When it comes to cruising, the food is arguably as big a deal as the ports of call, the pool, or the shows onboard. While you’re on the ship, you’ll eat three meals a day — if not more — onboard while having a dozen or more options to choose from.
But after dozens of cruises, I’ve learned quite a few things about food on the cruise that I wish I knew before I sailed for the first time. Here’s what to know.
Dining Room Is Hit And Miss On Dishes

Let’s start with something that I think is going to be a little controversial, but cruise after cruise, I’ve found it to be true. The dining room is the most popular spot for dinners on the ship and literally thousands of people will eat there each night.
What I’ve found after more than a decade of cruising is that to me, it’s very hit and miss. For as much as people love to talk about how great all the food is here, to me, it’s so-so. Bad? No way, but seemingly not as good as it could be.
For instance, I recently Jamaican Jerk Chicken on a Celebrity cruise that was flat-out amazing. The bruschetta on NCL is one of my favorites. But I’ve also had dishes on cruises that just didn’t meet the mark.
I wish I could tell you which dishes tend to be hits and which tend to be misses, but honestly, I haven’t found a pattern just yet. Just know that if you don’t like what you have, it could be the next dish is amazing and vice versa.
Order More Entrees If You Want
Say you do find a dish that you like or you want to try something you’ve never had before and you’re not sure if you will like it. In that case, one thing that you’ll wish you knew is that you can order multiple dishes.
When the waiter takes your order in the dining room, they will ask for an appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert. It feels like you can only get one, but there’s no rule against ordering more. If you want to try different things, then just say you want them both. Or you can order two of something if one isn’t enough.
Now some cruise lines are starting to charge a nominal if you go overboard with ordering multiple entrees. For instance, Carnival charges $5 for a third entrée or more. But don’t feel like you have to be locked into just one option.
The Scoop On Specialty Restaurants

When I first started cruising, specialty restaurants were very different. Back then, there were only a handful around and they charged nominal prices to eat there. Think dining at the steakhouse for about $20 per person or lower-tier restaurants for just a few bucks.
Over the years, they’ve exploded in number and costs. Now it’s not unusual to have a ship that offers an included buffet and main dining room and then everything else is a charge. Meanwhile, those charges have definitely climbed. Now paying $50 per person is commonplace.
Even so, I’d suggest working in at least one stop at a specialty restaurant during your cruise. First, in the spots like the buffet and dining room, the food is being made for literally thousands of people. To me, that’s amazing they can feed that many but the quality can sometimes suffer. In these specialty restaurants, each dish is made individually for far fewer people each night. I find the quality significantly higher.
As well, if you like any sort of different flavors — Mexican, sushi, Italian, or Chinese — then it’s likely going to be a specialty restaurant where you’ll need to go.
The Buffet Is Great For Breakfast. Lunch & Dinner Get Old Quickly

Let’s talk about buffets and what I’ve learned over the years. If you’re new to sailing, the buffet is going to be where you end up eating most of your meals. It’s open breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it’s included, and has something for everyone.
What I wish I knew before I started sailing is that you’ve got to mix it up with eating at other spots. If you’re on a week long cruise and eat here for two meals a day, it’s going to get old quickly.
Breakfast is always solid in my opinion and it serves all the basics you could want. But I find lunch and dinner, it’s edible, but certainly nothing to write home about. Plus, on older and smaller ships, there are definitely fewer options served. It’s hard to explain, but the best way to describe it is that it’s simply buffet quality. No matter what, you’re going to eat a lot of meals here. So when you can, be sure to get some variety as there are definitely better places to eat.
No Reservation? You May Not Need It
If you eat at a specialty restaurant – it’s not like on land where you just show up. You’re supposed to make a reservation first and frankly, they usually fill up quickly. I’ve been on ships where I go to make a reservation the first day and there is no availability the entire trip.
It’s frustrating, but here’s a few things to know. First, it seems like reservations are more open early in the cruise. So if you want to eat at a specialty restaurant the first night, you’ll likely have better luck than if trying to book for a date later in the cruise.
Second, if you don’t have a reservation, it doesn’t hurt to try anyway. Not always, but several times I’ve been able to head down to a restaurant that shows no available reservations and just ask if there is any space, only to be seated immediately. If there is a place you want to eat that shows as being full, it’s always worth the shot.
You Can Bring Food Onboard With You
One little quirk I didn’t know when I first started cruising regards food not on the cruise ship. You may know that some lines like Carnival and Royal Caribbean allow you to bring drinks with you when you board.
But did you know that you’re also allowed to bring on food? So if you have a favorite snack — like those Dot’s Pretzels that I can’t stay out of — you can bring it on with you.
There are some rules that it must be unopened and pre-packaged. So you can’t bring homemade cookies or anything like that. But if you have some sort of favorite that you can’t go without for a week, then pack it with you.
You’re Allowed To Take Food Out Of The Buffet

For the vast majority of your meals, you’re going to simply eat them where you’re served. So go into the restaurant and eat in the restaurant. But, if you’re wanting to eat somewhere else, then know it’s completely ok to take food out of the buffet.
I didn’t know this the first time I ever sailed, but it’s something I quickly picked up on. During the busy lunch and breakfast times, the place can get so packed finding a seat can be nearly impossible. Other times, however, it’s nice just to eat somewhere a bit more chilled out like by the pool or on your balcony.
No matter the reason, it’s perfectly fine to grab food from the buffet — or other places serving quick eats and take them wherever you want. No one will bat an eye.
But Don’t Bring Food Ashore

You can bring food with you onto the ship. You can take food with you from the buffet. But what you can’t do is bring food with you from the ship and into port.
Due to customs rules, foreign countries don’t want passengers bringing food into port — and that also includes the U.S. when you return home.
Now, it’s really things like fresh fruits and vegetables with passengers grabbing a banana or an orange from the buffet. Packaged foods are fine. And yes, at least some ports are on the watch for it. I’ve seen dogs in Cozumel sniffing not for drugs but for fresh produce and a pile of items taken off passengers that had been found.
Just make it easy on yourself and don’t bring any food to shore with you.
Tips Are Already Covered… Just Get Up When Done
Perhaps no topic in cruising gets as confusing — and controversial — as tipping. You pay the daily gratuity charge, but then you also have to pay tips when you do optional things like get a drink or eat at a specialty restaurant or get a massage.
But if you’ve never sailed before, dining and tipping can be a little strange. In the included areas, those automatic daily gratuities cover the dining staff. So you don’t tip after meals served here. That means, when you’re done eating, you just get up and walk out.
It definitely can feel a little awkward at first. In fact, I’ll never forget my first cruise all those years ago looking around at other tables and eating slowly so that I could see what they did before I just got up and left.
What To Know About Assigned Dinner Times
What it took me a while to realize is that the set dinner times… yeah, they are more of a suggestion.
Here’s the deal, to space crowds out in the dining room, you normally pick or are assigned a dining time. There’s usually an early seating and a late seating. In addition, there’s sometimes a choice of anytime dining where you just show up when you want.
In reality, it’s all anytime dining. Say there is a show you want to see that conflicts with your assigned time. In that case, you don’t have to pick one or the other. You can just show up when it’s convenient for you to eat.
You may have to wait a few minutes in a separate line, but whenever you arrive, the staff will do their best to seat you as quickly as possible.
More on Food on a Cruise:
- 12+ Questions & Answers About Food on a Cruise Ship (Is it Good?)
- How Much Cruise Lines Spend on Food (Less Than You Think?)
I have only ever sailed with Princess. I have been on cruises from 10 days to the World Cruise – over 100 days, in fact I’m joining this year’s World Cruise.
I usually eat breakfast and lunch at Horizons [the Buffet]. The evening meal menu can be checked outside the Dining Room during the day, so I make up my mind whether I’ll eat there or the Buffet again.
I have found the food offered at Princesses’ Buffets top class. Lovely fresh, warm buns with butter or margarine. Salads to suit even the fussiest eater. hot or cold specialities [such as breaded prawns, chicken curry etc] are available through the week, so the food offered is varied.
The meals at the Dining Room can be supplemented with a bowl of steamed vegetables, always delicious, and hot.
Maybe you haven’t cruised on a Princess ship? Or maybe your taste in food is different from mine?? I usually have a problem in choosing what to eat from the wonderful choices, and to restrain myself, so I won’t gain too many kilos/pounds!!