Norwegian Jewel speciallity restaurants

Can anyone who has been on Norwegian Jewel in the last few months advise in there opinion what is the best speciality restaurant on the ship or even the one they would not go back to would help us way up our options.

For me, personally, I'd rank them as follows...

1) Cagney's - Good steaks, lots of choices/sides.

2) Le Bistro - Tries to be something it isn't, but we find the food to be tasty. DW loves the Cream of Mushroom soup - and she isn't alone.

3) Teppanyaki - If you've seen the show once, you don't need to see it again. Heart-shaped rice pile, flying egg bits, and a "volcano" of vegetables. But, again, the food is savory and delicious. We love the filet. And the couple of signature cocktails served here are also delicious and compliment the meal nicely.

4) La Cucina - What can I say? If you want a large plate of pasta this is your spot. Other options on the menu like chicken and fish and pizza.

I can't really comment on Moderno as I've never dined there.

There isn't one of these I would not go back to. But typically now we have a dining package included and the platinum perks which means we don't really have to pay the cover, so its easy to be forgiving of any problems.

For me, personally, I'd rank them as follows...

 

1) Cagney's - Good steaks, lots of choices/sides.

 

2) Le Bistro - Tries to be something it isn't, but we find the food to be tasty. DW loves the Cream of Mushroom soup - and she isn't alone.

 

3) Teppanyaki - If you've seen the show once, you don't need to see it again. Heart-shaped rice pile, flying egg bits, and a "volcano" of vegetables. But, again, the food is savory and delicious. We love the filet. And the couple of signature cocktails served here are also delicious and compliment the meal nicely.

 

4) La Cucina - What can I say? If you want a large plate of pasta this is your spot. Other options on the menu like chicken and fish and pizza.

 

I can't really comment on Moderno as I've never dined there.

 

There isn't one of these I would not go back to. But typically now we have a dining package included and the platinum perks which means we don't really have to pay the cover, so its easy to be forgiving of any problems.

We were on the Jewel in February and May and I agree with above list. We did eat at Moderno on the Panama Canal cruise in February and the experience was better than on prior cruises but I still rank Cagneys, Le Bistro and Teppanyaki higher.

We were on the Jewel in April. Teppanyaki is the most popular and will sell out almost immediately. There are only 4 tables of 8, so that 32 guests per seating (on a ship with over 2000 people). If you want to eat there, be on your MyNCL account at midnight 90 days before your cruise (100 days for suites). Or make it your first and only priority when you embark. We enjoy Teppanyaki for the entertainment and food.

Cagneys will also sell out of prime time dining reservations. That is our second favorite restaurant.

We are on the Jewel in 2 weeks (YAY!) I am always bemused by those who don't like Moderno. While I haven't done specialty on the Jewel, on the other Jewel class ships and the Escape, Moderno and Cagney's were my favorites. I found the variety of sides and salads were fabulous at Moderno's; in fact, I opted out of a different specialty restaurant and went to Moderno's twice on the Gem. The atmosphere is usually quiet, which is a big plus for DH, who is hearing impaired (thank you, US Army). Although Moderno's on Escape was not quiet and the service was not stellar, but the food was still very tasty. I had 2 not so great experiences at Le Bistro, so have quit trying to go there for a while; but I'm sure I'll try it again at some point. We have always had good food and great service at La Cucina, but it is a typical Italian restaurant. And I love the wings at O'Sheehan's for a pick me up after touring on port days.

We just booked our cruise for August (next month) Do you think I can make a reservation for either, Cagney's or The T one, with this short of notice? I haven't cruised NCL before. I have read so many bad reviews of the food on NCL that it has me worried b/c I love to eat. lol :)

We just booked our cruise for August (next month) Do you think I can make a reservation for either, Cagney's or The T one, with this short of notice? I haven't cruised NCL before. I have read so many bad reviews of the food on NCL that it has me worried b/c I love to eat. lol :)

We can't tell. Log on to your MyNCL account and see. If you can get a reservation, book it. Otherwise you can use the touch screen kiosks in public areas to book tables as soon as you embark.

Don't believe everything you read.

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On our May cruise on the Jewel, we ate at Teppanyaki, Le Bistro and Moderno. Le Bistro had the best food of the three, but wasn't really up to par with the specialty dining we've had on other lines (Princess, Celebrity.) That said I don't consider NCL to be in the same category of cruise as those so it probably doesn't count. We had the Ultimate Dining Package, so we didn't pay the fees, but a folio was presented to each of us at the end of the meals to add an extra gratuity, despite an 18% charge already being on our cruise bill - we prepaid those grats with our final payment and it was a little off-putting to be asked to tip a second time.

We enjoyed Teppanyaki, but the show is pretty much the same as any other teppanyaki grill restaurant so if you're into that, cool. Also, bear in mind that there is no such thing as a "table for two" there - you will always be at a half-square table of eight, and the chef will do his best to engage his diners. It's meant to be a somewhat interactive experience and those who are shy or hoping for an intimate dining setting are likely to be sorely disappointed. We noted that of the four tables running (two chefs work back-to-back serving one-half of a full square) in the room, two of the tables were quite loud and boisterous, and had the most enthusiastic chefs. The other two were pretty subdued, one of them you could tell the chef was trying to get the group to liven up but they were just not having it, and the diners seemed perturbed when the other groups would cheer on their chef. It was weird, and the woman sitting next to me commented on how she was glad she wasn't sharing a table with the "stick-in-the-mud fuddy-duddies." Apparently she and her husband cruise Jewel annually and always go to Teppanyaki at least once per trip, and her greatest fear is being stuck at a table with a parade-rainer. We chose to tip a bit extra for the fun show the chef did.

Moderno we dubbed the Protein Festival, as the meat Just. Kept. Coming. until you turned over the Please Make The Ride Stop card by your plate. I thought it was awesome as I try to limit my carb consumption - I was able to have a small salad and taste everything that looked yummy. I also had the great good sense to stop at a reasonable time, unlike the two gentlemen in our party who had made it a personal goal to try everything walking around. None of us had dessert - the ladies were being Good Girls and the men, well, were a tad overstuffed.

At Le Bistro, we had steaks. Our friends each had a beef tenderloin entrée, and my husband and I shared the ribeye for two - a 32 oz. monster of a steak. We ended up sharing it with our friends and still left some on the plate. Their signature beverage is Veuve Clicquot champagne - they have bottles on display in several places and it features prominently on the menu, but even the half-glass (under $10) is not covered by the beverage package. It's my favorite mid-priced bubbly so I did indulge in a glass on my own dime. We also elected to tip extra here as our waiter was stellar and did a very nice job of carving our ribeye tableside.

Compared to the MDR on Jewel, the specialty dining choices we made were very good - we were pretty disappointed with most of our meals in both Azura and O'Sheehan's, and only fared somewhat better in Tsar's, particularly at breakfast. If we were to go back to NCL we'd likely indulge in a cruise-long dining package and eat in a specialty venue every evening but the costs would need to be factored in to compare fairly with another line, where we might or might not do specialty dining - we tend to choose something like Crown Grill (Princess) or Murano (Celebrity) as a celebratory meal rather than a means of escape from their MDR food.

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I have a question regarding the specialty restaurants. There are 8 of us in our group and none of us have ever done the specialty restaurants on any other cruises and are wondering if Cagney's in addition to the up charge also charges for each ala carte item or does the $30 cover everything? Thanks for your help

I have a question regarding the specialty restaurants. There are 8 of us in our group and none of us have ever done the specialty restaurants on any other cruises and are wondering if Cagney's in addition to the up charge also charges for each ala carte item or does the $30 cover everything? Thanks for your help

There is no $30 uncharge. You just pay the a la carte price.

I have a question regarding the specialty restaurants. There are 8 of us in our group and none of us have ever done the specialty restaurants on any other cruises and are wondering if Cagney's in addition to the up charge also charges for each ala carte item or does the $30 cover everything? Thanks for your help

There is no $30 charge for Cagneys. You either pay the a la carte prices or, if you have SDP, that covers everything -- unlimited appetizers and desserts, one entree.

Thanks everyone. I called Norwegian and they have changed their policy and apparently their web person finally updated everything. We are booking the 3 night specialty dining package and plan to try Cagney's, Moderno and LeBistro. Sounds as though we have made the correct choices.

Thanks everyone. I called Norwegian and they have changed their policy and apparently their web person finally updated everything.

What policy have they changed?

They did away with up charge for Cagney's and went ala carte from the menu. There might have been some other changes but Cagney's was my main concern. We bought SDP which will make life much easier. :)

They did away with up charge for Cagney's and went ala carte from the menu. There might have been some other changes but Cagney's was my main concern. We bought SDP which will make life much easier. :)

Aah, OK. That happened about 2 years ago.

But, as of a couple of weeks ago, the website was still showing up charge. My friend called NCL yesterday as she was finding conflicting information on the website and then different when she spoke with an agent! Hoping the food is good in these restaurants.......and worth the extra money.

But, as of a couple of weeks ago, the website was still showing up charge.

That surprises me. I haven't seen any reference to a cover charge on the NCL website for a long time now. I'm on the UK site, but I thought those bits were standard. I'd also have thought that someone else on here would have enjoyed grumbling about it if the old prices were still there.

Maybe what you were seeing was an old page that your computer had cached.

Not that it matters now anyway. It looks like you're all sorted now.