USA TODAY 10Best
10 best cruise ships for foodies
Best Cruise Ship for Dining (2023)
Cruise ships have come a long way from only offering fixed seating in a single dining room. These days, the best cruises offer guests their choice of restaurants, dining halls and creative menus inspired by the world's top chefs. Some even offer cooking classes! Our readers voted these 10 cruise ships as the best for dining.
- Seven Seas Explorer - Regent Seven Seas Cruises
- Royal Princess - Princess Cruises
- Valiant Lady - Virgin Voyages
- Celebrity Beyond - Celebrity Cruises
- Symphony of the Seas - Royal Caribbean International
- Seabourn Ovation - Seabourn Cruise Line
- Viking Sea - Viking Ocean Cruises
- Scarlet Lady - Virgin Voyages
- Koningsdam - Holland America Line
- Carnival Horizon - Carnival Cruise Line
Photo courtesy of Regent Seven Seas Cruises
No. 10:
Guests can choose between eight restaurants on Regent's Seven Seas Explorer. Options include Asian flavors at Pacific Rim, classic French with a modern twist at Chartreuse, fine dining at Prime 7, authentic Italian at Sette Mari at La Veranda or casual options at the Pool Grill. Cooking classes are available at the ship's Culinary Arts Kitchen.
Photo courtesy of Princess Cruises
No. 9:
Passengers aboard Royal Princess enjoy dining flexibility with Dine My Way, which allows you to choose the time of your reservations at the ship's numerous restaurants. The ship's three specialty restaurants serve Italian, steaks and a gourmet multi-course dinner, while casual eateries include Horizon Court top deck buffet, Chocolate Journeys, Alfredo's Pizzeria and Trident Grill.
Photo courtesy of Virgin Voyages
No. 8:
Forget the traditional colossal buffet of vittles. Virgin Voyages' Valiant Lady takes a graze-when-and-where-you-want-to approach, so one night, it's a flight of mezcal with Yucatan dishes and it's bibimbap bowls at the Korean barbecue spot the next. Count on a meaty menu in the steakhouse and plenty for plant-eaters at the dedicated vegetarian/vegan spot. Hitting all the food trends, there's a tapas/meze/dim sum concept, a food hall, made-to-order pizzas and a straight-up Italian ristorante.
Photo courtesy of Tim Bieber / Celebrity Cruises
No. 7:
You might wish you booked the lengthy transatlantic journey just so you can sample all 32 food and beverage venues on the line's newest ship, Celebrity Beyond. Inspired by the alluring regions on the ship's itineraries, menus are the work of a Michelin-starred chef and expert mixologists. Expert Ming Tappin notes that the vessel offers "a wide array of specialty restaurants including the first by Daniel Boulud," Celebrity's Global Culinary Ambassador.
Photo courtesy of SBW Photo / Royal Caribbean International
No. 6:
Symphony of the Seas delivers big when it comes to food. Passengers can choose from sushi at Izumi, fresh seafood at Hooked, inventive eats at Wonderland, wine pairings at 150 Central Park or upscale Italian at Jamie’s Italian by Jamie Oliver.
Photo courtesy of Seabourn
No. 5:
Aboard Seabourn Ovation, complimentary restaurant options include the open-seating main restaurant, alfresco fare on The Patio, the casual Colonnade, tropical beverages at Sky Bar or updated American favorites at The Grill by Thomas Keller. Even "Caviar in the Surf," a beach barbecue where iced champagne and caviar are served from a floating surfboard, is included. In-suite dining is also available around the clock.
Photo courtesy of Viking Ocean Cruises
No. 4:
All meals are free of charge aboard Viking Sea, even at specialty restaurants. The star of the ship, Manfredi's, serves a menu of hearty Italian fare in a homey setting. The Chef's Table is themed to a different region of the world each night, while the World Cafe serves global specialties buffet-style. For an extra cost, guests can sign up for The Kitchen Table, part restaurant and part shore excursion into a local market to pick out ingredients for dinner.
Photo courtesy of Virgin Voyages
No. 3:
Expert Ming Tappin praises the "many industry firsts including food court-style dining, test kitchen, vegan-forward restaurant, and first Korean BBQ at sea" that guests enjoy on the Scarlet Lady. The inaugural ship for the cruise line offers 20-plus eateries, minus the typical dining hall buffets, with Michelin-starred chefs behind the menus. Cruisers appreciate the 24/7 diner for freshly made breakfast items, noodles and tacos around the clock.
Photo courtesy of Holland America Line
No. 2:
Guests sailing on Holland America Line's Koningsdam have 11 dining options to choose from. In addition to the main dining room, there's Asian specialties at Tamarind, French seafood at Sel de Mer, authentic Italian at Canaletto, poolside burgers at Dive-In and premium in-room breakfast with Club Orange.
Photo courtesy of Carnival Cruise Line
No. 1:
Dining options abound aboard Carnival Horizon – feast on barbecue at the world’s first Guy’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse and Brewhouse, sink your teeth into a juicy burger at popular Guy’s Burger Joint, enjoy some culinary theater at Bonsai Teppanyaki or tuck into seafood with ocean views at the Seafood Shack. Included and specialty dining both shine, with plenty of options for everyone.
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Danielle Fear
Danielle Fear is one of the UK’s most recognized... Read More
Danielle Fear is one of the UK’s most recognized and trusted cruise bloggers and is better known to her audience as CruiseMiss. As well as maintaining an award-winning cruise blog, she also works as a freelance writer, content manager and social media professional covering all aspects of sea travel. Having embarked on more than 75 sailings, including 2 world cruises, it’s fair to say that Danielle knows a thing or two about cruising.
Danielle Fear
Danielle Fear is one of the UK’s most recognized and trusted cruise bloggers and is better known to her audience as CruiseMiss. As well as maintaining an award-winning cruise blog, she also works as a freelance writer, content manager and social media professional covering all aspects of sea travel. Having embarked on more than 75 sailings, including 2 world cruises, it’s fair to say that Danielle knows a thing or two about cruising.
Jason Leppert
Jason Leppert is a San Diego-based cruising expert... Read More
Jason Leppert is a San Diego-based cruising expert with more than 140 sailings under his belt and a fresh, millennial perspective on the industry. He has been cruising since before he was two years old, thanks to his parents' shared passion for traveling and their desire to experience all journeys together as a family. Now, he regularly sails and writes "he said, she said" cruise columns with his wife Heidi. He is the founding editor of Popular Cruising, producer of the successful Popular Cruising YouTube channel and Cruise Editor for TravelAge West.
Jason Leppert
Jason Leppert is a San Diego-based cruising expert with more than 140 sailings under his belt and a fresh, millennial perspective on the industry. He has been cruising since before he was two years old, thanks to his parents' shared passion for traveling and their desire to experience all journeys together as a family. Now, he regularly sails and writes "he said, she said" cruise columns with his wife Heidi. He is the founding editor of Popular Cruising, producer of the successful Popular Cruising YouTube channel and Cruise Editor for TravelAge West.
Ming Tappin
Residing in New Brunswick, Canada, Ming has been... Read More
Residing in New Brunswick, Canada, Ming has been in the cruise industry since 1994. Ming spent over 20 years in the retail travel sector, working with travel agencies in marketing initiatives, cruise training, and promoting cruise vacations to their clients. In 2015, Ming created Your Cruise Coach and transitioned into travel writing, preaching the merits of cruising via her partnerships with Canadian and American travel trade publications as well as consumer media outlets. An avid cruiser since 1991, Ming has sailed on over 70 cruises and has experienced over 25 ocean, river, and expedition cruise lines combined.
Ming Tappin
Residing in New Brunswick, Canada, Ming has been in the cruise industry since 1994. Ming spent over 20 years in the retail travel sector, working with travel agencies in marketing initiatives, cruise training, and promoting cruise vacations to their clients. In 2015, Ming created Your Cruise Coach and transitioned into travel writing, preaching the merits of cruising via her partnerships with Canadian and American travel trade publications as well as consumer media outlets. An avid cruiser since 1991, Ming has sailed on over 70 cruises and has experienced over 25 ocean, river, and expedition cruise lines combined.
Catherine Smith
Catherine Smith, Readers' Choice Awards... Read More
Catherine Smith, Readers' Choice Awards Production Manager and Social Media Director for USA TODAY 10Best, has a special interest in unique culinary experiences and off-the-beaten-path adventures. Catherine is the founder of Her Bags Were Packed where she focuses on helping women release emotional baggage through solo travel and self-discovery.
Catherine Smith
Catherine Smith, Readers' Choice Awards Production Manager and Social Media Director for USA TODAY 10Best, has a special interest in unique culinary experiences and off-the-beaten-path adventures. Catherine is the founder of Her Bags Were Packed where she focuses on helping women release emotional baggage through solo travel and self-discovery.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original,... Read More
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
