Apart from maybe getting some sun, I don’t know anything that’s more synonymous with cruising than eating and drinking.
You’re going to be doing plenty of both on your cruise, but there’s a lot that you’ll want to know about food and drink on the ship, including tips and secrets that most people don’t know.
So open up, because it’s down the hatch…
The Non-Awkward Way to End the Meal
I’m going to start with something basic that first-timers will appreciate as I remember my first time cruising it felt really awkward. Eat a restaurant on land, and you sit, you’re waited on, and then you get the bill, sign the check and leave.
On a cruise, when you’re done with your meal, you just get up and leave. There’s no bill to pay and no tip to leave. The tip is covered by the automatic gratuities. If you eat in a specialty restaurant, then there will be a final bill confirming the charge. Otherwise, you leave when done.
I’ll never forget my first cruise just looking around at other tables and eating slowly just to see if I was supposed to sign anything or throw some cash on the table.
Why Specialty Restaurants Are Just Better
Speaking of specialty restaurants, let’s dive into those. You likely know that these cost extra to dine at. But when you can eat at the buffet or dining room or other spots for free, why pay for food on the ship?
Frankly, the dining in the buffet and dining room can be hit and miss. Some dishes are fantastic. I’ve had others that are very meh. In the specialty restaurants (I try to eat at a least one every cruise), I can’t recall ever having a bad meal.
They can get pricey, so I always look for deals, but the food is just better. It’s fresher, it’s specially prepared instead of mass produced, and I find it worth the money.
Huge Discounts for Lunch
If you want to eat at the specialty restaurants but don’t want to fork over the money, my next couple of tips are gold so listen up.
First, if you want to eat at a specialty restaurant for cheap, then see if they offer a discounted meal for lunchtime. I recently did this on a Royal Caribbean cruise with the steakhouse. The headline price for dinner was $63 per person, but even that was on sale before the cruise for $34.
But then the cost for lunch? It was only $14. So that means my lunch was about a quarter of the price that many people are paying to enjoy the steakhouse.
Steakhouse Meals for Half the $$$
The second way to save on dining applies directly to the steakhouse. It’s usually the most expensive place to eat on the ship, and prices of $50-$60 are typical.
There is steak served in the dining room, but in my opinion, it’s usually a pretty crummy cut of meat. But if you want to save on the steakhouse, head to the dining room anyway.
These days just about every cruise line has put steakhouse items on the main dining room menu. It’s the same stuff you get in the steakhouse, but it’s about half the cost and you don’t have to worry about reservations. So you can get that filet or lobster at a fraction of the price and with a lot less hassle.
Keep an Eye Out for Drink Discounts
I’ve got plenty more tips and things to know about food on the cruise coming up, but let’s shift gears for a moment to drinks.
Now, drinking on a cruise is hugely popular but it gets expensive. Spending $14 for a cocktail — plus about 20% for gratuity — is pretty common. Without a drink package, that’s dropping nearly $20 a drink.
But if you keep an eye out, you can find deals. A recent cruise had $6 margaritas in the afternoons. Another had happy hour specials. This isn’t every cruise, but keep an eye out as they can save a ton.
Why a Ship Never Runs Out of Food
With thousands of people on the ship, all looking to enjoy themselves, you wouldn’t be alone in thinking about the tons of food consumed on a cruise. But what if they run out? What if they simply got the numbers wrong and people eat way more than expected?
That’s something you don’t have to worry about. It’s a bit of a secret, but cruises pack extra food for their trip. It’s not in case people eat more than planned, although that’s covered as well. Instead, it’s in case there is a delay in the trip. Say a hurricane hits a port and the ship is a day or two late in getting back. Or say a mechanical breakdown causes the ship to be delayed.
These happen enough that ships pack extra just in case they need to cover a longer trip. That’s why even at the end of the trip there’s still plenty to eat even before resupplying.
Feel Free to Take Your Food to Go
If you’ve never cruised before there’s something that’s awkward with food at first that you’ll quickly get used to. That’s the fact that you can grab your food and take it anywhere on the ship to eat.
Now, if you’re in the dining room you don’t get your plate and jet. But if you eat anywhere casual, it’s perfectly fine to grab your food and take it where you want. Want to eat your food back on your balcony? Absolutely. Want to take your plate and find a spot outside? Feel free.
At first it feels a bit weird taking food out of a restaurant, but it’s something that is widespread around the ship, so dish up.
What to Do With Plates in Your Room
Of course when you take food from the dining room back to the cabin to eat — or you order room service — there’s always the question of what to do with your dishes.
If you want the official word, ask your cabin steward as some lines prefer you to keep the dishes in your room and others want you simply set them outside the door. For the most part, however, the etiquette is to just place them outside the cabin door and someone will come along and grab them.
One suggestion you don’t hear often: Take your napkin and put it over the plate when you set it out. There’s something off-putting to have to look at someone’s half-eaten food when you pass through the halls. It just isn’t pleasant.
Where to Dump Empty Glasses
In a similar vein, it’s likely during your cruise you’re going to order a drink from a bar… but lots of times you aren’t going to be enjoying it while sitting at the bar. Maybe you take it back to your lounger or you simply enjoy it while exploring the ship.
In that case, what do you do when you’re finished? It can be a little weird because there’s often not a designated spot for dirty glasses. In that case, you can set it in an out-of-the-way, yet conspicuous, spot and the crew will come along to grab it. I like to look for where other people might have stacked a few glasses already. Or you can set it on a table that hasn’t been bussed yet. The ideal spot is to set it at the end of the bar to get it cleaned up the fastest, but that’s not always an option.
The Best Type of Food on the Ship?
Want to know a secret? If it’s your type of food… try the Indian dishes. In fact, we’ve noticed that cruise lines are starting to add more Indian dishes to menus whereas they used to be more of a “secret” menu.
So why Indian? You might notice that certain nationalities tend to work in certain areas of the ship. In particular, lots of Indian nationals tend to work on the culinary staff. It only makes sense that their Indian dishes might be a bit better than other items. So if you like Indian food, give it a try next time.
What to Know About Duty-Free Shops
Any ship you sail will have a duty-free store with all sorts of brightly colored bottles of alcohol for you to purchase duty-free. And it’s all way cheaper than drinks on the ship. So what’s the deal here?
First, anything bought in these stores isn’t just handed over to you to enjoy during the cruise. Instead, it’s packaged up and delivered to your room at the end of the cruise for you to take home.
As far as if it’s a deal, I’ve done price checks and it’s a good value, but not a screaming deal in many cases. Seems like usually it’s a one liter bottle for the price of a 750 ml bottle back home. So yes, cheaper, but nothing wild.
The Key to Scoring Cheap Drink Packages
If you do want to drink cheaply, then the best tip is to get a drink package… but not just any package. The typical drink package is pretty pricey — $80-$100 per day isn’t out of the question. That means you have to drink a good amount each and every day of the cruise to get your money’s worth.
But if you’re sailing a cruise line like Princess, NCL, or Celebrity, then take a look at the all-inclusive packages these lines have. For instance, Princess has a plan that includes a drink package, daily gratuity, wi-fi, and more for $65 per day. When you back out the price of the other items — especially the daily gratuities that you’d pay anyway — you’re getting the drink package for pennies on the dollar.
Not every line has the all-inclusive deals but if yours does, do the math because it can mean some cheap drinks.
Cruises and Special Diets
Are you someone that’s a picky eater or you have special dietary restrictions? You might be worried about that when you go on a cruise, but you should be feeling the exact opposite. There’s arguably no better vacation than a cruise when it comes to meeting a special diet.
Gluten free? Vegetarian? Vegan? Or you just don’t have a wide palette? With tens of millions of passengers every year, there’s not a diet that cruise lines haven’t seen. And you’ll see the more popular ones represented with choices on the menu telling you which meals fit that diet.
As for being pickier, there’s literally a dozen or more restaurants serving every type of food imaginable on the ship, so you should be able to find something you like.
Your Allowed to Order Multiples
When you head to the dining room to eat, you’re given a menu with appetizers, entrees, and desserts listed. Then the waiter comes by and asks what you’d like to start with, your meal, and what you want to finish it off with.
It’s easy to think you pick one from each section, and most people do. But if you want multiples, that’s absolutely alright to do. Some lines might charge you if you go crazy ordering a ton of entrees, but most of the time it’s all included.
Personally, I almost always order multiple appetizers because there are always multiple things I want to try and the servings are small.
Reservations Aren’t Always Accurate
If you dine in a specialty restaurant, you’re going to be asked to reserve a time to eat. And what you might find is that many spots are all booked up.
I don’t know what it is, but I find the reservations seem like they are broken. Multiple times I’ve seen restaurants say they are full, head down anyway to see if they can fit me in… only to find barely anyone there.
Bottom line: If there’s somewhere around the ship you want to eat and the reservation system says it’s full, it’s often worth it to head down anyway and see if you can get a seat. Especially if you go early or late, you may very well find an open table.
There’s Not a Lot of Spice
Are you someone that likes a lot of spice and strong flavor in your food? Well, this is one place where a cruise ship is lacking. When you’re cooking for millions of people you have to play it safer than usual.
If you’re like me, you’ll probably find that the food could definitely use a bit more kick. If you’re someone that doesn’t enjoy spice, then you should be plenty happy.
One spot where you can find some good spice is with the jerk chicken items that are often served when sailing the Caribbean. It’s not the same level as you might get elsewhere, but for those craving some spice, it’s a welcome change.
Try the Dining Room for Breakfast & Lunch
When it comes to the restaurants on the ship, the buffet tends to rank at the bottom of the list for me, and I don’t think I’m alone. It’s not bad per se, but it’s just buffet quality. A few meals here are fine but it can get old meal after meal.
If you’re new to cruising, you may not realize that the dining room also serves breakfast and lunch. These meals are normally eaten by many passengers in the buffet but the dining room offers individual service and food that’s prepared for you instead of just sitting out for everyone. Just note that it will take a little longer to eat here, so if you’re wanting a quick bite and then to get on with your day, this isn’t it.
Dining Room “Staples” Tend to Underwhelm
If you want a tip for ordering in the dining room, stick to the rotating options. The dining room menu changes every night but there are also a list of staples — such as grilled chicken — that don’t change.
For the best meal, I’d suggest sticking to the items that rotate through each night. Maybe it’s just bad luck or my imagination, but it seems more often than not the classic staples dishes just aren’t as good as the rotating items. Like maybe the attention is paid to the fresh offerings instead of the basic stuff.
Know the Private Island Drink Package Rules
These days if you’re headed to the Caribbean on a major line, then it’s almost assured that you’re going to be stopping at a private island. If you are and you’re considering the drink package, you should consider if you can use it on the island or not. After all, if you can use it when you’re at the island, it’s a big plus as in independent ports of calls it doesn’t work off the ship.
Notably the drink package works at Royal Caribbean’s CocoCay and MSC’s Ocean Cay. On NCL Great Stirrup Cay, it only works if you have the Free at Sea Plus upgrade, not the regular package. And notably Carnival’s drink package doesn’t extend to Celebration Key.
Of course, you can always go back to the ship during the day to get a drink, but it’s much nicer when the package works on shore.
More on Cruise Food & Drinks:
- Everything to Know About Eating in the Main Dining Room on a Cruise
- Worth It? 15 Cruise Drink Package Questions & Answers to Know
