Dining question

[25thcruise]

We are considering booking a NCL cruise for Jan 2016. We have cruised CCL and RCI and we like the traditional MDR style for dinner. We like going to dinner and having the same wait staff, we also like the formal nights as well. How does the "Freestyle" dining compare. Any info is appreciated.

Thanks

Al and Julie

[Ewoodspark]

We are considering booking a NCL cruise for Jan 2016. We have cruised CCL and RCI and we like the traditional MDR style for dinner. We like going to dinner and having the same wait staff, we also like the formal nights as well. How does the "Freestyle" dining compare. Any info is appreciated.

Thanks

Al and Julie

 

If you like having the same waiters for Dinner and also formal nights, I seriously question why you would want to cruise with NCL?

[cliffd64]

Freestyle dining is like going to a restaurant back home... you arrive when you want and sit with who you came with in most cases. You are not tied down to a specific time or venue or people you have to eat with, or the same waiter and waitstaff. You may choose from any of the complimentary dining facilities, or make a reservation for a specialty restaurant, it's up to you. In this way, your evenings are not centered around a predetermined dinner time. Some nights you might be ravenous and want to eat early, while other nights, maybe you would rather see a show first and then dine... Freestyle dining allows you to be as flexible as you require.

 

It is nothing like traditional dining on other lines.

[dohboy43]

The biggest reason to choose Norwegian over the other cruise lines (if all else is equal) is for the freestyle concept - it's designed for people who don't like formal dining and don't want to have the same waitstaff / companions at dinner each night.

 

I would recommend sticking to Carnival or Royal if their dining concept is what you enjoy.

[egh170]

Yes you can choose the same table and same wait staff if that is what you really want to do. However you are limited to dining between 5:30pm to 6:00pm

Dining options.pdf

[RNRcruisers]

My husband and I like traditional dining and just got back from an 11-day cruise on the Jade. While we still prefer traditional, it was fine. We ended up going at about the same time every evening (at what was about the late seating time) not intentionally but because that was how it fit into our schedules, and never had to wait to be seated. We were a group of four and one night we were seated with other couples but the other nights it was just the four of us. The food was very good and we never went to the specialty restaurants or buffet for dinner. We still developed some relationships with certain servers that we saw a few times but not like with traditional dining. The personal service, where your server knows your preferences after one or two nights, is lacking, but this wasn't a huge deal for us. It's just usually a nice touch.

 

As to why someone would take an NCL cruise if they like traditional dining? The price and itinerary of course! :) It's a cruise and for me it's hard not to like it regardless of the cruise line.

[Bird in Jersey]

We are considering booking a NCL cruise for Jan 2016. We have cruised CCL and RCI and we like the traditional MDR style for dinner. We like going to dinner and having the same wait staff, we also like the formal nights as well. How does the "Freestyle" dining compare. Any info is appreciated.

Thanks

Al and Julie

Everyone will have their own opinion. I have cruised carnival and like sitting down at dinner, but once you go freestyle, you will not be disappointed.

I found on CCL, that going to dinner at a certain time, became stressful.Try going late or have your table mates(my family) arrive late. You are rushed.

Vacation should not be stressful. On my NC, I want to be served, so I do go to the dining room almost every night. I will go to the buffet, when I do not want to change clothes or want to catch an earlier event. Having a different servers has not been a problem, because our seats have been in the same general area and we will run into our other servers, who remember details about the previous night dinner.

[25thcruise]

Thank you for the responses. We are looking into NCL because of itinerary and price. That has how we have picked our previous cruises. We are not loyal to any line. We do like the traditional dining but we are up for trying something new. So far the two lines we have cruised have been pretty compatible in all areas. The idea of not being tied to the same dining time sounds intriguing. We still want the experience to be like dining in a fine restaurant. NCL looks like it can be fun.

[Jenorama]

My husband and I have only cruised NCL and the Freestyle concept works really well for us. I like the flexibility with the dining times so we don't feel pressured to go and eat when we're not really hungry. This comes up for us on sea days which tend to be lazier and we'll have a late lunch and maybe not be ready for dinner until after 7 or so. We've found the MDRs to be very nice and fine dining equivalent. Never having sailed with a traditional dining concept, I don't really feel like I'm missing out on anything by not having the same wait staff.

 

I hope you enjoy NCL! :D

 

Jen

[jjikids]

We are going on our sixth NCL next year. We just returned from Celebrity where we had the traditional dining room. Our waiters were nice but didn't remember our names or what we wanted to drink. The only consistency was the time we had to eat and where our table was located. We prefer NCL because we like to eat when we want to.

[hypercafe]

We are considering booking a NCL cruise for Jan 2016. We have cruised CCL and RCI and we like the traditional MDR style for dinner. We like going to dinner and having the same wait staff, we also like the formal nights as well. How does the "Freestyle" dining compare. Any info is appreciated.

Thanks

Al and Julie

 

Not to sound rude but sounds like NCL is not for you as there is no traditional dinning style like you want.

 

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[Guindalf]

Wow! There's some horrible advice in this thread!

 

If you want the same wait staff, just ask to be eating in their section whenever you want to eat. Simple.

 

You're NOT restricted to a time and don't have to eat in the same restaurant every night.

 

If you want to dress up, then by all means do so. There will be at least one 'Dress Up Or Not' night on your cruise and photographers will be happy to take your portrait if you so wish.

 

The answer is NOT to send people to other cruise lines!!!

 

Shame on you.

[stetucke]

As for wait staff if I have found an awesome waiter I'll ask to be put in their section when I arrive. It might mean waiting a little longer but who cares, I'll just go get a drink.

[Paulchili]

Wow! There's some horrible advice in this thread!

 

If you want the same wait staff, just ask to be eating in their section whenever you want to eat. Simple.

 

 

However, is it possible that their service area will be already full when you ask to be seated there?

[cliffd64]

However, is it possible that their service area will be already full when you ask to be seated there?

 

It's always possible... so if it is extremely important you could wait a bit or come back later.

[chelle74]

Another note: If you enjoy dining with other couples, you can request to be seated at a larger table with other passengers. We did that and ended up meeting several couples that we really enjoyed. One of those couples started meeting us for dinner every night. It was nice. :)

[geegee1]

What do you mean

 

....The answer is NOT to send people to other cruise lines!!!

 

Shame on you.

 

"Shame one you"??? Who are you shaming?

 

If a person answering a question thinks that another cruise line will be better for the OP why wouldn't they state that?

[Paulchili]

Which, if any, specialty restaurants or pizza places are open for lunch?

If any are open, would they be included in the UDP (or is that for dinners only)?

TIA

[hypercafe]

Which, if any, specialty restaurants or pizza places are open for lunch?

If any are open, would they be included in the UDP (or is that for dinners only)?

TIA

 

I do not think the specialty restaurants are open for lunch.

 

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[Barb Nahoumi]

We are considering booking a NCL cruise for Jan 2016. We have cruised CCL and RCI and we like the traditional MDR style for dinner. We like going to dinner and having the same wait staff, we also like the formal nights as well. How does the "Freestyle" dining compare. Any info is appreciated.

Thanks

Al and Julie

 

NCL does not have true formal nights anymore. It is now refered to as "Dress up or Not Night, or NCL's Night out. Formal dress is not required, but people can dress up if they choose to, any time they choose to.

 

There are no assigned dining times on NCL's ships, but you can make reservations in the specialty restaurants. The MDRs don't require reservations at all. I find Freestyle to my liking, because we don't have to rush to get ready for dinner, after returning to the ship from an excursion or activity.

[Barb Nahoumi]

I do not think the specialty restaurants are open for lunch.

 

Sent from my SM-T320 using Forums mobile app

 

Cagney's serves lunch to suite passengers.

[Guindalf]

What do you mean

 

 

 

"Shame one you"??? Who are you shaming?

 

If a person answering a question thinks that another cruise line will be better for the OP why wouldn't they state that?

 

Absolutely, if the information they're giving is accurate! Answering without knowing the facts is shameful.

 

End of.

[Paulchili]

Cagney's serves lunch to suite passengers.

 

Thank you.

Is the menu similar to dinner menu? Is it part of the UDP or is it extra charge (we will be staying in Haven). Do you need advance reservations or is it "free style"?

TIA

[Guindalf]

Thank you.

Is the menu similar to dinner menu? Is it part of the UDP or is it extra charge (we will be staying in Haven). Do you need advance reservations or is it "free style"?

TIA

 

It's a different menu and it's not always in Cagney's. On the Dawn three weeks ago, breakfast and lunch for suite guests was served in La Cuccina on port days and Cagney's the rest of the time. There will be information in your suite telling you where and when and it's included in your suite package, so no extra charges or UDP requirement.

[KeithJenner]

There are occasionally other speciality restaurants open for lunch.

 

Often the noodle bar (or equivalent) is open. Generally these are a la carte so wouldn't be included in the UDP anyway. You probably still get the 20% discount, but I don't know for sure.

 

There may be others that open as well. I'm sure I recall discussion on here about Moderno being open for lunch as well, but I don't know the details. I'm pretty sure it wasn't the same as its opening in the evening though and think it was complementary anyway.