NCL Restaurant Questions

[october37]

Sailing soon...I'm not sure I'm following NCL's freestyle dining. Is all dining buffet except for the specialty restuarants? I enjoy sitting down to a specialty meal and I also enjoy meeting other people.

 

Do we have to pay for sit down meals? If so, does anyone know how much? I couldn't find the fees online. I assume it's something we get once we're on the ship.

 

How about room service? Is that included? I would love to have coffee delivered in the a.m. Don't usually care about food...must have caffeine!!

 

Thanks,

Michelle

 

Carnival Inspiration

Carnival Sensation

[Baitman19]

Sailing soon...I'm not sure I'm following NCL's freestyle dining. Is all dining buffet except for the specialty restuarants? I enjoy sitting down to a specialty meal and I also enjoy meeting other people.

 

Do we have to pay for sit down meals? If so, does anyone know how much? I couldn't find the fees online. I assume it's something we get once we're on the ship.

 

How about room service? Is that included? I would love to have coffee delivered in the a.m. Don't usually care about food...must have caffeine!!

 

Thanks,

Michelle

 

Carnival Inspiration

Carnival Sensation

 

Michelle,

 

There are two main dining rooms (sit down & free) You can have a table for 2 or sit with others.

There is the Garden Buffet/Great Outdoor Cafe

There are 3 Specialty Rest: Le Bistro ($15-20), Cagney's ($20-25)& Il Adagio ($10)

 

There is 24 hour Room Service and you can have coffee delivered to your cabin.

 

Hope this helps

 

Happy Cruising

Monty

[uppitycats]

Sailing soon...I'm not sure I'm following NCL's freestyle dining. Is all dining buffet except for the specialty restuarants? I enjoy sitting down to a specialty meal and I also enjoy meeting other people.

No, all dining is not buffet. There are two main restaurants on the ship that are the usual sit-down restaurants. One is generally more "formal" than the other, but since nothing on NCL really is "formal", the dress code is "resort casual". So you can go to either of those two restaurants for all your main meals -- which are included in the price of your cruise.

There is also a buffet (included), and a couple of casual dining venues (included). The casual dining venues are also sit-down - there is a menu, waiters, all the usual restaurant stuff, just casual. These are also included in the price of your cruise.

The specialty restaurants are also sit-down restaurants. There is an additional charge for them, ranging from $15 to $25, depending on the venue.

 

Do we have to pay for sit down meals? If so, does anyone know how much? I couldn't find the fees online. I assume it's something we get once we're on the ship.

 

Depending on which ship you're going on, folks here will know exactly what the cost per person will be for the specialty restaurants. (Again, the 2 main restaurants are "free" -- the price included in the cost of your cruise).The cost will include everything from appetizer to dessert. Usually you can order extra appetizers, desserts, salads, etc., but only one entree per person in the specialty restaurants. In the other "main restaurants", like on other cruise ships, you can order as much as you want.

 

How about room service? Is that included? I would love to have coffee delivered in the a.m. Don't usually care about food...must have caffeine!!

 

Room service is included in the price of your cruise-- but generally folks "tip" the person who delivers the food. If you're only ordering coffee, $1 is probably sufficient. If you're ordering a lot, tip accordinting.

Thanks,

Michelle

 

Carnival Inspiration

Carnival Sensation

 

"Freestyle" doesn't mean "buffet dining". "Freestyle" means you don't have a set dinner time -- you just show up at the main dining room whenever you're hungry (they DO have set hours when they're serving, like 7:30 - 10 for breakfast, 11 to 2 for lunch, 5:30 - 9 for dinner, so you have to show up during those times if you want to eat!) Depending on when you show up, and whether you're in a large group or not, you may have to wait a bit -- I didn't have to wait more than 15 minutes on a recent NCL Jewel cruise -- and then be seated. If you want to eat alone (or as a couple), there are plenty of opportunities to do that. If you're amenable to sharing, you tell the host/hostess that when you get to the door, and you'll be seated with others who are also willing to share.

 

Usually in the specialty restaurants folks have come as a couple or set group, and sharing a table may not be possible..but you can always ask!

 

"Freestyle" ALSO means that there are no "formal nights" where you are expected to get dressed up for dinner. They will announce a night or two (depending on the length of your cruise) where "dressing up" is optional, but they do ask that you adhere to a dress code of "resort casual" -- avoiding tank tops, swim suits, shorts, flip-flops, ratty jeans, that ultra-casual "sloppy" look. You'll see folks in all sorts of attire, some "appropriate", some not.

[Arwenmark]

What the others have said is true, as for the paid specialty places there are several threads on here about the cost of each one based on which ship you are on etc. you need reservations for most of them though.

what Freestyle dining equates to basically is restaurant dining you show up and ask for a table for two or four or how ever many of you there are and when a table is available they seat you. You can also arrive and tell the hostess you would like to be seated with others, and if there are others that have chosen that option they will seat you with them.

[DMH15]

What I like about Freestyle dining is that if you have an exursion, bingo, trivia or are just into reading a good book or napping you DON'T have to jump up and get dressed or miss out on dinner. You can go to either dining room, the buffet (not me), one of the specialty restaurants and chance it, or have room service. I love the spontaneity aspet.

 

Of course, I like to make a few reservations for the specialty restaurants too.

 

Have fun.