do cruise lines give better food on their better ships?

[mandwcruise]

I have a hunch that on the Royal Caribbean line, the food is always the same no matter the ship...but on NCL, the food quality rises with the ship size/how recently the ship was built.

 

Any insights on which cruise lines :

 

A) keep it the same across the fleet VS.

B) discriminate based on the ship?

[Essiesmom]

The lines I have sailed, the menus and quality are equal across the fleet.  Just that the newer ships tend to be larger and therefore have more options.  EM

[Joebucks]

There isn't an intended difference designed for newer ships, per se. However, there are definitely a bunch of factors that may influence food quality. First, the biggest and newer ships are generally a great spot to put the most experience and top-performing leadership positions from their fleet. If they need an executive chef for a ship like Mardi Gras, it's probably not going to be someone off of the street. It can also depend on how staffed or how full the ship is. Being stretched thing affects the quality at any restaurant. Local food supply can also cause some ripples in the food.

[leaveitallbehind]

IMO no. Using RCCL and Celebrity as examples, we have sailed on 19 different ships within every class of ship on both lines (except Celebrity Edge class) and have found the food quality to be essentially the same on their largest and newest to their oldest and smallest ships. 

 

What differs is the number and variety of venues, in particular with the specialty restaurants, and typically the larger ship classes have a greater number of different offerings than most of the smaller and older ships.  And IMO there is a definite difference in food quality between the MDR and the different specialty restaurants.  But within each venue we have not experienced any difference in food quality from ship to ship. 

Edited June 5, 2022 by leaveitallbehind

[LHT28]

IME

The food quality is the same across the line  they order the food from the same supplier  

where it gets  different  is the kitchen staff 

If the kitchen crew do not know how to cook a dish the way it should be done then it will not be the same  taste as another ship in the fleet that has better trained cooks

JMO

[leaveitallbehind]

To add to my previous comments, as to food quality, I believe the intent is to have each ship be their "better ship". I don't think the cruise lines want to be viewed as having some ships as being better ships than others.

Edited June 5, 2022 by leaveitallbehind

[Heidi13]

8 hours ago, mandwcruise said:

I have a hunch that on the Royal Caribbean line, the food is always the same no matter the ship...but on NCL, the food quality rises with the ship size/how recently the ship was built.

 

Any insights on which cruise lines :

 

A) keep it the same across the fleet VS.

B) discriminate based on the ship?

 

With most cruise lines, the majority of the victuals are procured from a centralised corporate purchasing department, so each ship receives the same standard of ingredients.

 

The biggest difference in quality is based on the crew. In the galley, quality starts with the Executive Chef and how s/he manages and mentors their subordinates. If the Executive Chef sets high standards, the quality should be good, subject to the cruise line. Even the best Executive Chef on RCCL/NCL cannot produce the same standards as a luxury/premium ship.

 

Where the Executive Chef doesn't care, that attitude quickly spreads to the lower ranks.

 

The Master is also instrumental in setting standards throughout the ship.

[Cruzaholic41]

9 hours ago, mandwcruise said:

I have a hunch that on the Royal Caribbean line, the food is always the same no matter the ship...but on NCL, the food quality rises with the ship size/how recently the ship was built.

 

Any insights on which cruise lines :

 

A) keep it the same across the fleet VS.

B) discriminate based on the ship?

I’ve actually found it to be the opposite. With the big lines, I’ve found taste and service to be better on the older and smaller ships. 
 

The 2 lines I’ve found to be most consistent with excellent quality is Windstar and Viking Ocean. IMO, they are the gold standard of cruise dining. But then again, you certainly do pay for it. 🙂

[mandwcruise]

A) thank you all for your responses

 

B) to clarify my question, I was speaking strictly about the free stuff ( buffet and main dining rooms), not the specialty restaurants

 

C) I see that leaveitallbehind editted his post, but I can't find an option to edit my 1st post. Is that because I'm a new member or something?

[mom says]

You can only edit a post within a few minutes of posting. After that the option disappears.

[Toofarfromthesea]

1 hour ago, mandwcruise said:

A) thank you all for your responses

 

B) to clarify my question, I was speaking strictly about the free stuff ( buffet and main dining rooms), not the specialty restaurants

 

C) I see that leaveitallbehind editted his post, but I can't find an option to edit my 1st post. Is that because I'm a new member or something?

 

If you want to edit the post shortly after you post it click on the three dots in the upper right of the post and a drop down menu will have an Edit option.  If you wait too long you lose the ability to edit.

[LHT28]

I think post #7 covered it

all the ships in the same fleet get the same food from the same source

 

the kitchen is where things can go pear shaped

[Flatbush Flyer]

OP: from quality of raw ingredients to the quality of those who prepare the meals, you will find that the true difference is from cruise line to cruise line and, that said, you’ll find both of those items better addressed on premium/luxury lines than on mass market ships.

Looking for great food? Search for the occasional “cruise food” reviews of food writers from food-centric magazines like Saveur, Bon Appetit, etc as well as from major cosmopolitan newspapers (with both travel and food sections). What you’ll find is across-the-board agreement that Oceania has earned its reputation for the “Finest Cuisine at Sea.”

[leaveitallbehind]

1 hour ago, mom says said:

You can only edit a post within a few minutes of posting. After that the option disappears.

20 minutes.  And if you are in the process of editing while that time expires it will not post the edit.

Edited June 5, 2022 by leaveitallbehind

[rkacruiser]

5 hours ago, LHT28 said:

they order the food from the same supplier  

 

I agree with others that have posted concerning the importance of the Executive Chef and the others of the Galley staff.  

 

I think at times the quality of food that comes from the "same supplier" may vary.  Particularly in these times of supply chain issues.  There have been instances when the Executive Chef upon inspecting the supplies before boarding them have rejected a certain item and the supplier either had to replace the item or, if not possible, that item may not be available for that sailing.  

[Hlitner]

What a fantastic question which we have never seen before on CC.  Our quick answer, having cruised on more than a dozen cruise lines (and an awful lot of ships) is NO!   That being said, the quality of what is served does vary from ship to ship among every line.  While cruise lines may work hard to create consistency across the fleet it there are human factors that cannot be overcome.  Yes, they can have menus designed at the home office and, in theory, all the ships get similar supplies.  But the final product depends a lot on each ship's Executive Chef, Sous Chef, senior cooks, etc.  Most passengers want to know about the Captain and perhaps the Hotel Manager/Director, but when it comes to food the Chef is the boss.  We have seen some substantial variance (on most cruise lines) depending on the chef.  When we recently boarded the Seabourn Ovation we quickly realized that the Executive Chef was somebody we had experienced on another cruise and knew that his "Indian Dinner" would be fantastic (it was).  As to the mass market lines like RCI, Princess, etc. we have actually done back to backs and back to back to backs when there were key changes in the cooking department.  Amazingly, the quality of everything (food) would change from cruise to cruise.  

 

It can be even more obvious in the smaller alternative restaurants where a single chef has a lot more control since they have a smaller galley and fewer cooks.

 

Hank

[ldubs]

39 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

What a fantastic question which we have never seen before on CC.  Our quick answer, having cruised on more than a dozen cruise lines (and an awful lot of ships) is NO!   That being said, the quality of what is served does vary from ship to ship among every line.  While cruise lines may work hard to create consistency across the fleet it there are human factors that cannot be overcome.  Yes, they can have menus designed at the home office and, in theory, all the ships get similar supplies.  But the final product depends a lot on each ship's Executive Chef, Sous Chef, senior cooks, etc.  Most passengers want to know about the Captain and perhaps the Hotel Manager/Director, but when it comes to food the Chef is the boss.  We have seen some substantial variance (on most cruise lines) depending on the chef.  When we recently boarded the Seabourn Ovation we quickly realized that the Executive Chef was somebody we had experienced on another cruise and knew that his "Indian Dinner" would be fantastic (it was).  As to the mass market lines like RCI, Princess, etc. we have actually done back to backs and back to back to backs when there were key changes in the cooking department.  Amazingly, the quality of everything (food) would change from cruise to cruise.  

 

It can be even more obvious in the smaller alternative restaurants where a single chef has a lot more control since they have a smaller galley and fewer cooks.

 

Hank

 

"That being said, the quality of what is served does vary from ship to ship among every line."

 

We find this to be very true.  Additionally the food will differ from itinerary to itinerary.   

[sverigecruiser]

16 hours ago, LHT28 said:

 

The food quality is the same across the line  they order the food from the same supplier  

 

 

Are you 100% sure about this?

 

I don't say that you are wrong but it feels very strange that it's the same supplier for a ship sailing in the Caribbean and in the Mediterranean for example.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

Are you 100% sure about this?

 

I don't say that you are wrong but it feels very strange that it's the same supplier for a ship sailing in the Caribbean and in the Mediterranean for example.

Some staples are loaded at key “home” ports (including items shipped from elsewhere). Obviously, fresh items are locally sourced where necessary.

[CruiserBruce]

2 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

Are you 100% sure about this?

 

I don't say that you are wrong but it feels very strange that it's the same supplier for a ship sailing in the Caribbean and in the Mediterranean for example.

You would be surprised the logistical operations of the cruise lines, and what they can ship around. 

[chengkp75]

3 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

Are you 100% sure about this?

 

I don't say that you are wrong but it feels very strange that it's the same supplier for a ship sailing in the Caribbean and in the Mediterranean for example.

Yes, they will ship containers of provisions from the US to Europe to maintain a quality standard across the fleet (not to say that US quality is better, but single sourcing provides the same standard everywhere).  Frozen proteins are single sourced, and even some produce items.

[sverigecruiser]

2 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Some staples are loaded at key “home” ports (including items shipped from elsewhere). Obviously, fresh items are locally sourced where necessary.

 

I think that often the fresh items is the main reason for food tasting different at different places so the food defenitely doesn't taste the same on all ships.

[Honolulu Blue]

On 6/5/2022 at 4:13 AM, mandwcruise said:

I have a hunch that on the Royal Caribbean line, the food is always the same no matter the ship...but on NCL, the food quality rises with the ship size/how recently the ship was built.

 

Any insights on which cruise lines :

 

A) keep it the same across the fleet VS.

B) discriminate based on the ship?

Welcome to Cruise Critic!  We hope you have a lovely stay here.

 

I agree with those who say that there's little difference in food taste or quality within a cruise line within venues.  I especially agree with this for Carnival, where I've sailed on 10 different ships (all pre-pandemic, though I sail on one in two weeks).

 

You've touched on this, but I've noticed bigger differences in the same food served at different venues.  Broadly, I've found the buffet food to be good, the MDR to be very good, and the paid specialty restaurants to be great.  And I've found that this, also, is true across ships on the same cruise line.

 

But I admit that I have an unrefined palate, so what do I know? 🙃

[nolatravelgirl]

I probably don't have enough data points but I think itinerary and length of cruise could play into the food. I sailed on the NCL Sun and NCL Sky each doing 3 or 4 night "booze cruises" out of Miami. The food in the buffet really seemed to be limited, especially at lunch time. However, when I sailed on the NCL Spirit (similar sized ship) but on a 12 day Grand Mediterranean voyage and there always seemed to be some sort of special food presentation on the pool deck and the generally nicer food presentation. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

4 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

Welcome to Cruise Critic!  We hope you have a lovely stay here.

 

I agree with those who say that there's little difference in food taste or quality within a cruise line within venues.  I especially agree with this for Carnival, where I've sailed on 10 different ships (all pre-pandemic, though I sail on one in two weeks).

 

You've touched on this, but I've noticed bigger differences in the same food served at different venues.  Broadly, I've found the buffet food to be good, the MDR to be very good, and the paid specialty restaurants to be great.  And I've found that this, also, is true across ships on the same cruise line.

 

But I admit that I have an unrefined palate, so what do I know? 🙃

Your comment may be true for some cruise lines but not all. 

For example, the only difference in food across different dining venues on a premium line like Oceania is the menu focus and ambiance. Every venue uses top notch ingredients with careful attention paid to preparation.
 

There are no extra charges for specialty restaurants and even the casual Terrace Café has nightly “a la minute” cooking including lobster tails, steak, etc.