Specialty Dining Questions Please

[pattycake1939]

Hi everyone.........We have never done specialty dining before and have always been very happy with the regular dining rooms and the buffet, but with our recent booking, we get 3 meals in specialty dining. I'd love to know from others who have done this.....are there only certain times that you can eat and make reservations? This could be a problem for us as we like to eat early and catch the shows. Also, if you have the "complimentary 3 meals", do you have to book 3 different ones or is it strictly your choice? I'm kind of a plain eater and not sure I can find things I can eat, so I may just turn down the package..........not sure what to do. Help please...

[CostaFortune]

It’s best to book them the minute you get on board with concierge if you have preferences for eating times. You can try one of 3 different restaurants but from both experience and what I’ve read, the best food is in Le Bistro, Cagneys Steakhouse, Moderno or Teppanyaki.

When you say plain eater, do you eat Chinese? (Teppanyaki) it’s for about 8 People and they gave a guy who cooks in front of you, a kind of show! It’s quite clever what they do, mixing and chopping etc. Then serving you from the hotplate. It’s not something you’d want to go twice, unless you love the food.

Le Bistro is listed as formal dress, and Cagneys too. We loved Cagneys and ate there 4 times (we had bought a dining package of 8, with just those choices as good ones).

Do t give them up, it’s worth a try and then you’ll know if you like them.

Hope it works out well. Which ship is this on? Although, apart from the service, they are much of a muchness.

 

 

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[Dina7]

You can make reservations for the specialty restaurants on NCL's website before your cruise. We were able to make our specialty dining reservations on the early side so we wouldn't miss show times on the Breakaway. You can choose any 3 restaurants that you want. You can even go to the same one three times if you really wanted. Even being a picky eater you should still be able to find something you like at some of the restaurants. The menus for specialty restaurants are online. Beyondships.com has them I think. Or sometimes people on here include them in their reviews. Then you can see if there's something you like to help you decide where to eat. I definitely wouldn't let the dining pkg. go to waste if I were you.

[ColeThornton]

It’s best to book them the minute you get on board with concierge if you have preferences for eating times. You can try one of 3 different restaurants but from both experience and what I’ve read, the best food is in Le Bistro, Cagneys Steakhouse, Moderno or Teppanyaki.

When you say plain eater, do you eat Chinese? (Teppanyaki) it’s for about 8 People and they gave a guy who cooks in front of you, a kind of show! It’s quite clever what they do, mixing and chopping etc. Then serving you from the hotplate. It’s not something you’d want to go twice, unless you love the food.

Le Bistro is listed as formal dress, and Cagneys too. We loved Cagneys and ate there 4 times (we had bought a dining package of 8, with just those choices as good ones).

Do t give them up, it’s worth a try and then you’ll know if you like them.

Hope it works out well. Which ship is this on? Although, apart from the service, they are much of a muchness.

 

 

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~ You can make reservations ahead of time for specialty restaurants. You don't have to wait until you are on board.

 

~ Teppanyaki is a Japanese style of cooking, not Chinese.

 

~ Le Bistro and Cagneys are not "formal". None of the restaurants are formal.

 

~ I think you may mean book with iConcierge, the App, a regular Concierge is for the Haven folks.

[beerman2]

You can make reservations 90 days before you cruise, 100 if Haven.

 

They only book about 30% of times pre-cruise.

 

We had no problem getting early times at the 90 day mark.

 

LeBistro was excellent, Cagney's very good, and Teppanyaki was entertaining.

 

I'm a picky eater also and only ate the shrimp and scallops combo (excellent) at Teppanyaki and very little rice.

[CostaFortune]

Sorry, Japanese.

We can’t book time’s ahead of boarding in the UK. Le Bistro lists as the only formal dining room on the Spirit but we also felt people made an effort in Cagneys, which was nice for us.

It was our first NCL cruise and we found the waitresses and waiters very helpful in these restaurants. So we hope that the Bliss will be the same.

 

 

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[BirdTravels]

Hi everyone.........We have never done specialty dining before and have always been very happy with the regular dining rooms and the buffet, but with our recent booking, we get 3 meals in specialty dining. I'd love to know from others who have done this.....are there only certain times that you can eat and make reservations? This could be a problem for us as we like to eat early and catch the shows. Also, if you have the "complimentary 3 meals", do you have to book 3 different ones or is it strictly your choice? I'm kind of a plain eater and not sure I can find things I can eat, so I may just turn down the package..........not sure what to do. Help please...

 

If you are a plain eater, book 3 dinners at Cagneys Steakhouse. You can get your basic steak, chicken, ribs there. You should not feel obligated to eat Japanese foods with strange sauces and preparations at Teppanyaki or food that you can not pronounce at Le Bistro French restaurant.

[newmexicoNita]

for someone who really enjoys simpler foods I would suggest Cagney's and Modernos. Le Bistro is fantastic but leans toward french and has more sauces, etc. Also the dress code in LeBistro is a bit more formal. No shorts are allowed and the men need collard shirts. It happens to be our favorite restaurant. You may also want to try La Cucina. Though it is Italian it isn't truly that. You should be able to find something in any of the restaurants you will enjoy except maybe not Teppanakis. You can use all 3 specialty nights at the same restaurant if you choose but it might be fun to try something different.

As for reservations: either make them prior to sailing or as soon as you get on the ship. If you want to eat at 6ish you will be fine.The hours that are a challenge are usually 6:30 to about 8:30.

 

Enjoy your cruise, I am sure you will.

[mjkacmom]

If you are a plain eater, book 3 dinners at Cagneys Steakhouse. You can get your basic steak, chicken, ribs there. You should not feel obligated to eat Japanese foods with strange sauces and preparations at Teppanyaki or food that you can not pronounce at Le Bistro French restaurant.

Hibachi seems pretty plain to me, rice, protein, soy sauce and oil, I’ve hosted many kids birthday parties at local ones.

[pattycake1939]

Thanks so much to everyone! You guys rock...and you answered everything that I was concerned about. We are on the Epic in the Med. first time to Europe and I've been trying to figure out and plan our days because it is so port intensive and we don't want to miss anything either. We have been on Norwegian before in the caribbean and Hawaii so I'm hoping it is as un-formal as usual. I would never try to plan a cruise without this site and all the helpful people here............................Thanks again......

[vince_g]

If you are a plain eater, book 3 dinners at Cagneys Steakhouse. You can get your basic steak, chicken, ribs there. You should not feel obligated to eat Japanese foods with strange sauces and preparations at Teppanyaki or food that you can not pronounce at Le Bistro French restaurant.

 

Just off the Gem on Dec. 23rd. Cagney's had no ribs. Do not recall if there was any chicken on menu. The double cut lamb chops were really good though.

[KeithJenner]

Sorry, Japanese.

We can’t book time’s ahead of boarding in the UK. Le Bistro lists as the only formal dining room on the Spirit but we also felt people made an effort in Cagneys, which was nice for us.

It was our first NCL cruise and we found the waitresses and waiters very helpful in these restaurants. So we hope that the Bliss will be the same.

 

 

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We certainly can book ahead of time in the UK. I do it every cruise.

 

Except Teppenyaki on some ships (including the Spirit), which can’t be booked wherever you come from.

 

 

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Edited December 29, 2017 by KeithJenner

[Advocate50]

Hi everyone.........We have never done specialty dining before and have always been very happy with the regular dining rooms and the buffet, but with our recent booking, we get 3 meals in specialty dining. I'd love to know from others who have done this.....are there only certain times that you can eat and make reservations? This could be a problem for us as we like to eat early and catch the shows. Also, if you have the "complimentary 3 meals", do you have to book 3 different ones or is it strictly your choice? I'm kind of a plain eater and not sure I can find things I can eat, so I may just turn down the package..........not sure what to do. Help please...

 

 

For the best selection of times, select 90 days out. We sailed on the Epic last week, absolutely fabulous first time cruise. We ate at Cagney's, La Cucina and Le Bistro. I am sure you could eat at the same restaurant for all three nights if you wanted to do so. We found NCL eager to make your trip effortless. For us, nothing was an issue.

 

All restaurants were wonderful but my favorite was Le Bistro. We saved it for the Friday night before the cruise was over. It was an elegant evening with delicious food and exceptional service. We rarely dine this way but found it to be wonderful, no reason to be intimidated by the formality. It was the perfect ending to an exciting week.

 

I would not turn down the experience. For us it was the most delightful part of our cruise. I am sure the menus will have something for you and they will accommodate your taste. One of the first questions they asked was if anyone had food allergies, a good sign.

 

Just FYI, we had the specialty dinners on evenings we did not see a show. We did manage to see Priscilla, Burn the floor, and Epicurean Cirque. All were exceptional.

 

We are thinking about a European cruise next time, out of Barcelona, on the Epic. We love the itinerary and it sounds memorable.

 

Hope this answers some of your questions.

 

 

 

 

 

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[CostaFortune]

We certainly can book ahead of time in the UK. I do it every cruise.

 

Except Teppenyaki on some ships (including the Spirit), which can’t be booked wherever you come from.

 

 

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Ah, that’s the one we were on, so I shouldn’t have generalised, apologies Keith. But I do know prior to sailing we couldn’t book our times in the Restaurants. We didn’t even allocate our 8 nights in the dining package, to specific restaurants. We were actually unaware until boarding exactly which restaurants were included in the UDP on the Spirit. Turns out it was a choice of 4 - Le Bistro, Cagney’s, La Trattoria & Teppanyaki.

La Trattoria was dire, both food and noise as it’s an extension of the buffet on the Spirit! With an obscure glass room divider with a 2 ft gap under it.

 

Although, we enjoyed the cruise and service was good 90% of the time, we wish we had done our research in how old the ship was. It was in dry dock for a week Feb 17? But have no idea what they actually did? Maybe a bit of painting?!

 

 

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[grandmarnnurse]

If you are a plain eater, book 3 dinners at Cagneys Steakhouse. You can get your basic steak, chicken, ribs there. You should not feel obligated to eat Japanese foods with strange sauces and preparations at Teppanyaki or food that you can not pronounce at Le Bistro French restaurant.

 

 

 

I agree. Also, Moderno is a great choice. Plenty of different meats.

 

 

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[DevinScott]

Moderno is a good choice, because you get to make your own salad and choose different meats as they come around. It allows you to try different things without committing to a whole plate. My son discovered lamb as his favorite meat at Moderno (I dislike lamb, so never cook it). If you like soy sauce and rice, Teppanyaki is pretty safe too. Cagneys is basic US steakhouse. I loved my T-bone with mushrooms at La Cucina, but it gets mixed reviews. Le Bistro is a bit over my head.

 

 

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[rtkenmore]

Depending on the ship, our favorites for the SDP are Cagney’s, Teppanyaki, Los Lobos and La Cucina.

 

 

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[Linda the Book Lover]

You can also use the dining promo for Cirque you just have to pay $15 each if you wish floor seating. Should you choose Cagney's request seating closer to the window side overlooking the water as the other set of windows gives you a view of one of the main dining rooms. We prefer Le Bistro on the Epic as Cagney's is very loud. I know it says formal but it is not true formal wear. Collared shirt and long pants for men and I had on capris and a nice blouse. I hope you enjoy your cruise.

[Wallykl]

Made 5 dining reservation and fee payments on NCL web site, 2 mo before leaving. Walked right into each meal on time.