Cruise Ship Dining

Cruise Ship Dining: Breaking Down the Stereotypes

ByIris M. Posted on Updated on

I went on my first cruise at 8 years old. In the dining room I remember that for some reason I wanted a baked potato, but it wasn’t on the menu that night. I don’t know if I outright asked for a baked potato or if it was that the waiter remembered that I liked it from the night before, but a baked potato appeared on my plate that evening. To me it was like magic. Cruise ship dining is a place where crew makes magic happen.

It’s also the place where I tried escargot for the first time, developed a penchant for lobster, and learned what a butterflied steak was. One of the great things about cruising is that you can try food that you might not otherwise and (assuming you are at one of the included restaurants) it doesn’t cost any extra. Many onboard main restaurants will allow you to try multiple main courses if you so choose – or give you a smaller portion of something you’re interested in.

There are a lot of stereotypes about food on a cruise ship. Whether that be long held stereotypes about there being so much food you’ll gain weight while onboard, the midnight buffet, how good the food really is, or dreaded (and also very much loved) formal nights. There are also some new(ish) stereotypes about people feeling nickel and dimed or overcrowded buffets.

I can’t dispel all of these stereotypes, but I can talk you through them.

Stereotype #1: There is so much food that you will gain weight

This stereotype is very much so dependent on who you are as a person, what your metabolism is, and what your level of self control is when presented with chocolate lava cake. On every major cruise line the buffet and at least one dining room (typically the “main dining room”) that is included in the cruise fare. An all you can eat buffet is just that… all you can eat. I’ve found that all you can eat is great – get seconds on that lobster mac and cheese and the aforementioned lava cake! However, for me that only works if I also make a commitment to take the stairs, walk extra or do a lot of dancing! My rule of thumb for stairs (this is for myself, obviously adjust for your individual mobility capabilities), is to always take them down, and up if it’s less than 4 flights. If it’s more than 4 flights I give myself lee-way to take the elevators. P.S. The buffet also has healthy things like fruits and vegetables, it’s not just decadent cakes!

Stereotype #2: The midnight buffet

While there still might be a buffet open at midnight it is likely not the stereotypical “midnight buffet”. What was once a staple of cruising is now nearly entirely gone on the major cruise lines. Someday I will find my pictures of these wildly extravagant buffets spanning the length of the dining room or Lido deck with beautiful ice sculptures and carved fruit and will post them to share with you all. I will say after having worked on a cruise ship I can see why this one is gone. There would be so much labor involved in putting this together.

Stereotype #3: How good is the food?

Some people have in their mind that cruise ship food is the best there is, others think less so. I have found that the food in the dining rooms is nearly always excellent. Something might not be to your exact taste, but if it’s not you can just get something else! Overall I would say the food aboard cruise ships is quite good, and, if I am being completely honest, the overall quality of the food tends to be better on pricier cruises. In that same token, I have gone on cruises that were incredibly inexpensive and had wonderful food, too. So, if you find a deal, don’t let that dissuade you!

Stereotype #4: The dreaded (and also very much loved) formal nights

Gala Night isn’t so bad!

“Formal Night” has shifted and changed over time. On all the major cruise lines I’ve listed below even on their version of “Formal Night” you can go to the buffet in casual clothes without issue. So, while that gives you the option to opt out of the festivities of the evening, the evening itself has shifted. Many lines have rebranded from “Formal Night” to less formal sounding titles such as: Cruise Elegant, Evening Chic, Gala Evenings, and Gala Night. “Formal Nights” are no longer just evening gowns and tuxedos, the dress code is overall expanding to include cocktail dresses, dressy tops and slacks, or dress pants and sports jackets. I personally enjoy a formal night (and still opt for a full length evening gown) but not everyone does. While the evenings have been someone notched down in their formalities, pretty much everyone still has them in some way. The big exception to this is Norwegian Cruise Line where formal nights don’t happen at all.

Stereotype #5: People feeling nickel and dimed

This is one of those where you need to figure out what kind of person you are, what you enjoy, and what drives you bonkers. While researching this post I found that some cruise lines – like Royal Caribbean – are charging for room service breakfast now. Sailing with my mom in particular this would drive me nuts because I know that she really enjoys room service breakfast. But, I also know that a lot of the appeal of a Royal Caribbean cruise is all of the entertainment and activities. She doesn’t need a rock wall or ice skating rink to have fun, so I would let that guide me to not choose them to sail on with my mom. A cruise with my nieces and nephews? Yeah, that might be a good choice.

Each of the cruise lines I’ve included below have various up-charges or additional charges for something onboard, and each of them has specialty restaurants that also cost extra. Some of the lines, like Norwegian, have cool things like go-kart race tracks on some of their ships. While that might sound cool, it’ll cost you $15 to use it. If you don’t want to use it, it doesn’t affect you. The point being figure out what’s going to bug you and those you are traveling with and then find a line that most closely aligns with that. If you want a truly inclusive cruise, you won’t feel nickel and dimed, but you’ll pay a lot out of pocket to be onboard, is a luxury cruise.

Stereotype #6: Overcrowded buffets

Similarly to the stereotype above, this one is about knowing what’s going to bug you. If you go on one of the mega ships over for instance (in a normal, non-COVID year) Christmas and New Years, you will likely find a busy, sometimes overcrowded feeling buffet. The reason being is that these cruises are not only cruises that sell out nearly the quickest, they also have a lot of families onboard. On a normal cruise where the cabins are filled with two people, suddenly a good share of the cabins have four. Those extra people on some ships can amount to nearly a thousand more passengers onboard.

If a crowd, or a potentially overcrowded buffet is something you are worried about my suggestions would be to not pick a cruise over busy holiday weeks, and take a look at the passenger space ratio for the ship. A higher passenger space ratio means more space to yourself onboard. It’s also worth looking at how many passengers there are per crew. The more passengers per crew the more crowded the ship feels (more passengers in the main part of the ship taking up your precious space).

Regardless of the cruise line, one thing I can say is that the crew will work incredibly hard to make sure you have a wonderful time. However, making sure you have a wonderful time relies on you picking the right cruise for you. Here’s a quick breakdown of some of the major US cruise lines (plus a couple extras) included food offerings, formal night expectations, passenger space ratios, and more!

Cruise Line Dining Info

Note: Not all dining options/venues will be available on all ships within each fleet
Passenger Space Ratio and Passenger to crew information were devised from data collected by Cruisemapper.com using the maximum capacity (including 3rd and 4th berths).

Carnival Cruise Lines

Celebrity Cruise Line

Disney Cruise Line

Holland America Line

MSC

P&O

Princess Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line

This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the cruise lines. There are so many cruise lines out there. Lines like Costa and Cunard, and luxury lines such as Seabourn, Viking, Regent Seven Seas, and Crystal Cruises.

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Iris is the owner and author of Life of Iris, a cruise and travel blog dedicated to exploring the world of cruises (and World Cruises), crew life, and unique travel experiences. With 10 years of experience as a cruise ship crew member, she shares insider insights and practical tips for travelers and crew members alike. Alongside her husband, a cruise ship engineer, and their child, she travels extensively, having visited over 75 countries. When she's not writing, Iris lives in Vermont and is lucky to visit Scotland often.

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3 Comments

  1. What is dining like for employees of the ship like? I mean I have been on many cruises but I have never been on a cruise as an employee? Is it the same food that the guests have? Do you eat in the dining room or somewhere else?

    Reply

    1. Hi Lindsay,

      Thank you so much for reading, and what a great question! There are a few answers to it and the specifics of it change a bit depending on the cruise line.

      On cruises where you are allowed to go onboard as a crew member is dependent on your rank. The higher your rank, the more passenger areas you have the privilege of using.

      In the crew areas of the ship there are usually a couple different mess rooms. The ships I’ve sailed on have a crew mess and a petty-officers mess. The nice part of eating in those mess rooms is you don’t have to be in full passenger area approved uniform, and can grab a cup of coffee without being “on”.

      I was able to (and my husbands position is able to) eat in the passenger buffet for all meals. To eat in any passenger areas you need to be in full uniform and be ready to respond to any passenger questions that might come up. 🙂 We are also able to eat in the dining room or specialty restaurants depending on how busy they are, and with prior approval from the Culinary Operations Manager/Dining Room Manager (never want to take a table from the passengers). On some occasions certain officers and crew are asked to “host” tables in the various dining rooms with passengers. This gives the passengers an opportunity to get to know some of the crew a bit more. You may also see officers dining in specialty restaurants to celebrate birthdays or before someone’s contract ends.

      Also, what a great idea for a blog post… I think I might need to write one!

      Reply

      1. Iris, I think a blog post on the ins and outs of it all would be awesome. I find it very interesting how there is so much life going on behind the scenes of the cruise that the passengers just don’t see or think about. Did you find the food in the mess to be comparable to the food that the guests got on board?

        Reply

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