Ncl Food ?

[cruzin w chris]

hello all, my wife and i normally cruise carnival and are now going to try ncl. my question is this, food quality is somewhat important to me seeing as i will be on the ship for a number of days. i have heard that ncl has more american food choices than carnival offers is this true ?. also is the food quality excellent, good, pretty good, just ok, or gross. thanks for your opinions. we have not booked as of yet.

[98Charlie]

When You are not on a ship, where do you eat and enjoy it? Those who frequent fine dining on a regular basis may not be "wowed" by the food on any mass market ship.

 

We have sailed NCL 7 times and never been dissapointed in the food. We took our first Carnival cruise 6 weeks ago and, again, no problem with the food.

 

I'm not sure about "American" food. We have always found a wide variety of foods on every ship. The only real difference that we have encountered is, yes, the pizza on Carnival is the best of any of the 5 cruise lines we have been on.

 

What ship are you taking?

 

Charlie

[samtig]

Don't agree with the American food thing. Similar choices on NCL Carnival and RCI. Food quality may depend on which NCL ship you're going on. We took 3 Carnival cruises and then 2 NCL. Really enjoy Carnival's food. In our opinion the food on the NCL Dream was not as good as Carnival. The food on the NCL Sun was a little better than Carnival, but close to that on Carnival Conquest. The speciality restaurants on NCL are fantastic. We enjoy free-style cruising and have another NCL Sun cruise next month. Which ship are you considering?

[KeystoneCruiser]

Food is a subjective item. What you find to be very good, I may find to be disgusting. What I find to be very good, you might find bland, etc.

 

I have never had a problem with any food served to me on any NCL cruise.

[gazman]

I was on the NCL dream and the dawn and love the food (very large selection ) when we went on the CCL Ttiumph 12/23/06 the food was ok but the was not a lot of things to chose from. like one nite they had lamb in the buff. that was ok for me not for my wife.On the ncl ships they had 2-3 things to chose from for the main dish. seams like the lines were to long too. derserts were few,much the same every nite.not sure why.could be just the ship we where on.........

[SueSea]

I've been on 4 Carnival cruises and 3 NCL cruises. In my experience, the main dining room food on all my Carnival cruises was much better in both quality and selection than on NCL. You know that 'wow' factor you get when you open a dinner menu and so many things look good you think you'll never be able to decide what to order? On each of my NCL cruises, there were a number nights where I was not 'wowwed.' None of the entree selections appealed to me. Some of those nights I just ordered the ever-present steak. I have never had to order from the 'available every night' menu on Carnival. On Carnival, there were many nights that I ended up with two entrees when the waiter heard me agonizing over my selection because everything sounded great. I'm not a picky eater, by the way. I've eaten everything from escargot to calamari to alligator.

[claudie]

We enjoyed the food on NCL all 3 cruises. The Pearl offers a great variety and presents it beautifully. I'm not a steak and potatoes girl, no hamburgers and french fries for me. When I cruise I eat fish/seafood 3 meals a day. I enjoyed everything I've ever eaten. Nothing oversalted, overspiced, underseasoned or unappetizing in presentation. There are lots of great offerings in the Garden Cafe at lunch time for vegetarians such as veggie stir fries, Indian-style dishes and your basic garden variety salads.

 

One of my favorite lunches was on the 12/22/06 Pearl Christmas cruise. It was about day 5 when we enjoyed an Austrian Bavarian brunch. The food was wonderful. It was a complete change from what we had been eating...wursts, ham hocks, spaetzle, etc. just like my grandmother's:D.

[ce2000]

we have not booked as of yet.

Go ahead and give NCL a try. I really liked the breakfasts that were served in the main dinning room, but found the lunch and dinner items to be not as good as the other cruise lines. I did find the food in the specialty restaurant (Cagneys) to be very good. I believe that you will have a good cruise with NCL, I did. I was on the NCL Jewell, Christmas '05.

[Zeno]

I have been on 5 cruises (3 on NCL). Overall I enjoyed the NCL food the most. However food is very much an individual thing. It is very hard to predict if one person will like what another person does or for that matter dislike what another person dislikes. My husband is a picky eater and he always found something to eat. I really like trying things I don't eat every day or new things and I was quite satisfied with what NCL offered.

[Don Haynes]

I'm from a small town, and I also like to eat new and different meals I cannot get here. I have found everything I ate with NCL good. Of course, I'm not a picky eater either.

 

I have sailed on NCL and Carnival and I expect to dine on lamb at least one night. NCL offered leg of lamb and rack of lamb versus Carnival's lamb. shanks. With lamb, NCL wins.

 

With NCL both the grilled chicken and the sirloin steak, the ever present standard meal not listed in the menu for dinner, are good along with the baked potato. No one could go wrong with either in the main dining rooms for dinner. How more American can these two items be?

[NoVaCruiser60]

cwc,

If you eat at fine restaurants at home, you'll not be "wowed" at sea, in my experience. That said, I would put NCL's standard dining rooms as good to very-good, maybe a little behind some other cruise lines.

What many cruisers miss out on is the variety and superior quality & service in the specialty restaurants. They have broad ranging menus within a given cuisine (Pan-Asian, Steakhouse, French, Italian, Tex-Mex), are smaller and cozy, thus generating better service and ambience.

I have heard NCL cruisers state they would "never pay extra" for a meal on a cruise...while that makes it better for me, I feel they really miss out on what NCL is offering.

[LaJollaCruiser]

Do you want Drew Nieporent cooking for your individual pleasure? The cooks on NCL ships are cooking for 1500 plus people at dinner: expect the sort of food mass production produces on a cruse ship. Be real.

[sisabell]

We ate all week on the Pride of America thinking the food was okay... then we ate at the Cheesecake Factory in Honolulu when we got off the ship (not what you would call fine dining)...it seemed delicious! It reminded me of how mediocre the food had been on the ship.

[Diana68]

Food really is so subjective! Have you looked at the new menus that are posted here? I LOVE them! That will give you a good idea of what is available. I also Love the specialty restaurants, both the pay and free, I think the food in the specialty restaurants is better than the main dining rooms. That said, although NCL is my favorite, my DH prefers the food on Celebrity, and my kids prefer Royal Caribbean! We will continue to sail all of the lines based on itinerary and price. You won't go hungry on any cruise.

[cruizinwithkids]

I have heard NCL cruisers state they would "never pay extra" for a meal on a cruise...while that makes it better for me, I feel they really miss out on what NCL is offering.

 

We were on the Majesty last summer. My mother absolutely refused to pay extra for a restaurant. Before we left I purchased the anniversary package which included the Bistro for DH, me, my mother and her friend with whom she was traveling. We had a lot of fun with the wait staff singing, "Let me call you sweetheart," to my mother and friend - both females in their 70's (and straight).

 

Now she talks about the dinner and always makes a point of telling my brother, "Oh, that's right you were too cheap to eat there."

[jasoneats]

although i have only been on one cruise (7 days on the Sun last March), i thought the food was excellent. i have been a catering chef and pastry chef for most of my 25 years of working, alot of it in white tablecloth settings. i have a huge appreciation for the hard work and long hours that the staff on these ships put in, as well as for the logistical difficulties of serving such large numbers of people (remember, they have to feed the staff 3xday, too!) from cramped quarters. i am also extremely grateful that for the entire duration of my cruise experience, i will not have to plan a menu, go the grocery store, do any food prep or cooking, or wash a single dish. someone is waiting to serve me 24 hours a day.

 

that being said, of course there are going to be differences from line to line and from ship to ship. if you are looking for a four star dining experience three times a day, i am guessing that a luxury line would come closer to guaranteeing that. but for my dollar, i simply cannot beat NCL. even factoring in our airfare and shore excursions, our vacation will still cost us less than almost any land-based resort. it is all relative (and very subjective). i feel very strongly that anyone on these boards who claims that the food on NCL is "awful" is someone who would say that almost anywhere they would dine.

[bubiesmom]

Thils was my first NCL cruise and I am not a "foodie". I was not impressed with the food. My DH thinks Golden Corral has better food and a better selection than NCL. Healthy food was hard to find. Salad bar was lacking, Menu never really changed much all week, Blue Lagoon served the same thing every day. Could not get a steak unless you went to Cagney's and paid extra. They could try to focus more on flavor and lighten up on grease, salt and the gooey, cheesy stuff....

[bubiesmom]

We were on the Majesty last summer. My mother absolutely refused to pay extra for a restaurant. Before we left I purchased the anniversary package which included the Bistro for DH, me, my mother and her friend with whom she was traveling. We had a lot of fun with the wait staff singing, "Let me call you sweetheart," to my mother and friend - both females in their 70's (and straight).

 

Now she talks about the dinner and always makes a point of telling my brother, "Oh, that's right you were too cheap to eat there."

 

Did you see the new NCL brochure? It makes no mention of a cover charge for the speciality restaurants. It only says "as many as 10 (restaurants) per ship with seven included in your cruise fare." OMG, if you have never done NCL before how are you going to know about the cover charge thing by this little statement?????????????

[mfs2k]

Do you want Drew Nieporent cooking for your individual pleasure? The cooks on NCL ships are cooking for 1500 plus people at dinner: expect the sort of food mass production produces on a cruse ship. Be real.

 

Drew Nieporent is not a Chef. He is a former restaurant manager, who now owns his own restaurants and consults for many other owners.

 

So - no - I wouldnt want him to cook for my individual pleasure. I wouldn't mind having him for a restaurant partner though. He is one hell of an operator!

[Pisti]

Could not get a steak unless you went to Cagney's and paid extra. They could try to focus more on flavor and lighten up on grease, salt and the gooey, cheesy stuff....

 

That's really strange because I was on the Dec. 28 sailing of the Dawn (just got back Sunday) and I had steak in the main dining room twice once on the menu and the second time not on the menu , just asked for it! I asked for plain steamed vegetables every meal and they were beautiful.:confused:

[Diana68]

We were on the Majesty last summer. My mother absolutely refused to pay extra for a restaurant.

Even if you refuse to pay extra, try the free specialty restaurants! We ate in Trattoria twice this cruise since my kids loved the pastas, olives, bread sticks w/ dipping oil and balsimic,....and on the Dawn last year we loved Salsas.

My DH thinks Golden Corral has better food and a better selection than NCL.

I'm sorry that you were disappointed. I know that you were on here gathering info before your cruise. I am not a fan of the buffet either, but for a quick bite, it's convinient. We found some form of steak on the menu every day; Pepered Sirloin Steak, Prime Rib, Grilled New York Strip Steak, Beef Filet Wellington, Argentinean Grilled Skirt Steak,...all forms of steak. Did the NCLA ships have different menus than the NCL ships?

[KeystoneCruiser]

Thils was my first NCL cruise and I am not a "foodie". I was not impressed with the food. My DH thinks Golden Corral has better food and a better selection than NCL.....

 

Funny, my parents absolutely HATE Golden Corral, they think they have the absolute worst food in the world. (and I know many who agree with that statement). (in fact, my brother in law calls it: the "Golden Garage.")

 

Blue Lagoon served the same thing every day. ....

Of course they did, that is how that restaurant is designed. Something you can get quick serving the basic things people like. (Hot dogs, mac and cheese, french fries, etc.)

 

Could not get a steak unless you went to Cagney's and paid extra. ....

Wrong, Strip steak, grilled chicken breast, baked potaoe and Ceasar Salads are available at all meals in the main restaurants. They may not be listed every night, but they are there. (and when they are listed it says: "always available" above their listing.)

 

They could try to focus more on flavor and lighten up on grease, salt and the gooey, cheesy stuff....

and it was our families opposite opinion, that NCL uses too much seasoning on their food.

 

 

All of this exchange simply proves my other point: food taste and choice is subjective. What I may like, others may hate and vice versa.

[Don Haynes]

Beef is on the menu every night, and the always available sirloin is an option. Yes, Continental restaurants, European, use sauces. I found the beef sauce excellent.

 

Continental restaurants are not American bar and grills. The only grill with a fire underneath aboard a ship is on the lido deck by the pool, NCL uses charcoal. There are no charbroilers aboard.

 

While Americans tend to use barbecue sauce, worchester sauce, Heinz 57 sauce, even Ketchup, Europeans don't. Their fine chefs create their own sauce. European chefs also season their meals, its an affront to the chef to ask for more salt or pepper, or ask for a bottle of hot sauce. That is an American tradition.

 

While the rest of the world don't fuss about the food being served to them, Americans are the biggest, fussiest and pickiest people on the face of the earth.

 

All of the chefs aboard a NCL cruise ship are European. Trained as continental chefs. They are not Americans.....

[hotspur]

We've found NCL dining room food to be on the whole comparable with other mass-market cruise lines (never cruised Carnival, but have cruised HAL and Celebrity). HAL's dinner buffet prepared main courses individually for you, and that was nice, but their dinners in the dining room were not up to NCL or Celebrity. I suspect NCL's newer ships offer more evening dining choices than other mass-market lines--some, but not all, with additional charge.

[bubiesmom]

Beef is on the menu every night, and the always available sirloin is an option. Yes, Continental restaurants, European, use sauces. I found the beef sauce excellent.

 

Continental restaurants are not American bar and grills. The only grill with a fire underneath aboard a ship is on the lido deck by the pool, NCL uses charcoal. There are no charbroilers aboard.

 

While Americans tend to use barbecue sauce, worchester sauce, Heinz 57 sauce, even Ketchup, Europeans don't. Their fine chefs create their own sauce. European chefs also season their meals, its an affront to the chef to ask for more salt or pepper, or ask for a bottle of hot sauce. That is an American tradition.

 

While the rest of the world don't fuss about the food being served to them, Americans are the biggest, fussiest and pickiest people on the face of the earth.

 

All of the chefs aboard a NCL cruise ship are European. Trained as continental chefs. They are not Americans.....

 

Well, gee, if strip steak and any other steak is "always available", then let's put it on the left side of the menu where the other "always available" items are listed!!!!! Chicken, hamburger, ceasar salad, etc, but not steak. How are you suppose get a steak when I couldn't even get a grilled cheese at lunchtime at the buffet?????:mad: