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Master Cruiser |
Check out you nearest Chili's Restaurant, count the number of tables or seats. Then compare that number to what's available on a cruise ship. You'll come to the conclusion there's at least twice as many tables and seats total on a large cruise ship. Then add that one of the restaurants aboard the cruise ship is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and that Chili's isn't open for breakfast. The Chili's gets fresh food delivered every day of the week, the large cruise ship gets fresh food delivered only on disembarkation / embarkation day. Which can be anywhere from 4 days to 14 days frequency. What amazes me is why so many expect better food aboard cruise ships? Does NCL advertise 5 star food? Does NCL advertise 1 star food? The point is, they don't advertise the quality of the food at all, and dish it out free. Golly, even the surcharge restaurants dish the food out cheaper than Chili's. So why do so many expect 5 star cuisine aboard cruise ships? Is it the fany decor of the Dining Rooms, the linen on the tables, the dinnerware, the menus, or the uniforms of the wait staff? Providing the environment is much easier than providing higher quality food. 5 star restuarants have unlimited space for their kitichens, they can expand their kitchens when necessary. Cruise ships don't have unlimited kitchen space, and can't expand their facilities. The crowded galley has been, is, and will always be crowded. |
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Experienced Cruiser |
People who cruise expect edibile food. We have been on several lines & the food is well prepared and good. We did NCL Dream and it was the worse food we have had for any cruise. Yes there are good cruiselines & bad ones. You need to find what suits you most. I prefer good food and willing to pay a bit more for my cruise. Lyn |
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Cruiser |
One of the reasons you expect good food is your expecting it after you have spent 3,000 dollars for a week on a on a floating hotel. And you will probaly spend half of that before you disembark, Thus many average people that never cruised before have high expectations only to find disapointment after disapointment. I can only imagagine what a family of four has spent eating in these so called specialty restraunts that require this $20 cover for one week of substandard service and quality.
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Moderator Cruise Guru  |
You are amazed because people expect better food on a cruise?? Wow... I guess you don't see the advertisements for cruise lines.
Yes, I do expect great food on a cruise. I also have always found great food and service. Yes, there are more tables and people to serve. There are also orders of magnitude more service staff to do it with. I have never found a bad meal on CCL (and assume the same from RCCL) and was terribly disappointed by NCL. To the point where I probably will not be cruising with them again. (Not the only reason, but definetly a big part of my decision) If NCL can't (or won't) do a better job on their cuisnie, they are going to be losing customers. CCL Fantasy 1990 CCL Celebration 1995 CCL Victory 2005 CCL Conquest 2005 CCL Spirit June 2006 NCL Dream October 2006 RCCL Mariner OTS June 2007 CCL Freedom June 2008 CCL Holiday July 2008 Booked on Victory June 2009 - Southern Caribbean! |
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Administrator Cruise Guru  |
Not necessarily so. We've seen food loaded onto ships in several ports mid-cruise. The most memorable was on Regal Empress a few years ago, where crates of live lobster were brought onboard in Portland, Maine. What a wonderful feast we had that evening! And, certainly on NCLA cruises in Hawai'i, they can reload every once in a while. I do enjoy our NCL cruises, yet I must also agree with many about the decline in food quality. This is not to say the meals are bad -- they are just not what they used to be. I was very disappointed last year to learn that the line discontinued the Presidents' Menu, for example. In all fairness, I have noticed this on other lines, too. Even so, I do expect the cruise lines to provide good to excellent food -- as well as sufficient choices. |
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Cruise Guru |
I'll say it again; expectations need to be reasonable. If your expectation is for good food, you won't be disappointed. If you expect Chef Ken to be serving his 5 star meals tableside every meal, you'll be disappointed.
In Hawaii, I've spent $50-$100 per plate, four people, for 7 nights in Hawaii, plus several hundred a night for a cramped hotel room, and felt much less satisfied with my vacation experience for the amount of money I spent than for any cruise I've taken. It's all about reasonable expectations. The cruise vacation, in total, is perhaps the best value you can get. Don't get me started on the "Disney" experience! $550 plus for entry to 2 parks for 4 people, $250 a night for the mid range room in the park, $100 for a cruddy lunch at an Itialian restaurant in the park... I have not had NCL food, and I grant everyone's entitlement to their opinion on NCL food. I'm talking about cruise line food in general. Who knows? Maybe I'd be more passionate against NCL if I'd taken one of their cruises! Expectations govern end results. |
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Administrator Cruise Commodore |
goin' cruisin' has it right. Last week I received an e-mail offer from "A Cruise Line" for a 5-day cruise this coming October for $259 pp. Okay, so let's add the tips and taxes and round it to $400. That is $80 per day per person. I'd like to know where I can get served three meals in a formal dining room, plus all I can eat at a buffet, plus room service, plus shows, and oh, don't forget the room itself, for $80 per day. Or for $100 per day. Or even for $200 per day.
I expect "good" food and I am normally happy with the results, sometimes I am surprised. And yes, I sometimes am disappointed by a dish but this is rare. "Expectations need to be reasonable." "gc" nailed it! However it would be nice to have Chef Ken serve a fine repast during our member cruise! Dave  |
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Cruise Guru |
How nice of you to say so. I agree that expectations must be put into context of a real world, not how we think we should be treated. Cruise lines do an amazing job and most of the meals I have had were excellent. Could I pick them apart with criticism? Sure, but that doesn't make for a very enjoyable cruise now does it.
People sometimes feel that the dollars they spend are more valuable then what others spend. Mr. O touched on the entitlement mentality on another thread. Relax, breathe deep as someone told me and lower your expectations. NCL has some real issues and I think they are doing damage control but the problems will have a tendency to spread throughout all levels of employee ranks and that would include those who prepare and serve food. The management problems would have me thinking twice about another NCL cruise but not the food. In defense of NCL, I have not been on The Pearl or The Jewel so rest easy defenders of NCL, put down your sword, I mean no harm. Just putting forth an opinion. Ken |
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Experienced Cruiser |
It seems that some posters just can't be satisfied. I believe that many posts concerning the quality of food on NCL ships is unwarranted. Seems like some people think they serve dog food. I would bet those that complained here over NCL still ate while on the cruise. I am sure they got up for breakfast and most likely ate dinner somewhere on the ship. Did you get physically sick from the food? I doubt it. Was the presentation bad? I doubt it. Did you ask for more or a different entree if yours was so bad? I doubt it. Sounds like the Junks and few others are constant complainers. What do you expect, the Four Seasons in New York City at Wall Street. If so your booked on the wrong ship. Both myself and Mary have not had a multiude of bad dinners on NCL. If we did, the staff was very polite and changed or corrected our complaint. I strongly feel the reports here about NCL food being so trashy is totaled over blown in their facts. It is very hard to believe that 21 dinners on a 7 day cruise was all bad or dog food quality. As for the Dream, we were on the ship in Oct 2006, and found all the dinners to be very acceptable. There were no problems. If you ate lunch on the outside for the BBQ, that was typical backyard, local park style BBQ. We found it to be OK. The Pizzeria on deck, was typical of a quick and low priced buffet, but thats what we expected. The dining rooms were fine, and had some first time cruisers and they enjoyed it all. So its just a case of more Americans who love to bitch and complain about small stuff. It's the Ameirican way. We will be back on NCL in 28 days to Alaska, and I will report back honestly. When we were on the Pearl in Feb. we ate dinner and lunch several times with people who owned restaurants, and they thought the NCL food was very good. If the food selection is dog or cat food, crappy or good I will report it back here. But as of today we have been served, respected, and the food was always quite good.No complaints after sefveral NCL cruises and NCL Platinum members.
Richard & Mary Las Cruces, New Mexico USA We love NCL !!! |
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Cruise Guru |
I'll bring the bologna and ketchup, Dave can you get the white bread and canned pork n' beans and GC, I hope you can select a nice boxed wine. Actually I don't know if I will be able to bring my smoker on board to create some excellent ribs!! For the record, I have never said anything bad about NCL food. The meals we had on our last NCL cruise were good. |
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Experienced Cruiser |
Cheffy:
Great to hear that you finally will drink the box the wine with the pork and beans. Finally you may have been converted. For me it's the cheap hot dogs with 1% rodent hair allowed, pigs snout and a cheap glass of Franzia. Now that's delightful. Sounds like the Junks may have eaten on their cruise. I must admit that a good smoker grill outside on board ship with a slow cooked brisket or sausage basking in BBQ sauce sounds awefully good. Especially if you would throw in a few cobbs of that great Midwestern yellow sweet corn on the cobb, and some homemade coleslaw with a hint of pineapple, and of course those Minnesota baked beans. Now thats American. Richard & Mary Las Cruces, New Mexico USA We love NCL !!! |
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Administrator Cruise Commodore |
Well now I am in doubt of your chef credentials. What self-respecting foodie would serve a bologna sandwich with ketchup? It takes Miracle Whip, man, Miracle Whip! And the bologna is preferably fried - bonus points for using Crisco. Why oh why the cruise lines don't serve this treat at the buffet, I'll never know. And make that white bread Sunbeam and the beans Grandma Browns (it's a NY thing). Dave |
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Cruiser |
Wow we must have hit a nerve! Who thought that a ship named pride of hawaii that things should have been labeled your average bottom of the barrel BLUE LIGHT SPECIAL. You're right we did eat breakfast a bowl of cereal because we coul'nt wait to get of the ship to go complain about the food at HOOTERS atlest the guest there had something to look forward to. Others look forward to booking on better cruise lines that actually care that they get repeat customers and know what thier tip was actually for. |
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Cruise Guru |
thejunks, There are people who know exactly what you are talking about and those who think NCL can do no wrong. How long do you plan to be bitter about it?
Are you going to book with another cruise line yet? I am told that is the best way to get over a bad cruise. I'm not going to play the game asking you if there was "anything positive about it?" Where you say, "yea, disembarkation.ha ha." Just hope you have a better experience in the near future. |
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Cruiser |
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Master Cruiser |
The Norwegian Dawn has 10 restaurants:
The Venetian- (a cost-included main restaurant) served 2,951 breakfasts, 1,974 lunches, and 4,434 dinners. Aqua - (a cost-included main restaurant) served 3,867 dinners. Impressions - (a cost-included main restaurant) served 2,013 dinners. La Trattoria (a cost-included specialty restaurant) served 1,060 dinners. Salsa ( a cost-included specialty restaurant) served 1,241 dinners. The Garden Cafe (a cost-included buffet restaurant) served 9,509 breakfasts, 7,046 lunches, and 4,396 dinners. The Blue Lagoon (a cost-included 24-hour fast food restaurant) served 3,335 lunches, 1,284 dinners, and 1,451 mid-time meals. Bamboo (a $12 per person surcharge Asian restaurant) served 550 dinners. The Sushi Bar (an a la carte pricing restaurant) served another 277 patrons. Tapanyaki ( the Japanese restaurant) served 262 dinners. Cagney's (the $20 per person surcharge steak house) served 976 dinners. La Bistro (the $15 per person surcharge French restaurant) served 675 dinners. For a TOTAL of 47,101 meals, plus room service, and poolside barbeques, on a seven-day cruise. That averages 6,729 meals per day. Yes, they have chefs cooking something 24 hours a day. It's mass produced, assembly line techniques being used, not individually prepared after you order it. It's not a few steaks being grilled at once, but more like a few dozen steaks being grilled. It's not your local 5 star restaurant serving just 200 diners each evening. You should expect good food aboard cruise ships, but you shouldn't expect great food. The numbers of dishes being prepared each day is too great for all to be perfect. Think catering in a beautiful decor instead of 5 star restaurant. |
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Experienced Cruiser |
Ron:
Excellent points and great stats. Just shows it's not an individual dining experience when it comes to food prep. Most passengers would never realize these numbers, especially in light of the superior service that one gets in main dining rooms, specialty restaurants and buffets. For the masses NCL does a GREAT job. Yet you feel very individual at the dining experience. We always have. Your post should really make cruisers think alot about the food service and how well everything flows and how well the great job that NCL and other cruise ships do. And just think they do that every week. Amazing. Richard & Mary Las Cruces, New Mexico USA We love NCL !!! |
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Cruiser |
We have sailed on NCL several times & are sailing on the Jewel for the 2nd time May 31, My Husband & I are both chefs with 40 years of experience in UK & USA,(now retired ) I think NCLs problem started when they dicded to register POH & POA under the USA Flag, this requires them to employ only persons that have legal status in the USA, & they are paid at least mimimum wage!!! on most of their other ships they can employ any nationality at any wage the market will bear , & most of them work long hours & very hard . on the US ships staff can leave the ship in their free time & have been known not to return to the ship or be serving passengers with a hangover,there have been numerous postings of poor or no cabin service,plus staff shortages. So one can only guess with having to pay higher wages,Taxes & insurance , there is bound to be cuts elswhere nameley food quality for one, We have always enjoyed food & sevice on NCL ships we have been on but have a avoided booking om their US regisreed ships for reasons stated.
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Cruise Guru |
Ameri Brit,
Hello and welcome to cruise chat. You are correct and stated the problem precisely. I am embarrassed at the ugly-American that is created by this image. In my opinion this is something created out of the liberties we hold so dear. An element of our society has taken freedom across the lines of moral and ethical boundaries and has created a permissiveness in our culture. This makes for lazy and pampered children who are not disciplined, who think they have earned rights that defy being a servant. We are not all that way, not all of our children behave and grow up with this mentality but there is a trend of children of the baby boomers. Things are given to them, cars, money, etc. so they don't typically have to work and save. Then they get out of college with huge debts to pay and imagine this, they are not prepared. This is a generalized statement regarding kids in America and of course it is not reflective of the whole. I just think there are those of them who end up on cruise ships thinking they are going to be living a great life cruising and getting paid for it. This is simply my opinion of a growing trend of kids in the US, I have seen it first hand with some of my employees. The element in our society that enables this bad behavior sets the rules for the number of hours they can work and what pay they should receive. No system is perfect but ours does not rise to the top always. That is my rant. I know there is differing opinion and I have a lot to be proud about regarding my country. I have also seen stellar, young people who are gracious and hard working. Always nice to hear from other chefs! Ken |
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Experienced Cruiser |
Cheffy:
All I can say...... Very good comments to the above. I couldn't agree more. Richard & Mary Las Cruces, New Mexico USA We love NCL !!! |
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