Bars in specialty dining restaurants and different MDRs?

[kpd21880]

Hi there! March will be out first NCL cruise after more than a dozen with Royal. The specialty dining options are exciting and we are looking forward to trying some with our 3 SDP included in the Free at Sea. I have a few questions...First, the cocktails in a few of the restaurants (especially, Q and Margaritaville) look great, but they probably won't be the ones we choose to dine in. That smoked peach  margarita in Q looks absolutely delicious, but we are not big BBQ fans. Is there a bar area in them that we could stop in and grab a pre-dinner drink from, using our beverage package? Or are the drinks only for dining patrons?

 

Secondly, it seems like there are three separate MDRs. Am I interpreting that correctly? Do they each have a different menu? Or is the food the same in each? 

Thanks!

[mbfrenc0586]

47 minutes ago, kpd21880 said:

Hi there! March will be out first NCL cruise after more than a dozen with Royal. The specialty dining options are exciting and we are looking forward to trying some with our 3 SDP included in the Free at Sea. I have a few questions...First, the cocktails in a few of the restaurants (especially, Q and Margaritaville) look great, but they probably won't be the ones we choose to dine in. That smoked peach  margarita in Q looks absolutely delicious, but we are not big BBQ fans. Is there a bar area in them that we could stop in and grab a pre-dinner drink from, using our beverage package? Or are the drinks only for dining patrons?

 

Secondly, it seems like there are three separate MDRs. Am I interpreting that correctly? Do they each have a different menu? Or is the food the same in each? 

Thanks!

First welcome to NCL.  I have only been on one (on the Bliss) and loved it.  

 

Q had some of the best food IMO on the ship.  There is a bar but don't believe it had seating, I believe it was just for the servers to get drinks.  You could just stop in for drinks and an app or desert though.  

 

Margaritaville is not included in the SDP.  I believe it is $14.95 a person to eat there.  But yes they had a bar that you can just go get drinks at.

 

The MDR all serve the same menus everyday.  On the Bliss they had 2 "Casual" and one that was a little nice (Manhattan Room)

[Two Wheels Only]

44 minutes ago, mbfrenc0586 said:

Margaritaville is not included in the SDP.

 

Yes, it is...

 

IN WHICH VENUES WILL MY SPECIALTY DINING PACKAGE BE HONORED?

Specialty Dining Packages are honored in the following specialty restaurants: American Diner, Cagney’s Steakhouse, Food Republic, Italian, Le Bistro, Los Lobos, Margaritaville at Sea, Moderno Churrascaria, Ocean Blue and Bayamo by Ocean Blue, Pincho Tapas Bar, Q Texas Smokehouse, Raw Bar, Sushi and Teppanyaki.

 

45 minutes ago, mbfrenc0586 said:

On the Bliss they had 2 "Casual" and one that was a little nice (Manhattan Room)

 

All 3 MDRs on Bliss have the same dress code (cruise casual). Shorts are allowed in all three. 

[mbfrenc0586]

50 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

Yes, it is...

 

IN WHICH VENUES WILL MY SPECIALTY DINING PACKAGE BE HONORED?

Specialty Dining Packages are honored in the following specialty restaurants: American Diner, Cagney’s Steakhouse, Food Republic, Italian, Le Bistro, Los Lobos, Margaritaville at Sea, Moderno Churrascaria, Ocean Blue and Bayamo by Ocean Blue, Pincho Tapas Bar, Q Texas Smokehouse, Raw Bar, Sushi and Teppanyaki.

 

 

All 3 MDRs on Bliss have the same dress code (cruise casual). Shorts are allowed in all three. 

Thanks for clarifying.  I had asked about that when I when on the Bliss in January and was told I couldn't use it there guess I was just misinformed.  

 

I know they all 3 have the same dress code but when I went everyone in the Manhattan Room seemed to be dressed nicer than the others.  I had shorts on and felt very under dressed.  That was just my experience. 

[Two Wheels Only]

2 minutes ago, mbfrenc0586 said:

I had asked about that when I when on the Bliss in January and was told I couldn't use it there guess I was just misinformed.  

 

They gave you wrong info. Margaritaville on NCL has gone from complimentary to a la carte (covered by dining plan) to cover charge (covered by dining plan).

[trivimp]

1 hour ago, mbfrenc0586 said:

Q had some of the best food IMO on the ship.  There is a bar but don't believe it had seating, I believe it was just for the servers to get drinks.  You could just stop in for drinks and an app or desert though.  

 

Q does have a small bar, with maybe a half-dozen barstools.  I ordered a drink & waited there for the rest of my group to show up, had a brief but nice conversation with another person similarly situated.  It's stuck back in the corner & primarily serves the servers getting drinks for the tables, though.  Not much ambiance. 

[BirdTravels]

After dining hours, Q turns in to a club where you can sit and try drinks while Listening to music at the tables.  

[kpd21880]

Thank you for all the info. We are really looking forward to our trip!