My NCL Getaway Dining Notes & Thoughts

[LrgPizza]

We are definitely not foodies, and we don’t cruise for food. I have written up some thoughts on our dining experiences since there is always so much discussion here about restaurants and food. Of course, it’s all very subjective and keep in mind that these are my experiences and someone else’s might be completely different, and that’s okay.

 

We received the UDP for free during the booking promotion, so we decided to get our money’s worth by trying as many specialty restaurants as we could. In addition to free Illusionarium the first night, we also had specialty dinners at Cagney’s, Moderno, Teppanyaki, La Cucina, and Le Bistro. (Other than Illusionarium, it's cheaper to eat those 5 restaurants paying as you go than to buy UDP).

 

 

La Cucina

 

• This was the first specialty restaurant we tried. *Disclaimer* we had been drinking all day before dining here. Our taste buds might have been tainted, or we might have ordered poorly. I’m not sure.
  
• We were seated on the waterfront, which is a great location to people watch, and stare at life boats.
  
• Our reservation was at 7:30 on Sunday (sea day), and the restaurant was about 10% full or less when we arrived, and still less than half full when we finished.
  
• I ordered the bruchetta and my husband had the minestrone. He enjoyed the soup. I removed the nasty anchovy from the bruschetta only to find that the rest was completely flavorless. It must not be tomato season. There was truly no flavor. We then shared a mini pizza. The pizza had pancetta (a sort of bacon), which was actually clear jelly-like balls the size of large marbles. I can’t imagine those are fit for human consumption. If I wanted to eat a ball of fat, I’d liposuction my hip into a bowl and chow down. It would be the same thing. The Italian sausage on the pizza tasted like no sausage I’d ever eaten in Italy or the states for that matter. We really didn’t like it at all. The pizza went uneaten.
  
• For entrees, I had the shrimp risotto and my husband ordered the ribeye. I ridiculed him properly for ordering a steak in an Italian restaurant, when there was other good steak to be found on board. He didn’t enjoy it. (The steak or the ridiculing). My shrimp risotto was fairly bland, but it was cooked perfectly. I peppered the heck out of it and it was better. The shrimp itself was way overcooked. It took forever to chew each one.
  
• We skipped dessert.
  
• We absolutely would not return to this restaurant.
  

Moderno

 

• This was our first specialty restaurant, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We ate here on Monday evening (sea day) at 5:30. The restaurant was about 25% full.
  
• My 11 year old son joined us for this one, and he couldn’t get enough of the lamb chops. The server would come by and ask if there were any meats we were waiting to see. I really enjoyed the salad bar, even though it’s smaller than other Churrascaria’s I’ve visited on land. My favorite meats were the filet and lamb chops. My son and husband also loved the sirloin. The grilled pineapple was simply grilled pineapple. It’s no different or more special than any grilled pineapple, so it’s good but nothing to celebrate unless you’ve never had grilled pineapple before. We didn’t order any dessert because we were too full.
  
• My husband and I have UDP, but our son does not. For some reason he was not charged for this restaurant at all, despite eating the same food as we did. I’m not complaining.
  
• This restaurant has a great view of the ocean out the back, or you can choose to sit at the waterfront. You can also sit along the inside edge and move the curtains to watch the entertainment below in Tropicana Room.
  
• We would definitely return to this restaurant in the future.
  

Teppanyaki

 

• My son joined us for this restaurant, and we were charged $12.50 for him. He ordered shrimp and chicken, and his portions were exactly the same as the rest of us.
  
• We were seated at 6:30 on Tuesday (St. Martin day), and they had us out of there promptly by 8:00 PM. The restaurant was full.
  
• We had someone with a shrimp allergy at our table, so that wasn’t cooked until last, after all the other dishes had been cooked and served, and the grill cleaned. I was thrilled to see that they handled this so well, and those with allergies need not worry.
  
• I had filet and shrimp – delicious! I also enjoyed the rice. I could have eaten a bathtub full of it. I might have eaten that much, come to think of it. The meat was all cooked perfectly, even my husband’s steak that was ordered medium rare. (This can be challenging to do when the meat is chopped up like it is at these restaurants). We also liked the miso soup and the standard salad with ginger dressing.
  
• Our chef was friendly and enjoyable. He did the usual Japanese steakhouse little tricks, which are always cute.
  
• One dessert choice was described as, “A selection of delicately sliced exotic fruit”. This consisted of a strawberry, pineapple slice, cantaloupe slice, and a piece of kiwi. All at the table got a kick out of their idea of “exotic fruit”.
  
• We would definitely return to this restaurant in the future.
  

Cagney’s

 

• Our favorite food was Cagney’s. You can sit on the waterfront, or at the stern of the ship with a view of the water behind. If seated on the inside edge of the restaurant, you can open the curtains and look down upon Tropicana Room and watch the dancers or band. It’s a super location. I had crab salad (like chicken salad but with crab. Some have called it a crab cake, but not even close) and the Cagney’s sliders appetizer which were good (VERY rare with soggy buns), but way too filling as an appetizer – I think I ate half of one (they serve 2 of them). My husband had the split pea soup and lettuce wedge. We each had filets and shared au gratin potatoes, sautéed mushrooms, broccoli, and Cagney’s fries. The filets were cooked perfectly. I ordered mine with garlic butter. My husband ordered his “gorgonzola crusted”, which means he was given a regular filet with a little cup of gorgonzola on his plate. (Whatever, it was delicious.) We loved the au gratin potatoes. The mushrooms tasted fine, but they were sliced and not whole. The fries were fries – despite all the raves I’ve read here, I didn’t find anything special. They were just fries. We liked them, but each only ate a couple since we had way too much food. The server noticed us enjoying the au gratin potatoes, and he brought out 2 more dishes of them without us asking!
  
• The server was friendly, but he did nothing to explain the menu, offer suggestions, or anything. When we had questions, he’d offer just one word answers while looking a different direction. I have no clue what his issue was. It didn’t have any affect on our meal one way or the other, but I thought I’d mention it. Once we finished dessert (Oreo cheesecake – delicious!!), we sat another 30 minutes waiting for him to come back to give us the check for our drinks, and give my husband his card back.
  
• I also want to mention for the kid haters out there... The table beside us was a large round table that held 5 children probably between the ages of 4 and 10. Their adults were seated elsewhere. Despite the balloon animals scattered on the floor in the walkways and lots of noise and climbing around on chairs, they were very well behaved. I only mentioned it because I know some grumps who would probably not be happy about the presence of kids in what they deem a fine dining establishment.
  
• That brings me to this: I think Cagney’s has a bit of an identity struggle. Are they a steakhouse or are they a fine dining restaurant? The servers and décor makes me think they are going for fine dining, yet long pants aren’t required (as they are in Tropicana Room and Le Bistro), and fries are served in red and white checked paper. I think I’d like this even better if they stopped trying to act fancy and just went with the true steakhouse attitude. (Just my opinion). Most of the best steaks I’ve had in my life were at places that didn’t try to be fancy and just focused on grilling meats.
  
• We dined here at 8:00 PM on Wednesday, the restaurant looked about 2/3 full at the most.
  
• We would definitely return to this restaurant in the future.
  

Tropicana Room

 

• Next to Cagney’s, this was my favorite place to dine of all on the ship. If I didn’t have the UDP, we would have eaten here often. The food was terrific, and the service was quick and outstanding.
  
• We dined on Thursday evening when the Burn the Floor dancers were performing. The performance was at 6:00pm, and the restaurant was scheduled to open at 5:30. We arrived at about 5:15, and there was already a bit of a line. We waited and they opened the doors early for seating. We were able to get right beside the dance floor. The show was wonderful! Once the dancers finished, the band began to play and patrons danced away. We looked up and saw diners at Moderno above us watching and enjoying the activities below. This giant restaurant has views of the water all around, entertainment, and delicious MDR food for no additional cost. It was truly a wonderful experience I would highly recommend.
  
• Although this was our only visit to a MDR, we checked out the menus nearly every day and often considered cancelling out specialty reservations in lieu of the MDR choices. Like I said before, if we didn’t have free UDP, we never would have paid for those over this. I’m all about atmosphere, and this place definitely has it.
  

Le Bistro

 

• This was our final specialty restaurant. Our reservation was for Friday (following Nassau) at 8:30 pm. The restaurant was full. In hindsight we wish we had booked this earlier in the week and booked a restaurant with a view for the final night.
  
• I did not like the location of this restaurant at all. Unlike all the other specialty restaurants, this one has no view of the water whatsoever – like they want you to forget you are on a ship, which seems weird to me. The tables are packed in very tightly, so you are involved in the conversations of everyone around you.
  
• We tried to eat everything (not really, but I wish). I had the mushroom soup, which was divine. We also had the mussels, scallops, and escargot. The broth in which the mussels are served was delicious, and it was definitely our favorite of the appetizers, although the others were also good. The scallops were fully cooked, but had no color on the outside, which would be perfectly cooked. They were tasty though. The escargot was the same as any other we’ve had. Nothing special, but very good.
  
• We both ordered the beef filet, and we both loved it. It was much more tender than that at Cagney’s (which we also loved!). It was cooked perfectly medium rare, as I had ordered. My husbands was about half medium and half medium-rare, which he had ordered, but certainly not worth complaining. We also loved the potatoes that were served with the steaks. It was truly a delicious meal, just not my favorite simply because I didn’t like the atmosphere, but I would definitely return again for the food.
  
• We skipped dessert, like usual. We just aren’t big dessert people.
  

Garden Buffet

 

• We ate breakfast here almost every day, and were very happy with it. There is such a huge variety. Although most things repeat at several stations, if you walk the entire way around both sides, you can always find something a bit different in a couple spots. If there is a long line for an omelet, move to the next station. We generally ate breakfast around 7 or 8 AM, and it was never crowded at that time. I found the selection to be fantastic and the variety was great. On the first morning I asked a server who was clearing my table where the drink station was, and she couldn’t tell me. I found that odd, but no big deal because I was easily able to find it myself once I got up and looked.
  
• My son ate lunch here nearly every day, and I think my husband and I did twice. The food was really good, and of course there was a giant selection. Again I’d say to walk around the entire thing because you will always find something different despite lots of repeated items at the various stations. We never had a problem with food temperature.
  
• SEAFOOD NIGHT: This was a total disaster. We showed up around 5:30 which was when about 3500 other passengers also decided to go. The lobster tail pieces you are given were the size of my pinky finger and the lines were gigantic. My son waited for 10 full minutes, only to be told by a grumpy old geezer, “You aren’t allowed to be here”. He didn’t know what to think, so he left the line and came to the table to find us, completely defeated. I waited in another line with him to fight off any nasty greedy old mean men. I also saw some good looking shrimp skewers on some plates, but when I located them, there was also a giant line waiting for those. It was difficult to see what else was on the buffet due to the long lines of people waiting for lobster which blocked access and views of the other dishes. I did try a slice of seafood pizza which was delicious! We headed out of there quickly and decided to hit La Cucina later.
  

Flamingo Grill

 

• This is without a doubt our favorite place for lunch on the ship. We LOVED the food, which had a bit of different variety every day, all with a Latin flair. There was some sore of ethnic meatballs that I could have eaten every meal. I also loved the pulled pork, empanadas, stuffed potato ball things, etc. It was all good. On embarkation day, it was not crowded at all compared to O’Sheehan’s and the Garden Buffet. It’s such a great view and location.
  
• We went to Flamingo Grill one time for breakfast. I got a sandwich that was kind of an egg/cheese mixture on a long roll. I was surprised to find it very cold. I don’t mean like it sat out too long, I mean like it just came out of a fridge! I couldn’t eat it, and it kind of turned me off to Flamingo Grill breakfast. The variety was way better in the Garden Buffet, so we just stuck with that. Had we been there when Garden Buffet was crowded, we might have tried Flamingo Grill again for breakfast, but we never had that problem.
  

O’Sheehan’s

 

• In researching the ship, we had intended on spending lots of time here, but it didn’t turn out that way simply because of other priorities. We ordered lunch just one time, and had breakfast just once. We had the spinach artichoke dip, which was some of the worst we have ever had. It had basically no flavor at all, and the spinach was long and stringy. I ordered the hot wings, and they were not crispy, but instead were completely soggy in way too much breading and sauce. I couldn’t eat them. My husband had fish ‘n chips, which he said was “fine, nothing special”. It’s sad that my favorite part was the fact that the marinara sauce served with the mozzarella sticks was watery enough that it was easy to dip the sticks. Ha!
  
• We also ate breakfast here once and it was fine. I had an omelet, and there were half as many choices for fillings than in the buffet, and it wasn’t served as hot as in the buffet, but it was fine for a change of pace. My husband ordered the famous corned beef hash, which included eggs that were the main item on the plate, and a tiny little bit of the hash added as if it were an afterthought. The service was quick, which is what we desire for breakfast, so we can get fed and go about our day.
  

Ocean Blue on the Waterfront

 

• This was not at all what I had expected. I had thought that one would walk up, order a lobster roll, have it handed to us in a few minutes, and walk away. That’s not the way it works. You are given a number and are REQUIRED to sit at one of the tables. It was very busy when we placed our order. The worker gave me a number and told me to sit down at a table. There were no open tables. I told her that I’d just wait by the railing. She said, “No, you must be seated at a table.” I again said there aren’t any open, and she again told me that I must sit down and could not wait by the ship’s railing. This went on for a while. I was on the verge of simply plopping myself down on the deck right in front of the window, but right then a table cleared. We took that table and placed our number on it. This is where we sat for the next 20 minutes waiting for our lobster rolls. When she finally brought them, she had only one lobster roll and the calamari. We had ordered 2. She apologized for the mistake. I then watched her carry lobster rolls to several others who had ordered AFTER us while I waited 10 more minutes for her to bring the other to us that she had forgotten. (Yes, it was on the receipt).
  
• While we were in line, another man had ordered a lobster roll and wanted to take it right inside to join the rest of his family who was eating sushi. They would not allow him to do this. He pointed out how ridiculous this was being on the same ship, etc, but they refused to allow him to eat the lobster roll inside. He demanded a refund, and I don’t blame him. Interestingly, we saw another person order sushi to go, then bring it out to eat on the Ocean Blue tables with his family eating lobster rolls. So you can bring the sushi out, but don’t even think of taking a lobster roll any place other than the designated lobster roll tables. Stupid.
  
• By the way – the lobster roll was delicious, but we wouldn’t mess with it again. If they are going to require people to sit there, then they should have a hostess seating people. I’m not sure why I can’t grab a lobster roll and wander around the ocean front watching the sea while eating, but this mean little employee wasn’t having any of that. (Think, “No soup for you!!”)
  

Wasabi Sushi

 

• When we finished our lobster rolls we went inside for sushi. This was on Thursday, the final sea day, when they are open for lunch from 12 to 2:00PM. It was packed. We managed to grab 2 spots as they cleared at the sushi bar.
  
• The sushi was very good. We only ate maki – we had Spicy Tuna Roll, Dynamite Roll, Godzilla Roll, and Shrimp Tempura. The Godzilla was our favorite, but they are all fresh and tasty.
  

Overall we were very pleased with all the food choices – there are so many! We never saw more than a handful of people in Ocean Blue, although by later in the week we stopped looking (we checked out the menu and weren’t interested.) Also, early in the week the specialty restaurants always had lots of empty tables.

 

Please let me know if you have any questions. Please do NOT copy this entire post into yours, because that really makes scrolling a huge pain for others. It’s easier for everyone if you just copy the part you have a question about, or none at all.

 

By the way - here is a picture of lobster night in the buffet:

Edited June 8, 2014 by LrgPizza

[bear3412]

Great work. Your funny. :D Can't wait for more about your sailing.

 

Thanks

[SissasMomE]

Totally weird about the lobster roll. I personally didn't like them, but after we ate ours, I ordered another to bring to the pool deck for my parents to try. Wasn't a problem getting it "to go" at all.

[Jenjer]

I am glad you had a good experience at Cagney's. I was on your cruise we ate there on Thursday 6/5 our reservation was 5:30 but we didn't eat until 6:30 and the food was good but the service was the worst on the ship.

 

24 minutes before someone spoke to us. After 15 min I asked for our waiter. My food was not what I ordered and I never received my sides. I would have asked for them but no one ever checked on us, so I ate what I received after waiting and asking for my waiter again. We did have 5 different people take orders, fill water glasses, serve food it was never the same guy. It became a joke with us.

 

I wanted to complained to someone but no one was around to talk to. They could tell I was frustrated and thirsty since we ran out of water and no one filled our glasses.

 

In 10 cruises I have never ever been treated so poorly at any restaurant much less one you have to pay for. We had the UDP so we didn't refuse to pay the bill since it was zero. We did want to remove the tip but since I am not sure if that goes in a "pot" I didn't want to screw the other restaurant workers like at Le Bistro who were amazing. I did tell Le Bistro Hostess that we had horrible service at Cagney's and were happy to return to a restaurant that takes care of its customers.

 

 

Oh and you can order the Lobster and other $10 extra meals at Le Bistro for No charge with the UDP

 

I would recommend that you skip the buffet "Lobster night" It was a mess and the "lobsters" were split tails and I have seen shrimp bigger than what they served maybe 3 bites each. I am not lobster picky since I live in land locked Ohio. According to someone I met in the spa the Haven restaurant served whole Lobsters on Sunday for the Haven guests...that's a great perk

[SissasMomE]

I am glad you had a good experience at Cagney's. I was on your cruise we ate there on Thursday 6/5 our reservation was 5:30 but we didn't eat until 6:30 and the food was good but the service was the worst on the ship.

 

24 minutes before someone spoke to us. After 15 min I asked for our waiter. My food was not what I ordered and I never received my sides. I would have asked for them but no one ever checked on us, so I ate what I received after waiting and asking for my waiter again. We did have 5 different people take orders, fill water glasses, serve food it was never the same guy. It became a joke with us.

 

I wanted to complained to someone but no one was around to talk to. They could tell I was frustrated and thirsty since we ran out of water and no one filled our glasses.

 

In 10 cruises I have never ever been treated so poorly at any restaurant much less one you have to pay for. We had the UDP so we didn't refuse to pay the bill since it was zero. We did want to remove the tip but since I am not sure if that goes in a "pot" I didn't want to screw the other restaurant workers like at Le Bistro who were amazing. I did tell Le Bistro Hostess that we had horrible service at Cagney's and were happy to return to a restaurant that takes care of its customers.

 

 

Oh and you can order the Lobster and other $10 extra meals at Le Bistro for No charge with the UDP

 

I would recommend that you skip the buffet "Lobster night" It was a mess and the "lobsters" were split tails and I have seen shrimp bigger than what they served maybe 3 bites each. I am not lobster picky since I live in land locked Ohio. According to someone I met in the spa the Haven restaurant served whole Lobsters on Sunday for the Haven guests...that's a great perk

 

That's a shame about Cagney's. I wonder if they are overwhelmed with the UDP? Regardless, it's unacceptable to treat someone like that.

 

The lobster tails are split in half. You really can't get there at "dinner time" and expect not to have a line. Not saying you did - just speaking in general. Lobster isn't a big deal for us as we eat it often. My parents wanted to go to the buffet for some tails before dinner, so we did. It wasn't bad. There were two different areas to get the lobster. We went to the one in the back, and had no line to speak of. I'm not a fan of ship buffets, and I agree with you - skip it!

[roger001]

I've got to agree with you on La Cucina. I normally really like those restaurants. But your experience with the food was almost identical to ours, especially the bruschetta. It was like stale bread, lightly toasted...or warmed...with an afterthought of something sprinkled across them. Otherwise, we liked Le Bistro and Moderno (although I'm not really a meat eater in that quantity). We also thought the MDR, buffet, and Flamingo were very good. We followed some advice from a previous post on here and on seafood night in the buffet, didn't go until after a show...about 8:30. No crowd at all then and easy access to all you wanted.

[KweezyCruiser]

Totally weird about the lobster roll. I personally didn't like them, but after we ate ours, I ordered another to bring to the pool deck for my parents to try. Wasn't a problem getting it "to go" at all.

 

Me, too. I'm pretty sure that they even covered it with plastic wrap for me. Hhhmmmm. This kind of inconsistency is really a problem. It certainly generates much CC debate since we don't all have the same experience, even in things that are not subject to individual perception. One person might like the lobster roll and another might find it vile, but they both should have been able to get it to go.

[ColinIllinois]

Enjoyable and realistic food review. Well done. I always find it funny when people rave about chicken wings on this forum. Folks......it's just chicken wings. lol

[SissasMomE]

Me, too. I'm pretty sure that they even covered it with plastic wrap for me. Hhhmmmm. This kind of inconsistency is really a problem. It certainly generates much CC debate since we don't all have the same experience, even in things that are not subject to individual perception. One person might like the lobster roll and another might find it vile, but they both should have been able to get it to go.

 

They used a second plate to cover it for me so I could walk w/out dropping it. I wonder what the issue was with eating it somewhere else? That just makes no sense at all.

[LrgPizza]

I would recommend that you skip the buffet "Lobster night" It was a mess and the "lobsters" were split tails and I have seen shrimp bigger than what they served maybe 3 bites each. I am not lobster picky since I live in land locked Ohio. According to someone I met in the spa the Haven restaurant served whole Lobsters on Sunday for the Haven guests...that's a great perk

The lobster tails are split in half. You really can't get there at "dinner time" and expect not to have a line. Not saying you did - just speaking in general. Lobster isn't a big deal for us as we eat it often. My parents wanted to go to the buffet for some tails before dinner, so we did. It wasn't bad. There were two different areas to get the lobster. We went to the one in the back, and had no line to speak of. I'm not a fan of ship buffets, and I agree with you - skip it!

 

I agree - Skip it! We only went then with my son who was excited about the lobster, and he had to go between 5 & 7, when the kids club was closed. (Because he refused to miss an open minute of the kids club). This also happened to be when it was most crowded. We didn't plan to eat there ourselves since we had La Cucina reservations for later (which was disgusting), but I couldn't resist grabbing that slice of seafood pizza.

[LrgPizza]

Re: the lobster rolls... I didn't specify "to go" when I ordered, because I had assumed they were ALL basically served to go, then one could pick a table if they chose. I just figure window service means you are handed your food through the window and go about your business. I mean, at the gelato place they didn't yell at us that taking a seat was mandatory. It was so bizarre. I really think it was just this one worker who was kind of confused. She was so frazzled and upset when I didn't immediately sit. It was weird.

[meatball_nyc]

Thanks for the nice food review.

Enjoyed reading it very much.

What place on the ship was your favorite for hanging outside by the ocean on sea days?

Which islands did you visit?

How did you like your butler (kidding people!!!!!) ?

Happy Sailing!!

 

 

 

~Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

[Medtech2]

Me, too. I'm pretty sure that they even covered it with plastic wrap for me. Hhhmmmm. This kind of inconsistency is really a problem. It certainly generates much CC debate since we don't all have the same experience, even in things that are not subject to individual perception. One person might like the lobster roll and another might find it vile, but they both should have been able to get it to go.

That is why I tend to write a note to the HD at the end of a cruise detailing what I liked and what needed attention. If they don't know about inconsistencies they can't be addressed. I am always sure to add what is good, though, and give a shout out for anyone who goes above and beyond service-wise.

 

Quite honestly I don't know if they appreciate my notes or not, or even what people on here may think of the practice, but I work in a very pro-active environment and all 5000 employees are encouraged to make comments and suggestions. Any business that hopes to be competitive needs feedback, from my hospital system to a cruise company. And since I happen to really like Norwegian I'd like to see it prosper.

[LrgPizza]

Thanks for the nice food review.

Enjoyed reading it very much.

What place on the ship was your favorite for hanging outside by the ocean on sea days?

Which islands did you visit?

How did you like your butler (kidding people!!!!!) ?

Happy Sailing!!

 

 

 

~Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

 

On sea days I would lie in the sun early in the day just kind of wherever. Generally after lunch time (around noonish), we'd move to the bar at Spice H2O and hang with new friends we'd met on board. Raymund was the bartender there and he was fantastic! The one day we hung near the main pool and watched one of the cheeseball contests in which young adults craving adulation (I mean damn kids trying to have fun) throw their dignity overboard to the cheers of the crowd. (Don't let me fool you, if I was young I'd do it.)

 

I wrote some random ramblings about my cruise in this thread. I don't plan to do a giant review.

 

We rented a car at St. Maarten and explored the entire island all over. It was amazing to be on our own like that where we could avoid crowds and schedules. We were back on the ship by 3:00.

 

At St. Thomas we did the Captain Nautica snorkling excursion through the cruise line. We all really enjoyed it, and were back to the ship by noon. We've spent a lot of time vacationing on this island in the past, so we didn't feel the need to explore any further this trip, so we spent the afternoon on board.

 

At Nassau my husband and son did an introduction to SCUBA diving excursion through NCL. My husband is certified, but my DS11 had never scuba'd before and he loved it! I didn't want to watch my only child sink below the surface of the vast ocean, so I elected to wander the town drinking. I planted myself at a place called Conch Fritters Bar & Grill which has lightning fast free wifi. It was a National Holiday on Nassau, so there was a big parade in the steet, and early in the afternoon most stores were closed, although several opened later.

Edited June 8, 2014 by LrgPizza

[Sauer-kraut]

Please do NOT copy this entire post into yours, because that really makes scrolling a huge pain for others. It’s easier for everyone if you just copy the part you have a question about, or none at all.

 

This!!!

(Have you ever had to scroll down below a posted quote that contained 6 pictures and paragraph upon paragraph.....what is the point one was trying to point out? :D)

[LrgPizza]

I am glad you had a good experience at Cagney's. I was on your cruise we ate there on Thursday 6/5 our reservation was 5:30 but we didn't eat until 6:30 and the food was good but the service was the worst on the ship.

 

24 minutes before someone spoke to us. After 15 min I asked for our waiter. My food was not what I ordered and I never received my sides. I would have asked for them but no one ever checked on us, so I ate what I received after waiting and asking for my waiter again. We did have 5 different people take orders, fill water glasses, serve food it was never the same guy. It became a joke with us.

 

I wanted to complained to someone but no one was around to talk to. They could tell I was frustrated and thirsty since we ran out of water and no one filled our glasses.

 

In 10 cruises I have never ever been treated so poorly at any restaurant much less one you have to pay for. We had the UDP so we didn't refuse to pay the bill since it was zero. We did want to remove the tip but since I am not sure if that goes in a "pot" I didn't want to screw the other restaurant workers like at Le Bistro who were amazing. I did tell Le Bistro Hostess that we had horrible service at Cagney's and were happy to return to a restaurant that takes care of its customers.

My husband just reminded me that our server's name was Scott. Did you have Scott? He just seemed like he wanted to be anywhere rather than there, and like he was bothered to have to wait on people. It was mostly an attitude thing with him. Our assistant server was named Mylene and she was an absolute sweetie who chatted with us and took care of most of our needs.

 

We did not tip any extra, especially after having to sit there so long after we were finished to wait on our check.

[punkincc]

Thanks for the report!

 

So, it appears from your experience that the UDP has not resulted in restaurants overflowing with diners and no availability for those of us who do not like to plan in advance? There were many who predicted that reservations would be a must, else you would be shut out for the entire week!

 

I agree with the poster who recommended hitting the lobster night buffet later in the evening. When we were on the Getaway in February, we hit Taste or Savor early for a light meal, went to a show and then hit the buffet for lobster and dessert. No lines at all. They still had plenty of shrimp and lobster. And, they were quite large and tasty, and I have seen others on CC say the same. It may be hit or miss based on availability. For anyone who has a cruise coming up, I would not write off the lobster based on the reports from one week only. Check it out for yourself.

 

We had wonderful service once we got inside Cagneys, but the hostess seemed to have a problem. We were a little early, no one else was in the area. I approached her podium just to check in and tell her we were there and ready when they were. She curtly told me to be seated and she would be with me. She apparently was so busy she could not even quickly take our name. No smile, no welcome, no eye contact. Then she ignored us till past or reservation time although we were seated right next to her station. The restaurant was half empty. Finally went back up there to remind her and were then seated, but she definitely had a chilly demeanor.

Edited June 8, 2014 by punkincc

[destaw7182]

Love the "Lobster night" pic :D Nice review!

[LrgPizza]

Love the "Lobster night" pic :D Nice review!

That picture is what I thought of! Of course, that picture is much more orderly than the lobster line. And no one in the picture would've kicked a kid out of line like that mean ol' man did to my son. Dude didn't want to potentially miss out on some tail! LOL

[McDebbie]

Thanks for the dining review. We had already decided not to get it because we get 2 free dinners in Le Bistro but the tip about the Tropicana Room is good.

 

Oh, and we love Conch Fritters in Nassau. I do not beleive they had free wifi when we were last there but I don't think we checked for it. Good to know.

[LrgPizza]

Thanks for the dining review. We had already decided not to get it because we get 2 free dinners in Le Bistro but the tip about the Tropicana Room is good.

 

Oh, and we love Conch Fritters in Nassau. I do not beleive they had free wifi when we were last there but I don't think we checked for it. Good to know.

You have to ask for the password, but they will give it to you if you are a customer. It was as fast as my internet at home! I had gone there to check in for my flight the next day. The conch fritters were delicious!

[UFMOM]

Thank you for the dining review. Love the lobster line pix. I have read just too many bad reviews of La Cucina and yours was the straw so to speak. Called and changed our La Cucina reservation to Le Bistro. We have the UDP and were going to try each restaurant, but will now be going to Le Bistro twice and I am sure we will be the better for it. Gotta love Cruise Critic.

 

Mary Ann

[dockrocker]

Please do NOT copy this entire post into yours, because that really makes scrolling a huge pain for others. It’s easier for everyone if you just copy the part you have a question about, or none at all.

 

Bless you. ;)

[david_sobe]

Great job!

We are alike. La Cucina is also my least favorite specialty restaurant. I think food in the MDR is the same if not better.

[LrgPizza]

Great job!

We are alike. La Cucina is also my least favorite specialty restaurant. I think food in the MDR is the same if not better.

 

Definitely! The night we ate in the MDR I had some sort of pasta (I can't remember exactly), but it was delicious.

 

David, I notice you are from Miami... Are you familiar with the bike thing called Critical Mass that happens the last Friday of every month in Miami?