Who Loves the Complimentary Dining?

[SeaWatcher65]

How about some love for the complimentary dining? Good reviews, praise, some food photos? Sailing on NCL Escape soon and thinking about the Main Dining Room every night for dinner. Did all specialty dining last cruise but thinking I'll be just as happy with main dining (or other complimentary options). I think I would enjoy the music during dinner too.

[flipper32]

My Wife and I typically eat at Taste or Savor every night other than once or twice a cruise. I like the food and feel of the room (the way they have made a large room feel smaller). Even though the base menu is the same there are typically one or two of the specials that I like. Personally I do not find a huge difference in quality between them and specialty dining (other than Ocean Blue).

[sparks1093]

How about some love for the complimentary dining? Good reviews, praise, some food photos? Sailing on NCL Escape soon and thinking about the Main Dining Room every night for dinner. Did all specialty dining last cruise but thinking I'll be just as happy with main dining (or other complimentary options). I think I would enjoy the music during dinner too.

 

I have only eaten in a specialty once and that was more to celebrate being together than a need to have decent food. I've always been pleased with the MDR/included venues and from what I've read they are improving.

[Moby0215]

I usually find the MDRs more than acceptable. I just look at the menus for the week and decide what days if any I will go to a specialty.

 

 

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[MeHeartCruising]

Me and my crew usually eat 95% of our meals in the buffet. Occasionally we do a specialty or MDR for dinner. We're easy to please and can always find something we like in all venues.

[DwayneG]

We always eat in MDR and find that every meal it's hard to choose from the available entrees (also apps and desserts). So much so that we'll usually order multiple apps and desserts so we don't have to decide.

[numberguy]

We were on the Escape Nov 28-Dec 5, and ate six of our seven dinners in the three MDR's (two each, I think). We really enjoyed them.

 

Had one meal in Bayamo, just to try it out. It was good, but sometimes trying to "elevate" food sends the elevator above my penthouse level.

 

Really enjoyed Le Bistro on the Star in September/October 2014, but part of that was because my partner became my fiance on October 1. He's now my husband (he asked me).

 

--Michael

[dolita22]

We sailed the 3-day Escape in November and will be sailing on a 7-day next weekend. We've also sailed on the Epic and Sky. In those cruises, we've enjoyed the MDR food enough that we've never felt the need to eat in a specialty dining venue. We've considered trying a specialty venue, but just never have because the MDR food has been fine for us. We are not foodies, though, and tend to find something we like each night.

[wilmingtech]

We had UDP on our first NCL cruise and ate specialty every night. During the day we had lunch in the MDR though and thought it very good.

 

This next cruise we have coming up will be mostly MDR. I think we prefer the MDR over buffet especially on NCL as we can eat MDR whenever.

 

I am excited to see the new MDR menus. Has anyone seen the new menus for the MDR roll out on the Jewel class ships yet?

 

-Sean

[helen haywood]

We just sailed NCL for the first time ever last September on Getaway. (We're Elite Plus with Celebrity and Diamond with Royal and have also sailed HAL, Carnival, MSC and Costa.) We were really impressed with the MDR fare on Getaway! We ate all our breakfasts in Taste; we liked the smaller more intimate feel. Just about every morning there was a Chef's Recommendation that featured a sunny side up egg which was always perfect. Amazing! We also ate prime rib at O'Sheehans which was great and had several cooked to order hamburgers that were better than any other line we've sailed. I had booked a night at Cagney's because I thought we needed to do a specialty. We were underwhelmed and don't feel the need to do that again. I probably would be totally happy just eating at the complimentary restaurants on our upcoming cruise on Escape....except I really want to try Food Republic.

[drb247]

How about some love for the complimentary dining? Good reviews, praise, some food photos? Sailing on NCL Escape soon and thinking about the Main Dining Room every night for dinner. Did all specialty dining last cruise but thinking I'll be just as happy with main dining (or other complimentary options). I think I would enjoy the music during dinner too.

 

I have been on 18 NCL cruises including the Escape over Xmas.

 

The MDR food is more than acceptable. I would say 7/10. It isn't as good as the speciality restaurants (if it was why would anyone pay extra?). I thought the MDR food on the Escape was better than other NCL ships.

[Trumpster]

Acceptable is where I would rate the NCL MDR's. Some nights are better than others but that is true on all the lines we have cruised.

 

 

Overall however, NCL has not been as good as many other cruise lines.

 

Hopefully as was said they are improving.

 

You could eat at the MDR every night and be just fine.

[casofilia]

We have eaten in the MDRs almost exclusively since we came to NCL and can honestly say only 1 main in that time has been below par. Most are good, some great and a few exceptional.

 

Mike

[Capella Black]

I love complimentary dining! Admittedly, only done one night on NCL (Escape one-nighter, they served lobster!) but have always loved MDR on RCI, and am fully expecting to feel the same about NCL. Yes, some of the speciality dining options are even better, but I always seem to find something I deeply enjoy at the MDR - it may help that I'm quite simple in my preferences, and the simpler dishes often seem to be done well.

 

Photos please from anyone whose got them - love looking at it in anticipation!

Edited January 12, 2016 by Capella Black

[SeaWatcher65]

From the original poster. Thank you for sharing about the Main Dining Room. Looking forward to sailing on the Escape in 2 days. Canceled the specialty dining package. Did all specialty dining on our last cruise and enjoyed it but, for us this time, it will be easier to not be locked into a dinner reservation. More freestyle. We will still spend some money at Food Republic and Pincho Tapas Bar... and maybe even go to Bayamo. Those are thew new places we really wanted to try.

[DMH15]

Sorry. Do not like eating in large banquet halls. For me the ambience in the specialty restaurants are as much the lure as the food.

[3kidsncats]

We only ate twice in the MDR (on the Jewel, and ate at Tzars for lunch and dinner), twice in the buffet (lunch once --great Indian food, and a snack once) and once at O'Sheehans (lunch, decent). I'm sure on future cruises we will eat more in the included venues -- the food in Tzars was very good and the only reason we didn't eat there more, is we had a 7 day UDP promo.

 

I had read reviews that weren't particularly good, but I found that our meals were all quite enjoyable. Other than the one Poolside BBQ.

[xcell]

Mdr hit or miss...I'd rather eat at the buffet.. with that said I

For ncl we always purchase the sdp so I don't have to deal with 3 hour meals with rude wait staff but that's my experience....

 

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[anonmom]

Great thread, OP, thanks for posting!

 

Going on my first cruise on the Jade in 2 weeks, and I'm excited to try all of the complimentary options. I've seen the new Escape menus and, if the new Jade menus are at all similar, I will have too many choices just within the MDR! There isn't a single night's menu that doesn't have at least two appetizers, two main courses, and a dessert I'm excited to try.

 

The Jade rolled out new menus last Saturday, so I'm hoping someone on that sailing will post them for us tomorrow!!

[SquishTheWhale]

Just off the Epic and the food in the MDR was great. We are at some specialties because it was a 10 day cruise and I wanted to mix it up, but in retrospect would have been happy just eating in the MDR every night. I didn't find any rude service issues and it didn't take 3 hours to get served!

 

We also ate lunch in the MDR twice and it was excellent. My fiancé had a burger that he ranked in the top 5 burgers he's ever had. They also did a really great tomato soup for lunch.

 

If anyone wants pictures I'll be posting lots of food pics in my review thread of the Epic :D

[kapcruiser]

We just sailed NCL for the first time ever last September on Getaway. (We're Elite Plus with Celebrity and Diamond with Royal and have also sailed HAL, Carnival, MSC and Costa.) We were really impressed with the MDR fare on Getaway! We ate all our breakfasts in Taste; we liked the smaller more intimate feel. Just about every morning there was a Chef's Recommendation that featured a sunny side up egg which was always perfect. Amazing! We also ate prime rib at O'Sheehans which was great and had several cooked to order hamburgers that were better than any other line we've sailed. I had booked a night at Cagney's because I thought we needed to do a specialty. We were underwhelmed and don't feel the need to do that again. I probably would be totally happy just eating at the complimentary restaurants on our upcoming cruise on Escape....except I really want to try Food Republic.

 

Great to hear because we have cruised on rccl and carnival in the past and I am concerned about food on Norwegian.

[Minoushka]

No concerns food on NCL is as good as any other company but I do,like the specialty restaurants for meats or fish they do not offer in MDR such as seared tuna or fillet mignon or lamb chops ?

[helen haywood]

Great to hear because we have cruised on rccl and carnival in the past and I am concerned about food on Norwegian.

 

Well, NCL does have a chocolate lava cake that is similar to Carnival's Warm Chocolate Melting Cake. But I've never been on a Carnival ship with a Guy's Burgers....they are supposed to be really good. Can't compare NCL's to that, but I can say its better than Celebrity's Mast Grill and certainly the hamburgers in the Windjammer on Royal.

[gymbomb]

I have two NCL trips booked and will likely do included restaurants for every meal for the one on Star in March. In May we have the dining package so will take advantage of that. I like them all :)

 

 

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