My Cruise Adventures

Food

One of the main attractions on any cruise is the cuisine. While each ship is different, they do have many things in common.

Each ship has a main dining room. Most ships have two dinner seatings - early and late. The main dining room may also be open for breakfast and lunch. When you book your cruise, you should be asked which seating you want, and which size of table. Most ships have tables as small as two persons, up to 8 or 10. Early seating works for us, and is generally preferable for families so the kids don't have to stay up late for dinner.

Each ship generally has a buffet restaurant, which may be 24-hours or not. The buffet offers a changing selection of items, often with different stations. On some ships, items in the dinner buffet match those on the main dining room's menu. When you go to the buffet, make sure you walk entirely around it as there may be things (omlette station, sushi, ethnic food) hidden in odd locations.

Most ships also have one or more specialty restaurants. These venues have an extra charge ($25 per person seems typical) and often have 5-star food and service. There may also be other areas where food is offered, such as the Johnny Rockets on some Royal Caribbean ships, or the Aqua Spa Cafe on Celebrity's ships. Most ships also have burgers available by the pool.

Room service is always available from your cabin, although some lines may add a surcharge for middle-of-the-night calls. There will be a room service menu in your cabin. Some ships offer items from the dining room if you call during dinner hours. It is customary to tip the room-service attendant a dollar or two.