With the flurry of activity and potential stressors on cruise embarkation day, from encountering traffic on your way to the port to facing massive check-in queues once you get there, it’s understandable that you might want to settle into your cabin or relax on a lounger on the sundeck once you finally make it on board your ship.
Don’t … at least, not before you sort out your dining strategy for the journey.
If you’re like me, cuisine is always a big part of any cruise, and you may have selected a particular sailing as much for the food as for the other diversions.
But I consider the onboard buffet a last resort relegated to a quick breakfast option before heading ashore on an excursion or the place to grab a bite between lunch and dinner when everything else is closed. That’s why I make sure to have the best onboard dining experience possible by booking all my restaurant reservations before I do anything else.
Sure, it takes a little bit of planning, which can be tricky if you’re cruising with a group, and it might seem a bit stifling for those who prefer spontaneity. But unless you’re OK with wielding a ladle and tongs to plate your own dinner every night or think you won’t grow weary of the main dining room, it’s worth proactively mapping out your days so you can better enjoy your evenings.
Use your resources to book cruise dining
Your cruise line (think: Virgin Voyages, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean, among others) might have an app that offers the option of making dining reservations several weeks or even several months before you set sail. That will give you plenty of time to research menus, reviews and options right from your sofa.
Or, maybe you splurged on an accommodation in a private enclave like The Haven on Norwegian Cruise Line, The Retreat on Celebrity Cruises or Royal Suite Class on Royal Caribbean, where the upgraded amenities and elevated service include dedicated staff to snag the best tables, even at the last minute.
A few months ago, during a solo Mediterranean cruise on MSC World Europa, I stayed in the MSC Yacht Club, a ship-within-a-ship area that includes a separate concierge desk that had access to the best restaurant, spa and show reservations. I was also assigned a private butler who could not only make sure I got my preferred time slots but escorted me to dinner each evening in his black tails as well.
If you don’t have access to fast-track options, look for the main concierge desk after check-in. If it is inundated with guests waiting to ask questions about excursions, beverage packages and internet options (which is pretty likely, especially on the largest vessels), take a look around the common areas. Sometimes, you will find a table staffed by a restaurant employee where you can peruse sample menus from the various restaurants and make your reservations. If all else fails, try contacting the restaurants directly from the phone in your cabin.
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Keep in mind that on river cruises like Viking Cruises and AmaWaterways with around 200 passengers, small-ship cruises like Windstar Cruises and tiny 32-passenger yacht sailings like the one I’m doing this summer on Cruise Croatia, reservations may not be necessary.
Map out your onboard dining plan
Many cruisers gravitate toward a vacation at sea for its all-you-can-eat ethos. But as I’ve discovered over the years, all-inclusive doesn’t mean what it used to.
While the buffet restaurants and main dining room are generally included in your sailing, specialty restaurants, including steakhouses, seafood restaurants, sushi bars and others, might not be, depending on your package.
Should you splurge? Maybe, if it’s a cuisine or concept you’re especially drawn to. Ditto for unique or experiential dining like Princess 360, an immersive multimedia experience for just a handful of diners each evening, and Test Kitchen, Virgin Voyages’ molecular gastronomy playground. While they can be spendy, they can also elevate your cruise. And if you are willing to pay the price, it might actually be easier to get a table at one of these spots since some of your fellow passengers might be turned off by the price point.
Since there are often more restaurants on board than nights on the ship, come armed with a strategy so you can be speedy with your reservations and not hold up the line.
Unless you have never seen hibachi prepared in front of you or you truly love it, I would skip the teppanyaki restaurant, for example. It’s always the same show (a flaming onion volcano, the chef challenging diners to catch shrimp in their mouths, etc.), and the food is often greasy, bland or both.
Contrast that with, say, Gunbae on Virgin Voyages, a hip, convivial option with the only Korean barbecue grills at sea and where your meal starts with a few rounds of drinking games with soju. Now that’s a reservation worth fighting for.
Of course, steakhouses, including Chops Grille on Royal Caribbean, Cagney’s Steakhouse on NCL and Butcher’s Cut on MSC, are always a big draw. Even if you’re not a carnivore (after all, there’s often lobster, crab legs and side dishes aplenty on the menu), a steakhouse feels special, indulgent and celebratory. I usually reserve it for the last night of the sailing, but I’m not the only one with this idea, so be sure to book early.
Be creative, not disappointed
If you have your heart set on dining at a restaurant but it’s fully booked, you have several options. For reservations available through an app, I can sometimes obsessively check for last-minute cancellations that often pop up when plans change or people forget they booked. You can also check if the restaurant serves lunch, when openings can be a lot easier to come by; such is the case for venues like Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen on Royal Caribbean and Morimoto by Sea on Holland America. Reserve a table for as late a lunch service as the eatery offers, then choose a late seating for dinner.
Sea days are always the toughest for finding availability at specialty restaurants since everyone is on board and vying for that coveted 7 p.m. reservation. (The spa, pool deck, casino and shops will also be buzzing then.) To get around it, consider opting for a table on a port day, either skipping a destination that doesn’t particularly appeal to you or returning well before all aboard to have dinner. Either way, you will probably have a lot more options, as many passengers may still be sightseeing or having dinner ashore.
If there is a restaurant that overlooks the aft of the ship, no matter what it is, I recommend going. Dining while watching the light blue and white foamy wake left by the displacement of the water, either before sunset when it cuts a sharp contrast against the deep blue sea or after when it’s lit from above, is one of my absolute favorite parts of cruising.
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