By
Rebecca Gibson |
Norwegian Cruise Line is to debut new menus and speciality dining nights in its complimentary dining venues this summer.
The various new menus are part of the Norwegian NEXT programme, which was launched in May 2014 and aim to elevate the guest experience across the line’s fleet. Norwegian will also host one dedicated ‘Chocoholic Night’ evening per cruise, which offers guests a choice of up to seven signature chocolate desserts in every restaurant per cruise.
“Dining is an essential part of cruising and an experience that our guests look forward to,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s CEO. “We want to make sure that we are exceeding our guests’ expectations with culinary delights in our complimentary dining venues. These enhancements with such a wide variety of choice along with guest favorites and of course, chocolate, are bringing our complimentary dining venues to new heights.”
The new regionally-focused menus will vary according to the ships’ itineraries, changing each evening during the cruise. Featuring wine pairing recommendations and anecdotal culinary history about the dishes, the menus offer guests classic dishes, main courses, chef’s signature dishes, desserts and up to 12 starters and 15 entrees per evening. The menus have been developed by the line’s culinary team to balance popular traditional dishes, such as prime rib and rack of lamb, with contemporary cuisine, such as mojito shrimp ceviche. Seafood options have also been increased, while the main dining room also offers new lunch menus.
O’Sheehan’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill – featured onboard Norwegian Getaway, Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Epic and Norwegian Jewel – will host speciality dish nights
Taking its Freestyle Dining concept to the next level, Norwegian will enable guests to make reservations for complimentary dining rooms up to 90 days in advance of their departure date. Guests can use the new reservation system to book one of four dining times during any evening of their cruise for up to 12 guests.
“After a trial on Norwegian Breakaway, the main dining reservation option has been met with overwhelming support from our guests,” said Frank Weber, vice president of product development of Norwegian. “The programme has been extremely successful because it allows guests to select their experiences ahead of time if they wish to, or they can choose to simply walk up to the restaurant they wish to dine at once onboard. It’s another way to offer more freedom and flexibility to our guests.”
Norwegian’s new menus and dining concepts will be available on most of Norwegian’s fleet by 31 July and onboard Norwegian Jade, Norwegian Spirit, Norwegian Sky and Pride of America by early 2015.