Food quality

[cruiser8607]

My family and I will be traveling on norwegian dawn this Sunday. Is there a significant difference in food quality between the mdr and speciality restaurants. Also what about service? is teppanaki open on sea days for lunch? Thanks for the info.

[Beaver1975]

My family and I will be traveling on norwegian dawn this Sunday. Is there a significant difference in food quality between the mdr and speciality restaurants. Also what about service? is teppanaki open on sea days for lunch? Thanks for the info.

 

You are going to get many varied opinions on food quality aboard NCL ships. Personally I believe the food in the diningrooms and the specialty restaurants is very similar with the exception of being genre specific in the specialty restaurants.

 

Teppanyaki is not open for lunch at any time. Since the Dawn only has two hibachi tables it us highly recommended to get your reservation selection in as soon as possible as it will fill up fast for the whole week.

[jkgourmet]

Just spent 21 days on tge Jade. The food quality in the MDR and the buffet is average at best. Frozen vegies, overcooked dry meat, mushy pasta. Bland taste. Salads were generally very good, but swimming in dressing (get it on the side). NCL does many things well, but food is not one of them. That said, for the less expensive price per day of the cruise, I don't expect high quality.

 

We ate at Cagney's Steakhouse twice on our cruise. THAT was excellent. High quality meat (husband is an ex butcher), rib eye and rack of lamb tasted, fresh veggies, cooked to order french fries, professional quality service.

 

With the exception of those two dinners at Cagney's, we spent our food dollars on beautiful lunches in our port stops. Saved significant money and got outstanding food, service and wine in some charming, authentic and memorable restaurants.

[che5904]

I disagree with the poster above regarding the MDR and what I have experienced in the past.

 

However, since everyone will have an opinion on this. Why not try one of the MDRs yourself and judge for yourself. Then if you personally are not satisfied with what you get. Book specialties once you are onboard for the rest of your cruise.

 

Welcome to our cruise, it's going to be a fantastic one.

[luddite]

Be more specific.

Food quality and menu quality are different beasts.

[buckeye82]

I disagree with the poster above regarding the MDR and what I have experienced in the past.

 

However, since everyone will have an opinion on this. Why not try one of the MDRs yourself and judge for yourself. Then if you personally are not satisfied with what you get. Book specialties once you are onboard for the rest of your cruise.

 

Welcome to our cruise, it's going to be a fantastic one.

 

 

That's what we did on POA. We went to the MDR for a couple on nights and were not very impressed. So we switched to the speciality restaurants.

[che5904]

That's what we did on POA. We went to the MDR for a couple on nights and were not very impressed. So we switched to the speciality restaurants.

 

:D Well that makes complete sense to me, since I'll be darned if I would take a complete stranger, on an anonymous board's opinion, on whether I would like something or not.

 

Pay big bucks for specialty dining because someone I didn't know told me they thought the quality was....

 

IMO that's like asking strangers to pick the next car I'm going to buy.

Edited February 3, 2014 by che5904

[CruiseGirlKS]

Be more specific.

Food quality and menu quality are different beasts.

 

Very true!!

[RJ2002]

My family and I will be traveling on norwegian dawn this Sunday. Is there a significant difference in food quality between the mdr and speciality restaurants. Also what about service? is teppanaki open on sea days for lunch? Thanks for the info.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

Taste in food is subjective, but we think that the food quality in the specialty restaurants is much better than the MDR, but that can be said of many cruise lines.

 

We have sailed many of the mass market cruise lines, and unfortunately, NCL is our least favorite in terms of the MDR. We have had food served which was lukewarm at best, and at times lacking in flavor. Beef dishes have frequently been tough. We prefer to dine in the specialty restaurants, which IMO are very good. However, we do like to go to the MDR the first night for lobster.

 

Aside from the MDR, there are other aspects of NCL which we really like. The onboard atmosphere is interesting, entertainment is great, and if in a suite, you are in store for a very special experience.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[newmexicoNita]

My family and I will be traveling on norwegian dawn this Sunday. Is there a significant difference in food quality between the mdr and speciality restaurants. Also what about service? is teppanaki open on sea days for lunch? Thanks for the info.

 

I can only answer about service and quality, not about Teppanaki's but on the Sun Modernos is open for lunch (pasta, pizza and sandwiches) The food and service is much better in the specialty dining rooms, which is to be expected. We had great service, for the most part on the Sun everywhere, but the specialty dining rooms was outstanding.

[newmexicoNita]

Just spent 21 days on tge Jade. The food quality in the MDR and the buffet is average at best. Frozen vegies, overcooked dry meat, mushy pasta. Bland taste. Salads were generally very good, but swimming in dressing (get it on the side). NCL does many things well, but food is not one of them. That said, for the less expensive price per day of the cruise, I don't expect high quality.

 

We ate at Cagney's Steakhouse twice on our cruise. THAT was excellent. High quality meat (husband is an ex butcher), rib eye and rack of lamb tasted, fresh veggies, cooked to order french fries, professional quality service.

 

With the exception of those two dinners at Cagney's, we spent our food dollars on beautiful lunches in our port stops. Saved significant money and got outstanding food, service and wine in some charming, authentic and memorable restaurants.

 

you did it right and have the right attitude. if you are looking for economy, you can't expect top quality. I do think our experience with food in the MDR is a little different than yours but I agree it isn't top of the line. We did find the Salmon to be great, the "always available soups" great and our veggies were generally fresh, but the meat was not top quality overall. We look at cruising this way: we like to decide on a budget and itinerary: we try not to go over our budget and we decide where we want to spend our money. Some like to do the spa stuff, some the casino, some dining and others shore experiences. We do split our meals between specialty dining rooms and the MDR, even maybe doing the buffet or Blue Lagoon once, depending on timing.

[kenlyn]

Just off the Dawn yesterday...our opinion ( and that is all it is) was that the Aqua was better than the Venetion. Ate at both, Venetion twice and steak was dry and way overcooked (ordered medium) and second time got a thick pork chop that was so tough I needed a steak knife ( which wasn't provided) to try to eat it. Aqua however, got great juicy food each time we ate there..Aqua was also much quicker and seemed much more organized. Venetion was packed and 20 minutes would go by and never saw our waiter. Meal took close to 2 hours. Aqua in and out less than an hour.

The only specialty we enjoyed was La Cucina, and we loved it! Hubby had outstanding ribeye and I had the chicken parm! Awesome waiter and great desserts too!

We had a great food ate the buffet a couple times too. Food at buffet was better than last year...don't miss the pecan rolls at breakfast, they were my favorite items the whole cruise! Have fun!

[Da-Painter]

You are going to get many varied opinions on food quality aboard NCL ships. Personally I believe the food in the diningrooms and the specialty restaurants is very similar with the exception of being genre specific in the specialty restaurants.

This really sums up the most concise answer to your question. You can ask this, and everyone will give you a variety of answers as to why, but try each meal, and judge for yourself. Enjoy your cruise.;)

[che5904]

Just off the Dawn yesterday...our opinion ( and that is all it is) was that the Aqua was better than the Venetion. Ate at both, Venetion twice and steak was dry and way overcooked (ordered medium) and second time got a thick pork chop that was so tough I needed a steak knife ( which wasn't provided) to try to eat it. Aqua however, got great juicy food each time we ate there..Aqua was also much quicker and seemed much more organized. Venetion was packed and 20 minutes would go by and never saw our waiter. Meal took close to 2 hours. Aqua in and out less than an hour.

The only specialty we enjoyed was La Cucina, and we loved it! Hubby had outstanding ribeye and I had the chicken parm! Awesome waiter and great desserts too!

We had a great food ate the buffet a couple times too. Food at buffet was better than last year...don't miss the pecan rolls at breakfast, they were my favorite items the whole cruise! Have fun!

 

Thanks kenlyn. We usually prefer the Venetian for atmosphere and always found it quieter but if we find the food and/or service questionable then we will definitely hit Aqua or maybe even try that one first.

 

We don't plan on doing La Cucina but appreciate your opinion on it.

[thephillykid]

Imho....food is very subjective. It all depends where you are from, what you are used to, as to how you find the food on the ship of for that matter in any restaurant.

Don't get me wrong, but if you always eat at McDonald's, and then eat at a nicer restaurant, then you probably would really enjoy it. However, if you are usual restaurants include Mortons, and Ruth Chris, then the opposite would be true.

It's just how you look at it.

That's why we use this board, to express our own opinions.

Some love it, some hate it.....ymmv.

Howard

[Beaver1975]

I can only answer about service and quality, not about Teppanaki's but on the Sun Modernos is open for lunch (pasta, pizza and sandwiches) The food and service is much better in the specialty dining rooms, which is to be expected. We had great service, for the most part on the Sun everywhere, but the specialty dining rooms was outstanding.

 

Sorry, Nita, this is sort of misleading. The room where Moderno's is located is open for lunch. But, Moderno's itself is not open for lunch.

[Froggitt]

If the food in the MDR comes out cold, or the gravy is gloopy, or its all dried out etc etc etc, send it back and keep on sending it back until it comes out good. That's the only way they will learn.

[cruiser8607]

Thanks everyone. We have previously cruises celebrity and enjoyed the food very much. We enjoy high quality food and cook at home 7 nights a week. I think we will try the ultimate Dining package and treat ourselves.

[RJ2002]

Thanks everyone. We have previously cruises celebrity and enjoyed the food very much. We enjoy high quality food and cook at home 7 nights a week. I think we will try the ultimate Dining package and treat ourselves.

 

Good choice! I don't think you'll be disappointed with the specialty restaurants.

 

edit: Le Bistro is one of our favorites.

Edited February 3, 2014 by RJ2002

[jkgourmet]

That's what we did on POA. We went to the MDR for a couple on nights and were not very impressed. So we switched to the speciality restaurants.

 

Which leads to a higher overall cost for the cruise. Which can be problematic for many people.

 

In fairness, our cruise on NCL cost considerably less than what we would have paid on most other mass market cruise lines (I am NOT comparing NCL to high end cruise lines). And the lower price point is reflected in the buffet and MDR food more than anywhere else on the ship. It's not that the food is unacceptable - it's just very basic, bland, repetitious and lower quality products. Given the cheap cruise fare, I'm not complaining - but I am being honest, based on our opinions and tastes.

 

(want an example of lower quality products in the MDR? Try the cheese plate for desert, then compare it to some cheese in any of the ports, or even at your home grocery store. The NCL cheese is nearly tasteless, but perfectly edible. And that analogy follows for many of the items we sampled.)

 

PS - we did enjoy several meals in Blue Lagoon, especially at breakfast. But I do wish they would vary the menu a little, especially since the lunch and dinner menus are identical.

 

Thanks everyone. We have previously cruises celebrity and enjoyed the food very much. We enjoy high quality food and cook at home 7 nights a week. I think we will try the ultimate Dining package and treat ourselves.

 

Good decision.

Edited February 3, 2014 by jkgourmet

[jakeT]

All the meat comes on the ship is frozen. No fresh meat

[che5904]

All the meat comes on the ship is frozen. No fresh meat

 

I'd have to say you are probably right, since the last 2 NCL cruises we went on, never seen any cattle roaming the poop deck. :eek:

[zephyrgirl]

I've cruised on NCL, RCI and Carnival and I personally found the food on NCL to be the lowest quality. At best, food in the MDR's on any of the mass market is comparable to catered food. But I live in NYC and am spoiled by amazing restaurants everywhere you look - I only eat in chain restaurants when I visit family back home. So it really does depend on your frame of reference.

[che5904]

I've cruised on NCL, RCI and Carnival and I personally found the food on NCL to be the lowest quality.

 

Now see I much preferred the MDR food on NCL than I did on Carnival.

[Love my butler]

The food quality is not much different, but we usually get much better service in an upcharge restaurant.