Specialty Dining 1-1-1

[Yesimapirate]

7 hours ago, 3OfDiamonds said:

I think I’m just going to order what I want, answering any scolding with that I was never noticed of any changes between when I booked and my upcoming cruise, and that it isn’t ok for them to inflict new charges/restrictions after I booked (especially if not notified of any such changes… email is a thing) and then ask for a manager if they do try to charge me 🧐  If they come back at me with something like “well the terms and conditions say we can” I’ll be like “… nah, **** that, doesn’t make it ok”.  If they make things a pain for me g-d only knows how well I can reciprocate 😇✌️

Don't even bother with the waiter.   They're poorly paid service workers with no authority or input on the decisions.  Be kind to them.  

 

However,  feel free to share your feelings with the restaurant manager and escalate to the F&B Manager.  Far too often they throw the front line workers under the bus and hide from a guest instead of politely addressing the issue.

[drwbrt]

On 1/11/2023 at 8:20 PM, curlstravel said:

Is it true that pizza is considered an entree in La Cucina?  I was going  to try it on my next cruise but not if I have to give up my entree.

Hover at the pizza station in the buffet. A fresh pizza there is the same as La Cucina. I thought it was good pizza when fresh, but there was nothing special or different buffet vs La Cucina.

[New2cruise2022]

42 minutes ago, drwbrt said:

Hover at the pizza station in the buffet. A fresh pizza there is the same as La Cucina. I thought it was good pizza when fresh, but there was nothing special or different buffet vs La Cucina.

The. Exact. Same. Pizza. 
 

It is a good pizza for mass production. I hovered for some fresh pepperoni in the buffet. Decent cheese, pepperoni, and sauce. The crust is soft and … forgettable. But not bad. 

Edited January 30, 2023 by New2cruise2022

[New2cruise2022]

8 hours ago, 3OfDiamonds said:

I think I’m just going to order what I want, answering any scolding with that I was never noticed of any changes between when I booked and my upcoming cruise, and that it isn’t ok for them to inflict new charges/restrictions after I booked (especially if not notified of any such changes… email is a thing) and then ask for a manager if they do try to charge me 🧐  If they come back at me with something like “well the terms and conditions say we can” I’ll be like “… nah, **** that, doesn’t make it ok”.  If they make things a pain for me g-d only knows how well I can reciprocate 😇✌️

The reality is that NCL knows there is a communication issue. If you ordered what you want and if you are charged for overages, you shouldn’t have a problem going to guest services and having them removed. Just let them know the waiter didn’t explain or understand you. My guess is the charges would disappear. 

[rjm11]

What has been the experience with limiting the bottles of wine with the Beverage Plus package? if my husband and I both have the package, can we each get a bottle? We like to have both red and white, and the bottles are usually better than the the by-the-glass offerings.

[New2cruise2022]

Just now, rjm11 said:

What has been the experience with limiting the bottles of wine with the Beverage Plus package? if my husband and I both have the package, can we each get a bottle? We like to have both red and white, and the bottles are usually better than the the by-the-glass offerings.

You should have zero problems ordering both. I saw many people doing this and the staff did a pretty good job bringing out a second glass for both people. 

[European_CruiseGirl]

2 minutes ago, rjm11 said:

What has been the experience with limiting the bottles of wine with the Beverage Plus package? if my husband and I both have the package, can we each get a bottle? We like to have both red and white, and the bottles are usually better than the the by-the-glass offerings.

 

Nowadays (after new years) it though seems that with the plus package you can get bottles of wine…from those wines that they serve by the glass. The newest reports from cc members are that there aren’t anymore any wine bottles marked with a star indicating a premium plus wine. They simply say that you can order any wine that is served by the glass and get the whole bottle of it. Well of course they do have some over $15/glass wines that you can get by the bottle but no chateauneuf du papes etc available anymore. 

[Warm-Water Diver]

1 hour ago, drwbrt said:

We were on Bliss last week. We had three specialty reservations and had no problem with a polite request. We did the reverse at Cagney's and asked for a soup and salad in lieu of an appetizer. My recommendation would be something like: "None of the soups or salads really interest me, would it be ok if I got two appetizers instead?" I think including the instead helps them know you're not trying to be unfair. 

 

We had success, we wish you the best of luck.

I told them very politely the same thing. Not interested in soup or salad and would like a few appetizers instead. All 3 times, different waitresses scolded me and said only 1 appetizer, any more and will be extra charge. This was made very clear, black and white...

[carohs]

I'm all for practical/impractical solutions to this ridiculous problem. Ridiculous because of NCLs pricing/up charging for things we've essentially already should have paid for (meals) in the cruise faire. 

What if I sit down at Specialty and order my meal. In the time it takes to make my order run up to buffet and get a plate full of appetizers/salads/sides/whatever. Go back down and enjoy my multiple course meal in peace no argument necessary. Or will they argue that with me too? 

Edited January 30, 2023 by carohs

[nferr]

On 1/8/2023 at 8:19 PM, zqvol said:

That would make too much sense and people would have less to complain about. 

 

Yup. A lot of crying that they won't let you have a soup and salad if you skip the appetizer. How about we hear if somebody actually gets turned down for that before we pull the pitchforks out.

[PATRLR]

3 hours ago, Cruising Lynne said:

I am some one who was surprised that specialty dining ever became so popular. I never understood why so many people were willing to pay extra for it. It has led to lesser quality in the MDR.

I think lowering the quality of the MDR is what drives people to Specialty Dining.   Its what got us there on other lines where you actually have to pay for it.

And I don't think it's a chicken and egg problem.  I believe Specialty Dining was introduced with the primary purpose being to allow for a lowering of quality in the MDRs.  

[Warm-Water Diver]

10 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

I think lowering the quality of the MDR is what drives people to Specialty Dining.   Its what got us there on other lines where you actually have to pay for it.

And I don't think it's a chicken and egg problem.  I believe Specialty Dining was introduced with the primary purpose being to allow for a lowering of quality in the MDRs.  

This exactly. The "PAY" specialty restaurants are supposed to be a higher level food/dining-experience, else why even bother to "PAY" extra for it?

[zqvol]

21 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

I think lowering the quality of the MDR is what drives people to Specialty Dining.   Its what got us there on other lines where you actually have to pay for it.

And I don't think it's a chicken and egg problem.  I believe Specialty Dining was introduced with the primary purpose being to allow for a lowering of quality in the MDRs.  

The food on board the ship has never been better than mid level  chain restaurant quality even in the specialty restaurants. Not sure where you get the idea the the MDR food is worse than it was.  I haven't noticed a change in quality in 15 years, it's always been mediocre.

Edited January 30, 2023 by zqvol

[curlstravel]

2 hours ago, drwbrt said:

Hover at the pizza station in the buffet. A fresh pizza there is the same as La Cucina. I thought it was good pizza when fresh, but there was nothing special or different buffet vs La Cucina.

The pizza at La Cucina Does count as your entrée now. However I think the pizza at la Cucina Is better than the pizza at the buffet

[New2cruise2022]

Having just returned, this whole topic is a bit of a shrug for me. I wanted to like the specialty. It offered more variety, or at least known variety because I could see the menu. Did I think it was a lot more special than the MDR? No. Not really. It felt like it all came from the same kitchen. I know they have separate kitchens but the styling and flavor of the food was not extraordinarily different from what I experienced elsewhere on the ship. 
I wasn’t upset or disappointed. It just rang pretty meh. The highlight of specialty dining may have been the garlic bread at Cagneys and the bread at La Cucina. I legitimately thought it was warm/hot and fresh. The cuts of steak at Cagneys were better than in the MDR/buffet, but not necessarily a lot better. They were cooked to temp just fine, but the by the time they reached the table, they were hot. This was consistent with most food in most venues. 
 

[PATRLR]

1 hour ago, zqvol said:

The food on board the ship has never been better than mid level  chain restaurant quality even in the specialty restaurants. Not sure where you get the idea the the MDR food is worse than it was.  I haven't noticed a change in quality in 15 years, it's always been mediocre.

I agree 1000 percent that the food is chain level at best e.g Applebees, Grand Buffet. 

But my comments are based on 37 years of cruising and the quality of food in MDRs has gone way, way downhill in that time.  I'm thinking my first exposure to fee based restaurants probably goes back about 15-18 years and that's about the same time the quality really took a turn down.   For NCL specifically our experience only goes back about 7-8 years.  I believe my most recent experience on Encore represented an even lower quality than our first cruise on Dawn in 2015 but neither was very good.

 

Edited January 30, 2023 by PATRLR

[cruisinmeme]

On 1/5/2023 at 10:37 AM, mking8288 said:

This is almost certain to be new, AFAIK.  We're on the Joy and had both Platinum & SD vouchers, Cagney waiter carefully explained the difference & choices ... told him, whatever isn't covered, just put it thru the room charges.  

 

The sides are truly small or petite for its listed price.  Starters for Teppanyaki's set dinner was pathetic ... consistent with the latest "waste management" theme.  No chance that we'll pay 120% pricing as add-ons for sides and some of the starters in SD.  

 

 

Are you serious. Were these dishes after you ate your fill ?? Surely this wasn’t the pitiful portion served!

[Warm-Water Diver]

12 minutes ago, cruisinmeme said:

Are you serious. Were these dishes after you ate your fill ?? Surely this wasn’t the pitiful portion served!

That's why I'm so against the new 111 policy. They restricted the amount of apps etc. while at the same reducing portions to "mini size" under the "sail and sustain" label. 😆The app portions were just ridiculously small at all our specialty restaurant visits onboard our Jan 22 Encore sailing.

[mking8288]

3 hours ago, cruisinmeme said:

Were these dishes after you ate your fill ?? Surely this wasn’t the pitiful portion served!

No, they weren't touch and before we lifted our forks or chopsticks.  I am not kidding, absolutely serious with my comments. I try to go easy and post with a sense of humor, but it was just pathetic as in WTH.

 

I got more update, fresh off the ship (Getaway) that we are still on, they no longer served edamame beans for whatever reasons - I knew something was missing from all the tables that evening at Teppanyaki.  Compare the salad, it's the new healthy, cooking light series returning to NCL from 20 years ago. 

 

We ended up going to the buffet shortly afterward for coffee & fruits.

 

[New2cruise2022]

If specialty dining can’t deliver for NCL, it will deliver losses and quality of service on the ship. If passengers lose faith in good food and value in specialty, they will stop paying for it and going to these venues. 
If the specialty restaurants aren’t filled it will fail to capture additional revenue and it will no longer provide more space for dining. The MDR and buffet will be more full. 

[uneamie]

8 hours ago, nferr said:

 

Yup. A lot of crying that they won't let you have a soup and salad if you skip the appetizer. How about we hear if somebody actually gets turned down for that before we pull the pitchforks out.

I thnk "Warm Water Diver" just told us about his negative experience so who wants a pitchfork? LOL 

[uneamie]

6 hours ago, PATRLR said:

I agree 1000 percent that the food is chain level at best e.g Applebees, Grand Buffet. 

But my comments are based on 37 years of cruising and the quality of food in MDRs has gone way, way downhill in that time.  I'm thinking my first exposure to fee based restaurants probably goes back about 15-18 years and that's about the same time the quality really took a turn down.   For NCL specifically our experience only goes back about 7-8 years.  I believe my most recent experience on Encore represented an even lower quality than our first cruise on Dawn in 2015 but neither was very good.

 

I kind of agree....our very first cruise was in 1988. It was NOTHING like cruising today. Everything about that cruise was "unforgettable" except for the FOOD.  The food quality was heavenly! And that was in the Main Dinning room which was the only restaurant to eat. That was when you had a set time for every meal...breakfast, lunch and dinner. Only other option was a midnight buffett which was pretty darn awesome as well. Bottom line...cruising has improved on so many things...entertainment and activities and cabins etc....but food quality has been sketchy on some areas. I would not want to go back to the way things were on the old cruise line days but I wouldn't mind if they took a page out their books on food quality. 

[cruiseny4life]

   

22 hours ago, Cruising Lynne said:

I am some one who was surprised that specialty dining ever became so popular. I never understood why so many people were willing to pay extra for it. It has led to lesser quality in the MDR.

Thank you! I will beat this drum for all of eternity! Always! Only a fool would actually pay for a specialty dining meal. I'll take my Free at Sea included meals and that's it. 

 

20 hours ago, Yesimapirate said:

Don't even bother with the waiter.   They're poorly paid service workers with no authority or input on the decisions.  Be kind to them.  

 

However,  feel free to share your feelings with the restaurant manager and escalate to the F&B Manager.  Far too often they throw the front line workers under the bus and hide from a guest instead of politely addressing the issue.

Eh, I think complaining to the server and to the manager is the way to go. Unfortunately, the only way to make corporations really pay attention is to either 1) reduce spending by customers (let's hope that happens - I don't see it happening onboard though), 2) making the employees miserable, thus employees not renewing their contract. I don't want to, and will never be cruel to an employee, but I'll certainly voice my displeasure, in a polite manner, to them that something is awry. 

 

20 hours ago, New2cruise2022 said:

The reality is that NCL knows there is a communication issue. If you ordered what you want and if you are charged for overages, you shouldn’t have a problem going to guest services and having them removed. Just let them know the waiter didn’t explain or understand you. My guess is the charges would disappear. 

I don't necessarily disagree, but NCL could also track that employee and "punish" them for not having explained the specialty dining rules. Unfortunately, this could lead to a non-renewed contract for the employee, because a passenger that is spending thousands on a cruise will lie to avoid spending $10 - $12 on an appetizer they were warned would cost extra. That's not the way to "give it to corporate." 

 

19 hours ago, Warm-Water Diver said:

I told them very politely the same thing. Not interested in soup or salad and would like a few appetizers instead. All 3 times, different waitresses scolded me and said only 1 appetizer, any more and will be extra charge. This was made very clear, black and white...

Agreed. At Cagney's I once asked politely to sub a salad for an appetizer. I was not allowed. The answer was no. Very, very clearly. I have a lovely husband who ordered my salad and went without his appetizer for me. This was in the before times (April, 22) when we probably would not have been charged if I had just ordered the salad. I didn't know what I know now, so did not argue. The server was very clear on the requirement it was 1 appetizer, 1 soup/salad, entree with two sides. I guess he was preparing for the now times! 

 

[DCGuy64]

On 1/8/2023 at 3:16 PM, Shidah said:

Do you think it is a reaction to people always looking for loop holes?  People ordering one of every app and sides just to try them all, which I have seen reported on here.  It only takes a few people to ruin things for everyone.  I personally don’t see how anyone could (or should) eat more than 1-1-1-1.  

Agreed. I guess I'll never understand how some people can adopt an "I can eat/drink anything I want" attitude and then have the nerve to complain when they have to pay extra. #actionshaveconsequences

[DCGuy64]

To those who say food was better 30 or so years ago: do you think it's true that the demographic of cruisers has changed a lot over the years? My only experience long ago was the old MS Starward owned by Norwegian, and that was in 1992. I do remember the food being good, and lavish, and the midnight buffet. But my impression is that cruise lines have gotten more affordable and opened up to a larger, and younger, demographic. Maybe it's my memory, but it seems like cruising of yore was older, well-to-do people who dressed up for dinner, ate at the same table every night with the same waiter, etc. Maybe as cruise lines compete for dollars, more people can afford to cruise, but there are bound to be cuts. I don't know. I see the same thing in the airline industry.