as well.

 

The buffet is well..........a buffet, there's some things I like and some I don't. That's the beauty of having so many choices in one location. It does get crowded at times though.

 

I agree. We tried Moderno for the first time on our 2nd Jewel Cruise and loved it....but my favorite place on our 1st Jewel Cruise was the Mexican Restaurant it replaced. I wish they would have replaced Mama's Italian Restaurant instead. We tried it on our first Jewel cruise and didn't like it. We weren't going to go to it on our second Jewel cruise but we won 2 free dinners there at the Latitudes party....still didn't like it.

[Warm Breezes]

We were on the dawn last month for two weeks. This is the first time we booked speciality restaurants for 6 nights. Usually we do 1 or 2. This trip the main dining rooms didn't have as good choices as before. We also couldn't resist the filet mignon in cagneys or the beef tenderloin in lebistro. They were excellent. Really liked the loaded baked potato soup in cagneys. The desserts were also wonderful. We could have eaten for free in mdr but figured what the heck, we are on vacation.

 

That was my biggest issue with NCL MDR on our last cruise....I had a hard time finding dishes that appealed to me on the menu. The couple that did appeal to me were very good...but there were many nights on our last cruise where I looked at the menu and couldn't find a thing that I wanted to try. DH could always fall back on the steak if nothing else looked good...but I am not a steak eater. Usually the pasta was my fall back when I couldn't find anything but when I tried it on the Jewel it seemed to have a bitter taste to it that I just didn't like. I remembered it being better on the Epic. I don't think I'm that picky of an eater, but I sure did feel like it on that cruise:o.

[Jenjer]

IN my experience NCL does push you toward the specially dinning compared to other lines (RCCL and Disney). They also cost less to begin with.

 

We loved all the specialty choices and eating someplace different every night was fun.

 

 

On our Epic cruise I was a little freaked out because I could not book our meals ahead of time since we have 2 kids. Never, not once, did we have a problem getting in when we wanted to but we eat early maybe 7 pm would have a wait.

 

I never had a bad meal the worst service we received was in the MDR. It wasn't like the staff were slacking they were just over stretched.

 

I have seen more and more specially dinning options pop up on the newer ships. I think it is a trend we will continue to see. Don't want to pay extra you don't have to but I like the option.

[che5904]

IN my experience NCL does push you toward the specially dinning compared to other lines (RCCL and Disney). They also cost less to begin with.

 

 

Since I've only had excellent service in the MDR, no wait (except the night that dummy me went 15 minutes before they opened, because I thought they opened 1/2 hour earlier than they did). Decent choice of food for a very very picky eater, like myself.

 

How exactly do you feel that NCL "pushes" someone toward specialty dining.

[SuiteCruisin14]

I remember the dining of 20 years ago and the food we had. It was great and there was even a midnight buffet every night! I also remember dressing for dinner, having the same time every night and praying for dinner companions we could tolerate, (most were very engaging and fun).

We are on cruise 23, only the last 4 on NCL and there is a reason for that. We like Freestyle, not dressing up for dinner and the a la carte cruising. Who needs a buffet at midnight, anyway. Very happy having the Blue Lagoon if the late night munchies hit and it is open when we are hungry.

Prices are very reasonable and if I want extras like specialty dining I pay for what I want.

We like the buffet for breakfast and lunch, gets us going faster but have done the MDR also when we want to be waited on. Rarely have we not had food that is great.

We went out to the local steak place this past Saturday and paid $76 for dinner with a very few drinks, prices to have specialty dinners on a cruise is a bargain.

We consider the MDR like having dinner at home and the specialty dining a treat, if we feel like a splurge.

 

All in all, cruising is way cheaper than any all inclusive we have taken on land and we get to visit different countries and enjoy international places and people.

 

To each their own, try cruising for yourself, only way to form an opinion.

 

Lynda

[mjkacmom]

On our Epic cruise I was a little freaked out because I could not book our meals ahead of time since we have 2 kids. Never, not once, did we have a problem getting in when we wanted to but we eat early maybe 7 pm would have a wait.

.

 

Why couldn't you book dining? We have 5 kids, and booked restaurants ahead of time. We were charged for all adults, but they refunded the money in the form of OBC after we dined.

[newmexicoNita]

Hey Gang!

I love all the amazing info on here. One trend I keep seeing is many cruisers pay the up charge to eat in the better restaurants. Is this necessary to have good meals on the cruise? Is it just a nice treat to yourself? Is the rest of the food awful where you have to pay to have nice food? Just wondering why so many do so after paying the cruise fare and meals are included? Oh sorry, I know this is getting long....but I had a friend say she did not like NCL because she felt nickle and dimed while sailing them. I personally would like to try NCL but am I a little apprehensive after her input and some of the reviews.

 

first of all I am surprised you would be influenced by what one friend had to say. Food is subjective and so are cruise lines period. Now, if you talk to several friends and they all agree, you would have something to be concerned about.

 

I have to ask, how many cruises and what lines have you tried? What do you expect to get from your cruise? Is dining the most important thing to you or is the overall experience what you are after?

 

We normally, eat a couple of night in specialty dining rooms and love the experience. The rest of the cruise we enjoy the MDRs. No. the good isn't 4 or 5 star, most lines aren't anymore. Has the food gone down hill some in the past 10 years, yes, but there is always something that should suit you at every meal.

 

Did you ask your friend, what she meant by nickel and diming and what her experience has been with other lines? Some people pick up a word, because they see it or hear it other places.

[che5904]

No. the good isn't 4 or 5 star,

 

LOL Nita the "food" isn't either. ;)

 

:D I couldn't resist.

[Walt724]

For new readers to CC or the NCL board please note - I have NEVER seen meatloaf on an NCL menu - LMB trolls round the NCL board spreading doom and gloom - I wonder if LMB has ever sailed on NCL - take LMB's posts with a large pinch of salt (hopefully not in the food).

 

Now where is that ignore facility?

 

Right here...:eek:

[sjbdtz]

No need to wonder. Take a cruise or two and you will find out it usually IS really that slow.

 

 

I've taken 3 cruises in 2013. No complaints about speed.

 

 

 

OP: I tend to eat in the surcharge restaurants simply because I prefer the more intimate venue. I'm not dining with 500 people at a time, but more like 30 - 40. It's a different ambiance.

 

I'd pay the extra, even if the meals were identical to the MDR.

 

 

 

.

[weltek]

 

We looked forward to Moderno for the same reason. We love Brazilian steakhouses but restrain ourselves from going too often b/c of the cost. But it was only $20/pp on the ship. But I have to say it was horrible and we were served on platters instead of being carved from the sword. We did say something to Richard, the Hotel Director. We got the impression it is a known problem. He comped us a meal in Cagney and a bottle of wine. We weren't telling him to get a free meal..we have the theory that they don't know unless you tell them.

 

 

Very strange! I've dined at Moderno three times (three different ships) and that's never been the case. What the heck are they doing on the Jewel?