Reservations Needed for Main Dining Room?

[jbholland77]

Hi, We're about to sail on the Bliss and this will be our first time using NCL.  We usually have a set dining time with our other cruises.  Will I need to reserve a dining time each day for the MDR or do we just show up when we are ready for dinner?  Also, is there really a huge difference between food quality in the MDR and specialty restaurants?  I haven't made any specialty reservations and I'm trying to decide if it's something that I want to spend the extra money on.  Thanks for any advice and opinions!

[KarlChilders]

A reservation is a good idea, but we have gone several times without one (Getaway and Escape, not Bliss but the setup is essentially the same) and never waited more than 10 minutes to be seated.  If you absolutely must eat at a certain time, I would make a reservation.  The specialties are  good, but I have only been disappointed once in the MDR and that was really my fault for ordering something I just wasn't really in the mood for.

[Sauer-kraut]

No need for the MDR,

for specialtys, yes

[rmurray847]

We generally DO make reservations in advance for the MDR, and if something comes up, we change it.  That way, we have our desired time carved out in advance, with flexibility still available when needed.

 

HOWEVER, another strategy you can employ is to reserve on more of an "as you go basis."  Go the first night, have dinner, and on your way out, make reservations for the next evening.  That gives a mix of flexibility and predictability.  But, if you really just don't want to be held to anything, you absolutely can just show up when you want.   In most cases, there will be a wait, but it is RARELY very long.  If you're okay waiting 10 minutes or so, you'll be fine.  We always spend that wait time at the nearest bar.  The bar between Taste & Savor (name escapes me) is particularly well suited to this.  

 

As far as the specialty restaurants...in my experience the food quality alone is not worth the upgrade. Yes, I think the food is a bit better, but is it worth the cost?  (Ask yourself, would paying another $25 for this meal, but having it served to me in the MDR be worth it?  For me, it's "no".)   It's the atmosphere and in the case of Teppanyaki, the show, that might make an upcharge worthwhile.   If you're looking for more of a "date night" experience in a quieter ambience...they are worth looking into.  If you're with a group and want to have some lively fun, Teppanyaki is a blast (and you really MUST reserve this in advance, they fill up fast).  But this is my opinion.  Others feel different.  We had a great time eating at Ocean Blue last year, and it was one of my favorite meals at sea ever.  And others hate the place.  So your grain of salt should be very big.

[hallux]

If I may make a suggestion, having just been on the Bliss...

 

I went to the Manhattan Room (the largest of the included DR's, with Taste and Savor being 2 others) 3 nights.  One night wasn't memorable as far as the service while the other 2 nights (both port nights) were less-than-positive experiences.  The server was not attentive to empty water glasses, the food took forever (with the excuse one night being that public health officials were performing an inspection which isn't really my/our problem).  It was so bad that the entire group actually skipped dessert both times if I recall.  From talking to others, Taste and Savor are better but they weren't an option on a port day when the group was gathering for dinner (they open later on port days).  I never experienced a service quality issue in either Cagney's or La Cucina (both specialty restaurants) and I thought the food at both was excellent.  Do you need a reservation for an MDR?  Probably not, unless you have a large group.

 

If you get the specialty dining package, eating at Cagney's or La Cucina gets you your money's worth (it was the perk I chose when I booked) - the bill for me at La Cucina would have been over $60 if I was actually paying and Cagney's wasn't far behind.

 

TL;DR - Manhattan Room may disappoint from a service standard issue.  Taste and Savor are smaller, more relaxed, may have better service quality and serve the exact same menu as the Manhattan Room if you can deal with eating a little later on port days...

[dbrown84]

I would recommend downloading the NCL app to your phone.  You can use it on the ship without having the internet package, and it allows you to make reservations (for dinner and shows).  So, if you're at the pool or at some other event when you decide what/when you want to eat, you can pull up the app, see the available times, and book

[Rassilon]

For folks saying it's only like a 10 minute wait is this in general true (even of large parties)?  We are traveling with a 8 person group later this year and have been wondering if we will need to make reservations for the MDR because of our larger party size.

 

edit: if it matters for reservations (or not) 1 group in the party is staying in a concierge level room.  Can that be used to speed up waiting if there's a long line in the MDR?  It's our first time doing NCL / concierge so not really sure what it'll get us yet.

Edited May 8, 2019 by Rassilon

[bonvoyagie]

The concierge can probably assist with the MDR - I have never used him for that - more for last minute specialty dining - I once ask him at breakfast if he could get us dinner reservations that evening at La Cucina - he was able to get us in with no issues. That said, the concierge is looking out mainly for the suite guests - it is not really fair to ask him to make arrangements for people who are not at that level and those who are supposedly getting concierge access from the latitudes program I have not heard of anybody getting it.

 

NCL has always said that for large parties that want to eat together at the same time they recommend meeting with the head waiter or manager of the MDR and arranging for a table and a time for the rest of the cruise. They also appreciate you letting them know if you are not showing up.  

Edited May 8, 2019 by bonvoyagie

[don't-use-real-name]

On some ships those guests who walk up without reservations and the wait is going to be more than 10 or

more minutes a beeper will be provided so the guests can go and get a drink or other activity and when the

beeper sounds proceed to the host for seating.

 

This is only for the Main Dining Rooms - Specialty Restaurants are pretty much by advanced reservations.

[Rassilon]

Good to know -- thanks for the info.  I know it'd be skirting what's alright (asking to help getting a larger table to include a room not in a suite).  I wouldn't do it  the specialty restaurants (or the suite breakfast/lunch  in cagneys) but wasn't sure on the etiquette for just a MDR reservation.  We can plan on just on waiting w/a beeper or pre-booking that.  We were already planning on pre-booking the specialty restaurants once they become available for our sailing.

[KateQ22003]

9 hours ago, Rassilon said:

For folks saying it's only like a 10 minute wait is this in general true (even of large parties)?  We are traveling with a 8 person group later this year and have been wondering if we will need to make reservations for the MDR because of our larger party size.

 

edit: if it matters for reservations (or not) 1 group in the party is staying in a concierge level room.  Can that be used to speed up waiting if there's a long line in the MDR?  It's our first time doing NCL / concierge so not really sure what it'll get us yet.

I would make reservations for a large party, especially if you are trying to make a show or just don't want to wait for availability. Please note that a concierge will make reservations for you, but they cannot speed up a line or put you at the head of it.

[rydi8]

From my experience on the Bliss, I recommended making reservations for a MDR especially if your group is larger than six people or you plan to eat during a peak/popular time. During my Bliss cruise, the 6pm time slot was extremely  busy with more availability after 8pm. All 3 MDRs have the same menu, but ambiance, service & food presentation differed (at least that was the case each time I ordered French Onion Soup). At least from my experience, the Manhattan Room was noisier but food presentation was much better than the Deck 6 MDRs. When I ate at Savor, service seemed unorganized & hectic, so I enjoyed most of my meals at Taste.

 

However, when making your reservations, you need take your entertainment plans into consideration. The Bliss Theater has limited seating in comparison to the number of people on board. Also, shows like Havana & Jersey Boys occur only on select days.

 

In terms of specialty dining, make those reservations as soon as they become available for your sailing. If it's not one of your perks & you're considering specialty dining, I recommend saving money and purchasing a dining package; it will save you money. Everyone on my sailing raved about Cagney's Steakhouse. It's popular and reservations fill extremely quickly, but your local steakhouse will probably be a better value & experience. Most enjoy Teppanyaki with chefs entertaining and cooking in front of you, but be warned your clothes may smell smoky afterward. I do need to recommend Q Texas Smokehouse. The venue is casual, but outstanding and worth enjoying ... especially the desserts!

 

 

[yearsofcruising]

11 hours ago, Rassilon said:

For folks saying it's only like a 10 minute wait is this in general true (even of large parties)?  We are traveling with a 8 person group later this year and have been wondering if we will need to make reservations for the MDR because of our larger party size.

 

edit: if it matters for reservations (or not) 1 group in the party is staying in a concierge level room.  Can that be used to speed up waiting if there's a long line in the MDR?  It's our first time doing NCL / concierge so not really sure what it'll get us yet.

took family of 8 on BA. Our NCL rep booked Everything for me. MDR , Taste, Savour and Special and dinner shows , as well. No way was I going to stand on a line with 2 grandkids waiting to get into the main dining room. Give NCL the call. They will take care of it. Been using my guy for 5 years nows..

[davy jones]

You do not need reservations, but I recommend them, particularly for a larger group.  You can do this before sailing on My NCL.  

[yearsofcruising]

5 hours ago, davy jones said:

You do not need reservations, but I recommend them, particularly for a larger group.  You can do this before sailing on My NCL.  

agreed. However , in my situation , with 4 cabins , impossible to open 4 reservation #'s and consolidate them together on-line . It was one phone call , gave the rep all 4 #'s and told him when & what time & where for the entire cruise.

[pbenjamin]

2 hours ago, yearsofcruising said:

agreed. However , in my situation , with 4 cabins , impossible to open 4 reservation #'s and consolidate them together on-line . It was one phone call , gave the rep all 4 #'s and told him when & what time & where for the entire cruise.

 

I just made MDR (and specialty) dinner reservations for 8.  Am I missing something?

[yearsofcruising]

normally complimentary eateries are not available to reserve On-line ( unless this has changed this past March )and I had 4 seperate reservation #'s  with 3 different MyNCL accounts to log in with. Was not going to take the chance. I made my call

[All-ready2cruise]

One person can make reservations in the MDRs for up to 8/tabletop. Other complimentary venues are not available to reserve, this is correct. 

[don't-use-real-name]

Generally the MDRs are the only venues that can accommodate large parties for seating.

Thinking of parties of more than 8.

The other restaurants depending on design maybe able to do the same - but when these

have booths and alcoves the task becomes unruly for the guests as well as the wait staff.

 

Best to contact the Hotel Director for contact with the Food & Beverage Manager for figuring

out what would work best - DO THIS ASAP - on boarding or by prior contact with NCL.

Left to the last minute - the answer is likely - Sorry - there are limits we are already booked ! 

[jbholland77]

Thank you all for your comments!  This has helped a lot!

[basicprincess24]

We've sailed both the Pearl and the Breakaway with a group of 8. Though not technically required, reservations for the MDR with that size group are recommended so that you can be seated when you want to have dinner. On a personal level, we found that have pre-arranged dinner times also helped keep the group organized. 

 

On Breakaway, we could make MDR reservations online at 120 days before sailing - I believe this is true for all the larger ships, including Bliss. Regarding the 4 separate cabins/bookings question above, I was able to book for all 8 of us though my account, but of course they didn't show up online for any of our other cabins. On Pearl, only specialty reservations were available online, so we had to wait until we got on board, where there was a special MDR-only reservation desk on embarkation day. 

[mking8288]

I stand corrected, perhaps procedures & limits of group size has been changed and/or different for mega ships (which I don't recall ... just on the Escape not too long ago, earlier this January) - see screenshot below

 

I could make a group reservation easily for up to 8 in the MDR, actually 12 in the larger MDR - as is the case now for our Dawn cruise leaving on Saturday ... preferred time slots not as easy to book online.  However, we doubled our cabins from 2 to 4 last week and booked tables for 4 in Aqua (smaller MDR) with available time/day ... but on other days, book tables for 8 in Venetian (larger MDR) just using one name/stateroom/reservation # ourselves, online - no need to call in or made any special request, nor to link the 4 reservations together.  As a matter of fact, I can book a table for up to 12 just the same - although, it is noted that NCL could split a large group into (possibly) 2 tables ... But, they usually have a large # of big, long tables that cater to larger group, as well as big, round tables in the AFT MDR.  

 

Getting seated means queuing up - especially at peak times - with hundreds gathered & waiting around the MDR entrances, before reaching the host/ess' podium or station(s) ...  They sometimes do have 2 podium setup, 1 is supposed to be for walk-ups and the 2nd. one for those with reservations - that is, if you can see or there are adequate signage for everyone to know; and, still - queuing up or getting into the line is expected, instead of cutting in or trying to jumping to the front of the line.

 

I suppose, if one has Platinum Plus status (there are only about 40 Latitude Ambassadors in the "entire" NCL universe) - one can take advantage of priority restaurant seating (** subject to availability ... whatever that means.)  

 

Keep in mind, as others noted & in similar threads, that a fraction of all the available dining slots are released in advance for online booking - MDR and Specialty.  Others are held for onboarding reservations and also, for the concierge ... checking for & booking on Day 1 upon embarkation is another proven strategy that worked for us with a larger group.  

 

As for food quality difference between MDR and Specialty, this is highly subjective and personal - YMMV - with 20 or so cruises on NCL over nearly 2 decades, suffice to say ... lately, we are pretty tired of the limited menu variety in LeBistro and/or Cagney.  Whether the extra upgrade + 20% on some of the "upscale" dining is worth it or not, it's your money on whether to spend it.