A few questions on NCL

[delta13]

Hi...

 

Well after reading all the negativity on NCL, I hope I will enjoy my first cruise on them! I will be on the Oct. 10 Star sailing. Here are my questions --

 

Are there really two specialty dining rooms that do not carry an extra charge (Italian and TexMex I believe)?

 

In the MDR can you just order a grilled chicken breast in place on their menu selection for that evening. We have done this on both RCI and Carnival and hoping to be able to do the same on NCL.

 

Will I be sorry I chose NCL over Carnival or RCI? I chose based on price and itinerary. I saved a couple of hundred $ over the other lines. I have only sailed 3 or 4 night itins so far but always wanted to try a 7 day and the price was right in October.

 

Thanks for your replies!

[njhorseman]

Hi...

 

Well after reading all the negativity on NCL, I hope I will enjoy my first cruise on them! I will be on the Oct. 10 Star sailing. Here are my questions --

 

Are there really two specialty dining rooms that do not carry an extra charge (Italian and TexMex I believe)? No...that changed some time ago..you now have to pay for those restaurants.

 

In the MDR can you just order a grilled chicken breast in place on their menu selection for that evening. We have done this on both RCI and Carnival and hoping to be able to do the same on NCL. Yes, you can order a grilled chicken breast.

 

Will I be sorry I chose NCL over Carnival or RCI? No...or at least I hope you won't. The mass market cruise lines are very similar in most respects. Each has things it does better and worse than the others...or just aspects that are different such as NCL's Freestyle Dining and resort casual dress code with no formal nights.

 

I chose based on price and itinerary. I saved a couple of hundred $ over the other lines. I have only sailed 3 or 4 night itins so far but always wanted to try a 7 day and the price was right in October.

 

Thanks for your replies!

 

Enjoy your cuise. My comments are inserted in red .

[bakerintn]

I got this from another post, but I believe it is current:

 

Aqua (MDR)

No Charge

 

Versailles (MDR)

No Charge

 

Blue Lagoon (Diner)

No Charge

Open 24 hours

 

Market Cafe (Buffet)

No Charge

 

La Trattoria (Italian)

$10 pp

 

Endless Summer (Tex-Mex)

$10 pp

 

Ginza (Asian)

$15 pp

 

Teppanyaki (inside Ginza)

$25 pp

 

Sushi & Sake Bar (inside Ginza)

$15 pp

 

The Soho Room (Pacific Rim)

$15 pp

 

Cagney's (Steak House)

$25 pp

 

Le Bistro (French)

$15 pp

 

Topsiders Grill (by Oasis pool)

No Charge

 

Las Ramblas (Tapas Bar & Restaurant)

Tapas Bar - No Charge

Restaurant - $10 pp

[bakerintn]

Hi...

 

 

In the MDR can you just order a grilled chicken breast in place on their menu selection for that evening. We have done this on both RCI and Carnival and hoping to be able to do the same on NCL.

 

Thanks for your replies!

 

If the menus are not changed by the time you sail, grilled chicken breast is one of the "always available" entrees in the MDRs.

 

Who knows, you may even end up preferring NCL!!

[DDMau]

I got this from another post, but I believe it is current:

 

Aqua (MDR)

No Charge

 

Versailles (MDR)

No Charge

 

Blue Lagoon (Diner)

No Charge

Open 24 hours

 

Market Cafe (Buffet)

No Charge

 

La Trattoria (Italian)

$10 pp

 

Endless Summer (Tex-Mex)

$10 pp

 

Ginza (Asian)

$15 pp

 

Teppanyaki (inside Ginza)

$25 pp

 

Sushi & Sake Bar (inside Ginza)

$15 pp

 

The Soho Room (Pacific Rim)

$15 pp

 

Cagney's (Steak House)

$25 pp

 

Le Bistro (French)

$15 pp

 

Topsiders Grill (by Oasis pool)

No Charge

 

Las Ramblas (Tapas Bar & Restaurant)

Tapas Bar - No Charge

Restaurant - $10 pp

 

 

That's how it was on our July cruise.

You will enjoy yourself on NCL Star.

You also may like some of the specialty dining rooms as well, the Endless summer (tex-mex) has a good meal called POPO ll.

[TeacherJenn]

Let me know how it goes. We are going in December and have always sailed Carnival. We picked NCL based on price and the free-style cruising. We are bring our 2 year old and thought the dining options would be easier.

[njhorseman]

If the menus are not changed by the time you sail, grilled chicken breast is one of the "always available" entrees in the MDRs.

 

Who knows, you may even end up preferring NCL!!

 

 

And it is on the latest version of the Dawn's "experimental" menu, so I think it won't be done away with anytime soon. The grilled chicken breast has always been a popular item.

[Wineshipper]

Cannot answer your questions, but can tell you that we where on the Star last March and really enjoyed it. Go with a good attitude and all will be fine. I do not understand why NCL attracts negitive comments.

 

Our first cruise as on the Pride of America. Found CC after we booked and read the reviews. Had to wonder if we made a huge mistake. Went with the attitude that we where going to enjoy the cruise and HI. After we just had to wonder where all of these negitive comments came from, we had the time of our lives.

 

Enjoy the cruise. Still thinking about the Zodiac whale watching excursion in Cabo. Had a baby whale jumping out of the water time after time just yards from the boat. The photo manager from the Star, Marcell Puzsar was in our zodiac and took some amazing photos. I would think that you might still be able to see them in the photo shop.

 

Would do this cruise again.

[delta13]

Thanks for all of your replies. It has put me at ease with my cruiseline selection. I have never been on a cruise yet that I didn't like! I guess it is always nice to try something different.

 

I just saw another post that included the menu from the Dawn. I assume it is similar to the Star. I planned on sticking to the "no charge" dining options but wondering if we should try at least the TexMex restaurant one night to switch things up a bit. I am sailing with my two kids 22 and 18 and think they might enjoy that one. My daughter was interested in Teppanyaki but not for $25 pp extra. The $10 is not so bad.

 

Thanks to all again!:)

[cruzinnman]

Hi...

 

Well after reading all the negativity on NCL, I hope I will enjoy my first cruise on them! I will be on the Oct. 10 Star sailing. Here are my questions --

 

Are there really two specialty dining rooms that do not carry an extra charge (Italian and TexMex I believe)?

 

In the MDR can you just order a grilled chicken breast in place on their menu selection for that evening. We have done this on both RCI and Carnival and hoping to be able to do the same on NCL.

 

Will I be sorry I chose NCL over Carnival or RCI? I chose based on price and itinerary. I saved a couple of hundred $ over the other lines. I have only sailed 3 or 4 night itins so far but always wanted to try a 7 day and the price was right in October.

 

Thanks for your replies!

 

 

What ship are you cruising on?

 

If you are cruising the Pearl out of Miami to the eastern Carribean, please join our roll call - Oct 10.

We have cruised RCL and Carnival several times, and NCL the same. We enjoyed all of them but enjoyed NCL the most. The food has been comparable on all three - but the freedom to eat when you want has made NCL our favorite.

 

The free restaurants on the Pearl are the Summer Palace, Indigo (the two MDRs), the Garden Cafe (buffet - actually the best buffet of all the mainstream cruise lines that I have been on), the great outdoors and the Blue Lagoon - Chicken wings, burgers, some quick asian fare. All the other restaurants are with an additional fee. I would have been happy eating at the free places on the previous cruises. This was before NCL's recent freestyle 2.0 upgrade, which NCL states has upgraded the menu with more lobster offerings and higher quality steaks, among others. They have also upgraded bedding and many other things.

 

I found the food good to excellent on my previous NCL cruises, although this will be my first on the Pearl.

[bakerintn]

Thanks for all of your replies. It has put me at ease with my cruiseline selection. I have never been on a cruise yet that I didn't like! I guess it is always nice to try something different.

 

I just saw another post that included the menu from the Dawn. I assume it is similar to the Star. I planned on sticking to the "no charge" dining options but wondering if we should try at least the TexMex restaurant one night to switch things up a bit. I am sailing with my two kids 22 and 18 and think they might enjoy that one. My daughter was interested in Teppanyaki but not for $25 pp extra. The $10 is not so bad.

 

Thanks to all again!:)

 

The recent Dawn menus are a one-ship trial that has gone through severla iterations. It appears that this new style of menu (not an entirely new menu every day) will be implemented fleet-wide in the near future.

 

Here is a link to the "regular" style menus that should still be representative of the non-Dawn menus.

 

http://travel.webshots.com/album/570368358ShRfwS

[delta13]

Cruzinnman, We will be on the Star but thanks for the roll call invite and have a great time on your cruise!

 

Jenn, I will let you know what I think about freestyle cruising upon my return!

[snorklinbarb]

Thanks for all of your replies. It has put me at ease with my cruiseline selection. I have never been on a cruise yet that I didn't like! I guess it is always nice to try something different.

 

I just saw another post that included the menu from the Dawn. I assume it is similar to the Star. I planned on sticking to the "no charge" dining options but wondering if we should try at least the TexMex restaurant one night to switch things up a bit. I am sailing with my two kids 22 and 18 and think they might enjoy that one. My daughter was interested in Teppanyaki but not for $25 pp extra. The $10 is not so bad.

 

Thanks to all again!:)

 

Hope you have a great time on the Star. I like your idea of trying at least one of the specialty restaurants especially since you said you "saved hundreds" by booking NCL. They keep the fare low & let you add on what extras you want. So if you can, treat yourself to one of the specialties.

 

I've never been on the Star but love the sizzling steak fajitas in the Mexican...a delicious ahi tuna appetizer....tried the warm lobster tacos last time (different but interesting in a good way)...with young adult kids it would be fun. Don't miss "Il Popo" which is hanging skewers of meat plus toppings & fajitas to go with it. I think they request that it be a 2 person dish. But you can order lots of appetizers and share and they usually aren't too restrictive on the # of entrees either. Enjoy!

 

p.s. Keep your eyes out for any twofers during early hours, not good at some of the restaurants but Mex. is generally included so $5pp.

[Roboat]

I have not cruised on NCL before, but I am looking forward to our NCL cruise in May. IMHO, though passenger cruise line reviews TEND to be situational. I do find them very helpful and interesting. But I realize it is a competitive industry and the mass-market lines tend to offer the same level of "luxury", each colored with their own interesting flair.

If NCL, or any of the major lines, were consistently below par in the core offerings: food, service, cleanliness, etc. they simply would not survive against similarly priced competitors.

Sometimes I see negative reviews that which include one or two things that really set the author off, but are not really helpful to you in evaluating the cruise line or that ship. These include bad weather, rough seas, a missed port.

Personal preferences color reviews as well. Reviewers are disappointed because their favorite wine or soda was not offered. (Research, including a moderate to severe CC addiction, can help avoid disappointments.) or there were too many old people, kids, teenagers, 20-somethings. Or there was too much or not enough partying going on. These reviews can be helpful, especially when you see a trend. (Maybe Holland DOES attract a more senior clientele. Maybe 3-day cruises DO have a lot of young partiers.)

And sometimes individual employees are the justifiable targets: a rude waiter, a clueless room attendant, an idiot at the shore excursion desk. Every line has these complains.

And unfortunately, it seems the luxury level on all the mass-market has dropped over the years. When a reviewer compares their cruise to one they took 4 years ago, the complaint may reflect the overall belt-tightening rather than that particular cruise line or cruise.

So when you say "Well after reading all the negativity on NCL..." I'm thinking, go read other forums for the cruise lines you have sailed with. My guess is you will plenty of negativity. But you'll see plenty of positives as well.

My guess is you and I will both enjoy our first NCL cruises.

Bon voyage!!

[DAGVBSB]

Hi...

 

Well after reading all the negativity on NCL, I hope I will enjoy my first cruise on them! I will be on the Oct. 10 Star sailing. Here are my questions --

 

Are there really two specialty dining rooms that do not carry an extra charge (Italian and TexMex I believe)?

 

In the MDR can you just order a grilled chicken breast in place on their menu selection for that evening. We have done this on both RCI and Carnival and hoping to be able to do the same on NCL.

 

Will I be sorry I chose NCL over Carnival or RCI? I chose based on price and itinerary. I saved a couple of hundred $ over the other lines. I have only sailed 3 or 4 night itins so far but always wanted to try a 7 day and the price was right in October.

 

Thanks for your replies!

 

I have sailed on both NCL and RCCL. I much prefer NCL over RCCL. Everyone said that RCCL would blow me away in so many ways, but I am still waiting for that to occur and I have been off that ship over a year...lol.

 

The food on NCL had much more taste and NCL definately had more selections than RCCL. The Buffet on RCCL was better however. The Staff on NCL seems so much more attentive than that we had on RCCL. We have always had 2 stateroom attendants on NCL regardless of cabin catagory but we only had one on RCCL even though we were in a suite on RCCL. The list goes on.

 

NCL's specialty restaurants are cheaper, their shore excursion people are smarter and do a better job at organization and it is so nice to not have to worry about getting back at a set time for dinner or worrying about who you will be stuck with for dinner.

 

The Star is a great ship... actually my favorite ship. She is laid out so much better than the Explorer of the Seas. You will love her!

 

NCL is just a much better cruise line than RCCL for so many reasons.

[DAGVBSB]

alot of the negativity toward NCL comes from one of three groups of people:

 

1.) Those who have never sailed NCL but have "heard" that it is bad.

 

2.) Those who have sailed the Pride of America. The American flagged ship of NCL-America (a subsidiary of NCL). The POA, by law, must have an all American crew and therefore service has not been as good as on International flagged ships like the Star or those of other lines.

 

3.) Travel Agents. NCL pays a lower commission than the other lines, so TA's (especially AAA) try to steer people away from NCL. (happened to me just this summer with AAA).

[cruiseat50]

I have not cruised on NCL before, but I am looking forward to our NCL cruise in May. IMHO, though passenger cruise line reviews TEND to be situational. I do find them very helpful and interesting. But I realize it is a competitive industry and the mass-market lines tend to offer the same level of "luxury", each colored with their own interesting flair.

If NCL, or any of the major lines, were consistently below par in the core offerings: food, service, cleanliness, etc. they simply would not survive against similarly priced competitors.

Sometimes I see negative reviews that which include one or two things that really set the author off, but are not really helpful to you in evaluating the cruise line or that ship. These include bad weather, rough seas, a missed port.

Personal preferences color reviews as well. Reviewers are disappointed because their favorite wine or soda was not offered. (Research, including a moderate to severe CC addiction, can help avoid disappointments.) or there were too many old people, kids, teenagers, 20-somethings. Or there was too much or not enough partying going on. These reviews can be helpful, especially when you see a trend. (Maybe Holland DOES attract a more senior clientele. Maybe 3-day cruises DO have a lot of young partiers.)

And sometimes individual employees are the justifiable targets: a rude waiter, a clueless room attendant, an idiot at the shore excursion desk. Every line has these complains.

And unfortunately, it seems the luxury level on all the mass-market has dropped over the years. When a reviewer compares their cruise to one they took 4 years ago, the complaint may reflect the overall belt-tightening rather than that particular cruise line or cruise.

So when you say "Well after reading all the negativity on NCL..." I'm thinking, go read other forums for the cruise lines you have sailed with. My guess is you will plenty of negativity. But you'll see plenty of positives as well.

My guess is you and I will both enjoy our first NCL cruises.

Bon voyage!![/quote

 

Very well said.

 

OP - since we are all different we all have our own perceptions of what is good and bad. What works for one doesn't always work for another. My dear friend loves to cruise and loves to get dressed up and her DH even brings a tux. We on the other hand do not so mostly go with resort casual clothes. To each his own.

 

If you truly go with the idea in mind that you will have a great time I would put money down that you will! I believe just like in most cases in other aspects of life you will get out of it what you put into it.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!:D