NCL Pride of America dining

[Firepath]

I know about the specialty restaurants, but my husband (who loves to eat!) wants to know if he can get a decent steak or Prime Rib in the main dining rooms. Is there anyone here whose been on POA recently can answer?

[Gypsymimi]

My personal opinion is that NCL makes the food in the MDR deliberately mediocre so that people will pay the extra for the specialty dining rooms. That said, there is always a variety on the MDR menus, and, in my experience, always a steak option. 

[Donald]

The words "dining" and "NCL America" do not belong together in the same sentence.

[Firepath]

OP here, we've been back from our POA cruise over 3 mos. ago. The MDRs had no prime rib but strip steak which was just okay. We thought almost all of the rest of the food was good though, despite the bad reviews. Maybe we just went with lower expectations. 

[Seamus6]

Out of our 11 cruises from 7 different lines,  I would say the NCL Pride of America sailing around Hawaii was my least favorite in virtually every category.  That being said I would give it overall a B-.

 

Since the ship has to abide by US Labor laws and American workers don't consider cruise jobs as good a job as foreign workers (who really hustle their butts off) do, it is pretty much impossible to maintain the same level of service and that you get with sailings that hire foreign workers.  I expect a similar experience aboard the AQSC American Queen when we sail in September.  

We still had fun and still enjoyed the ports but felt the food was mostly a B- and often into the C range.

 

 

[Seamus6]

well, I now have a new least favorite cruise!

We went on the American Queen in September and the food and service in the dining room was abysmal.  The were very short staffed maybe because of COVID but I don't know for sure because they never talked to us an gave us any info.

 

I would have to give the dining experience a 3 or 4!  I would probably give most McDonalds a 5 or 6!

 

we stayed in New Orleans for 3 days afterwards and I would give most meals there a 9!  and these were not high end, expensive places...

 

 

 

 

[mfon1]

Is there a formal night on Pride of America in the MDR? Our dining reservations just opened for our June 4th sailing and I was hoping to book our 2 specialty dining meals without missing the formal in the MDR. 

[Seamus6]

I think there was when we were on it in 2016.  We usually look forward to formal nights especially since they are getting so rare now on cruise ships...so sad!

[mfon1]

13 hours ago, seamus69 said:

I think there was when we were on it in 2016.  We usually look forward to formal nights especially since they are getting so rare now on cruise ships...so sad!

Thanks for responding. We really enjoy the formal nights too. I found someone who posted the dailies for a 2019 sailing of POA. It did show a formal night on Monday, so I hope they still do it. I’m looking forward to hearing about the ship when it starts sailing in April. It has been pushed back several times. 

[rkacruiser]

On 2/5/2022 at 12:24 PM, seamus69 said:

well, I now have a new least favorite cruise!

We went on the American Queen in September and the food and service in the dining room was abysmal.  The were very short staffed maybe because of COVID but I don't know for sure because they never talked to us an gave us any info.

 

I would have to give the dining experience a 3 or 4!  I would probably give most McDonalds a 5 or 6!

 

we stayed in New Orleans for 3 days afterwards and I would give most meals there a 9!  and these were not high end, expensive places...

 

 

 

 

 

Most interesting experiences.  I have wondered about American Queen and the company's cruises. 

 

I accessed Antoine's in New Orleans website this afternoon and read their dinner menu.  My salivary glands began working.  Breakfast at Brennan's and excellent dinners at Broussard's and The Court of the Two Sisters:  those experiences are among the reasons that encourage me to return to "The Big Easy"!  

[Seamus6]

On 2/7/2022 at 8:14 PM, rkacruiser said:

 

Most interesting experiences.  I have wondered about American Queen and the company's cruises. 

 

I accessed Antoine's in New Orleans website this afternoon and read their dinner menu.  My salivary glands began working.  Breakfast at Brennan's and excellent dinners at Broussard's and The Court of the Two Sisters:  those experiences are among the reasons that encourage me to return to "The Big Easy"!  

 

don't forget to try some "low country" cuisine.  Mothers is a great restaurant if you can catch it at off-peak times so there are only 20-30 people in line instead of around the block.

 

I was disappointed in Café DuMonde's beignets, especially after all the hype.

We preferred the bananas foster beignets at Commander's Palace.  Our dinner there during our prior trip was our favorite meal there.  Unfortunately, they were under construction when we were there after the cruise.  We were going to go to Brennan's but they opened at 6:00 and we're early diners.  I think we lunched at Broussard's.  If it's the place I'm thinking of, it was quite good.  I'll have to look up The Court of the Two Sisters the next time we go.

 

 

[rkacruiser]

On 2/11/2022 at 8:26 AM, seamus69 said:

don't forget to try some "low country" cuisine.  Mothers is a great restaurant

 

I have learned elsewhere that Mother's is a place to dine.  Was unaware of them when I visited New Orleans.  Is their "low country" cuisine the same as what is called "low country" cuisine in South Carolina?

 

On 2/11/2022 at 8:26 AM, seamus69 said:

I was disappointed in Café DuMonde's beignets, especially after all the hype

 

Cafe DuMonde is the touristy thing to do, I decided, after experiencing it.  I didn't think I would like chicory coffee and I don't!  And, powdered sugar on my blue slacks was difficult to get brush off.  

[Seamus6]

15 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

I have learned elsewhere that Mother's is a place to dine.  Was unaware of them when I visited New Orleans.  Is their "low country" cuisine the same as what is called "low country" cuisine in South Carolina?

 

I am probably using that term too loosely.  There is a lot of crossover in the flavor profiles between low country in South Carolina and Georgia and, more correctly, the Louisiana/Cajun cooking of Mothers like Gumbo, Jambalya, and Po-boys.  Po-boys being one of the areas most famous food for the poor.  They also have some generic southern favorites like friend chicken, biscuits, greens...etc.  Definitely not a fine dining atmosphere but very tasty.

[rkacruiser]

6 hours ago, seamus69 said:

, the Louisiana/Cajun cooking of Mothers like Gumbo, Jambalya, and Po-boys.

 

Have enjoyed Po-boys as well as some of the Cajun cuisine.  When I have visited South Carolina/Savannah, Georgia area, I haven't found "low country" cuisine to be unusually different than I have experienced elsewhere in the country.  Maybe, I just didn't choose the "proper restaurant" for such cuisine?