Planning Around Dinner & Entertainment

[Doitforlove]

Hello! I am a NCL newbie so I'm still getting my sea legs when it comes to all things NCL :)

 

I have previously sailed RCCL, CCL and most recently DCL and have always suffered through the odd, forced traditional seating arrangements at dinner. This is my first cruise vacation with my boyfriend so I am BEYOND excited to not have to go through that ordeal on my upcoming cruise to Bermuda.

 

With that being said I'm having a bit of trouble when it comes to scheduling dinner and entertainment and was hoping some seasoned vets could weigh in.

 

My boyfriend and I tend to eat dinner later (7:30-9:00) but we also want to enjoy evening entertainment and from my past experience I know that cruise dinners can be very lengthy at times. What is the best time to book dinner as to not miss out on comedy shows and other late night entertainment?

 

If it helps we plan to eat 6 dinners in speciality restaurants and are planning on doing Cagney's twice, Moderno, Teppanyaki, Le Bistro and Ocean Blue. Will probably do Taste/Savor our MDR night.

 

Additionally was wondering what people's experience was on eating al fresco on the waterfront later in the evening. We will be sailing to Bermuda end of April so I'm thinking it will probably be pretty chilly? But not entirely sure.

[cb at sea]

Which is more important..food...or entertainment?. That's what you need to determine. Then, plan accordingly. You might not be able to get both in the same night. Dinner will take AT LEAST an hour...maybe longer....so if you want to go to a show later, eat earlier! On vacation, you shouldn't need to rush.

[shof515]

if you are sailing on the mega ships (breakaway, escape, getaway)..you should be able to prebook dinner and some entertainment online 90 days in advance. that should give you the times of the shows in the theater and the comedy shows. For both shows, there is usually 2-4 shows per night (comedy might be more shows split up between PG and R rating)

[Cruzncutie]

I would plan to eat dinner at 7pm. That should give you time to see the shows that start at 9pm or later. Allow approximately 2 hours for Teppanyaki

 

 

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[Doitforlove]

Thanks everyone! I went ahead and booked dinners from between 6:30-7:30 and told the boyfriend that there's a buffet and a pub where he can get more munchies later in the evening :p

[Vyhanek]

Most of the comedians and hypnotist and magicians - that type of entertainment is not pre-booked. The main shows, yes but not this type of entertainment and I think these are the best entertainment now-a-days on NCL ships. You will find out about them once you board the ship. Many of these will be offered late night 10pm'ish but not all. NCL also likes to put these types of shows in small venues.

 

This is the issue with freestyle dining. If you like dinner and show, it's not always easy to coordinate. There will be a fair amount of juggling for you honestly. You can pre- book dinner but if you don't know the times of the shows it gets hard to do. With traditional dining times, there is no thought what so ever in having dinner then going to the show, that's pre-planned.

 

My suggestion is to work this out as soon as you get on the ship. Find out the other entertainers and what nights they perform. Plan your week this way re-arranging your dinner plans to coordinate with the shows. People don't think to do this as soon as they board but I like to have my week planned out so I can have dinner and a show every night.