Manhattan, Savor and Taste

[scubamommy!]

Hello, just booked our first NCL on the Breakaway for 2020! I am new to the FREESTYLE style. I see there are three main dinning rooms. I have looked them up on the website. Trying to figure out of they all serve the same things every night with a revolving menu like most cruise ships, or if they all have their own set menu that stays the same every night. 

If anyone can tell me the big difference between them? I see the Manhattan is a bit fancier, bigger with live music  which I am sure we will enjoy! But is there a benefit to the others?

 

We are a big group of 10 and many nights we will want to dine together, I understand  we should make our reservations in advance. We have a 3 specialty dinning package and are trying to decide who wants to go where and when. What is the number one fav we can't miss?

 

We also have the bev package where I read waters and specialty coffees are not included. Which I think is very weird! My question here is, can you still get filtered water at the buffets in a cup and do they have regular coffee at the buffets as well?

 

I also saw that they have gelato for purchase but haven't read anywhere if they have free ice cream ( either soft serve or scooped) available somewhere. 

 

Thanks for all your answers! Its fun discovering a new line! 

 

[Paul Bogle]

26 minutes ago, scubamommy! said:

Hello, just booked our first NCL on the Breakaway for 2020! I am new to the FREESTYLE style. I see there are three main dinning rooms. I have looked them up on the website. Trying to figure out of they all serve the same things every night with a revolving menu like most cruise ships, or if they all have their own set menu that stays the same every night. 

If anyone can tell me the big difference between them? I see the Manhattan is a bit fancier, bigger with live music  which I am sure we will enjoy! But is there a benefit to the others?

Savor, Taste and Manhattan are the three complimentary dinner venues. The menu does change each night, but the same menu will be served in all three each evening. On the left side of the menu are items which are always served and the right side has items available that day only.

 

The Manhattan room has a dress code best described as business casual. Men should wear pants and collared shirt. Savor and Taste allow shorts and Tees. Manhattan room is the largest so it may be the easiest to accommodate ten people however all three should be able to do so. Just ask the host or consult the dining reservation table in the lobby to the left of guest services.

26 minutes ago, scubamommy! said:

 

We are a big group of 10 and many nights we will want to dine together, I understand  we should make our reservations in advance. We have a 3 specialty dinning package and are trying to decide who wants to go where and when. What is the number one fav we can't miss?

We like Cagney's Teppanyaki and Moderno. Many here rave about Le Bistro. All of them have great food so give them a look and try what strikes your fancy.

26 minutes ago, scubamommy! said:

 

We also have the bev package where I read waters and specialty coffees are not included. Which I think is very weird! My question here is, can you still get filtered water at the buffets in a cup and do they have regular coffee at the buffets as well?

Water dispensers are available in the buffet. You can also ask for a glass of water at any bar or restaurant. Only bottled water is excluded from the beverage package. Coffee is available in the Buffet 24/7 and is quite good though not gourmet. (I drink my coffee black) In the morning coffee is also available for self-serve in O'Sheehens and Margaritaville where breakfast buffets are set up. Only specialty coffees are an additional charge and they are only available in select venues.

26 minutes ago, scubamommy! said:

 

I also saw that they have gelato for purchase but haven't read anywhere if they have free ice cream ( either soft serve or scooped) available somewhere.

 

Thanks for all your answers! Its fun discovering a new line! 

 

Softserve ice cream is always available in the buffet from self-serve dispensers. Scooped ice cream is served at the buffet after breakfast until late at night when the buffet closes down.

 

 

[scubamommy!]

This was all very helpful! THANK YOU! 

[njhorseman]

It can depend on the itinerary and the whims of senior hotel department officers in charge, but I've been on several Breakaway cruises where the dress code in Manhattan was the same as Taste and Savor, so you could wear shorts in Manhattan if you wished.

Edited April 7, 2019 by njhorseman

[www3traveler]

I much prefer either Taste or Savor.  Both dining rooms can handle a group your size easily.

 

When there is music in the Manhattan Room it tends to be very loud and makes it difficult to hold a conversation.

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, Paul Bogle said:

The Manhattan room has a dress code best described as business casual. Men should wear pants and collared shirt. Savor and Taste allow shorts and Tees. Manhattan room is the largest so it may be the easiest to accommodate ten people however all three should be able to do so. Just ask the host or consult the dining reservation table in the lobby to the left of guest services.

Incorrect. Wear your shorts to Manhattan Room. Shorts are allowed in all restaurants for all meals except Le Bistro and Ocean Blue which require gents to wear pants (dockers, jeans). No restaurant requires business attire. 

 

The Manhattan Room is set up for groups of 10. 

 

You may may think everyone wants to eat together, but groups tend to break up with lots of entertainment and things to do. And people will want to try different dining venues. 

Edited April 7, 2019 by BirdTravels

[Paul Bogle]

who said anything about business attire?

[BirdTravels]

2 minutes ago, Paul Bogle said:

who said anything about business attire?

Long pants and collared shirts are not required in the Manhattan Room. Business casual is not required in any restaurant on the ship. Incorrect advise. 

 

[Paul Bogle]

Im quoting directly from my Freestyle Daily Thursday January 17th 2019

 

" Dress Code: Resort casual and shorts are allowed in all dining venues except Ocean Blue, Le Bistro or Manhattan Room after 5:00p"

 

(emphasis mine)

[Paul Bogle]

1 minute ago, BirdTravels said:

Long pants and collared shirts are not required in the Manhattan Room. Business casual is not required in any restaurant on the ship. Incorrect advise. 

 

 

As njhorseman said above enforcement can be spotty but pants are required in the Manhattan room per the Dailies.

[Paul Bogle]

[OHRiverRats]

I saw a man turned away from Manhattan because he was wearing shorts on the Breakaway in February. A young man was also asked to remove his cap.  They may not ALWAYS enforce the dress code, but sometimes they do.  It may just be our timing, but we have always found service to be slow in Taste and Savor. We love the music in Manhattan. Everyone's tastes are different. You just have to figure out what suits you. I would definitely make reservations before the cruise with a large group.  

[Two Wheels Only]

18 minutes ago, Paul Bogle said:

As shown above, it's best to check the dailies for a particular cruise. Some Manhattan Rooms allow shorts and some don't.

[tomk3212]

Bottom line: if you want to wear shorts to the Manhattan Room then by all means do so BUT be prepared to be refused admittance after 5PM, as stated above in the Freestyle someone was kind enough to post.

 

I've sailed on the Breakaway several times & have seen pax turned away from the Manhattan Room for wearing shorts.  As someone above stated it really depends on the wait staff & the ship's Hotel Manager on your particular sailing.  Some are very fussy re: the dress code & others not so much.  As the old gambler said, "You pays your money and you takes your chances"...lol

[Oceansaway17]

Well I went to Savor one night and this table for 4 had just one guy and he had his laptop out watching a movie.

For the most part folks just looked and then smiled. oh well.

 

I found the Manhattan to large and noisy.  The wait staff seemed rushed and just not as enjoyable as the smaller places like Savor or Taste.  BUT make sure you get to Cagneys as it is worth the extra $$

[phillyf]

Scubamommy, both Taste and Savor should be open for both lunch and breakfast. You should try both. Each has there own uniqueness. You are going to love the Manhattan room, the ambiance is terrific especially if you are by the rear windows. If you like Taste and Savor for breakfast/lunch then pick either for a great dinner. Enjoy your cruise and try all three restaurants.

[FLAHAM]

1 hour ago, phillyf said:

Scubamommy, both Taste and Savor should be open for both lunch and breakfast. You should try both. Each has there own uniqueness. You are going to love the Manhattan room, the ambiance is terrific especially if you are by the rear windows. If you like Taste and Savor for breakfast/lunch then pick either for a great dinner. Enjoy your cruise and try all three restaurants.

Taste and Savor are open for lunch only on sea days.

[yearsofcruising]

we have used a guy from NCL for a few years now. We have taken our family and by ourselves. He was able to connect all 4 cabins to a reservation time at the " specialty restaurants " , all reserved dinner shows and even the " complimentary " Main , Taste n Savour  ( even before we actually booked with him ), which is why we have used him 4 times after...

Make a call to NCL concierge...

[KeithJenner]

3 hours ago, yearsofcruising said:

we have used a guy from NCL for a few years now. We have taken our family and by ourselves. He was able to connect all 4 cabins to a reservation time at the " specialty restaurants " , all reserved dinner shows and even the " complimentary " Main , Taste n Savour  ( even before we actually booked with him ), which is why we have used him 4 times after...

Make a call to NCL concierge...

There is no requirement to connect cabins to make reservations for any number of people. Anyone can make a reservation for any number of people, regardless of how many are in their room.

 

Entertainment reservations have to be done per cabin, but again there is no need to link reservations as it is open seating so you can all sit together anyway.

 

A larger reservation may require phoning, particularly if there are more than 8 people as those quantities are not usually offered to book online. Anyone at NCL will be able to deal with that.

[KeithJenner]

I see that we are once again deep into the “are shorts allowed at Manhattan” argument. It’s something of a tradition on these threads.

 

The standard NCL rule is that the dress code is stricter in the aft dining room, for example shorts are not allowed. This is as stated on the NCL website.

 

However, on a number of ships the dress code differs and they allow shorts in that venue. If this is the case then the dress code printed in the freestyle daily will not mention that restaurant when stating where shorts aren’t allowed.

 

it is therefore quite possible that when one person says that they were allowed and another says that they weren’t then both people are actually correct in their examples. The ensuing argument should be used for entertainment purposes only, and not as guidance as to what will happen on your cruise.

[yearsofcruising]

4 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

 

A larger reservation may require phoning, particularly if there are more than 8 people as those quantities are not usually offered to book online. Anyone at NCL will be able to deal with that.

We were dealing with 4 cabins/6 adults & 2 grandkids..We needed NCL help to drop-down the times at the specialty restaurants to get all the same , and he was even able to confirm for a Cirque show & MDR/Savour/Taste dinners ( which at home we could not confirm )

[KeithJenner]

28 minutes ago, yearsofcruising said:

We were dealing with 4 cabins/6 adults & 2 grandkids..We needed NCL help to drop-down the times at the specialty restaurants to get all the same , and he was even able to confirm for a Cirque show & MDR/Savour/Taste dinners ( which at home we could not confirm )

My point is that there was no need for you to all co-ordinate times. Just have one person book for 8.

 

You may need help on the phone to get a decent time for 8 people, but that is nothing to do with connecting cabins.

[bkrickles1]

Sailed Escape last July and didn't even bring pants.

My group of 6 ate at least 3 dinners (after 6pm) at Manhattan and I wore nice shorts with a nice t-shirt and a pair of Van's each time and nobody said anything to me.

I was super comfortable and didn't feel out of place at all.

I'm sailing Encore next January and plan on doing the same "no pants" packing.

We will be doing some specialty dining this time so we'll avoid the ones that may present a problem.

I'm thinking Los Lobos, Q and teppenyaki should be fine.

I didn't mind dressing up years ago on our cruises but it is such a more laid back and comfortable time only wearing shorts.

BTW, we chose Manhattan so many times because we wanted to experience the live music during dinner. The only problem with that was that it is very hit or miss. On 1 night we didn't hear any music. On another, they were playing as we entered and then we didn't have any more the rest of our meal. The 3rd time was great as we actually saw them play twice during our meal. It was definitely fun as was the whole cruise.

[ggTexasGal]

I don't think these two questions were answered quite fully enough..

 

"My question here is, can you still get filtered water at the buffets in a cup and do they have regular coffee at the buffets as well?"

... You can get filtered water in a glass, &/or Regular coffee in the buffet, or any restaurant, all day.

 

"I also saw that they have gelato for purchase but haven't read anywhere if they have free ice cream (either soft serve or scooped) available somewhere."

... Soft serve is available in the buffet area, usually after 11 am.  Scooped ice cream is sometimes available on dessert menu in regular restaurants.  (I'm not certain about the buffet on the Breakaway, as we have not been on that ship.  But, scooped ice cream was available on Getaway and Bliss in the buffet and restaurants!)

Edited April 8, 2019 by ggTexasGal
corrections

[KeithJenner]

18 minutes ago, ggTexasGal said:

(I'm not certain about the buffet on the Breakaway, as we have not been on that ship.  But, scooped ice cream was available on Getaway and Bliss in the buffet and restaurants!)

As far as I can recall, scooped ice cream has been available in the buffet on every NCL ship I’ve been on.