Food on NCL ?

[carla748]

I was on NCL Star to Mexico April 6-13th and didn't find the food that good and was very disappointed. We didn't go to any specialty Resturants and ate mainly in the Main Dining Room. Service was fine.

 

I just returned from a Holland American 3 night cruise from San Diego to Victoria, Canada on Friday, this was my first cruise on HAL and the food was wonderful in the Main Dining Room. I have another cruise booked for the NCL Jewell to Alaska in June. Can I plan on better food than on the Star?

Edited May 6, 2014 by carla748

[sdmike]

Food is way too subjective to provide a reasonable answer to that question. My guess, however, that if you didn't like the food on the Star, you probably won't like the food on any NCL ship

[rvsullivan]

I agree, since NCL utilizes common menu's throughout the fleet, the food will be substantially the same from ship to ship. If you're not happy with the food on Star, you probably won't be happy on any of the ships.

Food is pretty subjective, but, if you found you did like the food on HAL, perhaps it is a better choice for you. It sounds like the food on the cruise lines is an important part of the experience for you?

[Aquahound]

I just returned from a Holland American 3 night cruise from San Diego to Victoria, Canada on Friday, this was my first cruise on HAL and the food was wonderful in the Main Dining Room. I have another cruise booked for the NCL Jewell to Alaska in June. Can I plan on better food than on the Star?

 

Having been on both NCL and HAL myself, it's my opinion you'll likely also be disappointed on Jewel.

[ja_martin]

I was on NCL Star to Mexico April 6-13th and didn't find the food that good and was very disappointed. We didn't go to any specialty Resturants and ate mainly in the Main Dining Room. Service was fine.

 

I just returned from a Holland American 3 night cruise from San Diego to Victoria, Canada on Friday, this was my first cruise on HAL and the food was wonderful in the Main Dining Room. I have another cruise booked for the NCL Jewell to Alaska in June. Can I plan on better food than on the Star?

 

I love NCL and it is, by far, my favorite cruise line. That being said, I am not a big fan of their main dining room food (especially their steaks). I do love their buffet (all meals) and the steak in Le Bistro are absolutely of the very best. I also really like Moderno and the Italian restaurant. Enjoy!

[swedish weave]

I have made many cruises on NCL and about 5 or 6 on HAL, and find very little difference in the food quality.

 

Do you know on any line, you can ask to have your meal replaced if you do not like the way they prepared the item you ordered? They have many choices available every meal.

[fshagan]

I've only been on the Star once, and the food was below par for other NCL cruises I was on (even the food in Cagney's was forgettable.) I didn't like the ship much either.

 

It's hard to make a definitive statement though because one cruise does not a trend make. We have otherwise found the main dining room food adequate, and usually Cagney's is pretty good -- at least as good as something like Outback Steakhouse. IMHO cruise line food is chain restaurant quality, and nothing special on any line that we have been on (but we're cheap ... we've never done Crystal Cruises or any of the higher quality lines, keeping to Princess, Disney and NCL).

[Va. Plumber]

I am 70 years old, so I realize my taste buds may be dead.

 

That being said, I have never had what I considered a bad meal on any NCL ship. I am not being an NCL cheerleader by that.

 

To the OP: Was the food too bland? Was it not fancy enough? Was it cold? Or was it a case of not liking the choices?

You said service was good, so apparently you didn't have to wait.

[topguy]

Food taste is diferent even among the same cruise line, but different ships. Even though you liked the food on one of the HAL ships, doesn't mean that the food is good on all of their ships. I know that the chefs try to have a consistent fare, but sometimes things are the same. I wouldn't make up my mind with just one bad experience.

Edited May 6, 2014 by topguy

[JCJR]

I am not impressed with the food on NCL. Just off the Getaway and in the main dinning room the food was bland and uneventful. Seems that you need to pay for the specialty restaurants to get a very good meal. All the reviews of good food seem to come from NCL loyalists as maybe that is what they are accustomed. Don't get me wrong, I did not have a bad meal but I always expect cruise dinning to be special in the main dinning.

 

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[sdmike]

I am not impressed with the food on NCL. Just off the Getaway and in the main dinning room the food was bland and uneventful. Seems that you need to pay for the specialty restaurants to get a very good meal. All the reviews of good food seem to come from NCL loyalists as maybe that is what they are accustomed. Don't get me wrong, I did not have a bad meal but I always expect cruise dinning to be special in the main dinning.

 

 

It can be, if you choose a more expensive cruise line that invests in higher quality dining. I would venture to say that the vast majority of passengers find the food to be perfectly fine, especially since someone else is cooking it, serving it, and cleaning it up. :)

 

I don't sail for the food and generally have no issue finding something enjoyable to eat.

[Ilovesailing]

The menus are all made up in Miami for all their ships so take it from there.

Almost 30 cruises with NCL we only eat in the specialty restaurants and there are very very good.

 

Look at your cost with Hal for the same cruise and compare to NCL adding in the dining pkg.

[graphicguy]

Granted, it's been awhile since I sailed HAL, but the food didn't stand out, in any way....good or bad.

 

I do find the produce on NCL ships to be fresher. Don't know why.

 

I really think it's highly dependent on the suppliers and the harvest qualities, droughts or floods, etc.

 

I think the cruise lines are generally creative with their food recipes. That's why one cruise would have good food, same cruise a year later did not....because of weather related differences from their suppliers.

[Erik101]

Maybe the OP should get the UDP and stick with the specialty restaurants.

[sdmike]

Maybe the OP should get the UDP and stick with the specialty restaurants.

 

yep. Easy to do with the cost savings

[carla748]

When we were on the Star last month most of the food seemed to be bland and pork chops were tough and so was most of the steak, sometimes the food was barely warm. It was edible but just getting off the Holland American "Westerdam" every meal was very good and I was quite surprised.

 

The last time I was on a NCL ship was 12 years ago on the NCL Sky to Alaska and all the food was fantastic. Maybe the quality has gone down since then. I am going on the NCL Jewell in 5 weeks and I cruise not just for the "food" but for the whole package - the ship, destinations etc.

 

I have cruised on RCCL and they have the same Menus all across the Fleet and I have had not so good food on one ship and fabulous food on another ship even though it is the same Menu. I asked the waiter about it and he said it depends on the cook - you can take the same receipe and two different cooks will make a difference in the taste.

 

I enjoyed the Star - it is a beautiful ship, I was just disappointed in the food. My favorite item was the Buffalo Wings in the Blue Lagoon which we had quite a few times and looking forward to enjoying them again on the Jewell.

[OCruisers]

We have never (even back in the good old days) been fond of the MDR food on NCL ... some like it, some don't, we do not. At least now we have the specialty restaurants as a welcomed option. :)

LuLu

[emcelh]

My most recent experiences have been on the Gem and but I think we enjoyed the MDR on the Jewel a bit more. I think there are differences between ship's. We usually eat in the surcharge restaurants several times during each cruise anyway, not because the MDR food is really bad, we just like the upgraded experience and consider that when budgeting for the total cost.

 

If the OP is concerned that the quality of the food will disappoint them again they should consider buying the dining package.

[CasinoCruzGirl]

I was on the breakaway in March and I loved every single meal I got in the MDR. To each their own.

[mearsfansinboise]

We were on the Star at Christmas. Our first time on NCL. We have cruised with HAL twice. HAL's food is far superior to NCL's. We mostly did the buffet on NCL because we were so disappointed with the food in the MDR. It was very basic. Not a lot of choices. I didn't find the service to be spectacular either. That being said, we are sailing the Star again next year - because we got a great deal on a suite. I know what to expect this time and will give it another shot and if not, know that we have the buffet which we were almost always pleased with.

[CasinoCruzGirl]

I am not impressed with the food on NCL. Just off the Getaway and in the main dinning room the food was bland and uneventful. Seems that you need to pay for the specialty restaurants to get a very good meal. All the reviews of good food seem to come from NCL loyalists as maybe that is what they are accustomed. Don't get me wrong, I did not have a bad meal but I always expect cruise dinning to be special in the main dinning.

 

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So your basically saying your taste buds are better than ours?

[$hip$hape]

So your basically saying your taste buds are better than ours?

I'll always remember one of the best meals I ever had.

It was after climbing all morning and reaching a mountain peak.

A wonderful peanut butter and jelly sandwich !

 

I find my taste buds to be best when I'm hungry.

[Valen9]

I was on NCL Star to Mexico April 6-13th and didn't find the food that good and was very disappointed. We didn't go to any specialty Resturants and ate mainly in the Main Dining Room. Service was fine.

 

Last year we were on Jewel and the food in the MDR was a bit meh. This year we were on Breakaway with the new menu and it was MUCH BETTER! I think it was equal or better than what I had on HAL.

 

But it is very subjective. On HAL, the meals that they made special for me because of my allergies were typically disappointing. I asked for "don't put in the raw carrots and celery" so they decided they should avoid all spices or anything that makes the food taste good. I can't blame HAL for THAT part since it also happens on NCL!

[jayl65]

I'm not as experienced a cruiser as many on here, but the best food ever on a cruise was on the Celebrity Mercury years ago. I have also sailed on Carnival,RC and NCL.

 

My first cruise on NCL out of Charleston SC on the Majesty. The food was offal. No kidding. I'll eat frozen pizza and fish sticks if I have to. I think I ate a lot of french fries on that cruise because they were always hot and fresh by the pool. It made me question if I should be cruising with NCL since food is so important to me.

 

Last year we sailed the Jade out of Rome and the food was great. Almost as good as Celebrity cruise almost 10 years earlier before all of the budget cuts most cruise lines had to make. The food in Italy was amazing and the eggs! OMG! I don't even like eggs here in the states. They had neon orange yokes and tasted divine. When we got onboard we discover that the ship had the same eggs. We were in heaven. The main dining room and buffet were great.

 

I tend to have a beer budget and champagne taste, but NCL has won me over. I canceled another Celebrity and Oceania because I wanted a super premium cruise so I can cruise more often for less money and still have a great cruise. My sister was a travel agent and recently cruised Hal and Princess and said that for the money CCL and NCL were better values and better food and service.

 

After much thought and talking with my sister we decided that the food quality is dictated by the cruise departure port in many ways. Each line has it strengths and weaknesses. NCL offer free style. You're not pinned down. And there are many options. Since my last cruise on NCL was in the Mediterranean from Rome, all of the food was sourced from Italian vendors. The quality was just plain better than the huge food vendors here in the states like Sysco.

 

My west coast cruises always seemed to have better seafood and vegetables. My east coast cruises better steaks. I believe each region of the country offers something better than other parts of the country. Avocados for example. They are just plain better on the west coast. They don't have to be shipped across country and picked when they are unripe so they can make the trip.

 

Preparation is one thing but food quality is another. If its prepared and handled badly then I believe that can be addressed. You can always ask for another serving only hot and fresh. But if the quality of the food itself is bad then preparation can't remedy it. Cheap processed food is always cheap processed food.

 

So I would say if food is important to you as it is to me. Choose the cruise line and departure port carefully. I would sail the NCL Jade from Rome any day,but I would think about cruising it out of Galveston TX. Not that it would be bad, but the ship would not be sourcing the food from the same vendors. So for me I would look at a different cruise and pay a bit more to have a premium product or I would choose to eat at the specialty restaurants as much as possible.

 

BTW, NCL's specialty restaurant covers are not bad for the choice of food you can get. I live in Santa Fe, NM and its hard to have a $20.00 dinner. Plus the dining packages make it even better.

 

Most cruise lines are very helpful with request also. So if you don't find something to your liking simply ask politely for what you want and I have always found them to try their best to accommodate.

 

Happy cruising.

[KeithJenner]

All the reviews of good food seem to come from NCL loyalists as maybe that is what they are accustomed

 

 

I think most people also eat between cruises as well. I'm sure they are more accustomed to other food than what they get on NCL. :)