24 hour food and drink availability

[Ahainsby]

Does anyone know which cruise lines offer 24 hour food and drink not just in room service? I mistakenly thought it was the norm as I have cruised with both Royal Caribbean and Norwegian and we could get food and alcohol well into the very early hours shall I say! I have heard that Princess cruises have a cafe where you can get 24 hour  food and soft drinks but have not sailed with them to corroborate this. I.  recently sailed with MSC and the food stopped at 13:00 and alcohol shortly after. 

Edited December 21, 2019 by Ahainsby
Further info

[LynnTTT]

We've been on many cruises and most ships don't have 24 hour food service.  We never stay up that late, but people have said that usually there is no real food (maybe a few plates of cookies) available from 1:00AM till a continental breakfast at 5:00 or 5:30 AM.  And bars close down also.

We're going on a Costa world cruise and they have specific hours for meals, including the buffet: 7-10 for breakfast, 12-2:30 for lunch and 6:00- 10:00 for dinner.  Maybe a tea service on port days. No hot dogs/pizza/burgers at 4:00 PM!  This is a European ship and they tend to eat only at mealtimes.  We have "early seating" and that's 7:30 PM!  Late seating is at 9:30 I think!

[davekathy]

1 hour ago, Ahainsby said:

Does anyone know which cruise lines offer 24 hour food and drink not just in room service? I mistakenly thought it was the norm as I have cruised with both Royal Caribbean and Norwegian and we could get food and alcohol well into the very early hours shall I say! I have heard that Princess cruises have a cafe where you can get 24 hour  food and soft drinks but have not sailed with them to corroborate this. I.  recently sailed with MSC and the food stopped at 13:00 and alcohol shortly after. 

Including not on Celebrity.

Typo right. 😉 1300 = 1:00 PM. 😵 

Edited December 21, 2019 by davekathy

[mom says]

Yeah, I highly doubt that they closed down the restaurants and bars at 1 in the afternoon.

 

Outside of room service, I doubt you'll find many lines that have food and bar service 24 hrs per day.

[Shmoo here]

1 hour ago, Ahainsby said:

Does anyone know which cruise lines offer 24 hour food and drink not just in room service? I mistakenly thought it was the norm as I have cruised with both Royal Caribbean and Norwegian and we could get food and alcohol well into the very early hours shall I say! I have heard that Princess cruises have a cafe where you can get 24 hour  food and soft drinks but have not sailed with them to corroborate this. I.  recently sailed with MSC and the food stopped at 13:00 and alcohol shortly after. 

I can verify that Princess has the International Cafe.  As far as I know it's open 24 hours.

 

Just looked it up.  From the Princess website:

Sip and Snack Around the Clock

Open 24-hours a day, the International Café located in the Piazza is the place for an ever-changing array of small bite meals, treats and gourmet beverages. Grab a freshly baked croissant to start your day, snack on pies and quiche or choose from a wide variety of salads and sandwiches at lunchtime, and indulge in decadent desserts in the evening. Coffee and tea fans will love the New Grounds Crafted Coffee menu featuring a variety of specialty espresso-based drinks made from a custom blend of coffee beans, as well as iced tea fusions.

Edited December 21, 2019 by Shmoo here

[Kartgv]

Yes, the Princess International Café is open 24 hours a day, though it's not a full menu - mainly salads, sandwiches, sweet treats, maybe a hot soup.    We found Holland America to be another line with limited hours for dining, with the buffet closed during some periods.    Also keep in mind that some cruise lines that offer 24 hours room service do charge a service fee during late night hours.       

[XBGuy]

1 minute ago, Kartgv said:

Yes, the Princess International Café is open 24 hours a day, though it's not a full menu - mainly salads, sandwiches, sweet treats, maybe a hot soup.    We found Holland America to be another line with limited hours for dining, with the buffet closed during some periods.    Also keep in mind that some cruise lines that offer 24 hours room service do charge a service fee during late night hours.       

 

I can't report from personal experience, because I am asleep at these hours, but while the International Cafe is advertised as being open 24 hours, there have been reports over on the Princess Forum of passengers wandering over there between 4:00 and 6:00 am and found that there is no food because crew are cleaning everything.  It does make sense.  They do have to clean some time.  It is not apparent how long this cleaning takes or whether or not this is an everyday event.

[dogs4fun]

54 minutes ago, XBGuy said:

...while the International Cafe is advertised as being open 24 hours, there have been reports over on the Princess Forum of passengers wandering over there between 4:00 and 6:00 am and found that there is no food because crew are cleaning everything.  It does make sense.  They do have to clean some time.  It is not apparent how long this cleaning takes or whether or not this is an everyday event.

Yes, they were cleaning at 5 am & there were no diners in the cafe - one would certainly hope that they clean daily!

[Ahainsby]

7 hours ago, Ahainsby said:

Does anyone know which cruise lines offer 24 hour food and drink not just in room service? I mistakenly thought it was the norm as I have cruised with both Royal Caribbean and Norwegian and we could get food and alcohol well into the very early hours shall I say! I have heard that Princess cruises have a cafe where you can get 24 hour  food and soft drinks but have not sailed with them to corroborate this. I.  recently sailed with MSC and the food stopped at 01:00 and alcohol shortly after. 

 

[OCruisers]

Happily, Princess does have 24 hour food/drinks.  

[Ahainsby]

Ah thank you for your replies. Yes it was a typo; I meant 01:00! Well it seems to be Royal Caribbean, Norwegian or Princess for late night snacks and drinks. Sounds like we were pretty spoilt on Norwegian where we could get hot food like ribs at o'sheehans at unearthly hours of the morning! Nice to have the option don't you think?.

5 minutes ago, OCruisers said:

Happily, Princess does have 24 hour food/drinks.  

Looks like Princess it is then for our next cruise. Thanks x🚢🤗

Edited December 22, 2019 by Ahainsby

[Ahainsby]

6 hours ago, davekathy said:

Including not on Celebrity.

Typo right. 😉 1300 = 1:00 PM. 😵 

Yes. Definitely a typo! 🙄 🙈

[LynnTTT]

1 hour ago, Ahainsby said:

Ah thank you for your replies. Yes it was a typo; I meant 01:00! Well it seems to be Royal Caribbean, Norwegian or Princess for late night snacks and drinks. Sounds like we were pretty spoilt on Norwegian where we could get hot food like ribs at o'sheehans at unearthly hours of the morning! Nice to have the option don't you think?.

Looks like Princess it is then for our next cruise. Thanks x🚢🤗

I'm curious. Most people pick a ship for the itinerary, or the price or the general ambiance.  Princess tends to be an older more sedate clientele. Do you have insomnia?  Do you really often eat in the middle of the night?  I did read about someone who would only go on ships that served Coke products and some kind of hard cider!

[Hlitner]

It is true that the International Café (on most Princess ships) is open 24/7.  That venue has specialty coffee/tea drinks and a rotating selection of small plate foods, donuts, sandwiches, etc.  I have gone to that venue at 5am and the donuts were fresh, and one could get a decent egg sandwich.   I do not know if they have soft drinks during the wee hours, since they would have to get that from the adjacent bar...which may or may not be functioning.  We are not aware of other lines having a similar venue (and we have cruised on 16 cruise lines).

 

Hank

[babs135]

Surprisingly for some Cunard's Queen Elizabeth and Victoria offer snacks until 4am. I couldn't find anything for the Queen Mary 2

[1025cruise]

Most ships have cut back their "overnight" offerings for the simple reason that too much food was going to waste. Princess used to always have part of the buffet open all the time, but that got switched to the International Cafe. 

[Ahainsby]

14 hours ago, LynnTTT said:

I'm curious. Most people pick a ship for the itinerary, or the price or the general ambiance.  Princess tends to be an older more sedate clientele. Do you have insomnia?  Do you really often eat in the middle of the night?  I did read about someone who would only go on ships that served Coke products and some kind of hard cider!

Of course the itinerary comes first and I have never cruises with Princess but I am trying to cater for everyone not just myself. Mind you I am a bit of a night owl myself but I have found that my adult children like to have a snack once the night clubs close so it's nice to be able to get something. When you say older clientele we are not talking Fred Olsen are we? 

Edited December 22, 2019 by Ahainsby

[Ahainsby]

6 hours ago, babs135 said:

Surprisingly for some Cunard's Queen Elizabeth and Victoria offer snacks until 4am. I couldn't find anything for the Queen Mary 2

That's nice to know. Thank you. X 

[Ahainsby]

12 hours ago, Hlitner said:

It is true that the International Café (on most Princess ships) is open 24/7.  That venue has specialty coffee/tea drinks and a rotating selection of small plate foods, donuts, sandwiches, etc.  I have gone to that venue at 5am and the donuts were fresh, and one could get a decent egg sandwich.   I do not know if they have soft drinks during the wee hours, since they would have to get that from the adjacent bar...which may or may not be functioning.  We are not aware of other lines having a similar venue (and we have cruised on 16 cruise lines).

 

Hank

Thank you very much. X

[Aquahound]

On 12/21/2019 at 8:45 AM, Ahainsby said:

Does anyone know which cruise lines offer 24 hour food and drink not just in room service? I mistakenly thought it was the norm as I have cruised with both Royal Caribbean and Norwegian and we could get food and alcohol well into the very early hours shall I say! I have heard that Princess cruises have a cafe where you can get 24 hour  food and soft drinks but have not sailed with them to corroborate this. I.  recently sailed with MSC and the food stopped at 13:00 and alcohol shortly after. 

 

As well stated, Princess' International Cafe is open 24/7 and it's quite good.  It's very comparable to RCI's Cafe Promenade.

 

NCL has a good gig going with 24/7 O'Sheehans, but it's a sit-down venue.  I think RCI's and Princess' set-up is much better because I've never had the desire to sit down to a meal at 2am.  Munchies maybe, but not sit down.  

[rugerdog]

52 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

 

As well stated, Princess' International Cafe is open 24/7 and it's quite good.  It's very comparable to RCI's Cafe Promenade.

 

NCL has a good gig going with 24/7 O'Sheehans, but it's a sit-down venue.  I think RCI's and Princess' set-up is much better because I've never had the desire to sit down to a meal at 2am.  Munchies maybe, but not sit down.  

 

Quite agree.  I love the IC on Princess.  I've gone there many times in the wee hours and they have great food, not just cookies. 

 

Since the coffee/bar portion is part of the International Cafe, perhaps you could get a cocktail there as well 24/7?  I can't speak to the beverage portion of the venue.

 

As far as "older and sedate", my experience has been that Princess demographics are very similar to Celebrity which tend to be a bit older than NCL.  I would classify the Princess pax as perhaps a bit more well traveled, but not stuffy at all.  

[jocap]

4 hours ago, Ahainsby said:

Of course the itinerary comes first and I have never cruises with Princess but I am trying to cater for everyone not just myself. Mind you I am a bit of a night owl myself but I have found that my adult children like to have a snack once the night clubs close so it's nice to be able to get something. When you say older clientele we are not talking Fred Olsen are we? 

Because you mention Fred Olsen, I'm wondering if you're from the UK?

I do know that the larger P&O ships have a 24 hour buffet ( they use the same design ships as Princess), although I've not been in the early hours... but we've met people who admit to eating burgers and chips at 2am after the night clubs-  I think it's only a small menu provided.

[SRQbeachgirl]

In addition to room service, Carnival's pizza place and their soft serve ice cream station is open 24/7. 

[sanger727]

On 12/21/2019 at 9:15 PM, LynnTTT said:

I'm curious. Most people pick a ship for the itinerary, or the price or the general ambiance.  Princess tends to be an older more sedate clientele. Do you have insomnia?  Do you really often eat in the middle of the night?  I did read about someone who would only go on ships that served Coke products and some kind of hard cider!

 

I strongly prefer ships that have 24 hour dining.  Less because I like to dine in the middle of the night and more because I've found that most cruise lines shut down their buffet and dining room a various times between meal times throughout the day. I am a very early riser. Generally by 6 but it's not unusual for me to be up at 5. Ideally there is coffee and food station open when I get up so I can have a bite before I workout in the gym. But because of that I often am ready for lunch around 10:30-11, and a mid day meal between 2-4. Very often the open 24 hours place is one of the few things open then or perhaps a small snacks section at the buffet. Also, my husband works third shift so he is often up in the middle of the night and obviously him being able to leave to go to a dining venue is a lot better for me to sleep than to try and order room service. I wouldn't not take my dream cruise on my dream itinerary over this but when we are talking about a typical cruise that most cruise lines offer, it's a decision making factor.

[OCruisers]

Happily, the bar beside IC is also open 24/7.