Are specialty restaurants really worth it?

[DrNora]

At daughter's insistence we tried the MDR 3 times on our last cruise . We were Haven guests . We had absolutely phenomenal meals, the lamb better than in Le Bistro. My sons enjoy Moderno , so we find that would be worth the $$- we've had the UDP the past couple of cruises.

 

Without the UDP it doesn't seem worth the money for the five of us to go to Cagney's , La Cucina or Teppanyaki as we have comparable venues near our home. We do not have a Brazilian steakhouse so that is a nice treat.

 

The one speciality totally worth the up charge on Getaway is the take out counter at Ocean Blue. Love those lobster rolls!

[Mr and Mrs C]

I don't think it's worth it. I've never had a bad meal in the MDR. We decided to try teppaniyki this past cruise and I was deeply disappointed. The food was so salty I couldn't eat it. I was also disappointed in the "show" part of watching them cook our food.

A photographer came around and took pictures of our group of 19, then came back and handed the kids a nice folder with pictures in it. The kids assumed they were included with the meal and were quite excited until us parents were handed the bill.

[OCruisers]

For us ... YES ... They are really worth it! :)

[fshagan]

I decided the cost of Cagney's wasn't worth it when they raised the cover charge to $25 each a few years ago. It is indistinguishable from an Outback Steakhouse in terms of food quality, so you're paying a lot for it. I consider the MDR meal to be "worth" about $10, so that $25 really was $35 when you consider the "included meal" you weren't eating. Then at $29.95 plus 18%, now a la carte ... really folks, go to a good restaurant on land, in a major metro area, and you'll see the difference in quality.

 

Don't get me wrong, the MDR food is not "excellent" or "the best I've ever had" either. It is banquet food, about on a par with what you get at nice weddings. But it is entirely edible, and included in the fare. NCL is not a foodie cruise line. I like the food better than Princess, but less than Disney (the only other lines we have sailed).

 

"Worth it" is subjective, and we still get "fooled" into trying a specialty now and again. On our last cruise we had the UDPSDP-SuperDuper-Meal plan included, and cancelled our repeat visits (we had 7 nights, and determined that once was certainly enough in each restaurant.)

 

One of the worst meals I've had on a cruise ship was in the highly regarded Cagney's on the Sun, with cold sides thrown haphazardly into ramkins with bits of broccoli in my green beans, "baked" potatoes that were dense and the texture of microwaved potatoes, and horrible service that took repeated requests for butter for the bread, and then about 45 minutes between salad and entree.

 

So no, the specialty dining thing was the original nickle and dime strategy and everyone bought into it.

[pe4all]

We don't eat out that often in nicer restaurants at home by choice. We prefer chains like Fridays, Friendlys, so for us it is definitely worth it. As we don't drink much (boy, do we sound boring!!:D) we get the UDP. Have never had a bad meal in any of the specialty restaurants. For the first time for our Getaway cruise upcoming in June, we will try a dining room, as we only get 4 meals included in the Dining Plan, and one from the casino. We also like the less-crowded seating and more personalized service.

[GORDONCHICK]

For our family:

 

Le Bistro - YES!

Cagney's - not anymore (used to be a few years ago)

Moderno - NO (all meat except the lamb was overcooked and dry)

LaCucina - yes, but we'd only eat there once per cruise

Teppanyaki - yes, but we do the early seating, skip dessert and head for the made to order crêpes in the buffet

[Minoushka]

My son the foodie ....who has been on over 30cruises..loved the food in Bistroand Cagneys .He said the fillet at Cagneys was the very best ...

I liked them all ....except Bayamo .....maybei didnotchoose well

I like the atmosphere of these restaurants ...service is usually excellent .The saladbar atModenos is top knotch .....

Itsnice to go for achange but I enjoyed

Taste and mdr

Just go enjoy

[cv322]

I only eat in the specialty restaurants...well mostly only, lol...I can count on one hand the # of times I've eaten dinner in the MDR (out of 18 NCL cruises)...all because I had a very bad experience on the Dawn in 2009.

 

In order of preference they are:

1.LeBistro

2.Wasabi

3.Moderno

4.Ocean Blue (Breakaway)

5.Cagney's

6.LaCucina

 

The food quality is excellent, the attention to the passengers is excellent, the atmosphere is amazing, the spaces are lovely! I've heard some good things about the MDR's lately ;)...but they're just not for me.

[Sizzlechest]

In order of preference they are:

1.LeBistro

2.Wasabi

3.Moderno

4.Ocean Blue (Breakaway)

5.Cagney's

6.LaCucina

 

+1 for this order of preference. I liked the MDR food, but I realize that I haven't actually eaten in the MDR for dinner in 3 years since I had the UDP on my last two cruises. I'll be in the MDR for about half the nights on my upcoming cruise. I hope it's still good.

[vacation luvver]

Before my recent cruise on the Gem, I never had dinner at a surcharge restaurant. I was always very happy with the food at the MDR, so it seemed silly for me to pay for a meal at a surcharge restaurant when I had already "paid" for a meal at the MDR (and had prepaid my gratuity).

 

The Gem was the first time I cruised as a Platinum. While I was a Platinum, my traveling companion was not, and I wondered if I would be given a free dinner at Le Bistro for one or for two. For some reason, I was given two free dinners for two, both including a bottle of wine. The hostess at Le Bistro said that one dinner for two was for me, and the other one was for my traveling companion. This didn't make sense to us, as my traveling companion is Silver, not Platinum, but if they insisted that we have two free dinners for two with a free bottle of wine at each dinner, that was fine with us.

 

While the food was very good at Le Bistro, I didn't think it was worth paying for (and skipping the dinner in the MDR that we had paid for in our cruisefare). Most of the dishes were also available in the MDR. One night, I had Fruits de Mer, which I did not see in the MDR, and the other night, I had roasted duck with duck confit, which I also did not see in the MDR, but I had seen in the MDR on another cruiseline's ship. Some of the desserts (creme brulee, profiteroles, and ice cream) were available in the MDR. I thought it was funny that the a la carte price for ice cream in Le Bistro was $3.99 (not including the 18% gratuity), when you could gorge yourself on all the ice cream you wanted at the buffet without paying one extra penny.

 

And then I found out that I was expected to tip the waiter for the free dinners, because gratuities were not included. If we had eaten in the MDR, no additional tip would have been asked for. Another disadvantage to eating at Le Bistro was that we had to make reservations. We really like being able to walk into the MDR when we're hungry, not when we "have" to eat there.

 

The only real advantage to me of eating at Le Bistro is the bottle of wine. They don't give you any free bottles of wine in the MDR! We're not big wine drinkers, so one bottle was enough for us at both dinners. We were told we could take the other back to our cabin to drink (which I figure was code for we could bring the bottle of wine home with us), and that's what we did. So I rationalized to myself that even though I had to tip for the four meals, which I would not have done if we had eaten in the MDR, because we always allow our prepaid gratuities to stay in place), at least we got two bottles of wine.

[newmexicoNita]

I have read some give bad reviews on specialty restaurants where they didn't feel they got a meal that was worth the extra money. I have also read really great reviews on the main dining (free) options.

Just being on the ship, being served, and not having to cook and clean is a treat in itself. I wonder though if the main dining room food does get old after a while.

Which specialty restaurants are worth the extra $$$?

 

food is so subjective and the debate over specialty versus MDR is just a matter of opinion. For us, we like a mixture and are willing to pay for the better service and quality of food. .On rare occasions we have been a little disappointed after paying the extra. I will say, we have had a more positive experience using the special dining rooms on NCL than on a couple other lines.

 

Our favorite for the money: Modernos and Le Bistro. Again it is simply a matter of opinion.

[newmexicoNita]

With the increased prices, no, I no longer think they are worth it. When Cagney's was $15 pp, Le Bistro $20 pp, etc., I thought the value was there ... but I personally no longer believe it to be - not at a la carte prices!

 

When was Cagney's less expensive than Le Bistro? I certainly do not remember that and we cruise every year, sometimes twice? And how many of the restaurants are strictly a la carte?

[Medtech2]

I have read some give bad reviews on specialty restaurants where they didn't feel they got a meal that was worth the extra money. I have also read really great reviews on the main dining (free) options.

Just being on the ship, being served, and not having to cook and clean is a treat in itself. I wonder though if the main dining room food does get old after a while.

Which specialty restaurants are worth the extra $$$?

Personally I wouldn't spend any extra as I have never found the quality that much better than the MDR. MAYBE if you just have to have French Press Coffee...

 

There is enough variety in the free venues that I never lacked for something that interested me and was definitely not bored with the choices.

 

Since they are a la carte maybe I would go for a creme brulee, maybe...

 

On our last cruise I was totally unimpressed with La Cucina and could have lived without Le Bistro if it had not been a Platinum benefit.

 

I just cannot see paying upcharges for food that is not going to match the quality of my local eating establishments here in Charleston...

 

Instead of paying for food on top of your cruise, plan a visit here in Charleston, SC for Restaurant Week!

[mw_1970]

I think they are worth it yes.

 

On Spirit we absolutely loved the MDR and so enjoyed eating there most evening and on a couple of occasions in Cagneys and the Asian restaurant.

 

On Epic (probably our favourite of all cruise ships sailed), we really don't like the food or atmosphere in the MDR's and so eat in the specialities most nights and buy the dining package. We also enjoy O'Sheehans and the buffet as well.

 

For us, a cruise without a visit to the speciality restaurants would be a bit boring. I believe the specialities generally off good value for money and the service is superb compared to the MDR on most ships in my opinion.

[Imalismom]

What I like about the specialty places are the servers who are serving your meal -- they seem to me to be a lot better than the MDR ones. I also vote for Le Bistro - especially on the Pride of America. We had a waiter on the POA at Le Bistro that went above and beyond and made our trip very special for us. He no longer is working for NCL and that is NCL's loss!

Edited March 29, 2016 by Imalismom

[mw_1970]

Oh, and I love Moderno each time I go. The lamb is wonderful.

 

Funny that despite being very much a meat eater I don't particularly enjoy Moderno. I think it is the concept, all seems a bit rushed and gluttonous. I prefer to go to Cagneys multiple times !

[FranknBeans]

If you can't stand to watch the trough feeders then the specialty restaurants are must.

If we had to eat at the trough we would not be cruising.

Some of the behavior is just unacceptable.

[newmexicoNita]

For our family:

 

Le Bistro - YES!

Cagney's - not anymore (used to be a few years ago)

Moderno - NO (all meat except the lamb was overcooked and dry)

LaCucina - yes, but we'd only eat there once per cruise

Teppanyaki - yes, but we do the early seating, skip dessert and head for the made to order crêpes in the buffet

 

thanks for the advise about Teppanyaki's. We haven't eaten there in years, but now that our next cruise is offering the dining package we will give it another try. Actually hubby has never eaten there, I have with DD a few times.

[Linda the Book Lover]

We love Le Bistro and Cagney's so pre-UDP offer we paid to enjoy a meal in each per cruise. We tried Moderno and LaCucina and decided these are not to our liking.

 

I agree with other responses on food being subjective and according to the taste and wants of the diner.

[numberguy]

Our upcoming cruise will be our first as platinum, so le bistro twice for free. Someone earlier stated that we should tip the servers there, but I thought they were part of the DSC. Please advise: not trying to be cheap, just want facts.

[mw_1970]

I had no idea that cover charges had been replaced with A La Carte for the Speciality restaurants until I read this thread as it is almost 2 years since I last sailed NCL.

 

How long ago did this happen ?

[LrgPizza]

I had no idea that cover charges had been replaced with A La Carte for the Speciality restaurants until I read this thread as it is almost 2 years since I last sailed NCL.

 

How long ago did this happen ?

 

It was first introduced with the launch of the Escape, and is being rolled out to all ships. It does not affect Teppanyaki or Moderno.

[vacation luvver]

Someone earlier stated that we should tip the servers there, but I thought they were part of the DSC. Please advise: not trying to be cheap, just want facts.

That would be me. Not that I said that we SHOULD tip the servers there, but that the servers were not covered by the DSC, which I was told when I was there, and there was nothing on the vouchers to indicate that the free meals included a gratuity. Meaning that the server could not turn in the vouchers I handed over and receive a gratuity. So the free meals meant not eating the meals in the MDR that I had already paid (and tipped) for, plus paying out additional tips. (I asked if there was something for me to sign, meaning could I sign for the tips, but I was told no. So if I hadn't had sufficient cash with me, the servers would have been stiffed.)

 

So the "free" dinners aren't worth it to me, except for the wine.

 

Also, in the MDR, you get get more than one appetizer if you want. Try getting an extra appetizer in Le Bistro (if you're getting a "free" meal).

[luv2cruisecats]

I get a kick out of some poster's comments relative to "we have similar type restaurants in our neighborhood so why bother". I am sure they do but if you really order a 3 course meal (which I think runs $30 at Cagney's) your bill is more like $50 to $60 per person not just the $30 flat fee. If you add wine or alcohol the bill is even higher, plus you can get there onboard a lot easier by just walking down! To save even more buy the SDP. To us this is a no brainer and we have followed this for the last 7 years (and yes the food has gone downhill a bit but still good; if not let the manager know immediately).

For reference if you also sail Celebrity the steak house is more like $50 additional each person (but very good).