Eating is a HUGE part of the cruise experience. This is what I heard the most prior to going on my first cruise and remains a major player in cruising some nine years later. No matter what time is it, there is always a ton of FOOD!!! Ice cream is my favorite, LoL! So far, I have only been on three cruises, each with a different line: Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and most recently, Norwegian.
The main thing I want to discuss today is dinner time and the dining options I have experienced. Sometimes this can be confusing, especially to the first time cruiser or if you are on a new cruise line, because they are not all the same in this area. Let’s dive in (but not literally, LoL):
There are restaurants on cruise ships that are not a part of your ticket fare and charge a la carte or a flat rate; these are not going to be a topic here. The only thing I’d like to mention about them is just be careful and don’t accidentally dine here without realizing these are extra charges.
There is a buffet available nearly all day and night somewhere on the boat, so if you do not want to dine in a sit-down atmosphere, or if you want to grab a quick bite to eat, the buffet can be a great option. In my experience, they generally have the same things each day, but do not fret, it’s usually a wide variety, such as pastas, pizza, salads, fruits, sandwich makings, hamburgers, hot dogs and various kinds of meat and desserts.
I also have seen them have “leftovers” from the previous night’s dinner available for lunches. There is usually ice cream available 24/7 as well (generally a soft-serve machine, but there was also an ice cream bar after breakfast each day on Norwegian). A lot of people like the buffet option when they do not have extra time due to a show they want to see or just because the complimentary restaurants can take a much longer time (multiple courses).
Of course, room service is available as well. This is usually an additional service charge and you can order what you like from a menu. This is great if you are exhausted and do not want to venture out of your room.
The sit-down complimentary restaurants are a main draw (at least for me). I like to sit, relax, and be served food and drinks while chatting with my family and/or friends. It is a much more laid back experience when compared to the buffet, in my opinion. Here are some important points about this dining option:
1. Each cruise line is different in how they organize dinner time at the complimentary (meaning included in your ticket price) restaurants. Some will assign you a dinner time when you book your cruise and/or check-in online for it. The most common are two different dinner times. Example: 5:30pm and 8pm. They can assign your whole group to the same table and time, so if this is something you want, be sure to confirm your group is noted as being such when you book (if you book separately).
The other option for dinner is going when you want, with or without reservations, with the knowledge that you may have to wait for a table to open, especially if you have a larger group. Norwegian calls this option “Freestyle Dining,” and it is at your convenience starting around 5:30pm. I really liked this option vs the other way of having a pre-assigned time. This allowed us to look at the daily activities and shows and plan around it so we were not rushed or missing what we wanted to do.
2. Dinner is a three-course meal. They have a menu that changes daily with a few items that stay the same each day. You have multiple options for an appetizer, a main entrée and dessert. They generally have a couple of meat options, gluten-free, soups, vegetarian, salads (vegetarian and not), sugar-free (dessert) and pastas. A person, at least without food allergies, would be hard-pressed not to find something they can enjoy each night. The best part?! You can pick as many or much of the menu items as you want! I KNOW!!! It’s crazy! This allows you to try many, many things you would normally not order or cook at home so you can see if you like it or if you just want several things that you already know you love. This is truly a splurge experience, but hey! You are on vacation, so why not?!
3. If you do not like what you ordered, order something different. Or if you love, love, love what you ordered and you are still hungry, order more! Your server will be happy to assist!
4. Watch out for extra charges with drinks, alcohol or not! Each cruise line is different, but if you do not have a drink package, normally only water, tea (seems to always be unsweet) and lemonade are included for free with your meal. I believe coffee at dinner is a common complimentary item as well (I do not drink coffee, GASP!, so I have not paid super close attention on each cruise). You can purchase a drink with your room card easily enough, or if you have a drink package, then you can pick additional drinks at dinner. I only bring this up because I do not want you to be surprised if you accidentally incur additional and unexpected charges.
5. Each cruise line has a dress code for each of their dining areas. Example: in the buffet areas, you may not enter with just a bathing suit on. In the other dining areas, bathing suits and “too casual” of attire is often not allowed. Be sure to read the policy for where you plan to dine ahead of cruising so you have proper attire. Also, there is often a “fancy” formal dining night, but not always. You will also experience people who dress up every night. Do what makes you feel comfortable, but just be aware of their policies so you do not waste time with having to return to your room to change.
6. You are not expected to tip at dinner, as your daily gratuity rate goes to the servers, cooks and other dining room staff. However, if you have a super server, it is not uncommon or frowned upon to give them something extra your last night there. If you are assigned the same time/table each night (discussed on #1), you may become really familiar with your section’s personnel and they become familiar with you. Even if you do the freestyle dining and get the same person more than once, you will be amazed at how much they remember about you. We actually requested the same server, Fernando on Norwegian, each night if he was available, and the second time we had him, he knew my Mom wanted a diet coke and how we liked our meat cooked, which he called “hot, hot like the Caribbean!” LoL!
Cruising can be a little intimidating the first time you go or if you venture on a new cruise line, but it does not need to be stressful if you read over the cruise’s information (often on a “Know Before You Go” type of website) and hopefully the above tips will help you with at least dinner dining. One thing is for sure – if you are ever hungry while on a cruise, it is your own fault! FOOD IS EVERYWHERE!! All. Of. The. Time.
Happy Cruising!!
