Needless to say that on a cruise you spend a large portion of time eating good food. This is the highlight of some of the meals we had. Each were memorable for either the company or food and usually both.
Dinner at the Captain’s Table
I’d asked the Mr. to go to reception and asked for our names to be put in for the drawing for “Dinner with an Officer”. So we were excited when we received an envelope noting that we’d been chosen to eat at the Captain’s Table with Captain Evans Hoyt and Sonya Sommereger. The meal was held at the Savor MDR and many of us went with the Chef’s special which was grilled shrimp on top of mushroom risotto. A very good choice it was delicious! The Mr. and I had a nice time speaking to those we sat next to. Irene a interior decorator with a lively, bubbly personality and Tom and young man from Hawaii studying on the East Coast. The Captain shared a lot of interesting maritime tidbits as well as peaks into his off-duty life in which he enjoys…boating. Truly a man of the 7 seas.
Dinner at the Manhattan room with Burn the Floor performing
For the majority of the trip we ate at specialty dining venues, simply because I enjoy trying out different tastes and flavors and there were a lot of fun places to eat and I wanted to have a varied atmosphere while dining. One evening we finally took the time to go to the Manhattan room at 5:30 before a crowd formed. We ordered our food and one of the pleasant servers came over and said “you’re going to stay for the show aren’t you?”. We asked what show and she told us Burn the Floor would be performing and that it was really good and worth watching; and so we stayed and are really glad we did. They were wonderful, energetic and really enjoy dancing.
Afterward we head up to the Latitudes cocktail party where we had a chance to see Marites Souza again! She’s such a sweetheart you’ll adore her within seconds of meeting her. She’s the executive housekeeper and does a great job in managing her very large staff, as our room was always very clean and tidy.
Captain’s Cocktail Party in the Haven
Dinner with Drew and Kin at The Manhattan Room
The last night of the cruise we had a chance to have dinner with one of the cutest couples on the high seas. Drew De Four and Kin Curran his wife. They’re very talented performers that play at Howl at the Moon dueling piano show. We did an interview with them which will be posted soon, but before that we enjoyed a lively and informative dinner with two people who are not only hard working and talented, but very pleasant and enjoyable to be around. For that meal I had the Chef’s special Tilapia which was really delicious.
Dinner at Le Bistro
Le Bistro is my husband’s favorite restaurant on board Norwegian ships and we always go at least once. Before hitting Platinum latitudes we’d go anyway, but now that we have the chance to a free meal and bottle of wine there there’s no way we’d miss dinner there. Even if you pay for it, it’s worth the $20 per person. If you’d like to get a taste of Le Bistro before committing to dinner, get in when they have a Jazz Brunch which is a few dollars less.
Dinner at Ocean Blu
The much awaited dinner at the highly touted Geoffrey Zakarian restaurant Ocean Blu.We made arrangements to eat there about a month and a half in advance of this sailing. We’re glad we did for two reasons in particular. This restaurant is often filled up and between the time we booked at the time we got on the ship the price went up from $35 per person to $49 per person. a 40% increase. However all bookings made at the original pricing we’re of course honored.
Now I won’t go into whether it’s worth the additional money or not because that really depends on what you value and how you value it. I will say that the food is very good and if the price ever goes back down to $35 per person or less we would go back. In the mean while I’d rather eat at Wasabi or the Raw Bar and pay ala carte pricing.
Note: I’ve photos of menus below this post if you’re interested in the offerings.
Bread and Butter – Ocean Blu
Dinner at Wasabi
Dinner at Wasabi was second choice. I can’t remember exactly what we had planned but I remember it not working out then and there, so I said “let’s go to Wasabi” and we did. For dinner we had a plethora of varied sushi rolls and a drink if I remember correctly which in total only came to about $21 with tip. Definitely a good value for the money and we meant to get back there but didn’t have the time. We’ll remedy that next time.
Enjoying the Sunset at Wasabi
Dinner at La Cucina
When I first started cruising with Norwegian Cruise Line I couldn’t imagine why they had an Italian restaurant on board. It seemed very common place and I’m not particular fan of pasta so I really thought that there would never be anything that I’d want there. I kept this mindset and for over two years I never set foot in there unless it was being used as additional seating for the buffet area all the way in the back. However one evening last September I finally decided to step in and was really glad that I did. There are a variety of offerings, the food is good and the price is reasonable ($15 per person).
It’s a good two steps above the Olive Garden so if you’re enjoy that food you’ll have a great time at La Cucina. One of my favorite things there is the warm fresh baked bread you’re served along with the four different flavors of olive oil. I could truly make a meal out of that alone.
If you’re on the Breakaway when the weather is warm dine al fresco and when you’re finished head over across the way to Maltings for a drink and then walk into Fat Cats which is right next door.
Late night meals at O’Sheehans
O’Sheehans. I’ve dubbed this place Shenanigans on the Epic because that’s what I usually get up to while there, but we were tame on the Breakaway it’s still known O’Sheehans/Oceans to me for now. Once we’d come out of a night of music listening to the fabulous Slam Allen at Fat Cats or Kin and Drew at Howl we found ourselves a bit peckish and would head over to O’s in order to nibble on a tuna salad sandwich with fries for me or hot wings or perhaps a burger for dear hubby. It’s open 24/7, the food is tasty and served quickly. What more can you ask for when you’re up at 2:00am after a full day of play and entertainment!
Unless otherwise noted. All photos and video copyright © TravelXena 2013
