Dining? I don't think I get it!

[Charlestongirl]

I see some older threads on dining but I don't know if they quite answer my questions.

 

I've gone on RCCL before, just once. We were going to go on them for our second cruise, but we needed to save money so we are thinking about going with NCL because there is a ship that leaves from where we live! It's cheaper all around, we would save so much money.

 

I see that there are some restaurants you have to pay for your dinner, as opposed to RCCL where we dined nightly with no additional cost. Are the other restaurants on NCL where you don't pay not as good? We really enjoyed the food on RCCL, so I was wondering, the only way to get food of that caliber with NCL is to pay fextra for it? I am concerned that we'll get stuck with only cheapy-like cold buffets if we don't go to the more expensive ones.

[mbisson]

My 2 favorite cruise lines are NCL and RCCL. There is at least 1 main dining room on every NCL ship, 2 on all I've been on, and in my opinion, the food in them is quite comparable to the food in the dining rooms on Royal Caribbean. I don't think you'll have a problem. There are 5 recent posting that show photos of the menus on board, take a look at them. The menus such as "Bon Voyage", "Captains Menu" "Chefs Menu" (and a couple others whose names elude me at present) are from the main dining rooms, and I bet they'll make your mouth water. ;) . Oh, and you'll find a buffet on board as well, which isn't that bad for breakfast, but we usually eat all our meals in one of the main dining rooms.

 

BTW-Many of the Royal Caribbean ships now have optional, addition pay dining rooms as well.

 

-Monte

[electricron]

I see some older threads on dining but I don't know if they quite answer my questions.

 

I've gone on RCCL before, just once. We were going to go on them for our second cruise, but we needed to save money so we are thinking about going with NCL because there is a ship that leaves from where we live! It's cheaper all around, we would save so much money.

 

I see that there are some restaurants you have to pay for your dinner, as opposed to RCCL where we dined nightly with no additional cost. Are the other restaurants on NCL where you don't pay not as good? We really enjoyed the food on RCCL, so I was wondering, the only way to get food of that caliber with NCL is to pay fextra for it? I am concerned that we'll get stuck with only cheapy-like cold buffets if we don't go to the more expensive ones.

 

R E L A X !

NCL has free buffets and main restaurants on every ship.

To see their menus, look at my NCL Menu posts 1 through 5.

The free main restaurant menus start on post 3 and continue through post 5.

The service fee speciality restaurants are on post 1 through 3.

 

There are up to 10 restaurants on NCL cruise ships, at least 3 and up to 6 restaurants are free.

[Charlestongirl]

Thanks guys! I just found the menu postings. Before I posted this I only could find the menus with prices. I am familiarizing myself with the dining options. Looks good.

[mbisson]

Looks good.

 

Not to me. "looks G-R-E-A-T" ;) You won't go hungry

[Bberry]

Hi,

 

Scroll down the NCL boards and take a look at the menus in the main dining rooms (posted by ELECTRICON). The main restaurants are the menus with descriptions like GALA, PRESIDENT'S, BON VOYAGE, FAREWELL. These are all menus for the main dining rooms on the Majesty (out of Charleston). The food is reported to be very good in the main dining rooms on the Majesty. Those two dining rooms are called the Four Seasons and The Seven Seas...they have the same menus but one is located at the back of the ship and is larger and the other is midship and considerably smaller. I can't comment on the food myself, we are sailing next week on the Majesty out of Charleston though. I will post my opinion on the food when we get back. The only pay restaurant on the Majesty is Le Bistro which is a french bistro type restaurant. There is a flat rate charge there per person. I think it is about $15 -$20 per person depending on whether or not you get lobster along with your meal. There is also a pasta restaurant that you do not pay extra for...but I think you might need to make reservations since it is small and seating is limited. I read that if you don't keep the reservation they charge your ship account $5 for not canceling.

 

Hope this helps. Got any ideas for a place to eat In Charleston the night before we sail? Believe it or not I am one of those who doesn't eat seafood. We are staying in Mt. Pleasant.:)

[Charlestongirl]

I don't eat seafood either! Maybe shrimp at the Japanese Steakhouse but that's it.

Anyway, I don't dine in Mt Pleasant but most of the places known to be really good there serve a lot of seafood. I would probably suggest Gilligan's as I know they have other things like chicken, pasta, and steaks. Morgan Creek Grill serves steaks too, and it's on the Isle of Palms Marina and they have great views as well as live entertainment.

I've heard lots of good things about the Old Village Post House and Red's Ice House, but I don't know if they have much else besides seafood.

[BoscoBreaux]

Freestyle just means you aren't locked into 6:30 or 8:30 dining times at the same table in the same dining room every night. That is all it means. Technically, NCL could offer just one dining room and no set times, and call it "Freestyle."

"Freestyle" has nothing to do with food quality, service fees,, etc., but NCL merges the "Freestyle" concept with specialty restaurants, a concept that is found on virtually every cruise ship nowadays. Hence, the confusion.

 

Here is what you have on NCL ships:

1) Dining rooms with menus that change every day like more traditional dining rooms on a cruise (perhaps 3 on a ship). The food here is as good as you'd find on RCCL, HAL, etc.

2) Specialty restaurants that do not charge a fee. For all intents and purposes, these are just dining rooms that have the same menu every day, and usually are themed (Asian, Mexican, etc.)

3) Specialty restaurants that charge a fee. For all intents and purpose, these are dining rooms that have the same menu every day like above, but for whatever reason NCL thinks they are worthy of an extra fee--in some cases the dining rooms are smaller, in some cases they have Monets, in some cases there is the notion that if you serve really good steak you should be compensated more. Whatever.

 

It is a matter of opinion, of course, but I didn't detect any difference in food quality between the "specialty restaurants." Some of the best meals I have had were in the "main dining rooms" and the worst I had was in a pay restaurant.

 

In sum, don't assume because the cruise is cheaper, or is Freestyle, that there are extra precautions you need to take to avoid a bad experience. I have found NCL's food to be every bit as good as any other cruise line.

 

 

I see some older threads on dining but I don't know if they quite answer my questions.

 

I've gone on RCCL before, just once. We were going to go on them for our second cruise, but we needed to save money so we are thinking about going with NCL because there is a ship that leaves from where we live! It's cheaper all around, we would save so much money.

 

I see that there are some restaurants you have to pay for your dinner, as opposed to RCCL where we dined nightly with no additional cost. Are the other restaurants on NCL where you don't pay not as good? We really enjoyed the food on RCCL, so I was wondering, the only way to get food of that caliber with NCL is to pay fextra for it? I am concerned that we'll get stuck with only cheapy-like cold buffets if we don't go to the more expensive ones.

[teltrainer]

Hi! for a great waterfront view and a restaurant with non-seafood and seafood items, we enjoy "Vickery's" at Shem Creek which is very near Mt. Pleasant. We've eaten there often and have enjoyed eating out on the back deck with a view of the shrimp boats docked and marsh. Service is friendly and if not dining outside, ask for a table/booth along the windows inside.

 

Go to: http://www.vickerysbarandgrill.com/index_2.html?menu_main and you can see the menu.

 

It is best known for the seafood given the location but we've enjoyed everything we've eaten there including the best Cuban sandwiches with skin on fries for lunch.

 

Enjoy!