? about freestyle

[decruzer]

We have been only on carnival and royal caribbean ships b4 so we are looking into booking our first ncl, we are not sure on the freestyle dinning? Do you have to pay for the better meals like lobster, carnival it's all included in the price of the cruise? Also what are the meals like that won't cost you extra? are they sit down or buffet lines and do you have to make reservations or do you just show up when you want to eat?

[cliffd64]

We have been only on carnival and royal caribbean ships b4 so we are looking into booking our first ncl, we are not sure on the freestyle dinning? Do you have to pay for the better meals like lobster, carnival it's all included in the price of the cruise? Also what are the meals like that won't cost you extra? are they sit down or buffet lines and do you have to make reservations or do you just show up when you want to eat?

 

 

On all NCL ships freestyle means you can go to the main dining rooms at any time, just like a restaurant, not a pre-ordained time like a traditional cruise. There is no extra charges for lobster (or any meals) in the main dining room(s).

 

There are several specialty restaurants (depending on the ship) and some of these have a cover charge, and some don't. Most specialty restaurants require reservations (exceptions include Blue Lagoon and various Tapas type restaurants on some of the newer ships). All ships tend to have the Le Bistro restaurant, which has a cover. Most ships also have an Italian restaurant which does NOT require a cover charge (with the exception of the Sun and Pride of Aloha).

 

Newer ships tend to have the most available choices.

 

If you have specific questions regarding a specific ship we would all be happy to tell you the details of that particular ship's dining experience.

[decruzer]

Thanks for the reply, we are looking at going on the Dawn on the eastern caribbean 7 day.

[cliffd64]

Thanks for the reply, we are looking at going on the Dawn on the eastern caribbean 7 day.

 

The Dawn is built expressly for freestyle, so there are a lot of options.

 

There are two main dining rooms (Aqua and Venetian), obviously no charge for these, and you can go whenever you want for dinner from 5:30 - close.

 

The buffet (Garden Cafe) requires no fee or reservations as well, and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

 

Impressions of Italy requires no fee, but requires reservations.

 

Salsas serves Tex-Mex cuisine, and no fee, but reservations are required.

 

Cagneys - $20 fee per person with reservations required, offering premium quality steaks and chops and also fresh maine lobster (for an additional fee).

 

Le Bistro serves French food, and the fee is $15 per person with reservations required.

 

Bamboo (Asian, Sushi, and Teppanyaki) is fee based (price varies depending on which menu you indulge in) and requires reservations.

 

Blue Lagoon - no fee or reservations required, it is a 24 hour food court serving up burgers, and fast wok items and appetizer fare.

 

Bimini Grill - serves up grilled items, burgers, dogs etc up by the pool deck and also is free.

 

As you can see, there are lots of dining options, all but three locations are free.

[CRUZIN TOM]

NCL does offer a lobster of sorts as al the othe main line cruise ships. The difference is that in the pay restuarant you are getting a main lobster usually 1-1/2 lbs. this is served in Cagney's and required a surcharge. The main restuartants and on most NCL newer ships have 4 plus the buffet. 2 regular sitdown with full menus. You can arrange to sit with the same group everyday or sit by your selves. The choice is yours. There is a mexican rest.and an Itialian rest. Both require reservation ahead of time but are no charge. There is no reason to pay unless you want to have a great 5 course 5 star experience. Yes you will pay extra. But NCL is not Seabourn.....and you are not paying 3 times as much for the cruise....Enjoy....NCL is our favorite way to go.....:)

[pla]

We had only booked Carnival up to this point. We tried NCL last week and enjoyed SOME of the aspects of Freestyle. We ate when we want, and we dressed how we want (no dress up nights). There are a few dress code exceptions, you can't wear shorts or swimwear to dinner, and no flip flop (sandals okay, just no "rubber flip flops").

 

You can ask for the same waiter, but we were not able to get the same waiter each time. We enjoyed meeting other waiters, but we did have our favorites. no one really got to know you as well as traditional dining.

 

I liked the food better on Carnival, and the kids club on Carnival is better (more hours, more things to do). But we still had a good time.

 

We ate lobster and prime rib and steaks, but it does seem like a better selection on Carnival. If you do the surcharge restaurant you will have even better food. We had a lot of fun, but we did miss Carnival. We will definitely go back on Carnival, but not sure about NCL. Try it out, though, as some people like it even better. That was why we did it, as you never know what YOU will like best. :)

 

I did think that NCL had some better SEA DAY programs-crafts, lectures, and that kind of thing.

[halos]

I think Carnival has an edge with the food, but NCL food is good. I was on a 15 day cruise on NCL and didn't have one meal that I didn't like. The food in the surcharge restaurants is better but it's that way on all ships/lines.

I'm curious to see if there is much improvement after NCL finishes implementing their Freestyle 2.0 across all the ships. This may put them above CCL as far as food quality....I can't wait to try it out to see.

 

I had sailed CCL and Celebrity prior to my NCL cruise and I went into the NCL cruise with minimal expectation. I was pleasantly surprised at how awesome my cruise was. I have become a fan of NCL now. I had as much fun (if not more) on my NCL cruise as I did on Carnival.

 

Just go into the NCL cruise knowing that it is different than traditional. Personally, I like the idea that I have the option for variety. Traditional is great and I think Freestyle has some advantages. Whichever meets my needs around the time I book is what I choose.

Happy Sailing. :D