The Good, Not So Good and Ugly On My Pearl May 3 - 8 Cruise

[Linda the Book Lover]

I don't know if you consider Sacramento a major city (IMHO not metro like SF or NYC where we have also dined and lived) but the DH and I ate at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse and it was so-so. Cagney's was spectacular in comparison. I always chalk it up to the "who is cooking" not necessarily the restaurant itself. We always eat in Le Bistro which was excellent except for when we sailed the Epic (a truly bad dining experience). Food is subjective like everything else. I always like to hear what everyone ate and if they thought it was bad, good, or indifferent. Keep in mind though my taste buds do not compare to the celebrity chefs on the Food Network...:D

[Linda the Book Lover]

NLH Arizona -- Can I just say the French Pressed coffee in Cagneys was to die for! The DH and I enjoy our Pour overs and French Pressed coffee but when I had my coffee in Cagneys they matched mine at home except for changing the beans some mornings for variety.

[NLH Arizona]

Absolutely. But I challenge anyone to go to a highly regarded steakhouse in any major city and consider the food worse than at Cagneys. What makes Cagneys and the other specialty restaurants different is that they are on a ship...not the food quality. FWIW, the best item we tasted at Cagneys was the hamburger slider appetizer, that was quite nice. The steaks were just ho hum. As for Teppanyaki, any Benihana restaurant is much better, and they aren't even the best Teppanyaki restaurants. I suppose if you aren't in a major city with options these ship restaurants would seem good.

 

 

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Your opinion. I go to fine steak restaurants all the time and if I was looking for that kind of gourmet meal, I would have cruised on Crystal, not NCL. That doesn't discount that my meals at Cagney's and the Teppanyaki restaurants were fantastic.

 

Don't let me living in Surprise, AZ make you think I've never lived in a major city. I have lived in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver and Minneapolis (not to mention traveling to cities like New York and Chicago extensively), so I think I know a thing or two about great food.

 

You have your opinion and I have mine, I would never have been so disengenuous to say that your opinion is wrong or to say your review (because it differes from my opinion) is oblivious to anything or to imply that you don't know good food, I would just say (as I have) that I have a differing opinion than you do.

Edited May 11, 2014 by NLH Arizona

[NLH Arizona]

I don't know if you consider Sacramento a major city (IMHO not metro like SF or NYC where we have also dined and lived) but the DH and I ate at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse and it was so-so. Cagney's was spectacular in comparison. I always chalk it up to the "who is cooking" not necessarily the restaurant itself. We always eat in Le Bistro which was excellent except for when we sailed the Epic (a truly bad dining experience). Food is subjective like everything else. I always like to hear what everyone ate and if they thought it was bad, good, or indifferent. Keep in mind though my taste buds do not compare to the celebrity chefs on the Food Network...:D

Been to Sacramento quite a few times and have always had great meals there. It shouldn't matter where you live, for one to voice an opinion about the food they ate on the ship nor should they be told their opinion is wrong, it should only matter what their opinion of said food was. BTW, even to this day, some of the best food I have ever eaten was cooked by my mother, who FWIW grew up in a small town in Nebraska. For a poster to actually imply that if someone hasn't lived in a major city, they don't know good food is pretty sad to me.

 

Others raved about the French pressed coffee, unfortunately I don't drink coffee so I didn't taste it.

Edited May 11, 2014 by NLH Arizona

[Linda the Book Lover]

Been to Sacramento quite a few times and have always had great meals there. It shouldn't matter where you live, for one to voice an opinion about the food they ate on the ship nor should they be told their opinion is wrong, it should only matter what their opinion of said food was. BTW, even to this day, some of the best food I have ever eaten was cooked by my mother, who FWIW grew up in a small town in Nebraska. For a poster to actually imply that if someone hasn't lived in a major city, they don't know good food is pretty sad to me.

 

Others raved about the French pressed coffee, unfortunately I don't drink coffee so I didn't taste it.

 

Don't worry I drank enough coffee for you LOL:D

[Crusin-Suzan]

Those were some nice gestures by the captain and the HD. When we had our M&G on BA in March, Prem did a quick introduction of his staff (no one else actually talked and no captain) and they were out of there under 10 minutes. Was a waste of time compared to all the other M&Gs we've been on.

 

Wow!!! Have been with Prem before and he is exceptional. He is now on the Breakaway!!! Love him!

[Linda the Book Lover]

Wow!!! Have been with Prem before and he is exceptional. He is now on the Breakaway!!! Love him!

 

I am in love with Prem too! He is such a gentleman:)

[ttnc4me]

.... The next morning the infirmary called again to see how I was and to let us know that customer service would be calling us about removing us from the ship, away from the other pax but it would be about 2 hours...

Did they ask you to leave or you asked to leave?

[sjnyc323]

Wow!!! Have been with Prem before and he is exceptional. He is now on the Breakaway!!! Love him!

 

 

Prem went on vacation today

[Chudley]

Did they ask you to leave or you asked to leave?

When I called, after waiting almost 2 hours without hearing anything from them like Aaron in the infirmary said they would, I told them what Aaron had told us. That someone from CS would call us to set up a time to take us off the ship. She just said we could leave now and to go out deck 7. I was surprised to go out and see all of the people that were still on the ship. Apparently, it was just final call for everyone to disembark. I wonder now how many people I infected due to that. I had honestly thought it was food poisoning still at that point but after coming home, infecting my husband and making him sicker than a dog, I knew it was noro. My Drs office said we were highly contagious at that time and to stay away from everybody, including each other. Then I got the, you know...the speech about handwashing, using different bathrooms, etc. Even regarding washing our clothes..geez. Funny thing, the older I've gotten, the more fanatical I've gotten about handwashing, maybe it could have been worse. lol

[Traveller20074]

NLH is me. We embarked in Los Angeles, stopped in San Francisco, stopped in Victoria and disembarked in Vancouver. It was a 5 day cruise.

 

oh, that's embarassing :o :o

 

 

sheesh, I'm stupid lol

[ttnc4me]

When I called, after waiting almost 2 hours without hearing anything from them like Aaron in the infirmary said they would, I told them what Aaron had told us. That someone from CS would call us to set up a time to take us off the ship. She just said we could leave now and to go out deck 7. I was surprised to go out and see all of the people that were still on the ship. Apparently, it was just final call for everyone to disembark. I wonder now how many people I infected due to that. I had honestly thought it was food poisoning still at that point but after coming home, infecting my husband and making him sicker than a dog, I knew it was noro. My Drs office said we were highly contagious at that time and to stay away from everybody, including each other. Then I got the, you know...the speech about handwashing, using different bathrooms, etc. Even regarding washing our clothes..geez. Funny thing, the older I've gotten, the more fanatical I've gotten about handwashing, maybe it could have been worse. lol

Oh. At first read, I was under the impression that they asked you to leave the ship in the middle of the sailing, but it appears that you made it to the end.

I really hope they take the time to disinfect the ship. My son got ill on our Pearl sailing at the end of March. Luckily the rest of our family was spared.

[Okmyx]

Your opinion. I go to fine steak restaurants all the time and if I was looking for that kind of gourmet meal, I would have cruised on Crystal, not NCL.

 

This was my first cruise since I was a child, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

 

That doesn't discount that my meals at Cagney's and the Teppanyaki restaurants were fantastic.

 

This is where I get confused. When I hear that a restaurant is "fantastic" I really expect a superior experience throughout. I don't hear "fantastic" about chain restaurants very often so when someone raves about it I don't know whether to believe it or discount it since - after all - I don't know what relative scale "fantastic" food is for you. We ate at Cagney's twice and while it may be the best option on board, it didn't wow me at all.

 

Don't let me living in Surprise, AZ make you think I've never lived in a major city. I have lived in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver and Minneapolis (not to mention traveling to cities like New York and Chicago extensively), so I think I know a thing or two about great food.

 

Absolutely. I didn't make the major city comment to insult anyone - rather to imply that most great restaurants I know of are in major cities (there are a few exceptions, but not many).

 

You have your opinion and I have mine, I would never have been so disengenuous to say that your opinion is wrong or to say your review (because it differes from my opinion) is oblivious to anything or to imply that you don't know good food, I would just say (as I have) that I have a differing opinion than you do.

 

To be clear, my opinion is that all the NCL restaurants (except Blue Lagoon) were good, though none were fantastic. I enjoyed many of the meals, but my friend and I - and many others we spoke with at the restaurants - thought the food was good, but not great.

[NLH Arizona]

This was my first cruise since I was a child, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

 

 

 

This is where I get confused. When I hear that a restaurant is "fantastic" I really expect a superior experience throughout. I don't hear "fantastic" about chain restaurants very often so when someone raves about it I don't know whether to believe it or discount it since - after all - I don't know what relative scale "fantastic" food is for you. We ate at Cagney's twice and while it may be the best option on board, it didn't wow me at all. Where Did I say that a meal in a chain restaurant was fantastic? If you want to believe my assertion of my meals or discount it, it is clearly your option to do so, but please don't tell me that I'm wrong in my opinion. I would have to say that I disagree with your opinion, but would never tell you that you were wrong.

 

 

 

Absolutely. I didn't make the major city comment to insult anyone - rather to imply that most great restaurants I know of are in major cities (there are a few exceptions, but not many). It was insulting, especially since you had no idea where I have lived or have traveled.

 

 

To be clear, my opinion is that all the NCL restaurants (except Blue Lagoon) were good, though none were fantastic. I enjoyed many of the meals, but my friend and I - and many others we spoke with at the restaurants - thought the food was good, but not great. Must disagree with you, I thought that all of my meals (3) in Cagney's and Teppanyaki were fantastic. Many I spoke to thought the meals were fantastic as well, so it doesn't make anyone right or wrong, just differences of opinions.

Hope you had a good cruise.

[Okmyx]

Hope you had a good cruise.

 

 

Seems like I really pushed a button with my report about the food. And the shipboard restaurants are, in my view, equivalent to a chain restaurant. Sorry you felt insulted by my post - that wasn't my intent, and though you've stated that we are all entitled to our opinions, it doesn't seem like you want to hear anything contrary to your own. Have a nice day!

 

 

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[NLH Arizona]

Seems like I really pushed a button with my report about the food. And the shipboard restaurants are, in my view, equivalent to a chain restaurant. Sorry you felt insulted by my post - that wasn't my intent, and though you've stated that we are all entitled to our opinions, it doesn't seem like you want to hear anything contrary to your own. Have a nice day!

 

 

Sent from my iPad

The only button you pushed, was telling me that my opinion was wrong. I heard your opinion and said I didn't agree, but I didn't put words in your mouth or tell you you were wrong nor did I say that your review of the food was completely oblivious to any culinary experience, I simply said I didn't agree with your opinion.

[Okmyx]

The only button you pushed, was telling me that my opinion was wrong.

 

 

Where did I say that? So much for welcoming differing opinions on cruisecritic! :(

 

 

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[cadien]

Where did I say that? So much for welcoming differing opinions on cruisecritic! :(

 

It's because you're digging your heels in on all the food on NCL being equivalent to chain restaurants (never a compliment), so anyone who really enjoyed their meal doesn't understand great food.

 

The quality of the food varies widely from ship to ship and even from day to day. Especially in Cagney's. The fact you received mediocre meals doesn't mean the other posters received the same quality food.

 

There's really no useful reason to try to tell them that it wasn't as good as they thought it was. They should be retroactively disappointed?

[Linda the Book Lover]

It's because you're digging your heels in on all the food on NCL being equivalent to chain restaurants (never a compliment), so anyone who really enjoyed their meal doesn't understand great food.

 

The quality of the food varies widely from ship to ship and even from day to day. Especially in Cagney's. The fact you received mediocre meals doesn't mean the other posters received the same quality food.

 

There's really no useful reason to try to tell them that it wasn't as good as they thought it was. They should be retroactively disappointed?

 

Well said..thank you

[Barb Nahoumi]

Chudley, I was so sorry to read about your illness. How horrible to have to leave the ship in that condition, without any help from the crew as they promised.

[Okmyx]

It's because you're digging your heels in on all the food on NCL being equivalent to chain restaurants (never a compliment), so anyone who really enjoyed their meal doesn't understand great food.

 

The quality of the food varies widely from ship to ship and even from day to day. Especially in Cagney's. The fact you received mediocre meals doesn't mean the other posters received the same quality food.

 

There's really no useful reason to try to tell them that it wasn't as good as they thought it was. They should be retroactively disappointed?

 

 

I'm sorry it wasn't obvious that I was referring specifically to my cruise and the food quality we received during it. After all, this is a thread about a particular cruise. I didn't ask anyone to agree with me. I was just stating my opinion, and I got slammed for it. I think it's a good thing for future NCL customers to realize that not everyone agrees that the food is "fantastic".

 

As for chain restaurants being bad, that's not what I said, either. It's not necessary excellent, but neither is it universally bad. Another poster mentioned Ruth Chris, which is an award winning steakhouse, and a chain. While I prefer other steakhouses in my city for a special meal and others, I have never received mediocre food from Ruth Chris. The same has been true for others. I think the end result is that now that I have been on NCL, I know that Cagney's, in particular, is not equivalent to the best steakhouses but rather has a nice atmosphere with generally very good service and food quality equal to that of Outback or similar, though presented similarly to that of a fine steakhouse. Search online and it's apparent to me now that there are wildly differing opinions about the food onboard ship.

 

As an observation, I think many people offer the benefit of the doubt to restaurants more often than they realize. For many, it takes a major disaster at a restaurant for a complaint, for others not much at all. Some of us may be more critical about the food quality than others. And, there are doubtless some who support all things NCL regardless of a specific incident, as their overall experience has been positive. I approached this as a first time NCL customer wanting to receive a "fantastic" experience at the speciality restaurants with superior food and service. That didn't happen. And because I posted my honest opinion on this I got attacked by those who think otherwise, disregarding the superficial welcoming of differing opinions on this forum. Please review my earlier posts regarding my food comments before assuming I stated something I didn't.

 

I find it interesting that the positive comments I made in my initial post in this thread have received no response. Ironically, I spoke positively about my overall cruise experience yesterday with the owner of a local travel agency I know and he agreed that the food on NCL simply doesn't compare well with the better restaurants.

 

 

Sent from my iPad

Edited May 13, 2014 by Okmyx

[NLH Arizona]

It's because you're digging your heels in on all the food on NCL being equivalent to chain restaurants (never a compliment), so anyone who really enjoyed their meal doesn't understand great food.

 

The quality of the food varies widely from ship to ship and even from day to day. Especially in Cagney's. The fact you received mediocre meals doesn't mean the other posters received the same quality food.

 

There's really no useful reason to try to tell them that it wasn't as good as they thought it was. They should be retroactively disappointed?

It was the fact that the poster said that my opinion was wrong, meaning only his was right, and that my review was oblivious to any culinary experience. In other words, the poster basically said I don't know good food. He even went on to insult me and say that only those that live in big cities know good food, without knowing where I've lived or traveled. The poster can say that Cagney's is similar to a chair restaurant or McDonalds and that would be his opinion, which he has every right to make, and has nothing to do with my opinion, other than I can say that I disagree, but I would never tell him he doesn't know good foor or is oblivious to any culinary experience.

 

I have no problem with other's opinions and have learned a lot from others, but I draw the line at someone who only feels that everyone should just agree with their opinion. As I said, neither one of us were right or wrong, we just had differences of opinions, too bad the poster could not feel the same way.

Edited May 13, 2014 by NLH Arizona

[Linda the Book Lover]

NLH -OP

 

I am curious if you stayed and spent post cruise time in Vancouver. Since there are few NCL options on the west coast the short cruise seems a fun option.

[NLH Arizona]

NLH -OP

 

I am curious if you stayed and spent post cruise time in Vancouver. Since there are few NCL options on the west coast the short cruise seems a fun option.

I didn't stay over in Vancouver, only because I've been there so many times. I did, however, stay a day before in Los Angeles, since I've lived there and have friends.

[Okmyx]

It was the fact that the poster said that my opinion was wrong, meaning only his was right, and that my review was oblivious to any culinary experience. In other words, the poster basically said I don't know good food. He even went on to insult me and say that only those that live in big cities know good food, without knowing where I've lived or traveled.

 

To be clear, in reply to your original post I wrote:

 

I read these forums for info on the restaurants prior to the cruise and in general people think they're great. Well, they're not. Good service and atmosphere are only part of a great dining experience. The quality of the food was good, but not great by any objective definition. This isn't to say we didn't enjoy our meals, but this was not a culinary experience by any means and I think many reviews are completely oblivious to that.

 

and

 

But I challenge anyone to go to a highly regarded steakhouse in any major city and consider the food worse than at Cagneys.

 

I now see that you inferred these comments to be insulting and an attack upon you. They were not. I also subsequently stated:

 

I didn't make the major city comment to insult anyone - rather to imply that most great restaurants I know of are in major cities (there are a few exceptions, but not many).

 

As for your new comments:

 

The poster can say that Cagney's is similar to a chair restaurant or McDonalds and that would be his opinion, which he has every right to make, and has nothing to do with my opinion, other than I can say that I disagree, but I would never tell him he doesn't know good foor or is oblivious to any culinary experience.

 

My earlier post stated that many REVIEWS are oblivious to the shipboard meals being a culinary experience, not that you (or anyone else) lack culinary experience or appreciation of good food. In fact, your review in this thread of the food is that it is simply "fabulous", in particular:

 

Cagney’s was fantastic.

Teppanyaki was fantastic.

 

I have no problem with other's opinions and have learned a lot from others, but I draw the line at someone who only feels that everyone should just agree with their opinion. As I said, neither one of us were right or wrong, we just had differences of opinions, too bad the poster could not feel the same way.

 

Unfortunately, you are again making an assumption of my "feelings". I posted agreement with you on the value of differing opinions, yet you don't seem to grasp that fact. To be clear, I agree that we each have our own opinions on food quality on this particular cruise. Our opinions are dissimilar and I have posted some of the particulars of where NCL failed to deliver an outstanding service and food experience, yet you focus not on my report but on the manner in which you perceive I have written it. At no time in my posts did I say that "everyone should just agree with [my] opinion".

 

Instead of discussing the merits of my complaints and the "good but not great" food I received on my cruise, you focus instead on the manner in which I write my posts.

 

I'm glad you and others enjoy the food on NCL and consider it on par with the best steakhouses and other restaurants available elsewhere. I'm sure NCL has its fans and you seem to be one of them. But, my opinion is that the food I received on my cruise was not excellent - there is a difference between good and excellent, and to be excellent (or "fabulous") a restaurant truly has to be superb, in my opinion.

 

Time to move on. Thanks for making me feel so welcome to Cruise Critic. It's almost as if this thread was at FlyerTalk.