Petoonya Posted January 21, 2020 #1 Share Posted January 21, 2020 My adult kids and I are Oceania and Windstar regulars. And taking first NCL cruise primarily to help with very young ones on 7 night Alaska cruise. We've (grandparents only) done the itinerary several times before so no problem missing a few things. Need help with dining- no clue as to how this works. Some questions. How early are you allowed to make reservations? What dining venues are best for gathering a few vegetarian and a few meat eaters together? (Vegetarians but eat fish). I'm assuming there are no prior reservations for shows? If my kids are celebrating an anniversary- what would be the best restaurant for them for a quiet romantic meal? We all have the dining perk. Would we be happier adding 4 nites specialty dinner or is GDR decent? Realize it's not Oceania or Windstar and not to have same expectations. With beverage package can I get San Pelligrino? Sorry for the long list but I'm new. Thanks so much for your help and opinions!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarlChilders Posted January 21, 2020 #2 Share Posted January 21, 2020 (edited) Which ship, if it is away class or away+ class, you will be able to make show reservations at 120 days out (130 if in Haven). Buffet and MDR will have at least one vegetarian selection. Oh, and no bottled water on the standard drink plan Edited January 21, 2020 by KarlChilders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNcruisingcouple Posted January 21, 2020 #3 Share Posted January 21, 2020 It would be helpful to know what ship you are on, as I could be more specific with recommendations. I know many people reserve their dining ahead of time, but we've never had issues booking as soon as we board, even for up to nine people. Restaurant reservations is always our first stop. Most the restaurants have both meat and fish options. Personally, I would get the extra dining package. The food is definitely a step up from the MDRs. The romantic dinner really depends on the ship. Bottled water isn't included in the drink package. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petoonya Posted January 21, 2020 Author #4 Share Posted January 21, 2020 (edited) 17 minutes ago, KarlChilders said: Which ship, if it is away class or away+ class, you will be able to make show reservations at 120 days out (130 if in Haven). Buffet and MDR will have at least one vegetarian selection. Oh, and no bottled water on the standard drink plan It's Bliss. Sorry, but since I don't know NCL don't know which class. 😞 Thanks for your help. But still wonder what restaurant anyone would recommend if meateaters and veg's are dining together- if they all have veg options are there any you'd more strongly recommend? And romantic night, anything we should consider? Thanks again. Edited January 21, 2020 by Petoonya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petoonya Posted January 21, 2020 Author #5 Share Posted January 21, 2020 9 minutes ago, MNcruisingcouple said: It would be helpful to know what ship you are on, as I could be more specific with recommendations. I know many people reserve their dining ahead of time, but we've never had issues booking as soon as we board, even for up to nine people. Restaurant reservations is always our first stop. Most the restaurants have both meat and fish options. Personally, I would get the extra dining package. The food is definitely a step up from the MDRs. The romantic dinner really depends on the ship. Bottled water isn't included in the drink package. Bliss. Thanks for all the help. We'll let advance reservations for dining plans go till we board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smplybcause Posted January 21, 2020 #6 Share Posted January 21, 2020 34 minutes ago, Petoonya said: My adult kids and I are Oceania and Windstar regulars. And taking first NCL cruise primarily to help with very young ones on 7 night Alaska cruise. We've (grandparents only) done the itinerary several times before so no problem missing a few things. Need help with dining- no clue as to how this works. Some questions. How early are you allowed to make reservations? 120 days out unless you're in Haven. Haven is 130 days. But only about 25% is released online. The rest are made on board What dining venues are best for gathering a few vegetarian and a few meat eaters together? (Vegetarians but eat fish). I'm assuming there are no prior reservations for shows? Pescatarians are a lot easier to find food for. I think most of the restaurants should have a fish option. Obviously Ocean Blue will have the best choices, but most of the others should have at least one fish dish (with Q maybe being the exception). If my kids are celebrating an anniversary- what would be the best restaurant for them for a quiet romantic meal? Le Bistro is the only specialty that requires men to wear pants, so that might be your best option. Cagneys, La Cucinia, and again Ocean Blue also might be good options. We all have the dining perk. Would we be happier adding 4 nites specialty dinner or is GDR decent? Realize it's not Oceania or Windstar and not to have same expectations. Depends on how picky you are. I've been on 5 NCL cruises and only eaten in specialty dining once. Though my next cruise I got 4 nights as a perk so that'll be interesting. I've had some great dishes and some meh dishes in MDR. With beverage package can I get San Pelligrino? Not with the free at sea one. If you upgrade to PPBP which is about an extra $270pp for a 7 day cruise it is. Sorry for the long list but I'm new. Thanks so much for your help and opinions!! Answers in red If the kids are under 12 the free menu they have is the same in any dining room. If they're eating off the specialty dining menus it's the same price as adults I believe - though I think I've seen posts where people aren't always charged for kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNcruisingcouple Posted January 21, 2020 #7 Share Posted January 21, 2020 4 minutes ago, Petoonya said: Bliss. Thanks for all the help. We'll let advance reservations for dining plans go till we board. I haven't been on the Bliss so I can't speak to all the restaurants, but Cagney's, Le Bistro, La Cucina and Teppanyaki should all work for both seafood and meat eaters. My choice for romantic dinner would be Le Bistro, but I don't have experience with Ocean Blue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjkacmom Posted January 21, 2020 #8 Share Posted January 21, 2020 I’d make specialty dining and show reservations in advance, and if not, immediately after boarding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Turtles06 Posted January 21, 2020 #9 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Just now, mjkacmom said: I’d make specialty dining and show reservations in advance, and if not, immediately after boarding. I would also make reservations in advance, especially given the size of your group and since the cruise is so short. Also, assuming your kids want to celebrate their anniversary on a particular day, it’s best to reserve in advance to guarantee that day. We haven’t sailed on the Bliss, but we’re on the Gem right now and the food in the MDRs has been quite good — the best we’ve ever had on an NCL ship— and the service has been excellent. In sharp contrast, I think the specialty restaurants have really declined, both in terms of the quality of the food and the service. If I were new to NCL, like the OP, and only on a 7-night cruise, I’d stick with the dining promo and give the MDRs a try, I would not buy more specialty dining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petoonya Posted January 22, 2020 Author #10 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Thanks for all the input everyone! Very much appreciated. Will I get a reminder when it’s 120 days out? Or just keep track myself? thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esm54687 Posted January 22, 2020 #11 Share Posted January 22, 2020 8 minutes ago, Petoonya said: Thanks for all the input everyone! Very much appreciated. Will I get a reminder when it’s 120 days out? Or just keep track myself? thanks! Safer that you personally set a reminder at 121 just so you remember and go over last minute changes for day 120. If you don't get your desired time, don't panic as you can always make them once on board (only about 27% are available for on line booking) There's a reminder within MyNCL.com but nothing that actively reaches out to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petoonya Posted January 22, 2020 Author #12 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Thanks a million. Helps a lot ! 😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustAPilot Posted January 22, 2020 #13 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Also set your expectations now. You are going from high end cruising to a mass market ship. Food, crew vs passenger ratio, service and the type of passengers you will interact with will not be like Oceana and Windstar. Crew will not know your name nor would they care about it with 4,000 other passengers to serve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Peachypooh Posted January 25, 2020 #14 Share Posted January 25, 2020 Will the little ones be eating in a specialty restaurant with you? When my grandchildren were 4 and 7 we took them to specialty restaurants (they were well behaved having been taught well by their teacher parents LOL). They ordered the children's meal but since I can't eat all the courses they split my appetizer and dessert. I even gave them a little of my steak. NCL allowed this at the time and I don't see why they wouldn't now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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