So it looks like NCL's war on seafood has extended to the MDR lunch menu

[April42749]

So, maybe someone without an economic background can explain (I have a the background, I know the answer) how NCL (or any cruiseline) can keep the rates so low but raise the quality of the food?

 

If someone can, they're a financial genius!

 

Edited December 4, 2019 by April42749

[lizord]

On 12/2/2019 at 5:21 AM, JBorowicz83 said:

I am sure there is a cost reasoning behind this. There used to be a lot of crab and lobster on cruises back in the day. When I was little I remember my parents on Carnival where they could order as many lobster tails as they liked.

 

You can still get as many free lobster tails as you want on carnival. Remember, NCL stands for NO COMPLIMENTARY LOBSTER.

[BelowDeck4us]

I can certainly understand that seafood is an acquired taste.  But for those of us who like seafood, it's always nice to have the option when ordering a meal. That said, I echo the comments of others.  In general the seafood served on cruises is substandard and the fish can be downright awful.  On my last cruise I actually thought the food overall was very good, except the night when I order the fish for dinner....which was mushy and had no taste.   

[newmexicoNita]

14 hours ago, BelowDeck4us said:

I can certainly understand that seafood is an acquired taste.  But for those of us who like seafood, it's always nice to have the option when ordering a meal. That said, I echo the comments of others.  In general the seafood served on cruises is substandard and the fish can be downright awful.  On my last cruise I actually thought the food overall was very good, except the night when I order the fish for dinner....which was mushy and had no taste.   

My trout was over cooked and dry. Yes, for the most part the food was good to very good. Anyone who says on Carnival you can get all the Lobster  tails you want must realize the quality is so bad most people who have any idea what decent Lobster is wouldn't want more than one.  

[luv2kroooz]

4 hours ago, newmexicoNita said:

Anyone who says on Carnival you can get all the Lobster  tails you want must realize the quality is so bad most people who have any idea what decent Lobster is wouldn't want more than one.  

I wouldn't describe it as bad. It's actually average and can be hit or miss. Certainly not on par with land based restaurants in New England, but I have found it edible. At least it is available in the MDR and each person can decide if they want to eat it or not. With NCL you won't find it anywhere in the MDR, along with veal, scallops, filet, or shrimp. Plus, Carnival creates a perception of a more upscale experience for the average cruiser unlike the repetitive turkey, chicken, pork and bluefish that are present on the new NCL menus and at your local Golden Corral.

[zqvol]

On 12/1/2019 at 2:23 PM, ray98 said:

Good.....none of those ever really got my interest for lunch.  Hopefully they will add some other options that I would consider.

 

Ditto

[newmexicoNita]

On 12/7/2019 at 4:23 PM, blcruising said:

I wouldn't describe it as bad. It's actually average and can be hit or miss. Certainly not on par with land based restaurants in New England, but I have found it edible. At least it is available in the MDR and each person can decide if they want to eat it or not. With NCL you won't find it anywhere in the MDR, along with veal, scallops, filet, or shrimp. Plus, Carnival creates a perception of a more upscale experience for the average cruiser unlike the repetitive turkey, chicken, pork and bluefish that are present on the new NCL menus and at your local Golden Corral.

sorry I totally disagree with you. 

[kpjb]

On 12/7/2019 at 5:23 PM, blcruising said:

... Carnival creates a perception of a more upscale experience for the average cruiser...

Is there anyone anywhere that considers Carnival upscale?  Pretty much everyone I know that cruises that line does so because they're cheap.

 

Also, re: East and West wine.  I swear on the Breakaway last week that it was $9/glass.  That $17 glass seems like way more of an outrage than the MDR lunch changes.  In fact, my wife mentioned on the first day that it was the exact same menu as our previous cruises.  Hopefully they keep changing it often.

[luv2kroooz]

13 minutes ago, kpjb said:

Is there anyone anywhere that considers Carnival upscale?  Pretty much everyone I know that cruises that line does so because they're cheap.

 

Hi. Please don't quote my posts out of context. My complete post was speaking to the offerings in the dining room which on Carnival includes lobster, filet, etc, versus NCL which offers turkey, chicken, bratwurst, whitefish ( no lobster or filet)....creating a perception of a more upscale experience.

[kpjb]

2 minutes ago, blcruising said:

Hi. Please... quote my posts out of context. 

 

No problem. 🙂

Edited December 12, 2019 by kpjb

[lizord]

9 hours ago, kpjb said:

Is there anyone anywhere that considers Carnival upscale?  Pretty much everyone I know that cruises that line does so because they're cheap.

 

 

Carnival is more upscale than Norwegian, they serve better, more premium food in the MDR, and have a dress code, giving for a more elegant experience.

 

The main reason we sail NCL is because it's cheaper than Carnival and O'Sheehans.

 

Have you every been on a Carnival Cruise?

[ColeThornton]

Upscale.  Premium.  Elegant.  Carnival.

 

Four words I would never expect to read in a sentence together.

[graphicguy]

14 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

Upscale.  Premium.  Elegant.  Carnival.

 

Four words I would never expect to read in a sentence together.

Can’t make that connection, either.

 

Not saying Carnival is bad.  I’ve sailed them more than once.  But, it was because of the cheap fares.  Not because it was anything I’d consider premium or elegant.

 

NCL does indeed seem a step above.  That doesn’t make Carnival bad.  Just a different experience.

[Phaedrus78]

2 hours ago, lizord said:

Carnival is more upscale than Norwegian, they serve better, more premium food in the MDR, and have a dress code, giving for a more elegant experience.

 

The main reason we sail NCL is because it's cheaper than Carnival and O'Sheehans.

 

Have you every been on a Carnival Cruise?

 

I have.  Multiple times, on multiple ships.  And this is the funniest part of this thread other than the title.  

 

"War on seafood" cracks me up every time I see it.  

[lizord]

Carnival doesn't do nearly as much nickel and dining attempts as NCL. much less specialty dining, no extra charge items at specialty restaurants, free room service. Internet is cheaper, unlimited, and usable.

 

And yes, Carnivals MDR is much better than NCL with much more premium options including lobster, and shrimp cocktail every night, something dearly missed on NCL as it is served on I believe every single other US based line. NCL is also the only US line not to serve complimentary lobster.

 

 

 

 

[luv2kroooz]

8 hours ago, lizord said:

Carnival is more upscale than Norwegian, they serve better, more premium food in the MDR, and have a dress code, giving for a more elegant experience.

 

The main reason we sail NCL is because it's cheaper than Carnival and O'Sheehans.

 

Have you every been on a Carnival Cruise?

That is the only reason we sail NCL, too. When we can get onboard for $40 per person per day (excluding port charges and gratuities), we book NCL. We used to sail CCL exclusively until about 6 years ago when they cut out their Live Entertainment. With all the NCL changes, we're actively looking for other options. We believe Carnival's main dining room offerings, coupled with the free lunch options like Guys burgers, Blue Iguana, Pig n Anchor, Cucina, Deli, etc handily beat NCL's "Spirit Airlines" approach. Dining is a pretty important part of our cruise. We'd probably even pay a little more for a different, and better, dining experience at this point.

Edited December 12, 2019 by blcruising

[Bonobochick]

I noticed on the Bliss a few days ago when I was at Cagney's that they now charge for steak sauce. It is only $3 but when did that start? I was at Cagney's on Escape in June and don't recall that sauce fee. (I got off a 12 day cruise this morning) 

[luv2kroooz]

38 minutes ago, Bonobochick said:

I noticed on the Bliss a few days ago when I was at Cagney's that they now charge for steak sauce. It is only $3 but when did that start? I was at Cagney's on Escape in June and don't recall that sauce fee. (I got off a 12 day cruise this morning) 

It just started with the most recent menu revision that was released in November. All sauces have the charge, including the Maitre'd butter. Someone thought, hey, we can charge an extra $3 bucks for sauce and then get a sixty-cent service charge for the convenience of delivering that sauce. The charges just don't stop on Norwegian Cruise Line. If there is a way to add an upcharge, fee, gratuity or service charge for something, NCL is all over it. Coming soon...want ketchup with your fries? $1. Cream and sugar with your coffee? $1, please, ice cream in your ice cream cone? That will be $1.

[Sand and Seas]

1 hour ago, Bonobochick said:

I noticed on the Bliss a few days ago when I was at Cagney's that they now charge for steak sauce. It is only $3 but when did that start? I was at Cagney's on Escape in June and don't recall that sauce fee. (I got off a 12 day cruise this morning) 

They didn't charge us for steak sauce on our Platinum Dinner last month.   I'm going to guess they wouldn't charge it if you are using a dining plan either.   I can't imagine anyone eating at these places without a Dining plan now😕

[newmexicoNita]

Just an update for all of you, especially the belly achers went it comes to seafood. We just got off an Azamare cruise, and guess what ya'all in the main DR we never saw Lobster, Crab or anything even close. The food was very similar to what we get in the MDR on NCL>> Some parts of the cruise were, of course more upscale, but the food not so. This seems to be a fact of life: food especially seafood isn't a selling feature for cruises anymore. OH, I take that back, they did have soft shelled crab the last night and it was awful. Let me also add, we never saw prime rib either. 

[lizord]

4 hours ago, newmexicoNita said:

 in the main DR we never saw Lobster, Crab or anything even close. The food was very similar to what we get in the MDR on NCL

Remind me to never sail Azamara, Their main competitor, Oceania serves lobster every night in their specialty dining rooms as well as every day, grilled on the buffet. Funnily enough Oceania is owned by NCL.

[luv2kroooz]

5 hours ago, newmexicoNita said:

Just an update for all of you, especially the belly achers went it comes to seafood. We just got off an Azamare cruise, and guess what ya'all in the main DR we never saw Lobster, Crab or anything even close. The food was very similar to what we get in the MDR on NCL>> Some parts of the cruise were, of course more upscale, but the food not so. This seems to be a fact of life: food especially seafood isn't a selling feature for cruises anymore. OH, I take that back, they did have soft shelled crab the last night and it was awful. Let me also add, we never saw prime rib either. 

Thanks for the update. I'm a belly acher with respect to poor seafood offerings on NCL. I'll make sure to add Azamura to my do not sail list. At least I can still get average lobster on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Princess, without charge. And that is a fact of life.

Edited December 22, 2019 by blcruising

[newmexicoNita]

1 hour ago, lizord said:

Remind me to never sail Azamara, Their main competitor, Oceania serves lobster every night in their specialty dining rooms as well as every day, grilled on the buffet. Funnily enough Oceania is owned by NCL.

I am not referring to the specialty dining rooms but I don't think they had it either. I am mainly talking about the MDR. I wouldn't judge any cruise by whether they serve one particular food or beverage 

[lizord]

4 minutes ago, newmexicoNita said:

I am not referring to the specialty dining rooms but I don't think they had it either. I am mainly talking about the MDR. I wouldn't judge any cruise by whether they serve one particular food or beverage 

Specialty dining on Oceania is basically MDR because it's included in the fare.

[newmexicoNita]

19 minutes ago, blcruising said:

Thanks for the update. I'm a belly acher with respect to poor seafood offerings on NCL. I'll make sure to add Azamura to my do not sail list. At least I can still get average lobster on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Princess, without charge. And that is a fact of life.

We haven't sailed Carnival for years but as for Princess. I do not remember RCI having Lobster in the MDRs and the Princess MDR serve the worst Lobster I have ever had. I would like to know how so many people can judge a ship or a line by one or 2 items that are not always available.. BTW we had Lobster on Princess the last time we sailed them and it wasn't even heated all the way through. WE spoke with 2 other couples on different days and they had the very sam experience. It was, of course frozen and not completely defrosted. I will add this was in the specialty dining room. Everything else in the specialty dining room was very good on that sailing.