Opinions re: included food venues

[sandpiper35]

With reference to the Escape during a 10 day caribbean cruise last month: The only meal that was consistently good was breakfast at the Garden Cafe. Most MDR meals were bad to very bad and in some cases inedible. Beef was comercial grade at best. Specialty restaurants were hit and miss but definitely not worth the added charges. O’She…..  bar was good. The wings and sandwiches were very good. Service was very good at all venues. Staff tried very hard to please but the kitchen fell short. Seems that NCL has had to make difficult choices on the food quality to survive the pandemic. In my opinion it will backfire. Have one more NCL booked to redeem my future cruise coupons but after that, will try other cruise lines to compare service and food choices. 

[curlstravel]

We went on a carnival cruise before we went on the prima in October. The food  on Carnival was the worst food we’ve ever had on any cruise.  We couldn’t even eat the fillet. I will never do a carnival cruise again.  The food on the prima was amazing. We loved every restaurant we went to even the free restaurants !!!

[SunshineGal2022]

9 hours ago, sandpiper35 said:

With reference to the Escape during a 10 day caribbean cruise last month: The only meal that was consistently good was breakfast at the Garden Cafe. Most MDR meals were bad to very bad and in some cases inedible. Beef was comercial grade at best. Specialty restaurants were hit and miss but definitely not worth the added charges. O’She…..  bar was good. The wings and sandwiches were very good. Service was very good at all venues. Staff tried very hard to please but the kitchen fell short. Seems that NCL has had to make difficult choices on the food quality to survive the pandemic. In my opinion it will backfire. Have one more NCL booked to redeem my future cruise coupons but after that, will try other cruise lines to compare service and food choices. 

Which specialty restaurants did you like? 

[IronRobi]

19 hours ago, sandpiper35 said:

With reference to the Escape during a 10 day caribbean cruise last month: The only meal that was consistently good was breakfast at the Garden Cafe. 

Interesting you say this because my recent experience on the Escape was pretty much the opposite (Sailed Nov 26). The breakfast at the Garden Cafe was practically inedible. Unless getting a freshly made omelet cooked in front of you, the hottest food items you could find were room temperature at best! The food in the MDR was decent, but I find the budget cuts could be felt. The meals felt more generic when compared to pre-pandemic sailings and there were some evenings where there was nothing that really jumped out as a "wow I need to try this" compared to before it was always a debate between 2 or 3 items. Late night buffet for snacks looked like whatever was left from the supper buffet. They didn't even have cookies out daily which I found odd. Cagneys was hit and miss. First visit was absolutely perfect, I'd have put it on par with any high-end steakhouse on land. Second visit was the complete opposite. Steaks cooked incorrectly and served cold and a server who did not even check in once. 

 

Overall I'd still rate the food higher than other lines I've been on, but I feel the gap may be closing.

[JGmf]

I have never disembarked from an NCL cruise feeling hungry, rocking a smaller waistline. 

 

I'm a picky eater (pescatarian) and have always found options in the MDR, buffet, and specialty restaurants.  Even when it was "just OK", it tasted better b/c I didn't have to cook it or clean up afterwards.

[luv2kroooz]

Overall, food is subjective.

 

For many years, where I have thought NCL lagged competitors is with quick service food options. Carnival has gone to branded venues like Guys Burgers, Blue iguana Cantina Mex, Pig and Anchor BBQ or Shaq's Big Chicken. Royal has El Loco Fresh Mex and Park Cafe Deli. NCL has none of this. I think NCL is starting to mirror this on Prima with Indulge Food Hall. I am expecting the food hall to become an upcharge venue within the next couple of years, though.

 

At Dinner, we've always been satisfied with the included MDR food options on NCL.

Edited December 10, 2022 by luv2kroooz

[phillygwm]

On 12/5/2022 at 2:55 PM, foodsvcmgr said:

For those recently on multiple lines including NCL how is NCL holding up in this era of cuts?

Seems like far fewer complaints here.

You'll hear complaints on any cruise line because, well, most people prefer to complain versus praise.  And of course, experiences will vary.  On my recent cruise, which I enjoyed, someone on my roll call said it was the worst cruise he ever took.

 

I always upgrade to premium meals because I don't want to deal with the crush of people in MDR.  I've done Taste/Savor for breakfast and lunch, and I suppose it would be OK for dinner, but I've never tried.  I find specialty meals are almost always of good quality.  I'm not a fan of La Cucina but the rest are fine.  It's a mid-range cruise line so don't expect Michelin quality but it's good.  The service tends to be very good to excellent.

[complawyer]

phillygwm: depending on the length of the cruise, we'll try the mdr for dinner a few times, while we're not big fans, the food and choices arent bad. also if youve cruised with ncl more than a few times, you'll have to admit the specialty restaurant menus never change, and even if you're  staying in a haven, the breakfast and lunch menu's never change. so, imho, give the mdr's a chance, i dont think generally speaking that you'll be disappointed.

[uneamie]

On 12/7/2022 at 6:03 AM, PATRLR said:

Yeah, what's the deal with that? 

My guess is that the rolls were frozen because they go stale easily. The texture is different when defrosted. 

[RocketMan275]

On 12/9/2022 at 12:26 PM, sandpiper35 said:

 Have one more NCL booked to redeem my future cruise coupons but after that, will try other cruise lines to compare service and food choices. 

Why should the other cruise lines be any different?

All lines went through the pandemic shutdowns.

They all lost money.

Have  you gone to any of the other mainstream forums on CC?

All of them are filled with the same complaints you've made.

[swmichigan cruiser]

50 minutes ago, complawyer said:

phillygwm: depending on the length of the cruise, we'll try the mdr for dinner a few times, while we're not big fans, the food and choices arent bad. also if youve cruised with ncl more than a few times, you'll have to admit the specialty restaurant menus never change, and even if you're  staying in a haven, the breakfast and lunch menu's never change. so, imho, give the mdr's a chance, i dont think generally speaking that you'll be disappointed.

We just did 21 nights on the Encore Panama Canal cruise and we hadn't planned to eat in MDR but talked with a asst Maitre we knew and she said she worked evenings in Taste so we tried it and liked it and probably ate there 5 nights. Food and service was very good and to me it was sort of like eating in a specialty restaurant without the extra cost.

[MarkusToe]

On the Bliss actually, food in general very good.

Cagneys had the best ripeye i've ever had on a ship

[ChiefMateJRK]

On 12/7/2022 at 3:58 AM, PATRLR said:

Applebee's doesn't market themselves as fine dining and they are about the equivalent quality.

What's wrong with Applebee's?? 

[ChiefMateJRK]

On 12/7/2022 at 6:47 AM, PATRLR said:

I'm not a fan of the burgers so don't have them often (they cook them too well for my liking).

Pro tip.  Go to the MDRs or the Local.  They ask how you want it cooked and when I ask for medium I get a perfect pink.

[ChiefMateJRK]

On 12/7/2022 at 6:03 AM, New2cruise2022 said:

I have not experienced, but it amazes me that the one major consensus here are buns that can’t hold up. Seems like this would be a known criticism and would be rectified at some point. 🍔 

Not a consensus.  I'm guessing some/most are those buns that have been sitting on the buffet and drying out.  If you want a good burger, don't just grab it from the buffet.

[ChiefMateJRK]

2 hours ago, swmichigan cruiser said:

Food and service was very good and to me it was sort of like eating in a specialty restaurant without the extra cost.

I use whatever specialty dining credits I get, but certainly wouldn't pay for any more.   To your point, some of us just don't see much difference.

[swmichigan cruiser]

29 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I use whatever specialty dining credits I get, but certainly wouldn't pay for any more.   To your point, some of us just don't see much difference.

There is a difference but I do like the fact that in Taste compared to the Manhattan room it feels because of the fewer tables it has an atmosphere more like a specialty restaurant. We did eat 7 times in the specialty restaurants and also one time in the Haven so we enjoyed all of them.

[ChiefMateJRK]

Aren't we saying the same thing?

2 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

some of us just don't see much difference

 

1 hour ago, swmichigan cruiser said:

There is a difference

I enjoy whatever restaurant I'm eating in.  I've been disappointed in Ocean Blue, Cagney's and Teppanyaki and delighted in the MDRs, Local and Buffet.  The best meals I've had have been in Cagney's and LeBistro, but there are no guarantees.  Spin the wheel, take what you get, go to the buffet if you're still hungry.  😎

[New2cruise2022]

16 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Aren't we saying the same thing?

 

I enjoy whatever restaurant I'm eating in.  I've been disappointed in Ocean Blue, Cagney's and Teppanyaki and delighted in the MDRs, Local and Buffet.  The best meals I've had have been in Cagney's and LeBistro, but there are no guarantees.  Spin the wheel, take what you get, go to the buffet if you're still hungry.  😎

Words to live by. 

[PATRLR]

2 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

What's wrong with Applebee's?? 

Who said there was anything wrong with Applebees?  Not me.

[New2cruise2022]

1 hour ago, PATRLR said:

Who said there was anything wrong with Applebees?  Not me.

Fancy like Oreo Shake on a date night. 

[disneylover89]

We were on the Encore in July and the food was average at best.  There is nothing that stood out as being good, I want to order it again. The desserts were horrible.  This was in all the free dining restaurants.

We thought Cagney's and Teppanyaki were fantastic, can't wait to go back in June on the Escape and the American Diner was horrible.

[Barb Nahoumi]

On 12/5/2022 at 10:41 PM, ZoeyRox said:

We enjoyed the MDR on the Joy. We are at Savor/Taste for dinner when we weren’t having specialty dining. All meals were good-great. 
 

We also ate at Savor/Taste for breakfast many days. I do not recommend the Local for breakfast. Smaller portions and choices and service was poor-to-fair for breakfast. 
 

We had lunch at the Local many times and still talk about the food. The food and service quality are much improved for lunch and dinner. It’s also a lot of fun to sit over the atrium and play trivia while enjoying lunch. 
 

The buffet was a typical buffet. Breakfast was better than the Local. Lots of options and multiple stations have the same food so you can walk past the busy stations and go further into the buffet so you don’t have to wait in line. We also always found good seats at the end of the dining area (overlooking the observation lounge). It is a lot quieter there. 
 

We never at at the Manhattan room because that’s not our vibe. 
 

I hope this helps. 

Thank you.  We'll be on the Joy next summer, for our first cruise on a mega ship.  Our other cruises were always on the Jewel class mid sized ships.