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Norwegian Cruise Line has at all times been a little bit of a insurgent in terms of meals.
Again in 2000, the corporate launched the idea of Freestyle Cruising, and with it, the concept of Freestyle Eating. Friends not had been assigned to conventional early or late dinner seatings in the principle eating rooms on Norwegian Cruise Line’s ships, however reasonably might resolve after they needed to eat and with whom.
The cruise line additionally started to roll out specialty eating places — smaller, cuisine-specific eating venues such because the French-themed Le Bistro and Cagney’s Steakhouse — that passengers might reserve for an extra cowl cost.
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As we speak, passengers will discover greater than three dozen eating choices, together with 21 that require a canopy cost or characteristic a la carte pricing, on board NCL’s 17 ships. Whereas the cruise fare covers quite a few eating places, specialty eating places requiring an additional cost are standard, and new specialty eating places are launched with every class of ship.
The onboard restaurant lineup additionally varies by ship, with these within the Prima, Breakaway and Breakaway Plus courses having a bigger choice than the road’s older, smaller ships.
How do you make sense of all of it? We have compiled a rundown of all of the Norwegian Cruise Line meals choices, from espresso and gelato retailers to a la carte eating places the place the tab can simply high $150 for 2. This is what’s included, what you may pay further for and the ships that characteristic every eating venue.
American Diner
Included; lunch and dinner
This Fifties-inspired diner featured on all six ships in NCL’s Breakaway and Breakaway Plus courses gives quintessential midcentury consolation meals — from cheeseburgers and meatloaf to hen pot pie and spaghetti and meatballs. Desserts embody bread pudding and carrot walnut cake. The meals is now all free (Norwegian made this variation in early 2024), however if you wish to wash it down with a milkshake, you may must pay up.
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Out there on: Norwegian Bliss, Breakaway, Encore, Escape, Getaway and Pleasure
Atrium Cafe
A la carte; espresso and snacks
Atrium Cafe is a espresso and cocktail bar that serves cold and warm drinks together with a collection of cookies, pastries and different snacks. Alternately, some NCL ships characteristic Starbucks cafes.
Out there on: Norwegian Escape, Jewel, Spirit, Star and Solar
Cadillac Diner
Included; breakfast, lunch and dinner
You may have to go to Hawaii to benefit from the barbecue pulled pork sliders, pretzel bites, Reuben sandwiches and extra served up retro-style within the Cadillac Diner. This venue, with its funky black-and-white checkered flooring and vinyl cubicles wedged between two sections of a classic pink sedan, is discovered solely on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Delight of America. It is open 24 hours a day, and every little thing is complimentary aside from the milkshakes.
Out there on: Delight of America
Cagney’s Steakhouse
A la carte; dinner
Certainly one of NCL’s hottest specialty eating places, Cagney’s contains a basic steakhouse menu with loads of choices for seafood lovers as nicely. The celebs are the cuts of aged licensed Angus beef (rib-eye, filet mignon, porterhouse and New York strip) with a selection of sauces and aspect dishes reminiscent of truffle mashed potatoes and sauteed garlic mushrooms. Different choices embody cedar-plank steelhead trout and double-cut Australian lamb chops. Save room for the OMG Caramel-Butterscotch Cheesecake.
Out there: Fleetwide (besides Norwegian Sky)
Associated: The perfect cruise ship steakhouses and steak-serving eating places
Chinese language restaurant
Included; dinner, plus lunch on choose days
For those who’re craving shrimp dumplings or a bowl of stir-fried noodles with beef, quite a few older Norwegian Cruise Line ships characteristic a complimentary Chinese language restaurant the place you may get your repair. Names differ by ship — you may discover Bamboo on Daybreak, Shanghai’s on Epic, Orchid Backyard on Gem, Jasmine Backyard on Jade, Chin Chin on Jewel, Lotus Backyard on Pearl, Silk on Spirit, Ginza on Star and East Meets West on Delight of America — however the menus are related.
Out there on: Norwegian Daybreak, Epic, Gem, Jade, Jewel, Pearl, Delight of America, Spirit and Star
Coco’s
A la carte; snacks and treats
A cross between an ice cream parlor and a sweet store, Coco’s options an array of treats — candies from around the globe, milkshakes, crepes and extra — to fulfill your candy tooth.
Out there on: Norwegian Bliss and Encore
Dolce Gelato
A la carte; snacks and treats
When it is midafternoon and the solar within the Caribbean or Mediterranean is blazing, you may head to this takeaway counter on Deck 8 for a cup or cone of irresistibly creamy gelato.
Out there on: Norwegian Bliss, Encore, Escape and Getaway
Meals Republic
A la carte; dinner and lunch on sea days
This globally impressed specialty restaurant with an Asian-Latin fusion theme stays standard virtually a decade after its debut on Norwegian Escape. You may wish to order a number of dishes to share family-style from Meals Republic’s menu sections: Sushi Bar (eight totally different rolls), Hand Helds (every little thing from pork stomach bao buns to kanpachi wonton tacos), Sharing Is Caring (grilled shishito peppers, spicy Korean fried hen, salt and pepper calamari and extra), Noodles/Rice/Soups (shrimp pad thai to Vietnamese Pho Tai) and Sugar Pump (desserts that includes inexperienced tea, chocolate and ginger caramel).
Out there on: Norwegian Bliss, Encore, Escape, Pleasure, Prima and Viva
Backyard Cafe
Included; breakfast, lunch and dinner
Generally, the buffet is the reply. It is excellent once you get on board the primary day and must seize a fast chunk earlier than you discover the ship or once you arrive again after a daylong shore tour and wish to refuel immediately with out having to alter garments. Backyard Cafe gives loads of choices, together with carved meats or grilled fish with assorted aspect dishes, a salad bar, soups, pasta, burgers and fries, and desserts. Most objects are precooked and saved heat beneath warmth lamps, so it is not the freshest possibility, however it’s often packed at breakfast and lunch with visitors who just like the all-you-can-eat parts.
Out there: Fleetwide (besides Norwegian Prima and Viva)
Associated: Cruise ship buffet taboos: 10 issues you need to by no means do at mealtime
Hasuki
Cowl cost; dinner
This can be a barely extra elevated model of NCL’s Teppanyaki restaurant. You may be seated with different visitors round a grill, and as you dine on edamame, miso soup and seaweed salad, the chef will put together your entree (a selection of hen, beef, seafood or teriyaki-glazed tofu or one in every of 4 mixtures) with nice aptitude. These fresh-from-the-grill proteins are served with garlic fried rice and grilled greens, and the dessert that follows is both a inexperienced tea cake or fruit sashimi.
Out there on: Norwegian Prima and Viva
Hudson’s
Included; breakfast, lunch and dinner
This round, light-filled house debuted on Norwegian Prima in 2022 as a brand new fundamental eating room possibility. It options the identical day by day rotating menu because the second fundamental eating room, the Commodore Room, however what units this venue aside is its bright-and-airy atmosphere, courtesy of 270-degree floor-to-ceiling home windows.
Out there on: Norwegian Prima and Viva
Indulge Meals Corridor
Included; breakfast, lunch and dinner
This new informal eating idea, additionally launched on Norwegian Prima, rapidly grew to become a preferred various to the Surfside Cafe buffet (see beneath) for each lunch and dinner; at breakfast, it serves an analogous however extra restricted menu as Surfside. The attraction of Indulge Meals Corridor is the range — there are greater than 4 dozen menu objects from seven distributors: Tapas, The Backyard, Nudls, The Latin Quarter, Q Texas Smokehouse, Seaside Rotisserie and Tamara — served in small-plate parts. You possibly can take pleasure in hen korma, pad thai, pulled pork, crispy fried okra, a mushroom tostada and bacon-wrapped medjool dates, all ordered out of your desk through a pill.
Out there on: Norwegian Prima and Viva
Associated: 11 venues, 32 dishes, 4 days: I examined each eatery at Norwegian Cruise Line’s new Indulge Meals Corridor so you do not have to
La Cucina
A la carte; dinner
La Cucina was Norwegian’s sole Italian specialty restaurant till the launch of Onda by Scarpetta on Norwegian Encore in 2018, and the 2 eating places are fairly totally different. La Cucina is the extra conventional, that includes basic Italian favorites — caprese salad, fried calamari, spaghetti carbonara, pizza, hen cacciatore and osso buco alla Milanese — whereas Onda’s menu focuses on extra finessed trendy Italian dishes.
Out there on: Norwegian Bliss, Breakaway, Daybreak, Epic, Escape, Gem, Getaway, Jade, Pleasure, Pearl, Sky, Star and Solar
Le Bistro
A la carte; dinner
Like Cagney’s, NCL’s French fine-dining restaurant is a longtime favourite that is featured fleetwide (it is referred to as Jefferson’s Bistro on Delight of America). In style with {couples} for big day dinners, Le Bistro options every little thing from steak tartare and escargot to braised lamb shank and roasted duck breast. With its a la carte pricing, that is among the many richest (and costliest) eating experiences on board, particularly if accompanied by a bottle of Champagne or different French wine. Le Bistro eating places on Norwegian Prima and Viva are particularly atmospheric, with dramatic large-scale chandeliers and chic ivory-and-blue decor.
Out there: Fleetwide
Los Lobos
A la carte; dinner
Vibrant decor and complex Mexican delicacies that goes past the same old Tex-Mex fare make Los Lobos an interesting possibility in the event you’re crusing on one of many six ships that characteristic it. The guacamole, made contemporary tableside, is a should. Different menu choices embody Mexican-style shrimp ceviche, grilled mahi-mahi tacos, nopales (cactus) salad, hen mole enchiladas and cochinita pibil (slow-braised pork). Prime all of it off with a tres leches cake with coconut cream.
Out there on: Norwegian Bliss, Daybreak, Encore, Prima, Solar and Viva
Principal eating room
Included; breakfast, lunch and dinner
Norwegian Cruise Line ships characteristic no less than two fundamental eating rooms, and generally even three. Names differ by ship — though the six Breakaway Class and Breakaway Plus Class ships all characteristic the Manhattan Room, plus Savor and Style, and Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva have the Commodore Room and Hudson’s. Menus change day by day all through the cruise and have a collection of American and worldwide dishes.
Out there: Fleetwide
Moderno Churrascaria
Cowl cost; dinner
Carnivores can devour their fill of a wide range of meats the standard Brazilian means as gauchos carve and serve cuts of beef, lamb, pork, sausage and hen proper on the desk. Those that want to restrict their meat consumption can refill as a substitute on the salad bar, which options 43 objects. White rice, black beans, sauteed mushrooms, garlic mashed potatoes, fried yucca and Brazilian cheese bread are additionally served as aspect dishes.
Out there on: Norwegian Breakaway, Daybreak, Epic, Escape, Getaway, Jade, Jewel, Pearl, Star and Solar
Nama Sushi & Sashimi
A la carte; dinner
One other new restaurant to debut on Norwegian Prima, Nama Sushi & Sashimi does not veer too removed from its identify, serving six totally different sushi rolls (from yellowtail to rock shrimp), three sashimi choices and a wide range of appetizers, most of which characteristic uncooked fish. Even the dessert — pineapple carpaccio — is raw.
Out there on: Norwegian Prima and Viva
Ocean Blue
A la carte; dinner
Ocean Blue is a sublime seafood restaurant featured on NCL’s six Breakaway Class and Breakaway Plus Class ships. (It is often called Bayamo by Ocean Blue on Norwegian Escape.) Friends can savor appetizers reminiscent of crabcakes, pan-seared scallops and an ahi tuna and avocado tower, adopted by steamed or grilled lobster, seafood linguini or just grilled fish (salmon, tuna, cod or sea bass) served with a selection of sauces. All Ocean Blue eating places are positioned on Deck 8 and have indoor and out of doors seating on The Waterfront.
Out there on: Norwegian Bliss, Breakaway, Encore, Escape, Getaway and Pleasure
Onda by Scarpetta
A la carte; dinner
Trendy Italian delicacies is the centerpiece of Onda by Scarpetta, one other of NCL’s elevated specialty eating choices and the sister restaurant to land-based Scarpetta. Launched in 2019 on Norwegian Encore and extra just lately rolled out on the road’s latest ships (plus no less than one older vessel), Onda by Scarpetta indulges with antipasti starters reminiscent of burrata, quick ribs and braised octopus, a half dozen pasta choices (together with pappardelle Bolognese and Scarpetta’s well-known spaghetti with tomato and basil) and at last will get round to secondis reminiscent of veal Milanese and grilled branzino. The principle query will probably be: Do you’ve got room for dessert?
Out there on: Norwegian Encore, Prima, Spirit and Viva
O’Sheehan’s Bar & Grill
Included; 24-hour eating
This full of life and social pub-style eatery overlooks the buzzing three-deck Atrium on Breakaway Class ships and can also be featured on seven older NCL ships. It is open 24 hours a day and serves consolation classics reminiscent of burgers, fish and chips, hen wings, beef chili and loaded nachos.
Out there on: Norwegian Breakaway, Daybreak, Epic, Escape, Gem, Getaway, Jade, Jewel, Pearl and Star
Palomar
A la carte; dinner
Certainly one of NCL’s latest eating venues, Palomar celebrates the Mediterranean with a menu that includes plenty of Greek influences. Seafood dishes outnumber meat choices and embody tuna crudo, grilled prawns, Mediterranean sea bass with chickpeas and saffron puree, and sea scallops with prosciutto, le puy lentils, clams and pistachio pesto. Desserts embody Greek yogurt sorbet with orange custard pie.
Out there on: Norwegian Prima and Viva
Pincho Tapas Bar
A la carte; dinner
This distinctive Spanish-style tapas bar is discovered on just one ship within the Breakaway Class and suits in with the ship’s total Miami/Latin-influenced theme. Head to Pinchos in the event you’re trying to take pleasure in small-plate dishes reminiscent of blue crab salad and bacon-wrapped dates, in addition to chorizo, calamari, shrimp, scallops and extra served a la plancha. Wash all of it down with a Spanish pink, a glass of sangria or a signature Matador cocktail.
Out there on: Norwegian Escape
Pool Grill
Included; informal lunch
Three Norwegian ships characteristic a pool grill (all with totally different names) that is open for lunch and late afternoon snacks. The venue serves informal fare reminiscent of burgers, sizzling canines and french fries.
Out there on: Norwegian Daybreak, Gem and Delight of America
Q Texas Smokehouse
A la carte; dinner
This barbecue eatery debuted on Norwegian Bliss in 2018, and its menu options smoked meats (pit classics like brisket, pulled pork and beef quick ribs), in addition to calorific sides (loaded fries, crispy fried okra, onion rings and macaroni and cheese). You too can take pleasure in dwell nation music and even sweat off the surplus energy by dancing (earlier than ordering pecan pie or peach cobbler for dessert). A extra restricted menu is out there without cost as a part of Indulge Meals Corridor on Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva — however you may want to bop elsewhere.
Out there on: Norwegian Bliss, Encore and Pleasure
Savor (and Style)
Included; breakfast, lunch and dinner
These two eating places on all six Breakaway Class and Breakaway Plus Class ships are primarily smaller-scale fundamental eating rooms. They’re positioned throughout from one another on Deck 6 and have lunch and dinner menus that change day by day.
Out there on: Norwegian Bliss, Breakaway, Encore, Escape, Getaway and Pleasure
Shanghai’s Noodle Bar
Included; lunch and dinner
This informal eating venue serves a collection of freshly ready and wok-fried Asian noodle and rice dishes, from pork pot stickers and steamed vegetable dumplings to Singapore-style rice noodles and udon noodles in broth.
Out there on: Norwegian Breakaway, Epic and Getaway
Sports activities Bar
Included; informal pub fare
Whereas most NCL ships, excluding Delight of America, have a pub-style complimentary eatery — both O’Sheehan’s Bar & Grill or The Native Bar & Grill — one older outlier has Sports activities Bar. Like the opposite eateries, this venue is free and options consolation classics reminiscent of Reuben sandwiches, hen wings and fish and chips.
Out there on: Norwegian Solar
Starbucks
A la carte; espresso, breakfast and snacks
NCL wasn’t the primary cruise line to characteristic the well-known espresso chain (that will be Royal Caribbean), however it now has essentially the most Starbucks cafes on board its ships. Friends can buy frappuccinos, lattes, chilly brews and lots of the different espresso, tea and breakfast and pastry objects which might be obtainable on land.
Out there on: Norwegian Bliss, Breakaway, Encore, Epic, Gem, Getaway, Pleasure, Prima, Sky and Viva
Surfside Cafe & Grill
Included; breakfast, lunch and dinner
With the debut of Norwegian Prima, NCL advanced its buffet-style restaurant (often called Backyard Cafe on most ships) to Surfside Cafe & Grill. The Deck 17 house is notably smaller, although, as a result of the truth that Prima Class ships additionally characteristic Indulge Meals Corridor and The Native Bar & Grill as complimentary informal eating choices. The lowered dimension does end in some overcrowding, particularly at breakfast, with overflow visitors directed to seek out seats within the adjoining Meals Republic house.
Out there on: Norwegian Prima and Viva
Teppanyaki
Cowl cost; dinner
All however three NCL ships characteristic Teppanyaki, a Benihana-style Japanese restaurant the place the live-action preparation is integral to the expertise. You may be seated round a grill as your chef prepares your entree (both hen, beef, seafood or teriyaki-glazed tofu or one in every of 4 mixtures) with dramatic aptitude. You may begin with miso soup and seaweed salad, and all entrees are served with garlic fried rice and grilled greens. Dessert is both a inexperienced tea cake or fruit sashimi. Hasuki replaces Teppanyaki on Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva.
Out there on: Norwegian Bliss, Breakaway, Daybreak, Encore, Epic, Escape, Gem, Getaway, Jade, Jewel, Pleasure, Pearl, Spirit, Star and Solar
The Bake Store
A la carte; snacks and treats
A sugar rush is virtually assured at The Bake Store, a Deck 8 confectionery promoting assorted bonbons (with fillings from ardour fruit to praline), cupcakes (greater than a dozen choices, together with pink velvet, chocolate-pistachio and lemon merengue) and French macarons in a dozen flavors.
Out there on: Norwegian Bliss, Breakaway, Encore and Getaway
The Nice Outdoor
Included; lunch
This out of doors informal buffet on seven Norwegian Cruise Line ships has a come-as-you-are costume code and serves burgers, sizzling canines, fries and different objects for visitors who wish to take pleasure in some ocean surroundings with their lunch.
Out there on: Norwegian Epic, Gem, Jade, Jewel, Pearl, Sky and Solar
The Haven Restaurant
Included for visitors booked in The Haven; breakfast, lunch and dinner
For those who ebook a set in The Haven, the unique ship-within-a-ship enclave discovered on each new NCL ship because it was launched on Norwegian Epic in 2010, you may take pleasure in entry to The Haven Restaurant. Open solely to Haven visitors, it serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Menus right here don’t change, however there are typically sufficient choices (a dozen appetizers and 10 entrees at dinner, for instance) you can dine right here a number of instances with out repeating a dish or working out of fascinating dishes to strive.
Out there on: Norwegian Bliss, Breakaway, Encore, Epic, Escape, Getaway, Pleasure, Prima and Viva
The Native Bar & Grill
Included; 24-hour eating
The Native Bar & Grill is a well-liked hangout for sports activities telecasts and trivia contests, in addition to a go-to for visitors when anytime-hunger strikes. Like its consolation meals sibling O’Sheehans’s Bar & Grill, its 24-hour menu options breakfast, all-day and late-night objects that embody omelets, cheeseburgers, hen wings, fish and chips and loaded nachos.
Out there on: Norwegian Bliss, Encore, Pleasure, Prima, Sky, Spirit and Viva
The Uncooked Bar
A la carte; dinner
Situated adjoining to Ocean Blue, this informal possibility with counter seating serves oysters, clams, shellfish and crudos (salmon tartare, black sea bass ceviche and extra), in addition to wines by the glass and a collection of desserts.
Out there on: Norwegian Breakaway and Getaway
Topsiders Bar & Grill
Included; informal pool grill with various hours
5 older NCL ships characteristic Topsiders Bar & Grill, a poolside venue serving burgers, sizzling canines, french fries and different takeaway objects.
Out there on: Norwegian Gem, Jewel, Pearl, Sky and Star
Wasabi (or Sushi)
A la carte; dinner
This up to date sushi bar — referred to as both Wasabi or Sushi, relying on the ship — is the spot for cocktails, sake and Japanese specialties that embody sesame seaweed salad, sushi and specialty rolls, nigiri, sashimi and yakitori. On Prima Class ships, you may discover Nama Sushi & Sashimi with a distinct menu.
Out there on: Norwegian Breakaway, Daybreak, Epic, Gem, Getaway, Jade, Jewel, Pearl, Spirit, Star and Solar
FAQs about NCL eating
Is Norwegian Cruise Line’s meals free?
You possibly can dine without cost throughout your cruise at any of the complimentary eating venues on board NCL ships. There are sometimes 4 to 6 included eating venues per ship, a number of of which serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Is there a fundamental eating room?
Sure, all NCL ships characteristic a fundamental eating room — some have as many as three — and Freestyle Eating means you may select when to dine (throughout the specified breakfast, lunch and dinner hours).
Do I must make reservations?
You do not want to make reservations for the principle eating rooms or informal venues like O’Sheehan’s or the buffet. Nonetheless, you may make reservations for the principle eating rooms in the event you’d want to eat at a particular time and want to keep away from lengthy wait instances throughout the most well-liked dinner hours.
Sit-down specialty eating places at all times require a reservation. The earlier you may make one, the higher. You possibly can ebook specialty eating on-line through the cruise line’s web site or app or by calling Norwegian reservations. You too can reserve once you get on board, however you danger that the extra standard eateries will already be totally booked, particularly throughout the peak summer time and vacation intervals. Stroll-ins are permitted if house is out there, however you may seemingly want to point out up early or late to snag a desk.
Does Norwegian provide room service?
Sure, NCL gives 24-hour room service, however you’ll be charged a comfort charge of as much as $9.95 per supply, excluding morning espresso, continental breakfast and orders positioned by visitors staying in The Haven. A 20% gratuity and beverage service cost may even be added for noncomplimentary drinks and big day objects delivered to your room.
How a lot does specialty eating value?
It varies by restaurant. At venues with a la carte pricing, reminiscent of Cagney’s, Ocean Blue, Onda by Scarpetta and Le Bistro, it is easy to rack up a invoice of $80 per particular person, not together with drinks. NCL’s sushi eating places are additionally a la carte, as is Meals Republic. Two individuals with a median urge for food can dine at each for round $50 to $60 per particular person, not together with drinks. Different venues, reminiscent of Teppanyaki and Moderno Churrascaria, characteristic a set cowl cost of $59 per particular person.
Does NCL provide specialty eating packages?
Sure and in the event you like a wide range of cuisines and plan to dine at two or extra extra-charge eating places, buying a specialty eating bundle is smart.
These vary in worth from $99 per particular person for a two-meal bundle to $469 per particular person for a 14-meal bundle. The value per meal will get decrease the extra meals you buy — from $49.50 per dinner on a two-meal bundle to $33.50 per dinner for 14 meals. Even the four-meal bundle at $169 per particular person is an effective deal at $42.25 per dinner, given the a la carte pricing enormously exceeds that (for 3 programs) at most specialty eating places and eateries with cowl prices are priced at $59 per particular person.
Additionally, a choose variety of specialty eating meals are sometimes included with NCL’s Free at Sea reserving promotion.
What about service prices?
A 20% gratuity and specialty service cost will mechanically be added to the price of your specialty eating bundle once you buy it or to your onboard eating cost in the event you pay a la carte or a flat cowl cost.
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