Norwegian Cruise Line Specialty Dining - Is It Worth The Price or Not?
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 15 июл 2024
- Are you cruising with Norwegian Cruise Lines and wondering if the specialty dining is actually worth it? In this video I've shared our experience dining at the specialty restaurants on the Norwegian Bliss, rating our experiences, and sharing my final verdict on whether you need to get a specialty package or not.
0:00 - Intro
0:55 - Menus
3:41 - Specialty Restaurant Overviews
6:45 - Our Experiences - QTexas Smokehouse, Los Lobos, La Cucina, Cagney's Steakhouse
9:18 - Final Verdict
10:16 - Closing & Coming Soon
#norwegianbliss #norwegiancruiseline #cruiseship
***
Support my channel to help me bring you more travel content!:
Buy Me a Coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/averaget...
Patreon: / theaveragetou. .
***
Check out my other Cruise videos:
What it's like boarding a Cruise Ship: • What it's like BOARDIN...
Norwegian Bliss Balcony Cabin Tour: • Norwegian Bliss BALCON...
Norwegian Bliss Ship Tour: • Norwegian Bliss Cruise...
Norwegian Escape District Brew House Tour: • Norwegian Escape Brewh...
Cruising Playlist: ruclips.net/p/PLa...
***
Follow me on: Instagram: / theaveraget. .
Facebook: / theaverageto. .
Twitter: / average_tourist
Check out my travel blog: www.theaveragetourist.com
***
From: www.ncl.com/ca/en/onboard-pac...
Specialty Dining Package - Norwegian Bliss
With a Specialty Dining Package (SDP), you can conveniently sample a wide array of unique restaurants for one set price. Customize your experience by selecting the number of meals you want during your cruise. Go medium-rare at Cagney's Steakhouse, savour délicieuse French cuisine at Le Bistro or try succulent Brazilian barbecue meats at Moderno Churrascaria. The choice is yours and the flavours endless!
Specialty Dining Packages are honoured in the following restaurants: American Diner, Cagney's Steakhouse, Food Republic, Italian, Le Bistro, Los Lobos, Moderno Churrascaria, Pincho Tapas Bar, Q Texas Smokehouse, Raw Bar, Seafood, Sushi and Teppanyaki. Dining options vary by ship.
Thank you Sara and Allan for great videos. Your videos are always well explained and detailed.
Thanks so much! I appreciate the comment :)
Thank you for a good honest review
Happy to share!
Thank you for sharing, good info 🥰
Glad it could be helpful 🙂
That dining package looks like a big plus on your holiday!
Great variety on food on this cruise!
All the best!
Yes there was so much variety. We enjoyed all the dining on this ship :)
This was very very helpful, thank you. Subscribed. 😊
Thanks so much, glad it was helpful!
Thank you for sharing
Omg I need to travel with you guys! My mouth is watering when it came to the desserts!! The shrimp! Yummmmm. Take me on your travels!! Such a delicious video! 😋
The food was so good throughout the ship - we ate a little bit tooo well on this particular trip ;) lol
Great video Sara!
thank you!
All food looks so delicious makes me hungry while watching 😄 Dining package is really a good choice 👍
There was so much great food on this cruise :)
Thanks. Very helpful. I'm booked in a studio for April 2.
Glad it was helpful. Have fun!
Cruise food can be hit or miss but the restaurants that you pay extra for are usually worth the upgrade! Looks Like you had a ton of options! And those streaks looked delicious! Thanks for
Exploring the options for us! Appreciate you appreciating the food!
We always appreciate food... maybe a little too much! haha
Been cruising long time. Loyal to Ncl cabin price now not best total price esp with Ncl air very good
Now platinum so beside my 1 free dinner free at sea 2 more. Think do + so 2 more and do Japanese fixed for 6 as 10 day
Hudson looks top notch.
Platinum has its perks. I'm on my way but split between Royal and NCL. I sway to NCL usually though.
Did the same thing when we were at the All-Inclusive Resort. The extra sometimes is well worth it. These all sound fantastic. I'd be so down for the wine bar. Add a steak from the steakhouse?! Yes please. You're on a boat so you'd figure the seafood spot would be epic. Love the decor for the Texas Smokehouse. Now I live in Texas so I'm picky on Texas BBQ. The plates look good. Mmm empanadas. Oh carbonara come to me. My favorite pasta dish. Oh those steaks look good. I'd do a good ole Ribeye myself. Excellent review.
Since you live in Texas, probably avoid the Texas restaurant then lol - it was ok, but likely does not compare to the real deal. The steakhouse on the other hand... definitely worth it!
Hi! I just found your channel and subscribed. I will be taking this exact same cruise on the Norwegian Bliss March 2025. I appreciate your explanations of these restaurants. It has helped me to narrow down which of the specialty restaurants I will go to with my package. I'm going on to watch the rest of your reviews on the Bliss!🤗
Thanks so much! I appreciate the support. Hope you enjoy the cruise. It's one of my favourite ships 🙌
Looks delicious and fun!!
It was!
Upcoming 7-day NCL Hawaii cruise. I'm taking your advice and just using the 1 specialty dining package that is included. Your video was an outstanding expose of what to expect from each dining option. Thank you!
Thank you! Glad it could be helpful. While we did enjoy the specialty dining there were only 2 restaurants that really seemed worth it to us. On the next cruise we eventually do, I'll try different ones like teppanyaki, Ocean Blue or Le Bistro to compare. But overall we just found the dining room to be sufficient and of the same quality. Hope you have a great cruise!
@@TheAverageTourist Thanks again, The Average Tourist! 🙂
The food was so good!
yes, soo soo good.
Great Job on pointing out how to maximize your value with the dining package.
We usually eat at cagneys with either le bistro or la cucina or Onda with our free at see package.
If we want food republic or Q or Los lobos or teppankyI we just pay for it
Thanks! I think that's what we would do next time - just dine with the free at sea if we have it. But it was fun to try a few extra restaurants this time.
Thank you for this honest review. We’re cruising Alaska in September and have the free at sea. I was trying to decide whether to get more dining packages however I don’t think I should because there is absolutely no way I could eat that many courses. I would be full after the first course 😂. My husband will manage more food but I think you’re correct that the free at sea is enough.
For us we did not need any specialty dining. But if I get the free at sea package, I'm going to keep the 2 dinners because it only changes your total cruise fare by about $50 so it's worth it to me. And then I'd eat at the most expensive specialty dining ;) But there is just so much food on the ship to choose from! It's not needed at all.
Very informative, we're trying to decide on which specialty dining experiences to use as part of our cruise package and whether or not to book any additional ones.
Hope it could be helpful! It really depends on your preferences but I would go for the Steakhouse or Italian. But that's because my husband doesn't like seafood (I would have tried Ocean Blue and the French restaurant too, maybe on the next cruise)
Excellent and very helpful. Please do a video or a just describe what you had in the main restaurant(s) for your breakfast, lunch and dinner. Please also address your favorite desserts and wine. Thank you!
My previous video was highlighting the main dining rooms :) So many great options there. I'll have to do a separate video on the drink package, thanks for watching and the recommendations!
Free at Sea gave us 3 Specialty Dinner Meals for our 15 day cruise on the Bliss. We ate at Teppanyaki, Los Lobos, and La Cucini. We could not get reservations for Cagneys or Le Bistro or Ocean Blue, and we would like to have tried them. We enjoyed our meals at all three. In fact, we liked the Teppanjaki food and experience so much, we ate there a second time on our last night. Being from Texas, we did not even think about eating at the Q Texas Smokehouse, as we assumed we would be disappointed. I did go to the Q to have a Shiner Bock at the Q Bar and to listen to the country rock band. You could not get a Shiner Bock at the District bar, only at the Q!
Even as someone not from Texas, I wasn't that impressed with the Q Texas Smokehouse compared to our other meals. But Cagneys was definitely a hit. Hopefully you can get reservations on a future cruise.
Thanks for the tip! Shiner Bock is my favorite beer
@@ryanm4013 there’s a lot of good beer at the District but was surprised that they did not have Shiner Bock since it’s available at the bar in the Q. They have a beer tasting event at the District which I did and highly recommend. Also, being on the Panama Canal cruise which was longer, they were running out of beer.
I always get the Osso Buco at La Cucina.Wondetful... Specialty dining is fun. But you tend to overeat, and the regular dining rooms are terrific, also.
I agree - much easier to not over eat at the regular dining rooms - but still so much good food on the ship!
I'm booked on the Bliss for November, 2023. I do have Free at Sea, but I am staying in the solo studio. I think that only includes 1 specialty meal, so I will probably book Cagney's. A friend of mine from FL is on the same sailing, so I will not be totally solo. It is my first cruise with NCL, so I am both nervous and excited. I have enjoyed both videos of the complimentary dining and specialty.
We really like NCL and can't wait to go back. It's a nice relaxing atmosphere - and I agree Cagneys would be the best bang for your buck if you eat meat. And make sure to reserve in advance!
Great video!
Had friends who voyaged on the Bliss to Cabo (first time cruisers), and they absolutely loved it. I was on the Encore last year, and took advantage of the "Free at Sea" promotion. The MDR that week was a real bummer, as the menu was very very small, the service was *extremely* slow, and the food quality was pretty "meh." I noticed most passengers that week steered clear of the MDR, as I did. The two specialty restaurants I chose were Le Bistro, and Cagney's. Cagney's was a sure fire hit with me, all except the raspberry creme brûlée. I'm a big time traditionalist when it comes to creme brûlée, so the fact that they threw raspberry flavor in there was a total thumbs down. Give me plain old traditional creme brûlée anytime, but don't throw flavoring in there. It ruins it. What's more is that good creme brûlée always has a nice hard crust on top, which this did not have. The menu options for Cagney's were plentiful, and my steak came out perfect. Le Bistro was pretty ho-hum for me. Next time I will do Ocean Blue. As for the buffet, I thought it was spot-on, except for the pizza. NCL's pizza does not compete with Royal or Princess. But then, NCL does other things very very well that other cruise lines do not.
Thanks for the comment! It seems there have been some mixed experiences lately on the NCL ships when it comes to food and service, so I think we just had a good week. I agree with the pizza comment... we didn't love the pizza anywhere on this ship. It was very mediocre. I've heard good things about Ocean Blue but my husband hates seafood so I'd have to dine solo if I really want to try it. I think we'll stick with Cagney's if we have the option.
Yes included food very good, special food even better. Did 7 on last cruise 4 cagney’s, 2 Italian
Wow!! That sounds great. Those are my 2 fave specialty restaurants.
My oh my! Purchasing the specialty dining packages can save a lot of money.
We agree though...while some of the specialty restaurants offer some better food, not all do (the pizza being a good example 😆) and we always find something we like in the complimentary dining rooms!
It can definitely save you money to get the packages. I definitely wouldn't pay the prices to dine at them without a package. We are the same, we really enjoyed the complimentary options, but this was a fun experiment :)
I'll be going on the Norwegian Bliss in March and have two free Specialty dining meals included. Cagney's sounds like a good option and I think we'll be doing Q smokehouse since my partner likes country music and there's evening entertainment there.
Those sound like great options to me. Cagney's was my favourite but Q is good too. We ate way too much on this cruise - hope you enjoy yours!
Agree about the extra cost. PLEASE make a video about HOW to RVSP for the restaurants. We had NEVER been to a buffet on Carnival but was forced to do the buffet, was good, more times than not on our first NCL on the Breakaway last week.
I made all of my reservations in my trip planner online before we even got on the ship. All my reservations for specialty dining were done about 3 months before we departed. We didn't make any reservations for the main dining rooms.
man, i should book to one of these fancy cruise lines
Yes it's such a great way to vacation
Norwegian Cruise Line looks a good company, the service is nice and clean and the food also looks tasty and in good quality
Yes it was quite a fun trip!
first of your videos i have seen. loved it and think you 2 make a lovely couple
That's so kind of you! Thanks 😊
Thanks...we're do the Encore in 11 days and have 4 nights at Specialty.
Enjoy!
It cost me $6 to get the best steak I ever ate, so yeah, it's worth it.
I'll be on the NCL Spirit in May so, thanks for this video. I know we'll be going to Cagney's and (I think) La Bistro. I am curious to know what you think about the drink packages, especially the Starbucks package. I would need to drink 3 Starbucks drinks per day to get the benefit of the package. I drink a lot of tea: English Breakfast, Peppermint, and Camomile. It looks like I can get those at the buffet.
We just went with the Free at Sea drink package and didn't miss the Starbucks at all and we are both big coffee drinkers. Is the included coffee great? Not really... but it's decent. So unless you really have specific drink you like I'm not sure it's worth it. I also tracked all our drinks in a spreadsheet so we could see if it was worth it for us and we definitely got our money's worth for the generic alcohol package.
I think having two dining credits with the Free at Sea promotion is enough for a 7 day cruise. It’s often hard to get reservations and I wind up stressing about wasting them. Plus, there are enough options with main dining rooms, buffet, Local etc that there isn’t enough time to try it all.
I completely agree. There were great options in the included food, so we didn't need to add any extra dining to our cruise. But we wanted to see if it would even be worth it. And for us, it's not. Free at sea is perfect to give you different option a couple nights.
Please explain what “free at sea” means. I don’t understand what it is, how it works, or how to get it.
@@Observe555 Free at Sea is a promotion almost always offered by NCL. The offerings can change over time but usually you can opt in (at the time when making reservations) for drink and dining packages, wifi plan, airfare etc. Note that it’s not truly “free” as they automatically charge you 20% of standard rate of drink/dining package for service fees.
@@SynapticFog test
@@SynapticFog Thanks for replying. I didn’t see it offered when I booked and I didn’t book directly with NCL. Could that be why I didn’t receive an offer?
we like alan hes funny
thank you for your review: i get one meal of specialty dining included in my upcoming cruise and was wondering if i should pay for two more. seems like you get the most value at La Cucina and Cagneys for the 59 bucks per meal pricing of the specialty dining. The mexican and BBQ restaurants, it seems like i might get a better deal going to an on land place here in Las Vegas, where 30-40 bucks might not get you a dessert included but will get you a significant amount of food.
Not sure if you have ever visited las Vegas but would you compare the quality/ taste of the food on the NCL cruise buffet to like a Golden Corral buffet, or a typical vegas buffet? or is it much better quality like the baccanal/ bellagio/wynn casino buffets?
thank you
I've been to Vegas but we only did the Planet Hollywood Buffet and I think one at or near Caesars Palace. So for those ones, I'd say it was at least comparable, but the Vegas buffets had more meat options and seafood too. I think the value for La Cucina or Cagneys is best. But also heard that the French option and seafood restaurant are good too. Will try those next time.
Wow! Y'all ate well on this cruise! It's incredible how much these meals would cost without the package, so it definitely looks like the package is definitely worth if you are a steak eater. As vegetarians though it's probably not worth it for us.
We definitely ate a little bit toooo well ;) But all of the food was so good. Yes the packages really make it worth it rather than paying as you go. I'd agree - probably not worth it for vegetarians.
Any buffet on that particular boat??
The French restaurant is totally worth it!! My fav!!
Is there a limit to what you can order at a place, like Cagney's? I see that all the sides, etc. are separate, so I just wondered how the ordering works with the dining package.
I think for the dining package it's more "controlled" than the main dining but my husband ordered a main, 3 sides, and dessert and it was OK. I stuck with a main and 2 sides and a dessert.
Totally new at this and taking our first cruise this December.. I have no idea how the specialty dining works.. We have the free at sea package, so have 2 meals.. But.. what does that mean lol.. What do we get for that at the restaurants? And at the hibachi place, they also have sushi, how does that work? edit:: NM see Teppanyaki doesnt have sushi...
You should reserve your 2 restaurants in advance to make sure you get a good dining time. Basically anything that doesn't have an upcharge on the menu is included. We each ordered an appetizer, main dish, and dessert. And you can even add sides if you want. Plus with the beverage, drinks are included as well (that fit within the beverage package guidelines). So it's kind of like dining at the main dining room. The Teppanyaki is usually popular, for Reservations. I'm not sure how Food Republic works but that's where you would find the sushi.
The food seems to be delicious. Its good to take a package for this meal else it will make a big hole in the pocket
When you have SD does your drinks come with your drink package
No - you need to have a drink package or they charge you for your beverages.
Can we order multiple appetizers and desserts (no additional charge) with the free at sea specialty dining package? Thank you
We didn't try to get extra desserts, but we did order a few different appetizers and sides at a few restaurants and it didn't cost us anything extra.
@The Average Tourist Thank you for the prompt response! I was told that unlimited appetizers/desserts are allowed only in some restaurants. Is this true? Thanks again
@@sammychem5920 I didn't have any trouble ordering multiple appetizers, main courses, or desserts at any of the Main Dining Rooms, Savor, Taste, or Manhatten Room on the Bliss. The Main Dining Room food was outstanding.
@martyptx Thank you
I believe you can order more than 1 side but only 1 appetizer, 1 main and 1 desert with the Free-at-sea package.
Cagnys is the best
I’ve heard the music can be very loud at Q which is annoying when you just want to eat in peace.
It wasn't too bad when we were there but there weren't any live performances happening and we dined a bit early.
We just went on the Joy. Q's was by far the worst of our specialty dining. Most of the food went unfinished and dessert was almost inedible. Cagney's was the best of the bunch and everything was excellent. The teppanyaki was average and the show part wasn't that good as they have left out a lot of the tricks that most of the cooks do, like the smoking volcano and drawing with egg. Food Republic was just okay also. I do live in an area that has excellent asian foods, and Food Republic was just average. In the future, I'd do just Cagney's and eat in the buffet, as they had featured entrees every night and it looked good.
I agree - Q was our least favourite - we still enjoyed it but not the best especially if you're paying for it. I loved Cagney's though. We never go to the teppanyaki because we've had a few experiences where our food was undercooked - not on NCL but other places. If I were to go again I'd want to try the French restaurant and probably do Cagney's again!
Doesn't seem worth it. You'd be burning a free meal on top of the cost of the extra Specialty Dining. I can always get nice dining on land after the cruise too. I've heard Cagney's is more like Outback Steakhouse quality. On land, I do not go to Outback or Black Angus at all even though I love high end steakhouses.
I really don't think the extras are needed. We were happy with the included dining. But it was a fun experiment for us.
Thanks for the honest review, I genuinely appreciate that. One thing, you mispronounced a distracting number of words. If you are going to do a video voice over, take the opportunity and do the perp work so you know how to say things.😊
Specialty Dining is definitely NOT worth the extra money.
I think I agree - there are so many options already included with your cruise fare. Though if I got Free At Sea again with the specialty dining, now I know where I'd want to eat to get the most from it :)
Cagney's steakhouse is overrated.
Unpopular opinion.
Modernos is so much better.
I loved Modernos - their grilled pineapple was the best pineapple I've ever had. Not on all ships though, we had it on the Escape.
@@TheAverageTourist
i am platinum on NCL, but i always seem to get the ships that have: cagney's, modernos, tepenakis (sp?) le bistros and la cucina.
i have never been on a ship that has los lobos or Q. both of which i want try really badly (this video didn't help)
Didn't help because they looked good or didn't help because they looked bad? 🤣 Personally, I think we just had a mediocre experience at Qs because it was the first night. But Los Lobos we really enjoyed. 👌
@@TheAverageTourist it made me just want to try Q and los lobos more!
horrible foods! You guys eat that? Can you order from their kitchen?
While I enjoyed the review of the restaurants and meals, I'm not really a fan of watching people putting food into their mouths.
How many appetizers can u order under the package? Or main dishes
I don't think there's really a limit...
6/10 for the bbq place? really?
The food was ok, it just wasn't served hot - basically lukewarm, and we've both had better bbq. If it came out hot it probably would have been a 7/10, but still not our favourite.
@@TheAverageTourist - I used to work at an Italian restaurant. If the food wasn't piping hot, it was a fail on our part. No excuse for lukewarm food.
Scammer attack: portfolio, income, trading service in comments ... who cares, I am here to enjoy the ride