Carnival Platinum Cruiser Tries Norwegian - NCL Escape Western Caribbean, January 25 - February 1, 2020

[brilliantseas]

LUNCHTIME OPTION: FOOD REPUBLIC

 

 

Running out of time to use my dining package credits after skipping a dinner due to illness, I decided to try Food Republic for lunch on our last sea day. Food Republic is one of the specialty dining options that is open for limited lunch hours, until around 1:30 in the afternoon. I visited around 1:00 and found the restaurant to be about 1/2 full. Unfortunately, the service here was less than stellar, as the team seemed to have already checked out.

 

 

Upon being seated, a tablet was positioned in front of me to display the menu. Food Republic has a wide variety of options, leaning heavily to the Asian influence, with most being designed as shareable. Think of it as an Asian-influenced tapas restaurant. You'll definitely need more than one item to make a full meal, but this location would also be a great choice for an early evening snack or some sushi if you have a 9:00 dinner reservation elsewhere and want a light bite before visiting The District Brew House next door. 

 

The failure in service started when the hostess explained that the dining package was good for any four items on the menu and told me to browse the tablet, but failed to put the tablet in dining package mode. The server took my drink order but never asked if I was using the dining package, and it was clear that the hostess had not communicated to him that I was using the dining package. He was quick to drop off my drink order, but never came back to the table. I built my order and went to submit, only to find that it needed me to swipe my room card. It was displaying a cash due total, so I wanted to verify that it would charge the dining package before swiping the card. Unfortunately, my server was nowhere to be found, and I ended up waiting several minutes before being able to flag someone down to ask. They were able to locate my server, and he came over and apologized that my tablet was not put into dining package mode and I'd have to start over with my order. Problem solved, but only after an unnecessary delay. 

 

 

Most of the menu items run between $10 and $15, and the dining package allows for any four food items for a single package credit, representing a value of $40 to $60 per person. If I were dining a la carte, I would have been satisfied with 2-3 items for lunch, but since I had a dining package credit, I opted to use all four items to sample more of the menu. 

 

The menu is quite extensive and ranges from sushi to meat skewers, and soup to noodle bowls. I ended up trying a California Roll, a spring roll with artificial crab, the teriyaki chicken skewers, and a bowl of the Tom Kha Gai soup, which is a coconut broth soup with chicken. 

 

 

First to the table was the California Roll, which is filled with a shredded artificial crab salad, cucumber, and avocado. The roll was a good size at eight pieces for $11. It was good quality and I would order it again. 

 

 

Next up was the spring roll. This featured a rice paper wrap filled with lump pieces of artificial crab, cucumber, carrot, rice, and what I believe was mango, served with a sweet and sour dipping sauce. At four pieces for $10, it was not a good value when compared to the California Roll. The presentation was appetizing, but the flavor fell short. The ingredients were bland and simple, aside from the mango, and were clearly relying on the sauce to give it some flavor. Unfortunately, the dipping sauce also underwhelmed, and I was left disappointed. I would not order this item again. 

 

 

The third item, the Tom Kha Gai soup, was also the most expensive, at $15. This creamy Thai coconut-based soup is full of chicken and mushrooms and topped with large pieces of bok choy. It was delivered to the table too hot to eat, and took a while to consume. It is both sweet and very rich due to the coconut, and I was only about to finish about 2/3 of the bowl. I would have appreciated a smaller portion at a lower price, but overall it deserves high marks. 

 

 

The final item delivered to my table were my teriyaki chicken skewers. At two skewers for $10, the value may be somewhat lacking, but certainly no worse than the spring rolls. The chicken skewers took longer to prepare than the other items, and were delivered after I had already finished both the California Roll and the spring rolls, and was already into the bowl of soup. The chicken on the skewers is thigh meat, which is similar to traditional teriyaki skewers that I've had elsewhere. The meat was a bit tough, but flavorful. I found it interesting that the teriyaki glaze was closer to the consistency of a BBQ sauce than a teriyaki sauce. It was served with a lime wedge, and a quick squeeze provided some acid to benefit the sweet and salty sauce. It was a flavorful dish, but I would have been disappointed with the portion size if I were paying a la carte.

 

 

Food Republic has a fair selection of bottled beers, although it shares a kitchen and pantry area with The District, and it appears as if the servers are willing to get you anything that they may have in stock over there. Food Republic does not have its own bar. I chose two of the Big Wave Golden Ale from Kona Brewing Co., which was cold and refreshing. 

 

Had I been paying a la carte, the meal would have totaled $46 plus an additional $18 for the two beers; a pricey lunch when you consider the other options available on the ship. My six-meal dining package averaged out to $28 per meal, plus gratuity, which was more reasonable, given the quality of the items on the menu. The pricing of the alcoholic beverages on the ship left me wishing that I had selected the open bar as my Free at Sea option, even given the $20 per day service charge that is added to the "free" option. I found most drinks to be priced about $2 higher than the comparable options on Carnival or Royal Caribbean. I definitely drank less on Norwegian as a result of the higher pricing. 

 

[brilliantseas]

JUST AVERAGE: CAGNEY'S STEAKHOUSE

 

Last, but not least (except it might be my least favorite), Cagney's Steakhouse. Take this opinion with an asterisk because I don't actually eat beef, so it was more about the general experience for me. 

 

I had an 8:15 reservation for Cagney's, and arrived right on time. Unfortunately, the restaurant was running behind, and this was the only restaurant other than Teppanyaki where I had to wait to be seated. I was surprised to find that the restaurant does not have a pager system to accommodate this, and there were several other parties waiting as well; they were actually spilling over into the Moderno waiting area and into the elevator lobby outside. The hostesses were just wandering through the crowd looking for guests. It was an inefficient system that seemed to slow down seating. Thankfully, I was able to hang close to the podium and only waited about 10 minutes to be seated. 

 

Service also seemed to be a bit overwhelmed as it took longer than I would have expected to be greeted and for a drink order to be taken. From the time I was seated until I received my bread and glass of wine was at least 15 minutes. It was by far the slowest service of any restaurant on the entire cruise. 

 

If you use a dining package at Cagney's, you are eligible for an appetizer, a soup or salad, and an entree with two sides. It should be noted that select items on the Cagney's menu carry an upcharge when using the dining package. 

 

For my appetizer, I selected the item that I was most looking forward to trying at Cagney's, the lump crab cake. This was one of the items that carries an upcharge - in this case $5, when using the dining package. Although small in size, it was quite flavorful; one of my favorite appetizers of the entire cruise. I should also note that my server somehow waived the $5 upcharge, so it ended up not costing me anything beyond the cost of the dining package. 

 

For my soup or salad course, I selected the lobster bisque. As I may have stated earlier, I enjoy a wide variety of seafood. Unfortunately, the lobster bisque was a bit of a letdown. Yes, it was creamy, and yes it did have bits of lobster in it. Unfortunately, I found it lacking overall, and only ate about 2/3 of the small bowl. 

 

For my entree, I selected the grilled fisherman's platter, which includes shrimp, scallops, calamari, crab cake, and branzino. The plate includes two each of shrimp, seared sea scallops, and a few pieces of calamari, a tiny crab cake (about 1/3 the size of the appetizer portion) as well as a small filet of branzino. This entree is also available fried, however I wanted to avoid the Long John Silver experience. A quick squeeze of grilled lemon over the fish and I was satisfied with the grilled version of this entree. Of all of the items on the plate, the crab cake and the scallops were my favorites, with the branzino actually being my least favorite. The calamari preparation was also interesting, being served in a long section which was scored to prevent it from curling as it was grilled. It was cooked perfectly and was not overly chewy. 

 

My entree was accompanied by the server's recommended side items, parmesan truffle fries and mac and cheese. The fries were just average and could be considered underwhelming given the hype. The mac and cheese was better, and was easily finished with my seafood plate. 

 

Overall, service was slower than expected and left me running late for a comedy show, so I opted to ask for dessert to go, with the plan of dropping it in my room before heading to the comedy club. I tried the raspberry creme brulee. The server did his best to get it out to the table promptly, along with the check and a fresh silverware roll to take back to my room.

 

Creme brulee is one of my favorite desserts, and something that I order almost every time it is available on the menu. Unfortunately, the Cagney's version was a letdown, lacking the bruleed sugar crust on top. Instead, I was left with a bowl of custard that was generally lacking in flavor, topped with a single fresh raspberry. 

 

Would I dine at Cagney's again on my next Norwegian Cruise Line sailing? The answer is maybe. In terms of value for dining credit, it was better than Food Republic, but the slow service means dedicating the better portion of an evening for a meal that was just average. Was it better than a meal in the main dining room? Without a doubt. Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos of my meal at Cagney's, so you'll just have to take my word for it. 

 

How does it compare to the steakhouses on other cruise lines? I would say that the food and the overall experience is very similar to that found in the steakhouses on Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Disney Cruise Line does not have a comparable steakhouse option. Palo serves a Northern Italian inspired menu, while Remy is a 6-course French fine-dining experience priced well north of any of the other cruise line's dining experiences, aside from the Chef's Table experience on Carnival. NCL is the only one of the three that prices their steakhouse on an a la carte basis, with Carnival charging $38 per adult at their steakhouse, and Chops Steakhouse on Royal Caribbean charging $35-39, depending on the ship. Had I not been using a dining package, my meal at Cagney's would have run north of $60, comparable to my other meals at La Cucina and Bayamo. With the dining credit, my actual cost was $28 + gratuity, however I should have been charged $5 additional for the crab cake appetizer. 

[TheTides]

Phenomenal comparison.  Thanks for doing this. 

[ncklhaus]

Thank you for this fantastic review! 

[brilliantseas]

One venue that I never took the time to explore is the Supper Club. This is an upcharge experience that requires an advance reservation. The Supper Club hosts multiple dinner shows throughout the week. On the day that I stopped by for a picture, they were preparing for a piano tunes dinner show, featuring the music of Billy Joel and Elton John. 

 

 

I believe that the cost of these shows is around $30 per person? It should be noted that it is a banquet-style fixed menu venue. Here is the menu that was served during the piano tunes show. Certainly not a venue for picky eaters.

 

[pcrum]

We are platinum on Carnival too, but much prefer NCL.  This is a great review!  Overall, I thought the buffet options on NCL were above Carnival, although I did miss the Guy's Burgers!!  For the MDR, I thought Carnival was better.  For dinners at NCL, unfortunately, it seems you need to go to one of the for-fee dining venues for a decent dinner.  You missed out by skipping Le Bistro; we  dined there three times during out TA cruise on Epic.  It was our favorite restaurant!  

[brilliantseas]

2 hours ago, pcrum said:

We are platinum on Carnival too, but much prefer NCL.  This is a great review!  Overall, I thought the buffet options on NCL were above Carnival, although I did miss the Guy's Burgers!!  For the MDR, I thought Carnival was better.  For dinners at NCL, unfortunately, it seems you need to go to one of the for-fee dining venues for a decent dinner.  You missed out by skipping Le Bistro; we  dined there three times during out TA cruise on Epic.  It was our favorite restaurant!  

 

I found Norwegian Escape to be a more upscale ship overall than the older Joe Farcus designed Carnival ships, however I believe that the newer ships, including the Breeze and the Vista Class, are roughly equal to the Escape. 

 

In terms of the buffet, I guess it depends on what you group into that category. NCL has more-or-less one continuous buffet with standard buffet fare, while Carnival supplements the basic buffet options with unique concepts such as Guy's and Blue Iguana. I think NCL is sorely lacking in that category. 

 

I can't compare MDR as I never visited on NCL; all of my dinners were either in the specialty restaurants, the buffet, or O'Sheehan's. I agree that the fore-fee specialty restaurants were very good, in general. Would I spend $28 (dining package rate) or $60+ to eat in Cagney's again? Probably not. But I would certainly pay that to go back to Teppanyaki and La Cucina. 

 

I have two CruiseNext certificates and will certainly be back on NCL, however my next four cruises are currently booked on Carnival thanks to the great pricing that was available in mid-March. I've noticed that NCLs prices feel artificially inflated with all of the future cruise credits floating out there right now. I'm waiting for those prices to come down so that I can book another NCL sailing, with the primary goal of getting back to Harvest Caye, which is my new favorite private cruise port, but more on that later...

[NCTribeFan]

Since I just booked my 2nd NCL (1st was Star EB TA 2 years ago), I went in search of Escape reviews.  This was perfect as I'm Diamond on Carnival and will be on Escape (EB TA 1 year from now) in a Studio cabin.  I will have friends on the ship but these days, now that DD is grown, married, and about to have a baby, I sail solo.  I typically book an interior, mostly because, as you noted, I get to pay 200% on Carnival. I also prefer the nice, dark cabin for sleeping.  I don't want or need natural light.  I wake early whether it's light or dark.  When I cruise, I just go ahead and set an alarm on my phone, just in case the darkness impacts my internal clock.  That and the fact that I drink more and stay up later than I do at home!

 

I personally prefer smaller ships.  The largest I've sailed was MSC Divina and I found myself, on the last sea day, discovering areas I hadn't even seen on an 11-night sailing.  I did 3 consecutive MSC sailings (Divina, Armonia (to Cuba) and Armonia again) within a 9-month window.  I loved Armonia!  Yes, old ship, small buffet, one pool area, etc, but I just really enjoy the more personalized experience on a smaller ship.  I'm also a big fan of Carnival's Fantasy class, having enough nights on those ships alone to qualify as Platinum!  Favorite is the Spirit class (had booked Med/TA on Legend for October but those were cancelled so re-booked for October 2021).  I've also sailed HAL 3 times and really enjoyed those cruises.  The ship layouts are more like the Spirit class.  Not a fan of what I describe as Carnival's "floating shoe box" design.  And other than the Spirit-class, Carnival has a lower space ratio so more people packed into the public spaces.

 

At least with a 15-night Atlantic crossing I should have plenty of time to explore Escape!

 

I never, ever have dinner in the buffets and rarely eat breakfast or lunch from them.  I'm talking about a go-through-the-line & get-enough-food-for-3-people sort of buffet.  On Carnival, my breakfast is typically from the omelet station.  Lunch is a deli sandwich, burrito from Blue Iguana, or, where available, a half-size pasta & salad from the La Cucina.  My favorite surcharge restaurant on Star was Le Bistro.  We have both drink and dining packages (& wifi) with this booking.  With all the drinking and dining venues on a ship this size, I'm sure they'll get plenty of use.  O'Sheehan's was one of my favorite venues on Star.  Had lunch there several days.  Really liked having a Black & Blue burger washed down with a Shandy.

 

I don't sail for the ship.  I sail for the ports, still.  Unless I've been to a port multiple times, I do my research online prior to sailing (often through the Roll Calls here) and get something organized.  Since I'm often a solo female, I'm not comfortable just getting off the ship and getting into a taxi by myself.  But I don't pay to sail to foreign ports and not see what there is to see!  The less touristy a port is, the more I like it. 

 

Anyway, thanks for the detailed review!

[kathylynnt]

Brilliant Seas- Thanks for taking the time to post an amazing review. What did you think about the entertainment?  We've never cruised on Norwegian and are thinking about the Escape.

[gumbypee]

Great Review so far! Keep it coming!!