Menu Madness in the MDR's

[cruiser2015]

I have read a number of posts here about MDR menus over the last few months.

Primarily, the story is that NCL has 21 different menus used in rotation. Often, they seem to keep running sequentially for cruises up to 21 days/

Some have told of running the first 7, then rewind to one on the eighth day.

In any case, for the Bliss, they seemed to have been following what I call the "standard" menu sequence for 15 day journeys for the last several months.

Until now.

I'm currently on the Bliss - day 13 of 16.

The menu sequence was followed aa usual, until day 6 or 7.

Then, new menus appeared. Day 7 was to be prime rib. As far as I know there has been no prime rib as yet in the MDR's. They are having it in the buffet tonight.

The nights since then seem to have NEW menus. Some have a few different mains, some all different.

Tonight's menu has a couple of the old night 13 mains plus some new ones mixed in.

 

Just when you think you've gotten a pattern you can follow (for purposes of meal planning, especially when to work in specialty nights)...they blow it all up!!

 

No meal expectation is safe.    😲

[poohdreaming]

The menu can always change and no one know for sure of the menu until they put it out on that day. People always make change to their specialty restaurant reservation. On a cruise, you do what you like. For example, a person can decide to eat at the specialty restaurant as well as to eat at whatever the buffet or the MDR is having.

[Panhandle Couple]

1 hour ago, cruiser2015 said:

I have read a number of posts here about MDR menus over the last few months.

Primarily, the story is that NCL has 21 different menus used in rotation. Often, they seem to keep running sequentially for cruises up to 21 days/

Some have told of running the first 7, then rewind to one on the eighth day.

In any case, for the Bliss, they seemed to have been following what I call the "standard" menu sequence for 15 day journeys for the last several months.

Until now.

I'm currently on the Bliss - day 13 of 16.

The menu sequence was followed aa usual, until day 6 or 7.

Then, new menus appeared. Day 7 was to be prime rib. As far as I know there has been no prime rib as yet in the MDR's. They are having it in the buffet tonight.

The nights since then seem to have NEW menus. Some have a few different mains, some all different.

Tonight's menu has a couple of the old night 13 mains plus some new ones mixed in.

 

Just when you think you've gotten a pattern you can follow (for purposes of meal planning, especially when to work in specialty nights)...they blow it all up!!

 

No meal expectation is safe.    😲

"Life is like a box of chocolates...

You never know what you are gonna get"

 

[alwalaska]

38 minutes ago, Panhandle Couple said:

"Life is like a box of chocolates...

You never know what you are gonna get"

 

I prefer chocolate boxes that come with a map telling you what is where.  No nasty surprises like the piece my husband had this with a green gooey center that smelled like our toilet bowl cleaner. 😀

 

I for one would prefer a known menu rotation with a few changes based on location, availability, etc. I'm a picky eater, but there are a few items in the main dining room that I'd really like to try, but once my reservations for specialty dining are made, I'm not likely to change since I like to eat at a popular time.

 

[hallux]

@cruiser2015 can you let us know who the CD is?  Other members of the staff?

[cruiser2015]

1 hour ago, alwalaska said:

I prefer chocolate boxes that come with a map telling you what is where.  No nasty surprises like the piece my husband had this with a green gooey center that smelled like our toilet bowl cleaner. 😀

 

I for one would prefer a known menu rotation with a few changes based on location, availability, etc. I'm a picky eater, but there are a few items in the main dining room that I'd really like to try, but once my reservations for specialty dining are made, I'm not likely to change since I like to eat at a popular time.

 

Oh, please label the chocolate slots!

 

The last 15 day on the Bliss, the reverse itinerary Panama Canal of my current cruise followed the NCL menus perfectly according to the ones that have been identified.

This cruise, they diverged mid cruise. They may have actually come out with some new ones.

[cruiser2015]

1 hour ago, hallux said:

@cruiser2015 can you let us know who the CD is?  Other members of the staff?

The CD is Richard Matic. Quite a guy.

Others? I can't recall their names.

Do you really care who the beverage manager is? Or the chief engineer? 

 

[DwayneG]

Perhaps they choose a menu based on what ingredients are available at good prices in the ports where thery stock up?

[itsnotjustme]

4 minutes ago, DwayneG said:

Perhaps they choose a menu based on what ingredients are available at good prices in the ports where thery stock up?

Exactly - within reason.  The kitchens are an industrial scale operation.  It needs to be items for which they know they have the preparation instructions, special cookware, serving dishes, etc.  

 

On our behind-the-scenes tour of the Jade they had a whole wall of daily menus.  I do not recall how many.  Presumably there is also some balance in each day's menu to satisfy a variety of tastes and dietary needs. 

[hallux]

35 minutes ago, cruiser2015 said:

Do you really care who the beverage manager is? Or the chief engineer? 

Nope, I was more curious about more members of the CD staff.

[cruiser2015]

1 hour ago, DwayneG said:

Perhaps they choose a menu based on what ingredients are available at good prices in the ports where thery stock up?

From what I understand, they stock up totally, or almost totally at the port of embarkation.

For 2 dinners so far, they substituted a different fish in the same recipe. That is understandable based on the availability of the seafood,

 

Also, these menus are created by NCL corporate. ships are allowed to mix things up, but I don't think they can just wing it and create new recipe items.

In addition, I believe they order the foodstuffs well a\in advance based on the "standardized" menus.

Edited January 25 by cruiser2015

[brad0576]

Working in hospitality and buying large scale food purchases I can tell you since 2020 the supply chains for specific items have been hit or miss - the fact that the entire US has only a few major industrial meat processing plants has caused unnecessary shortages in specific products - or price spikes that make certain cuts unprofitable 

 

I’d rather see a menu shift than a decline in product or increase in price

[cruiser2015]

9 hours ago, hallux said:

Nope, I was more curious about more members of the CD staff.

The assistant CD is (the very tall) Alexis.

[bedfordmom]

Where do folks see 16 day menus. On the site that I use I only see the 7 day.  Its useful to know ahead of time as there are days that there is absolutely nothing that I would choose so would book the specialty.   Other days I like a couple of things.  There is one menu item mixed grille (no judgement there) that I enjoy so I try not to book a specialty on what I believe is that day though that could change.

[cruiser2015]

23 minutes ago, bedfordmom said:

Where do folks see 16 day menus. On the site that I use I only see the 7 day.  Its useful to know ahead of time as there are days that there is absolutely nothing that I would choose so would book the specialty.   Other days I like a couple of things.  There is one menu item mixed grille (no judgement there) that I enjoy so I try not to book a specialty on what I believe is that day though that could change.

I managed to cull 13 of the 15 nights on this Panama itinerary through postings on this board for the Bliss. This was from the last one a few weeks ago and from one last season.

Along with some of the other sources (showing the first 7 NCL menus), they were all in sync - same menus on the respective nights (for those with more than one source).

 

But, as stated when I opened this thread, the Bliss veered off of the track before the end of the first week. The fact that some menus are now "hybrids" - mixed mains from the old menus combined with some others - indicates a new series of menus may have been released.

Of course, this is speculation for now.

From what I've read on this board, individual ships may decide to mix up the sequence of the 21 different menus put out by corporate, they do not create their own combinations of selections on their own.

 

Bottom line, you can use the previous menus to guide your choices - but don't be surprised if it does not work out the way you planned.

[bedfordmom]

Thanks, I'll take a look at the Bliss. Although I have not been on anything longer than 14 (will be 16 days in April), I find that in general for me food tends to be less appealing either due to repeats or hybrids so we  tend to book specialties later in the cruise so does everyone else. 

[laudergayle]

1 hour ago, cruiser2015 said:

The fact that some menus are now "hybrids" - mixed mains from the old menus combined with some others - indicates a new series of menus may have been released.

Of course, this is speculation for now.

It makes sense that the hybrid menus are likely the new menus for 2024 forward.  I noticed that NCL typically introduces their changes (food, entertainment, service) in mid-January each year.

 

What did you think of the new menus?  Choice, quality, taste?

[cruiser2015]

1 hour ago, laudergayle said:

It makes sense that the hybrid menus are likely the new menus for 2024 forward.  I noticed that NCL typically introduces their changes (food, entertainment, service) in mid-January each year.

 

What did you think of the new menus?  Choice, quality, taste?

Just picked up tonight's (#14) menu.

It's nearly identical to the old one. They only changed the type of fish.

Note that I only tracked the mains, not appetizers/salads.

So, they did not entirely scrap things wholesale.

 

Prime rib, unless I missed it, was gone from MDR's.

They did feature it at last night's buffet, but we ended up in the MDR.

As for my opinion on the changes, It's hard to say. Nothing jumps out regarding the changes.

Overall quality of the food has been fairly good.

 

As for specialties, we've done Cagney's (excellent filet) and Teppenyaki (good food and great show, which includes audience sing-along).

Doing Cagney's again tomorrow.

As for the layer cake that I've read raves about on CC - I liked it, but did not think it was (as "advertised") spectacular. Also, absurdly large portion (think Cheesecake Factory). I did not finish mine and I LOVE cake.

[hallux]

4 minutes ago, cruiser2015 said:

As for the layer cake that I've read raves about on CC

My personal favorite at Cagney's is the OMG Caramel Butterscotch Cheesecake...

[laudergayle]

6 minutes ago, cruiser2015 said:

As for the layer cake that I've read raves about on CC - I liked it, but did not think it was (as "advertised") spectacular. Also, absurdly large portion (think Cheesecake Factory). I did not finish mine and I LOVE cake.

Thanks for the response.  If you like cheesecake…get the OMG Butterscotch Cheesecake…it’s soooo good.

[cruiser2015]

6 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

Thanks for the response.  If you like cheesecake…get the OMG Butterscotch Cheesecake…it’s soooo good.

Oops...not a cheesecake fan.

Thanks anyway.

[cruiseny4life]

24 minutes ago, cruiser2015 said:

Also, absurdly large portion (think Cheesecake Factory). I did not finish mine and I LOVE cake.

For those that work at NCL and especially Cheesecake Factory...please do not heed this comment. Your portions could be larger...again, especially Cheesecake Factory.

 

I do hope your cruise is going amazingly well! 

[hallux]

1 minute ago, cruiseny4life said:

I do hope your cruise is going amazingly well! 

I hope so as well, as I board that ship on Saturday when they get off the ship!!

[laudergayle]

40 minutes ago, cruiser2015 said:

Oops...not a cheesecake fan.

Thanks anyway.

That’s ok…extra piece for @hallux 😁

[ChiefMateJRK]

16 hours ago, cruiser2015 said:

Oh, please label the chocolate slots!

Crunchy frog?