Ranking Cruise Ship Dining: Which Is Best?

There are many factors to take into account when choosing a cruise line. From entertainment options, itineraries, and cabin layouts (to name a few), each cruise line truly offers something different. Of course, if you're a foodie, you should really consider the food that's available onboard.

Now, most cruise lines offer a large selection of free food — usually in the forms of buffets and dining rooms. On top of that, there are normally a variety of specialty restaurants on cruise ships, as well, which may cost extra depending on the cruise line. Some cruise packages are completely all-inclusive, though the average price for those cruises is a bit higher. As someone who's worked on cruise ships for many years — and been a guest many times, as well — I've eaten my fair share of cruise ship food. With that in mind, I decided to take a deep dive into the major cruise lines and what each has to offer when it comes to food. That way, you can make a more informed decision when it comes to choosing a cruise line for your next vacation, and be ready to set sail in no time.

I'll be focusing on a cruise line's free food options, specialty dining options, budget-friendly dining packages, all-inclusive lines, and the overall impression guests have about the food onboard. Without further ado, here are 11 major cruise ship dining options ranked, along with the answer to which one is the best.

Although Holland America is a family-friendly cruise line, it's known for being a bit more classic and upscale, so it tends to draw in an older crowd. Either way, many consider the food onboard to be quite good, and there are a few free options available to guests. This includes the Lido (which is the ship's main buffet), a New York-style pizza station, a poolside grill named the Dive-In, and free 24-hour room service. There's also the main dining room, which provides all three meals of the day in a more sophisticated, luxurious atmosphere.

For the specialty dining, there aren't as many options as there are on the other cruise lines covered in this list. There are only about five restaurants onboard, depending on the ship, and they include a steakhouse, a sushi bar, Tamarind (which features various Asian cuisines), and an Italian restaurant. The most popular restaurant onboard is Rudi's Sel De Mer, which is an award-winning French restaurant. Unfortunately, many cruisers don't find the prices at Rudi's to be worth it. 

Overall, Holland does a fair job when it comes to food. After all, as Olivia Burton, a dancer who's worked on Holland America and other cruise lines, shared, "the serving sizes in the dining room were a bit smaller than what I'm used to, but the quality of the food was great." Unfortunately, since it lacks the dining diversity and excitement that other cruise lines have, it comes in last.

Carnival Cruise Line has upgraded its food offerings immensely in the past decade, starting with a collaboration with Guy Fieri — a burger master. Each Carnival ship now has Guy's Burger Joint onboard, and having sampled it myself, can honestly say serves some of the best burgers I've ever tasted. This is a free restaurant onboard, as well, though there are many other options beyond it.

The Lido Marketplace is the buffet, and I would describe it as an average cruise ship buffet. In other words, it's enjoyable for a day or two, but then you get sick of it fairly quickly. Furthermore, I've personally found the quality of the food was better on other cruise lines, which contributes to its low ranking. There are other free options, however, like BlueIguana Cantina, which has tacos and burritos, or the Carnival Deli, which can make sandwiches made to order. I always opted to go to one of those food stands versus the Lido.

Carnival doesn't offer any sort of dining packages ahead of time, so the specialty restaurants will cost you extra while you're onboard. Some of these unique options include Guy's Pig and Anchor Smokehouse, which serves classic BBQ, and Emeril's Bistro, which is upscale creole food. Overall, the free food onboard Carnival does the job, and the biggest standout is Guy's Burger Joint. However, you may feel the urge to spend the extra money on specialty dining if you're looking for a nicer meal.

MSC is right behind Royal Caribbean in building the world's largest cruise ships, but it has more of an adult-friendly vibe in comparison. The ships are sleek and elegant, and offer classic entertainment alongside new, high-tech experiences as well. For the food that's included in your ship fare, MSC has a buffet as well as its main dining rooms. The buffet offers pasta stations, daily specials, takeaway snacks, a meat carvery, and more. The main dining rooms have rotating menus that feature international cuisines. Compared to other cruise lines, MSC has the least amount of places to grab a bite for free.

When it comes to specialty restaurants (which cost extra money, of course), MSC doesn't hold back. It offers restaurants like a specialty steakhouse, seafood, sushi bar, Teppanyaki, Thai, French, Mexican, and Nordic gastronomy. With such a variety of types of cuisines onboard, you will definitely be satisfied. However, because of the lack of variety in the free food onboard, you'll most likely have to spend more on the specialty restaurants if you're craving something new and exciting. MSC does offer dining packages, which can save you a bit of money if you add it on before you board. But it's lack of top-notch free options keeps it near the bottom.

Princess Cruise Line has worldwide itineraries, and generally draws clientele who want a relaxing experience onboard, reserving their energy to enjoy the cruise ports. While Princess guests sail to their next destination, they can enjoy a large amount of options included in their cruise fare. The buffet is called the World Fresh Marketplace, which offers international cuisines as well as many American options as well. The reviews for Princess's buffet seem to be a bit mixed, and the overall consensus was that dining at other locations on the ship proved to be a better experience.

Other free spots that you can find on a Princess cruise are the main dining rooms, Top-Deck (which serves pizza by the slice), as well as a poolside grill that serves burgers and dogs. As for the specialty dining, there are many options. With varieties like an Italian trattoria, a crab shack, a Brazilian grill, and many more, there are mouthwatering restaurants that will draw you in to pay that extra buck or two.

Princess does offer a booking option that includes unlimited specialty meals, along with many other perks. Unfortunately, even if the specialist options seem to be something that many Princess cruisers enjoy, the free food onboard doesn't quite compare to more exciting options we've seen from other lines.

On Norwegian Cruise Line, you can expect a large amount of food included with your boarding pass. The main place to eat for all three meals (as well as snacks) is the Garden Cafe, which is the ship's buffet. Depending on the day and meal, guests can expect a rotating menu offering numerous cuisines, so they never get bored. The main dining room, which also has a rotating menu, is another free option. I always enjoyed the food at both The Garden and the main dining rooms, and barely got tired of either — even when eating there for over six months straight while I lived onboard.

Another of my favorite free options on Norwegian is O'Sheehan's. This 24-hour eatery offers delicious pub food, like chicken wings, burgers, salads, fish and chips, and more. It's also a table service restaurant, though it offers a much more relaxing atmosphere than the dining rooms. Some Norwegian ships offer a free noodle bar, as well, which adds a fun variety to the mix.

Every other restaurant onboard Norwegian Cruise Line ships is considered a specialty restaurant, and those will cost you extra. The good news is there are a variety of dining packages available that you can book ahead of time to save money. Then again, while the quality of the food on Norwegian is great, I wish there were more quick-service free options, so it comes in seventh.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises is a luxury cruise line which offers large suites to all guests, incredible itineraries, and an all-inclusive experience. Every single thing onboard is already paid for with your ticket, including drinks and meals. I had the privilege of living and working on Regent Seven Seas, and got to experience the luxury for myself. Although I was definitely drawn in by the Versace plates in the dining room, I wasn't completely blown away by the food onboard given the expectations are so high.

There are two small buffets available onboard. The Pool Grill offers country-club type food right at the pool, while La Veranda is set indoors, and has more of a traditional buffet offering. I thought both served decent-tasting food, though I didn't think it was any better than Norwegian Cruise Line or Royal Caribbean. For the price difference of these cruises, I'd expect the quality to be far superior.

The main dining room, however, was where Regent truly shined (and what helped it rank sixth). Guests can order delicacies like escargot, lobster, and fish (which is caught local to the area that you're cruising in). Every meal I had in the dining room onboard Regent was truly delicious, which almost made me forget about the lackluster buffet. In fact, while there are other specialty restaurants onboard, I heard numerous guests say they enjoyed the dining room better than any other option.

Royal Caribbean is currently the owner of the world's largest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, which has over 20 dining options. Every other Royal Caribbean ship varies depending on the size, but many have the same offerings when it comes to free food versus specialty restaurants. For this ranking, I chose to focus on the bigger ships, like the Icon.

For free food options, there are 12 places that you can go for a complimentary meal, including room service. The Windjammer Cafe is the ship's buffet, and although I've enjoyed the variety and quality of the food there, I also noticed it seems to be the most consistently crowded area of the ship. Consequently, one of the best places to grab a bite for free food is the Park Cafe, which is essentially an upscale deli. Everything is made to order, so you can customize your deli sandwiches or salads just how you like.

With so many options for food included in your fare, I'd dare say that the specialty restaurants onboard Royal Caribbean aren't entirely necessary. However, if you're craving a specific cuisine, the extra price might be worth it. Izumi Hibachi and Sushi, for example, cooks and serves teppanyaki (not hibachi) right at your table. It's not only a delicious meal, but an entertaining experience, as well. Though Royal does a solid job overall when it comes to food, it ranks fifth because the higher-ranked lines simply outshined its efforts.

Celebrity Cruises offers many included food options onboard, such as its main buffet, The Oceanview Cafe, which offers globally inspired cuisines. This buffet is a bit different from the average cruise ship buffet, though, as it's treated more like a food hall, with various food stations offering both pre-made options and made-to-order foods. There are also the main dining rooms, which is where you can go to get a proper sit-down meal. In fact, there are multiple dining rooms that offer different types of cuisines, which is incredibly unique for main dining venues on a cruise ship.

There are many specialty restaurants available on Celebrity Cruises, as well, with up to 10 different options per ship on average. Each restaurant also has its own theme and are beautifully decorated, giving guests an upscale and elegant experience. Although these restaurants cost extra, Celebrity offers dining packages that can save you money (depending on the size of the package you order and the length of your cruise).

One of the most popular restaurants onboard is Fine Cut Steakhouse, and many guests have said that the extra money was worth the meal — especially for the unique dry aged beef in the form of a New York Strip (a relative rarity on cruise ships). If you're looking for finer dining while still experiencing a fun, family friendly atmosphere, this may be a great choice — hence it's fourth place ranking.

If you're a Disney fan, you know the company puts energy into every single detail — whether it's entertainment, hospitality, or food. Having personally cruised on Disney Cruise Line a handful of times, I've always been impressed by what it has to offer, especially with its newest ships like the Disney Treasure. One interesting thing about Disney Cruise Line is that nearly all of the food is included in your cruise ticket, which helped it come in third place in this ranking.

Although it tends to be more expensive than other lines in general, it's worth it for the amount of food that you can get (along with the Broadway-style entertainment and endless chances to meet your favorite Disney characters, of course). Onboard, you can visit The Cabanas, which is the ship's buffet. I always found the food at The Cabanas to be of great quality and was always satisfied. As for sit-down dining, each ship offers a slightly different array of restaurants. You can eat at themed restaurants based on your favorite movies, for instance, including Olaf's Royal Picnic and Rapunzel's Royal Table.

Some restaurants onboard are treated more like the classic main dining room on a cruise ship, which have rotating menus that change nightly. The other options have unique menu choices, similar to what you find in the individual restaurants in Disney World. The only three restaurants on Disney ships that cost extra are adult-only spots, which you can save for a special date night.

Virgin Voyages has truly paved a new path for cruise ship dining, earning it a second place ranking among cruise ship dining options. All of the food onboard is included in your ticket, which is incredibly rare for a larger, non-luxury cruise line. Amelia Dobbs, who is a loyal Virgin Voyager, explained, "They have absolutely no buffets, and every single thing is made to order. One of my favorite things to get is a bento box from The Galley, which is like a food hall. The food onboard is truly unmatched."

Virgin Voyages may be the only cruise line in the world that doesn't offer the traditional buffet option. Instead, The Galley features various food carts and shops, almost simulating the feeling of walking down a city street to grab food. For the sit-down restaurants, there are incredibly unique options. There is a steak and seafood restaurant called The Wake, which is considered to be the most glamorous spot onboard. Razzle Dazzle, which serves American fare, even offers a drag brunch throughout the cruise. Gunbae, a Korean BBQ spot, lets guests cook their own meats right at the table.

In short, there are many more restaurants onboard Virgin, all of them bringing a special flare that other cruise lines don't have. If you're a foodie, splurging for a Virgin Voyages cruise will definitely be worth it.

Oceania Cruises is known to take its food incredibly seriously, with the website even describing itself as "a cruise line built by foodies, run by foodies, for foodies." The cruise line even has two master chefs of France, who help to ensure only the best food is served onboard. Furthermore, Oceania is a luxury and all-inclusive cruise line, meaning every single meal and drink onboard is paid for with your cruise fare — all of which contributed to it earning the title of best cruise line dining.

Now, these prices are incredibly expensive, but you're also getting a full luxury experience for the cost. In fact, having gotten to cruise on Oceania, I was completely taken aback by the food that was served. There are a few casual dining options, like the Waves Grill, which offers poolside breakfast and lunch. Every single thing at this grill tasted incredibly fresh, and nothing was served in large heaping quantities. Instead, the chefs and other crew members replaced the dishes with fresh batches quite often. There is a grand dining room, as well, where a large selection of appetizers, upscale entrees, and endless sides are available.

With many specialty restaurants onboard — including Red Ginger, which serves bold Asian cuisine — your pallet will never be bored. You can even take a cooking class with the masters onboard. Cruising with Oceania is a true culinary experience, one that's unlike any other cruise line dining out there.

When looking at what each cruise line has to offer with regard to food and dining, I considered a few major things. The overall availability of free food onboard, the amount of specialty restaurants in comparison to the free food, and the variety of different types of cuisine were all considered in this ranking. I also used my own expertise as someone who has both worked and cruised with many of these cruise lines, along with information from other guests and crew members. Overall, I was able to see which cruise lines had a better reputation for having great food, while separating those lines in which the food wasn't one of the main attractions.