Dining at Sea on Alaska’s Inside Passage

According to the latest travel data, vacations for Americans on Cruise Ships are growing in popularity. One of the acknowledged leaders in the industry is the Norwegian Cruise Line. As you read this, we’ll be aboard their Norwegian Pearl for a return visit to Alaska’s Inside Passage. And as you might expect, the focus on this report will not be about glaciers (although there are still a few left on this lovely voyage) but about dining on board.

The Pearl, unlike her gigantic sister ship the Epic, is smaller, accommodating a little over 2,000 passengers. And to be frank, as is the case on most cruise ships these days, the food ranges from average to sometimes very, very good. The nature of cruise dining these days has morphed from a dress-for-dinner-with-reserved-tables-and-time-slots to pretty much just either showing up (at the numerous buffet themed spots) to making a reservation at your convenience at the more upscale places. NCL has several restaurants that require a surcharge of between $10 and $25 per person (above and beyond what you’ve already paid for the cruise) to dine there. The buffet spots which are open virtually around the clock carry no surcharge. I guess i understand the logic of the surcharge: still, I’m not entirely comfortable with it.

If buffets are your thing (and you pretty much don’t have a choice for breakfast) the Pearl does a pretty good job. The food is fresh and while not spectacular, certainly acceptable. They make a very tasty custom omelet and the bacon is always crisp (one of my pet peeves). The key for me though is quantity control. You can really slam down some chow at these things if you’re not careful. And you can get free room service around the clock: this is something else I’ve got to be careful about because it’s usually pretty good and surprisingly quick.

The surcharge restaurants range from a decent steakhouse, Cagney’s, with a $25 surcharge to a Japanese-style Tepanyaki. At Cagney’s I had a Rib eye that was nicely marbled with good texture. The service was noticeably good and efficient. It seats 168, a big number for a ship. But in no way did it seem crowded or uncomfortable.

La Cucina, as you might imagine, is the Italian themed restaurant. It won’t make you want to abandon local icon Vespaio but I enjoyed a very tasty Egg Plant Parmesan along with a credible antipasta. The pasta dishes were also nicely aldente and the sauces, they key to good Italian food, were quite good.

The French restaurant Le Bistro is a beautifully appointed restaurant with classic French dishes (some decidedly retro which is fine with an aging vanguard baby boomer like me).

The service was again good and there’s nothing quite like sitting at a table that overlooks the vast expanse of the water along with the gorgeous Alaskan coastline.

I don’t know why but my favorite restaurants on MCL cruises seem to be Chinese. The Lotus Garden on the Pearl is no exception. The Mandarin Prawns and Peking Duck Crepes were a delight. The Lo Mein dishes were also smashing and while this is the 2nd smallest of the surcharge restaurants it more than holds its own.

NCL also seems to make sure to include a Brazilian-style churrascaria on its ships. And they’re still a work in progress, the Pearl included. Don’t know why but most of the skewers yielded meats that were on the dry side at Moderno Churrascaria. They should call Ironi at our Estancia Churrascaria and get some advice. They’re making this one more difficult than it should be.

Finally, the Teppanyaki, complete with the usual knife throwing chefs and blazing onion volcanoes at the grilling stations is a good show along with good healthy food. It seats only 32 so it’s kind of fun to listen to the chatter from the other stations (much of it with accents and languages beyond my scope).

All in all, NCL offers a hell of a value for your vacation dollar. And there is nothing more beautiful than the Alaskan coastline along with the spectacular Glacier Bay. Of course it doesn’t hurt to be leaning on the rail sipping a mocha grande and watching a pod of whales playing 50 yards away! The sea is usually surprisingly smooth and there’s lots to do both on and off the ship that doesn’t involve dining. The crews are invariably international in make up and are generally quite outgoing and efficient. Also, being used to Americans, I was surprised at how polite they were.

Aside from having a great time, my other goal for the week and one that I’ve been seriously conscious about since my weight loss: don’t gain more than 4 pounds. I’ll let you know how that worked out :).