If you ask anyone that has ever been on a cruise what their favorite part was, they will say something along the lines of “I didn’t have to cook a meal for a week!” or even “The room was cleaned for me!”. There are many reasons for someone to enjoy cruising. With so many cruise lines in the world and so many destinations that are explored, cruising has become a worldwide favorite vacation. For someone that has never cruised before, you would have a lot of questions. The topic I will discuss in this article is food and drinks. I will start of by sharing (almost) every meal that I ate during my latest cruise, share tips that I have learned, and even share my favorite cruise lines regarding food. Hope you ate before reading because my stomach is already grumbling from thinking about writing this article.

(Almost) Everything I Ate on my Cruise

Day 1

Lunch

I started my cruise with corn hushpuppies, turkey pie, and an orange chocolate mousse. My overall enjoyment of my meal was 6/10.

Day 2

Breakfast

The day started quickly. I overslept for breakfast in the dining room. I guess I was still getting used to the jet leg. We went upstairs to the buffet for a quick grab. I had a few chocolate croissants with a glass of milk.

​Dinner

Tonight’s menu made it hard to choose. I ordered two appetizers, one entrée, and two desserts. I chose the cheese ravioli in a lobster cream sauce, spinach and artichoke dip, penne pasta in a rum red sauce, with apple cobbler and mint chocolate mousse. Overall enjoyment of my meal, 7/10.

Day 3

​Breakfast

We had a mid-morning dock in Mexico which left us enough time to enjoy breakfast in the dining room. My breakfast included orange juice, a banana, and waffles. My waffles had a side of potatoes and bacon. My overall enjoyment of my meal was a 10/10.

​Lunch

EXCURSION: Lunch was included in our specific excursion in Mexico. We decided to see a Lucha Libre show and it included authentic tacos and margaritas. For the sober individuals, they also provided lemonade. Overall enjoyment of the food (and show) was 1000/10.

​Dinner

Dinner started with Cream of Cauliflower soup, Pesto Primavera. and two desserts again: Apple a la Mode (with a rum sauce) and a S’more brownie. My overall enjoyment was 8/10. The pasta brought it down from a 10.

Day 4

​Lunch

Early lunch included a margarita, potato soup, BLT, banana cream pie, and Reese’s cheesecake. My overall enjoyment was 6/10. I really only enjoyed my drink and soup.

​Dinner

This evening was packed with entertainment so that meant an early dinner as well. I started off with bruschetta, eggplant parmigiana, and chocolate ice cream. My overall enjoyment of the meal was 3/10. The eggplant was not cooked through properly. I ordered ice cream because desserts seemed to be lacking that evening.

Day 5

Breakfast

My attire did not follow the dining room dress code for breakfast so we headed up to the buffet again. We were stopped at Great Stirup Cay, Norwegian Cruise Line’s very own private island in the Bahamas so I was wearing a swimsuit, skirt, and a tank top. I grabbed some croissants, potatoes, and bacon for breakfast.

​Lunch

Since we were on the cruise line’s private island, complimentary lunch was served on the island. We decided to head back to the ship for lunch instead. This meant that food was limited to the outdoor grill. Our options included burgers, hotdogs, and fruit. I made a veggie sandwich, with a side of potato salad and French fries.

​Dinner

We ended up eating in the busy dining room this evening. Our options were to wait for a small table or join a communal table. We wanted to catch the early show this evening so we decided to join another party. We ended up at a table with three other pairs. This service was the worst of all. Our server took a while to come over to grab our orders. Once we ordered, we waited an hour for just our appetizer. The group consensus was that he forgot to enter our order. At this point of our meal, we had already missed the show, so we decided to stay for dessert while half the table decided to skip it. I ordered the French Onion soup, Potato Gnocchi, and Norwegian’s famous chocolate cake. The service deserves a 0/10 while the food deserves a 6/10. The gnocchi was not the best.

Day 6

​Breakfast

I wanted to leave the ship fed since our flight was later in the day. I ordered orange juice, a banana, pancakes, potatoes, bacon, and chocolate croissants.

Eating on a Cruise: Tips

• I would opt for the dining room on embarkation day.The number one thing to do on embarkation day is to eat lunch. It’s the first thing I do, right after the muster drill requirement. If you head up to the buffet, you are going to see it filled packed with everyone and their suitcases. It has long lines and no seating. The dining room is bare with better food options. There is no stress of sitting and enjoying your meal because you don’t have people poaching your table.
• ​Bring ziplock baggies. I cannot stress this one enough. It takes up less room than Tupperware and the last thing I hate is having to juggle too many plates and cups back to the room. Room service has a fee and sometimes, you just need a late night snack or something to take with your medicine. Since Covid, (free) food options have not stayed 24/7 on cruise ships. 
  
• Know what is included in the normal food and drink package. You can get water, milk, juice, lemonade, and simple coffee without having to pay for a premium drink package. I find that this is much better for my family. Bring drink packets with you, as well. This gives you an alternative to what they are offering to drink.