surcharge for restaurants

[O2BCRUZIN]

My sister is going on her first cruise in November on NCL, she was told that she would have to pay a $25.00 surcharge at every dining venue except for the buffet, I am not familiar with NCL and told her I would check into it for her.

 

[suer182]

I have yet to sail NCL but I am under the impression that some of the restaurants are free while others a surchange applies. But that is every cruise line. All the cruise lines have a specialty dining room that you pay but the traditional dining is free.

 

[Lisa63]

Hi O2BCRUZIN. The information your sister heard is not correct, and is a very common misperception about NCL.

Charges and restaurants vary from ship to ship, but there is no charge for the main dining rooms on any NCL ship. There is always a charge for the specialty restaurant Le Bistro and the steakhouse, if the ship has one -- I'll have to check on the cost. There may be other specialty restaurants that impose charges, depending upon the ship. Do you know which ship she is sailing?

 

[nmnita]

Cruise Addict forever is correct: most NCL ships, espcially the newer ones which is almost all they have now offer at least 5 or 6 dining options with no charge. There will be an extra charge for the steak house, the french restaurant and maybe the Asian dining room. It is strictly up to you whether you choose to eat in one of these. The prices will normally range from about 12.50 to $20 or $25 just like all other lines. The difference is the number of choices you have.

Nita

 

[Don Clark]

Which NCL ship will you be sailing upon?

Briefly, all NCL ships will have two FREE main restaurants, a FREE buffet, and several FREE specialty restaurants, usually the Italian restaurant and several fast food court grills.

What you pay a surcharge for are:
(1) Le Bistro - serving French cusine.
(2) Cagney's Steakhouse (or East Meets West) - serving larger steaks.
(3) Asian Restaurant ( names vary by ship) - serving Asian cusine usually including a Sushi Bar and Teppanyaki tables.
(4) On two NCL ships, the Norwegian Sun and Pride of Aloha, the Italian restaurant has a surcharge but on the rest of NCL's fleet the Italian restaurant is FREE. Those with a surcharge serve more upscale Italian menus than your basic pasta dishes and are worth the extra fee.

Not every ship, as you can see above, have all the restaurant choices. Older-smaller ships have less choices.

 

[O2BCRUZIN]

The Ship my Sister is going on is the Star. I appreciate your valuable information and will pass this information on to my sister that she has options if she does or doesn't want to pay a sur charge for her dining options

 

[Don Clark]

[quote O2BCRUZIN]The Ship my Sister is going on is the Star. I appreciate your valuable information and will pass this information on to my sister that she has options if she does or doesn't want to pay a sur charge for her dining options[/quote]

Here's a list of restaurants for the Star I found elsewhere. Maybe this will help?

Main Restaurants:
Versailles
Cuisine: Continental
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No

Aqua
Cuisine: Continental
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No

Surcharge Specialty Restaurants:
The Soho Room
Cuisine: California, Hawaiian, Asian
Surcharge: Yes, $15 per person
Reservations Required: Yes

Ginza Restaurant
Cuisine: Asian (Sushi, Sashimi, Teppanyaki)
Surcharge: Yes, $12.50 per person
Reservations Required: Yes

Le Bistro French Restaurant
Cuisine: French
Surcharge: Yes, $15 per person
Reservations Required: Yes

Cagney's Steakhouse
Cuisine: Steak
Surcharge: Yes, $20 per person
Reservations Required: Yes

Free Specialty Restaurants:
Salsa
Cuisine: Mexican, Tex-Mex Tapas Bar
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: Yes

Market Café/Kids' Cafe
Cuisine: Assorted Buffet, Food Stations, Kid-Sized Buffet
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No

La Trattoria
Cuisine: Casual Italian
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No

Blue Lagoon
Cuisine: Food Court, Grill, 24 Hours
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No

 

[nmnita]

Don has answered your questions. I too am sailing the Star, 2 plus weeks. We are looking forward to our cruise as I am sure your sister is. Nita

 

[TropDaddy]

this is a pretty good list of the restaurants that have a fee .thanks to all who submitted information........

 

[cruisebuddy]

I would pay twice as much for Le Bistro. It simply is the best on the high seas. I woud pass on the Asian fare. If you've been to one teppan dinner, you've been to them all, and as for sushi? Save your money. They offer only a small menu, and it isn't very adventurous. If you are a sushi fan, you'll be disapponted.

 

[nmnita]

Joe, I agree about the habachi table and yet, you would be amazed at how many think it is next to heaven, including my own daughter who:1-has traveled the world on busines, just returned from 2 weeks in Bangkock,(spelling) Hong Kong and London, 2-is certainly upper middle class, 3-lives in a major city with every kind of restaurant there is and 4-has eaten at habachi type restaurants for years. Go figure? I do go when on NCL ships with her, but it is at the bottom of my list.

Nita