When to Go to Specialty Restaurant

[back2cruising1]

Hello, fellow cruisers!

 

I am going on my first ever NCL cruise, and my first cruise on any cruise line in over a decade. I am very excited to return to cruising! I will be staying in a Haven suite and have the Free at Sea package. I am trying to decide when to book my specialty dinner. Does anyone have thoughts about the strategy of this? For example, is it better to do it on embarkation day, on an at sea day, or on a port day? Since I'm planning to do the Haven restaurant for the other dinners, does it make sense to do a specialty dining option in the middle for variety? Or does it not matter at all? I would love to hear everyone's thoughts.

 

I also wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all the lovely people on this message board who have passed along thousands of helpful tips. I've been scouring these boards for weeks and have already learned so much!

[DorothyB]

I would NOT do a specialty meal on a port day if I had an excursion and might be tired and ready to relax afterwards.  Do you get TWO specialty meals? or just ONE?

[back2cruising1]

1 minute ago, DorothyB said:

I would NOT do a specialty meal on a port day if I had an excursion and might be tired and ready to relax afterwards.  Do you get TWO specialty meals? or just ONE?

Thanks for the advice! We get one for each traveler since it's a 5 night cruise and we have Free at Sea, not Free at Sea Plus.

[RocketMan275]

I wouldn't spend a lot of time worrying about this.  We've been on three Haven cruises and have always had at least two specialty dinners.  I believe the choice of where to go for  your  dinners is more important than when.  On our last cruise, we had the FAS+ which gave us four diners.  We actually missed the Haven restaurant.  While each night has it's pluse/minuses, we do not like a specialty dinner on the last night since we're usually getting ready to leave the ship.  We also like to spend that night in the Haven where we can say goodbye to those who've servied us well.

[back2cruising1]

4 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

I wouldn't spend a lot of time worrying about this.  We've been on three Haven cruises and have always had at least two specialty dinners.  I believe the choice of where to go for  your  dinners is more important than when.  On our last cruise, we had the FAS+ which gave us four diners.  We actually missed the Haven restaurant.  While each night has it's pluse/minuses, we do not like a specialty dinner on the last night since we're usually getting ready to leave the ship.  We also like to spend that night in the Haven where we can say goodbye to those who've servied us well.

Thanks for the advice! That's a good point about being in the Haven on the last night. On previous cruises, we were on a cruise line that did scheduled seatings at the same table with the same waitstaff rather than freestyle, and we really enjoyed having an opportunity to thank our waitstaff at the end of the cruise.

[9tee2Sea]

I like to do Specialty dining on sea days, and if there is no production show I am interested in seeing.  Tell your server at wherever you are dining of you plan on seeing the early shows.  That way they can get you out of the restaurant in time.  

[KeithJenner]

This really is a personal decision. All I can advise is to just use the same considerations that you would on land. If you have had a lazy day would you then want to go out for a dinner, or do you prefer to continue a busier day? Does having a nice meal sound like something that would start a holiday or end one?

 

We have no fixed ideas about when we will eat where, but consider what we are likely to be doing each day and then what we are likely to fancy doing in the evening. Nobody on these boards knows our preferences better than us, so we are best placed to make those choices. It really is up to us.

 

I'm not trying to be unhelpful, but this isn't a cruise thing, it's a you thing.

[RocketMan275]

3 minutes ago, back2cruising1 said:

Thanks for the advice! That's a good point about being in the Haven on the last night. On previous cruises, we were on a cruise line that did scheduled seatings at the same table with the same waitstaff rather than freestyle, and we really enjoyed having an opportunity to thank our waitstaff at the end of the cruise.

You may find requsting the same waitstaff each night in the Haven.  Probably a greater chance than in the MDR.  

I would suggest making your specialty dinning reservation as soon as possible.  You can do this beginning 125 days out.  You can select the venue and the time on line.  The concierge can usually make changes upon embarkation.  He/she can also make your reservations onboard, but there is no real reason to wait.  

BTW, there is a on-shore concierge group that can assist you in making special requests prior to  your cruise.  You can contact them at 855-625-4283  or norwegianconciergedesk@ncl.com.  All you need is  your booking number.  I recommend you call since they may make suggestions about things you might not have thought of.  

[KeithJenner]

Restaurant reservations open at 130 days for the Haven.

[back2cruising1]

Thanks for the helpful information, everyone! I'll be sure to look into making my reservation soon and see about contacting the concierge.

[ryarger]

Since you’ll be in the Haven, also be aware of the option to enjoy your special dining meal in your cabin. Your butler can arrange to have the entire meal brought in to your cabin and will set up your table for the experience.

 

The only downside is that the entire meal arrives at once so the entree can cool while you’re enjoying the early courses but it’s still a fantastic experience.

[complawyer]

if youre  in a haven, either contact the concierge on your 1st day on board and tell him when and where you want to dine ,or call the available concierge number and tell then wat you want

[erisajd]

We're in the Haven - and have a 5 hour glacier excursion on the Juneau day- we have FAS+ so we have a total of four specialty dining res - we are saving one so the night we return from the long excursion we will select one of the restaurants to have food delivered to our cabin at 7p - we will let the butler know that morning what we want - we already have our 630p reservations for the other restaurants selected - prob gonna select the Texas bbq spread - and I'll run up to the Haven bar and grab some beers for the spread . . . . 

 

we are looking forward to this cruise - 

[European_CruiseGirl]

Most people will say that having the speciality dining on a sea day is the way to go for several reasons (nice to have speciality dinner on a lazy day, nice to just unwind after a shore excursion) and I cannot argue with them. Those are solid arguments indeed. However our approach is different. 
 

Because most people want to book specialty dinners on a sea day those restaurants tend to be crowded on sea days. Thats why we deliberably choose to go to specialty dining on non sea days because the restaurants tend to be calmer and quieter then. We also book specialty restaurants for the first part of the cruise as by the end of the cruise (last 1-2 days) people tend to all want to go to the specialty restaurants. Plus we like our lazy sea days to be completely lazy. No program whatsoever for those days, we get up when we want, eat when we feel like it, and do what we feel like doing when we feel like doing it. No pre determined schedule, no predetermined program, no pre determined nothing. Just doing on the sea days what we feel like doing just then. 
 

On a 7 day cruise we usually schedule our 2 specialty dinners like this: 1st night speciality dinner, 4th night specialty dinner. For some reason most of our cruises have had sea days on days 2 and 6. 
 

 

 

Edited May 15 by European_CruiseGirl

[wolft927]

Staying in the Haven many times, we have no preference when we use our Specialty dining other then never on embarkation day or the last night of the cruise. 1st night in the Haven is always Filet with two lobster tails! we did live Q on the Joy and I will say might not be the best BBQ ever lol, but the portions were huge and love the live country/rock band that plays as well. We used to do Cagneys, but if there is Moderno's on the ship opt for that instead. I will say the Italian place is also very good! 

 

I will say, also having your meal brought to your cabin is also a treat. We had the Haven Aft Facing Balcony and had it set up outside and it was amzing!

[UKstages]

21 minutes ago, European_CruiseGirl said:

We also book specialty restaurants for the first part of the cruise as by the end of the cruise (last 1-2 days) people tend to all want to go to the specialty restaurants.

 

that is so interesting,. my perspective is a little different. in my experience, the crowding in the specialty restaurants actually thins out by the end of the end of the cruse because most people will have used their FAS specialty dining and their platinum and above coupons by then... especially true on longer cruises, such as transatlantics and transpacifics. 

[European_CruiseGirl]

24 minutes ago, UKstages said:

 

that is so interesting,. my perspective is a little different. in my experience, the crowding in the specialty restaurants actually thins out by the end of the end of the cruse because most people will have used their FAS specialty dining and their platinum and above coupons by then... especially true on longer cruises, such as transatlantics and transpacifics. 

Very likely so on long cruises. We usually cruise 7 max 11 days and it seems that in the beginning of the cruise people are just happy to be on a cruise and go to MDR or buffet. However by day 5 of a 7 day cruise it is impossible to get tables for days 6 or 7 to specialty restaurants as everything is booked 🫨

 

 

Edited May 15 by European_CruiseGirl

[PartyPlannerLady]

On 5/12/2024 at 4:47 PM, back2cruising1 said:

Hello, fellow cruisers!

 

I am going on my first ever NCL cruise, and my first cruise on any cruise line in over a decade. I am very excited to return to cruising! I will be staying in a Haven suite and have the Free at Sea package. I am trying to decide when to book my specialty dinner. Does anyone have thoughts about the strategy of this? For example, is it better to do it on embarkation day, on an at sea day, or on a port day? Since I'm planning to do the Haven restaurant for the other dinners, does it make sense to do a specialty dining option in the middle for variety? Or does it not matter at all? I would love to hear everyone's thoughts.

 

I also wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all the lovely people on this message board who have passed along thousands of helpful tips. I've been scouring these boards for weeks and have already learned so much!

 

We are foodies amd almost always dine at the specialties every night of our cruise.  On port days ensure you leave enough time for any excursion to be over, get back on the ship, and take care of pre-dining heeds (shower, etc if applicable).  Enjoy your cruise.  Be sure to come back and let us all know how it went!

[Mike B Landlubber]

You will figure out your own preferences, but here are mine: As with many others, I like to book specialty meals on sea days. I sometimes book them on the first night of the cruise, especially if I expect that my boarding will have been easy (no last minute travel arrivals, etc. ). Once I ate in the Mexican Restaurant on Norwegian Dawn the first night, and there was only one other couple there! If I eat on a port day, I try to eat on a day where the ship leaves port early to avoid weariness or rushing to clean up. I like to book all my specialty meals early to ensure I get the days and times I want. This is especially important for Teppenyaki (sp?) in my experience. But you might find all these choices horrible, so pick what makes sense to you.

[N-8]

Another vote for sea days. Or if its a port that the ship leaves early (like 5 PM or earlier). 

[ChiefMateJRK]

On 5/12/2024 at 7:47 PM, ryarger said:

The only downside is that the entire meal arrives at once so the entree can cool while you’re enjoying the early courses but it’s still a fantastic experience.

That sounds like a huge downside.

[smillerholmes]

I can't remember which cruise exactly changed my perspective, but I used to make reservations, primarily on Sea Days - I don't typically eat during prime hours (5:30 - 7:30), but even after 7:30ish I found the restaurants to be noisy and with longer than usual waits for service (Cagney's and LeBistro).  I no longer make reservations I just wait to see what I feel like eating and then I choose.  I typically head to the restaurants between 8:45 and 9:00.  I know that's a bit late for some, but it's just me and I never have a problem getting a table and excellent service.  I also love being able to decide what I actually feel like eating as opposed to pre deciding.  I know that won't work for everyone, but you don't have to schedule "all" of your meals either - you can hold a couple in reserve and just wing it.  

[Travelling2Some]

We usually book specialty on the first night.  Unlike the majority, we shy away from booking big dinners on sea days.  Because we've been on the ship all day we tend to eat and drink more and  have less of an appetite when dinnertime comes.  Also on most lines the "dress up" night(s) have the best MDR menus and are on the sea days.  On port days we eat breakfast and then are gone all day.  We don't eat lunch in port as we don't want to take time out from seeing the sights.  On port days we come back to the ship ready to relax over a nice dinner. 

Edited Saturday at 02:20 AM by Travelling2Some

[bedfordmom]

On longer cruises 9 plus days we tend to book towards the latter half as the menu starts becoming repetitive to us. Like others prefer sea days but a port day with an earlier  departure works. The only issue is if we get back on the ship hungry and then hit the buffet for ‘snacks’ it ruins our appetite for our specialty. 

[itsnotjustme]

Our circumstances are higher latitudes level and normally taking longer cruises.  We will normally have either 4 or 5 specialty meals.  We plan the best nights/reserve in advance with the following points in mind:

 

• Avoid port days when the ship departs port late - say after 5 PM
• Embarkation day is a good choice
• Sea days are good choices too
• Space them out across the cruise duration
• Leave an available makeup day toward the end of the cruise in case you need to cancel one
• Reserve for either early (NLT than 6:30) or late (NET 8 PM) to have the best chance of not conflicting with both show times for a show running twice a night
• Book fixed price venues first to use the Free at Sea package, lest they try to charge you up front
• If you learn anything that requires a change, make the change as soon as possible, upon boarding if possible