Norwegian Getaway dinner options? What's included and what isnt

[packetloss]

Hello everyone,*

 

We will be on the Getaway at the end of the month with a family of 5* with the oldest child be 8.

 

What* dining options are available that are included with our cruise? I've read around a bit but still very confused. I see many talking about dining option and all these additional fees. Are there any sit down served dinners or are all meals buffet style?** Is it worth it to upgrade to a dining plan? What more do we get if we pay the additional fee? How is the food with the meal plan that is included with our cruise? Will we be disappointed.*

 

For the dinners that are included is it a first come first served or do we need to make reservations in advance of our cruise?

 

Thank you to all those that respond!*

[LrgPizza]

There are several different complimentary dining options on Getaway, including 3 main dining rooms, buffet, O'Sheehan's, Flamingo Grill...

 

People here are upset lately when someone tried to help by providing a link to the NCL site, but it truly is going to answer your question the best. If you look here, this will describe the different dining options on that ship, both complimentary and pay.

http://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/getaway/whats-on-board

[Valen9]

What* dining options are available that are included with our cruise? I've read around a bit but still very confused. I see many talking about dining option and all these additional fees. Are there any sit down served dinners or are all meals buffet style?** Is it worth it to upgrade to a dining plan? What more do we get if we pay the additional fee? How is the food with the meal plan that is included with our cruise? Will we be disappointed.*

 

There are plenty of included dining. The Freestyle Daily (the newsletter) will let you know what venues are open when, and which ones have a charge and which do not. If I remember right, Getaway has:

• 3 main dining rooms: One large one in the aft and two smaller ones just forward of it. They serve sit down means. At least one of them will be open during all mealtimes, with all 3 open for dinner.
  
• One buffet restaurant, the Great Outdoors, that serves food for most of the day
  
• Another buffet on the deck above the pool that serves breakfast and lunch
  
• Something that offers pizza, hotdogs, and hamburgers by the pool in the afternoon
  
• O'Sheehan's, a 24-hour sit-down restaurant mid-ship near the Atrium
  
• Room service, which is free all day but costs $4 between midnight and 5am.
  
• a buffet in/near the casino late at night
  

 

I've never found it necessary to have a dining plan. The free options contain plenty of tasty interesting food. In fact, I can't always count on the specialty restaurants to be BETTER, though often they are.

 

For the dinners that are included is it a first come first served or do we need to make reservations in advance of our cruise?

 

It is first come first served. There's a channel on your cabin TV and displays all around the ship that show how busy each venue is. If the venue you pick is full, they'll give you a beeper and beep you when your table is ready.

 

If you really want to eat at a specific time and not wait, you can choose to make a reservation. You can choose to do that in advance of the cruise if you want to be absolutely totally sure... but they only open up some of the reservation slots for that. This means that a venue can appear to be full in advance but you can book it once you board.

[punkincc]

If you look around on the NCL website you will find a list of dining options divided between complimentry and those which have a fee. The only option which is not "served" would be the buffet. It is free. Also free is the large aft Main Dining Room, the Tropicana, as well as the two smaller MDRs Taste and Savor. Also free is the 24 hour pub O'Sheehans. There is a Latin/Cuban style place near the H20 area. So at least 5 free options and I may be forgetting something. For a fee ranging from $15 to $30 per person there is a steak house, a Churrascaria, a Japanese a hibachi type place, an Italian and a French. All well worth the money. There is an Ocean Blue by Zacharian which is I think is considerably more, but I have never felt the need to go there with all the other options available. There are some ala carte places for sushi and such.

 

The only place you definitely need a reservation for would be the Teppanyaki as it is very limited seating. Otherwise you can reserve when you board, or the day of, or just check the availability boards and walk up and ask for a table, just like you do at home.

 

We never buy the dining package as we usually eat a few times in the MDRs and buffet and it just isn't cost effective with the price of the package. We just pay as we go. Usually 3 nights out of 7.

[sailor05]

We're seriously considering booking the Getaway for this June due to free beverage package currently being offered, and the desire to try something diiferent. We have done several cruises on RCCL and Carnival and the ONE THING we love most is sitting down in the main dining rooms and having a somewhat formal dinner together as a family plus the very formal dinners on the selected nights. It seems like from what I'm reading that NCL isn't as formal and in my mind I see people eating in the main dining rooms dressed however casual hey wish. Am I wrong in this perception? I want these types of dinners/setting without paying additional fees too. :rolleyes:

 

Anyone who's been on the other cruise lines able to compare so I know what to expect? Thanks a bunch!

[LrgPizza]

We're seriously considering booking the Getaway for this June due to free beverage package currently being offered, and the desire to try something diiferent. We have done several cruises on RCCL and Carnival and the ONE THING we love most is sitting down in the main dining rooms and having a somewhat formal dinner together as a family plus the very formal dinners on the selected nights. It seems like from what I'm reading that NCL isn't as formal and in my mind I see people eating in the main dining rooms dressed however casual hey wish. Am I wrong in this perception? I want these types of dinners/setting without paying additional fees too. :rolleyes:

 

Anyone who's been on the other cruise lines able to compare so I know what to expect? Thanks a bunch!

There are no formal nights on NCL. Any and every meal in the MDR you will see people dressed casually, and that also goes for the Specialty Restaurants. On Getaway, Le Bistro and Tropicana Room (MDR) require long pants for men, but nice jeans are okay. In any other dining spot shorts are welcome. Your family is certainly welcome to dress how you wish, and if you don't concern yourselves with how others are dressed, than it won't be a problem. You will always see others dressed nice, so you really wouldn't stand out or anything. People dress all sorts of ways.