mdr on ncl star-quality

[rln44]

We are considering a December cruise on the Star primarily because of the itinerary (panama canal and South America).   Our last Ncl  cruise (also on the Star) was in the Baltic 10 years ago.  NCL was just unveiling free style dining and the food quality and variety in the main dining room was so poor that the main topic of conversation was whether NCL had downgraded the MDR to drive passengers to  the specialty restaurants or had focused so much on these restaurants that they had neglected the MDR.  This was the poorest food we had ever experienced aboard a cruise ship (and we have taken more than 50 cruises).  We vowed never to cruise on NCL again but are now looking at a great itinerary at a very reasonable price (not including the surcharges for which NCL is notorious).  I would like some honest evaluations in regard to the MDR from those who have cruised recently on the Star.  Thanks for your replies.

[BirdTravels]

In our opinion, NCL MDR food is pretty good. We sail multiple NCL and RCCL cruises a year and would pick NCL over RCCL. 

 

NCL continues to update their menus. They drop poor sellers and add new dishes yearly. Food is subjective. And international flavors are not for everyone. But understand that a non-trivial number of passengers are NOT from the good ole USA. We enjoy the variety of flavors. 

 

There is zero substantiation to your claim that the MDR food is designed to force people to the Specialty dining.  Some of the worst dining experiences  we have had on NCL is in specialty dining rooms. 

[snirpville]

I've only eaten at the MDR on my NCL cruises and I ate there on the Star last September and enjoyed every bite as did my parents. Have a great cruise!

[queenL]

We will be on the Star in a few weeks and I am concerned about the same thing.  I am a veteran cruiser too.  We sail many lines. The last NCL cruise we were on was the Escape a few years back.  The MDR food left much to be desired.  We had a specialty dining package.  So several nights we just dined elsewhere.  Personally, I have resigned myself to the idea that the food will be hit or miss.  Sometimes I will like the food selections in MDR and when we don't like the menu we will choose among the specialty dining options.  I imagine this cruise will be no different. 

[Clay Clayton]

We sailed on Star for 25 days last fall and mostly ate dinner in the MDR with one or two visits to the complimentary Asian restaurant and a few times in the buffet. Generally speaking we found the MDR food good and a few times great. We discovered that sometimes the meals we enjoyed the most were those where we requested an entree sized portion of what was an appetizer on the menu. The asparagus risotto comes immediately to mind as one dish that we both found exceptional when we did this. 

[Lineaway]

Was on the Star a couple months ago.  I am picky about food but still thought the MDR was good.  Not excellent but good to very good.  Had more issues with the Specialty Restaurants (orders wrong, slow service and food no better than the MDR). I agree NCL used to have terrible food but has greatly improved. 

 

BTW the Star just came out of some sort of Drydock and was spotless.  Everything seemed new.  However, I hated the layout.  Old ship design, seemed small and few places on deck to look out.  Best place was back of the ship.  I believe it was the same level as the Buffet.  Had nice cushioned chairs but could get filled up fast. 

[graphicguy]

Feel about the same.  Never sailed the Star, but all the others the food was good to great.  The only caveat was the food (and service) at the Shanghai Noodle Bar on the GEM was very disappointing.