Cruise Food

[exflygirl]

I don't like how this winter started out--COLD -(

To warm up, I'm thinking of capitalizing on one of the numerous Mexican or Caribbean cruise deals offered. Who offers consistently good, decent quality food?

I've only cruised on Princess--and have enjoyed their fare--but would be willing to try another line for good eats and a great deal.

efg

[Mountie]

Sorry, exflygirl, not a cruise person, so can't offer you any advice.

[kyshel]

I've taken over a dozen cruises--mostly NCL. IF you're willing to pay extra for meals/tips, all ships now have upcharge dining/restaurant options. IF you have a suite, some ships have one restaurant designated w/out charge for exclusive daytime use for those priv pax. Class distinction is the new policy (even tho the steerage folks are allowed to mingle in public areas, unlike the Titanic!)
You pretty much get what you pay for and, so, if you want to pay extra, you should get some great food on any line.
You cna go crazy reading cruisecritic.com but it can give you more info [than you'll ever want] ship by ship...

[exflygirl]

thanks, kyshel....cruisecritic.com provided me with some of the information i needed and i've narrowed my choices down to two lines...i had heard about class distinctions on certain lines where your room dictates where you dine...as it turns out, one of my options only offers afternoon tea for suite guests--i love afternoon tea!--and the other only offersafternoon snacks...if i go with the former, i'll have to review the "doesn't hurt to ask" post to see if we can somehow partake since we will not be in a suite...as to the upcharge and extra fees for certain dining options, i wonder if cruise lines are taking a page from the airlines...maybe someday our base fare will only cover our cabin and everything else--dining, the card room, the tender, etc.--will be additional...

[kyshel]

If you have history with Princess, you may have a shot at the upgrade fairy's magic wand. I adored tea time on the SS Norway every day--it was a major event!! (too bad the ship blew up)
Let us know what line you chose and keep us posted w/info--enjoy and stay warm~~~~~ (toasty breezes)

[omegaet]

exflygirl.....what about your cruise.....did you go yet?

[shygirl724]

exflygirl,



You might take a look at the most recent Zagat's cruise line survey. These are the results for their "food" category:



Top Dining:



Large Ships -

1. Cunard Line

2. Celebrity Cruises

3. Disney Cruise Line



Mid-Size Ships -

1. Yachts of Seabourn

2. Crystal Cruises

3. Silversea Cruises



Small Ships -

1. SeaDream Yacht Club

2. Windstar Cruises

3. Uniworld River Cruises
Message Edited by shygirl724 on 01-20-2010 09:29 PM

[exflygirl]

omegaet: we were thisclose to a celebrity cruiseover mlk weekend but something came up and we couldn't go. we are now booked onroyal caribbean over the long weekend in february.



shygirl724: thanks--i had seen that post (and was surprised at disney's standings). at this point, i'm sodesperate for weather above 70 degrees that good eats is no longer a requirement.

[kyshel]

Cruise line food ratings/reviews are often based on the inclusion of supplemental [surcharged] restaurants and not on the base "fare" offered in main dining rooms and buffets that the majority of passengers experience. Lines like Seabourn and Silversea include all their fare w/out surcharge (not certain about Crystal)

Does Zagat's ratings explain that?

[thepiranha]

exflygirl, you must be desperate to get some sun. Good food is always a requirement wherever I go. Most of my travels have taken me to places with great food: Thailand, Singapore, France, Greece, Italy, Mexico, etc. That's one reason why I have very little desire to travel to China, Japan, Russia or any of the Scandinavian countries, even though I'm sure they're all beautiful to visit.



I was extremely impressed with the food on the Princess Sapphire. We cruised the Inner Passage in Alaska last summer and I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. My wife and I had been on a cruise many years ago (before kids) on Norwegian Cruise Lines and we were unimpressed with the food, so we weren't expecting much on our last trip. I guess if you don't expect much, you won't be disappointed.