NCL Food Executive should cruise on Carnival

[BeachBumMama]

Major reason that our group of 3 couples decided on CCL for our cruise this year. CCL was $1035 pp for a 8 nt. Car. cruise balc. cabin and NCL was $1400 pp for 7 nt. Bermuda out of NY, booked last July, (both balcony cabins, same week). No brainer for us!! The difference paid for a lot of drinks and some jewelry ....:rolleyes: and no need to dine in a specialty restaurant for extra $$.

Can't blame you for saving money :p , but did want to tell you, just an FYI that Bermuda cruises are more expensive than the Caribbean. Just higher all around. Just wanted to let you know, if you ever do want to go on a Bermuda cruise and compare them to Caribbean cruises, the Caribbean will most times always be cheaper. Have fun!:)

[coffeebean]

Thanks, I will be looking forward to this next year ... but unfortunately the cruise rates already have been higher for NCL than CCL, for comparable cruises and cabins, out of NY.

 

Major reason that our group of 3 couples decided on CCL for our cruise this year. CCL was $1035 pp for a 8 nt. Car. cruise balc. cabin and NCL was $1400 pp for 7 nt. Bermuda out of NY, booked last July, (both balcony cabins, same week). No brainer for us!! The difference paid for a lot of drinks and some jewelry ....:rolleyes: and no need to dine in a specialty restaurant for extra $$.

 

NCL usually has been the least expensive of the mass market cruise lines, with everything being comparable. Just curious...which Carnival ship did you book on and which NCL ship did you price? The older smaller ships of any cruise line always draw less money than the newer larger ships. Just a thought.

[halos]

Ewww, don't go over to the Celebrity board and say that. Them's fightin words! :D

 

One night, the freaking chef made more than a few items with cinnamon. There must have been an abundance of it on the ship or something.:rolleyes:

I am of the belief that cinnamon belongs only in/on a dessert...so the nights (and nights..) of cinnamon sorbet were 'acceptable', but the night my potato tasted funny, and I realized there was cinnamon on my spud as well, I thought that I'd had about enough.

 

Other than that, the food wasn't bad by any means, but certainly not up to all the hype. I just got off a CCL cruise in March, and again, the food was superb.

 

OH and fwiw...I don't go over to the X boards anyway. ;)

 

Daisy, that is just the order I would put them in.

Next year I'll be trying RCI, so I guess I'll figure out where that rates in the group too.

But I agree with the poster that said Bermuda cruises are expensive...they really are. I have found they cost double what any Caribbean cruise would cost.

[cruizinwithkids]

Just got off the NCL Star and we only ate in the dining room one night because they was never anything on the menu that sounded good. And they no longer offer salmon, chicken and steak every night if you don't want to order what's on the menu.

 

Perhaps as part of the 2.0, it is now offered. Just off the Dawn and they were available. Also ohioNCLcruiser has a menu on his website that shows it. The same menues were on the Dawn as on the Jade. Note the right side of the menu.

 

http://web.mac.com/cruisingjames/iWeb/Welcome/Norwegian%20Jade%20Cruise%20Pics.html

[CruisnGram]

Perhaps as part of the 2.0, it is now offered. Just off the Dawn and they were available. Also ohioNCLcruiser has a menu on his website that shows it. The same menues were on the Dawn as on the Jade. Note the right side of the menu.

 

http://web.mac.com/cruisingjames/iWeb/Welcome/Norwegian%20Jade%20Cruise%20Pics.html

 

That's what I thought. I wonder why the other poster couldn't get those items?

[ZoneHPH]

but did want to tell you, just an FYI that Bermuda cruises are more expensive than the Caribbean. Just higher all around. Just wanted to let you know, if you ever do want to go on a Bermuda cruise and compare them to Caribbean cruises, the Caribbean will most times always be cheaper. Have fun!:)

 

MOST DEFINITELY! there are several reasons for this...and the one i tend to hypothesize on is that when docked/anchored in Bermuda...cruise lines lose their earning potential...to some degree...so they try to make it up front in the price. not necessarily as many sea days as some caribbean itineraries. although the Dawn itinerary i'm going on has 3 sea days...so plenty of time to generate revenue then.

 

the Caribbean cruises, you are sailing almost always at night between ports...there's money to be made each and every time that casino is open (as well as all the other bars and such.

[Down-Unders]

Just got off our third cruise on Carnival and the meals are far superior on the Miracle than any of the 5 NCL cruises we have been on. Every night in the dining room there were many choices that were excellent that it was hard to decide what to order. On NCL it's hard to pick one good meal in an evening. The only good meals on NCL are in Cagney's at $20 pp plus reservations are needed. Also, the buffet quality is much better on Carnival and you can't beat the 24 hrs ice cream, frozen yogurt and fresh pizza.

 

Don't flame me please ... it's just my opinion and several other couples that have cruised both. I really like NCL and we have another cruise booked for next year, but I think the quality, choices, and service were better in the CCL dining room.

 

I think NCL execs should take a cruise on the Carnival Miracle just to eat the meals, compare the menus, experience the service, and talk to the passengers. Very happy cruisers and not many complaints on board the ship or on CC reviews.

 

 

 

Nothing personal but I am sick and tired of people comparing and complaining about food. Half the world starving, give me a break!

[maurick]

You should post this on the Carnival boards.

 

I have been on over 30 cruises. NCL, RCCL, and Carnival in the last 8 ears.

All the food was wonderful! Because I didn't have to prepare it. I am very thankful to be away on the sea. If I don't like one choice, I order something else

.

 

It makes me laugh the way people nit pick on food.

[MrsLeo]

Halos, your post about finding cinnamon in unexpected places reminded me of something funny on our Pearl cruise in November. D/H really, really hates squash, to the extent he tells people that he is allergic to it so they won't try and sneak it in on him. Well they must have had an abundance of it on our cruise, because we kept finding it everywhere, even in our deserts. It became a game of hide the squash...in the strangest places.

[halos]

.

 

It makes me laugh the way people nit pick on food.

 

ummm

This IS Cruise CRITIC, is it not?

 

 

Halos, your post about finding cinnamon in unexpected places reminded me of something funny on our Pearl cruise in November. D/H really, really hates squash, to the extent he tells people that he is allergic to it so they won't try and sneak it in on him. Well they must have had an abundance of it on our cruise, because we kept finding it everywhere, even in our deserts. It became a game of hide the squash...in the strangest places.

 

LOL!! I'm hoping that on my next cruise there is an abundance of lobster. ;)

[CruisnGram]

You should post this on the Carnival boards.

 

I have been on over 30 cruises. NCL, RCCL, and Carnival in the last 8 ears.

All the food was wonderful! Because I didn't have to prepare it. I am very thankful to be away on the sea. If I don't like one choice, I order something else

.

 

It makes me laugh the way people nit pick on food.

 

I feel the same way as you. I enjoy food, but it's not a big deal to me. I don't go on a cruise for the food, but the ports, the entire cruising experience etc. IF lesser food quality is the reason that NCL cruises are cheaper then the rest of the mass market food lines, I hope they don't change a thing as it fits me to a T. I'll take chicken over escargo any day of the week and if it saves me a few dollars, that's even better!

 

However, I do understand why it is important to some. Everyone has their thing, and to some it is the dining experience. They like a wide variety of foods that they may not get a chance to try when at home. So I can understand them being disappointed with food on specific cruiselines. And I could also see that issue causing them to change to another line.

[halos]

I feel the same way as you. I enjoy food, but it's not a big deal to me.

 

I don't know about the OP but as much as I love the food on CCL (as well as other things about CCL) that doesn't stop me from sailing NCL too. Sometimes, when someone states which line has better food (in their opinion. Food is subjective, after all) it doesn't mean anything more than they are stating an opinion.

 

Honestly, I thought NCL had fabulous soups and desserts. I had thought CCL had awesome soup but then when I sailed NCL, I thought theirs were better. Even the won-ton soup at the Blue Lagoon was amazing.

 

For us, it was more about service in the dining rooms being shabby...but again, it wasn't bad enough that we don't plan on sailing NCL again....but like I stated on another thread, we aren't looking for perfection. Our NCL cruise was one of the most FUN cruises we've ever taken and the social hosts were fabulous and the best we've ever sailed with.

 

Every line has it's good points. NCL's may not be the food, but they excell in other areas.

[CruisnGram]

For us, it was more about service in the dining rooms being shabby...but again, it wasn't bad enough that we don't plan on sailing NCL again....but like I stated on another thread, we aren't looking for perfection. .

 

This is an area that I think can be improved simply by speaking up. There is no excuse for horrible service. Now, I don't expect perfection in service either, but there is a limit. I don't mind asking for more bread, or more water. Yes, it's much nicer if I don't have to ask for it, but if I do have to ask, and the request is fulfilled within a reasonable time, I have no problem.

 

But, if I don't get items I request, if my food takes an hour, if it's cold when it arrives, if I can't find the waiter anywhere for 15 minutes when I need something, that is unacceptable to me. And I do not think that anyone should accept those things in silence. Don't be quiet about it while on board them come back and post on CC how horrible the service was. Speak up. Talk to the maitre'd. 99% of the time, the issues will be corrrected immediately.

 

On our March cruise, we had excellent service the first two nights. The 3rd night, it was way below average. A waiter that either didn't care of was just "out of it". The maitre'd who we'd made friends with noticed it and was helping by filling waters, bringing more bread etc. As he was doing this, we commented about the server not being great. He really didn't comment but we saw him speaking to the server over in the corner and we didn't have him anymore the rest of the week. It was taken care of and our service the rest of the trip was outstanding.

 

Don't suffer in silence people. Speak up, in a nice way, and you will be surprised at the response you will get.

[halos]

This is an area that I think can be improved simply by speaking up. There is no excuse for horrible service. Now, I don't expect perfection in service either, but there is a limit. I don't mind asking for more bread, or more water. Yes, it's much nicer if I don't have to ask for it, but if I do have to ask, and the request is fulfilled within a reasonable time, I have no problem.

 

But, if I don't get items I request, if my food takes an hour, if it's cold when it arrives, if I can't find the waiter anywhere for 15 minutes when I need something, that is unacceptable to me. And I do not think that anyone should accept those things in silence. Don't be quiet about it while on board them come back and post on CC how horrible the service was. Speak up. Talk to the maitre'd. 99% of the time, the issues will be corrrected immediately.

 

On our March cruise, we had excellent service the first two nights. The 3rd night, it was way below average. A waiter that either didn't care of was just "out of it". The maitre'd who we'd made friends with noticed it and was helping by filling waters, bringing more bread etc. As he was doing this, we commented about the server not being great. He really didn't comment but we saw him speaking to the server over in the corner and we didn't have him anymore the rest of the week. It was taken care of and our service the rest of the trip was outstanding.

 

Don't suffer in silence people. Speak up, in a nice way, and you will be surprised at the response you will get.

 

I always write each cruiseline a letter after my cruise. All crew members who were exceptional are mentioned by name (there are usually many) and any issues I felt they need to be aware of are mentioned as well...constructively I might add.

 

So yes, I too believe we should always speak up.

[MrPete]

One night, the freaking chef made more than a few items with cinnamon. There must have been an abundance of it on the ship or something.:rolleyes:

I am of the belief that cinnamon belongs only in/on a dessert...so the nights (and nights..) of cinnamon sorbet were 'acceptable', but the night my potato tasted funny, and I realized there was cinnamon on my spud as well, I thought that I'd had about enough.

 

Angel....

 

We had that on our last RCCL cruise. Everything we ordered had this "spice" in it. It was like the chef used it to base EVERYTHING. Just not sure what it exactly was, but it ruined the taste of most of our meals. We actually got up and walked out twice on a 5 day cruise.

[DaisyL]

I don't know about the OP but as much as I love the food on CCL (as well as other things about CCL) that doesn't stop me from sailing NCL too. Sometimes, when someone states which line has better food (in their opinion. Food is subjective, after all) it doesn't mean anything more than they are stating an opinion.

 

Honestly, I thought NCL had fabulous soups and desserts. I had thought CCL had awesome soup but then when I sailed NCL, I thought theirs were better. Even the won-ton soup at the Blue Lagoon was amazing.

 

For us, it was more about service in the dining rooms being shabby...but again, it wasn't bad enough that we don't plan on sailing NCL again....but like I stated on another thread, we aren't looking for perfection. Our NCL cruise was one of the most FUN cruises we've ever taken and the social hosts were fabulous and the best we've ever sailed with.

 

Every line has it's good points. NCL's may not be the food, but they excell in other areas.

I agree with you .... Overall I love NCL cruises the best (and if you notice we are booked again next year) but we think the meals and service were better on CCL Miracle compared to NCL Dawn.

 

Food, by no means, is the most important part of a cruise but I think NCL can use improvement. They have definitely 'cheaped out' unless you spring for dining in Le Bistro and Cagney's.

 

If CCL can have quality meals and service in the main dining room then so can NCL.

[halos]

Angel....

 

We had that on our last RCCL cruise. Everything we ordered had this "spice" in it. It was like the chef used it to base EVERYTHING. Just not sure what it exactly was, but it ruined the taste of most of our meals. We actually got up and walked out twice on a 5 day cruise.

:eek:

That bad huh??

 

I don't understand why they would do that. Do they think we aren't going to notice everything tasting the same??? :confused: