Foodie cruise -- what's the best?

On the above named ships they have far less variety and often charge $$$ for it like on crystal. Small ships mean smaller refers and less variety and menu options also fix seat 2 seating dining... only one or 2 options compared to 6 So for quality and variety and depth of resources I give Oceania a clear advantage over the others.

 

Taste is subjective... and many chefs/ hotels, restaurants gear their food for their demographic..

 

I have yet to find fault with Oceania quality, in all its venues.. Again more variety, choice and ability to produce product

I have sailed on two small ships <350 and on both it was open seating. You ate where you wanted, when you wanted (within restaurant hours) and with whom you wanted. No extra charges, and the full restaurant menu was available during dinner service for room service. No fees for any of the above, except obviously tipping for the room service delivery would be appropriate. There was plenty of variety and within reason they were happy to make things not on the menu as long as they had the ingredients available. Small ships also often welcome guest chefs who create fantastic regional offerings and specialty dishes as well as the normal menu.

I would consider myself a foodie. I have gone to many land based restaurants and at times the price of my dinner has been the cost of a cruise!:eek:

I've loved every bite, but I'm not sure you can get that type of gourmet meal on a cruise.

That is not to say that the food is not delicious on a cruise. At least, we have had excellent experiences on Princess, Disney, Carnival and Royal Caribbean.

The food has always been great on the mass market cruise lines that we've taken. The buffets are not my favorite, but they are OK.

The dining room food is great and the specialty dining has always been outstanding. I have always felt that the specialty dining on every cruise line is better than what you get in the MDR, but there are those that do not agree with that.

I have not cruised any of the luxury lines and I suspect their food should be better than those I have sailed, but for my family the price does not justify the additional cost.

We have cruised on Regent five times and even if you are willing to pay for it on all standard lines you can't get the food you can get on Regent they just don't have it. Off course you pay for it! The fare on Regent start at around $600 per person per night. And it's also all inclusive, liquor, wine, tours!

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When I lived in NY, I refused to go to a restaurant that had more than one restaurant. There were so many great restaurants, why would I want to go to a chain. Pizza in NY is almost a religious experience. Everyone has a favorite pizza parlor. Everyone has a favorite steak place and a favorite Italian restaurant.

When on a cruise ship, expectations have to be adjusted. You cannot expect to experience NY pizza, Memphis ribs, New England lobster or Maryland crab cakes. You are on a cruise, get over it. If you really want all of the above, stay home and enjoy. I think, when on a cruise, accept. In my experience, there are standouts that need mentioning.

The best pizza I ever had on a cruise was on the Princess Sapphire. The rest of the food sucked. However, the newly installed pizza restaurant was a homer. It was adjacent to a wine "flights" area and it was fabulous.

On Oceania, there was the pool-side Sliced Tenderloin Sandwich, served with Truffle Oiled fries with shaved Parmesan. Wow!

On Carnival (yes I said Carnival) they had a Oriental service bar at a pool-side walk-up. You could order a Bouillabaisse. They would, upon order, toss several seafood items into a wok and heat till they reached temperature. Then they would add broth and some noodles. It was un-traditioinal and great!

Another great is the Oceania open seating at the fantail. There, you can order a lobster tail and a beef filet and dine al-fresco. What could be better.

Concluding, there are good and bad cruise food experiences. I tend to try to enjoy what I can and avoid what I have learned from.

Oh, what a tough question! We've been on 20 cruises and sailed on Princess, HAL, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, and have found the food overall to be what I somewhat not affectionately called "Applebee's by the Sea." I classify myself as a foodie (born and raised in NY!) and am always disappointed by the food on ships. We've eaten in specialty restaurants with RCI and Princess, and found them to be not worth the cost.

That being said, I've found a handful of dishes I've loved in the buffet, because I'm passionate about ethnic food and that's where you'll find the Asian and Latin dishes. I had a particularly memorable Mexican dish in Oasis' Windjammer, for example. It was so great I was hunting down a recipe when I got home.

Of the four lines, though, I would vote for Princess for the overall best. We just came back from the Regal, and enjoyed the lobster on formal night, the several luscious Norman Love desserts, and found the overall quality and choice in the Horizon Court buffet (e.g., a variety of smoked fish at breakfast, blue cheese, brie and dried dates at night) to be the best. - Musing About Cruising