Ordering off menu/secret menus/menu hacks

[AKR2011]

I haven't had the new wings yet, but I always order them extra crispy with sauce on the side, and they taste so much better that way. And someone already mentioned salad hacks. I always request anchovies for my caesar salad in the main dining room and get them. 

[Sailing12Away]

I swap proteins out all the time in the specialty restaurants. Not a fan of baby cow, so I'll swap it for the adult filet version. Pig I only eat in bacon form, so same thing, if I like the sauce and sides of a dish, I'll just have them swap the pork with either a chicken breast or a filet.

[cruiseat50]

So, I have only been on the Breakaway with the proper haven experience as we like the smaller ships better.  We will be on the Gem in March and I'm wondering if they will do any variations/addons in Cagney's or Maderno?  I never thought to ask for anything other than what's on the menu but this one will be 11 days so it would be nice to spice it up now and then.

 

What do you think?  A possibility? 

[cruiseat50]

Duplicated

Edited January 26, 2023 by cruiseat50

[cruiseat50]

Duplicated

Edited January 26, 2023 by cruiseat50

[cruiseat50]

Duplicate

Edited January 26, 2023 by cruiseat50

[amygutman]

6 hours ago, cruiseat50 said:

So, I have only been on the Breakaway with the proper haven experience as we like the smaller ships better.  We will be on the Gem in March and I'm wondering if they will do any variations/addons in Cagney's or Maderno?  I never thought to ask for anything other than what's on the menu but this one will be 11 days so it would be nice to spice it up now and then.

 

What do you think?  A possibility? 

One of the things we love about the Haven experience even without a "dedicated" Haven restaurant (i.e. using Cagney's / Modernos for Breakfast / Lunch), is that once you get to know the wait-staff and maître d' (usually by day 2 - honestly), they will bend over backwards to accommodate reasonable requests. 

 

Picky teenager? Magically chicken tenders, macaroni and cheese and fries appeared at lunch. Hate raisins in the French toast? Here's plain French toast instead with whipped cream. Prefer dollar pancakes vs large? Try 50 of them (yes..literally 50 of them. Wish I could find the picture which is hilarious). 

 

Agree with the quality of the Indian food. I mentioned at breakfast one morning that I adore chana masala...and it showed up at lunch for me with fresh pappadams. My husband two years ago on the Gem laughed with the maître d' about loving Chinese food for Thanksgiving (we are both hospital workers and that is our "traditional" holiday meal). Well...we were served "Kung Pao Turkey and Tofu" that night for supper vs the traditional meal. Freaking hysterical. 

 

For special diet accommodations, even if you do not tell the pre-concierge about your needs (though I highly recommend you do so they can prepare), there are always options. Although now a pescatarian, I was a vegan for 35 years and 7 Haven NCL cruises. For those 7 cruises, even though the "official" Haven menus never changed, the wait-staff continually brought me interesting kitchen creations to make meals more exciting than baked potatoes, salads and grilled veggies. 

 

Again, everyone's experiences are different, but we have never had any difficulties in obtaining reasonable and polite special requests. I am excited though to "hack" the shrimp cocktail as recommended! Dang...that cocktail sauce is tasty!

 

Warmest, Amy

[Lionkingrichard]

My Daughter loves to try Onion Rings from everywhere.  On the Dawn none to be found. Asked the question and the next day for lunch they brought to big plates.

 

Felt bad that we only finished one of them. They were good!

[MaggieNY]

The first night of every cruise, my husband always asks in the MDR if lava cake is on the dessert menu. (It usually is.) Then he asks if it's going to be on the menu every night of the cruise. (It usually isn't.) There's always a maitre d' who will insist on putting in a standing order for him. If we go to the MDR for dinner, when the hostess scans our room card, it triggers some sort of reminder for the maitre d' or the kitchen to make some lava cake. They usually make 2 and I feel obligated to eat one. I like lava cake but I'm usually watching my calories. If I really don't want one and I opt for the NSA dessert, I make him eat both because he's the one who made a big deal about getting lava cake. 

 

Also, not really a menu hack but I don't like the iced tea that comes out of the machines. So I'll brew a cup of hot tea and pour it over ice for my own fresh brewed iced tea. I also bring my own tea bags (nerd alert! nerd alert!) in my tea wallet. The specialty teas usually run out towards the end of the trip and all they'll have left is Lipton.

 

 

[Viamin_Sea_26]

On 1/25/2023 at 5:18 PM, Monica887 said:

My only hack is to stash coffee and milk in the fridge so I can pour it over ice the next day for iced coffee. Why is there no iced coffee?! I have a haven cruise coming up and dying to know if I can request a standing morning order of iced coffee either in the room or to the haven restaurant. 

 

Since the coffee is strong, I just poured ice in a cup at the buffet then poured hot coffee over it.  Hubs has to have sugar, so melted his with hot coffee first.  Slightly watered down, but when you need a pick me up after a long day of exploring and a nap, it totally does the trick!

[sasandy]

On 1/25/2023 at 4:18 PM, Monica887 said:

My only hack is to stash coffee and milk in the fridge so I can pour it over ice the next day for iced coffee. Why is there no iced coffee?! I have a haven cruise coming up and dying to know if I can request a standing morning order of iced coffee either in the room or to the haven restaurant. 

Do you know what creamer they have? 

[Monica887]

4 minutes ago, sasandy said:

Do you know what creamer they have? 

I don't. I just use regular milk - the small cartons from breakfast. 

[ggTexasGal]

6 minutes ago, sasandy said:

Do you know what creamer they have? 

Not being snarky -- We've been on three NCL ships in the past 3 months.  Creamers changed during each of our cruises (due to supply availability)!  Like @Monica887, I would use milk (or whichever creamer was available).

Edited January 27, 2023 by ggTexasGal
corrected message

[CruzinMel]

On 1/26/2023 at 7:01 PM, MaggieNY said:

my tea wallet

Okay, you win the day.  I did not know there was such a thing, but how clever!!!

[Captain-John]

Making some notes - onion rings, British bacon, gummy bears - all sound good.

 

I can't stand nacho cheese sauce and would prefer substitute with 'real' cheese and perhaps adding some grilled chicken as well @DCGuy64.

 

Has anyone had any success with this?