Specialty Restaurants first time on NCL

[cb3thatsme]

Hi everyone I'm planning my first trip on NCL for next summer on the Jewel :D I posted a question about which itinerary, ship, and freestyle dining info but now that I think I have that nailed down I have two quick questions about specialty dining?

 

1) On the NCL website for the Pearl it has a children's price listed by each specialty restaurant i.e. Cagney's 30 adults 15 kids... Is this on the Jewel as well? Its odd that its on 1 ship but not another? Also if so do you know what NCL classifies as a Child vs Adult?

 

2) What are your MUST do Specialty restaurants for 1st time cruisers?

 

Thanks guys!

 

*Bonus question* What is your favorite lounge / Bar to hang out in? I generally like to find one bar with great bartenders and a fun atmosphere to spend an hour or two each evening... I was thinking the Mojito bar but it sounds like it is just next to a restaurant not its own spot like on the Getaway :(

Edited June 27, 2014 by cb3thatsme

[computerworks]

1) On the NCL website for the Pearl it has a children's price listed by each specialty restaurant i.e. Cagney's 30 adults 15 kids... Is this on the Jewel as well? Its odd that its on 1 ship but not another? Also if so do you know what NCL classifies as a Child vs Adult?

 

 

For all Specialty restaurants... Children who dine off the specialty restaurant menu pay one-half the surcharge... children who dine off the Kids menu are free. The age is 12 and under for this.

Edited June 27, 2014 by computerworks

[cb3thatsme]

For all Specialty restaurants... Children who dine off the specialty restaurant menu pay one-half the surcharge... children who dine off the Kids menu are free. The age is 12 and under for this.

 

 

Wow that's fantastic thank you! We will have an 10 - 12 year old so we will defiantly take advantage of this! I wish RCCL did the same thing!!!

 

Do you have any favorite specialty restaurants?

 

 

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[CruzinMel]

Cagney's. You can get hibachi and noodles at home, not everybody likes French, and while I enjoyed La Cucina, it's not THAT different from the Olive Garden or Carrabbas. But Cagney's . . . I can't get steak like that without paying a ton of money. I still dream about the steak at Cagney's.

 

After that, Moderno. Brazilian steakhouse - come hungry for MEAT.

 

And the gelato on Getaway is to die for.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[NLH Arizona]

I really enjoy Cagney's and, for a lot of fun for the family and good food, the Teppanyaki restaurant.

[TracieABD]

Cagney's

[cb3thatsme]

Wow Cagney's was my top choice I'm glad others agree lol

 

Generally on boards people have many different opinions I'm happy to see that Cagney's is consistent! :D (Now I say this I'll get 5 people saying how bad it is lol but please keep the restaurants coming I'm loving it!!!)

[4774Papa]

We love the Brazilian Steakhouse and Le Bistro. The Japanese restaurant is good. The Italian is ok, but more like an Olive Garden.

[Hikini]

We love Moderno - (Brazilian steakhouse style) and go HUNGRY!

 

We also love Le Bistro. Even though it is billed as a "French" restaurant their menu has a lot of items on it that you would find in most fine restaurants. Such as Beef tenderloin (SO tender and flavorful) and swordfish, etc, etc. High recommend Le Bistro!

 

Cagney's is also very good.

 

I have no experience with any of the others.

[Freespir8]

Le Bistro is my favorite hands down. The filet mignon and the escargot are to die for. The creme brulee is amazing too. Since we went to Cagney's at lunch and breakfast we never splurged for the dinner. After reading everyone's post, I wish we had!

[cb3thatsme]

Thanks everyone for all of the the great responses I really appreciate it!

 

The amount of specialty restaurants can be a little overwhelming at first but this board has really helped me gain a better understanding of NCL :)

[garycarla]

Which rest is a must do?

 

Hmmm...

 

Some folks NEVER eat in any of them. Others eat in them almost every night. So, hard to say.

[sparks1093]

We ate at La Cucina the last time out on the Gem just to give it a try, not because we felt compelled to eat there. Probably won't be eating at any other specialty restaurants as we don't see the need. FWIW the calamari was excellent, the chicken parm was excellent but the spaghetti side that came with it was a let down (which didn't detract from the meal, I just took the one bite) and the tiramasu was excellent. Of course if one has to have calamari or tiramasu this is the only place to get it. They have sample menus on the NCL website and they are worth looking over.

[newmexicoNita]

1/2 price in all the specialty dining rooms I believe: 12 is the breakoff and must do: that is strictly a matter of opinion. As garycarla said, some people never eat in a specialty dining room, so there is no: can't miss. Our favorite is Le Bistro far and above the others. We also like Mordenos and are not huge fans of Cagney's. Our daughter and son in law like Cagney's the best and are not crazy over le Bistro. We also love the Asian restaurant on the Pearl. So, you can see, it is just a matter of taste. All are good and worth the money.

[jkgourmet]

On the Jade in January 2014, we dined at Cagney's twice. Ex butcher DH declared the ribeye one of the best pieces of beef he has ever had, which was why we returned for the equally good second visit.

 

Sadly, the beef in the MDR was awful. The beef roasts that turned up in the buffet were on the low end of average (though rare meat was often available, thankfully).

[kabbie]

I'm a first time NCL cruiser also going on the Jewel.

 

I have been checking at the menus online for Cagneys and Le Bistro - what is included in the cover charge? One starter, one soup or salad, one entree, one side and one dessert? Is it possible to order additional sides or a soup & salad?

 

Thanks!

[DorothyB]

I'm a first time NCL cruiser also going on the Jewel.

 

I have been checking at the menus online for Cagneys and Le Bistro - what is included in the cover charge? One starter, one soup or salad, one entree, one side and one dessert? Is it possible to order additional sides or a soup & salad?

 

Thanks!

 

while I haven't done it yet, my understanding is ONLY ONE entrée, but you can get multiples of everything else (except at Teppanayaki)

[cb3thatsme]

Thanks everyone :) I'm thinking we will do Teppanyaki / Cagney's / Moderno for sure!!

 

I really like that NCL is the only one to have restaurants like Teppanyaki / Moderno :)

 

I'll have to check out the other menus :) I'm honestly considering the UDP I've heard it's not always a great deal but if you eat in every restaurant once and say Cagney's or Teppanyaki twice it's actually a nice deal! ( if you can do a restaurant twice?)

 

 

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[Mightyjoey1]

Thanks everyone :) I'm thinking we will do Teppanyaki / Cagney's / Moderno for sure!!

 

I really like that NCL is the only one to have restaurants like Teppanyaki / Moderno :)

 

I'll have to check out the other menus :) I'm honestly considering the UDP I've heard it's not always a great deal but if you eat in every restaurant once and say Cagney's or Teppanyaki twice it's actually a nice deal! ( if you can do a restaurant twice?)

 

 

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We just did a Baltic Cruise on the Norwegian Star and got the UDP and it was the best thing we did. Not only are you able to sit at the same restaurant more than once, you are able to schedule multiple seatings the same day (ie...go to Le Bistro at 5:30 pm and Cagney's at 10 pm). While that sounds kinda extreme, it actually ended up being very liberating; you can enjoy multiple appetizers and split an entree at an early meal, go to a show and then end up the evening going to Cagney's, get a steak, and take half of it with you and enjoy it for breakfast in the morning. My wife and I, for the record, loved Le Bistro, but also enjoyed being able to sample the best items from the other restaurants without worrying about getting your money's worth at any individual sitting.

[cb3thatsme]

We just did a Baltic Cruise on the Norwegian Star and got the UDP and it was the best thing we did. Not only are you able to sit at the same restaurant more than once, you are able to schedule multiple seatings the same day (ie...go to Le Bistro at 5:30 pm and Cagney's at 10 pm). While that sounds kinda extreme, it actually ended up being very liberating; you can enjoy multiple appetizers and split an entree at an early meal, go to a show and then end up the evening going to Cagney's, get a steak, and take half of it with you and enjoy it for breakfast in the morning. My wife and I, for the record, loved Le Bistro, but also enjoyed being able to sample the best items from the other restaurants without worrying about getting your money's worth at any individual sitting.

 

 

Wow that's am interesting idea honestly I've never even considered that but now I'm thinking I should lol

 

 

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[sparks1093]

I'm a first time NCL cruiser also going on the Jewel.

 

I have been checking at the menus online for Cagneys and Le Bistro - what is included in the cover charge? One starter, one soup or salad, one entree, one side and one dessert? Is it possible to order additional sides or a soup & salad?

 

Thanks!

 

FWIW DW and I had to split a desert in La Cucina because the portions of the other courses were quite ample (and we didn't really want dessert but hey, it was tiramasu:)).

[big al]

We have dined multiple times in Le Bistro ( the most popular & sells out the fastest, FYI) , Teppenyaki, Cagney's , and La Cucina..Le Bistro is my fav because I LOVE escargots, and they are terrific ( and yes, you can order 2 if you like!!) , the surf & turf is great, PLUS as mentioned here, the creme brulee is very nice, though our fav for dessert, is the fruit fondue- it's a pineapple bottom carved out with lots of different fruits in it, then they give you a chocolate fondue to dip the fruit in!! PLUS a table by the window over-looking the sea..that doesn't suck,lol!!! Also, we ( and many others) LOVED Teppenyaki..the cooks put on a great show at your seat, and we thought the food was terrific ( a friend was just on the Breakaway and said of the 5 restaurants he tried, Teppenyaki was his favorite!!)...the thing to remember about specialty dining is that the food is better ( IMO by a lot!!) , service better, side dishes, appetizers & desserts are MUCH better, but for us, it's the ambiance- sitting with 50-100 people vs. 1000 , a table for 2 by the water seeing sunsets & the sea, quiet music, and romantic lighting ...well worth $15-30 pp..heck, you can't even eat at Denny's for $15- and you certainly don't get escargots, surf & turf , creme brulee or the fruit fondue AND a table over-looking the sea at Denny's, do ya???

 

Big Al

[big al]

I'm a first time NCL cruiser also going on the Jewel.

 

I have been checking at the menus online for Cagneys and Le Bistro - what is included in the cover charge? One starter, one soup or salad, one entree, one side and one dessert? Is it possible to order additional sides or a soup & salad?

 

Thanks!

 

One entree BUT several sides ( family style) can be ordered & shared, as well as several desserts and several appetizers, unless they have changed the rules...a meal like that at Ruth Chris or Morton's would cost EASY $75-100 pp and NO table by the sea...keep in mind, a steak alone in those places ( no sides- all is a la carte) is $40-50..granted they are bigger portions, but how much can you eat??

 

Big Al

[Mightyjoey1]

I'm a first time NCL cruiser also going on the Jewel.

 

I have been checking at the menus online for Cagneys and Le Bistro - what is included in the cover charge? One starter, one soup or salad, one entree, one side and one dessert? Is it possible to order additional sides or a soup & salad?

 

Thanks!

 

Multiple appetizers and multiple desserts...you CAN order an additional entree for an additional fee (like $10). There are some items on the menu that are also for a premium above that, BUT are included if you have the UDP.

[pokerpro5]

First off, the kids policies are VERY confusing, and even much of the staff doesn't understand.

 

Kids 4-12 are half price if they eat off the specialty menu. However they can order from a "main dining room kids menu" while eating in a specialty, and the kids won't get charged in that case.

 

Kids 0-3 are FREE. This is where everyone gets confused. What if your 3-year-old wants a steak at Cagney's? Will he be charged half price? Will he get it for free? Nobody knew. It was assumed that all kids under 4 would be eating from a main dining room kid's menu (and not the specialty menu), so they surprisingly never came up with a policy on them. If you press it, they WILL serve your kid under 4 specialty menu items and not charge them. My 3-year-old ate a whole 8 ounce filet mignon! I don't like ordering kid's menu items for my son because they tend to be crap. He appreciates good food, and he eats enough crap at home, so I might as well get him quality food in the restaurants!

 

Regarding portions, your children (regardless of age) will get the SAME portions from the specialty menu as the adults. So it's a good deal that they get them for half price.

 

Regarding seconds, Cagneys will typically charge you $10 if you order another entree, but Le Bistro will often (but not always) let you order more entrees for free. So make sure to ask about that when ordering. La Cucina doesn't charge for seconds, nor does Moderno (but see my note about them below).

 

 

But should you go to the specialities at all? YES, you absolutely should. The food is MUCH better. The atmosphere is MUCH more relaxed and classy. The service is MUCH better. It's just a superior experience, and to be honest, the total cost ($119 per person with the ultimate dining package) is relatively little compared to everything you are spending on the cruise. I find other ways to save money -- booking my own excursions, arranging my own transportation, not shopping at all on the ship, getting the optimal fare, etc. Why skimp on the food? I am of the opinion that the food is a big part of cruising, and if you're going to eat crap in the MDR the whole time, you might as well not go.

 

 

I thought Cagney's and Le Bistro were the best. The appetizers were hit-and-miss, but the main courses tended to be good and the sides were decent.

 

I heard bad things about La Cucina/Mama's, but was pleasantly surprised. It's not great, but some compared it to the Olive Garden, and it's much better than that. Admittedly, it's not as good as a high-quality Italian place you'll find at home. It's worth at least one meal to change things up.

 

Moderno was disappointing. The meats were okay (not great), and they made it very difficult on us to either order seconds or to get more than one serving of certain meats. I was told that perhaps I just ran into a bad Moderno (this was on the Jewel), so I will give it another shot, and will talk to the manager beforehand about the "seconds" situation.

 

Did not try Teppanyaki but heard good things about it.

 

On a 7 night cruise, I would suggest something like 2 Cagneys, 2 Le Bistro, 1 La Cucina, 1 Teppanyaki, and 1 Moderno.

 

Oh, and when it comes to booking in advance, don't panic if the times you want aren't available. You can usually switch them easily once you're on board. Just dial 050 from your phone.

 

Oh, and do NOT buy the Ultimate Dining package for kids 12 and under, because it is impossible to get value out of it.

Edited June 29, 2014 by pokerpro5