I love gourmet food - will I hate cruising?

[madamegourmet]

My husband and I are planning our first cruise, but we have one concern. Will the food be good? We don't want a vacation filled with average food and buffet-dining. Is there a cruise ship for us? Help!!

[LHT28]

If you go with the average Carnival, Princess, Ncl you will be disappointed

If you go on a more upscale you might be ok depending on how fussy you are.

 

Oceania, celebrity, RSSC, silverseas, Seabourn etc...have much better offerings but they are also more expensive then the others

[Cotton]

Having retired as Food & Beverage director for hotels in New Orleans, managing two country clubs, as well as having my own catering service for many years, I can tell you that, although the food on cruise ships is not what I consider 'gourmet', it is very, very good.

 

I've cruised on Princess, NCL, and Carnival, and in my opinion, Carnival has the best food of the three. Not only do they come up with innovative ways of preparing the food items, the presentation and service in the formal dining room is wonderful.

 

Although food is far from being my main reason for cruising, I have yet to have any meal in the formal dining room that didn't meet or exceed my expectations, and I am considered a 'food snob' by my friends.;) I choose to have all three meals each day in the formal dining room, because I like the ambiance, personal service, and attention to detail they offer. One thing I like is that, if you have an appetizer, entree, dessert, etc. that you do not care for, the waiter will gladly bring you anything else you would like to try. I also like the complimentary espresso and cappuccino Carnival offers in the formal dining room.

 

I do not avail myself of the buffet offerings. I do not frequent buffets on land, and would not do so on a ship. I much prefer the fresher foods served in the formal dining room, not foods sitting in warming pans on a buffet. I have 'glanced' at the buffets, and I'm sure many, many folks enjoy the selections, but for me, no thank you.

 

I'm sure you'll find something that will tempt your discriminating tastebuds every time you have breakfast, lunch, or dinner in the dining room.:)

[wawa40207]

Carnival is really good ! I love the food and the supper club on the ship can out weigh any 4-5 star land based restraunt the food is great!

[cruisinbuddy]

I've never had a bad dining room meal. So far to date and after 4 cruises, touch wood. Buffets are ok. Now remember they're cookin for a couple thousand people. So it won't be the Waldorf Astoria but it will be really good.

[sharonella]

Hi MadameGourmet

 

I've been on 2 cruises (on Carnival) & LOVED the food - especially in the dining room. I've also enjoyed the regular buffets, the 24 hr (made to order) pizzeria, the chocolate buffets & the "so-called" fish & chips. The reason I say "so-called", was that on the Glory, I expected plain old fish & chips - instead there were all sorts of good stuff & a seafood "stew" of some sort that was just AWESOME! There was always a line!

 

I'm not a gourmet, but I know what I like. I also know there are food "snobs" out there whose expectations just can't be met. Please do NOT think I mean you for asking the question!

 

On our first cruise (on Carnival), many of us in our large group (30+ of us) were VERY pleased with the food we were served, but there were those few that had to complain a bit about everything. "When I was on Royal Caribbean, this was better...", or "When I was on Princess, that was better..." Now you have to understand - I've been out to eat with these people & seen what they eat & enjoy at Outback, Pizzeria Uno, & other chain restaurants... so I took their complaints with a grain of salt! :rolleyes:

 

Like another poster said - they fix food for a couple of thousand people. I think they do a great job at it! If you don't like something, just send it back & get something else. If you think a serving is too small, get 2! If you are unsure about a selection - about what's in it or how it's prepared, ask the waiter before you order. Dining room menus are usually posted outside the dining room every day, well before dinner, so you can go down & look & think about what you might like.

 

To me, cruising is about the whole experience - shows, ports, excursions, lazing in deck chair - of which food is not the biggest part. Although I suppose if the food was terrible, I wouldn't cruise!:eek:

 

Do your homework on the boards here - there are menus & food reviews posted all around. You're bound to find the cruise line that's right for you & your tastes!

 

sha

[pudyqat]

If I don't have to cook it, I will like it! It would have to be pretty bad for me to complain!

[tangerinebunny]

We booked Celebrity in part because we kept reading that the food is excellent. And the criticisms of their food that I've read on these boards usually reassure me that we were right - i.e., the desserts aren't 'sweet' enough....translation....European and not American style.

 

I doubt that true gourmet fare can be done well in the numbers the cruise ships deal with, but it sounds as though some do a better job than others.

 

Here's hoping....

[GeminiA]

I' ve cruised with 5 cruise lines (see my signature below), & I think the one that will not disappoint you is Crystal. Their dining room meals are usually very good, & some of the dishes in their specialty restaurants are excellent. Celebrity's food is pretty good too though a notch below Crystal's.

[AAAAmerican]

Residing in the Greater NYC area allows us to partake in some of the largest assortment of establishments with variety Worldwide.

 

On a cruise it is as most buying methods are.. a personal choice..

 

Quality is vital to us, but nobody really goes hungry on a cruise ship.. we have been even on a Tin Can that did not even use LongShoremen to load the luggage aboard out of NYC and they had what we called a slop line ..but you won on that 7 day cruise in the casino even my wife did on the one arm bandits .. that paid for the voyage...

 

Some lines as Crystal are way above the curve for ships..

 

Holland American now owned by Carnival is nice in its appointments but lacked quality it used to have in preperation..

 

On its main ships the Formal Dining Room was so much nicer for all meals than any so called buffet..

 

You probably look as we do when they fill the trays in a buffet if they replace them or just slide the substances into it from the pans...

 

 

Arriving on an early boarding in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada after staying there on business the vessel we were on was a Princess ship of the P&O line then and we were wisked up to the Formal dining room and had one of the best steaks aboard any vessel too..;)

 

Our friends flew in that day later and had to go to the Buffet line... which was ok for them but we stll talk about that time and use it as a marker in dining experiences on board any vessel.

 

Early boarding now since we only see the Buffet line as I guess a coast saving feature as others have noticed too..

 

I just hope one day we do not have to bring our own food.....:( one day on ships.. Airlines now are in that mode .. one the other day just annouced the Galley is going to make way for 4 seats...

 

 

For a good meal the PAY For Food places on a lot of Ships makes better quality items.. but why pay more when the money we pay is already done...? Thats like going in a 5 Star club and having to pay for the steak but already paying for the potatoe...

[sharonella]

AAAAmerican - I know this is a little off-topic, but I loved your comment about bringing our own food on the ships! :eek: Somehow, I don't see that happening anytime soon! In general - the point of airline travel is to get from point A to point B - But a cruise ship IS the vacation destination - NOT just the vehicle to GET to the destination. With all the other amenities that cruising is adding (rock walls, movies under the stars) I can only see the food getting better, not worse. :D

 

I do miss the convenience of being served breakfast or lunch or whatever on a plane, but if airlines can keep costs down (& actually add revenue by adding a few more seats) by eliminating a whole category of costs by not serving us food, it's probably a good thing. I really don't mind bringing on my own snacks & food. Airline food has never been described as "tasty", so this way I can eat what I like & what tastes good! I pack my lunch every day at work, so packing it to fly isn't so difficult for me!

 

Sha

[Garrick]

I think the term "gourmet food" is probably too ambiguous a term as it can have a VERY wide range of meaning depending upon ones experience and lifestyle. What one person raves about another might find very lacking, same food, different expectations. ie: I don't think much of Ruth's Chris, it's reliably decent, but not exceptional.

 

I don't think I'd term most of what I've eaten on a cruise as "5 star" but there aren't that many true 5 star restaurants on land either. For example, as famous as New Orleans is for food, you won't find a 5 star restaurant there except maybe for Emeril's which was rated 5 star by the mobile travel guide one year (and I think his celebrity skewed that rating). I hope I don't sound like a food snob, I'm not. I enjoy a very wide range of foods from the ultra fancy to plain old pub fare, and of course comfort foods.

 

In my experience the food available on all the cruises I've been on has ranged from good, to excellent. If something's bad or more specifically not to my liking, they're very quick to replace it with another offering. Your waiter can definitely give a heads up as to what is "good" that evening. I've had them warn me off something which sometimes I'll order anyways, and they weren't wrong.

 

In the main dining room on most lines, you can expect well prepared, tastefully presented food to be the norm, rather than the exception. With nothing too outlandish and definitely nothing very spicy. They are after all target to a mass market that's predominantly toward the older end of middle age. ps: I've never sailed carnival or windjammer and try to do 7 nights or longer as a minimum, so the lines I've been on have an older crowd than average, and I like it that way.

[Cotton]

........ For example, as famous as New Orleans is for food, you won't find a 5 star restaurant there except maybe for Emeril's which was rated 5 star by the mobile travel guide one year (and I think his celebrity skewed that rating).

 

The only five-star restaurant in New Orleans is Commander's Palace.

 

Most of the better restaurants there are 3- and 4-star. Emeril's restaurants Emeril's, NOLA, and Delmonico's are, unfortunately, all over-rated.

[AAAAmerican]

:D

AAAAmerican - I know this is a little off-topic, but I loved your comment about bringing our own food on the ships! :eek: Somehow, I don't see that happening anytime soon! In general - the point of airline travel is to get from point A to point B - But a cruise ship IS the vacation destination - NOT just the vehicle to GET to the destination. With all the other amenities that cruising is adding (rock walls, movies under the stars) I can only see the food getting better, not worse. :D

 

I do miss the convenience of being served breakfast or lunch or whatever on a plane, but if airlines can keep costs down (& actually add revenue by adding a few more seats) by eliminating a whole category of costs by not serving us food, it's probably a good thing. I really don't mind bringing on my own snacks & food. Airline food has never been described as "tasty", so this way I can eat what I like & what tastes good! I pack my lunch every day at work, so packing it to fly isn't so difficult for me!

 

Sha

 

Thanks Sha for your kind loving words.

 

Have you seen the airfare to Bermuda now? Last year was the start of the low fares. Bermuda by the way is the most profitable Cruise from NYC and NJ for the lines.

 

The fare I noticed yesterday is only::

$49 -- Bermuda from Boston or NYC (Roundtrip!)

http://www.travelzoo.com/Top20.asp?id=100227508

 

<pre>

New York or Boston to Bermuda

Travel dates: Through April 20

 

Top 20 deal - sells out quickly! Vacations just announced a truly amazing deal:

 

Fly roundtrip from Boston or New York to Bermuda for $49 roundtrip. WOW!!

 

Depart on Thursdays or Sundays through April 20, but you must book by February 21.

 

</pre>

 

That is a nice fare for R/T We have been to Bermuda quite a few times and love it there too. Taking a ship is a much lower cost basis especially in the meals and rooms...

 

Have you ever take the Malaysian line NCL there? Thy charge passengers for all the Port Fees even though they are Charged by the Bermudian Govt only once... so yes passengers can be charged three times when the cruise line is only charged once... that to me is..._____...

 

In Bermuda they do have some very fine Chefs at dufferent establishments and Hotels.. Eat in Hamilton at a wonderful Italian Gourmet place just over the park from a cullinary supply store ...Ships crew and Officers eat there too..

 

Yes now back to the topic....:p

Carnival is finally getting better in food quality, preperation and serving methods...

 

Celbrity doe s a wonderful job and is a few steps above them ..

Crystal is Way above Par....

[Garrick]

The only five-star restaurant in New Orleans is Commander's Palace.[/b]

 

Most of the better restaurants there are 3- and 4-star.

 

I'll have to agree with you Commander's palace is excellent, I actually didn't realize it had been rated 5 star by any of the major's but I'd agree it's one of the best. Unfortunately it's currently closed, but should reopen this summer. It's awesome and decently priced for lunch especially.

 

They family has opened a restaurant in Las Vegas, I just hope it doesn't dilute the guality of the original as happens all too often when an exceptional restaurant trys to "chain" themselves.

 

Garrick

[Cotton]

I'm from N.O.,and I worked as a part-time chef for awhile with Emeril when he was sous chef at Commanders. He was fun to work with, and then Miss Ella (Brennan) gave him her 'blessing' to go out on his own. Obviously, the boy's done well:) ; however, he's spread himself so thinly that his restaurants reputations have suffered, I think. I still see him from time to time, as I'm friends with his inlaws here in Gulfport.

 

I think when a wonderful restaurant tries to clone itself, it never quite hits the mark.:o

[my3kids]

I am in total agreement with most of the posts above.

 

Cotton - especially yours. I have only been on 2 cruises - one Carnival and one Celebrity. My DH and I both agreed that the food on Carnival was better - choices, quality, presentation and preparation. However - this is our opinion - and everyone has one:) .

 

I also work in the food industry and have been exposed to many many varieties and preparations of foods. I have been employed by 3 fine dining restaurants and consider myself a 'foodie'. I love trying new flavors and foods - especially enjoy the preparations and presentations.

 

Celebrity had more 'exotic' choices - frog legs, lamb, veal, sweetbreads, and I felt the desserts were very pretty to look at - but very short on flavor. Again, my opinion.

 

I, for one, very much look forward to the food on the cruise. But I am also a Mom of 3, so it is no shopping, preparing, or cleaning up after:D !

 

Just some 'food' for thought!!!

[LindaandJeff]

I'm from N.O.,and I worked as a part-time chef for awhile with Emeril when he was sous chef at Commanders. He was fun to work with, and then Miss Ella (Brennan) gave him her 'blessing' to go out on his own. Obviously, the boy's done well:) ; however, he's spread himself so thinly that his restaurants reputations have suffered, I think. I still see him from time to time, as I'm friends with his inlaws here in Gulfport.

 

I think when a wonderful restaurant tries to clone itself, it never quite hits the mark.:o

 

I agree Cotton, I ate at Emerils in Orlando. Among the worst service I have ever had at a restaurant. The wait for a menu was horrific. My entree was missing one of the main ingredients but I couldn't find anyone to tell. Finally, got up and went to the hostess desk to ask for assistance, they ended up just bringing my bill because they had already served my entree...you get the idea. Extremely disappointing.

[Cotton]

Robin - Ahhh, the pleasure of leaving a table for someone else to clean up! (I love to cook, but since retirement, I keep wondering Oh, where are those busboys?):D

 

Linda/Jeff - Oh, that's so disappointing, when you look forward to a special evening at a supposedly great restaurant. I'll tell you - if Emeril's NOT in the kitchen, nothing's gonna go right.:o

[LindaandJeff]

Linda/Jeff - Oh, that's so disappointing, when you look forward to a special evening at a supposedly great restaurant. I'll tell you - if Emeril's NOT in the kitchen, nothing's gonna go right.:o

 

I am confident though that our upcoming cruise will be awesome, the food will be delicious and the service will be wonderful even without any BAM! I can't wait. :D

[bigtexxx]

As Samantha Bee said to Jon Stewart on The Daily Show one night, regarding cruise food, "Jon, there's so much of it. Some of it must be good."

 

Are my wife and I gourmets? Doubt it. But we DO hate the thought of wasting a meal on bad or mediocre food. So back to the original point of this thread--if you love food, will you be disappointed by cruise food?

 

Yes, and no. C'mon, admit it--I'm probably right.

 

We sail Celebrity most of the time. I have to say, they try hard with the food. But do their hamburgers compare to anything any suburban male can cook on his own grill? No. Have you ever gotten anything off the buffet that was truly piping hot? Not very often. Secretly, do you wonder if all lobster is as rubbery as the one you got? Hmm. Would your steak have been hotter, jucier and more tender if you'd gotten it 15 minutes sooner? Most likely.

 

A lot of the problems with the food are, as someone else mentioned, the logistics of serving hundreds or thousands of people at a time. Timing is everything in cooking, and that's why people flock to Commander's Palace to eat, but come on board Celebrity to sail.

 

I think there are a couple of ways around these onboard eatery issues.

 

--Order room service, and tip your cabin steward (who brings the chow on Celeb, anyway) generously to get it there fast and fresh. You can order anything from the dinner menu during dinner time, BTW.

--Eat the spa lunch. Admittedly, it's cold food. But it's prepared fresh constantly, in small batches. And it's waiting for you on a bed of ice, and seems to be much easier to keep and serve cold food cold than hot food hot.

--Eat where they prepare the food to order--omelets in the morning, custom sandwiches for lunch, pasta perhaps for dinner. It tends to be hotter and fresher.

--Eat in the specialty restaurant. Yes, it's $25 extra PP and you should be getting that level of food and service included, but you don't and you're not, so if you love food, cough up the bucks and have a great meal. We hesitated, but once we finally did, it was the best meal we had on the trip. Nice, friendly, professional service, too.

--Put your food concerns on the comment card. The more good chow is a priority to guests, the more it will become a marketing point for the lines and the more emphasis will be put on serving if not great then very good food.

 

If all else fails, stay drunk as a lord and you won't be concerned with the food!

 

Happy eating!

[bigtexxx]

I've been sufficiently verbose, so I'll keep this short.

 

The other tip is, of course, if you don't like what you get in the dining room, for heaven's sake try something else! Even if you eat one bite and don't care for something, don't be shy about asking for another entree, dessert, appetizer--anything! The waiters couldn't care less, you paid for it, and if your table mates find it odd, uncouth or gluttonous, they don't understand cruise dining.

 

Eat hearty, mateys!

[Garrick]

I agree, or if you do like something, but want to try something else also the waiter will be overjoyed to get it for you. I've done so a few times where I'd really like to try something new, but one of my all time favorites is also on the menu that night.

 

I make up for it on carribean night, since I've never found anything I like that night and usually just pass on dinner. Maybe a bit of sushi, then the late night bites in the casino.

[bobnsandi]

 

A lot of the problems with the food are, as someone else mentioned, the logistics of serving hundreds or thousands of people at a time. Timing is everything in cooking, and that's why people flock to Commander's Palace to eat, but come on board Celebrity to sail.

 

I think there are a couple of ways around these onboard eatery issues.

 

--Eat in the specialty restaurant. Yes, it's $25 extra PP and you should be getting that level of food and service included, but you don't and you're not, so if you love food, cough up the bucks and have a great meal. We hesitated, but once we finally did, it was the best meal we had on the trip. Nice, friendly, professional service, too.

--Put your food concerns on the comment card. The more good chow is a priority to guests, the more it will become a marketing point for the lines and the more emphasis will be put on serving if not great then very good food.

 

If all else fails, stay drunk as a lord and you won't be concerned with the food!

 

Happy eating!

 

AMEN, BRO

[skandls]

Cruise ship food is basically hotel banquet food - it can go from mediocre (stick to the steaks) to quite good. Think Hilton to Four Seasons. If you are a real foodie go to the California wine country. I don't think there are too many places in the world that can match fresh inovative food choices served at the many many restaurants. If you want the old school traditional 'gourmet' fare I'm not much help since I prefer food prepared with fresh fresh locallly produced fare with multinational spices and sauces. There are some barge trips that include a meal at a Michelin 3 Star but they are very pricey.

 

We did a barge trip in Burgundy - I really enjoyed the meals especially the lunches. There is no choice but enough variety that no one went hungry. The lunches were the best. One hot dish (for example roast pork, salmon encroute, lamb) 3 salads and 2 local cheeses with local white and red wines.