Paying to eat on NCL

[Catmjs]

Why do you have to pay extra to eat in the resturants on NCL? Shouldn't this be included in the cost of the cruise?

 

Thanks:cool:

[ClaireP]

I am due to travel on my first NCL cruise in a week but in keeping with all the other cruise lines I have travelled on, there are specialty restaurants for which you pay extra. NCL is do different in this. There are a number which are within your cost and others, which if you chose to pay, you can eat it

 

Hope this helps

[Catmjs]

Do they still have meals included on their ships? Is there still a main dining room?

 

Thanks

[dwrist]

Why do you have to pay extra to eat in the resturants on NCL? Shouldn't this be included in the cost of the cruise?

 

Thanks:cool:

 

There are restaurants that are included in your cost.

You do not have to pay to eat in the regular dining rooms and some specialy restaurants. If you could tell us which ship you are cruising, we could better define the pay and non pay restaurants for you. :)

[immargaret]

Why do you have to pay extra to eat in the resturants on NCL? Shouldn't this be included in the cost of the cruise?

 

Thanks:cool:

 

NCL is all about options. They do offer several perfectly good restaurants that you can eat at free of charge, but you have the option to pay a small fee and go to a smaller Specialty restaurant if you want.:) Many people cruise and never eat at one of the pay restaurants, others use the specialty restaurants for a special occasion and others may choose the extra charge restaurants every night.

 

What ever floats your boat.:D

[ute_fan]

You don't HAVE to pay extra to eat in the restaurants on NCL. The main dining rooms have no additional charge, while some of the specialty restaurants do and others don't. It's dependent on which ship you're sailing, so I'm not going to try and post prices.

 

In 4 NCL cruises, we've only eaten in a specialty retaurant one night. It did happen to be Le Bistro, which is an additional charge, but out of 28 nights, paying $20 or $30 extra isn't a big deal.

 

We've enjoyed the main dining rooms well enough that we haven't seen any reason to spend more money. If you choose to eat in the specialty restaurants, you're paying for the smaller, more intimate atmosphere, as well as the food.

 

Happy cruising!

[Don Haynes]

All of the NCL ships have two or three large main dining rooms and a buffet which are free. However, the much smaller surcharge speciality themed restaurants: a French, Asian, and steakhouse need reservations because of their small size. Some Italian themed restaurants are charge and free depending upon the ships, but they need reservations too. NCL also has a few other restaurants serving fast food too, such as the Blue Lagoon and the lido deck grill, which are free with no reservations needed.

 

The food in the surcharged restaurants is of a higher class with better meat selections. The free main dining rooms serve Continental cruise line meals you'll see on other cruise lines.

[mbisson]

Why do you have to pay extra to eat in the resturants on NCL? Shouldn't this be included in the cost of the cruise?

 

Thanks:cool:

 

I curious as to where you heard you have to pay extra to eat on NCL? If it is from a TA-get a new one, if from a friend-get a new one, if on a discussion board-ignore the person that made the comment.

 

Yes, there are some specialty dining rooms that charge extra, but I think most (if not all) mainstream cruise lines have them as well. NCL just has a better selection of them then the other guys.

 

jmo

-Monte

[Globaliser]

This recent thread may give you some idea of the choices available, both for included restaurants and extra-cost restaurants.

[jeffreytg]

This same issue was raised a while back on the Carnival board. For your amusement, I'll share my opinion here like to did there.

 

The cruise lines are in it to make money- they have a certain margin expectation. They are going to get their profit one way or another. NCL has chosen to charge an additional fee for certain restaurants. They just as easily could have rasied the price of everyone's cruise by the expected revenue gain from charging for the specialty restaurants (lets say $40 per person for a 7 day cruise). But, had they taken that appraoch, the speciality restaurants would be more crowded and even harder to get a reservation for since almost everyone would want to seat in them, and passengers who did not get in would be pissed off ("I paid for this in my cruise fare" ) By charging an additional fee, those cruisers who will not eat in a speciality restuarant are not having to behind the scenes subsidize those of us who will, passengers will not feel like they are owed a seat in the restaurant of their choice, and therefore the restaurants are less crowded.

 

I happen to think that NCL has made a great decision. The alternatives (no speciality restaurants or charging everyone for them are much less desirable options for me)

[fabby50]

NCL is all about choices. On other cruise lines I've been on (RCL, Carnival, Holland) they have one or two main dining rooms where you are assigned a seat. You usually have a choice of opting out of that and eating at a buffet and they maybe have one or two other places to eat (hamburger stand/pizza/maybe a sushi bar). On the freestyle dining ships (like POH and Star which we have been on) there are thirteen to fourteen different places to choose from and these include the same options that are on the other cruise lines (main dining rooms, buffet, etc.) as well as a number of speciality restaurants.

[Cruise_More_Often]

This same issue was raised a while back on the Carnival board. For your amusement, I'll share my opinion here like to did there.

 

The cruise lines are in it to make money- they have a certain margin expectation. They are going to get their profit one way or another. NCL has chosen to charge an additional fee for certain restaurants. They just as easily could have rasied the price of everyone's cruise by the expected revenue gain from charging for the specialty restaurants (lets say $40 per person for a 7 day cruise). But, had they taken that appraoch, the speciality restaurants would be more crowded and even harder to get a reservation for since almost everyone would want to seat in them, and passengers who did not get in would be pissed off ("I paid for this in my cruise fare" ) By charging an additional fee, those cruisers who will not eat in a speciality restuarant are not having to behind the scenes subsidize those of us who will, passengers will not feel like they are owed a seat in the restaurant of their choice, and therefore the restaurants are less crowded.

 

I happen to think that NCL has made a great decision. The alternatives (no speciality restaurants or charging everyone for them are much less desirable options for me)

 

Very well put!

 

I, too, would like to know where the OP heard that you can't eat on NCL unless you pay.

[Zeno]

I curious as to where you heard you have to pay extra to eat on NCL? If it is from a TA-get a new one, if from a friend-get a new one, if on a discussion board-ignore the person that made the comment.

 

Yes, there are some specialty dining rooms that charge extra, but I think most (if not all) mainstream cruise lines have them as well. NCL just has a better selection of them then the other guys.

 

jmo

-Monte

 

Well put Monte! I too wonder where the OP got this bit of serious misinformation.

 

For OP - on our 2nd NCL cruise we did not eat at ANY of the pay-extra restaurants and still had food we enjoyed. Whether you want to pay extra for some of the specialty restaurants is entirely up to you. Dining for 'free' in the dining rooms or 'free' specialty restaurant(s) is quite doable and I find the food in the dining rooms to be just fine.

[newmexicoNita]

Why do you have to pay extra to eat in the resturants on NCL? Shouldn't this be included in the cost of the cruise?

 

Thanks:cool:

You don't have to pay extra. NCL is like all mass marketed lines, they have several free dining rooms and some with extra charges. The only diiference: NCL has more choices. Most of their ships have 5 or 6 eating places with no extra charge and 3 or 4 that do offer specialty dining with a sur charge. NMnita

[Snowrose]

You don't have to pay to eat - if you don't want to.

 

DH and I were on the Spirit for 11 days. We *chose* to pay extra for only 1 meal - and were very happy with the food in general.

 

Teri

[cruizinwithkids]

Jeffreytg, what a great answer.

 

I believe OP is looking at Bermuda for seven days which means either the Majesty or Crown. I've been on the Majesty 5 times and ate in the ONE pay specialty restaurant once. I've been on the Crown once and I'm pretty sure they have a pay restaurant, but I didn't eat at it.

[ScubaJim]

All of the NCL ships have two or three large main dining rooms and a buffet which are free. However, the much smaller surcharge speciality themed restaurants: a French, Asian, and steakhouse need reservations because of their small size. Some Italian themed restaurants are charge and free depending upon the ships, but they need reservations too. NCL also has a few other restaurants serving fast food too, such as the Blue Lagoon and the lido deck grill, which are free with no reservations needed.

 

The food in the surcharged restaurants is of a higher class with better meat selections. The free main dining rooms serve Continental cruise line meals you'll see on other cruise lines.

 

Wife and I thought it was worth it for the specialty resturants. On the Jewel we had dinner at Cagney's La Bristro and Mama Italian Kitchen. And we like the variety too in dining choices.