Should I be concerned there is so much specialty dining

[westcoastman]

Mostly cruised DCL and RCCL and was quite happy with the quality of eating in the MDR. On DCL there was always something that was decadent enough each night to appeal to what is most important about any cruise - the formal MDR eating experience.

 

With so many specialty restaurants on NCL and so many people that feel like they have to purchase the UDP it has me a bit concerned. I will not pay up for any specialty dining and I booked the cruise thinking the MDR dining experience will be similar to the others. On the other cruise lines eating at the one or two specialty places was reserved for that special romantic occasion and you certainly would find similar quality food in the MDR with maybe a few exceptions. It was the service and quaint atmosphere you were paying the fee for. Should I be concerned that NCL MDR dining might not meet my expectations?

[Guindalf]

Concerned that you are given choices? Absolutely not!

 

MDR food is perfectly adequate as is the buffet - and there are at least TWO MDRs on each ship as well as other free dining options.

 

All cruise lines have discovered that they can eek more money out of the passengers by offering pay restaurants and most people just eat in the specialties once or twice unless they have the UDP - and that's far less people per ship than it appears on these boards!

[hawkeyetlse]

This is so subjective, you will get opinions all over the map about it. When specialty dining started catching on, the loudest complainers insisted that NCL was deliberately lowering the quality of MDR food and service to push people into extra charge restaurants. Now that they added 18% tip to the specialty dining charges, the loudest complainers insist that eating in the MDR is just as good if not better than the specialty restaurants. :D

 

All I can say is that the MDRs are full every night and people seem to be enjoying their meals overall and I don't think that anyone in there is forcing down a few bites of food just to stay alive until the end of the cruise. :p I can't say personally how it might compare to the MDR on DCL or RCCL.

[sixesandeights]

Mostly cruised DCL and RCCL and was quite happy with the quality of eating in the MDR. On DCL there was always something that was decadent enough each night to appeal to what is most important about any cruise - the formal MDR eating experience.

 

With so many specialty restaurants on NCL and so many people that feel like they have to purchase the UDP it has me a bit concerned. I will not pay up for any specialty dining and I booked the cruise thinking the MDR dining experience will be similar to the others. On the other cruise lines eating at the one or two specialty places was reserved for that special romantic occasion and you certainly would find similar quality food in the MDR with maybe a few exceptions. It was the service and quaint atmosphere you were paying the fee for. Should I be concerned that NCL MDR dining might not meet my expectations?

 

I find the MDR on NCL to be a complete hassle. We hate going there. On the bigger ships there is ALWAYS a wait (Just know someone is going to post contradicting me, but we have tried many different times of day and unless we wanted to eat at 5:30 there is a wait.) The service is also crazy slow in the MDR. I dont think we have ever gotten out of there in under two hours.

 

The buffet on the other hand on NCL is tops. We love it. Great selection, food is hot, there always seems to be a place to sit. I miss one thing from RCCL and that is the sushi on the buffet. I LOVED that on RCCL, but with NCL having a for pay sushi place on the ships they dont do it. Other then that NCL buffet is far and away our favorite.

 

We decide per trip what we will eat. Some times we get the DSC and do specialty's each night. This is a great option. We love the food at most of the specialties (except Moderno) and the package save a bit of money if you plan to eat out every night. Other times we stick to mainly the buffet with maybe one MDR visit thrown in. Each has its pro's and con's.

 

The buffet is at your leisure, fast, delicious, and very easy. It requires no planning or scheduling. There are tons of choices so everyone finds something they want. On the other hand you are eating at the buffet each night so the cruise has less of the "fancy magic" that some people love.

 

UDP provides you with top notch meals. You get to branch out and try many exciting dishes that a lot of people dont have access to in their regular lives. If also lets you try dishes that you might avoid on land because of the price and not knowing if you will enjoy it. You will also get a 20% (maybe 25% now?) discount on the ala carte places with the UDP which is nice. The downside is you have to make reservations in advance so you really lose the Freestyle feel. It also cost money so if the budget is tight this might not work for everyone. The biggest drawback is dinners take FOREVER. 2.5 hours diners is not unheard of in these places. Again this may or may not be a draw back to you.

 

Hopefully this helps you make a choice that is right for you. There really is no wrong choice. You can always skip the UDP and simply PAYG for any specialties that really catch your eye and can get the best of both worlds.

 

Enjoy your trip and whatever choice you decide is best for you!!

 

6&8

[RikkuCat]

Food opinions are very subjective. Personally, we like having multiple options on where to eat.

 

Just my opinion: While I wouldn't say that the MDR food on NCL is bad, I wouldn't want to eat it every day. For me, there isn't enough variety - though I think the new menus are a huge improvement over the old ones. I generally find the food to be fine, but nothing exciting. While I don't expect to be wowed on a cruise, I get a bit disappointed if I order a meal at a restaurant (cruise or land restaurant) that is not as good as I can cook myself. Sure, I don't have to cook or clean up - but wouldn't it be better if I could not cook, not clean up, AND be happy with my meal? ;)

 

In contrast, we're usually much happier with our food and overall experience at the specialty restaurants. While they're certainly not 5-star dining, I think the food is better in all of them than it is in the MDR - by a pretty wide margin, in some cases. I'm not sure if we'd purchase the UDP, but I'm happy that it was offered as a free perk when we booked.

 

That said, food preferences are REALLY subjective. The MDRs are well-attended and there are a lot of people on here who swear by the food and think the specialties are overrated. Try both and see what you prefer.

[GORDONCHICK]

As you can see in my signature, we've done a few Norwegian cruises. On our first cruise, we didn't eat in a single specialty restaurant. We ate one meal in Cagney's on our second. On our third, we skipped specialty dining. On the fourth, we again dined in Cagney's. Our 5th was this past November, and because it was my 50th birthday, I pulled the birthday card and chose Le Bistro. DH & DS were glad after they ate there, though DS complained about having to change out of shorts and put on long pants. He has admitted he will gladly wear pants again if we can dine in Le Bistro in May (our 6th).

 

We booked our May cruise so far out that there was no UDP included with the fare. And the prices never got even close to what we booked for so we kept our original booking. Would the UDP be nice? Sure, but not necessary.

 

My point is, we haven't even eaten in a specialty once every cruise. And I cook a lot at home and am quite good at it so I'm picky. I can usually find something I like just about anywhere on board, though I'm not a fan of most of the MDR desserts. I will head up to the buffet in the evening for a made to order crepe for dessert.

[Va. Plumber]

I would say that I have never had what I considered a bad meal in the MDR.

 

Also, I have never waited an unreasonable amount of time for a table.

 

With regard to service, I wolf down enough meals in normal life. When on vacation I don't get overly concerned if the service is a little slow. Don't know how many can be seated in a MDR at one time, But don't feel that I should be the star attraction with regard to service.

 

I have a UDP for an upcoming 10 night cruise. It was free and I don't think I could drink enough to make the drink package valuable.

 

That being said, even with the plan I doubt whether we will eat in a specialty every night. It would be a shame to miss prime rib and bbq rib nights

in O'Sheehans

[gwsster]

I love the funny replies.

There is a vast difference between eating and dining. If you are dining, the meal can take up to 2 hours. My waits on several NCL cruises haven't been that long.

The buffet is great, has a huge variety of food, but can be crowed at peak times, this is great for eating, not dining.

If you want to dine, try the main dining room or a specialty restaurant. This is where there is a little class and you are going for a dining experience. The MDR it is first come, first served. This is a great time to talk to other diners during the wait and the meal. We had a blast running into the same family groups on the Sun last September.

The specialty restaurants often have added extras for a great dining experience to try a different cuisine. I have only had one bad experience at a specialty restaurant and it was mass chaos, I wrote it off as a bad night for the staff and won't let it deter me from trying a new experience at a specialty restaurant.

I have a good time no matter where I eat, just grateful I didn't have to shop for it, prepare it, plate it, serve it or clean up after it. Thank you hard working NCL crew.

[hondorner]

We like to be served, so the buffer is out. It's also too crowded (we've had to sit at the kiddie tables more than once), too much hustle and bustle, and the decor is like an automat.

 

We tried all the specialties on our last NCL cruise (24 days, 12 each back to back). The Italian is nothing special and not worth a cover charge. Cagney's wasn't bad, but we were in a suite and ate every breakfast and lunch in Cagney's, so it wasn't anything special. The worst meal we have ever had on any cruise ship was in Le Bistro. Our first choice was inedible; they brought us another choice, and it was almost as bad. We got up and left.

 

We ate at least 18 of the 24 dinners in the MDR and were pleased every night. We never had to wait for a table; but we often indicate we'll share, as we like to meet new folks. I never noticed that service was slow, but then, we sometimes stayed at table as long as 3 hours because the conversations were that good.

 

I would never buy the UDP, and when I have to make a choice, I'll choose something else. On our upcoming cruise in a BA, we chose free DSC rather than UDP.

 

We have cruised on Oceania more than any other cruise line (plus a couple on Regent); Oceania has the reputation of the finest food at sea; they definitely spend more per passenger for food than any other cruise line. The quality is absolutely first class. We find the quality on NCL a little lower, but the preparation and presentation is very good.

[punkincc]

Mostly cruised DCL and RCCL and was quite happy with the quality of eating in the MDR. On DCL there was always something that was decadent enough each night to appeal to what is most important about any cruise - the formal MDR eating experience.

 

With so many specialty restaurants on NCL and so many people that feel like they have to purchase the UDP it has me a bit concerned. I will not pay up for any specialty dining and I booked the cruise thinking the MDR dining experience will be similar to the others. On the other cruise lines eating at the one or two specialty places was reserved for that special romantic occasion and you certainly would find similar quality food in the MDR with maybe a few exceptions. It was the service and quaint atmosphere you were paying the fee for. Should I be concerned that NCL MDR dining might not meet my expectations?

 

 

Dining out every night is a big part of our vacation experience whether land or sea. Going out to a different restaurant with different atmosphere and cuisine every night is part of the entertainment for us. We like to mix it up a little on a ship with Big MDR, smaller MDR, 2 or 3 specialties, O'Sheehans, whatever strikes our mood.

 

And you will NOT find a steak the quality of a Cagney's steak in the MDR.

[LrgPizza]

I'm not sure how one could think a large variety of dining options is something to be concerned about. It's like saying, "There are 15 excursion options and on my last cruise we only had 8. Should I be concerned?" Options are good. Just remember that.

[backsbanny]

the large variey of ncl dining is a big plus!!Basically thats the best about ncl..dont worry you will love the food there

[maywell]

I'm not sure how one could think a large variety of dining options is something to be concerned about. It's like saying, "There are 15 excursion options and on my last cruise we only had 8. Should I be concerned?" Options are good. Just remember that.

 

Words to live by....There's nothing wrong with having different options especially during breakfast and dinner. For Example - Don't like the buffet for breakfast, there's the MDR or O'Sheenan's and they're open during port time too!

[hawkeyetlse]

dont worry you will love the food there

That is not a promise that any of us can make to the OP. They just have to go and try for themselves.

 

One thing I have noticed is that with the UDP, there is a weird mix of people in the specialty restaurants (actually, I'm only talking about Cagney's and Le Bistro here). Some are there because they splurged for a special occasion, on the most important night of their cruise, maybe of their year, they are dressed to the nines and they naturally expect the staff to play along and pamper them from start to finish of a 4 hour dinner. And then some people are there for the 3rd or 4th time on that cruise, just to eat dinner. For now, the servers still treat everyone like they are having a special occasion dinner, but I wonder how long that will last.

[watchdiva]

We prefer to eat in the specialty dining venues - I'm not a fan of large dining rooms and prefer the smaller venues. That doesn't mean that there is anything "wrong" with the MDR's or the buffets, just that we prefer to eating elsewhere. I must admit though to having DH make a late night run for ice cream from the buffet (and those cookies.....OMG those cookies!).:D

[cruiser 1613]

We only ate one meal at a specialty restaurant in the last 5 cruises, 4 with NCL and one with Princess..

 

Plenty of places to eat without paying extra for any meal...

 

The biggest problem I face, is trying to keep from gaining weight on these cruises... Haven't been able to keep the pounds off, but will give it a try again later this year...

 

I do exercise and rarely use the elevators, O'Well, it is our vacation and plenty of time to lose the weight before the next cruise..

[Linda the Book Lover]

There should be no concern at all about the main dining venues. The food (IMHO) is good and sometimes absolutely great. We also enjoy the specialty restaurants. We had an oops in menu choice a time or two in both venues but that can happen even on land.

[socsthecat]

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.

[Loucat]

As it is only DH and I, we have had long waits for the MDR and then were placed in tight quarters. I have not liked the buffet in any NCL ship.

We are foodies!

In general, the only MDR food I liked on any ship was Azamara.

We like the UDP as we have the variety of venues and look forward to this.

Our best meals were in Moderno, Teppanyaki and Cagneys(ship dependent).

[Diver2014]

The specialty restaurants are a waste of money for us especially when we had to send the steak back at Cagney's. We won't be utilizing the specialty restaurants on our future cruises because we really liked the food and service in the Epic and Pearl MDR's.

[RNRcruisers]

We were on the Jade early this year and the food in the MDR was really good. We were worried after seeing many bad reviews but it was very good and we only had to wait to be seated one night and that wasn't for very long. I can't imagine going to the buffet for dinner on a cruise, it just isn't the atmosphere we want, and we don't feel the need to spend money on specialty restaurants. It is definitely possible to do MDR every night, we did and enjoyed it.

[Linda the Book Lover]

We were on the Jade early this year and the food in the MDR was really good. We were worried after seeing many bad reviews but it was very good and we only had to wait to be seated one night and that wasn't for very long. I can't imagine going to the buffet for dinner on a cruise, it just isn't the atmosphere we want, and we don't feel the need to spend money on specialty restaurants. It is definitely possible to do MDR every night, we did and enjoyed it.

 

Thank you for sharing we the have UDP promo but we might also eat in the MDR.

[newmexicoNita]

Mostly cruised DCL and RCCL and was quite happy with the quality of eating in the MDR. On DCL there was always something that was decadent enough each night to appeal to what is most important about any cruise - the formal MDR eating experience.

 

With so many specialty restaurants on NCL and so many people that feel like they have to purchase the UDP it has me a bit concerned. I will not pay up for any specialty dining and I booked the cruise thinking the MDR dining experience will be similar to the others. On the other cruise lines eating at the one or two specialty places was reserved for that special romantic occasion and you certainly would find similar quality food in the MDR with maybe a few exceptions. It was the service and quaint atmosphere you were paying the fee for. Should I be concerned that NCL MDR dining might not meet my expectations?

 

Food is so subjective it is hard to say. For instance, we think the tworst food we have had on a cruise line was RCI. The best was on HAL and Celebrity and NCL is in the middle. Will you come home raving about the quality in the MDR, of course not, but you should fine something to your liking every night. If you want extra veggies or a different kind, ask for them. If you want a baked potato ask your server. I will add, DCL, I am sure has better food, but you pay 50 to 100% more to sail them. So, if you are willing to pay the higher price, you might not like NCL food. What is the difference between paying more to sail DCL and paying for a couple of meals in the specialty dining rooms? BTW, there really are not that many who choose to purchase the UDP, you are reading more about it now as it is part of a promo. Remember also, not only do you have many choices in specialty dining rooms on NCL, you have more than one choice in free dining options. No one has to feel, in order to eat decent food they need to pay extra for it. We do choose a couple specialy dining rooms every cruise, but the rest of the time we eat in the MDR, buffet, sandwich shop or whatever. Ok, not a sandwich shop but the cafe.

Edited April 4, 2015 by newmexicoNita