If we only eat in Main Dining Room, will that be good enough?

[newmexicoNita]

Just got off Getaway this morning. It was our first time on NCL. We usually do RCCL. I found that the menu in the main dining room for dinner didn't change very much. Maybe just 4 or 5 entrees would change. The food was very good but like I said it pretty much stayed the same. We did Cagney's and La Cucina, which we had already planned. If we go again I think we would definitely do the dining package. As for the buffet, I can't comment much. We only ate there once and it was only lunch. Food was your average buffet food.

 

I just have so much trouble understanding what people are saying about the food and choices. I will also add, most lines are cutting back some with more "always available" choices. NCL has different entrée choices every night for 2 weeks, not one repeat. They offer prime rib, chops, sea food, chicken, steaks, lamb, vegetarian dishes, and pasta. Each night there are 3 or 4 choices plus the always available chicken breast, salmon, steak and one other entrée. How many more choices could someone want? The only place where the selection is a little skimpy is salads and appetizers. yes, buffets are buffets. I do think NCL has some very good lunch selections but it is still buffet quality.

[OCruisers]

Since you've been fine with the MDR & Buffet on Carnival, you should have no problem on NCL.

There really are lots of people who never go to specialty restaurants.

Look forward to having a wonderful cruise. :)

LuLu

~~~~

[DMH15]

What is so wonderful about NCL are the options. You can choose NOT to pay extra and still have a great time. Have a great cruise!

[shelly11]

I have been on the Sky 3 times and ate in the MDR or buffet every day. I did try Le Bistro and loved it but it wasn't necessary.

[cperk97]

I have done it before and will do it again.

[Dorhead1230]

Be sure to also ask what the special is in the MDR at dinner each night. They will have a special other than the dishes listed on the menu that change nightly. I had a kick-ass chicken tikka masala last summer on the Dawn that was a Chef's special and not listed. I know that my BF also ordered a special one night; it was a seafood dish and he enjoyed it. There's loads of great food included, though! Enjoy your cruise!

[Hopperhop]

We have never seen a need to eat in any of the specialty restaurants on our 2 cruises aboard the NCL Epic. We can always find something really good to eat with the variety that they have and we have never left the dining room hungry. I seriously do not understand in some of the reviews how people for every meal get cold food that is not acceptable. We have never had that problem. Also, I think that the buffet on the NCL Epic is great. They have such a wide variety of food and the only reason that any of it has ever been cold(when it was not supposed to be) is from me wondering around the buffet for too long looking for more food!

 

You are not being cheap as you have already paid to dine once and you should not feel the need to spend any more on food.

 

Enjoy your cruise!:)

[Azure Moon]

The majority of our evening meals are in the main dining rooms. Beautiful rooms, very good to excellent food, almost always very good to excellent service, and the icing on the cake - live piano music at certain times and recorded piano playing at other times :cool:. Check the Freestyle Daily to see when there will be music. We usually miss the live music :( and once got to listen to hear a few minutes of the recorded music :).

 

When we sailed on the Sky, all but one of our evening meals were in the MDR. I finally got to go to LeBistro - since it was my birthday and I had been wanting to try that venue on 2 or 3 previous cruises, so wild horses couldn't keep me away that time :p:D.

 

You'll love the Sky. Have a great vacation.

[johnsak123]

Food is a matter of opinion but i think you will enjoy the mdr

i dont remember having a meal that was absolutely inedible

some not as good as others but all still good

btw if you et something you dont like order something else

[UhOhChango]

The MDR and the buffet are just fine. The eggs cooked to order for breakfast are really nice.

[sailingnut]

I usually eat in all the specialty restaurants~~I like my specialty restaurants~~what can I say~~I cruise solo~~once in a while I will eat in the free ones! Have fun cruising!:)

[jjikids]

We always check the menus outside the MDR for each meal. They will post dinner early. They also post the special of the evening outside the dining room. We then check the buffet out when it first opens. Then we decide where we will eat. We do specialty dining in Le Bistro since they have escargot and lamb chops. For $20 it is a treat. Otherwise food choices are great. There are around five same basic meals and some different ones each day. You will have loads to choose from. Oder as many appetizers, soup, salad you want. If you want to try two different dinners go for it. Sometimes DH and I order one enter each and one to share. Don't listen to people who complain portions are small. We feel that is good. It gives us more to choose to eat from and room for dessert. We never have room when we eat out at home. Go and have lots of fun. You will enjoy yourselves.

[Valen9]

I think the MDR(s) on NCL are very good. There are some items that are available every night and some that vary every day -- which means there will always be new dishes even if you eat in the same MDR every night.

 

Some ships have more than one MDR and there are usually one or two dishes that are different even on the same night.

 

There are other complimentary restaurants on every ship, including one that is always open 24 hours. The menus there don't change daily but will change between breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And there's room service!

 

You're not a cheapskate and you'll get good meals even if you don't pay extra.

[Troy McClure]

I am also with the OP.... my 1st NCL tomorrow, so I will soon see if the splurge is necessary. My DW is vegetarian so most of the specialty restaurants don;t make sense for us...but I can see on 1 or 2 splurge nights in a 7 day, on a 4 day ..probably not. I am also cheap.

[Pomcoach]

I just LOVE everything everyone is saying! Can't wait! I am feeling very VERY good about eating in the main diningroom and enjoying every minute. Thank you for the tip about eating lunch in the MDR on embarkation day, and it being less crowded and relaxed. And thank you for the tip about LIVE piano music and asking what the special of the night is. Thank you to ALL who have helped give so many tips and encouraging words. Believe me, I am writing all this down! 99 days till our cruise on the SKY! YAY!

[mikenhe]

you'll be good. you have main dining room, blue lagoon, room service, topsiders, buffet - plus whatever else the sky offers.

 

specialty restaurants are nice - but you don't need them.

[sdmike]

Yes, this is us, but just a little different:

For breakfasts we're about 90% buffet

For lunch we're about 75% bar/somewhere on deck and 25% buffet

For dinner we're 80% dining room or bar, 10% specialty, 10% buffet

 

I hear you on the "bar/somewhere". I think maybe I should up my percentages in that category. We ate lunch in O'Sheehans or Blue Lagoon several times, or at Spice H20 Grill on the Epic. I was just getting lazy with the "buffet" statement. The thing about lunch is that with port time and other things, at least for us, it's about speed and variety...not really sitting down for an hour somewhere. We kinda eat where we are. :)

 

The only specialties we ate at were Moderno on both the Epic and Jewel, just because we really enjoyed the meat feast. We also ate a few times at the Noodle Bar on Epic, and plenty of times had brownie sundaes and burgers in O'Sheehans WAY after the time we should have been eating :)

Edited March 30, 2014 by sdmike

[summersfunnc]

I don't know if the dining room is still open for breakfast anymore (I just can't remember) but if it is start your day that way one morning. It is a real treat to dine on white linen first thing in the day. Though the lunch menu remains the same daily it is worth going as well. In the evening we usually go to one of the main dining rooms if we are at sea but when we've been out and about we often just do the buffet in the evening or even room service. With a balcony it can be a nice treat to order a pizza ($5.00) and eat out there as you leave port. We have been on 6 cruises and have only eaten in two specialty restaurants.

Just remember that you're not having to do the cooking or the clean up and you will love whatever you eat.

Have a great time.

[Pomcoach]

Does the Sky have a Blue Lagoon & O'Sheehans? And do you know if they are free/complimentary?

Thanks so much to everyone for all the information! I'm especially interested in the Brownie Sundae!!!

Edited March 30, 2014 by Pomcoach

[swedish weave]

Does the Sky have a Blue Lagoon & O'Sheehans? And do you know if they are free/complimentary?

Thanks so much to everyone for all the information! I'm especially interested in the Brownie Sundae!!!

 

OSheehans and Blue Lagoon are both complimentary. Not sure which the Sky has, but I believe NCL is planning to change all of the Blue Lagoons to OSheehans.

[sdmike]

Does the Sky have a Blue Lagoon & O'Sheehans? And do you know if they are free/complimentary?

Thanks so much to everyone for all the information! I'm especially interested in the Brownie Sundae!!!

 

 

The Sky doesn't have a 24/7 eating venue, unfortunately. Here is the dining guide for NCL ships

 

http://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/Dining-Guide-022814.pdf

[Valen9]

Does the Sky have a Blue Lagoon & O'Sheehans? And do you know if they are free/complimentary?

 

Your ship will have either Blue Lagoon or O'Sheehans -- and someone mentioned that the line is changing the Blue Lagoons to O'Sheehans thru the fleet so whatever we tell you *might* be different from what's there! Both are 24-hour restaurants with a separate breakfast menu.

 

Thanks so much to everyone for all the information! I'm especially interested in the Brownie Sundae!!!

 

Warning: the brownies in these sundaes have nuts. And they could not seem to wrap their minds very well around the idea of "make me a brownie sundae but use a slice of pound cake instead of the brownie". Maybe if more people ask for that they might get the hang of it.

[GORDONCHICK]

I would say that I think the NCL food is overall better than Carnval's, IME. However, the NCL desserts are not as good as Carnival's. But if you find yourself wanting something a little sweet after dinner, check out the buffet for the made to order crepe station. My favorite is lemon & blueberry. I will warn you - it closes either at 8 or 9pm. If there's a line, it moves pretty quickly.

[Pomcoach]

To Gordon Chick: We sure had a big laugh when reading your quote in your signature! Hilarious!

"Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak."

Still laughing!

[Sauer-kraut]

The Sky doesn't have a 24/7 eating venue, unfortunately. Here is the dining guide for NCL ships

 

http://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/Dining-Guide-022814.pdf

 

On the SKY the 24/7 venue is named LONGBOARDS (Longboard Bar) and it it complimentary. There will be wings, brownie sundaes, artichoke dip and other delights to be had there!!