Janet Wilder wrote:
> 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, I could not agree with you more, concerning Norwegian Cruise
Lines. About 20 years ago they were my favorite cruise line, but NCL
was purchased by Star Cruises, late in 1998, and the wheels began
falling off the wagon.


Remember when the waiters, assistant waiters and cabin stewards on NCL
were all from Haiti or Jamaica? I was on the Norwegian Sky in December
of '98 when the rumors of a buy out were flying, and the employees were
worried about their jobs. Star Cruises is a Malaysian company and the
employees were afraid they would be replaced by Asians.


The Jean Ann Ryan dancers do a wonderful job, and I have missed seeing
them. At one time NCL made the best pastries, but all of that has
changed. The Asian model for cruises is different than what most
cruisers are accustomed to. Oh, and Apollo Management has purchased 50%
of the stock, and that made the situation worse. If you go on a NCL
cruise, be prepared to buy your meals in the for-purchase restaurants at
night, because the food in the dining room is not what it used to be.


None of this has helped Andy at all. lol Andy, you may want to try
the newsgroup rec.travel.cruises. I have been on over 60 cruises and I
am still learning. Do I have a favorite cruise line? Not yet, but I
am working on it.


Becca