What do you think of the new Prima class dinner menu?

[The Traveling Man]

2 hours ago, styxfire said:

I hope it doesn’t last.  Otherwise my cruising partners (who aren’t huge MDR fans anyway) will choose the buffet every time after night #2, so I’ll either have to eat alone or eat every meal in the buffet too.  😞

We were on the Prima last week and asked the GM, F&B, and Executive Chef about the fixed menu.  Each of them separately indicated that it was their understanding that the fixed menu is planned to be a permanent feature of the Prima class ships, but that, for now at least, changing menus would continue on the rest of the fleet.

[meanone111]

I was on the Prima recently. We tried Cagney's, Palomar, Nama Sushi, Hudson's, The Local, Indulge Food Hall and many times at the Surfside buffet. The food at Hudson's is quite good, but I wasn't too excited for the fixed dinning menu, as it got kind of boring to see the same items again each day. Local was ok, nothing too memorable with the typical bar type food and Indulge was ok too, but felt the portions was kind of small and tasted just average. I think NCL should consider changing menus for Hudson's and The Commodore Room because it seems kind of disappointing to be on this nice ship only for non-haven guests to see the same menu every day in the main dinning room. 

[Karaboudjan]

17 minutes ago, meanone111 said:

I was on the Prima recently. We tried Cagney's, Palomar, Nama Sushi, Hudson's, The Local, Indulge Food Hall and many times at the Surfside buffet. The food at Hudson's is quite good, but I wasn't too excited for the fixed dinning menu, as it got kind of boring to see the same items again each day. Local was ok, nothing too memorable with the typical bar type food and Indulge was ok too, but felt the portions was kind of small and tasted just average. I think NCL should consider changing menus for Hudson's and The Commodore Room because it seems kind of disappointing to be on this nice ship only for non-haven guests to see the same menu every day in the main dinning room. 

 

You can take some comfort in the fact that Haven guests also see the same menu every day in 'their' dining room, and it is more limited than the Prima MDR menu...

Edited September 26, 2022 by Karaboudjan

[deepbluediver]

19 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

We were on the Prima last week and asked the GM, F&B, and Executive Chef about the fixed menu.  Each of them separately indicated that it was their understanding that the fixed menu is planned to be a permanent feature of the Prima class ships, but that, for now at least, changing menus would continue on the rest of the fleet.

 

From what I've read the Senior Executives at NCL have said, the fixed menu will be rolled out to all NCL ships eventually - unless it becomes highly unpopular. I think they are gauging how folks like it now on the Prima but more importantly if it has forced more folks to dine at the Specialty Restaurants. If more folks spend money to eat at the Specialty Restaurants because of the fixed menu, you can be sure it'll be sticking around and expanded to all ships.

 

After all, the (overpaid) CEO Frank has said his goal was to raise the on-board spending once you're on the ship. He has already raised the tips to be the highest amongst the big 4 cruise lines, raised prices on shore excursions, specialty dining, and just recently beverage packages. NCL has also cut back on the number of Specialty Dinners you get with Free At Sea.

 

The constant nickel-and-diming at NCL never stops and has only gotten worse. Very sad to see how NCL has changed under CEO Frank.

[Karaboudjan]

5 minutes ago, deepbluediver said:

 

From what I've read the Senior Executives at NCL have said, the fixed menu will be rolled out to all NCL ships eventually - unless it becomes highly unpopular. I think they are gauging how folks like it now on the Prima but more importantly if it has forced more folks to dine at the Specialty Restaurants. If more folks spend money to eat at the Specialty Restaurants because of the fixed menu, you can be sure it'll be sticking around and expanded to all ships.

 

After all, the (overpaid) CEO Frank has said his goal was to raise the on-board spending once you're on the ship. He has already raised the tips to be the highest amongst the big 4 cruise lines, raised prices on shore excursions, specialty dining, and just recently beverage packages. NCL has also cut back on the number of Specialty Dinners you get with Free At Sea.

 

The constant nickel-and-diming at NCL never stops and has only gotten worse. Very sad to see how NCL has changed under CEO Frank.

 

Hold on please...  Nobody has been 'forced' to eat at the specialty restaurants.  Was the MDR closed?  Was the buffet closed?  Was Indulge closed?  Was the Local closed?  Anyone who has eaten more specialty meals has chosen to skip all of the complimentary options.

[deepbluediver]

7 minutes ago, Karaboudjan said:

 

Hold on please...  Nobody has been 'forced' to eat at the specialty restaurants.  Was the MDR closed?  Was the buffet closed?  Was Indulge closed?  Was the Local closed?  Anyone who has eaten more specialty meals has chosen to skip all of the complimentary options.

 

LOL! Hit the nerve of someone. Are you 1 of those NCL plants on CC that we've heard so much about?

 

You don't have to be so literal - I wasn't. But I'm sure you'll have more to say about this.

[The Traveling Man]

7 minutes ago, Karaboudjan said:

 

Hold on please...  Nobody has been 'forced' to eat at the specialty restaurants.  Was the MDR closed?  Was the buffet closed?  Was Indulge closed?  Was the Local closed?  Anyone who has eaten more specialty meals has chosen to skip all of the complimentary options.

That's true, but I think the point that @deepbluediver was trying to make is that a never-changing menu in the MDR will discourage passengers from eating as many meals there as they might have if the menu varied.  That would limit their other options to the buffet, The Local, the Food Hall, or the specialty restaurants.  It would be easy to assume that many folks would eat more often at specialty restaurants if the menu choices in the MDR never change.

[uneamie]

Since there are 2 MDR's....I suggest they have 2 different menus....a different one in each room. Then there would be a lot less to complain about. 

[UKstages]

1 hour ago, uneamie said:

Since there are 2 MDR's....I suggest they have 2 different menus....a different one in each room. Then there would be a lot less to complain about. 

 

while that might seem like a good idea, it would likely cause confusion and congestion. with one menu, it doesn't matter where you eat (except for the ambience and the room capacity). two different menus, a certain percentage of folks will always have menu envy.

 

what do you do if your dining companion prefers the other menu? what do you do if you show up at the wrong venue, the one not serving what you want? and what does NCL do when there are "better selling" entrées on one menu and the place gets overcrowded? you can't send them to the other MDR because the same dishes won't be available!

[PATRLR]

6 hours ago, Karaboudjan said:

 

Hold on please...  Nobody has been 'forced' to eat at the specialty restaurants.  Was the MDR closed?  Was the buffet closed?  Was Indulge closed?  Was the Local closed?  Anyone who has eaten more specialty meals has chosen to skip all of the complimentary options.

The expectation of many is that dinner on a cruise should be a fine, sit down affair.  The buffet and The Local do not meet that expectation.  I can't speak to Indulge, but Indulge isn't on other NCL ships.   If you want fine dining and want to avoid the monotony of the same menu/food every night, then yes you are forced to go to Specialty Dining.   

[alexsma]

They left off some of the items I’ve enjoyed in the recent past. No bruschetta, French onion soup, pork tenderloin or chicken cordon blue. 
 

My son also really enjoyed the smoked ravioli appetizer too. 

[vswan]

23 minutes ago, alexsma said:

They left off some of the items I’ve enjoyed in the recent past. No bruschetta, French onion soup, pork tenderloin or chicken cordon blue. 

Shrimp cocktail, prime rib, tenderloin, duck, turkey,  chicken breast dishes all missing. Know some of these are available in the specialty restaurants, and will use my "have it all" days, we are not likely to pay for any additional specialty dining options. Have always felt that the dining room food has something good to eat that isn't an extra charge.

 

Whatever cruise line we are on, we go to the MDR daily for breakfast because my DH enjoys the service and lesser crowds. Even on a 7 day cruise I get tired of the menu by about day 4. I end up eating pretty much the same thing every day.

[Karaboudjan]

11 hours ago, PATRLR said:

The expectation of many is that dinner on a cruise should be a fine, sit down affair.  The buffet and The Local do not meet that expectation.  I can't speak to Indulge, but Indulge isn't on other NCL ships.   If you want fine dining and want to avoid the monotony of the same menu/food every night, then yes you are forced to go to Specialty Dining.   

 

In the overall market, yes, but I suspect that NCL is well aware that that is not their typical/target passenger.  There are many other people who believe that a 'fine' meal has nothing to do with the tablecloth or even how the food gets to your table.  I think that Indulge is a clear indication that NCL is thinking in that direction.  They probably can't retrofit an Indulge into other ships but perhaps they can do things to add some of that concept.  Maybe they could re-purpose the American Diner since hardly anyone seems to like it anyway 😉

[PATRLR]

21 minutes ago, Karaboudjan said:

 

In the overall market, yes, but I suspect that NCL is well aware that that is not their typical/target passenger.  😉

I hope you are wrong about the typical/target passenger.  You very well may be right, but, I hope you are wrong.  There is a lot I like about NCL but if the included meals are going to be the equivalent of a "Grand Buffet" and/or "Applebees" on land, I'll be moving on because that is not what I want on my cruise.

[TheycallmeDrew]

I myself would miss a changing menu but with lots of other free venues to choose from I would not get bored. When I go out to eat restaurants don’t change there menu every day and I often order the same thing every time anyway. 
 

On the other hand my wife has food allergies and having a fixed menu makes her life so much easier. 

[KAYKAY121]

12 hours ago, alexsma said:

They left off some of the items I’ve enjoyed in the recent past. No bruschetta, French onion soup, pork tenderloin or chicken cordon blue. 
 

My son also really enjoyed the smoked ravioli appetizer too. 

That smoked mozzarella ravioli and the short rib ragu are what I look forward to in the MDR. I won't miss shot rib ragu night. I even learned to make it at home. 

[Karaboudjan]

1 hour ago, PATRLR said:

I hope you are wrong about the typical/target passenger.  You very well may be right, but, I hope you are wrong.  There is a lot I like about NCL but if the included meals are going to be the equivalent of a "Grand Buffet" and/or "Applebees" on land, I'll be moving on because that is not what I want on my cruise.

 

Just to be clear, I am not saying that the MDR is glorified banquet food, and I don't think that NCL does not care about the quality of the MDR food.  In fact, you could argue that this change will make the quality go up.

 

What I think is that they are striving for great food across all of their venues and they believe their passengers will generally want/consider all of the dining options.  But I don't see why anyone who prefers the MDR will not still be able to stick with that and get quality meals.  Yes, the lack of variety might be an issue for some, but again I think that NCL has a pretty good idea if that is a risk worth taking.

[IrieBajan54]

I like the menu for dinner. I eat mainly seafood and some nights with the changing menu, I was left without a choice. Sometimes there was a fish offering I never heard of. I remember asking fellow solos if they've ever heard of it. Now with this standard menu, I know there will always be Grilled Mahi Mahi and Grilled Salmon.

[KeithJenner]

Whilst the set menu clearly will make some people less inclined to eat at the MDR, it will almost certainly result in us eating there more (and likely at the Speciality restaurants less).

 

The changing menu is the main thing which puts me off of eating at the MDR. There are a couple of the current MDR menus that don't inspire me at all, so that has been a factor in our decisions in the past to eat elsewhere. On our recent cruise we had 4 nights for included meals and having to either ask in advance for the menus per day (not even sure where you do that) or wait until you get back on the ship to view the menu, to decide whether it will be there or the Asian is really not ideal.

 

On the Viva, I will be a lot more inclined to book less speciality restaurants knowing that we can decide where we will be eating based on our preferences rather than based on a specific days menu.

 

These new menus will clearly be a problem for people who want to eat many of their meals in the MDR, but for those of us whose preference would be nearer 50:50 they could be a great improvement.

Edited September 27, 2022 by KeithJenner

[nferr]

I don't know the percentages but I'm going to guess that most people on an NCL cruise are booking "free at sea" which in most cases includes a couple nights in the specialty restaurants. So that's a break from the MDR every few nights. And I usually see more people in the buffet on port days for dinner just because of schedule etc. Many ships have the free Asian restaurant also.  I really don't know how many people only use the MDR every single dinner but I suspect NCL has a pretty good idea. I think people here are blowing this way out of proportion.  It's not like it's a tiny little menu and you have few choices.

[The Traveling Man]

21 hours ago, uneamie said:

Since there are 2 MDR's....I suggest they have 2 different menus....a different one in each room. Then there would be a lot less to complain about. 

That would be similar to what Celebrity does on its Edge class ships.  There are four MDRs, French, Italian, Mediterranean, and Cosmopolitan.  They each have a few menu items in common, plus each has some unique offerings that are not available in the other three venues.  Many of the items stay the same throughout the cruise, but a few new ones pop up each day.  You can get the same basic items every day in any of the restaurants, or you can bounce around from one restaurant to another as the menus change.  There is less emphasis on extra fare specialty restaurants, but they do have a steak house, French bistro, and sushi bar, plus there are a couple of exclusive restaurants set aside for passengers traveling in a suite or The Retreat, similar to the Haven.  Of course there's the buffet and hamburger bar near the pool, plus a poolside bar serving healthy choice light snacks.

[Sailing12Away]

5 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

On our recent cruise we had 4 nights for included meals and having to either ask in advance for the menus per day (not even sure where you do that) or wait until you get back on the ship to view the menu, to decide whether it will be there or the Asian is really not ideal.

Guest services will have the menu for the week available if you ask. In the past when sailing in Haven we've asked the butler to bring the menu for the full week to our cabin so we could pick which day to use our specialty dining credit (based on what we liked least at the MDR), and the Haven concierge will always be able to pull up a copy of the days MDR menu too.

 

I'm in the camp of preferring this new menu. When pre-booking specialty dining it was always a guess based on port times, then scrambling after seeing show times conflicting on some days, or seeing hubby's favorite paella being offered and needing to switch so he could get that. This fixed menu is more to my liking and makes planning easier for me. 

 

For folks that want a completely different menu every night on a 10+ day cruise, I'd love to see what your typical at home meal plan looks like. Guess we're just boring people who have no issue with repeating a burger, pasta, or protein of your choice dish within a 2 week period.

[laudergayle]

My thought…FWIW.  Only time will tell.  We sail April 2023…who knows. Love NCL…or we wouldn’t be on this CC board and sailing her (my pronoun). Till then, I accept the idea.

[happy cruzer]

17 hours ago, Karaboudjan said:

 

In the overall market, yes, but I suspect that NCL is well aware that that is not their typical/target passenger.  There are many other people who believe that a 'fine' meal has nothing to do with the tablecloth or even how the food gets to your table.  I think that Indulge is a clear indication that NCL is thinking in that direction.  They probably can't retrofit an Indulge into other ships but perhaps they can do things to add some of that concept.  Maybe they could re-purpose the American Diner since hardly anyone seems to like it anyway 😉

Agree that NCL has a different dining model than the other major lines.  I think they are more like a resort than a traditional cruise.  Everyone can set their expectations accordingly.  We have done mainly traditional cruises but did enjoy NCL.  They offer most of the same things as the other lines plus the additional features of their free style; however, if you are die hard traditional cruise fan you may not like their model.

 

Someone described the Celebrity new ship dining with the 4 seperate MDRs which we loved.

 

Each line has their target market.  It's great to have choices.

[PATRLR]

14 hours ago, nferr said:

I don't know the percentages but I'm going to guess that most people on an NCL cruise are booking "free at sea" which in most cases includes a couple nights in the specialty restaurants. So that's a break from the MDR every few nights. And I usually see more people in the buffet on port days for dinner just because of schedule etc. Many ships have the free Asian restaurant also.  I really don't know how many people only use the MDR every single dinner but I suspect NCL has a pretty good idea. I think people here are blowing this way out of proportion.  It's not like it's a tiny little menu and you have few choices.

Good points but the key is that the SDP is free.  I  personally am not counting on that remaining the case forever.

 

13 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

  Many of the items stay the same throughout the cruise, but a few new ones pop up each day.  

If the Prima menu would only do this, put a complimentary special or two on the menu each night, it would make it so much better, IMO.  Just like a land based restaurant who has a fixed menu week after week, they typically add a couple "specials" each night.

Edited September 28, 2022 by PATRLR