Major cuts to MDR menus

[jrt.mom]

13 hours ago, FlatFooted Freda said:

There were options that were constant each night - 3 cheese ziti for vegetarian.

I'm also a vegetarian and would like to consign the ziti to the deepest bowels of Hades...a gloopier,  blander dish has never graced a table of a cruise ship.

[PATRLR]

13 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

That demonstrates that NCL is trying to remain relevant.

No, it demonstrates that NCL has become the Costco of the cruise industry:  high volume, low quality.

I know that may seem like a smart a$$ comment, but, I think it's the reality.  I would much rather you tried to make your point in a full service supermarket seeing as cruise ships really should be full service vacations (IMO).  But alas we know those days are long gone from NCL and the other mass market lines.

So, just like Costco has only a few low quality items in any given category, so do the MDR menus on NCL ships.  

Edited May 26 by PATRLR

[Mommapadraig]

14 hours ago, LAFFNVEGAS said:

Actually they are already charging more, some of their competition is considerably less, Princess and Holland America as an example especially when comparing their Free at Sea program compared to what is offered with other cruise lines. Comparing Haven to other Suites they are probably some of the highest with premium cruising. Sadly the dumbed down their entertainment and shows, they are no longer nothing like Royal Caribbean for entertainment across the fleet. But Royal is also charging a premium for their cabins. Don't get me wrong I love NCL my  last 12 NCL cruises were Suites /Haven but I am actually stepping down for our January cruise, I no longer can see the value of Haven especially with the drastic price difference between the Club Suite and Haven. Over all NCL in my opinion is charging a lot more than competition. I am cruising to Alaska on HAL in what is similar to a Mini Suite and full packages of dining and beverage and shore excursion credit for close to half the price of NCL.

We always cruised NCL. A friend told us about the MSC Yacht club. We tried them the  week of 5/5. 1/2 the price of the cheapest haven room for the same route. Different menu every day in YC restaurant. Filet Mignon on the menu every day and it was fork tender.Salmon also was always on the menu. High tea complete with white gloved butlers served in the top sail lounge. Free Wi-Fi. Contents of the fridge included and replaced. A free bottle of liquor or wine of our choice in the cabin.A daily newspaper delivered to our cabin.Different entertainment every night in the theater. Just a fun ship.MSC Seashore. There was no comparison. The only thing we’ll miss from NCL is our free bag of laundry. We won’t be going back. 

Edited May 26 by Mommapadraig

[DorothyB]

1 hour ago, Mommapadraig said:

We always cruised NCL. A friend told us about the MSC Yacht club. We tried them the  week of 5/5. 1/2 the price of the cheapest haven room for the same route. Different menu every day in YC restaurant. Filet Mignon on the menu every day and it was fork tender.Salmon also was always on the menu. High tea complete with white gloved butlers served in the top sail lounge. Free Wi-Fi. Contents of the fridge included and replaced. A free bottle of liquor or wine of our choice in the cabin.A daily newspaper delivered to our cabin.Different entertainment every night in the theater. Just a fun ship.MSC Seashore. There was no comparison. The only thing we’ll miss from NCL is our free bag of laundry. We won’t be going back. 

What is dress code?

[Mommapadraig]

@DorothyB we saw men in dress pants, jeans and dress shorts. I have read on some European cruises dress shorts were not allowed in the evening.I didn’t see any tee shirts. A lot of 3 button collared shirts. Women were in capris, pants, dresses or skirts. I saw one tux. Nothing too fancy. 

Edited May 26 by Mommapadraig

[DorothyB]

1 hour ago, Mommapadraig said:

@DorothyB we saw men in dress pants, jeans and dress shorts. I have read on some European cruises dress shorts were not allowed in the evening.I didn’t see any tee shirts. A lot of 3 button collared shirts. Women were in capris, pants, dresses or skirts. I saw one tux. Nothing too fancy. 

Thanks - still too fancy for me 🙂

[ColdCruise]

On 5/17/2024 at 11:37 PM, BirdTravels said:

Tonight’s appetizers seem perfectly acceptable. 

However @BirdTravels there is a noticeable decrease in choices from earlier menus 

2 salad options down from 3 *although happy to see the Brie!)

 2 soups instead of 3 to choose from 

3 appetizers versus 5 

 

I know you’ve posted tons of reviews with menus, so would have a fairly extensive data set to compare.
 

But perhaps NCL hopes frequent cruisers like yourself wouldn’t have noticed as the removed 1 or 2 items over several months … sort of like the shrink-flation we’ve experienced with or half-gallon once cream cartons ? Brewers and the ilk who had those rounded square cartons went from 2 qt to 1.75 qt and it was hard to notice the difference unless you saw the 2 sizes side-by-side. Then they went to 1.5 qt … the horror if you were trying to make a recipe calling for half a gallon of ice cream 😱

[Ellis1138]

21 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

That's exactly why you'll find that Asian noodle soup stand in the buffet on big ships,,, even if they had to dump the old, clunky crepe stand. 

 

 

I was overjoyed to see the noodle soup station at lunch on the Escape. I love that stuff. (Although I also love making Campbell's at home and even bought the stock.)

 

And yes, one of the nights, there is the baked brie appetizer still.

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, ColdCruise said:

However @BirdTravels there is a noticeable decrease in choices from earlier menus 

2 salad options down from 3 *although happy to see the Brie!)

 2 soups instead of 3 to choose from 

3 appetizers versus 5 

 

I certainly notice differences in menus over time. I certainly notice changes from cruise to cruise. Some of our favorite foods (not hasbrowns or cookies) have disappeared over time.  BUT,,, that does not mean that all of the changes are bad. And I am able to pick an great meal from every menu (MDR and Specialty). 

 

Food waste is a big cost for the cruise line. NCL stopped the midnight chocolate buffets when passenger interest dwindled and when they were throwing 10,000 lbs of chocolate overboard from the event every week. Any foods cooked and held for over 4 hours are dumped overboard. So,,, maybe reducing the soup count saves 100's of gallons of soup each week from becoming fish foods. Last week, we stopped at the buffet around closing time nightly for some fresh fruit and ice cream. And it is always sad to watch those freshly made pizzas put out at 9:25 being thrown into a trash can at 9:30 along with all of the other foods on display. 

[laudergayle]

57 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

And it is always sad to watch those freshly made pizzas put out at 9:25 being thrown into a trash can at 9:30 along with all of the other foods on display. 

Perhaps the buffet crew could consolidate the remaining food items to a station or two to allow the buffet to remain open longer and reduce waste.  Call it a Grab snd Go, offer paper plates/utensils.  They could still publish Buffet close as 9:30.

 

 

WBTW, the morning and especially the lunch closing times are way short by at least 30 mins.  I definitely shared my thoughts on my NCL survey last week.

Edited May 26 by laudergayle

[roddy good boy]

5 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

 

I certainly notice differences in menus over time. I certainly notice changes from cruise to cruise. Some of our favorite foods (not hasbrowns or cookies) have disappeared over time.  BUT,,, that does not mean that all of the changes are bad. And I am able to pick an great meal from every menu (MDR and Specialty). 

 

Food waste is a big cost for the cruise line. NCL stopped the midnight chocolate buffets when passenger interest dwindled and when they were throwing 10,000 lbs of chocolate overboard from the event every week. Any foods cooked and held for over 4 hours are dumped overboard. So,,, maybe reducing the soup count saves 100's of gallons of soup each week from becoming fish foods. Last week, we stopped at the buffet around closing time nightly for some fresh fruit and ice cream. And it is always sad to watch those freshly made pizzas put out at 9:25 being thrown into a trash can at 9:30 along with all of the other foods on display. 

Are you serious? They really throw the excess food overboard into the sea?

[ChiefMateJRK]

3 minutes ago, roddy good boy said:

Are you serious? They really throw the excess food overboard into the sea?

What would you do with it?

[ChiCruzr]

2 hours ago, roddy good boy said:

Are you serious? They really throw the excess food overboard into the sea?

 

No, they don't just throw it overboard.  It gets processed into a liquid slurry that is discharged at sea, away from coastlines.

[ChiefMateJRK]

23 minutes ago, ChiCruzr said:

 

No, they don't just throw it overboard.  It gets processed into a liquid slurry that is discharged at sea, away from coastlines.

Isn't that exactly the same thing???

[ChiCruzr]

No, it's really not the same thing.  It's not like the kitchen staff is throwing half eaten or uneaten lobsters, steaks, and french fries off the back of the ship.

[mking8288]

4 minutes ago, ChiCruzr said:

No, it's really not the same thing.  It's not like the kitchen staff is throwing half eaten or uneaten lobsters, steaks, and french fries off the back of the ship.

Exactly, my understanding is edible food that must be properly disposed of - not that maritime regulations allow cruise ships to just "dump" matters into the vast ocean - processed onboard, sorted out and turn into "feeds" for marine life at sea, I don't recall whether they're liquid and/or patties.  

 

Ever wonder why birds and fishes are often attracted to cruise ships near ports and not just pods of dolphins in their hunt for food.  

 

BTW, it is Memorial Day ... thank you to those that serve and protect.  

 

[FlatFooted Freda]

On 5/26/2024 at 9:09 AM, jrt.mom said:

I'm also a vegetarian and would like to consign the ziti to the deepest bowels of Hades...a gloopier,  blander dish has never graced a table of a cruise ship.

LOL! Apt description. Once was enuf.

Also, this was the first cruise I've taken where there was no muesli offered at breakfast. Probably not the healthiest of options, but I loved it - across all the different cruise lines. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

15 hours ago, ChiCruzr said:

It gets processed into a liquid slurry that is discharged at sea, away from coastlines.

 

7 hours ago, ChiCruzr said:

It's not like the kitchen staff is throwing half eaten or uneaten lobsters, steaks, and french fries off the back of the ship.

Yes, I've been around this forum long enough to know that.  It reminds me of those posts where somebody saw the slurry discharge and claimed that NCL was pumping raw sewage into the ocean. 🤣  That was a classic.

 

That said, the leftover food winds up in the ocean which was my only point.  I asked what the other poster would do with it, to which I don't believe I've received a response.

[Floatyman]

These apps are pretty much what we had on the Breakaway and there were a lot of repeats. There was only one night where any soup besides French Onion was available. 
 

Food was passable, but the "always available" steak was the worst quality cut we ever experienced on a cruise ship. 

[dexddd]

On 5/26/2024 at 4:35 PM, BirdTravels said:

 

I certainly notice differences in menus over time. I certainly notice changes from cruise to cruise. Some of our favorite foods (not hasbrowns or cookies) have disappeared over time.  BUT,,, that does not mean that all of the changes are bad. And I am able to pick an great meal from every menu (MDR and Specialty). 

 

Food waste is a big cost for the cruise line. NCL stopped the midnight chocolate buffets when passenger interest dwindled and when they were throwing 10,000 lbs of chocolate overboard from the event every week. Any foods cooked and held for over 4 hours are dumped overboard. So,,, maybe reducing the soup count saves 100's of gallons of soup each week from becoming fish foods. Last week, we stopped at the buffet around closing time nightly for some fresh fruit and ice cream. And it is always sad to watch those freshly made pizzas put out at 9:25 being thrown into a trash can at 9:30 along with all of the other foods on display. 

Most of the pizza last ten years, especially at the now not late night buffet, were wasted the moment they made them as they were junk.  Dough, more dough, bit of sauce and cheese.  Maybe if high quality would mean less waste.  Garbage in, garbage out via the chopper.

[jrt.mom]

Get to the chopper!! (sorry, couldn't help myself...)

[dexddd]

The chopper has been part of the BTS tour.  I felt sorry for the guy having to work it as a thankless and smelly job.

[cruiseny4life]

On 5/26/2024 at 1:27 PM, DorothyB said:

Thanks - still too fancy for me 🙂

I so agree!!! 

 

On 5/26/2024 at 6:31 PM, laudergayle said:

Perhaps the buffet crew could consolidate the remaining food items to a station or two to allow the buffet to remain open longer and reduce waste.  Call it a Grab snd Go, offer paper plates/utensils.  They could still publish Buffet close as 9:30.

Such a wonderful suggestion! 

 

On 5/25/2024 at 6:35 PM, PATRLR said:

They ended because we let them end (we being the overall cruising clientele).  I am as complicit in this as anyone.

What an astute self-aware comment. I agree on all points.