What Is It About Food on Cruise Ships?

With traditional dining, dinner isn't just a meal, it's an event, and event that has been a highlight of the cruise experience for decades. It's one of the highlights of the day - a perfect ending to an enjoyable day and a lovely transition to a pleasant evening at sea.

On most lines, after choosing early or late dining, you'll be assigned a table for the voyage. You'll be shown to that table on the first night, where you'll meet your tablemates, and are introduced to your waiter and assistant waiter. Some life-long friendships have begun in the main dining room. Guests look forward to a leisurely meal of several courses, served by the same staff and in the company of the same companions each evening.

The bonus is that your waiters 'know' you from the second night. My preferred beverage is always waiting for me from the second night on, my husband's special dietary needs need not be repeated, and sugar-free ice cream is brought for his desert every evening. And the dress for the various evenings is fun.

On the last night, we bid a fond farewell to people from other parts of the country and the world... people we are richer for having spent a week of evenings with; people we might never have gotten to know a thing about otherwise: our tablemates and our wait staff.

NCL was the big impetus in creating a trend away from all traditional dining on cruise ships when they came out with their signature Freestyle Cruising. With their Freestyle Cruising ships, the eliminated set dinner times and tables for guests, and dropped the requirement for formal attire - even on formal nights.

In the last several years, some of the other mass market lines have made partial moves in that direction by giving their guest the choice of traditional dining or the newer option of no set time, no set table, no set table mates, with optioinal reservations. It's called by various names, such as Anytime Dining on Princess Cruises, My Time Dining on Royal Caribbean, and Your Time Dining on Carnival.

Most all ships have a casual, serve-yourself buffet in addition to one or more main dining rooms. In most cases, you find the buffet on the Lido deck. Dress is casual... even shirts and tees are acceptable.

Food is generally very good, though some of the most special dishes served in the main dining room probably won't be available at all.

The hours of operationare more liberal than those of the main dining room... 24 hours a day on some, though not all, ships.

The trend in recent years has been the addition of premium or upscale dining venues. An extra fee applies for their use, but it is usually well worth it. Such a meal on land would cost easily 3 - 4 times the fee charged.

The food is generally excellent, and a meal in some of these restaurants, like ones in the main dining room, is something of an event. Dress varies from coat and tie for gentlemen, dress or nice pantsuit for Ladies, to resort casual. Tip is allegedly included in the fee, but adding a little extra is customary.

Themes vary for these alternate dining venues. You'll find steakkhouses, italian, Asian, Brazilian, and ultra-healthy cusine to name a few.

Two things that have been hallmarks of all the ones I've been privileged to sample are excellent service and scrumptious deserts.

A desert at Chops, courtesy of ziggysun at CruiseLineFans

Sadly the midnight buffets, chocolate buffets, and champagne fountains that used to be staples on cruise ships are fading away, though decadent foods still abound.

Champagne fountains are reserved for special holidays on some lines, and absent on others. On some Carnival ships, the chocolate buffet is served in a section of the casual buffet one afternoon, and the midnight buffet has been replaced with a Dancing Under the Stars late night pool deck party on others. As ships get larger and larger, everything seems to be getting a lot more casual - and crowded than it used to be. The festive air has suffered considerably as a consequence.

But there's still an awfully good time to be had, and a lot of unbelievable food to be sampled. There are a lot more choices, too.. with everything from Mexican to Sushi.

Chocolate Eagle at a Chocolate Buffet (RCCL)

On a large cruise ship, grabbing a snack or a casual meal is easy. A typical ship will have at least several places to get a snack a light meal, or just something sweet.

Take the ships of Royal Caribbean, for example, where you won't run the risk of going hungry between meals.Their ship sizes run the gamut, and as you expect, so do the number of places to get something to eat. While there are several food venues other than the main dining room and the buffet on the smaller ships, the very largest ships boast some 26 different food venues.

Johnny Rockets, found on many RCCL ships, is a 50's style diner where the wait staff will entertain you with a choreographed dance while you munch down on burgers and fries.

Johnny Rockets (Photo:my own, all rights reserved)

Venues vary from line to line and ship to ship. For instance, several of the other places you might find on one of Royal's ships include:
Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream
Sorrentos Pizza
The Seaview Cafe
Rita's Cantina
Cafe Promenade

On some lines, you can partake of the leisurely luxury of afternoon tea. While it is an occasional offering on some premium lines, Afternoon Tea is an every day affair on the liners of Cunard.

Keeping the venerable - and very British - tradition alive, Cunard will treat you to white glove service, premium teas, and scones & cream. Live strings provide the background music for your pleasant afternoon interlude. (Appropriate dress expected.)

Photo used by special permission of LankyLad at Cruise Line Fans

Something charming has been added on the ships of Princess Cruises recently - Milk and Cookies.

In the afternoon, a crew member, clad all in white (like an old-fashioned milkman) appears, pushing a cart. He delivers warm, fresh soft-baked cookies, and a little cup of cold milk to anyone who wishes to partake.

We experienced the 'milk and cookies' guy for the first time last year on the Ruby Princess. After the first day, we made sure we were on an open deck mid-afternoon to get our milk and cookies. I think it was the personality and graciousness of the young man in the white hat as much as it was the actual milk and cookies. But his appearance was a real treat each day.

An absolutely charming touch!

If you just don't feel like leaving your cabin, you can always order from room service!

There's normal room service. We sometimes order a light room service breakfast instead of going to the main dining room or the buffet in the morning.

There are even VERY fancy types of room service... including a romantic full course dinner served on your balcony by your own private waiter. Things like that do come with a price, though.