Which cruise line has the best food?

[apollobeach]

Of the cruise lines you have sailed on, which in your opinion has the best food?

[sfgoguy]

Of the cruise lines you have sailed on, which in your opinion has the best food?

 

Although I'm not nearly the cruise critic voyager that so many on this site are, I have been on a good variety of cruise lines: Oceania, Celebrity, Regent Seven Seas and HAL. By far, the best food I've had was on Oceania. Their Main Dining Room and 2 speciality restaurants never disappoint.

 

There are other, high-end lines that tout their food and I'm sure those who have been on, say, Silver Seas, will speak out, too.

 

But, I hope food will not be your only criteria for choosing a specific cruise or cruise line. There's just so much more that makes a memorable cruise experience. (Unless, of course, the food is so bad that it ruins the experience.)

 

P.S. I note you'll be on Azamara soon. That ship category is identical to Oceania's and I understand they're trying to mimic Oceania. You'll have to report back on your food experience from that cruise.

 

Happy cruising. ;)

[BalconyGal]

Princess for us, the worst NCL :o

[RMS Olympic]

I say this because there was a time when you did not have specialty restaurants....it was the main dining room and the lido.

Now......the really good meals are in the specialty surcharge dining rooms.

For me

Best Liddo...usually HAL

Best main dining rooms......Celebrity and Princess

Specialty dining rooms (not in any particular order):

Hal's Pinnacle

Princess's Steak house

Deutchslands Four Seasons

Oceania's Polo

Royal Caribbeasn Chops

 

In general, Celebrity and Princess have great main dining rooms...never a problem

Upscale...Regent.......you get what you pay for

Unknown, but heard great things......Crystal.

So its tough even for me...and I am a foodie........I EAT!

[aaerobear]

I have to agree with RMS Olympic right down the line. However, the specialty restaurant that impressed us the most was the Olympic restaurant on Celebrity Millennium. It was truly an experience.

 

Todd English on the QM2 was just OK.

[RMS Olympic]

Although I sailed the Millie...did not try the Olympic. You would think that would be one room I would need to dine in....duh.

I did the Normandie on the Summit....a wonderful meal. The only problem was that was the only cruise I ever got sick on....not sure if it was the Nor virus, or the goat cheese in the Normandie Restaurant. Wound up sick for days.

But...sailing Summit a second time a year from now to Bermuda.....and will hit the Normandie once again. The service makes it worth it as well as the additional charge.

All this makes me hungry!

[GlasgowGuy]

Hi all,

 

For us the best food was on the Celebrity Constellation, the Ocean Liners restaurant was superb. The combination of the wonderful food accompanied by live harp music was to die for.

 

Happy eating to one and all!

 

GG

[Bramcruiser]

I am far from a experienced cruiser but I found Cunard to have the best food of the lines I've travelled so far.

 

David

[toras]

I am far from a experienced cruiser but I found Cunard to have the best food of the lines I've travelled so far.

 

David

 

Me too, I had the best food on Queen Mary II compared to RCCL and Princess.

[cruise pup]

Princess for me. The food has been consistantly excellent on all of my sailings. The matire d's are very accommodating in terms of special requests as long as you give them enough time. One of my dinner companions has a seafood allergy and every evening the maitre d' would come by with the following evening's menu and they would go over it to see what would be available.

 

The booby prize goes to Celebrity for once having an excellent menu but my recent Summit cruise was a horrible experience in the mdr. When the chef's recommendation is meatballs and spaghetti something isn't right.

[caliber35]

While I do not have as many cruises under my belt as Olympic, I have sailed on over thirty ships and am a foodie. Overall, the best for me is Crystal due to fresh ingredients, food cooked to order and outstanding service. A distant second is Oceania due to frozen ingredients, mass preparation but very good service. In the mass market, Celebrity's Solstice Class has raised the bar in the MDR and especially their Lido buffets. HAL also continues to offer some very good food in their MDR and Lido. At the lower end, Princess would be my choice for consistantly good food in their MDR, but their buffets are not appealing at all. The best of the best would have to be Nobu's Silk Road on Crystal, Murano on Celebrity's Solstice class and Tamarind on HAL's Eurodam, in that order.

[keithm]

Me too, I had the best food on Queen Mary II compared to RCCL and Princess.

We agree that the food on the QM2 is excellent. If you can do the "Grills" this is where the food approaches gourmet. The Britannia restaurant provides very good food(similer to best of Celebrity), but the Grills you can go "off" menu and in most cases they can prepare just about anything you desire.

[JimandStan]

Yes, Grill Class on the Queens is stunning, but price-wise that puts you in the Silversea, Seabourne, Regent range.

 

If you're not willing to pay that kind of tariff, or if the all inclusive thing is not your cup of tea, we would suggest that the best food is on Oceania.

 

Crystal is in the same general league, but we don't care for their stuffy ambience.

 

Celebrity has gorgeous dining rooms, especially in their specialty restaurants, but their dress code puts us off (we don't mind dressing up, but flying to the ship with all that gear is a drag these days).

[Darrell6t]

I think that Oceania had the best food I have had on a cruise ship, most of the time. I have had some great meals on other lines. And I have had a few not so good meals on Oceania. Cunard generally does a good job too, though I had one disasterous meal on the Queen Victoria. My recent experience on the Solstice was quite good too, in the main dining room.

[neilrr]

The best food -- huh --- Well let me just throw in my 2 cents...

 

If you are talking about the mass market lines I would rate them in the following order for food and service:

 

Celebrity - Food/Service MDR Very Good to Excellent; Specialty Restaurants both Olymipic (tons of history with sister ships Titanic and Britania; also original paneling, sink and light fixture from Olympic - magnificent) on Millie and Muranos on Century Excellent;

 

HAL - Food/Service MDR Very Good to Excellent; Specialty Restaurant - Pinnacle - Good -Very Good (though my steak was tough);

 

Princess -Food/Service MDR Very Good to Excellent; Specialty Restaurants Very Good to Excellent;

 

RCCL - Fair to Good - last trip food was only fair at best; shrimp cocktails only served on selected nights; menu very uninspiring; major cost cutting;

 

NCL -- Bring your own food/Service good -- totally disgraceful MDR and Buffets; will not travel again; served the same thing 3 days in a row at buffet with slight variation; MDR - just plain terrible; i.e. ordered Paella it had two small shrimp one mussel and one bay scallop on a bed of rice; my partner ordered the shrimp cocktail and it was the frozen baby shrimp you may use to make shrimp salad sandwiches; we think they also have not yet discovered chocolate at NCL for desserts. NCL pushes you to pay extra to eat in other restaurants by serving low quality food in MDR.

 

As I have not been on super premium lines such as Crystal, Cunard, Silver Seas, Oceania, etc... you are paying substantially more and more (better quality food and service) should be expected. On our last cruise (see my Millennium review from last month) we ran into someone who exclusively took Crystal and it was their first time on Celebrity and the fellow said he was travelling with his entire family and they did not have any complaints and was quite impressed - especially at the price point (which is far below that of Crystal's prices - 3X-4X less) -- that says a lot for Celebrity.

 

We are looking forward to our next cruise in June on Celebrity Solstice...

 

Bon Voyage & Happy Cruising to Everyone... :)

[caliber35]

Yes, Grill Class on the Queens is stunning, but price-wise that puts you in the Silversea, Seabourne, Regent range.

 

If you're not willing to pay that kind of tariff, or if the all inclusive thing is not your cup of tea, we would suggest that the best food is on Oceania.

 

Crystal is in the same general league, but we don't care for their stuffy ambience.

 

Celebrity has gorgeous dining rooms, especially in their specialty restaurants, but their dress code puts us off (we don't mind dressing up, but flying to the ship with all that gear is a drag these days).

If one desires fine dining without the formality, then Oceania is your best bet. They claim to have the finest cusine at sea, but I would have to disagree. I personally do not find Crystal at all 'stuffy', but they do maintain a traditional dress code, as does Cunard and Celebrity. The biggest difference I find between lines is how much they spend on their provisions and if they use fresh, rather than frozen ingredients. Crystal is one of the few lines that provisions on the fly; literally flying in crates of live Maine lobster for the first formal night on most cruises. If you are a meat eater, you can probably find a decent steak on most ships, as meats freeze better than most seafood. Overall, I would give my top rating in the Mass Market to Celebrity. I don't mind dressing up for a truly memorable meal.

[RMS Olympic]

I only sailed them once and was not impressed. Now the cruise may or may not have contributed to the less than stellar experience.

It was a gay charter with Atlantis from Buenos AIres to Rio...a long cruise and not cheap.

The main dining room had what I found to be typical main dining room food...sililar to mass market ships. The service was horrible...not one order was ever right for the entire table....at every meal. The staff would actually get irritated with the passenger when told it was not what they ordered. The Maitre D would take notes and leave it at that.

I found the whole experience poor with just adequate food.

The identical ship...with Azamara was just the opposite.....wonderful. That cruise was from Hong Kong to Singapore....also an Atlantis gay charter. The food was better than Oceania and considering the part of the world we were in...I thought remarkable. The service was stellar.....way above mass market in my opinion.

I would love to try Oceania's new Marina as the ship appears to be a beauty, but I would not expect any over the top food.

Food is very objective...but service can make a fair meal great and a great meal fair if poor.

Thats my 2, no 3, no 4 cents.

[caliber35]

Olympic - I totally agree with you on Oceania, but it my case it was the food, not the service. I did a TA from Lisboa to Rio and the first night the waiter gushed over the sea bass and said I must try it. Well, it did not taste like any sea bass I've ever had at a finer dining establishment. It was fishy and obviously freezer burned. The next night was at Tuscana where the Matre'D reccomended the lobster fradiavlo. It was beautifully presented with lovely pasta and sauce, but the whole lobster was again freezer burned and rubbery. My next try was the Polo Grill, and while it was better, I've had as good a filet at a local steakhouse. The best dish I had that entire cruise was a shrimp cocktail. I did enjoy dining casual at Tapas on the Terrace, but none of the food on the entire cruise was memorable in a good way. Add to that, I am a smoker and felt like a parriah on Oceania. My travel companion was thrown off the ship for violating their rules. Needless to say, I won't be back! Traveling solo often, I find that I can sail on Crystal for close to the same fare as Celebrity. I will be taking my 18th cruise with them this summer and find their food, service and ambiance to be perfect in every way. You really must try Cystal; you would love it!

[RMS Olympic]

Crystal.......one of the few lines I have not sailed. I have been blessed to have sailed all sorts of ships and lines....from luxe to real buckets.

I have actually booked Crystal twice and cancelled both cruises for other lines. I cant seem to get past the idea they are stuffy, status conscious environments. The hardware looks great...especially the Serenity.

I have seen the ships in port and they sparkled....but the mental image I cant seem to shake. My TA described it as Boca meets New York and a dose of Rodeo Drive passengers. So instead I started sailing Regent.....which is wonderful and no attitude.

I experienced a cruise with stuffy attitude.....it was the Seabourn Sun.......the only cruise I could not wait to get off of. I was amazed how conversations would start either over drinks or dinner......and what kind of comapny to you have......what? You mean you work? In all the years I had sailed up to that point I never experienced the attitude of so many passengers like that. My fear is that Crystal attracts the same and its not my cup of tea. I have not sailed Seabourn since...but have a burning desire to sail one of the small yatchs and just write off the Seabourn Sun as am oddity.

I'm no wonder, nothing to look at... but am well traveled, educated with three degrees and can actually clean up good. But arrogance, attitude and rudeness is something I can stand and fear I would see it on Crystal.

Maybe someday I will be able to give Crystal a chance...as I suppose the crew are stellar and there would be really nice passengers to meet.

I know...dont criticse something you havent done.......very true words indeed.

[caliber35]

Olympic - We all have our stereotypes about the various cruise lines. I admire your sense of adventure and all the different types of ships you have sailed. There are some lines that I would not sail on as I do not think they would be a good fit for me. As I recall, you seemed to enjoy the Eurodam, where we met on an RSVP sailing two years ago? Crystal is a lot like HAL, but on steroids; a higher level of service and dining with no cost cutting and much smaller passenger loads. I think your agent did you a disservice with their description of Crystal. Many of the fellow passengers I've met were ordinary, working class people who had saved up for their ideal luxury cruise. Others were obviously successful, but never discussed money or what they did for a living. I have encountered more snobbishness on lines other than Crystal. It is a perfect fit for me. But now, we should return to the original topics of this thread: Fine Dining!

[neilrr]

I only sailed them once and was not impressed. Now the cruise may or may not have contributed to the less than stellar experience.

It was a gay charter with Atlantis from Buenos AIres to Rio...a long cruise and not cheap.

The main dining room had what I found to be typical main dining room food...sililar to mass market ships. The service was horrible...not one order was ever right for the entire table....at every meal. The staff would actually get irritated with the passenger when told it was not what they ordered. The Maitre D would take notes and leave it at that.

I found the whole experience poor with just adequate food.

The identical ship...with Azamara was just the opposite.....wonderful. That cruise was from Hong Kong to Singapore....also an Atlantis gay charter. The food was better than Oceania and considering the part of the world we were in...I thought remarkable. The service was stellar.....way above mass market in my opinion.

I would love to try Oceania's new Marina as the ship appears to be a beauty, but I would not expect any over the top food.

Food is very objective...but service can make a fair meal great and a great meal fair if poor.

Thats my 2, no 3, no 4 cents.

 

Olympic - I totally agree with you on Oceania, but it my case it was the food, not the service. I did a TA from Lisboa to Rio and the first night the waiter gushed over the sea bass and said I must try it. Well, it did not taste like any sea bass I've ever had at a finer dining establishment. It was fishy and obviously freezer burned. The next night was at Tuscana where the Matre'D reccomended the lobster fradiavlo. It was beautifully presented with lovely pasta and sauce, but the whole lobster was again freezer burned and rubbery. My next try was the Polo Grill, and while it was better, I've had as good a filet at a local steakhouse. The best dish I had that entire cruise was a shrimp cocktail. I did enjoy dining casual at Tapas on the Terrace, but none of the food on the entire cruise was memorable in a good way. Add to that, I am a smoker and felt like a parriah on Oceania. My travel companion was thrown off the ship for violating their rules. Needless to say, I won't be back! Traveling solo often, I find that I can sail on Crystal for close to the same fare as Celebrity. I will be taking my 18th cruise with them this summer and find their food, service and ambiance to be perfect in every way. You really must try Cystal; you would love it!

 

RMS Olympic & Caliber35 - Though we have not sailed on Oceania -- I do believe that the company is the supposedly "high end" of NCL. The food does not surprise me in the least (on NCL it was inedible). If they are using the same game plan and suppliers for Oceania - the quality will generally be the same.

[caliber35]

RMS Olympic & Caliber35 - Though we have not sailed on Oceania -- I do believe that the company is the supposedly "high end" of NCL. The food does not surprise me in the least (on NCL it was inedible). If they are using the same game plan and suppliers for Oceania - the quality will generally be the same.

The only relationship between NCL and Oceania is that are backed by the same venture capitol group, Apollo Management. Regent is also part of that group, and there are more similarities between them and Oceania than with NCL. Clients of mine who have sailed Regent recently have noted cost cutting and deterioration in their dining experience. For me, I am sticking with Crystal, as they are the only line that does not seem to be cutting their costs. Also, with their current programs, they are essentially all-inclusive due to free air and massive shipboard credits. If you have ever wanted to try Crystal, this may well the be year to do it.

[MuseCruiser]

For us, Silversea.

[spav01]

We've only cruised with Holland and Celebrity. We found celebruty to be superior for food. The MDR was wonderful and the Normandie restaurant on the Summit was fantastic. The goat cheese appetizer there was a singular treat.

[apollobeach]

My Partner and I have read and reread several times all of the responses. We sincerely appreciate everyone's comments and opinions.

 

"Fair Winds and Following Seas"

:)

John & Rick