convince me to try NCL again!

[lauren75]

I went on the GEM for a 7 day cruise out of NY a few years ago. We did not care for the food and found that the freestyle dining resulted in longer wait times than a set schedule. Even though we paid extra $, we didn't think the specialty restaurants were that much better as far as quality.

 

Now I want to get away for Christmas week and the Breakaway would save me about 2 thousand over the Royal Caribbean (we have sailed RC and Disney in the past). I am willing to pay a little more for the specialty restaurants, but I want to see if the quality has improved with NCL or the Breakaway specifically.

[Cruising Golfer]

Sounds like you are ready to try again, so just do it... This time don't be so picky and just go and enjoy yourself... After all it is a vacation!!!:D

[ColinIllinois]

Don't think anyone really needs to "convince you". Look through the review section and the threads about the Breakaway in this section and decide for yourself. Remember, just because you may have had issues on one sailing that doesn't necessarily mean it was a reflection on all of NCL, just like it wouldn't apply to other lines.

 

Hope you have fun whatever line you cruise on. :)

[kdzkatz]

Opinions about food are so subjective. It really is a personal thing in my opinion. I think you should give it a try as there is a new menu since you cruised and you will be on a new ship.

[SissasMomE]

I went on the GEM for a 7 day cruise out of NY a few years ago. We did not care for the food and found that the freestyle dining resulted in longer wait times than a set schedule. Even though we paid extra $, we didn't think the specialty restaurants were that much better as far as quality.

 

Now I want to get away for Christmas week and the Breakaway would save me about 2 thousand over the Royal Caribbean (we have sailed RC and Disney in the past). I am willing to pay a little more for the specialty restaurants, but I want to see if the quality has improved with NCL or the Breakaway specifically.

 

I'd fly to Florida and sail the Getaway or the Epic. If you can't, then I think you should read the Breakaway reviews before deciding. She was not getting good reviews in the past. I'm not sure if that has changed though.

[SissasMomE]

Opinions about food are so subjective. It really is a personal thing in my opinion. I think you should give it a try as there is a new menu since you cruised and you will be on a new ship.

 

OT - I just noticed your signature line. Congrats on your marriage, and I hope you have a wonderful honeymoon!!

[sdmike]

I'm not going to try to convince you. You should pay the extra $2000. If you didn't like the food and it was important enough to you that you are asking this question, I suspect you will be disappointed again. The food hasn't changed significantly in the free dining areas. You're still eating food prepared for 3,000. For that $2000 savings, however, you can eat in some excellent specialty restaurants.

 

For many, including me, the food on NCL is perfectly fine. However, it sounds like this might be an issue for you

 

Or you can give it a try :)

Edited May 22, 2014 by sdmike

[SissasMomE]

You should pay the extra $2000. If you didn't like the food and it was important enough to you that you are asking this question, I suspect you will be disappointed again. The food hasn't changed significantly in the free dining areas. You're still eating food prepared for 3,000.

 

I disagree with this, only because I was just on the Getaway and have experienced the new menus and upgraded food quality. It was a noticeable difference! Then again Mike, you are probably right because I never had a "problem" with the food before. It's much better now, but I never complained or had an issue with it before - so I see where you are coming from with this.

[sdmike]

I disagree with this, only because I was just on the Getaway and have experienced the new menus and upgraded food quality. It was a noticeable difference! Then again Mike, you are probably right because I never had a "problem" with the food before. It's much better now, but I never complained or had an issue with it before - so I see where you are coming from with this.

 

Good point. I forgot about the upgraded menus. I'm thinking, however, that if they didn't even find the food in the pay restaurants good, I'm not sure "improvements" in the main areas would be sufficient for them. Good question, actually.

 

I guess my main point was - this is a mass market line like CCL and RCCL. They're not going to get 5 star food then or now. :)

Edited May 22, 2014 by sdmike

[Okmyx]

Is the food on the Breakaway or other specific ships better than the rest of their fleet? I was on the Pearl earlier this month and thought the specialty restaurants were good but not great, and I got flamed here for stating that opinion (and called a "food snob" ;)). I've been told that the food is standardized throughout NCL but then I read that some of you think food quality is different on other ships. I don't know what to believe at this point, other than there are definitely NCL fans who like it all and consider the food "fantastic" when it is not.

 

For myself, I've decided that if I go on NCL again, I will simply have much lower expectations on the food and order accordingly. I suspect I will enjoy it more next time with that in mind, since I will no longer have the expectation - set by reading reviews here and elsewhere - that the food is really excellent. And FWIW, I suspect next time I won't buy the UDP and eat more often (and more simply) in the main restaurant instead.

 

 

Sent from my iPad

[SissasMomE]

Good point. I forgot about the upgraded menus. I'm thinking, however, that if they didn't even find the food in the pay restaurants good, I'm not sure "improvements" in the main areas would be sufficient for them. Good question, actually.

 

I guess my main point was - this is a mass market line like CCL and RCCL. They're not going to get 5 star food then or now. :)

 

Yeah, I agree.

[SissasMomE]

Is the food on the Breakaway or other specific ships better than the rest of their fleet? I was on the Pearl earlier this month and thought the specialty restaurants were good but not great, and I got flamed here for stating that opinion (and called a "food snob" ;)). I've been told that the food is standardized throughout NCL but then I read that some of you think food quality is different on other ships. I don't know what to believe at this point, other than there are definitely NCL fans who like it all and consider the food "fantastic" when it is not.

 

For myself, I've decided that if I go on NCL again, I will simply have much lower expectations on the food and order accordingly. I suspect I will enjoy it more next time with that in mind, since I will no longer have the expectation - set by reading reviews here and elsewhere - that the food is really excellent. And FWIW, I suspect next time I won't buy the UDP and eat more often (and more simply) in the main restaurant instead.

 

 

Sent from my iPad

 

I'm a food snob ;) I always compared Cagney's to Outback, but it was definitely better on my last trip. That said, I thought Le Bistro was always good, but neither I nor my husband cared for it this trip. My daughter, parents, and friends we were with all liked it though.

[Okmyx]

I'm a food snob ;) I always compared Cagney's to Outback, but it was definitely better on my last trip. That said, I thought Le Bistro was always good, but neither I nor my husband cared for it this trip. My daughter, parents, and friends we were with all liked it though.

 

 

Ha! The comparison to Outback is exactly what I made in my post a week or so ago and others started posting that I insulted them for doing so! Le Bistro was good but definitely not the quality I would expect. The table next to us started talking to us during the meal and said the same thing, including that the coffee (in a French press) was presented nicely but lacked all flavor. We did have the best service in Le Bistro and Cagney's, and the worst service at Moderno.

 

Next time I could see myself going to Cagney's once but the rest of the time it's more likely I'd eat in the dining room. It's probably healthier, too.

 

 

Sent from my iPad

Edited May 22, 2014 by Okmyx

[SissasMomE]

Ha! The comparison to Outback is exactly what I made in my post a week or so ago and others started posting that I insulted them for doing so! Le Bistro was good but definitely not the quality I would expect. The table next to us started talking to us during the meal and said the same thing, including that the coffee (in a French press) was presented nicely but lacked all flavor. We did have the best service in Le Bistro and Cagney's, and the worst service at Moderno.

 

Next time I could see myself going to Cagney's once but the rest of the time it's more likely I'd eat in the dining room. It's probably healthier, too.

 

 

Sent from my iPad

 

Your description of Le Bistro is spot on - lacked flavor!! I completely agree with you. I had the duck and my husband had the lamb. It just wasn't good. I'm not a complainer, and will hardly ever leave something, but I didn't eat much of my meal that night. The onion soup was delicious though. My parents had the escargot and the Bouillabaisse and thought it was very good.

[BuffetPantsPls]

Your description of Le Bistro is spot on - lacked flavor!! I completely agree with you. I had the duck and my husband had the lamb. It just wasn't good. I'm not a complainer, and will hardly ever leave something, but I didn't eat much of my meal that night. The onion soup was delicious though. My parents had the escargot and the Bouillabaisse and thought it was very good.

 

 

i was on the jewel last december

 

must have been the wine =)

 

i had the escargot with a bottle of henriot les enchantlers champagne

and the duck with a henri gouges les saint georges

 

the food was a surprisingly good pairing =)

 

 

cagney's was so/so for me. I asked for it seared rare and got medium, but was too hungry to ask them to bring it out again. The meat is well seasoned but most likely soaked in a brine solution much like they do at outback. (A fitting comparison)

had a btl of dominus here but enjoyed the wine more so than the food. That cheese cake of theirs is good though!

[Vyhanek]

Here on this board we say "food is subjective". That's i.e. for yes, a lot of NCL food does suck!

 

But I do have to say, I think NCL has gotten the message. When NCL has the reputation for the worst food at sea, I do think they finally are listening. It is better. The thing that hasn't changed is the very, very slow dining room service. It shouldn't take 2 hours to eat dinner and then you shouldn't have to leave after 2 hours without getting dessert just to make your show! This is where Royal has it all over on NCL.

 

The problem with long waits and standing around with a pager to eat in the main dining rooms does still exist. I think this (as well as the very slow 2 hour dinner service) will be a continued problem for you and especially during the Christmas holiday. The ships are loaded to capacity and then some. This makes for a recipe for disaster in a situation where they don't have the dining worked out. You would think with 10 or more years now doing this Freestyle thing a better system could be worked out. The ships that already have a hard time managing the dining service will have a really hard time with significantly more people on board that week of the Christmas holiday!

 

I think you should give NCL another try but not during the Xmas holiday. You will wish you were on Royal where they know how to manage people thru diner. Now I think you will miss out on the better entertainment that NCL has. I think the decor or NCL ships is better, younger, funky, fun. The suites and suite perks are wonderful. If you are lucky enough to cruise in the Haven, you are lucky enough! But you are right, dining will be an issue during the Xmas holiday. If you can't get over that, go Royal that week.

Edited May 22, 2014 by Vyhanek

[ColinIllinois]

NCL has the reputation as "the worst food at sea"? Honestly, I've never heard that.

[SissasMomE]

The thing that hasn't changed is the very, very slow dining room service. It shouldn't take 2 hours to eat dinner and then you shouldn't have to leave after 2 hours without getting dessert just to make your show! This is where Royal has it all over on NCL.

 

The problem with long waits and standing around with a pager to eat in the main dining rooms does still exist. I think this (as well as the very slow 2 hour dinner service) will be a continued problem for you and especially during the Christmas holiday. The ships are loaded to capacity and then some. This makes for a recipe for disaster in a situation where they don't have the dining worked out. You would think with 10 or more years now doing this Freestyle thing a better system could be worked out. The ships that already have a hard time managing the dining service will have a really hard time with significantly more people on board that week of the Christmas holiday!

 

I think you should give NCL another try but not during the Xmas holiday. You will wish you were on Royal where they know how to manage people thru diner. Now I think you will miss out on the better entertainment that NCL has. I think the decor or NCL ships is better, younger, funky, fun. The suites and suite perks are wonderful. If you are lucky enough to cruise in the Haven, you are lucky enough! But you are right, dining will be an issue during the Xmas holiday. If you can't get over that, go Royal that week.

 

I disagree with this. We do not like being rushed, and enjoy "long" dinners. You can always go to the buffet if you don't want a nice dining experience.

[52marv]

Hi Lauren75,

 

I did the Gem out of NYC in a mini suite a few years ago and swore never to go on NCL again: didn't like freestyle, poor service, food was bland, public areas were overcrowded.

 

However, we read good things about about the Suite life on NCL (compared to suite life on Royal, which we loved). So we booked a 2 bed family suite in the Haven on the Getaway out of Miami. WOW! We loved it and are converts to NCL, when we can sail in a suite on a ship that has a Haven. Suite life on Getaway was head and shoulders above any of the suites we had on any Royal ship.

 

Our rule now is:

 

If sailing in a suite with a Haven: NCL

 

If sailing Non suite/Non Haven: Royal

 

Getaway doesn't have the wow factor that Royal ships have with the Royal Promenade, and there's not much shopping. However, Getaway has a really nice library, better than Royal. GA also has very nice spa. And the food venues offer more variety than Royal. The adult area on Getaway, Spice H2O, is funky, vibrant and loud. It's great for adults under 40 or those looking for a fun sea day experience. I prefer the quieter adult spaces on Royal, (I'm over 40), But Getaway has better pay options for over 40 adults with the Haven and the Vibe Beach Club.

 

Sissasmom is right about the variation between Getaway and Breakaway. I haven't seen glowing reviews about BA, but GA has really good reviews, and my personal experience was fabulous: Good food around the ship in all venues. Excellent service. Fun shows. Good pool activites. Freestyle worked much better on Getaway than on the Gem and my family enjoyed the more relaxed dress code and meal times better than Royal. Public areas were fine, not as amazing to see as Royal, but not overcrowded.

 

As far as eating venues:

 

O'Sheehan's was free and had good food and was a good value.

 

Moderno had good food, but surprisingly lackluster service from one waiter, until we mentioned it to the maitre d who came over to say hi. After that, Moderno's service was fine. Gorgeous Venue. Sit near the windows and get the grilled pineapple. Skip the salad bar: it's good, but why are you filling up on salad :)

 

Sushi, very good service and food. Worth the price.

 

Noodle bar, excellent service, very friendly chef and staff. Good food. Worth the price.

 

Le Bistro, hostess was lackluster, waitstaff were excellent. Food was hit or miss. Some things were great: the duck. Other things were good, but not great. I was surprised, because I had heard excellent reviews of Le Bistro. We had a good meal, but actually liked the food in the Haven dining room better than Le Bistro.

 

The Haven dining room: best food of the cruise and OUTSTANDING service. If we hadn't wanted to try other venues, we would have eaten every meal here. There's not a lot of variation during the week, but everything we ordered was of a high quality and tasted great.

 

Flamingo Grill, nice free, outside venue, near the pool, with good Cuban food. It's better than the buffet for a quick bite.

 

The buffet: Nice seating areas, better than the Gem. Food was fine, much better than the Gem. The flow is a bit odd: drinks only in one spot. Deserts have vastly improved. Good for lunch.

 

La Cucina. My family is split on this. 2 say it is one of the best pay venues on Getaway. 2 say it is very good, worth the price, but not the best pay venue if you only want to go to one pay restaurant.

 

Ocean Blue: Glad we did it as my daughter is a Chopped fan and wanted to eat in Geoffrey Zakarian's restaurant. Food was very good and service was excellent. Venue is small, but very nice. But for the price, we could have gone to two other pay venues and had just as much fun and good food. If you are a foodie, this is a nice place, but if you just want a good meal, it's not necessary.

 

Illusionarium: go for the show, not the dinner. The food is fine. It's not horrible, which I thought it would be based on the reviews. In fact the shrimp and sides were good. The piece of beef was bland, but it didn't taste bad. All in all, I saw the food as an afterthought to a show my family really enjoyed. As a warning, the show was a bit risque and at times a bit mean spirited. Still, my teens and my husband and I had fun.

 

We did Cagney's on the Gem and it was fine. We skipped it on Getaway to try other places.

 

I think you would be happier on Getaway than on Breakaway and if you can swing it, either sail in a Haven suite, or get a Balcony and get a Vibe Pass to have something close to a Haven experience. (no need to get a Vibe clamshell, they get HOT)

 

No matter what you choose, have fun!

[sdmike]

I find it funny that people are arguing about something that is very subjective, like taste in food. Just because I found NCL food to my liking (and you didn't) doesn't make me a cheerleader. :rolleyes:

[Cruisercl]

Here on this board we say "food is subjective". That's i.e. for yes, a lot of NCL food does suck!

 

But I do have to say, I think NCL has gotten the message. When NCL has the reputation for the worst food at sea, I do think they finally are listening. It is better. The thing that hasn't changed is the very, very slow dining room service. It shouldn't take 2 hours to eat dinner and then you shouldn't have to leave after 2 hours without getting dessert just to make your show! This is where Royal has it all over on NCL.

 

The problem with long waits and standing around with a pager to eat in the main dining rooms does still exist. I think this (as well as the very slow 2 hour dinner service) will be a continued problem for you and especially during the Christmas holiday. The ships are loaded to capacity and then some. This makes for a recipe for disaster in a situation where they don't have the dining worked out. You would think with 10 or more years now doing this Freestyle thing a better system could be worked out. The ships that already have a hard time managing the dining service will have a really hard time with significantly more people on board that week of the Christmas holiday!

 

I think you should give NCL another try but not during the Xmas holiday. You will wish you were on Royal where they know how to manage people thru diner. Now I think you will miss out on the better entertainment that NCL has. I think the decor or NCL ships is better, younger, funky, fun. The suites and suite perks are wonderful. If you are lucky enough to cruise in the Haven, you are lucky enough! But you are right, dining will be an issue during the Xmas holiday. If you can't get over that, go Royal that week.

 

Thanks for your opinion.

 

IMO - I could say the same thing about the food on RCCL that you said about NCL and I have cruised more on RCCL. On our last RCCL cruise in Feb 2014, our reservations were screwed up, the table we ended up with was terrible (we were squished between two other tables and right next to the wait stand; I could have helped myself to anything on the wait stand while I was sitting), the service was slow and the food was mediocre at best. I liked our RCCL cruise but the food, again IMHO, did not stand out compared to other cruise lines.

 

The only reason I am sharing this is because all of the mass-market cruise lines are pretty much the same; all you need to do is try them all or several and you will find this out. IMHO :)

 

OP, all you really have to do is decide for yourself and use everyone else's opinion to help you decide.

Happy and safe cruising!! :D

[sdmike]

52Marv - thanks for sharing your experience. Sounds like you had a great time.

[esp13]

I've been on 4 NCL cruises on 3 different ships and I guess I must be a cheerleader and have absolutely no taste buds because I've never had a meal I wasn't happy with in those 4 cruises. Some things were fantastic, some things were just good, but I've never had a bad meal in the specialty or main dining rooms. I love the sushi bar and my mom things the noodle bar is fantastic. The buffet is a buffet and I've never had a problem with it either.

 

We haven't always had perfect service, but it's always been at least adequate. We've never been late for a show because of slow service, but we generally schedule dinner 1.5 to 2 hours before the show so that there is no rush.

 

Clearly, some people don't like the food on NCL ship and/or have food as a definite priority in their vacation. That's fine and NCL may not be the right line for those people. But, it is fine for many others and I don't think that makes all of us cheerleaders or mean that we all lack taste in our dining choices.

[janpo]

We sailed the Pearl in November 2012. I thought the food was very good. We ate at the Italian place, the MDR and a couple others. The only place i found the food to be lacking was the buffet by the pool. Once was enough for that one.

[kdzkatz]

Here on this board we say "food is subjective". That's i.e. for yes, a lot of NCL food does suck!

 

But I do have to say, I think NCL has gotten the message. When NCL has the reputation for the worst food at sea, I do think they finally are listening. It is better. The thing that hasn't changed is the very, very slow dining room service. It shouldn't take 2 hours to eat dinner and then you shouldn't have to leave after 2 hours without getting dessert just to make your show! This is where Royal has it all over on NCL.

 

The problem with long waits and standing around with a pager to eat in the main dining rooms does still exist. I think this (as well as the very slow 2 hour dinner service) will be a continued problem for you and especially during the Christmas holiday. The ships are loaded to capacity and then some. This makes for a recipe for disaster in a situation where they don't have the dining worked out. You would think with 10 or more years now doing this Freestyle thing a better system could be worked out. The ships that already have a hard time managing the dining service will have a really hard time with significantly more people on board that week of the Christmas holiday!

 

I think you should give NCL another try but not during the Xmas holiday. You will wish you were on Royal where they know how to manage people thru diner. Now I think you will miss out on the better entertainment that NCL has. I think the decor or NCL ships is better, younger, funky, fun. The suites and suite perks are wonderful. If you are lucky enough to cruise in the Haven, you are lucky enough! But you are right, dining will be an issue during the Xmas holiday. If you can't get over that, go Royal that week.

 

***DISREGARD THIS OBVIOUS BIAS RCCL CHEERLEADER POST***

This person obviously has nothing worthwhile to contribute