My wife has a bunch of food allergies. Our recent cruise on the Viva we had the assistant Mater'D take exceptional care of her needs. She was always allowed to choose her next evening meal while at the restaurant. This is one of the reasons we love Norwegian.
I'm team yes to all of the above! Because I have medications that need to be taken with food, I always try to have something of substance to start the day. I have found that early mornings offer the best chance for a window seat in the buffet. Also, there are usually less children around trying to knock you over by cutting through the lines to get what they want. I have also had breakfast in the dining rooms and the Local, if the buffet appears to be overly busy or crowded. I like to be able to sit back, enjoy my coffee and prepare for the day ahead without feeling rushed. If I have an excursion planned, that usually involves more planning, so that I'm not late to the report time. Sunshine smiles heading your way!
I have soooo many food allergies and our last cruise there was an assistant that brought me the menus for the next day and was able to take my order and have it prepared without the items I was allergic to. They were able to do this even if it was not their restaurant including the specialty restaurants. They were very accommodating.
My husband and I started cruising with NCL the year before COVID lock down, and we both found your videos by far the best and one of the reasons we've selected NCL as our cruise partner!
Since we do a charter music cruise every year aboard a Norwegian ship, we usually do the buffet so we can grab something and get to the next music venue. But we do eat at Cagneys at least once ❤
Hey Grant. I sailed on The Getaway out of New York earlier this year too (Feb 16). I found I'd typically have breakfast at O'Sheehan's as it was quieter, super fast and provided lots of coffee for this early riser 😃. I split lunch between Taste, Savour, and American Diner which opened a few days for lunch. Dinner was typically one of Taste, Savour, or Tropicana (with reservations for Tropicana made through section head who provided me her card after a small service issue) as well as the odd upcharge restaurant sprinkled in. The buffet was really just used for the occasional snack or quick bite if I was in a hurry. Overall the food was amazing especially at the main dining rooms and Le Bistro!
We certainly think is a more well rounded cruise if as many different dining venues can be sampled. But if a relaxing dinner is what we need after a hectic day, the MDR is the best choice.
team main dining room! Really love that option for breakfast before going to an excursion, and the lunch on a see day is a nice way to break up the day.
I’m team Savor and Taste. Might go to buffet at “off” hours to void all the hogs at the trough and only MDR if Taste and Savor are too busy. On occasion I’ve had a light meal in the Observation Lounge from the offerings there. I do frequent the Local late evening for a bedtime snack. On a week cruise I’ll usually eat at Specialty restaurants two nights. Sometimes the solo cruise director will arrange tables so we can be seated without delay.
Love the main dining rooms for breakfast and sometimes dinner! NCL is wonderful at making accommodations for dietary needs :) The Encore in June heading to Alaska!
Hi Grant! Just got off the Norwegian Joy last Sunday. The food was great and I used some of your advice from past videos. Thanks for this video and have a good day!
HI Jessica 👋 I'm so glad the food was good and that the tips from my videos helped! That's always the best new for me to hear. You're so welcome for this video! I hope you're also having an amazing day! What were your thoughts on the Joy? They just did some big updates on the Observation Lounge, the Spa and the Beach club, just being nosey haha
@CruisewithGrant I didn't use the spa or the beach club, so I can't really comment on the changes to those, but I did notice the observation lounge was a bit smaller than on the Encore (which I've also sailed on). I liked the Joy a lot - spotlessly clean and with lovely public spaces. It did feel a bit crowded sometimes, but I know my sailing was well over capacity.
Another great video! Can’t wait to take another cruise! I’m more team restaurant cuz it’s nice to sit down and be waited on. At the same time I’m team buffet cuz there’s such a wide selection of options. 🙌
Cruising Norwegian Jade in April 2025 for 32-nights. Never been a big MDR fan, but on my extended cruise I'm going to give it a chance for all three meals. Cancelled a cruise on Coral Princess due to the lack of dining options in favor of NCL, which has a lot of complimentary choices.
Ncl used to give away wet naps with the chicken wings. They don't anymore. Cheap. Cheap. Cheap. I also think it's a part of their cost-cutting measures that they move to a lower quality chicken wing they look like Frankenstein wings now
One of my first thoughts after getting off my cruise from NCL is that I missed the snails offered on my last cruise from RC. Who knew that snails at dinner would make me think I picked the wrong cruise line.
Hi Tae Im 👋 Haha! That is a funny thing to miss. If you're really hankering for a snail they do offer then as an appetizer at Le Bistro, one of the specialty restaurants. Can you get snails included on RCL? It'd be so curious about how many snails they serve 😜
Hi MI WI 👋 Thanks for sharing! It's always hard to know what they may be testing on one or two ships or what's been rolled out. Did you have a nice time on the Prima?
I love you channel! Thank you for all of your insights. I was wondering if you have ever been on Sky? We have a cruise booked in a couple of weeks. I read a comment that the buffet didn’t have much of a selection. Have you experienced this on the smaller ships? Also, I read that in addition to the Garden Cafe, they also have an outdoor buffet. Is this still true and is it different from the Garden Cafe? Thanks again for all the great info. My husband is on the Getaway now. I can’t wait for our cruise on the Sky!
Hi Tammy 👋 It's been a while! I hope that you're keeping so well. I haven't actually been on the Sky, only admired her from a distance when we were parked together at Great Stirrup Caye. I haven't been on a ship the size of the Sky, but the Star is also pretty small and I didn't have any issues with the selection. Some of the smaller ships may have a smaller outdoor buffet, usually with burgers, hot dogs an some salads, small selection, but great for a poolside snack. On the Star the hard ice cream station was also on the pool deck. I'd love to hear what your thoughts were on the Sky. I hope that you'll have a wonderful time!
Hey Grant. Im sailing on the Norwegian Aqua next June and im so excited. It will be my first cruise in 8 years so im really looking forward to it. All your tips have helped me a lot. Thank you!
Hi Jeremy 👋 Aqua, that's so exciting!! I can't wait to hear what you think about it (and I may have a new Aqua video coming soon 😉). Thank you so much for your kind words and for subscribing to this little community of ours! I really appreciate you! 🫶
Hi Justin 👋 Thank you so much for the kind words. Ah, thanks for sharing, interesting to see that Cagney's is going to be available in the main dining room across the fleet. I'm interested to try it out and see how it compares to actually eating at Cagney's. I hope that you're having a super day!
I do the breakfast buffet on port days (quicker) and MDR on sea days (no schedule). Don’t care for the limited menu at The Local. MDR on disembarkation day cause I always walk off (never have a flight reservation I need to get to). Always reserve dinner at Cagney’s once and another specialty dining with my food package depending on what’s available. If I’m staying in a solo suite, there’s always fresh snacks/drinks in our private lounge.
Hi Paul 👋 Thank you so much! A lot of effort goes into each video behind the scenes, I'm so glad they are interesting and helpful! I really appreciate your support! Any cruises lined up for you?
Yes we went 19 years ago on a celebrity ship. It was fun except they seated us with a group. They were nice but never again with strangers. We enjoy your channel keep it up. For sure we Will let you know how it was
Sir, really enjoy your videos. I'm 77 my wife 73 we are very fit for our ages. We are going on the NCL Sun the end of May to Alaska our first trip on NCL. I've on 3 cruises My wife 6 all hers but one are with Royal the other on Celebrity, I only like smaller ships I was wondering what you think of the Sun if you have been on it. Also dining options. Thanks
Hi Darrell 👋 Thank you! Welcome to this little cruise community of ours here on UA-cam. That's so exciting that you'll be headed to Alaska, I haven't been yet, but thinking I may have to make the trip soon! I haven't yet been on the Sun. It's one of the smallest ships in the fleet, but I think it has all of the things you'd find on most of the mid to small size ships. Friends I know who've travelled on board have had a great time. You'll have to let me know what you think after you get back! Have you been to Alaska before or will this be your first time?
Hi there 👋 Great question! At least at the moment there is no limit to what you can order in the main dining room. Other cruise lines, like Carnival have started to charge guests if they order more than two mains (just as a point of comparison). I hope this helps!
Curious as to which ship for NCL. I can't imagine being disappointed in an entire cruise line based on a one ship experience. I cruise Ruby Princess as well, on a back-to- back with the Allure of the Seas, and was horribly disappointed in Ruby Princess but went back and spent two weeks on Royal Princess.
@@JMyers-lg7eq I compared two ships - one from NCL and one from Princess Cruises - doing a Panama Canal cruise through the historical locks. NCL won hands-down. Both were older, smaller ships. But the magnitude of places to eat on Norwegian Jade over Coral Princess made it a no-brainer. Plus, the 25 night repositioning on NCL came out to be cheaper than the 16 night eastbound on PCL. It was so much cheaper, I added the 7 night southbound Alaska from Whittier. Other than the brand new Sun Princess, IMHO all of the NCL bigger ships beat all of the Princess Cruises bigger ships. And I'm Platinum on Princess Cruises. For my 2026 cruise, I'm looking at NCL again over Princess Cruises.
🎬Watch next: What to EAT, what to SKIP at Breakfast on Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL)
ua-cam.com/video/8v7drsMCu5I/v-deo.htmlsi=7jgcnvv4hXHJdLmB
My wife has a bunch of food allergies. Our recent cruise on the Viva we had the assistant Mater'D take exceptional care of her needs. She was always allowed to choose her next evening meal while at the restaurant. This is one of the reasons we love Norwegian.
I'm in the same boat 😂😂😂. We never ate the buffet and the restaurant Mater'D were always awesome with our pre orders
I'm team yes to all of the above! Because I have medications that need to be taken with food, I always try to have something of substance to start the day. I have found that early mornings offer the best chance for a window seat in the buffet. Also, there are usually less children around trying to knock you over by cutting through the lines to get what they want. I have also had breakfast in the dining rooms and the Local, if the buffet appears to be overly busy or crowded. I like to be able to sit back, enjoy my coffee and prepare for the day ahead without feeling rushed. If I have an excursion planned, that usually involves more planning, so that I'm not late to the report time. Sunshine smiles heading your way!
We were on NCL Sky on February- March this year, 14 day itinerary and we had one unlimited shrimp and steak night at Garden Cafe
I have soooo many food allergies and our last cruise there was an assistant that brought me the menus for the next day and was able to take my order and have it prepared without the items I was allergic to. They were able to do this even if it was not their restaurant including the specialty restaurants. They were very accommodating.
My husband and I started cruising with NCL the year before COVID lock down, and we both found your videos by far the best and one of the reasons we've selected NCL as our cruise partner!
Since we do a charter music cruise every year aboard a Norwegian ship, we usually do the buffet so we can grab something and get to the next music venue.
But we do eat at Cagneys at least once ❤
I really enjoy your channel and content Grant. They are short, complete and concise and easy to understand. Thank you my man. God bless!
We are sailing with NCL for the first in January '25 on the Getaway, sailing out of New Orleans....can't wait.
Hey Grant. I sailed on The Getaway out of New York earlier this year too (Feb 16). I found I'd typically have breakfast at O'Sheehan's as it was quieter, super fast and provided lots of coffee for this early riser 😃. I split lunch between Taste, Savour, and American Diner which opened a few days for lunch. Dinner was typically one of Taste, Savour, or Tropicana (with reservations for Tropicana made through section head who provided me her card after a small service issue) as well as the odd upcharge restaurant sprinkled in. The buffet was really just used for the occasional snack or quick bite if I was in a hurry. Overall the food was amazing especially at the main dining rooms and Le Bistro!
We certainly think is a more well rounded cruise if as many different dining venues can be sampled. But if a relaxing dinner is what we need after a hectic day, the MDR is the best choice.
team main dining room! Really love that option for breakfast before going to an excursion, and the lunch on a see day is a nice way to break up the day.
I’m team Savor and Taste. Might go to buffet at “off” hours to void all the hogs at the trough and only MDR if Taste and Savor are too busy. On occasion I’ve had a light meal in the Observation Lounge from the offerings there. I do frequent the Local late evening for a bedtime snack. On a week cruise I’ll usually eat at Specialty restaurants two nights. Sometimes the solo cruise director will arrange tables so we can be seated without delay.
Thanks Grant, always good info!
Love the main dining rooms for breakfast and sometimes dinner! NCL is wonderful at making accommodations for dietary needs :) The Encore in June heading to Alaska!
Hi Grant! Just got off the Norwegian Joy last Sunday. The food was great and I used some of your advice from past videos. Thanks for this video and have a good day!
HI Jessica 👋 I'm so glad the food was good and that the tips from my videos helped! That's always the best new for me to hear. You're so welcome for this video! I hope you're also having an amazing day! What were your thoughts on the Joy? They just did some big updates on the Observation Lounge, the Spa and the Beach club, just being nosey haha
@CruisewithGrant I didn't use the spa or the beach club, so I can't really comment on the changes to those, but I did notice the observation lounge was a bit smaller than on the Encore (which I've also sailed on). I liked the Joy a lot - spotlessly clean and with lovely public spaces. It did feel a bit crowded sometimes, but I know my sailing was well over capacity.
Another great video! Can’t wait to take another cruise! I’m more team restaurant cuz it’s nice to sit down and be waited on. At the same time I’m team buffet cuz there’s such a wide selection of options. 🙌
Cruising Norwegian Jade in April 2025 for 32-nights. Never been a big MDR fan, but on my extended cruise I'm going to give it a chance for all three meals. Cancelled a cruise on Coral Princess due to the lack of dining options in favor of NCL, which has a lot of complimentary choices.
Ncl used to give away wet naps with the chicken wings. They don't anymore. Cheap. Cheap. Cheap. I also think it's a part of their cost-cutting measures that they move to a lower quality chicken wing they look like Frankenstein wings now
One of my first thoughts after getting off my cruise from NCL is that I missed the snails offered on my last cruise from RC. Who knew that snails at dinner would make me think I picked the wrong cruise line.
Hi Tae Im 👋 Haha! That is a funny thing to miss. If you're really hankering for a snail they do offer then as an appetizer at Le Bistro, one of the specialty restaurants. Can you get snails included on RCL? It'd be so curious about how many snails they serve 😜
They did the up charge offering of other foods on the prima in December 2023
Hi MI WI 👋 Thanks for sharing! It's always hard to know what they may be testing on one or two ships or what's been rolled out. Did you have a nice time on the Prima?
I love you channel! Thank you for all of your insights. I was wondering if you have ever been on Sky? We have a cruise booked in a couple of weeks. I read a comment that the buffet didn’t have much of a selection. Have you experienced this on the smaller ships? Also, I read that in addition to the Garden Cafe, they also have an outdoor buffet. Is this still true and is it different from the Garden Cafe? Thanks again for all the great info. My husband is on the Getaway now. I can’t wait for our cruise on the Sky!
Hi Tammy 👋 It's been a while! I hope that you're keeping so well. I haven't actually been on the Sky, only admired her from a distance when we were parked together at Great Stirrup Caye. I haven't been on a ship the size of the Sky, but the Star is also pretty small and I didn't have any issues with the selection. Some of the smaller ships may have a smaller outdoor buffet, usually with burgers, hot dogs an some salads, small selection, but great for a poolside snack. On the Star the hard ice cream station was also on the pool deck. I'd love to hear what your thoughts were on the Sky. I hope that you'll have a wonderful time!
Hey Grant. Im sailing on the Norwegian Aqua next June and im so excited. It will be my first cruise in 8 years so im really looking forward to it. All your tips have helped me a lot. Thank you!
Hi Jeremy 👋 Aqua, that's so exciting!! I can't wait to hear what you think about it (and I may have a new Aqua video coming soon 😉). Thank you so much for your kind words and for subscribing to this little community of ours! I really appreciate you! 🫶
You're welcome. I'm looking forward to your next video on the Aqua
You can always use the NCL web page to book not only excursions but make dinner reservations in the MDR as well as specialty restaurants.
Great video Grant! I was on the Joy in April and in the MDR, there were options for Cagney's on the menu, just like you showed from the Getaway!
Hi Justin 👋 Thank you so much for the kind words. Ah, thanks for sharing, interesting to see that Cagney's is going to be available in the main dining room across the fleet. I'm interested to try it out and see how it compares to actually eating at Cagney's. I hope that you're having a super day!
I do the breakfast buffet on port days (quicker) and MDR on sea days (no schedule). Don’t care for the limited menu at The Local. MDR on disembarkation day cause I always walk off (never have a flight reservation I need to get to). Always reserve dinner at Cagney’s once and another specialty dining with my food package depending on what’s available. If I’m staying in a solo suite, there’s always fresh snacks/drinks in our private lounge.
I like your insights!
Hi Paul 👋 Thank you so much! A lot of effort goes into each video behind the scenes, I'm so glad they are interesting and helpful! I really appreciate your support! Any cruises lined up for you?
Yes we went 19 years ago on a celebrity ship. It was fun except they seated us with a group. They were nice but never again with strangers. We enjoy your channel keep it up. For sure we Will let you know how it was
🫶
Love your videos as always Grant. But somehow I found the Service at the Escape far superior than the Getaway
I’m cruising on the Norwegian gem to Bermuda this June 😊
Thanks!
Hi Suzanne 👋 Thank you so much, you're amazing!! I am so appreciative for your support 🫶🫶🫶
Sir, really enjoy your videos. I'm 77 my wife 73 we are very fit for our ages. We are going on the NCL Sun the end of May to Alaska our first trip on NCL. I've on 3 cruises My wife 6 all hers but one are with Royal the other on Celebrity, I only like smaller ships I was wondering what you think of the Sun if you have been on it. Also dining options. Thanks
Hi Darrell 👋 Thank you! Welcome to this little cruise community of ours here on UA-cam. That's so exciting that you'll be headed to Alaska, I haven't been yet, but thinking I may have to make the trip soon! I haven't yet been on the Sun. It's one of the smallest ships in the fleet, but I think it has all of the things you'd find on most of the mid to small size ships. Friends I know who've travelled on board have had a great time. You'll have to let me know what you think after you get back! Have you been to Alaska before or will this be your first time?
Is there a limit to how many items you have in the main dining room?
'
Hi there 👋 Great question! At least at the moment there is no limit to what you can order in the main dining room. Other cruise lines, like Carnival have started to charge guests if they order more than two mains (just as a point of comparison). I hope this helps!
@@CruisewithGrant Thanks
I was very disappointed in Norwegian. I’ve only been in two cruises, Princess Ruby (pre Covid) NCL post Covid & Pricess beat NCL by far.
Curious as to which ship for NCL. I can't imagine being disappointed in an entire cruise line based on a one ship experience. I cruise Ruby Princess as well, on a back-to- back with the Allure of the Seas, and was horribly disappointed in Ruby Princess but went back and spent two weeks on Royal Princess.
@@dmwnc1959 Encore
Princess is a better in many way over NCL. However, I've sailed on 6 different NCL ships and the bigger ships are better.
@@JMyers-lg7eq I compared two ships - one from NCL and one from Princess Cruises - doing a Panama Canal cruise through the historical locks.
NCL won hands-down.
Both were older, smaller ships. But the magnitude of places to eat on Norwegian Jade over Coral Princess made it a no-brainer.
Plus, the 25 night repositioning on NCL came out to be cheaper than the 16 night eastbound on PCL. It was so much cheaper, I added the 7 night southbound Alaska from Whittier.
Other than the brand new Sun Princess, IMHO all of the NCL bigger ships beat all of the Princess Cruises bigger ships. And I'm Platinum on Princess Cruises. For my 2026 cruise, I'm looking at NCL again over Princess Cruises.
Encore is the ship I was on
Team diversity. Can’t eat the same thing all the time…