Food & Service Not good in "inclusive" Restaurants?

[Love my butler]

Just off the 4 day Sky. We ate at the MDR all nights. Service and food were all over the place. First 2 nights in Crossings, the service was very impersonal, the servers acting as if they didn't understand most of what we said to them. The food was ok. We switched to the Palace with its awful pink decor and found Joy who is an exceptional server. She was amazing in her customer service. Meanwhile the food got worse. I had a crab/seafood cake that was all potato. I never even heard of using potato for such a thing. I showed her a big chunk of potato and she brought a specially made substitute entree. Her service was amazingly quick.

People that we talked to about the specialty restaurants were very unhappy with their experiences. The service and food were no better than average MDR, so if you want to pay for intimacy, go ahead, but don't expect much if anything more. Actually, we never felt like we were in a large dinning room in the MDR as we were situated at tables that faced away from the larger part of the room. We only saw 2 or 3 other tables of people at each seating.

 

Typical of most if not all NCL ships. The wait staff is very under-trained and over-worked. Cutting staff saves NCL money and helps recruiting. You can find a good server here and there, but you shouldn't have to look. They should all be good servers.

[LAatl]

New to NCL and I am just wondering why most people go to the Specialty Restaurants.

Is the food and service not good in the inclusive restaurants? Why spend the extra $$ if you don't have to? What would I be missing if I don't go to them?

I've been on a bunch of cruises...I'm not a foodie...but I know what tastes good and what doesn't. I've had food in the MDR that's been room temp (but they're trying to feed hundreds of people at once). I have never disliked my food in the free restaurants.

[bangzoom6877]

It was on the menu every night in the MDR.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Wow, I know what my niece and I will be getting at every MDR dinner! :)

[QuiGonJohn]

Wow, I know what my niece and I will be getting at every MDR dinner! :)

And if you love Spring Rolls get them for appetizer every night. I had 2 almost every night, they were awesome.

[bangzoom6877]

And if you love Spring Rolls get them for appetizer every night. I had 2 almost every night, they were awesome.

 

They had those on our cruise on the Jewel in 2011. They still serve them every night? I loved them. We all did!

 

My niece and I also enjoyed the lamb shank on the every day menu in the MDR. It was fantastic. I hope they still have this as well.

Edited September 29, 2014 by bangzoom6877

[QuiGonJohn]

They had those on our cruise on the Jewel in 2011. They still serve them every night? I loved them. We all did!

Yep, appetizer in both MDR's every night.

[Scott2.0]

I just got off the BA today and the food in the MDRs was OK. I actually preferred the food in the buffet. The specialty restaurants had great food but sadly the service was really bad in both MDRs and specialty restaurants.

 

If it's better food you're after, I think you'll appreciate the specialty restaurants. If you're looking for a better overall experience in them, I think you'll be disappointed.

[dznymom]

If you were to read my trip report after my upcoming cruise, you could easily infer that we pay for specialties night after night. Sometimes posts or trip reports don't tell the whole story.

 

We are platinum and have some status with the casino, so my friend and I will have 4 dinners for 2 between us. We will be on the Getaway, and we want to do the Illusionarium (which I don't think is covered by the free ones) and we love going to O'Sheehan's on prime rib night. That will only leave us one night for the MDR which we almost always enjoy. And I HAVE to get to the buffet one night for a crepe :eek:

 

It's actually too many specialty dinners for us, although eating on the Waterfront in the Caribbean in December can't be bad :) But I am thinking we might just give one dinner to someone nice that we meet along the way.

[dvond]

We have been on 20 cruises across the 3 major lines and never paid for specialty restaurants four our family of 4. While some dinners are better than other everyone always finds enough to enjoy between 3 courses. We never see a reason to pay another $80 to $160 for the 4 of us to eat when we can do just fine for free

[7leagueboots]

OK - Let me rephrase that for you - "most people here on Cruise Critic", at least all the threads I have read here pertaining to the restaurants I have noticed that the majority have gone or will go to a Specialty Restaurant

 

We must be one of the exceptions...never have dined in a specialty restaurant - never felt the need - quite happy in the MDR and buffets.

[motleyfan]

We must be one of the exceptions...never have dined in a specialty restaurant - never felt the need - quite happy in the MDR and buffets.

 

On my next cruise I'm in a suite and I have NCL's all inclusive package so my goal for the first time on a cruise is to only eat from specialty restaurants.

 

Sent from my C6522N using Forums mobile app

[kba1988]

New to NCL and I am just wondering why most people go to the Specialty Restaurants.

Is the food and service not good in the inclusive restaurants? Why spend the extra $$ if you don't have to? What would I be missing if I don't go to them?

 

Hi Din2Play2, I am coming into this conversation 59 comments later. So, I'm not sure if anyone has expressed what I'm about to say. If anyone has, I apologize for the redundancy.

 

My thoughts are, I enjoy the food in the inclusive restaurants. I find the food in the inclusive restaurants just as good as the food served in the specialty restaurants. I do eat in the specialty restaurants, but DW and I like to eat in the specialty restaurants that serve a cuisine that you don't get in the inclusive restaurants. We like to eat at Tappenyaki, La Bistro and we have yet to eat at Madernos.

 

Anyway, that's my opinion on the inclusive restaurants. I hope this was helpful.

[MrsKChicago]

Our first cruise is still coming up, so I can't judge the quality of the main dining rooms vs the specialty restaurants yet. I want to try the MDR, but I know we're planning at least a couple specialty nights. It's nice to have that romantic date night, and it has the potential to be a good budget friendly option for us. There's nothing on the Getaway that we can't get in Chicago, but most of it is going to be much cheaper on the ship. Moderno is $20/person. If we go to Fogo here, it's over $50 each. It's $26 just for the salad bar. Plus $10-$20 to park, or 2 hours of totally non-romantic time on the bus and train to get there, rather than a 5 minute walk back to our cabin. I can do similar math for some of the other specialties. I also enjoy a dining experience that goes beyond tasty food, like teppenyaki. That's fun no matter where I am, and it sounds like something I'd enjoy as part of my cruise experience. We got some on board credit when we booked, so why not?

[QuiGonJohn]

dvond & 7leagueboots, I totally agree. Not gonna pay more money for additional dining when I spend quite a lot already and can always find something good in the MDR's, or at worst the buffets.

[motleyfan]

Our first cruise is still coming up, so I can't judge the quality of the main dining rooms vs the specialty restaurants yet. I want to try the MDR, but I know we're planning at least a couple specialty nights. It's nice to have that romantic date night, and it has the potential to be a good budget friendly option for us. There's nothing on the Getaway that we can't get in Chicago, but most of it is going to be much cheaper on the ship. Moderno is $20/person. If we go to Fogo here, it's over $50 each. It's $26 just for the salad bar. Plus $10-$20 to park, or 2 hours of totally non-romantic time on the bus and train to get there, rather than a 5 minute walk back to our cabin. I can do similar math for some of the other specialties. I also enjoy a dining experience that goes beyond tasty food, like teppenyaki. That's fun no matter where I am, and it sounds like something I'd enjoy as part of my cruise experience. We got some on board credit when we booked, so why not?

 

Basically the mdr food is really good but the specialty restaurants are simply better.

 

Sent from my C6522N using Forums mobile app

[bangzoom6877]

Our first cruise is still coming up, so I can't judge the quality of the main dining rooms vs the specialty restaurants yet. I want to try the MDR, but I know we're planning at least a couple specialty nights. It's nice to have that romantic date night, and it has the potential to be a good budget friendly option for us. There's nothing on the Getaway that we can't get in Chicago, but most of it is going to be much cheaper on the ship. Moderno is $20/person. If we go to Fogo here, it's over $50 each. It's $26 just for the salad bar. Plus $10-$20 to park, or 2 hours of totally non-romantic time on the bus and train to get there, rather than a 5 minute walk back to our cabin. I can do similar math for some of the other specialties. I also enjoy a dining experience that goes beyond tasty food, like teppenyaki. That's fun no matter where I am, and it sounds like something I'd enjoy as part of my cruise experience. We got some on board credit when we booked, so why not?

 

I feel the same way about price here in NYC. We have just about every cuisine there is, but for DH and I to go to a romantic french restaurant and have a multi course dinner, it costs way more than $20 each, which is what Le Bistro costs. And there is definitely something nice about a romantic dinner while we are on vacation, after bringing the kids to the buffet to have dinner which they love and then bringing them to camp for the evening while we dine and enjoy. We are also planning to go to Cagney's with the kids...a steakhouse in NYC would run easily $100 per person for the same meal.

[motleyfan]

I feel the same way about price here in NYC. We have just about every cuisine there is, but for DH and I to go to a romantic french restaurant and have a multi course dinner, it costs way more than $20 each, which is what Le Bistro costs. And there is definitely something nice about a romantic dinner while we are on vacation, after bringing the kids to the buffet to have dinner which they love and then bringing them to camp for the evening while we dine and enjoy. We are also planning to go to Cagney's with the kids...a steakhouse in NYC would run easily $100 per person for the same meal.

 

Cagney's is my favorite. They are the only place that gets my Burger right on the ship. Extra well done, I'm not ordering a pet. No pink lol.

 

Sent from my C6522N using Forums mobile app

[againin13]

I'm a newbie to cruising.on our (sister-in-law and myself) very first cruise in 2010.we tried Cagney's (The old menu that included lobster tails)and I don't remember the name but it was a Mexican restaurant (it's no longer there) on the Pearl.then in 2012 my mother and I went to Cagney(again because of the lobster tails)and let bistro(omg to die for) and in 2013 they were offering a three restaurant package for $57 per person,so I purchased for myself my youngest daughter and my son and his wife.(they had never done the specialty restaurants before) The package included Cagney's,le bistro,and the Italian restaurant.they absolutely loved .everything.Cagney's had changed their menu (no lobster),of course I was disappointed but it certainly didn't change the dining experience it was fantastic.now as our special dinner this November I booked Teppan-Yaki.having gone on and on,I will say the specialty restaurants are great,but it has more to do with the specialness of it then the food itself.we use the specialty restaurants as a celebratory dinner.breakfasts and dinners in the main dining room have been nice(i'm not a lunch person) I like to try new things.The only thing I found that I didn't like were kippers at breakfast.but I will try that again since my son told me I was eating them wrong,I guess there's a method lol. Enjoy you're cruise,eat when and where you want,if you order something that not to your liking,they will graciously bring you something else.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[bangzoom6877]

Cagney's is my favorite. They are the only place that gets my Burger right on the ship. Extra well done, I'm not ordering a pet. No pink lol.

 

Sent from my C6522N using Forums mobile app

 

Lol, too funny! It's important for restaurants to get the order right. I eat my burgers medium well and some places make it charred, and some make it medium. But I'm picky about it. And I eat my steak medium rare but a lot of places also get it wrong. Looking forward to Cagney's because from everything I've read here, and also from friends who have eaten there, they get it right every time. My friend had the ultimate dining on her cruise this summer and ate there 4 times!

[motleyfan]

Lol, too funny! It's important for restaurants to get the order right. I eat my burgers medium well and some places make it charred, and some make it medium. But I'm picky about it. And I eat my steak medium rare but a lot of places also get it wrong. Looking forward to Cagney's because from everything I've read here, and also from friends who have eaten there, they get it right every time. My friend had the ultimate dining on her cruise this summer and ate there 4 times!

 

Their fries are also better. They taste seasoned.

 

Sent from my C6522N using Forums mobile app

[kcwingwalker]

On my next cruise I'm in a suite and I have NCL's all inclusive package so my goal for the first time on a cruise is to only eat from specialty restaurants.

 

Sent from my C6522N using Forums mobile app

 

Wow, just imagine how much fun you will have. Noticed in another post that you were looking forward to a burger from Cagney's at lunch.

 

I've had lunch at Cagney's a few times and IMO the burgers mediocre and NCL should be upgrading their bread products. Dry, tasteless hamburger bun and not even toasted.

Edited October 1, 2014 by kcwingwalker

[meatball_nyc]

Lots of fun.

Maybe their burgers would be better with maple syrup and bacon on them.

;)

 

 

~Robin

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

[srlafleur]

I think I can count on one hand the number of times we've eaten in a specialty restaurant on a cruise, with close to 20 cruises (on various lines) under our belts. We've always been quite satisfied with the "free" dining offers.

[DaisyGoldberg]

I've had lunch at Cagney's a few times and IMO the burgers mediocre and NCL should be upgrading their bread products. Dry, tasteless hamburger bun and not even toasted.

 

I agree. The turkey burger is much better (and I would never order turkey burger in a restaurant on land!)

 

The dinner burger may be entirely different (if there is one?) - I know the slider appetizer was quite good.

 

If you like fish, my mother raved about the swordfish burger at lunch.

[motleyfan]

I agree. The turkey burger is much better (and I would never order turkey burger in a restaurant on land!)

 

The dinner burger may be entirely different (if there is one?) - I know the slider appetizer was quite good.

 

If you like fish, my mother raved about the swordfish burger at lunch.

 

NA can't take the taste of fish lol

 

Sent from my C6522N using Forums mobile app