Ship/Cruise Line with Most Included Dining Options

[arthur2990]

I see most cruise lines only include the main dining room and quick service in the cost of the cruise.  All the other options are extra.  What cruise line has not most included sit-down dining options for the cost of the cruise.  I know Virgin has lots of options, but I am not hip enough to enjoy their onboard entertainment. 😄

[crystalspin]

Someone with much diverse cruise experience should answer your question... Thinking @Hlitner? I am pretty brand-loyal (HAL), just because every time I try to sail with a different line it falls apart!

 

But I read alot on Cruise Critic and other places and you do appear to be correct - on at least most 'mainstream' ships you get MDR, buffet (you do get to sit down after you get your food) (also there is usually a crew member to carry your food to table and fetch to drinks if necessary), often a burger joint or taco station... 

[Flatbush Flyer]

13 minutes ago, arthur2990 said:

I see most cruise lines only include the main dining room and quick service in the cost of the cruise.  All the other options are extra.  What cruise line has not most included sit-down dining options for the cost of the cruise.  I know Virgin has lots of options, but I am not hip enough to enjoy their onboard entertainment. 😄

Oceania’s claim to fame is its being recognized for having the “finest cuisine at sea.” And that includes no extra charge for its various dining venues (comprising the Grand Dining Room, Terrace Café, Waves and several specialty restaurants (two on the “R” ships and four on the “O” ships). And, of course, there is no charge for Room Service.

Note as well that, beyond a pre-cruise scheduling allotment of specialty reservations, you can dine at the specialties as often as you want (no added charge) on a space available basis.

 

One final item: Unlike mass market lines, where you find yourself paying for “better quality” food in their specialty restaurants, all Oceania dining venues are included in your basic fare and have quality offerings with the only real difference between/among them being the menu focus and ambiance of the space. 

[TheOldBear]

I think Viking Ocean has a similar arrangement to Oceania - multiple dining options included in the fare. I thin there are 'first pick' options available to folks in the more expensive suites.

I would not be surprised to find this a common arrangement in that market segment.

[mom says]

The more you pay,  the more you get included, generally speaking.  The cheaper mass market lines will have fewer included dining options.  But the bigger the ship, the more specialty dining options will be available. And on some lines, top tier suites have specialty dining included. The premium lines may add an included pool side grill, or pizza . Princess has a pool grill, pizza spot, and a 24 hr salad/ sandwich/ snack shop, as well as free room service. Move up to the luxury lines, and most, if not all, of the dining options will be included.

[Flatbush Flyer]

47 minutes ago, mom says said:

The more you pay,  the more you get included, generally speaking.  The cheaper mass market lines will have fewer included dining options.  But the bigger the ship, the more specialty dining options will be available. And on some lines, top tier suites have specialty dining included. The premium lines may add an included pool side grill, or pizza . Princess has a pool grill, pizza spot, and a 24 hr salad/ sandwich/ snack shop, as well as free room service. Move up to the luxury lines, and most, if not all, of the dining options will be included.

And don’t forget the other premium/luxury fare inclusions beyond the array of food options, e.g., - minimally, internet, beverages and usually one or more other perks like SBC, tours, booze….. and my personal favorite - DIY air credit. 

[Hlitner]

Wow, saw my name mentioned so I guess we must respond.   If we were to accept that there are at least 3 categories of cruise lines (there are actually more) which would be mass market, Pcatremium (Flatbush Flyer and I disagree on this category) and luxury the perhaps we can offer some thoughts.  Within the most common mass market category (i.e, Carnival, RCI, NCL, Celebrity, HAL, etc) I cannot pick a winner for variations on included "sit down" other than the usual MDRs.  NCL certainly has many options (especially on its larger ships) but we are not familiar with what they currently include in the base fare (check the NCL blogs).  Princess does offer (on most ships) their pizza place (Alfredos or Gigi's) for no additional charge.  Both Alfredos and Gigis (the name on a few newer ships) are true sit down venues where you order from a waiter.  We love these venues (open from lunch until later at night) where you can get pizza or some pasta dishes as well as a salad.  Princess also has their International Cafe (open 24/7) which has light snacks including some breakfast items (in the morning) and lunch items (around noon).  

 

We have never been on Virgin, so have no thoughts about that line.

 

Flatbush Flyer gets into his usual Oceania cheerleader (this is the only cruise line he seems to support) and we have heard nothing but good about "O"s various dining venues.  In the interests of full disclosure, we have yet to cruise on "O" which is the fault of "O" (and an interesting story).  But Flatbush Flyer (and others) have convinced us we would be more than satisfied with the cuisine offerings on that line which is well known as a line that puts extra emphasis on food.an 

 

When you get into the Luxury lines (i.e. Seabourn, Silverseas, Regent, etc), nearly everything is included in the relatively high fare.  On Seabourn we can fill ourselves with caviar. champagne, filet mignon, tableside prepared Dover Sole, etc. without ever paying a penny in upcharges.  It is similar on the other luxury lines.  But consider that some of these lines charge around $1000 per passenger/day for the "included" food.  One could book a regular balcony cabin on a line such as Celebrity, eat in alternative restaurants on a regular basis, and spend a lot less money than on a luxury line.  Just keep in mind there is a lot more to luxury lines then just food.  Just consider that space ratios (total gross tons divided by number of passengers) for luxury line can easily top 70 tons per passenger while most mass market lines are in the 30-40 range.

 

Some ask me are favorite line and we always say we do not have one particular favorite line.  And if we did favor one line that would likely be fleeting since cruise lines are always reinventing themselves.  But I am constantly amazed at how many cruisers get into a single cruise line mode and blind themselves to all the other wonderful options.  For example, DW and I are close to booking a 18-day cruise on a new cruise line (Explora Journeys) because we have some faith in their ownership (the Aponte Family of MSC fame).  Other cruising friends (who are long time HAL fans) tell us they would never dream of cruising with any other line other than HAL.  We like HAL (have a 42 day cruise booked with them in 2023) but cannot imagine spending what is left of our cruise lives on the same line with the same menus, the same old same old, etc.  Perhaps that is why after about 50 years of cruising every cruise is exciting and fresh.

 

Hnak

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

4 hours ago, Hlitner said:

…..we have heard nothing but good about "O"s various dining venues. …….Flatbush Flyer (and others) have convinced us we would be more than satisfied with the cuisine offerings on that line which is well known as a line that puts extra emphasis on food……..

…..But I am constantly amazed at how many cruisers get into a single cruise line mode and blind themselves to all the other wonderful options….

……We like HAL (have a 42 day cruise booked with them in 2023) but cannot imagine spending what is left of our cruise lives on the same line with the same menus, the same old same old, etc.  

 

Multitudes of folks like us, who tried mass market (and other) cruise lines and found them lacking in so many ways eventually have discovered a premium line that consistently “ticks all the boxes” (particularly itineraries, quality of food and service, and comfortable accommodations). Importantly, our (and their)  “preferred” line does so at a “value laden” price with very few disappointments over many years.

This is no different than land travelers who strongly favor a particular location - enough so that they buy a vacation home there.
 

Of course, both land and sea travelers with “preferred” cruise lines, hotels, etc can (and do) keep things fresh, new and exciting  in ways that allow greater exploration of locations visited - in part because, at the end of each day, they return home to a familiar and welcoming “home away from home.”

 

If anyone is “amazed,” it would be us. We explore the world with a combination of land, sea and air travel that allows us to focus our attention on new location adventures by providing trusted/consistent/preferred services to get us where we need to go and keep us nourished, cared for and entertained in ways we truly enjoy.
 

From our point of view on travel, it makes little sense to hop from one cruise line to another just because it is (or may be) different than the last one. And, BTW, it has nothing to do with “brand loyalty” When any of our “preferred” supportive travel services (e.g., United Air Lines, Intercontinental Hotel Group or Oceania Cruises) starts to consistently disappoint us, we’ll look elsewhere. 

 

[CruisingWalter]

16 hours ago, arthur2990 said:

I see most cruise lines only include the main dining room and quick service in the cost of the cruise.  All the other options are extra.  What cruise line has not most included sit-down dining options for the cost of the cruise.  I know Virgin has lots of options, but I am not hip enough to enjoy their onboard entertainment. 😄

 

Virgin definitely has the most and best food options of any of the 8 cruise lines we've sailed. If you're not hip enough to enjoy a blues trio or a lounge singer for evening entertainment, then I'm not sure which ship you can cruise on. 😆 I have a full Scarlet Lady playlist including review, cabin tour and food tour on my YouTube channel, Where's Walter Travel. CC won't permit me to link to my own channel. 🙂 

 

Carnival Mardi Gras has a ton of included food options. Not the best, but there is a lot of them. Again, a playlist and food tour on my YouTube channel.

 

NCL Prima looks interesting because the Indulge Food Hall is included with their dining so you'll have the buffet, Food Hall and MDR at least included. 

 

Disney of course has the rotational dining and their food is excellent. 

[Hlitner]

16 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Multitudes of folks like us, who tried mass market (and other) cruise lines and found them lacking in so many ways eventually have discovered a premium line that consistently “ticks all the boxes” (particularly itineraries, quality of food and service, and comfortable accommodations). Importantly, our (and their)  “preferred” line does so at a “value laden” price with very few disappointments over many years.

This is no different than land travelers who strongly favor a particular location - enough so that they buy a vacation home there.
 

Of course, both land and sea travelers with “preferred” cruise lines, hotels, etc can (and do) keep things fresh, new and exciting  in ways that allow greater exploration of locations visited - in part because, at the end of each day, they return home to a familiar and welcoming “home away from home.”

 

If anyone is “amazed,” it would be us. We explore the world with a combination of land, sea and air travel that allows us to focus our attention on new location adventures by providing trusted/consistent/preferred services to get us where we need to go and keep us nourished, cared for and entertained in ways we truly enjoy.
 

From our point of view on travel, it makes little sense to hop from one cruise line to another just because it is (or may be) different than the last one. And, BTW, it has nothing to do with “brand loyalty” When any of our “preferred” supportive travel services (e.g., United Air Lines, Intercontinental Hotel Group or Oceania Cruises) starts to consistently disappoint us, we’ll look elsewhere. 

 

Getting a little off topic on a subject near and dear to our hearts.  Pros and cons of aligning one's self with a single (or perhaps 2) cruise lines.  To be honest, we do find that variety does keep things fresh and somewhat exciting as opposed to the same ole same ole.  But consider that since we cruise on many cruise lines, our options are vastly expanded over one who focuses on a single cruise line, especially a line with only 6 ships (more on the way).  Our cruise "parchment" includes far more than 100 ships that are cruising all over the world at any given time.  So, for example, if we want to take an exploration cruise to Antarctica this December (we do) there are a few luxury lines/ships from which to choose.  But your chosen line does not even offer any such cruises in December or any other month.  If we want to take a month cruise in Japan next Spring, there are a few options (none of which include your line).  When we cruised to Rio for Carnival, and spent 3 nights docked so we could use the ship as our hotel, we would not have been able to do anything like that on your line.

 

Most of our cruises are itinerary driven (with 1 or 2 exceptions every year).  While "O" does have some excellent itineraries, they do not always coincide with the times we want to be on those particular parts of the world.  When we again find an "O" itinerary that aligns with our stars we will try to book with a small prayer that "O" actually sails the advertised itinerary :).  We are giving a careful look at a late 2023 "O" cruise but are hesitating because it gets us home a bit too close the Xmas and involves one of their "R" ships which are not our favorite design.

 

Hank

[Flatbush Flyer]

13 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Getting a little off topic on a subject near and dear to our hearts.  Pros and cons of aligning one's self with a single (or perhaps 2) cruise lines.  To be honest, we do find that variety does keep things fresh and somewhat exciting as opposed to the same ole same ole.  But consider that since we cruise on many cruise lines, our options are vastly expanded over one who focuses on a single cruise line, especially a line with only 6 ships (more on the way).  Our cruise "parchment" includes far more than 100 ships that are cruising all over the world at any given time.  So, for example, if we want to take an exploration cruise to Antarctica this December (we do) there are a few luxury lines/ships from which to choose.  But your chosen line does not even offer any such cruises in December or any other month.  If we want to take a month cruise in Japan next Spring, there are a few options (none of which include your line).  When we cruised to Rio for Carnival, and spent 3 nights docked so we could use the ship as our hotel, we would not have been able to do anything like that on your line.

 

Most of our cruises are itinerary driven (with 1 or 2 exceptions every year).  While "O" does have some excellent itineraries, they do not always coincide with the times we want to be on those particular parts of the world.  When we again find an "O" itinerary that aligns with our stars we will try to book with a small prayer that "O" actually sails the advertised itinerary :).  We are giving a careful look at a late 2023 "O" cruise but are hesitating because it gets us home a bit too close the Xmas and involves one of their "R" ships which are not our favorite design.

 

Hank

Your approach (and points about a specifically desired itinerary) are valid. And when Antarctica is on our radar, we will opt for an expedition ship. However, for now, we have zero interest in that location. And, fortunately, Oceania adds new/interesting small ports each year. So, we have yet to not find something of interest to us.

Happy cruising.

[Aquahound]

On 10/17/2022 at 12:10 PM, arthur2990 said:

I see most cruise lines only include the main dining room and quick service in the cost of the cruise.  All the other options are extra.  What cruise line has not most included sit-down dining options for the cost of the cruise.  I know Virgin has lots of options, but I am not hip enough to enjoy their onboard entertainment. 😄

 

I guess it would help to know if you're truly asking about all cruise lines or if you'd like to narrow it down to a particular type of cruise line.  Specifying a type of line will help curb certain one-line-only cheerleaders.  

[CruisingWalter]

On 10/18/2022 at 4:50 PM, Hlitner said:

Getting a little off topic on a subject near and dear to our hearts.  Pros and cons of aligning one's self with a single (or perhaps 2) cruise lines.  To be honest, we do find that variety does keep things fresh and somewhat exciting as opposed to the same ole same ole. 

 

We are exactly the same. We enjoy cruising, not any single cruise line. 8 cruise lines so far, we have not had a bad cruise yet. We've certainly enjoyed some more than others, but there are SO MANY cruise ships and experiences to try, limiting one's self to the same cruise line, same ships year after year would drive me a little batty if I'm being honest. 🙂 I really want to start exploring the expedition ships like Hurtigruten or National Geographic Explorer ships. Those look amazing, though my wallet might object. 😆

Edited October 21, 2022 by WheresWalter

[Hlitner]

9 minutes ago, WheresWalter said:

 

We are exactly the same. We enjoy cruising, not any single cruise line. 8 cruise lines so far, we have not had a bad cruise yet. We've certainly enjoyed some more than others, but there are SO MANY cruise ships and experiences to try, limiting one's self to the same cruise line, same ships year after year would drive me a little batty if I'm being honest. 🙂 I really want to start exploring the expedition ships like Hurtigruten or National Geographic Explorer ships. Those look amazing, though my wallet might object. 😆

We have "done it all" from budget lines to luxury lines to river cruises (Asia and Europe) but have yet to try an expedition ship.  But that will change (with a little luck) when we head to Antarctica later this year.  What really excited us about expedition cruising was the recent proliferation of luxury expedition ships (Seeabourn, Silverseas, Ponent, etc).  There are now lots of choices, most of which are true budget busters.  But nothing ventured (our ship is actually called the Venture) nothing gained :).  And I guess we are spending our grandchilen's money :).

 

Speaking of expedition cruising, we have never bought into the idea of "drive by" cruises.  You cannot experience the Arctic,  Antarctic, Great Barrier Reef, etc. by simply looking out the window of a cruise ship.  It would be like passing NYC on a ship and thinking you had seen NYC.  Some of these newer expedition ships come with their own submarines, helicopters, etc (you do not even want to think about the cost of those toys).  This luxury expedition thing seems to be the hot new trend in cruising.

 

Hank

[Cruzaholic41]

11 hours ago, Hlitner said:

We have "done it all" from budget lines to luxury lines to river cruises (Asia and Europe) but have yet to try an expedition ship.  But that will change (with a little luck) when we head to Antarctica later this year.  What really excited us about expedition cruising was the recent proliferation of luxury expedition ships (Seeabourn, Silverseas, Ponent, etc).  There are now lots of choices, most of which are true budget busters.  But nothing ventured (our ship is actually called the Venture) nothing gained :).  And I guess we are spending our grandchilen's money :).

 

Speaking of expedition cruising, we have never bought into the idea of "drive by" cruises.  You cannot experience the Arctic,  Antarctic, Great Barrier Reef, etc. by simply looking out the window of a cruise ship.  It would be like passing NYC on a ship and thinking you had seen NYC.  Some of these newer expedition ships come with their own submarines, helicopters, etc (you do not even want to think about the cost of those toys).  This luxury expedition thing seems to be the hot new trend in cruising.

 

Hank

I’ve done several expeditionary cruises and they are excellent!  Do it. You will not regret it. 
 

Im looking real close at Viking Ocean’s Antarctic cruises. IMO, VO is the best premium line out there. 
 

If you do Galapagos, don’t overlook Celebrity. I cruised Flora and it was one of my all time favorite cruises. The ship is beautiful and the food and service were A+. In fact, I’d say it was better than most luxury lines. 

[CruisingWalter]

On 10/21/2022 at 9:19 PM, Cruzaholic41 said:

If you do Galapagos, don’t overlook Celebrity. I cruised Flora and it was one of my all time favorite cruises. The ship is beautiful and the food and service were A+. In fact, I’d say it was better than most luxury lines. 

 

Oh man I am SO JEALOUS that you cruised Flora. It looks like an AMAZING experience on that ship. Bucket list goal is to explore Galapagos on that ship one day. 🙂