Andy wrote:
> Ocean Cruise Food?
>
> Share your experiences!
>
> Andy

We've done lots of cruises and by and large the food is always good and
the dining experience is great. I just love being fussed over by the
wait staff and having them anticipate my desires before I even get into
my seat.

That said, I do have to say that the worst dining experience was on
Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) Their "Freestyle" cruising has a dining
experience reminiscent of Applebees on a Saturday night. There is no
assigned seating. If you want to eat at the most common times (so that
you can get to the entertainment show) you often have to wait until they
find you a table. We waited as long as 30 minutes on our cruise. Because
all diners don't arrive at around the same time, the staff is running
around like chickens with their heads cut off. We did not have one meal
in the main dining room where someone did not drop a tray. Chaotic
pretty much describes the ambiance. It was not a happy experience and I
believe the cruise line designs it that way so that passengers will pay
extra for the fancy restaurants. (where the service isn't much better,
but it costs you a premium)

NCL's buffet was not much better than a high school cafeteria. The food
was always the same and not very good. Other lines generally have dishes
on the buffet that are being served in the main dining room for the
passengers who don't want to go to the regular seatings.

We mostly cruise with Royal Caribbean. We really enjoy the entire dining
experience and the food is pretty good, too. They have begun a "my time"
dining program where a section of the dining room is reserved for those
who don't want the hours of the two regular seatings. They take
reservations for two people which NCL refused to do.


--
Janet Wilder
way-the-heck-south Texas
spelling doesn't count
but cooking does