Although cruises have a reputation for being culinary paradises, on some cruise ships, the food is pretty mediocre. Which is not surprising, when you think about it. A world-class restaurant, might only have thirty or forty tables, which they may only turn once a night. So on any given evening, they’re only preparing a few hundred meals.
A cruise ship carrying 3,500 passengers might have 1,500 people in the main dining rooms at the same time. In order to keep things moving along – especially at the first seating when there’s a second seating immediately following - a lot of the food has to be prepared in advance. When it comes to entrees, this can spell the difference between good and not so good.
For this reason, smaller ships usually have better food. But these days, huge ships have some alternative restaurants with fewer tables and very good food.
So here is some advice for eating well on almost any cruise.
Virtually all cruise ships have buffets for breakfast and usually a food station that prepares eggs, pancakes, and other hot dishes to order. As a rule, the fresh fruit, pastries, and cheeses are usually the best bets at the breakfast buffet. Supplement them with a made-to-order omelet for a delicious, nutritious breakfast. Most ships will substitute egg whites for whole eggs, if you prefer.
On larger ships, you can also have breakfast in the dining room. If you want something more elaborate, such as eggs Florentine or eggs Benedict, you’ll find them there. The only downside is that it takes more time. But on sea days, that may not matter to you.
You’ll likely have many lunches ashore, but when you don’t, there are several options aboard ship. If you aren’t in a rush, the dining room will have six or seven items to choose from, and since there’s no way to predict how many people will show up – it won’t usually be many – almost everything will be made to order. If you enjoy having several courses and being waited on, you’ll enjoy this the most.
Quality at the lunch buffet varies widely. But don’t expect haute cuisine. You can usually make an excellent salad, but the items in chafing dishes usually aren’t that great.
The same is true of the ubiquitous pool-side grill. On some ships, you can get a great burger or grilled chicken breast. On others, they’re pre-cooked to reduce the risk of salmonella.
On cruise liners of all sizes, the best food at dinner is in the alternative restaurants. Most ships have a steak house and an Italian restaurant. There’s usually a surcharge of between $15 and $25 to dine in these, but they’re almost always worth the extra cost. Several ships now have Asian restaurants, including sushi and teppanyaki bars as well.
If you want truly exceptional food on your cruise, choose one of the lines with a celebrity chef at the helm, such as Cunard (Todd English), Oceania (Jacques Pepin), Seabourn (Charlie Palmer) or Crystal (Nobu Matsuhisa).
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