How's the food on Carnival? Celebrity was fantastic, NCL was so so.

[Kristi Williamson]

You might be really surprised about the food, if you turned it up a notch and tried Oceania.

 

 

For what they charge, I'm sure you're right. :)

 

But I have four kids who I'm more interested in making memories with while they laugh and play and have fun on the water slides and flow rider and swim with dolphins than putting their pinkie up for tea right now. The MDR on the less expensive lines will do for us. Like I said, we don't cruise for food and ports are the same whether I paid 5000 per head or 799. We'll live with the flat iron steaks...

 

Now, about that flan, though... :D:p;)

[JohnSpo]

Carnival's food is always good. I always find a nice selection of items I like in the buffet and MDR. I love the steakhouse and it is worth the $35 pp charge especially on the first and second night of the cruise when they offer the free bottle of wine.:cool:

[Lerin]

We like CCL food in the buffet and MDR, and Really enjoy their steakhouses and speciality dining including the Dr Seuss breakfast. Chefs table is some of the best dining anywhere.

 

Celebrity MDR and buffet were slightly better than CCL and their speciality dining was top notch. QSine especially stands out, and the service there as well as a steakhouse, crepe place and wine bar were outstanding.

 

NCL is disgusting unless you are staying in the suites. Bring snacks.

[ldlewis45]

We like CCL food in the buffet and MDR, and Really enjoy their steakhouses and speciality dining including the Dr Seuss breakfast. Chefs table is some of the best dining anywhere.

 

Celebrity MDR and buffet were slightly better than CCL and their speciality dining was top notch. QSine especially stands out, and the service there as well as a steakhouse, crepe place and wine bar were outstanding.

 

NCL is disgusting unless you are staying in the suites. Bring snacks.

 

Have you sailed on the NCL Epic? On the west-bound transatlantic this past October, the buffet was very good. Good quality meats, great selection, etc. Overall, much higher quality and better selection than Carnival's buffets. The only things I was missing from Carnival were the pizza (like on the Breeze, not the crap a lot of the other Carnival ships have) and the made-to-order omelets at the breakfast buffet (NCL had them, but they weren't as tasty as Carnival's).

[DreamingBig1]

We have cruised Disney, RCI and Celebrity.

 

Disney. The MDR (rotating) were all pretty good. Buffet was just ok. The quick fix places such as a burger place was bleh. Not good. Palo did not live up to the rave reviews. Would have rather done the MDR venue.

 

RCI. The service in the MDR was fantastic. The buffet was decent. The food was ok. Nothing special. Loved the quick food venues like the promenade café, and Jade Court where pretty good quick sushi could be had. The tutti salad bar in the MDR was outstanding. Love the MDR lunch with RCI.

 

Celebrity. Here is where we were pretty disappointed. Overall the food in all venues was just ok. No better than RCI or Disney. The pool side burgers were awesome! We went to a specialty restaurant, Qsine. It was a neat experience, but once was enough. Its a restaurant where they bring all sorts of creative small portion meals. Again, neat but once was enough. The MDR and buffet just weren't that great. The services, surprisingly was not that great all round, not just the restaurants. Really surprised there. It's not like we expect that much either. Just friendly people.

 

We are scheduled for NCL. We expect just the typical MDR type food. Good service, terrific presentation, but just enough as far as taste is concern.

 

Never cruised Carnival. Not against trying it.

 

After 3 cruises, here is my feeling on cruise food overall. The service is outstanding. The venues are really fun. The food is not as good as a land based restaurant. Maybe its the quality of ingredients. Maybe its the water they use. Maybe its the lack of seasonings. Who knows?

 

The experience of being served three courses, having a meal with a view and the freedom to try so much all the time is what make dining on any cruise ship a great experience.

 

Just keep your expectations to a minimum, and there is no way that you can be disappointed.

[Flatbush Flyer]

For what they charge, I'm sure you're right. :)

 

But I have four kids who I'm more interested in making memories with while they laugh and play and have fun on the water slides and flow rider and swim with dolphins than putting their pinkie up for tea right now. The MDR on the less expensive lines will do for us. Like I said, we don't cruise for food and ports are the same whether I paid 5000 per head or 799. We'll live with the flat iron steaks...

 

Now, about that flan, though... :D:p;)

 

 

Just to set the record straight:

You can do a 7 night Caribbean cruise on O for far less than $5000. With the right TA & O perks for the right itinerary and if you take a credit instead of the "free" air, as well as considering that all specialty restaurants and non-alcoholic beverages are included, you're looking at closer to $2,000 per person.

Still more than your $799/person? Perhaps.

But if the six of you eat in a mass market line specialty restaurant each of the seven nights (instead of the MDRs, which so many CC folks pan), that's about another $250/person plus the cost of your beverages or beverage packages. So, look at the real cost of that $799 base fare.

Note that I'm not trying to convince you to switch to a premium line (when our daughter was young we took her on Royal Caribbean just because of the kids program - there were no Disney ships yet). Rather I'm just letting you know that premium lines really don't cost what many mass market cruisers think they do.

And, most importantly, remember that the OP was asking "what cruise line has the best food."

Edited March 9, 2015 by Flatbush Flyer

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

The smaller and more luxurious the ship the higher quality the food. Mass market lines are, by their very size and nature, banquet food. And, like others have said, food is subjective. There really is no way to answer the OPs question other than to say that very few people go hungry on any cruise line.

Edited March 9, 2015 by Sweet Dutch Girl

[ready2cruzagain]

Of the ones you posted, here is my opinion:

 

1. Celebrity

2. Carnival

3. NCL

[cruising maniac]

Any food I don't have to cook is very much appreciated. All cruise ships and all cruise lines have some food that is great, some that is good, and some that is not so good. The only consistently bad food we have had was on Costa. We didn't love the food on Princess, either. NCL, Celebrity, and Carnival were all mostly very good.

[antique sailor]

AHOY SHIPMATES,

 

20 YRS IN NAVY FOOD SERVICE AND OVER 1300 DAYS ON CRUISE SHIPS AS A PASSENGER SO I HAVE AN (opinion)

 

CARNIVAL....best meal is Mongolian Wok at noon in the LIDO

best dessert in MDR is Black forrest gachau

best LIDO dessert is Key lime cheesecake

 

WORST MEAL is meatloaf in MDR on last night of cruise

 

HAL............MENU in MDR is far cry from the" stuff" you get on your plate.

(not the fault of the CHEF on board)

PINNACLE Dining is great inc desserts

MDR desserts are pretty to look at.

 

RCL & NCL NOT impressed with anything on either one, ESPECIALLY the food in the PAY_FOR dining areas.

 

AGAIN, JUST MY OPINIONS

 

SEA YA AT SEA ON A SHIP IN THIS $$$$$$ RANGE

[jcearth]

Overall, the food on Carnival is good. Carnival actually excels in a few areas: the first is at lunchtime. Even though they do not have lunch in the dining room (excluding the sea day "brunch"), the Lido deck options are wide and varied, and most importantly, very tasty. The lunch time buffet is only so-so, but the other stations are where the action is. From Guy's Burgers (best burgers at sea), to the Blue Iguana Cantina, to the Pasta Bar, Fish & Chips, Mongolian Wok, Pizzeria, Deli, and even Fat Jimmy's C-side BBQ, you will have trouble deciding where to go each day, and if you are like me, have to eat multiple luches. At night, avoid the buffet, and go to either the MDR, or one of the pay restaurants (the Steakhouse and Cucina del Capitano both get lots of compliments). For breakfast, I would hit the Seaday Brunch if at sea, and if in port, the best part of the lido deck buffet is the mad to order omelets.