Dining on a Cruise Holiday Explained
Dining on a Cruise Holiday Explained
The dining experience is a huge part of a cruise holiday and with choices becoming more and more varied, it can be a little overwhelming at times to understand all the options! With the days of regimented dining times are long gone and no longer do passengers' days need to be planned around dinner time. Many cruiselines now offer Freestyle or Choice Dining meaning passengers can dine where they want, at whatever time they want. Disney Cruise Line operates what they "Rotational Dining" where the guest and their tablemates rotate through the three restaurants each evening.
Most cruiselines do however still have a main dining room, often spectacularly designed, and offering mouthwatering cuisine. Passengers will be asked for their preferred dining time upon booking and they are generally either first (main) seating at around 6.00-6.30pm or second (late) seating which usually begins at 8.00-8.45pm There is usually open seating for breakfast and lunch in the main dining room offering a varied menu and waiter service. Cruisers should always be adventurous with the menu wherever they dine because if they don't like something it is easy to send it back for a replacement. And if there are two things on the menu that you like, ask for both of them and if you can't decide, ask the waiter to bring you his recommendations.
There will often be more than one venue onboard a cruise where guests can just turn up when they are ready to dine. Newer ships generally offer a 24 hour dining spot which is always casual. The advantage of this means that passengers aren't obliged to dress up on formal nights if they'd rather not, or if they miss their dining slot for any particular reason, there is always somewhere to enjoy a meal.
Menu options onboard cruise ships are hugely varied and there will be something to appeal to every taste. Room service is also available 24 hours a day (some cruiselines will have a small cover charge for this) so if you want to relax in your stateroom or recline on your balcony your food will be bought to you!
Most cruise ships have alfresco dining options, with hot dogs and hamburgers, pizza, salads, and even Tacos for you to enjoy poolside throughout the day.
On the majority of cruise ships there are also alternative or specialist dining venues that require an additional fee (around $20-25pp on average). Specialist dining is growing in popularity, with ships having more and more options available, generally based on cuisine from different countries so a ship might now offer everything from traditional Japanese in one restaurant to the finest French filet mignon in another. The decor and ambience of these restaurants is stylish and the service and food are generally 4 to 5 star - so worth it if you want to splurge and if passengers don't want to be on a schedule, this is the perfect option.
If that isn't enough options, almost all ships also have a Lido caf (some open 24 hours a day!) for casual dining but waiter service again a great choice if travellers are not in the mood to dress up or prefer to eat alone.
Passengers will find that on most cruise holidays they will generally have the option of trialling the food of the region that they are visiting. For example, on an Alaskan cruise guests will be given the choices of salmon and Alaskan king crab legs and it is fun to dine on the local cuisine.
All of the cruise lines offer healthy alternative menus or what they call spa menus so if guests are looking for low-fat, low-salt, low cholesterol, vegetarian or any other type of diet, they are available. It is best however to inform your travel agent or cruise specialist of any special needs so they can notify the cruiseline ahead of time. Some cruiselines can also cater for food allergies and more individual diets and offer everything from Kosher, Indian, and Vegetarian to Gluten Free Diets. To be really safe read all of the cruise reviews and cruise critics sites for each ships food and service ratings and book through a specialist who can advise on the best cruise holiday for you. Travel Insurance Tips For Holiday Travelers To Namibia What Are The Things To Consider Before Purchasing A Franchise? Celebrity Cruises announces Major Investment Holiday Gift Baskets - Who Wouldn't Want These? China's Zhang Dan Peng Crowned APT Macau 2010 Champion Places to Stay In Indonesia, Places Adventure Tours Indonesia Island Canillo Travel Tips Char Dham Yatra Inclination towards Holy Destinations New London CT used Acura TSX some driver's dream car Get Blessed by Nature's Splendor on Kerala Tours Christmas Ornament Stands Adventure Travel Destinations For The Adrenalin Junkie Alliance Francaise Mombasa: The Best French Learning Centre