Why American Diner?

[Rob-Bob]

Why would someone purchase items like a cheeseburger at the American Diner?  Burger, fries, chicken sandwich and things like that are free elsewhere on the ship.

 

Someone who has dined there please explain.  Thanks.

[tallnthensome]

For what they charge only people who have the money to throw away would pay for food that's for free elsewhere on the ship. That is why Jimmy Buffet was always empty. Not saying it isn't good but why spend $50 more for this food.

[shof515]

It’s a great place to spend on board credit 

[PTC DAWG]

Do they offer complimentary breakfast like Margaritaville did?  That was the best place to get fresh eggs etc when it was open.

 

Maybe people like to sit down and be waited on..I know I do. 

[cruiseny4life]

We were fortunate to eat at American Diner for free on embarkation day as it was a choice to Haven guests. We enjoyed the food and ordered a milkshake (not free). Honestly, the banana milkshake is likely the absolute best milkshake I have ever had.

We did go back to American Diner later in the week and shared an order of mozzarella sticks and another milkshake. This time, the milkshake wasn't as good - there were no chocolate flakes on it, just cereal flakes which was different than our first. The mozz sticks were yummy and the marinara is great! 

 

If another place had mozz sticks we likely would not have gone back, except to get one of those milkshakes. I'm honestly not sure why anyone would purchase food at American Diner or use their Free at Sea here, unless they have kids. 

[FlGoodShips]

We use our obc for milkshakes, or any goodie we can't find in other places.

Milkshakes are the best!!🍨

[scooter6139]

3 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Do they offer complimentary breakfast like Margaritaville did?  That was the best place to get fresh eggs etc when it was open.

 

Maybe people like to sit down and be waited on..I know I do. 

 

It was on our 2019 Joy sailing.  It was just a small setup, but they had breakfast sandwiches and the like.  I never checked on our 2021 Encore sailing.  Wouldn't be surprised if it has gone away post pandemic.

[Becky0976]

We got lunch there the first day as haben guests. It was OK. I wouldn’t pay for it. 

[BirdTravels]

5 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Do they offer complimentary breakfast like Margaritaville did?  That was the best place to get fresh eggs etc when it was open. Maybe people like to sit down and be waited on..I know I do. 

No

[BirdTravels]

5 hours ago, Rob-Bob said:

Why would someone purchase items like a cheeseburger at the American Diner?  Burger, fries, chicken sandwich and things like that are free elsewhere on the ship. Someone who has dined there please explain.  Thanks.

Why would you go to the steak house for dinner when you can get a NY Strip steak every night for free in the main dining room?

 

People like to try something different and it burns some of their OBC. 

[hallux]

6 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Maybe people like to sit down and be waited on..I know I do. 

You can sit down, get waited on, and get arguably the same burger at The Local.  I say 'arguably' because a couple folks I chatted with on my March cruise actually complained to the GM about the burgers that were buffet-quality.  My burger at The Local was on par with a local bar, quite good and FREE!

[UKstages]

the american diner has one thing that is not generally available elsewhere... lobster rolls. (people can debate - and they have - whether they are any good or not.)  most people i know only visit the american diner for "free" on embarkation day when staying in the haven... or if they have a hankering for a milkshake, as several have mentioned in this thread. other than that, it hold little appeal.

 

the american diner only exists because they had to do something with the space that was vacated by margaritaville. without that branding, it's just a fee-based Local or O'sheehan's, albeit with lobster rolls and milkshakes.

[shof515]

44 minutes ago, UKstages said:

the american diner only exists because they had to do something with the space that was vacated by margaritaville. without that branding, it's just a fee-based Local or O'sheehan's, albeit with lobster rolls and milkshakes.

originally that space never had a fee. it was always a free space. back when the breakaway was new that area was called uptown grill and had a small buffet of food for free. since margariaville came, they rebranded the space and started charging a fee

[geleisen]

45 minutes ago, UKstages said:

without that branding, it's just a fee-based Local or O'sheehan's

 

That was the impression I got from looking at the menu. To be honest, when I saw the photos with the car booths, I thought that it was just the new 24 hour restaurant and maybe they were moving from the Irish pub theme back to American diner theme like when it was blue lagoon. (I also thought the name was a placeholder, as it is pretty generic) 

[Bonobochick]

6 minutes ago, shof515 said:

originally that space never had a fee. it was always a free space. back when the breakaway was new that area was called uptown grill and had a small buffet of food for free. since margariaville came, they rebranded the space and started charging a fee

I remember Uptown Grill. And on the Getaway it was Flamingo Grill. I really enjoyed the Flamingo Grill cause they had cuban food in their buffet. 

 

I will be on the Joy in the near future, but doubt I'll hit up American Diner. 

[Travelling2Some]

I was puzzled by this place too.  I wonder if NCL intended it to appeal to non-American passengers as a touristy sort of thing since diners are classic Americana?

[vacation44]

14 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

We were fortunate to eat at American Diner for free on embarkation day as it was a choice to Haven guests. We enjoyed the food and ordered a milkshake (not free). Honestly, the banana milkshake is likely the absolute best milkshake I have ever had.

If another place had mozz sticks we likely would not have gone back, except to get one of those milkshakes. I'm honestly not sure why anyone would purchase food at American Diner or use their Free at Sea here, unless they have kids. 

Their mozzerella sticks are really good.  Wish they would bring them back to O'Sheehans.

[PATRLR]

11 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Why would you go to the steak house for dinner when you can get a NY Strip steak every night for free in the main dining room?

Comparing the NY strip in the MDR to the strip in Cagneys is ridiculous.  The OP was asking why someone would pay for something at American Diner when you can get the exact same item for free elsewhere.  Certainly you aren't saying the strip in Cagneys is the same as you would get in the MDR?  

 

[Rob-Bob]

Milkshakes and lobster rolls I can understand.  Burgers and fries no.  

 

Thanks for all of the feedback.

[hawkeyetlse]

Are they exactly the same burgers and fries as elsewhere on the ship, though? The menu says it's a blend of chuck, brisket and short rib. I don't think that's what you get at the poolside grill, or at O'Sheehan's. Not saying I would order it, because there's other stuff on the menu that's more interesting to me.

 

I had lunch at the Diner once on GA, and actually ended up getting it refunded because I had an extra dining credit leftover at the end of that cruise (that's never going to happen again). I would certainly stop in again for a special snack (cheese sticks or lobster sliders or whatever). But if that's all most people are doing, I don't see much future for this venue. The one time I ate there, they only served one other table the whole time. But it might have been a port day, I don't remember.

[cruiseny4life]

11 minutes ago, hawkeyetlse said:

Are they exactly the same burgers and fries as elsewhere on the ship, though?

The burger was a bit better than the buffet burger, but it had an odd after taste. I can't really describe it, just wasn't a pleasant taste. 

 

As for how busy the place was, I went there on embarkation day as it was available for Haven guests and I figured we might as well eat there with no charge since we'd have the Haven restaurant the rest of the cruise. Only two other Haven rooms came in to eat there - though it was a cold day. 

 

When we went for mozzarella sticks and a milkshake later in the week it was slightly busier, but only slightly. 

[mking8288]

Last week, the Diner was just sad looking ... crew members there looked excited whenever someone walked by and might, might actually go in to order something, helps keep them busy and working.  One of the easiest place to work onboard, even for the few hours that it's open compared to working in the buffet, The Local or the MDR, etc. 

 

O'Sheehan's and The Local's beef/cheeseburgers are just as good, juicy and tasty - ditto for the loaded one with mushrooms & extras, also free & complimentary - we actually shared/split one burger among two of us, more than enough as a quick bite, mid-afternoon snack in between full meals.  

 

NR OBC - spent them smartly in duty-free or gift shops for a better value.  It's not a value-added options, just your basic comfort food ... how is this any better or different from good old Margaritaville.  We cruise not to sit and pay more for Five Guys or Nathans, comm'on.  As always, subjective opinion and YMMV.  Poor business decisions on NCLH's part, IMHO. 

[UKstages]

5 hours ago, PATRLR said:

Certainly you aren't saying the strip in Cagneys is the same as you would get in the MDR?  

 

 

cagney's is a hit or miss kind of thing in my view.

 

i have honestly had better steaks elsewhere on the ship, including the MDR. and better service. when cagney's is firing on all cylinders, there is no place better to enjoy your meal. but my experience has been that both the service and the food varies wildly from ship to ship and even night to night on the same ship.

 

sometimes, you can can get a tastier steak, cooked to order, at the buffet!

[PATRLR]

27 minutes ago, UKstages said:

 

cagney's is a hit or miss kind of thing in my view.

 

i have honestly had better steaks elsewhere on the ship, including the MDR. and better service. when cagney's is firing on all cylinders, there is no place better to enjoy your meal. but my experience has been that both the service and the food varies wildly from ship to ship and even night to night on the same ship.

 

sometimes, you can can get a tastier steak, cooked to order, at the buffet!

Yeah, food is inconsistent, at best, no argument from me. But now we're straying off topic. 

My point was a response to the statement that seemed to imply one could get the same NY strip in either the MDR or Cagneys and therefor people pay to go to Cagneys just for the change in venue.   That implication (which I disagree with) was used as an example to explain why people got to American Diner and pay for the same hamburger that they can get for free anywhere else on the ship.

 

[geegee1]

On 5/18/2022 at 1:38 PM, tallnthensome said:

For what they charge only people who have the money to throw away would pay for food that's for free elsewhere on the ship. That is why Jimmy Buffet was always empty. Not saying it isn't good but why spend $50 more for this food.

Liked Margarataville when it was on Bliss.used to go there and use OBC for some apps and specialty margs.

 

For those that have been to American Diner, are the mozzarella sticks, truly "housemade" or are they just the frozen kind you get at any other place?