I am booked on a cruise on the Wind. I am a first timer, but am a bit concerned. It looks like there are only two places to eat - the dining room and a very nice restaurant with a cover charge.
Now, maybe it is the CPA in me trying to balance the numbers, but with a capacity of 1700+ on the ship and looking at the NCL website and comparing the capacity of the restaurants, I don't see how everyone eats dinner. What am I missing?
Any tips to eating and still getting to see a show or do something else late into the night?
I don't have a problem paying a cover if the food is better and it avoids crowds.
Thanks
Monica

Restaurants on the Norwegian Wind:

Four Seasons Main Restaurant (Main Dining Room)
Cuisine: Continental
Seats: 452
Dress Code: No shorts or jeans after 6:00 p.m. in the dining rooms.
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No
Hours: Breakfast: 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Lunch: 12:00 noon – 2:30 p.m.
Dinner: 5:30 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.

Sun Terrace Dining Room
Cuisine: Italian
Seats: 243
Dress Code: No shorts or jeans after 6:00 p.m. in the dining rooms.
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No
Hours: Breakfast: 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Lunch: 12:00 noon – 2:30 p.m.
Dinner: 5:30 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.

The Terraces Dining Room
Cuisine: Continental
Seats: 308
Dress Code: No shorts or jeans after 6:00 p.m. in the dining rooms.
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No
Hours: Breakfast: 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Lunch: 12:00 noon – 2:30 p.m.
Dinner: 5:30 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.

Le Bistro French Restaurant
Cuisine: Light Italian and Continental
Seats: 78
Dress Code: No shorts or jeans after 6:00 p.m. in the dining rooms.
Surcharge: Yes, $15 per person
Reservations Required: Yes
Hours Dinner Only: 6:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Outdoor Café/Pizzeria
Cuisine: Assorted Buffet, Snacks, Pizza
Dress Code: Casual
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No
Hours: Check onboard


Adding up the seats available at all the restuarants, you'll find at total of 1081 seats. The ship can accomodiate 1748 passengers double occupancy. There's seats for 61.8% of the passengers to dine instaneously.

How does that compare to the larger 92,000 ton Norwegian Jewel?

Tsar’s Palace (Main Dining Room)
Cuisine: Continental
Seats: 550
Dress Code: No shorts or jeans after 6:00 p.m. in the dining rooms.
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No
Hours: Breakfast: 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Lunch: 12:00 noon – 2:30 p.m.
Dinner: 5:30 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.

Azura (Main Dining Room)
Cuisine: Continental
Seats: 300
Dress Code: No shorts or jeans after 6:00 p.m. in the dining rooms.
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No
Hours: Breakfast: 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Lunch: 12:00 noon – 2:30 p.m.
Dinner: 5:30 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.

Chin Chin
Cuisine: Asian
Seats: 116
Dress Code: No shorts or jeans after 6:00 p.m. in the dining rooms.
Surcharge: Yes, $12.50 per person
Reservations Required: Yes
Hours: Check onboard

Le Bistro
Cuisine: French
Seats: 165
Dress Code: No shorts or jeans after 6:00 p.m. in the dining rooms.
Surcharge: Yes, $15 per person
Reservations Required: Yes
Hours: Check onboard

Cagney''s Steakhouse
Cuisine: Steak
Seats: 50
Dress Code: No shorts or jeans after 6:00 p.m. in the dining rooms.
Surcharge: Yes, $20 per person
Reservations Required: Yes
Hours: Check onboard

Tango’s Tapas
Cuisine: Latin/Tapas
Seats: 32
Dress Code: No shorts or jeans after 6:00 p.m. in the dining rooms.
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No
Hours: Check onboard

Mama’s Italian Kitchen
Cuisine: Casual Italian
Seats: 111
Dress Code: No shorts or jeans after 6:00 p.m. in the dining rooms.
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No
Hours:: Check onboard

Garden Cafe/Kids''Cafe
Cuisine: Assorted Buffet, Food Stations, Kid-Sized Buffet
Seats: 256
Dress Code: Casual
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No
Hours: Check onboard

The Great Outdoors
Cuisine: Assorted
Seats: 238
Dress Code: Casual
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No
Hours: Check onboard

Blue Lagoon
Cuisine: Food Court, Grill
Seats: 32
Dress Code: Casual
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No
Hours: 24 Hours

There's a total of 1850 seats with the ability to accomodate 2376 passengers double occupancy.
That means the Jewel can seat 77.8% of its passengers for dinner simultaneously.

You're making mountains out of molehills.

Well, the reason I'm "making mountains out of mole hills{", is when I went to NCL's websute and select the Wind ship, then clicked on public areas, and then dining, only The Terraces and Le Bistro are shown. All the other restaurants you have listed were not mentioned.

So now you can see why I was concerned and why I thought it might be a "mountain". Forgive my ignorance in being a first time cruiser.
Thanks for your help.
Monica

I'll agree, NCL's website isn't the best.

Seems to me when I was on the Wind 2004 we ate at the Trattoria most nights. Most people waited on lines for the Terraces and the Main dining room.... walked right into the Trattoria. Access is difficult, because, due to the stretching of the ship, entrance is either through the lounge then up the stairs, or going up by the pool. However - the food was wonderful.

Ron, thank you for the wonderful information.! This is exactly what I was looking for.
Although I've gleaned some info from other people's experiences (about freestyle cruising)what you provided about the various restaurants is amazing. As you suggested in one of the other threads on this site, you can make reservations to avoid waiting in lines.
We've booked an Alaskan Cruise on the Wind (7/9/06). After reading the information you've provided I'm not "worried" anymore about having our group sit together for an evening meal.
Keep up the good work!