comparison of per diem food cost per passenger

[calliopecruiser]

njhorseman,

 

The design of today's modern cruise ships is very difficult to understand.

I don't think so.....what's so difficult to understand about how they've maximized for-profit real estate and minimized everything else?

[pris993]

very old thread -

[GUT2407]

Trust me,,, I am NOT a reliable source. However, after using the search function and after reading may posts here on cruisecritic, it appears that due to the bulk buying ability of the mass market cruiselines, the average cost to feed each passenger is appoximatley less than $10 USD per day minus the labor costs of preparation and such.

 

But that's a fair bit.

 

We are a family of three adults and spend less than $210 a week on FOOD. AND I bet the lines pay a lot less than we do.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Philip, this is exactly what I was looking for. Your numbers and explanations make complete sense. As I look over the various numbers, it lines up nicely with my opinion of the food that I have had on most of the lines mentioned. Thanks so much for providing this.

 

 

There's another factor here: how much space does a cruise ship devote to preparing that food?

When Oceania commissioned the building of their two O ships - Riviera and Marina- both included the largest area of food prep per passenger of any cruise line's ships in existence at that time.

And, beyond the large food prep area and high end $/passenger food budget, there's the factor of who's running/advising the operation- hard to top Jacques Pepin.

Bottom line, as always: if food quality matters to you, consider Oceania.

 

 

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[TheAccidentalCruiser]

Phillip said: Shipping and loading are more expensive in Alaska.

 

njhorseman said: Your statement "Loading food in the Caribbean is usually far less expensive as well" is rather puzzling too.

 

(Since someone else has already resurrected the thread) I wonder what puzzled njhorseman about this. Food produced in, say, Kansas can be shipped to, say, Ft Lauderdale via well-established and robust rail or road systems. To get the same food to Alaska; you generally either have to fly it in or barge it across some very unruly stretches of the Pacific Ocean.

 

If he's still reading this thread, I would be more than happy to pay the going rate in Ft. Lauderdale for all the bulk foodstocks from the Lower 48 that he can deliver to Anchorage.

[Underwatr]

Just me, but I wouldn't consider Fort Lauderdale to be in the Caribbean. I got the impression Philip was referring to ports like San Juan or St. Thomas, both nominally US ports but with higher transportation costs than the continental US.

[navybankerteacher]

But that's a fair bit.

 

We are a family of three adults and spend less than $210 a week on FOOD. AND I bet the lines pay a lot less than we do.

 

 

 

A fairly recent USDA report (2013) indicated that the average U S family of four spent between $149 ("moderate") and $289 ("liberal") per week for a healthy diet. That works out to a range of $5.21 to $10.32 per person per day. It is obvious that the ability of cruise lines to buy in massive bulk and negotiate directly with suppliers should enable them to feed people at substantially lower costs for "moderate" to "liberal" menus.

[Flatbush Flyer]

A fairly recent USDA report (2013) indicated that the average U S family of four spent between $149 ("moderate") and $289 ("liberal") per week for a healthy diet. That works out to a range of $5.21 to $10.32 per person per day. It is obvious that the ability of cruise lines to buy in massive bulk and negotiate directly with suppliers should enable them to feed people at substantially lower costs for "moderate" to "liberal" menus.

 

 

Except, as we saw in the cruise line comparison above, ships known for food quality are spending $20 or more per person per day. For many upper middle class families (of four), a $500-600 weekly food bill at home would be a bargain. Bottom line is that a "healthy diet" can mean both/either tap water or Pellegrino.

 

 

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[sloopsailor]

Just me, but I wouldn't consider Fort Lauderdale to be in the Caribbean. I got the impression Philip was referring to ports like San Juan or St. Thomas, both nominally US ports but with higher transportation costs than the continental US.

 

I am not sure why they would they would need to load up in the Caribbean at all when they can more easily load up on the mainland. These cruises are typically 7 days or less, and virtually any food item loaded in Ft. Lauderdale would still be good to use on the 7th day. There should be very few items that need to be loaded anywhere in the Caribbean.

[Underwatr]

Not all Caribbean cruises visit the mainland.

[DirtyDawg]

Frankly, I don't care where the cruise ships load the food, just as long as they remember to actually load the food.

[sloopsailor]

Not all Caribbean cruises visit the mainland.

 

Yes, you are right. I now recall that a few will actually depart from Caribbean ports. Thanks for the clarification.