Embarkation Day Lunch Onboard Gem

[TiiiSailor]

What are the dining options for lunch on embarkation day onboard Gem?  I hear a lot of discussion about going to the buffet, but I was wondering what other restaurants are available besides the buffet.  I attempted a search for this topic and can tell you a lot of information about other cruise lines, but found nothing for NCL>

Edited March 1, 2019 by TiiiSailor

[www3traveler]

One of rhe Main Dining rooms will be open as well as O"Sheehan's.

[Turtles06]

The larger MDR is usually open for lunch on embarkation day, and is a great choice (not just to avoid the chaos of the buffet, but also because it is a very beautiful space).  When you board, crew members may try to direct you to the buffet.  Pay no attention -- go to the MDR.  

[Vyhanek]

Embarkation Day is the one and only day I like to eat lunch in the dining room.   When someone asks what are my cruise suggestions, tips or tricks, this is always top of my list.    Around you the whole ship is in crazy frenzy for a few hours but lunch in the dining room is peaceful.   After lunch, go enjoy the sun on the decks but leave the crazy buffet to everyone else that doesn't know they can have a peaceful lunch.

 

The other cruise lines have done away with dining room lunch on embarkation day.   I wonder if the crew has pressure to divert people from the dining room so they can justify discontinuing this practice.   The fewer people they can get to eat in the dining room means easier to justify nixing it.   So they have the crew push everyone to the cattle feeding.

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, Vyhanek said:

The other cruise lines have done away with dining room lunch on embarkation day.  

 

Not true as to HAL.  In fact, embarkation day lunch on HAL in the MDR used to be limited to one star Mariners and above, but more recently has been opened up to all pax. For all the reasons you mentioned above, I very much appreciated this on our first HAL cruise this past summer, when we had no Mariner status.