VARIETY IS THE WORD WHEN IT COMES TO CRUISE SHIP DINING

If you want to explore new cuisines, try a dish you’ve heard about but haven’t yet tasted, or feast on the finest foods without breaking the bank, there is one way you can do it all – take a cruise!

From sushi bars and Irish pubs to steak houses and pizzerias, cruise ships have multiple dining options to please every palate and every craving.

Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA) member lines offer guests a chance to sample foods from all over the world in their choice of dining environments.

“Variety is the operative word when it comes to dining on a cruise ship,” says Bob Sharak, executive director of CLIA, which represents 24 major cruise lines in the North American market. “Guests can choose to eat poolside or inside, grab a quick bite at a buffet, or spend the night at a romantic table for two while their gourmet dinner is prepared next to them. In fact, some ships have more than 10 restaurants onboard.

“With the choices in dining programs available on today’s ships – including restaurants featuring menus designed by some of the world’s most famous chefs – passengers can choose where and when they dine while sampling dishes they might not order if they were in a restaurant at home. It’s nice knowing that if you don’t like what you’ve ordered, you can order something else!”

Whether guests want a wrap sandwich, fish and chips, French or Italian cuisine, lobster, filet mignon, Thai dishes, a hamburger, or fresh fruit, they’ll find it during a cruise. Dining is a 24-hour affair onboard, with complimentary room service available around the clock and all-night eateries such as pizzerias available for “night owls.”

The variety of dining options caters to the varying tastes of today’s cruise passengers. Cruise lines have recognized the growing number of children on board with dining options designed with the younger set in mind. Specialized children’s menus please even the pickiest of young eaters, with such “kid favorites” as chicken fingers, pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled cheese and ice cream. Many lines also offer soda cards providing unlimited fountain drinks for a set price.

As eating habits have changed over the years and people have become more health-conscious, cruise lines incorporated fat-free selections, low-sodium choices and vegetarian dishes into their menus. Plus, the needs of passengers with special dietary needs can be accommodated by notifying the cruise line in advance.

“Whether you indulge in the desert buffet, stick to spa cuisine or sample the cuisine of the area you are visiting, the choice is yours,” says Sharak.

Here are some examples of the latest dining options offered by CLIA member cruise lines:

Dining onboard Bora Bora Cruises features fresh products from the Polynesian islands visited and then blended using French techniques and traditional Polynesian recipes. Ingredients include a wealth of fish from the local seas, fresh exotic fruits and farmed products, all enhanced with special mixtures of island-grown spices such as basil, vanilla and ginger.

Carnival Cruise Lines’ new Carnival Glory, which debuted from Port Canaveral at the end of the summer, features a seafood specialty area with ceviche, bouillabaisse, fried oysters and other delicacies. The line’s new children’s dining program provides kids with supervised meals with fellow young cruisers in the ship’s casual poolside restaurants while parents enjoy a night to themselves. Each night features a different menu, with such items as spaghetti with meatballs, chicken quesadillas, hamburgers, fish sticks, assorted ice cream and seasonal fresh fruit.

Celebrity Cruises’ fine dining is under the direction of renowned culinary consultant, Master Chef Michel Roux, who revises the menus and wine lists, adding new selections every six months. Each Millennium-class ship features an innovative specialty restaurant (Olympic on Millennium, SS United States on Infinity, Normandie on Summit and Ocean Liners on Constellation).

Costa Cruises’ newest culinary offerings include 24-hour food service, with extended breakfast, lunch and tea time hours and a lite Late Night Buffet from 1:30-6:30 a.m.; complimentary signature appetizers by renowned Italian chef Chef Gualtiero Marchesi served 5-9 p.m. nightly in the club lounges; and new selections on the line’s Specialty Dining menus, including such entrees as sauteed shrimp tails with fresh herbs and tomatoes accompanied by sweet and sour eggplant and beef marinated in balsamic oil served with duchess potatoes.

In addition to its alliances with some of the most celebrated names in wine, food and hospitality. Crystal Cruises’ adds two new dining programs this year. The Kosher-style Dining Program offers a broad selection of kosher dishes and ensures that these are prepared and served according to the same customs. Crystal Serenity’s new Vintage Room hosts the Wine & Champagne Makers Dinners, enabling guests to discover appellations not easily accessible in stores and restaurants.

Cunard Line’s new Queen May 2 includes three elegant dining rooms and seven other dining venues. Working with Gourmet magazine, the ship’s Chef’s Galley restaurant will feature top-name guest chefs from some of the leading restaurants in the United States. Guests will watch the chef prepare their meal behind a special viewing screen and then be presented their dinner by service staff.

Disney Cruise Line features new dinner menus in every restaurant, a full-service casual dining alternative, character breakfasts and themed dinner parties. The rotation dining concept allows guests to experience three different themed restaurants during their vacation. Palo, the signature restaurant at sea, offers guests northern Italian specialties and hosts a champagne brunch and a traditional high tea.

All meals on board First European Cruises ships emphasize both traditional and inventive European cuisine, with an extensive wine list and an expansive selection of European cheeses.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ five-course a la carte dinner is the gastronomic event of the day. Artfully prepared entrees, with an emphasis on Scandinavian and British cuisine, are
enhanced by an expertly selected wine list. Theme nights, the Captain’s Dinner and Ladies’ Night offer varied menus and add flair as well as distinction – as does High Tea service every afternoon.

Holland America Line’s new Oosterdam offers guests more dining choices than ever, with four unique dining venues and more than 500 menu choices on a typical seven-day cruise, plus complimentary 24-hour room service and a private concierge lounge for suite guests. In addition to new looks to its Lido and a more convenient location for the casual Terrace Grill, Ooosterdam includes the new alternative northwest steak and seafood restaurant, The Pinnacle Grill, and a new Windstar Café, where guests can stop for an espresso or quick snack from morning to late night.

MSC Italian Cruises prides itself on its Italian cuisine onboard, and Italian ambiance and service throughout.

Norwegian Cruise Lines’ ships feature Freestyle Cruising, which offers guests restaurants with open seating (no assigned times or tables) and extended hours of operation. NCL’s newest ships, Norwegian Dawn and Norwegian Star, each feature 10 distinct restaurants with 11 menus.

Oceania Cruises’ five-star menus are crafted under the guidance of world-renowned master chef Jacques Pepin. Dining venues include: The Grand Dining Room, featuring American-inspired Continental cuisine; the intimate Toscana, with gourmet cuisine reflecting the regions of Italy; the Polo Grill steakhouse, with its fine cuts of dry-aged prime beefs, chops and fresh seafood; and Tapas on the Terrace, a tapas restaurant with a full range of appetizers, finger foods, entrees and desserts showcasing the regional flair of the Iberian Peninsula and the Mediterranean.

Princess Cruises recently unveiled the first New Orleans-style restaurant at sea. The Bayou Café on Coral Princess and Island Princess features live jazz along with traditional Cajun- and Creole-influenced dishes. Featured delicacies include peel-and-eat shrimp, alligator ribs, gumbos and jambalaya with fresh seafood and tradition dried spice mixes and a host of fun drink selections.

Radisson Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Voyager presents Latitudes, featuring a compilation of “The American Palate” regional specialties. From the northwest coast to California, Texas, Illinois, Florida, New York and Hawaii, the intimate dining venue brings together the best of American wines and cuisine paired with carefully selected music for a memorable dining experience. The menus, as well as wine and music, change nightly.

Royal Caribbean International’s newest dining venue is Jade, the line’s first Asian fusion restaurant which can be found on Navigator of the Seas, Monarch of the Seas and the
soon-to-debut Mariner of the Seas. Jade features flavors from Bangkok to Beijing with dishes
such as Japanese sushi, Chinese wontons, Indian Tandoori Chicken and Thai lemongrass and coconut milk soup. The recently renovated Monarch of the Seas also features the line’s first sushi bar, Jade Sushi.

Royal Olympia Cruises, in partnership with the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, features “Chefs of Aloha,” an onboard culinary program that includes Hawaii’s premiere chefs aboard four voyages (Dec. 8-22, Dec. 22-Jan. 5, Jan.5/6-18/19 and March 5/6-19) from the West Coast to the Hawaiian Islands. The chefs will hold demonstrations and oversee the inclusion of special signature dishes as part of the onboard menus.

Seabourn Cruise Line’s Chefs’ Circle features some of America’s brightest culinary talents on board as guest chefs, who do demonstrations, interviews and participate in “Shopping with the Chef” excursions to local markets ashore. Their signature dinners are then served on board. Seabourn Pride hosts the line’s first Great American Food & Wine Festival in October, featuring Charlie Palmer of Aureole and Todd Gray of Equinox.

With Silversea Cruises, as a ship changes latitude and longitude, the menu changes to reflect the flavors of the region. Dishes created by the line’s Master Chefs are complemented by those of La Collection du Monde, created by the world-class chefs of culinary partner Relais & Chateaux. In addition to formal dining with European crystal glasses and polished Christofle silverware on crisp linens in The Restaurants, guests can enjoy the more casual setting of The Terrace Café.

Windstar Cruises’ ships feature Signature Cuisine by culinary master Joachim Splichal, who has created more than 380 innovative recipes, often featuring dishes unique to a country or an unexpected combination of flavors. The cuisine is complemented by a comprehensive selection of “spa cuisine” alternatives. With an eye toward American Heart Association guidelines, Chef Jeanne Jones created Sail Light and Vegetarian menus, with healthy choice options for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even dessert.

For more information about dining options on today’s cruise ships, visit CLIA’s website, www.cruising.org.