NCL Gem food subpar

[hladygirl]

I sailed the gem this past spring out of Boston to Bermuda and found the food ok but not nearly as good as the Dawn was. Thought it was just me but since have known many people that have sailed this summer and it is the only complaint they had. You would think it would be the same fleet wide since they have the same menus.

[njhorseman]

Some executive chefs are better than others. When on very long cruises I've seen food quality change, getting better or worse, during the voyage when a new chef takes over. Not just on NCL either.

[cruisekitty22]

Is this in the MDR or at all restaurants on this ship?  Thinking of going to Bermuda for our 20th wedding anniversary on the Gem. How was the ship otherwise?  Fun?

[Mushmuffin]

I just came back from the Gem. I thought the food was great better than the Getaway in April.

[RealSoxFan]

Thought food, across all venues, except the buffet, was subpar and disappointing in comparison to other recent NCL cruises.   Agree executive chef can make a difference but what I found was an overall decline in food quality and preparation.

[qoap24]

Was just wondering if the food has gotten any better on the Gem? Was thinking about booking a cruise on her for next year, but we were not impressed with the food in June 2018. 

[chiefofsages]

I just went in October.  The food was fine- nothing to write home about.  But the ship and crew were excellent. 

[Vyhanek]

I was on the Gem a few months ago to Bermuda and I was pleasantly surprised at the food quality.   There were only a couple things I didn't care for.     I've been around NCL for a long time seeing the food quality swing dramatically.   I have to say the Gem is at its peak.  

[hladygirl]

I guess my issue was that we had been on the Dawn out of Boston so many times before and loved the food. I then got on the Gem with the same menu but the same dishes were so much different in taste and presentation. You would think same menu same taste but no. I was spoiled by the much better food on the Dawn.

[FredZiffle]

Food quality has been going downhill fleetwide.  The food in the MDR on the Getaway last month was barely edible.  We had 16 dinners in the MDRs.  Assuming 2 appetizers, 1 entrée, and a dessert per meal, that's 64 dishes we were served.  One appetizer and one dessert were quite good.  The other 62 dishes were below average or downright bad.  In fact, the food was so bad that we cancelled a future cruise on NCL and will give other lines a try.

 

What I can't figure out is what is being done wrong.  The food looks good on the plate and appears properly prepared (it's not overcooked, it's not raw).  I have to assume that the recipes were taste-tested when they were developed.  That only leaves the quality of the ingredients as a reason for how bad the food is.  Could it be that NCL has decided to cut corners on their procurement in order to improve the bottom line?

[luv2kroooz]

3 hours ago, FredZiffle said:

Food quality has been going downhill fleetwide.  The food in the MDR on the Getaway last month was barely edible.  We had 16 dinners in the MDRs.  Assuming 2 appetizers, 1 entrée, and a dessert per meal, that's 64 dishes we were served.  One appetizer and one dessert were quite good.  The other 62 dishes were below average or downright bad.  In fact, the food was so bad that we cancelled a future cruise on NCL and will give other lines a try.

 

What I can't figure out is what is being done wrong.  The food looks good on the plate and appears properly prepared (it's not overcooked, it's not raw).  I have to assume that the recipes were taste-tested when they were developed.  That only leaves the quality of the ingredients as a reason for how bad the food is.  Could it be that NCL has decided to cut corners on their procurement in order to improve the bottom line?

I think a lot of this is true. I also think there is increasing pressure to fill ships and with more ships coming online, there is often times excess supply which is resulting in very low fares. So, fares are really low which translates into lower gross revenue. Unless there are cutbacks and significant price increases in onboard services, net income could decline. The big costs like fuel and labor are fixed.

 

I've only sailed NCL recently, so I can speak to the significant declines in main dining room food quality. What I can't speak to is whether or not other lines have followed along. Can you still get average shrimp, lobster and filet mignon in the main dining rooms on other lines? On NCL, you will not find veal, shrimp, seafood, filet in the MDR...for the most part lots and lots of chicken, turkey, pork, sausage, cheaper whitefish, and noodles (Pad Thai, pasta, etc.) We are also thinking about whether we want to switch cruise lines or continue to sail NCL at the heavily discounted sailaway rates.

Edited December 4, 2019 by blcruising