What line has the best food?

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We think Holland does.

[uncleboo]

celebrity has good food

 

but ncl and carnival are also good

 

it is all in the passengers personal preference

 

take a hamburger

some like white castle

others like mc Donalds

others like Applebees

others like burger king

others like wendys

some like carls

others like checkers

 

some like ruth chris

other outback

 

just like beauty is in the eye of the beholder

hoep you got the point

[Love.II.Cruise]

The best food we ever had was on Regent. However, we are trying Oceania next year and we've heard their food is excellent too.

Edited October 13, 2011 by Suitelive

[Mparis184]

celebrity has good food

 

but ncl and carnival are also good

 

it is all in the passengers personal preference

 

take a hamburger

some like white castle

others like mc Donalds

others like Applebees

others like burger king

others like wendys

some like carls

others like checkers

 

some like ruth chris

other outback

 

just like beauty is in the eye of the beholder

hoep you got the point

 

Oh how true. My husband doesn't care what he eats, it's all the same to him. I think there is something wrong with his taste buds!

 

Marion

[osogrito]

Have been on celebrity, ncl, Hal, Oceania

 

By far Oceania was the best

Celebrity next

 

 

No charge on Oceania for speciality restaurants, espressos, cappuccino, soft drinks.

[jadragnfly]

1 >oceania the best food

12dys 5x in altern rest excellent!

2 >disney magic 2 week t/a

really surprised us at the quality and variety in menus at both lunch and dinner PALO altern was wonderful!

3 >celebrity great service great food normandy rest was excellent

4 >holland..those 12 pieces of silverware always impresses me..great food true continetal food menu,service excellent

5 >rccl fun altern rests .in mdr the quality of fish and meats are slightly cheaper cuts

6 >princess very meh menus ,poor service cause they give too many tables for 1 waiter and busboy..im wishing it was like before carnival bought it..sad sad for princess. we wont be going on her for a few yrs and see if she gets better.we were on a 10dy alaska

leaving for carnival magic tues for another t/a will see if the food on this new ship measures up ciao all

happy sailings ~kc and rich

[serval_girl]

Not trying to be snobbish, but not one of the mega ships' food even comes close to any of those according to every ratings I have seen. If you truly are a foodie, and not just looking for quantity, take the opportunity to have some of the best food you have ever eaten - day or night, I highly recommend trying one of those cruise lines"....

 

We I am certainly a foodie, but I am also a broke graduate student and in no position to try one of those higher-end lines. Suggesting that someone is somehow oblivious to what quality food and presentation is all about (i.e., "if you truly are a foodie") because they cannot afford the high end cruise does come across a bit snobbish. ANYWAYS...

 

Celebrity easily #1 (based on my experiences with Carnival and NCL). Made the trek to the dining room every night, ordered multiple appetizers each night, had lovely experiences throughout. Maybe one dish on an 11 night cruise that was not to my likings. I LOVED Celebrities Asian breakfast and Eggs Benedict Stand, and their ice cream/gelato offerings like lychee and pomegranate.

 

With Carnival I have had to send things back, their breakfast buffet is boring with few choices, and it was that nasty vanilla or chocolate soft serve out of a machine. NCL was completely forgettable. Will be on RCCL Radiance this March for the South Pacific-hoping it is closer to Celebrity in quality than the other lines.

[artbcpa]

In the past year, I have been on two more ships that I have not previously sailed - the Paul Gauguin and Wind Surf from the Wind Star sailing ships. Both had excellent food, though I would give the preference to Wind Surf based on consistency. One interesting fact that I have found on the top rated ships is that there really is no need to go to their specialty restaurants. In fact, on both these ships, I found the main dining room to be superior to the specialty restaurants.

 

I didn't find that to be true on Celebrity or on the other mega ships. There was a HUGE difference in quality in the specialty restaurants (and an extra price tag to go along with it).

[aliboards]

Celebrity . I've been to almost 20 cruise and they got the best foods in the world! :)

[artbcpa]

Conde Nast just came out with their Gold List (January 2012 issue). For food, Seabourn was #1, Crystal #2 and Oceania #3. Of their top 12 cruise lines (their Gold List) Celebrity's food was rated at the bottom. Viking River Cruises and Grand Circle were slightly higher.

[mjwcruising]

Conde Nast just came out with their Gold List (January 2012 issue). For food, Seabourn was #1, Crystal #2 and Oceania #3. Of their top 12 cruise lines (their Gold List) Celebrity's food was rated at the bottom. Viking River Cruises and Grand Circle were slightly higher.

 

 

I took a look at the survey.

Celebrity is the only "premium" cruise line listed.

The other ones are "Luxury" lines or "river cruises."

Celebrity cruises are definitely more economical.

And it is impressive they were ranked in this group of cruise lines.

I would love to try one of the luxury lines; but they aren't in my budget so I will stick with Celebrity.

[eariner]

I found the food on our RCCI Christmas 2011 8 night cruise acceptable. windjammer was a zoo, but there were a few good items, especially salads and soups. MDR was up and down: one night great lamb chops, but Christmas turkey was tough. Service was excellent, but we learned that our staff also served the Captain's table. I have a severe allergy to the protein in cow's milk, and the staff made special arrangements for me every meal. I could choose from the menu and the kitchen would make a different sauce, etc. I have to give big points for that. However, I also vote of Holland America. We have yet to try Celebrity, but know it is a little more upscale, and of course, Seaborne and Crystal cannot be considered in the same category.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Holland /Princess

[jdvmd]

I have had been meals as well as great meals on all the lines. I would put the filet mignon at LeBistro up against anyones. And one of the top five pork entrees I have ever eaten in my life was aboard the NCL Epic.

 

In contract, I had a pork tenderloin dish that got sent back on the Sapphire Princess. It was absolutely disgusting. But I love the pizza on Princess and Carnival.

 

Don't get me started on RCCL's ranch steak.

[Jimnbigd]

...Don't get me started on RCCL's ranch steak.

On RCI it has been "Black Angus Top Sirloin" now for a while, but it might be just another name for the same thing. Never very tender. The Fillet of Beef served the first formal night is usually very good though. And I like the Tutti Salad in MDR lunch. And the ham-and-cheese croissant sandwiches in Cafe Promenade. Not so good -- the beef stroganoff in MDR dinner. But overall I'm happy with RCI's food. On Carnival I always love the pumpkin soup the first formal night -- yummy.

Edited January 5, 2012 by Jimnbigd

[Runaway Parent]

#8 -- NCL (If I ever cruise NCL again, I will eat all meals in alternative restaurants; everything else sub-par)

Absolutely agree with this comment! We've cruised the Spirit three times and have totally given up on the MDR. The alternatives are delicious, though! Worth the upcharge when you know you'll enjoy the food.

 

Of the cruise lines we've sailed-

#1 RCCL

#2 Carnival

#3 NCL

 

But, we will probably stick with Carnival at this point because of price. I was very disappointed, though, that they have taken Black Tiger Shrimp Cocktail off the every day appetizer choices!

[artbcpa]

The latest ratings for food quality were just released by Conde Nast. These ratings come from the passengers, not professional food critics. While I recognize that taste is personal, the opinion of thousands of cruise passengers is helpful when comparing different lines.

 

Individual ships did show differences but as a whole:

 

Mass market: Celebrity was number 1, Disney number 2.

 

In the river cruise ship market, the differences between individual ships was so large that I would hesitate to call a winner. River Concerto (Grand Circle) was number 1; and the next three were all from Uniworld

 

In the luxury market, Seabourne was number 1 and Crystal and Oceania were virtually tied for number 2.

[jakesmom12]

DH and I took our first cruise last month so have no way to compare cruise lines but have managed to indulge in some of the finest dining experiences one can have around the world. That said, we were not disappointed in Celebrity's cuisine. It certainly isn't adventurous but overall was excellent (OK, the one hamburger I had was overcooked:(). We were pleased - especially after reading some of the postings.

[Mparis184]

Thanks so much for the info on Oceania. I have to put it on my list. I would also be interested in hearing about the Oasis of the Seas. I have toyed with the idea of trying out the biggest ship sailing today.

 

Since you obviously love gourmet food, I would encourage you to try one of the luxury lines like Seabourne or Crystal and compare their food with Oceania. You know because of their all-inclusive style, they really aren't that much more than Celebrity or Oceania. You don't have to worry about $1,000 bar bills and river cruising is a whole different entity. Even your excursions are included in the price. I have sailed on Uniworld and was blown away by the quality of the service, the tours, and the food. I loved when they changed the whole menu as we crossed from one country to another. Even the pastries and desserts were changed along with the wines and the main dishes.

 

I would love to hear about your experience on the Oasis. My e-mail address is artbcpa@aol.com.

 

Our Oasis of the Sea cruise was wonderdful - far beyond my expectations. The food and the service was excellent. I never expected the kind of service and food we had on the OOS. I would recomment this ship to anyone. The ship is large ( I like the small ships) but their entertainment was the best we have seen on any cruise.Marion

[Last Mango]

Interesting thread.

 

We're back just a couple weeks from the Norwegian Gem and they definitely don't have the best food. Actually, the food in their buffet was better than the MDR. One night we went to Cagney's (steak speciality) and it was our worst entree on the ship.

 

My opinion based on the lines I've cruised with would be

#1 Princess (hope I'm not disappointed come September)

#2 HAL or RCI

#3 Celebrity

#3 NCL

 

I'd love to try Oceania!

Edited February 26, 2012 by Last Mango

[cruisee<3]

Surprisingly not many people mentioned Disney ... My last Disney cruise was in 2007 .. Has their food gone down since then? I remembered it being very yummy ..

[saraNOVA]

I am by no means an expert cruiser, however, on our 2002 cruise to Alaska (ok, it was 10 years ago) every single one of us (we were in a group of 8) was blown away by the food. In 2005, I sailed on a Carnival cruise and found the food to be borderline inedible. Perhaps we just got lucky once and very unlucky another time, but it turned me off from Carnival forever. We have an upcoming Princess cruise this spring and one on Holland America at the end of the summer, it will be interesting to see how they compare nowadays.

[SMBecker]

I found that Celebrity has excellent food. Better then Royal Caribbean!

 

 

Samantha

Norwegian Jewel-November 2009 (2-night Bahamas Cruise)

Norwegian Epic-March 2011 (7-night Eastern Caribbean Cruise)

Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas-September 2011 (7-night Western Caribbean Cruise)

Celebrity Equinox-March 2012 (11-night Western Caribbean Cruise)(Favorite so far!)

Disney Fantasy-February 2013 (7-night Eastern Caribbean Cruise)

 

Hopefully many more to come! :D

[mikehn]

We've only been on Disney and Carnival. Disney by leaps and bounds.

[cruisingisgorges]

Food quality has shifted in the past few years in my opinion. But I still remain true to Celebrity's quality and consistent innovation. They have AMAZING alternative restaurants and great main dining room food.

 

I have been wanting to try Oceania because I hear they focus on food, any thoughts on this?

 

Royal Caribbean is basic and consistent, not much to write home about, although I haven't been on any new alt restaurants. Norwegian I am not a fan of. Cunard was actually disappointing in my opinion, maybe because my expectations were so high.