Changes to main dining room menu

[Oxo]

9 minutes ago, Zippeedee said:

After five NCL cruises I have only been in a main dining room twice, on the first cruise. That was enough. I buy extra specialty meals and enjoy the relatively quiet dinner buffet when I need a break from long multi-course meals. The Local is a nice change too.

Just goes to show, everyone has different tastes. We have been cruising since 1986 and our first cruise was on the SS Norway. We still cruise NCL and were on the Joy in Nov and Dec 2021. Food was excellent all over the ship. That included MDRs, buffets, Specialty Restaurants. We are Palatium on NCL and have 4 NCL cruises booked for this year.

Happy Cruising!

[oteixeira]

Part of what I find interesting here is they did revamp the MDR menus during the shutdown, with new options on basically every version.  So after 1 year or so I guess they are scraping that?  I know that I have seen some things, like the seafood paella on the MDR menu already (just last month), so my guess is some of the new choices are just going to transfer onto the one single menu.

I think it could be find as long as they do the specialty section that they spoke of, but I do wonder if that will be an up charge as well.  Honestly I hardly every ate in the MDR until my last 2 cruises, both 5 days, and I was very impressed with the quality.  It is not at the same level as the specialties, but I was still really happy eating there.  I also never eat at the buffet (personal choice), but for those of you worried about choices, that is another option as well.

[TominNC]

No thanks.  I don't eat regularly at the same restaurants at home because it's the same menu.  That's why we go to different places.  For variety.

 

I would not be happy looking at the same menu every day.   We go to the 2 specialties that came iwth our 7 day cruise, then enjoyed the variety at the main DRs the other 5 nights.

[clskinsfan]

Hate to be "that guy". But I wont cruise with NCL again because of this change. Trying to force their customers to spend more money on food, something that has always been a staple of cruising, ends this line for me. I never complained about specialty restaurants when they started showing up on ships because I always had a choice to not use them and get an outstanding meal in the MDR anyways. And I have paid for and eaten in SR's a ton. But I had a choice. Taking that choice away from me changes everything. And there are far too many good cruise lines out there to put up with this. 

Edited March 8, 2022 by clskinsfan

[Middleager]

I like it.  We get pampered on cruises.  The specialty restaurants are nice.  The MDRs are also nice.

 

One challenge with the rotating menus is, I often wonder if I'm missing out on something in the MDR when booking specialty dining that night. 

 

Yes you can find out what's on the menu in the MDR, by going to the outside of MDR each day.  But sometimes that MDR is closed or didn't change the display until after lunch.  I wouldn't go line up at Guest services just to ask for menu.  So for me I welcome the change to go to one fixed MDR menu.  It probably will be bigger, but at least it'll also save cost of extra printing and the manual labour each day to update the menu holders.

[kayjaypea42]

I think as long as they continue to offer a specialty dining credit as part of their free at sea promotion, most people will find there's enough variety included (use quotes around the word included if you want).  Go to the buffet, go to the Local, go to the MDR, go to the food cart area, etc.  I think I like the idea of the MDR being fixed nightly.  It means that I won't be pressured to try multiple entrees because it's a "Now or never" situation.  Likewise, it won't be MDR roulette where you plan the specialties on the ONE NIGHT the MDR was having THAT DISH you really wanted to try so instead you're stuck with those dishes you really could've done without. Anyway, I have faith in NCL's cuisine.  On the Escape, the MDR was almost BETTER than the specialty dining, so I''m sure that the food will be awesome no matter what. 

[kayjaypea42]

4 minutes ago, clskinsfan said:

Hate to be "that guy". But I wont cruise with NCL again because of this change. Trying to force their customers to spend more money on food, something that has always been a staple of cruising, ends this line for me. I never complained about specialty restaurants when they started showing up on ships because I always had a choice to not use them and get an outstanding meal in the MDR anyways. And I have paid for and eaten in SR's a ton. But I had a choice. Taking that choice away from me changes everything. And there are far too many good cruise lines out there to put up with this. 

I don't understand.  You still have a choice... You can go to the MDR every night if you want.  I am sure that there will be enough variety to accommodate that... There's also a ton of other included venues.  It's not like they're taking away included dining.

[clskinsfan]

Just now, kayjaypea42 said:

I don't understand.  You still have a choice... You can go to the MDR every night if you want.  I am sure that there will be enough variety to accommodate that... There's also a ton of other included venues.  It's not like they're taking away included dining.

Why would I want to eat the exact same menu for 7 nights on a cruise? Granted the MDR food on Escape is outstanding. But variety is the spice of cruising for us. We are foodies. And I dont like be ing forced to spend extra money to experience a different menu. To each their own though. 

[che-vos]

Yeah, do not like this change. My wife and I first cruised with NCL in 2007. Currently we usually only use the included specialty dining we get for free, just not worth the upcharge for us.  And the biggest reason is that we sail with 4 children - way too much money to eat at the specialty dining for a family.  If it was only me and my wife, maybe, but still majority in the MDR.  So this will for sure push us more towards Carnival or Royal (which we enjoy just as much).   We would not sail NCL as a family. 

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, Double Jack said:

NCL continuing their policy of giving customers less product for more money.

 

How is this less? It is a lot more. Yes?

 

Some people were totally “I can’t sail NCL any more” when they removed chicken fingers from the lunch menu and replaced it with poached salmon. I guess that this is a similar case. 

Edited March 8, 2022 by BirdTravels

[BirdTravels]

4 hours ago, moosecrouse said:

Read an article that said the MDR will offer a "special" every night from one of the Speciality restraunts menus. 

Maybe it will be like Royal Caribbean. You can eat the NY Strip steak off the MDR menu for free. Or get a Chops steak (Specialty Dining) for a $17 upcharge. 

[Sand and Seas]

It's possible the two new MDRs will have two different 'set' menus.    I'm looking forward to seeing what the new menus are.    We currently eat in the MDRs less than half the evenings on the cruise.  I don't think we will get tired of the same menu when there should be multiple interesting choices.

 

I'm also interested in how the Food Hall concept will be for breakfast & lunch.  Many new types of dining venues on Prima and can't wait for our Prima cruise this fall.

[che-vos]

I have re-read the article a few times, and I do not think they will have two menus for two MDRs if rolled out to the older ships.  It looks like they would have a one fixed menu that is offered in the two dinning rooms.  Hope I am wrong on that, but that would make sense from a cost-cutting point of view (which is how I believe they are looking at it). Just my 2 cents 

[rnfulk]

Some people are acting like they can sample the entire menu in a night or two. At most restaurants I go to there are usually at least a handful of dishes that sound amazing. You’ll still be able to make different choices each night even if the menu is fixed. 

[ontheweb]

There are even less choices available if you do not eat meat! We look forward to the different creative vegetarian dishes the cruise lines offer.

[lgdesign]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

Maybe it will be like Royal Caribbean. You can eat the NY Strip steak off the MDR menu for free. Or get a Chops steak (Specialty Dining) for a $17 upcharge. 

Yup... I would expect these so-called "specialty" items to have an equally "special " upcharge if NCL is true to form.  😉 

[Karaboudjan]

2 hours ago, clskinsfan said:

Why would I want to eat the exact same menu for 7 nights on a cruise? Granted the MDR food on Escape is outstanding. But variety is the spice of cruising for us. We are foodies. And I dont like be ing forced to spend extra money to experience a different menu. To each their own though. 

 

But you don't eat the whole menu every night, do you?  I expect they will have enough selections so that you don't have to repeat at least during a 7-night cruise.

[david_sobe]

This would have been a big deal several years ago.  Today not so much since NCL almost gives passengers 2 specialty dinners with a 7 night booking.  Specialty dining is so popular which means fewer eat at the MDR every night.  There are some that are excellent with their budget and stick to it and I can see some of them upset.  But for most of us, we probably would not even notice the change.

[Double Jack]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

How is this less? It is a lot more. Yes?

 

Some people were totally “I can’t sail NCL any more” when they removed chicken fingers from the lunch menu and replaced it with poached salmon. I guess that this is a similar case. 

 

It certainly is less variety. Even us commoners (as you call us) don't want to have the same menu every night.

[Oxo]

1 minute ago, Double Jack said:

 

It certainly is less variety. Even us commoners (as you call us) don't want to have the same menu every night.

Jokingly-

 

Then don't look at the menu every night.

 

LOL

[casofilia]

If there is to be a single menu throughout the MDRs then I hope there is double (or even triple) that has been available in the past.   Especially when doing 12+ nights on board.

 

We enjoy the MDR and the staff we get to know well and only use the Specialties when we have "free" coupons from Latitudes or "Free at Sea" meals.

[rabidstoat]

Pretty sure this quietly gets away with the beloved "steak and lobster" night too.

[rabidstoat]

35 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

This would have been a big deal several years ago.  Today not so much since NCL almost gives passengers 2 specialty dinners with a 7 night booking.  Specialty dining is so popular which means fewer eat at the MDR every night.  There are some that are excellent with their budget and stick to it and I can see some of them upset.  But for most of us, we probably would not even notice the change.

 

In January they changed the dining for Free At Sea. For a standard 7 day cruise you get 1 meal in an interior or ocean view or 2 in a balcony. You have to go to to 12+ nights then you get 2 free meals unless you're in a balcony and it's 3.

 

That's more specialty dining you have to purchase if you want those specialty dining options.

[PTC DAWG]

So 4 or so choices a night, or 20 + nightly…I’d take the 20 or so nightly. 

[ziggyuk]

It just gets better, they reduced the Speciality Dining to just 1 night for an Oceanview on a 9 day cruise now I have the same old menu in the MDR for the other 8 days.

Good job I'm not a fussy eater 🙄