Which alternative restaurants on the Dawn are worth the cover charge?

[themishmans]

I am almost sure we are going to do Le Bistro. I am almost sure we are not interested in Cagney's. What about the others? Anyone like anything in particular? How about the ones that need reservations but no surcharge? Are they worth the trouble or are the main dining rooms just about the same?

[nyflush]

Hi we loved bamboo it was great worth the charge! Salsa was very good we ate there a few nights and again on the 1 nighter. Le Bistro was excellent:)

[CEV426]

I am almost sure we are going to do Le Bistro. I am almost sure we are not interested in Cagney's. What about the others?

 

Funny you should ask. My initial thought was the same as yours. Definitely LeBistro and not interested in Cagneys. On our first Dawn cruise we chose LeBistro and the Teppanyaki table. Le Bistro was disappointing. The room is lovely with all it's original French masters hanging around (We ate under the Monet), but it's rather dark in there, cramped and noisy. The food although not bad, it was unremarkable. I couldn't wait to get out of there. The service was also rushed. B-

 

This same cruise we also at the Teppanyaki table. It was fun, I did not leave stuffed.....but I would do it again. Salsas (no cover) was more than decent if you like Mexican....ask for a table by the window....good service. both A-

 

Our second time on Dawn, we decided to try Cagney's. Wow! We are not what you would call steak and potatoes people, but the room was elegant, not cramped like LeBistro, and the service was top notch and the food excellent. some of what I remember: Filet mignon, baked potatoes, mushrooms, creamed spinach, shrimp cocktail, onion soup, Cabernet Savignon, & Dirty Vodka Martini in Star Bar next door. A+ I (check out menu on http://www.cruiseclues.com)

 

 

I was pleasantly surprised with the Italian alt dining spot. We hesitantly tried it on our second cruise with another couple we met onboard. I thought it would be akin to Olive Garden fare, but it was quite good and it was a memorable evening. One drawback was the location: They transform one side of the buffet area each night into this Italian spot. I give the atmosphere a C whereas the meal was an A-....no cover. I think they have since transformed Impressions into the alternative Italian spot. The other main DRs are the Venetian, aft and Aqua....interesting, all female staff, no windows but it does not detract. Menus are same in both.

 

Hope this helped a little.

[DaisyL]

Just got off the Dawn today for the 11 day Canada/NE cruise and dined in Cagney's twice and Impressions of Italy 3 times and absolutely loved them. The food, atmosphere, and service were all excellent. Cagney's had 2 for 1 price specials from 9 to 10:30 PM and Impressions is no charge.

 

We have dined in Le Bistro several times before on previous cruises and loved it but the menu is different from last year so it's not as appealing to us.

 

To be honest, you can't go wrong with any of the above. We also dined in Salsas once but to us is much like local restaurants such as Chili's.

[julescruisin]

We were on the Dawn in Aug. and loved Cagneys, Bamboo and Tempanyaki. Although Tempanyaki was a 2 hour dinner and with 2 kids it was long but so worth it. Bamboo was fantastic and steak, salads and appetizers at Cagneys were great. We always decided if we wanted to pay extra for a dinner based on the menus at the dining rooms which weren't always that appealing to our 2 picky kids or myself. Our ship was full and we always got a reservation for that same night, you can make your res. beginning at 8am. Have a great trip, wish we were back on the Dawn right now:o :) :rolleyes:

[themishmans]

Thank you all so much. How far in advance are the menus for the dining rooms available?

[cantwaitt]

"the service was top notch and the food excellent. some of what I remember: Filet mignon, baked potatoes, mushrooms, creamed spinach, shrimp cocktail"

 

 

I'm getting nostalgic for the good ol' days of cruising when you could experience all of that in the inclusive restaurants, and not just in the pay-extra-for-what-used-to-be-included restaurants.

 

[Cosmopolitan]

Thank you all so much. How far in advance are the menus for the dining rooms available?

 

When you board the Dawn, the restaurant reservation podium is set up in the Atrium (or perhaps Salsa's restaurant) - some things have changed on some ships.

 

Wherever the restaurant reservations is set up, they will have copies of all of the menus.

The specialty restaurants and Salsa's and Impressions of Italy will have the same menu every evening. Their menus do not change. These menus are also posted outside of these restaurants.

 

The main restaurants change their menu everyday. They will be posted outside of the main restaurants daily. The menu is normally there in the AM so you will have time to view them and decide.

[TropicalPorts]

I've read on other boards that you can not book the entire cruises restaurant reservations at once. You can only book one night in advance.

 

Is this the case on the dawn?

[EileenN]

If you are in a suite that has the concierge service, you get a form in the room for the whole week on the Dawn. You fill in your preferences and you will get back a printout with your reservations and times as close to the requested times as possible. Otherwise, you can book for the same day and next day in the Atrium.

[CC Help Michell]

"the service was top notch and the food excellent. some of what I remember: Filet mignon, baked potatoes, mushrooms, creamed spinach, shrimp cocktail"

 

 

I'm getting nostalgic for the good ol' days of cruising when you could experience all of that in the inclusive restaurants, and not just in the pay-extra-for-what-used-to-be-included restaurants.

 

 

For an industry that has managed to keep the overall average per diem price about the same for a lot of years now (in 1992 the $100 per day, per pax, advice was "state of the art"), some changes, often significant changes including moving formerly included-at-no-extra-charge things to extra charge, are to be expected. Nostalgia is fine (I experience it a lot too!) but "keeping it real" also has its value. In this industry the bottom line is that (compared to a land vacation) you are paying for a "hotel" room, "transportation" to several places, and maid service and waiters and what not. What you get on top of that is going to be in flux, constantly, as the businesses which offer cruises balance their revenues and expenditures. We pax are just the bystanders to that process -- for many, if it becomes TOO "nickle and dime" on a mainstream line they will spend more (okay, a LOT more) for one of the upscale cruiselines. The rest of us just try to balance what we want/expect with what the line can offer.

[sierramyst44]

Our vote goes to Cagney's especially since you cannot get filet mignon in the dining rooms any more. We ate their both on the Dawn and the Spirit and to us its worth the upcharge. Salsa's was okay, probably great if you enjoy Mexican and the portions were large. The Italian place we found to not have the atmosphere and the sauces seemed a bit salty.

 

We are going on the Spirit in December and Cagneys is definatly on our to do list for a reservation.