Thoughts on NCL MDR food?

[DreamingBig1]

We have 2 NCL cruises booked and are excited to be trying NCL for the first time.

 

I read a post on another CC forum where many posters said that NCL's MDR food was not good and below that of RCI, Carnival, and Celebrity.

 

I know that the better food is in the specialty restaurants, but is the MDR food really that poor?

 

I have seen pictures and watched videos and it looks like food that we have had with RCI, Disney and Celebrity.

[swedish weave]

I have made over 40 cruises on NCL and have never had a meal I would consider bad. In fact, I consider most of them very good.

 

One thing to keep in mind is if you get a meal that doesn't suit your tastes, they will do everything possible to bring you something that you do like.

[drvalo]

I have made over 40 cruises on NCL and have never had a meal I would consider bad. In fact, I consider most of them very good.

 

One thing to keep in mind is if you get a meal that doesn't suit your tastes, they will do everything possible to bring you something that you do like.

 

Even if they see you not eating your meal, they will offer to bring something else.

 

Food is very subjective so no one here will be able to tell you if you will like the meals served in the MDR. While we have, from time to time, had a meal not to our liking, it was a matter of our taste and not usually the over all quality of the food. But, honestly, you will not know unless you try it for yourself. We have most always found something good to eat.

 

If you are a true foodie, then you might be disappointed. Keep in mind they are cooking for thousands.

[jackson bernard]

We have 2 NCL cruises booked and are excited to be trying NCL for the first time.

 

 

 

I read a post on another CC forum where many posters said that NCL's MDR food was not good and below that of RCI, Carnival, and Celebrity.

 

 

 

I know that the better food is in the specialty restaurants, but is the MDR food really that poor?

 

 

 

I have seen pictures and watched videos and it looks like food that we have had with RCI, Disney and Celebrity.

 

 

I think their mdr food is like the food you would get at an average wedding reception. The specialty dining is a little better.

 

Either way. We never went hungry on any cruise ship.

[garnet115]

I liked my meals on Breakaway far more than any MDR meals I ever had on Princess or HAL. I think the new MDR menus are pretty good, with lots of choices.

[sixesandeights]

We have 2 NCL cruises booked and are excited to be trying NCL for the first time.

 

I read a post on another CC forum where many posters said that NCL's MDR food was not good and below that of RCI, Carnival, and Celebrity.

 

I know that the better food is in the specialty restaurants, but is the MDR food really that poor?

 

I have seen pictures and watched videos and it looks like food that we have had with RCI, Disney and Celebrity.

 

My wife and I did one Carnival and thought the food the entire time was TERRIBLE. Nothing on the menu came out resembling what was described at all. If you like Carnival food then NCL will be amazing in comparison. Also the Buffet on NCL has always been our favorite of the mass lines. As far as comparison to RCCL they are similar. I will say the MDR service is very slow on NCL and is the biggest knock against them IMHO. I am not sure the cause of this, but dinner service takes much longer on NCL then other lines.

 

6&8

[Boat Drinks56]

sorry..first time cruiser..what is "MDR" food?

[ColinIllinois]

sorry..first time cruiser..what is "MDR" food?

 

 

"Main Dining Room"

[tonythewop]

I just got off the Breakaway and found the MDR food to be very good and much better than my last Norwegian cruise on the Gem back in 2008.

[NJ Johnny]

Even though we love the Specialty Restaurants, I don't think we have ever had a disappointing meal or had bad service in any of the MDRs on our NCL cruises. We enjoy experiencing both types. We never go to the buffet for dinner as we like to relax over a served meal in a lovely dining room either Specialty or Main Dining Room.

[brookie848]

Just back from the Epic and we ate in the MDR five nights.

 

What impressed us the most was not only their willingness to make adjustments to meals, but the fact that all of the requests were carried out. My husband is not a sauce/dressing person, so he often asked for that to be left out and our friend doesn't eat meat, so a few times she requested a few things not be included as well.

 

Overall, we thought the food was good. We were not expecting a 5-star restaurant and we were happy with our choices.

[DreamingBig1]

Thanks for the replies. Those are my feelings on MDR food as well. I have found that on my previous sailings that the food is on average not as good as the food at land based places.

 

What we love is the experience. Three courses is a treat. Having the ability to try so many things is also awesome.

 

We thought the food on Disney was decent but not anything to write home about. Their buffet was kind of gross.

 

RCI was good, not great. Their buffet was like any hit and miss.

 

Service on both those lines was awesome. Have to give RCI the upper hand between the two.

 

Celebrity we did not like at all. Food, or service. The buffet was not any better than RCI's even though it is supposed to be. The biggest disappointment was service. Not good. The staff just didn't seem nice. We don't expect a lot.

 

I am sure we will be happy with the offerings. Just wondering, because it seemed like every response to a post was one slam after another of NCL's food. Made it difficult to believe.

[Kingofwylietx]

I would put Disney, Princess, and NCL as all being comparable in the buffet department. In the MDR, our cruise on Princess had the best food, with Disney and NCL being equals.

 

As with any internet review, I ignore the ones that say it is the best or worst....I focus on the ones in the middle. I believe you will have people that happen to get exceptional service and people that (by bad luck or whatever) get horrible service. The same goes for products and food. You'll always have someone that got the best steak they served that night......and you'll also have someone that got the worst steak they served that night. I take it all with a grain of salt (pun intended).

 

Remember, the internet is full of people that find it to be their outlet. It's a great place to complain. Fewer will come on and share good thoughts. Then, even fewer, will come on here and discuss getting good service/food. It seems that if it's not at either end of the spectrum, little is written....which is too bad. That means we normally only hear from the most vocal 10-20%. The other 80-90% don't really have any reason to share their opinion of their experiences.

 

Wow, I've written too much. In a nutshell, the food is good. Enjoy!

[earlbird]

Food was good. Selection was " O.K." We liked the old menus better.

[mking8288]

Let me put it this way, it's far superior than what's offered daily in our "institutional" cafeteria that served a thousand plus employees daily (and, paying visitors) - and we have to pay for it ourselves.

The only speciality dining that we do on NCL is really with LeBistro b/c that's our Platinum perk, or, otherwise - feel the need to spend a little extra (OBC, of course ... being frugal) for special occassion.

MDR food & service are fine, if we are in a hurry to do something else - we tell our server team & they usually obliged ... what's rush, not going anywhere but to be pampered & enjoy living ... someone else doing the prep, cooking, cleaning & taking out the garbage. Besides, the room is freshened up & turned down, try that at home & look at one's better half :D Chocolate mints & maybe some cute towel animals.

Edited March 9, 2015 by mking8288

[Hikini]

With my DH, my parents and myself we have over 40 cruises on NCL. We have never had a meal to complain about. Yes, maybe not everything is exactly to your liking, but in general we find the MDR food to be good to very good, with an excellent thrown in here and there.

 

We generally eat in the specialty restaurants, mostly because we like the smaller, more intimate feel of the specialties, and because we are platinum members and therefore get some complimentary meals in the specialties. But if we had no access to the specialties, we wouldn't go hungry by any means at all!

 

Enjoy!

[aquarianne11]

We like the food in the Main Dining Room. If we did not like the food that we ordered, we can always get another one.

 

We also enjoy the lunch buffet and dinner on NCL.

[maywell]

Yes, it bit lower in quality than Carnival's MDR food but you're not going to starve to death. I think the buffet any time of the day on NCL is way better due to many choices. But food is subjective - for your 1st trip try the MDR and the buffet. If it seems poor to your liking then buy the Ultimate Dining plan (UDP) for your future trips.

[searoses]

I did not like the atmosphere on our 2 ncl cruises,gem and dawn, in the mdr...the reduction in crew puts a lot more work on those left.....we found it rushed and impersonal and someone mentioned steak....the steak i had in the buffet was much better than the 2 I had in the mdr....go figure....we enjoyed our le bistro meal very much....moderno was one of the best meals i've ever had on a ship...those meals were like the "old" days but things change....after all,it's just food...

[Valen9]

I read a post on another CC forum where many posters said that NCL's MDR food was not good and below that of RCI, Carnival, and Celebrity.

 

I know that the better food is in the specialty restaurants, but is the MDR food really that poor?

 

With the new menu they rolled out this past year, I think the food in the MDR is excellent. They've done a good job of creating items that taste good and that they can deliver well. Now, tastes do vary -- I'm glad to see that they'll give you a Ceasar Salad WITH the anchovies! (Try the Lamb Rogon Josh if they offer it.)

 

Food at the buffet is generally not as good but still better than your average land-based cafeteria -- and there are occasional excellent items there too.

 

I like the MDR and don't go to specialty restaurants in order to avoid it. I go there when I want something extra-special and am willing to pay for it.

[LakeWobegon]

This is very reassuring. I am new to the boards and a one time cruiser. My family booked NCL's Escape for spring break in March of next year. From some of the reviews I've read, it sounds like the food was going to be terrible. I was thinking to myself, can it really be so awful?

 

For my one and only previous cruise, my wife and I went on RCCL's Explorer of the Seas when it was brand new for our honeymoon. We loved it. I am a foodie and understand how hard it is to cook for thousands of people. So yes, you have to set your expectations. But we thought the food was good then but not James Beard or Michelin star quality. If its like a wedding reception, then I'll be happy. Ha ha.

[Solararc]

I'll admit, that I never ate in the main dining rooms until I had a child, found it less of a hassle than the buffet with so many choices and pushy people to get the kid to actually eat, my whole family enjoyed our several meals throughout the week, always hot, seasoned right, prompt, well presented. I even had a steak that was comparable (in taste, not cut) to the steakhouse onboard. Servers where always attentive and we wanted for nothing, even managed to get a window table on a packed formal night. These are my thoughts and opinions of the NCL Suns MDRs

 

 

*Living large one week at a time*

[sparkinator]

With the new menu they rolled out this past year, I think the food in the MDR is excellent. They've done a good job of creating items that taste good and that they can deliver well. Now, tastes do vary -- I'm glad to see that they'll give you a Ceasar Salad WITH the anchovies! (Try the Lamb Rogon Josh if they offer it.)

 

Food at the buffet is generally not as good but still better than your average land-based cafeteria -- and there are occasional excellent items there too.

 

I like the MDR and don't go to specialty restaurants in order to avoid it. I go there when I want something extra-special and am willing to pay for it.

 

Agree. We were just on the Dawn, and we thought the food was excellent. My daughter 11, ate the sirloin steak every night but one, and it was a nice thick steak every night. We had a reservation at Cagney's we had made the 1st day on the ship, and cancelled it after the 1st night's meal in the MDR.

[DreamingBig1]

This is very reassuring. I am new to the boards and a one time cruiser. My family booked NCL's Escape for spring break in March of next year. From some of the reviews I've read, it sounds like the food was going to be terrible. I was thinking to myself, can it really be so awful?

 

For my one and only previous cruise, my wife and I went on RCCL's Explorer of the Seas when it was brand new for our honeymoon. We loved it. I am a foodie and understand how hard it is to cook for thousands of people. So yes, you have to set your expectations. But we thought the food was good then but not James Beard or Michelin star quality. If its like a wedding reception, then I'll be happy. Ha ha.

 

As you can see from my signature, we are booked for the Escape in December 2016. For that cruise, because of how many neat specialty venues there is going to be on the Escape, I think we are going to splurge and get the dining package. For our scheduled Star cruise, I don't think we are.

[luddite]

They have upped their game and redone the menus.

It is substantially better than what was offered 1-4 years ago.