The following prices were in effect on the NCL Spirit as of 9/20/08:
La Trattoria-$10/pp previously No Charge
Shogun Asian-$15/pp
Teppanyaki- $25/pp previously $20/pp
Sushi- $15/pp
Cagney's- $20/pp
Le Bistro- $15/pp

Adding the Italian Restaurant to the extra charge dining narrows the no added fee dining options aboard the NCL ships. Increasing the Teppanyaki charges raises the cost of Teppanyaki dining to shore based Teppanyaki dining! I hope these are not lasting price increases on all NCL ships! Draw your own conclusions.

BillyBuzzy

Pretty soon every restaurant will have a charge. The more willing people are to pay the extra, the more the cruise lines will try to get more out of them. If everyone refused to pay extra and went to the main dining room things may change. When "reservation only" restaurants first started the surcharge was minimal and it was to cover the tip for the service people who were taken away from their tables in the main dining room. The reservation restaurants were originally started
as a place for couples and parents to get away for the night and have a quiet intimate dinner. Now the popularity of the restaurants has evolved into a money maker. As long as people are willing to freely fork it over then the cruise lines will continue to see what they can get away with. Look at RCI charging $14.95 in the main dining room for steak. If people just freely pay this without protest, then you can expect further changes and charges in the future. People create their own monsters by supporting them.

Look at how they have become less restrictive on minimum ages for the specialty places. The cruise lines saw how people with children were a missed opportunity. Now drlivingston can take his soon-to-be screaming kid to Chops (as long as it is early).

What is it called...MAP? http://cruise-chat.com/groupee_commo.../icon_wink.gif You get two meals with your cruise fare and have to buy the third one.

<MAP: modified American plan>

Will we be "brown bagging" it soon? Sounds like they are trying to force us all up to the buffet...I've always found the "Main Dining" to be more than just OK for me....Cruising is really getting to the point of more than "Nickel and Dime" pricing....with the world wide economy downtrend, I hope the shipping lines don't sink themselves....But..I'm going again in January and probably again and again....maybe my last breath, my last buck and my last cruise will all come at the same time......Happy sailing..

Bob E

Sounds like NCL has put the F3 project on hold.

The problem is that when people start to complain about the "specialty restaurants" they reduce the quality in the main dining rooms.

The shipyard has confirmed they have a problem with NCL and the F3 ships. Read it here

Just completed a Bermuda cruise on the NCL Dawn. While the cruise was first class in every manner shape and form I feel that the Cruise-Chat community should be aware that there is now a $10/pp cover charge in the Salsa restaurant and that the very popular 2 for 1 specials offered in many of the specialty restaurants was not offered.

On the other hand-there was a very good 8oz. steak offering every evening in the main dining rooms (Aqua and Venetian)-keep 'em medium rare for best taste-and....there was lobster in many various shapes and forms available on at least three evenings!(again in the Aqua and Venetian). Pasta and Salsa items were also available at both lunch and supper in the Garden Buffet!

It was a most delicious cruise-just in case anyone out there likes to munch on a cruise!

Bon Voyage,

BillyBuzzy

Hi All –

Billy, are these increases across the line? I’d imagine so but wondered if you knew for sure.

For my two cents – as the market gets more and more competitive and the prices keep dropping the lines have to make it up somewhere. They are operating a business after all.

We, like everyone right now, are very concerned about the economy so we decided to book an inside guarantee. We weighed the options taking into consideration that this is the celebration of my 50th year on the planet but in the end decided that frugality would win over extravagance! We’re okay with that. How much time will we spend in the cabin anyway? Plus, it frees up the cash to spend elsewhere.

So, for 1K (for the two of us) we’re getting 7 days accommodation, travel, meals and all the coffee, tea, water, and cappuccino we can consume. That’s about $142 a day for both of us! I think spending an extra $30 for a meal in Le Bistro is certainly worth every penny! The main dining rooms are there for the rest of the cruise and I seriously doubt we will ever be “brown bagging”. The lines know that is a line that could never be crossed. After all, what do you say to a friend when you find they’ll be taking a cruise for the first time?...’you’ll never go hungry’

Paul & Darryl - The NCL Pearl is a twin to the Gem and a close first cousin to the Dawn (Both of which are first class ships) and I would imagine that the Specialty restaurant pricing will be the same. As I wrote in my earlier posting-there are absolutely great meals in the main dining rooms and in the various buffets as well as in the other no-fee dining venues (Blue Lagoon/Pearly King's Pub/etc)-you will enjoy the exerience totally!

If you can - Give a specialty restaurant or two a try-they are well worth the modest additional fee. On many cruises the 2 for 1 is still being offered (A real deal!)

Enjoy your cruise on the Pearl!

Bon Voyage,

BillyBuzzy