socsthecat

The MDR food and service on the Gem is appalling. Carnival is much better. We like the Gem as a ship, like the itineraries, like that it leaves from NYC, it's mostly all good apart from the MDR, so we factor in the cost of a SDP for the duration and consider it part of the base fare.

NCL MDRs are so bad it must be deliberate corporate policy to get passengers into the "pay" restaurants.

People on this board seem to struggle with the concept of a la carte vs unlimited packages. If I walk into a restaurant and order 3 apps, 1 main, 3 sides, and 3 desserts. I'm paying per item and can share it with table mates, box it up and take it home, or throw it away. If I walk into an all you can eat buffet, clearly I can do none of those things except leave what I don't eat on my plate and the restaurant throws it away.

 

My BF and I often go into a restaurant, order 1 app, 1 main, and 1 dessert and split everything because that is plenty of food for 2 people. We do sometimes go into a buffet together and if one of us isn't hungry, specifically tell them that it's a buffet for one. We are cautious that the not paying person doesn't eat anything, because we haven't paid for them to eat. In my mind, if the waiter catches even a 'here, try a bite', they would be perfectly justified in charging us for 2 buffets.... both people ate.

 

If you go to cagneys and pay a la carte, no one gives a darn what you do with that food. You paid a per item price for it. If you go in with the SDP, you are entitled to 'unlimited' food, with the exception of multiple entrees. That's where the holdup is for people. If my BF and I walk in to cagneys and only one has SDP, like we would at a normal restaurant, and order 1 app, 1 entree, and 1 dessert to split; is that kosher? Not really, 2 adults r eating for the price of one. If we paid a la carte certainly it would be fine, but not so much when you have the 'unlimited' price... that puts it in the buffet category.

 

Now people are taking it a step forward and saying, 'well, I know perfectly well I can only eat 1 app, 1 entree, and 1 dessert... but what if I order multiples so I can 'try them' [emoji6] , and then, oh well, can't eat them, guess my kids will have to finish them so they don't go to waste'.

 

It's the same argument as ordering a drink and let your friend try it when you have UBP. Common sense is that, of course, someone can have a bite or a sip to try something new. Only you know what your intentions are and if you are intentionally ordering more than you would otherwise so someone else could eat for free... that's package sharing. If you are open w the waiter about the intentions for the kids to eat the apps and he puts it all under your SDP, I can walk out of there with a clear conscience.

 

 

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But we're talking about children here, not other adults. My 8 year old doesn't want a 32 bone-in prime rib, an appropriately priced 5oz filet (medium rare or she complains) is perfect for her. Interestingly that's not an option...

eta: My last 3 NCL cruises both parents had the (genuine old school) UDP and we were never charged for our daughter when she ate off the specialty restaurant menus. We tipped appropriately of course. This may change on our upcoming cruise since the true UDP has gone way, and the restaurant staff have been "tipped" already (albeit a fraction of the 18% I'll wager) with our 10-day SDP. We shall see :)

Last time I was on the Gem I spent 2 days in the brig after I finished off my daughter's hotdog from the kid's menu. I am 44, the kid's menu is not for me, the hotdog was not ordered for me.

Be forewarned.

 

Whoa.

It's not "blood" in a properly cooked medium-rare steak, most of the blood drained out after the animal was beheaded, then most of the little blood left came out when it was dismembered.

Cooking an steak "well done" is an insult to the animal :rolleyes:

^

We've had the UDP on our last 2 NCL cruises and I don't think our 6 year old was ever charged in a specialty restaurant (we didn't get her the UDP). She eats the regular adult meals, all though not all of it of course. We do tip well.

I won't patronize NCL without the UDP or equivalent. The MDR is a horror show. No UDP (or similar) = no customer.

Hello Matey bubbles, yes your husband can go to evening meals without a tie, however never in Jeans/denim. On formal nights everybody wears tux/bow tie so you wouldn't want to be different in any way.

"different in any way" - it's not a uniform, I don't work at McDonald's.

I have never worn a bow tie or tuxedo on a Cunard ship. We always eat in the MDR.

Ignore the claptrap, read Cunard's requirements. The ship belongs to Cunard.

In my experience/opinion dinner in NCL MDRs is disappointing. The food is not good, and nor is the service.

For our 9 day Gem cruise last month we just bought the UDP and factored that $150 into the cost of the trip. Cagney's, Le Bistro and Moderno are solid, but not outstanding, restaurants. I would happily just rotate those 3 for the duration of a cruise. The theatrical Asian place (Teppenyaki? sp?) is fun and the food good, plus it's included free for lunch on sea days if you have the UDP.

The "duo of duck" - a breast and a confit - at Le Bistro is excellent.

Moderno - is very good, good lamb chops, great salad/cheese/salami bar, whatever the strange beef cut they offer is (I forget the name, eta: I googled it, it's the rump cap) = delicious. So is the cinnamon dusted pineapple.

Cagney's is a decent steak house - not as good as a Ruth's Chris or Mortons, let alone better ones, but decent nonetheless.

For my upcoming cruise with the UDP I hope to do Cagney's x3, Le Bistro x3, Moderno x2, plus a TBD

Last NCL cruise we took our 5 year old into a few of the "specialty" restaurants where she ate off the regular menu, and they didn't charge for her (we gave the waiters nice tips). Cagney's medium rare filet was a hit, with a side of asparagus. Plus the desserts of course. A 7 year old might slip by too.

Food is subjective - what seems nasty and horrible you, is perfectly fine to someone else. Paying for the UDP for every time seems perfectly fine to you; but to others, its too expensive or a waste of money since the complimentary meals are good to them. Their opinion is just as valid as yours and maybe more so, since there seems the free food gets great to so-so reviews depending on the ship.

 

Since you seem to have issues with people you think and assume are poor due to preferring to eat at free venues (some maybe are and others are definitely not) maybe you should stop sailing on NCL since so many there don't mind the taste of the free food. NCL and Royal are just a step up from Carnival but all three still mass market line for the masses - if Carnival is Walmart, then NCL is Target and Royal is Kohl's. And if you don't like Target and Walmart's free food , then you're perfectly free to sail on Neiman Marcus (Celebrity) and Lord&Taylor's (Cunard).

 

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I have no issues with anyone :) I don't assume someone eating in the MDR is poor. I do question their decision to eat not very good MDR food, when for comparatively pennies more you can eat substantially better elsewhere. But hey, McDonald's is inexplicably popular, which is a terrible burger, when for pennies more you can eat at Five Guys, which is an excellent burger.

What I do, if I'm "cruising" with Target, Kohl's, or WalMart, is factor in the upsell dining when pricing a cruise, just as I factor in the cost of flying to Florida when cruising from there.

Why am I bothering with this, stay away from the better restaurants so I can make reservations more easily! :D

I share your admiration for Norwegian's specialty restaurants, yet your callous disregard for people of modest means is abhorrent. There are a great many people (of all nationalities) for whom a single cruise is a huge financial stretch--absolutely huge. Against all odds, they scrimp and save and eventually manage to make their lifelong dream happen. We should celebrate these people, not fault them, and welcome them in our company.

Well that probably answers the question I always think when someone considers NCL MDR food "good" - what/where the heck do you normally eat? If a NCL cruise is a once in a lifetime financial stretch, that answer might be WalMart crap and Applebees.

We're talking about NCL here, second up on the cruise line quality totem pole, above Carnival. It's not all high falutin' and fancy.

I'm a foodie. Having quality food prepared for me is a big part of my enjoyment of cruising. "The MDR food is fine" doesn't cut it for me, I want it to be good or it harms my vacation. I like the MDR food/service on Cunard and Celebrity, and not NCL and RCI. Ironically, the upsell Steak House on Carnival is much better than the one on NCL :eek:

The poster's original question was "Food & Service Not good in "inclusive" Restaurants?" - and the answer in my opinion - correct, it is not good, spend the extra $17/day and eat much better elsewhere.

How is this a money issue? The UDP for a 9 day cruise is $150. If $150 seems like a lot of money, you ought to not be taking a vacation. $150 is a fraction of most people's bar bills after a cruise!

$17/day for a significantly better evening meal. I just figure the cruise is costing $17/day more when I book it, and eat much better as a consequence. I'm already looking forward to my first dinner at Le Bistro - even if the staff aren't French they make excellent French food (as can I, also not French).

9 day cruise. 3 dinners at Cagney's (steak, lamb, sea bass), 3 at Le Bistro (coq au vin, duck confit twice), the Brazilian place twice... what's not to like?!

To be labeled Angus in Vermont it has to be from an Angus steer.

If Vermont do it differently to the rest of the country, good for Vermont!

For everyone else, if the cattle is 51% black it can be considered Angus, regardless of whether it is really an Angus or not.

Just off the Gem from last week. There was a total of four adults, we had made reservations on line the week before the cruise for Cagneys. First I should say I do not like steak, salmon or lamb, but I am a dessert person. Ours friend ate steak and said it was good. Hubby and I ate shrimp also good. When it came to dessert the raspberry crème brulee was horrible so I order the oreo cheesecake, one bite and I wanted to vomit. Extremely disappointed. Not to mention we went on the first night, 6pm, the place was nearly empty and they sat us in the next to the kitchen and where they rang up the tabs. The beef is only angus not prime. I serve only angus in my home. No biggie. Waste of money for us. Our friends tried La Bistro it took three hours for the meal and service was bad and they weren't too impressed with the food. Went to the dining room a few times, found something we liked each time. Service was quick. I won't say food in MDR is bad, we just didn't care for most stuff. Please don't hesitate to go to the MDR, I am sure you will enjoy.

"Angus" is pure marketing BS. Ask a butcher what it means - in the US it means the cow was more than 50% black in color, that is all. Nothing to do with the Angus breed, other than real Angus cattle also happen to be black. Seriously, ask a butcher :)

IMO, the food and service in NCL MDRs is not good. For our upcoming cruise we've bought the UDP and factored that into the price of the cruise. No dinners in the MDR. The steakhouse is a solid steakhouse, not outstanding, but good, and the French restaurant is very good (great duck confit!). The Brazilian place is good, the Italian terrible. The Asian deeply meh.

I wonder what people who like NCL MDR dinners normally eat at home! Dominoes Pizza and McDonald's and Applebees ?!

We were on the same cruise.

We are also "foodies" and we thought the food and service in the MDR was so bad the first night we bought the UDP and never went back. I wasn't going to tolerate another 8 days of bad food and service. It was terrible, 2 different entrees, both really really poor quality.

Some of the specialty restaurants are very good, some are very average.

I'm going to write a proper review when I get time. It will be a long time before I go on NCL again.

We were on the same cruise.

It was SO ROUGH that my can of shaving foam toppled over in the bathroom in our deck 11 cabin. It woke me up. Unbelievably rough :rolleyes:

I have a low opinion of the cruise, but not because of the weather.

We got off of the Gem 2 days ago. Left our car with ParkRight at 670 W 43rd St (from memory) for $225 for 9 days. It was parked underground (no snow). The small amount of extra hassle was worth the money saved IMO.

The crew need to wear formal wear, they are at work in the service industry. I do not need to wear formal wear to eat (let's be honest here) fancy buffet food.

I will wear a jacket and tie. Unlikely they'll stay on for the duration of the meal, I'm there to enjoy the food, drink, and conversation, not to be a showroom dummy for people on other tables.

it may be cheap, but if it costs the line $0.75 per mailing and they can save 1500+ mailings per ship per week, than money adds up. With my first HAL cruise back in 2004 we sailed in a Suite and they sent this entire kit including very large heavy laminated luggage tags

 

I am sure someone crunched a number somewhere and said it was better to cut out this service than to raise the cruise fare by $0.50 per person

Put me in the camp that would rather pay the extra 50 cents. I'm cruising tomorrow and just printed out crappy pieces of paper that are supposed to ensure my luggage actually gets delivered to me.

Perhaps I should penny pinch and cut back on the bottles of beer with 300% markups while on RCI ships? :rolleyes:

On the off chance that anyone with authority from Royal Caribbean reads these forums....

Royal Caribbean it is PATHETICALLY CHEAP of you not to mail me real tyvek luggage tags. You know where I live, you know what cruise I'm on, you know I'll need luggage tags - so mail me some! And they ought to be waterproof ones because on one of my past cruises with you my luggage was left outside in a Florida downpour. Crappy bits of paper indeed.