SMKK22 Posted May 30, 2016 #1 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Hi, Our original plan was to dine at Le Bistro one night and if it was good go again and pay the additional $20 cover. But, I see as of January of 2016 Cagney's and Le Bistro have become a la carte and therefore much more costly. Am I reading this right? Im trying to figure out costs and if Le Bistro is truly a la carte then it may be more cost effective to just to buy the SDP and eat at Cagney's as well. Any tips or insights would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! Susie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLH Arizona Posted May 30, 2016 #2 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Here is the a la carte menu from the Escape for Le Bistro and Cagney's, not sure if it will be the same as the Sky's, but will give you an idea of the costs and that way you can better determine what is best for you. http://www.beyondships2.com/uploads/8/2/4/5/8245255/30965_le_bistro_dinner_menu_escape.pdf http://www.beyondships2.com/uploads/8/2/4/5/8245255/30967_cagneys_escape_dinner_menu.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BirdTravels Posted May 30, 2016 #3 Share Posted May 30, 2016 (edited) Im trying to figure out costs and if Le Bistro is truly a la carte then it may be more cost effective to just to buy the SDP and eat at Cagney's as well. It would be more cost effective to have an SDP with the a la carte menus. When you do your analysis, remember that NCL will add 18% gratuity to the price of the SDP you see advertised. For that matter, they will add 18% gratuity to the cost of each menu item at the Specialty Restaurants too. Edited May 30, 2016 by BirdTravels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nolatravelgirl Posted May 31, 2016 #4 Share Posted May 31, 2016 It would be more cost effective to have an SDP with the a la carte menus. When you do your analysis, remember that NCL will add 18% gratuity to the price of the SDP you see advertised. For that matter, they will add 18% gratuity to the cost of each menu item at the Specialty Restaurants too. Agree that the SDP is really worth it, especially on the Sky. I just got off the Sky and the food in the buffet looked really bad. The MDR seemed more limited in selection than other NCL cruises that I have taken. The SDP for the 3-day was $82 and well worth it. They gave us the a la carte bill and we definitely made out better. I don't think I would eat at the Italian restaurant as it doesn't seem worth it, but LeBistro and Cagney's were worth it. We did two dinners at Cagney's and one at Le Bistro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diane123boys Posted May 31, 2016 #5 Share Posted May 31, 2016 "They gave us the a la carte bill and we definitely made out better." Ok I thought I had all of the ala carte vs SDP down but now I am confused again :( I understood that EVERYTHING on the alacarte menus was "included" - no extra entrees - but sides and apps as many as you would like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nolatravelgirl Posted May 31, 2016 #6 Share Posted May 31, 2016 "They gave us the a la carte bill and we definitely made out better." Ok I thought I had all of the ala carte vs SDP down but now I am confused again :( I understood that EVERYTHING on the alacarte menus was "included" - no extra entrees - but sides and apps as many as you would like. What I meant was they gave us the bill that showed us what the bill would have been had we paid out of pocket. We did not have to pay that amount. There is also a line for a tip, so this is where you would add in any additional tip you would like to provide. Tip what you want or don't want. We added additional tip because the waiters were really good and having eaten at Cagney's and Le Bistro on other ships I thought the servers here were better than the others. Yes you could order as many apps and sides as you wish, though we were not gluttonous and did not order everything on the menu. ;) We each ordered an appetizers and ordered three sides to split between the two of us. We were so full after Cagney's that we also just split a dessert. We didn't have to split anything but I don't believe in wasting food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMKK22 Posted June 3, 2016 Author #7 Share Posted June 3, 2016 Thank you all! SDP is secured! We have reservations twice for Le Bistro and once at Cagney's! Yay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarbleAngel Posted June 5, 2016 #8 Share Posted June 5, 2016 Agree that the SDP is really worth it, especially on the Sky. I just got off the Sky and the food in the buffet looked really bad. The MDR seemed more limited in selection than other NCL cruises that I have taken. The SDP for the 3-day was $82 and well worth it. They gave us the a la carte bill and we definitely made out better. I don't think I would eat at the Italian restaurant as it doesn't seem worth it, but LeBistro and Cagney's were worth it. We did two dinners at Cagney's and one at Le Bistro. Thank you nolatravelgirl! I needed more information about the Single Dining Packages (SDPs) or just stick with the Main Dining Room (MDR). My husband and I enjoy French cuisine so plan on booking the SDPs. MarbleAngel:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goosemay Posted July 19, 2016 #9 Share Posted July 19, 2016 The last time I sailed we were simply charged an extra fee pp to dine at Le Bistro. I am unfamiliar with the a la carte "option"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BirdTravels Posted July 19, 2016 #10 Share Posted July 19, 2016 (edited) The last time I sailed we were simply charged an extra fee pp to dine at Le Bistro. I am unfamiliar with the a la carte "option"? Not an "option". NCL changed specialty restaurants to a la carte menus earlier this year. Just like going to a restaurant at home, you get a menu and each item is separately priced (Italian, French, Steakhouse). You pay based on what you order. There are still a few fixed fee options including Monderno which is an all you can eat Brazilian BBQ and Teppanyaki which has a fixed menu. Edited July 19, 2016 by BirdTravels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nolatravelgirl Posted July 21, 2016 #11 Share Posted July 21, 2016 The last time I sailed we were simply charged an extra fee pp to dine at Le Bistro. I am unfamiliar with the a la carte "option"? In the past you could make a single reservation for a specialty dining restaurant and pay the fixed fee for the dinner. Now if you just make a single reservation then you pay the a la carte price for each item in your meal. The only way to now pay a fixed fee is to buy some sort of "Specialty Dining Package" which as sold in bundles of 3, 4, 7 etc meals plans. With the SDP you may order whatever you wish regardless of price. My guess is in the future they are going to start restricting the number of apps and desserts you can order which is similar to the limitation on number entrees since some people always try to scam the system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfantum Posted July 21, 2016 #12 Share Posted July 21, 2016 Not an "option". NCL changed specialty restaurants to a la carte menus earlier this year. Just like going to a restaurant at home, you get a menu and each item is separately priced (Italian, French, Steakhouse). You pay based on what you order. There are still a few fixed fee options including Monderno which is an all you can eat Brazilian BBQ and Teppanyaki which has a fixed menu. There is no Moderno or Teppanyaki on the Sky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falkensmaze Posted July 23, 2016 #13 Share Posted July 23, 2016 Clear this up for me please:confused: , we have the SDP we will use it at Cagneys and Le Bistro for sure, will we still pay the 18% gratuities? Or was it included? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nolatravelgirl Posted July 25, 2016 #14 Share Posted July 25, 2016 Clear this up for me please:confused: , we have the SDP we will use it at Cagneys and Le Bistro for sure, will we still pay the 18% gratuities? Or was it included?I am going to assume you booked the 3 Meal SDP which currently is $69. When you purchase the package you will be charged 81.42 which is $69 plus 18% gratuity. At the end of your meal you will be presented with a slip showing what the a la carte menu prices would have been but you do not pay the a la carte prices. If you wish, you may add on an additional gratuity at that time. I personally thought the SDP was a bargain and the servers were excellent so added additional gratuity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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