There are many different types of places to get food on a cruise ship.
- They have varying purposes and costs (from $0 to $$$$)
- 3 square meals (and snacks) per day should be included with your cruise fare (i.e., you’re not required to spend extra money on specialty options)
- Between all the options, it’s possible to get almost anything you want, at almost any time of the day or night
Dining Options
| Main Dining Room(s) | Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner Most menu items change each day Free for all passengers |
| Specialty Restaurants | Meals: Dinner, some lunches Variety of cuisines (steakhouse, Asian, French, Italian, seafood, etc.), each with a fixed menu Cover charge per person or a la carte |
| Buffet | Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks Some menu items are fixed, some change each day Free for all passengers |
| Pool Grill | Meals: Lunch, some dinner Most ships serve burgers and hot dogs by the pool. Some have items like tacos or fish and chips instead or in addition. This is usually the only restaurant where swimwear is acceptable Free for all passengers |
| Cafes / Desserts | Meals: snacks (all day or just in the afternoon) Most ships serve desserts or ice cream and coffee May be free or a la carte |
| Bars / Lounges | Most ships have a variety of venues, both inside and outside Drinks are a la carte (unless you have a beverage package) |
| Room Service | Limited menu, usually available 24/7 Usually free (a service charge may apply during certain hours) |
When thinking of dining on a cruise ship, most people think of the “formal” dining room(s) and the buffet
- Main dining rooms (MDRs) still provide multi-course meals, but most have become less formal. Check your cruise line’s dress code and menus.
- MDRs usually have 2 fixed dinner seatings (early at ~6PM and late at ~8PM) plus an option to eat Anytime you want (though there may be a wait).
- The buffet is informal and open most (if not all) of the day. It can be very crowded at breakfast and lunch since there are limited other dining options open at these times.
- Don’t feel like you HAVE to eat at one place or another. It’s your vacation, do whatever is going to make you happy.
If you want snacks in your cabin for times between meals, you can grab what you’d like from the buffet when there for a meal. Note that with some cabin types, afternoon nibbles are included or a suite butler can get snacks for you each day.
Other Dining Advice
- Breakfast can be a tossup between a more limited (but still good!) menu in the MDR vs. more options but big crowds at the buffet.
- Getting your food may be the “easy” part in the buffet; its sometimes even harder to find a table. Consider taking your plate outside to the pool deck or down to your cabin to enjoy.
- You may feel a bit rushed if you arrive at the MDR at the end of the meal window. The crew needs to prepare for the rest of the day.
- Keep an eye out for special deals or meals in the specialty restauurants
- If the restaurants are not selling out, they may offer discounts. A crewmember will be advertising in popular areas like the pool deck or outside the buffet. You can even try to negotiate the discount, especially if the available times aren’t ideal for you.
- On longer cruises (8+ days), they may offer special themed lunches or dinners in the restaurants or even on the pool deck.
- Tables in the MDRs come in many sizes (usually 2, 4, 6, or 8 people)
- You can sit with just your party or sit at a larger table with other parties
- With Anytime dining, you can choose to switch sizes between nights
- Menus for shipboard restaurants are available to browse, either outside the restaurant or electronically
- You can decide each day where to go based on the menu (though specialty restaurants usually require reservations in advance)
- The buffet will have more food choices than a dining room or restaurant (including a kids / picky eaters section). It’s also much less crowded at the buffet during dinnertime than earlier in the day.
- You can have as much as you want of anything you want
- Unless it’s a la carte or otherwise noted,, there’s no extra charge for two appetizers in one night or a second lobster tail.
- Take the chance to be adventurous with food. If you don’t like the item, they can (and usually happily will) make you something else.