We have all heard them, the jokes about dining on a cruise ship. The endless buffets, the midnight extravaganzas, the formal dining, alternative dining and freestyle dining. How much is truth and how much is myth and legend? Here are a few of the facts about dining on a cruise ship from an experienced cruiser.
Traditional dining
Traditional dining is held in a specific dining room at a specific time every day. You can choose between early or late dining. You will have the same table and waitstaff every day. Some cruise lines have themed evening meals, this can be 1950′s or Mexican, check with your cruise line before you leave if you want to get into the spirit of things. There are also some dinners where formal dress is the dress of the evening. You won’t be turned away if you do not wear a sports jacket or suit but you may feel a bit like a fish out of water. You always have the option of eating at the casual dining buffet if you prefer not to dress up.
With traditional dining you can eat in the restaurant for breakfast and lunch but you will not be at your assigned table, which is just for dinner. The commercials showing you assigned to a table with horrible people are a gross exaggeration. You can request a table for two, four or more, you do have choices. If for some reason you have table mates you have a problem with, the head waiter will make every effort possible to move you to another table.
Free style dining
What is never mentioned when they advertise freestyle dining is that you will need to make reservations either daily or weekly for your preferred dining time. Yes you can choose 6:30 instead of 5:45 but you will need to cancel the reservation if you can not make it and reschedule. If you try to eat freestyle without a reservation you will wait in line and waits of over 30 minutes are not uncommon. You will also be seated with other diners who may or may not be your favorite people. You will not get to know your wait staff and they will be more like waiters and waitress’ in any restaurant on land, some good some not so good.
Buffets
Yes there is always a buffet for every meal and on some cruise lines food is available at the buffet 24/7. It is not of the same quality as the dining room food but is plentiful and you don’t need to dress up to enjoy their offerings.
Some cruise lines still offer the midnight buffet or special dessert or chocolate buffets which are extravaganzas of the first order with amazing food and gorgeous ice and fruit carvings.
Alternate dining
Some cruises offer alternate restaurants. These will require a cover charge of $15 or $20 per person. Here you can enjoy the romantic and intimate dining that many people prefer on a cruise. You need to book these as early as possible as they are wildly popular and often sell out. They are a really nice option and I love taking advantage of them.
Coffee bars
Can’t live without your latte or cappuccino? Most cruises will offer them at a price. They are not included in your dining package but what the heck it is worth it to have your favorite cup of java.
Room service
If you “want to be alone” you can choose to have your meals delivered to your room. This is especially nice if you have a balcony. There is no extra charge for this service so feel free to partake of the luxury.
Casual dining
When you are out on the deck you will have access to casual food. It can be pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs and fries or afternoon ice cream. These are all included in your cruise rate.
Beware however of soda, soda is not free. If you drink a lot of Coke or Pepsi you should purchase a beverage card that allows unlimited soda during your cruise. Alcoholic drinks are not includes either so keep that in mind. Many people have received a very big shock when they get their final bill, those $6 drinks can really add up.
Everywhere you look on your cruise there will be food but there will also be plenty of healthy options to order. You can throw caution to the wind and eat everything or you can stick to your good habits, at least some of the time.
Traditional dining
Traditional dining is held in a specific dining room at a specific time every day. You can choose between early or late dining. You will have the same table and waitstaff every day. Some cruise lines have themed evening meals, this can be 1950′s or Mexican, check with your cruise line before you leave if you want to get into the spirit of things. There are also some dinners where formal dress is the dress of the evening. You won’t be turned away if you do not wear a sports jacket or suit but you may feel a bit like a fish out of water. You always have the option of eating at the casual dining buffet if you prefer not to dress up.
With traditional dining you can eat in the restaurant for breakfast and lunch but you will not be at your assigned table, which is just for dinner. The commercials showing you assigned to a table with horrible people are a gross exaggeration. You can request a table for two, four or more, you do have choices. If for some reason you have table mates you have a problem with, the head waiter will make every effort possible to move you to another table.
Free style dining
What is never mentioned when they advertise freestyle dining is that you will need to make reservations either daily or weekly for your preferred dining time. Yes you can choose 6:30 instead of 5:45 but you will need to cancel the reservation if you can not make it and reschedule. If you try to eat freestyle without a reservation you will wait in line and waits of over 30 minutes are not uncommon. You will also be seated with other diners who may or may not be your favorite people. You will not get to know your wait staff and they will be more like waiters and waitress’ in any restaurant on land, some good some not so good.
Buffets
Yes there is always a buffet for every meal and on some cruise lines food is available at the buffet 24/7. It is not of the same quality as the dining room food but is plentiful and you don’t need to dress up to enjoy their offerings.
Some cruise lines still offer the midnight buffet or special dessert or chocolate buffets which are extravaganzas of the first order with amazing food and gorgeous ice and fruit carvings.
Alternate dining
Some cruises offer alternate restaurants. These will require a cover charge of $15 or $20 per person. Here you can enjoy the romantic and intimate dining that many people prefer on a cruise. You need to book these as early as possible as they are wildly popular and often sell out. They are a really nice option and I love taking advantage of them.
Coffee bars
Can’t live without your latte or cappuccino? Most cruises will offer them at a price. They are not included in your dining package but what the heck it is worth it to have your favorite cup of java.
Room service
If you “want to be alone” you can choose to have your meals delivered to your room. This is especially nice if you have a balcony. There is no extra charge for this service so feel free to partake of the luxury.
Casual dining
When you are out on the deck you will have access to casual food. It can be pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs and fries or afternoon ice cream. These are all included in your cruise rate.
Beware however of soda, soda is not free. If you drink a lot of Coke or Pepsi you should purchase a beverage card that allows unlimited soda during your cruise. Alcoholic drinks are not includes either so keep that in mind. Many people have received a very big shock when they get their final bill, those $6 drinks can really add up.
Everywhere you look on your cruise there will be food but there will also be plenty of healthy options to order. You can throw caution to the wind and eat everything or you can stick to your good habits, at least some of the time.
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