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Dining Dos & Don'ts That SMART Cruisers Swear By
Sep 27, 2025
Cruise ships offer many dining options, but I see many cruisers making common cruise dining mistakes that prevent them from having the best experience. I'm going to share my cruise tips and cruise dining tips to help you avoid these pitfalls and enjoy the cruise food to its fullest. These cruise tips for travellers will help you navigate cruise ship dining even if it's your first cruise or one of many. For bonus & exclusive content (including videos, articles, eBooks and more) become a channel member or patron: --------------------------------------------------- * Patreon Patron: https://www.patreon.com/tipsfortravellers * YouTube Channel Member: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_qE-Obs2ocdmPXY0TIU-cw/join Check out my cruise-themed T-shirts and products: --------------------------------------------------- * TeePublic Store: https://tipsfortravellers.dashery.com * Teespring Store: https://tips-for-travellers-youtube.creator-spring.com * Fourthwall: https://gary-bembridge-1-shop.fourthwall.com Book Cruise Port Excursions * Venture Ashore: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/excursions * Shore Excursions Group: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/shoreexcursions My social media: --------------------------------------------------- * Blog: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com
View Video Transcript
0:00
Cruise ships can have up to 30 different
0:02
dining venues, which means so many
0:03
options to get wrong. So, it's not
0:05
surprising I see many cruisers making
0:07
mistakes that leave them missing out on
0:09
the best food, wasting money, stuck with
0:11
mediocre meals, all while smart cruisers
0:14
are having unforgettable ones and not
0:16
paying a penny more. Welcome aboard. I'm
0:19
Gary Benbridge. And after going on 120
0:22
ocean cruises and trying almost every
0:25
dining option there is at sea, I've seen
0:26
what smart cruisers always do and what
0:28
they never do when it comes to dining.
0:30
And I'm here to share that with you.
0:33
Let's start with some smart dining basic
0:35
dos and don'ts. Do find out what all the
0:38
dining venues available to you are
0:40
before you go and when they're open.
0:43
Smart cruisers use that to then plan
0:44
their overall dining experience on their
0:47
cruise. Also check which are included in
0:48
your fair and those you pay extra for.
0:51
Don't make assumptions. For example,
0:53
just this week I got a message from a
0:54
first-time cruiser who only realized
0:56
halfway through his cruise that the main
0:58
dining room was actually included
1:00
because he thought only the buffet was.
1:03
Cruise lines have a variety of included
1:05
dining venues and that can and does
1:08
change. For example, in the past on
1:10
Princess Cruises, some casual dining
1:12
venues like Alfredo Pizza was included
1:15
in the fair, but then they changed it to
1:17
being charged for but free to go just
1:19
once to those on a Princess Plus package
1:22
and unlimited times if on a Princess
1:24
Premier package, but then they changed
1:26
it all again to be able to go three
1:29
times on a Princess Plus package. So,
1:31
keep checking. Smart cruisers also do go
1:34
and visit all the dining venues on
1:35
imbulcation day to confirm which they
1:38
want to go to. Check menus, discuss
1:40
dietary issues with the matra. It helps
1:42
them plan a good mix of casual, formal
1:45
buffet and specialy dining so they don't
1:47
get stuck in one place or miss out on
1:49
any hidden gems. Another smart thing to
1:52
do is review menus for the restaurants
1:54
in advance. Now, these days, most cruise
1:57
line websites have sample or recent
1:59
menus, but once you're on board, they're
2:01
normally available outside the venue and
2:03
usually on the cruise app, too. I and
2:06
other smart cruisers always check the
2:08
main dining room menus each day to see
2:10
if it appeals to decide, should I go
2:12
there or choose somewhere else that
2:13
evening. Another thing to do is know the
2:16
dining schedule because that helps you
2:20
plan. Now, most people go for dinner at
2:22
the same peak times leading to weights
2:24
and slower service. But by knowing the
2:26
opening times, I tend to go and then I
2:29
get a table that I really want. I get
2:31
much better service and the food comes a
2:33
little bit quicker. Other smart cruisers
2:35
go later when things have got much
2:37
quieter. Another dining basic that smart
2:40
cruisers do is not be shy about asking
2:43
to customize their orders or even ask
2:45
for things that may be slightly off
2:48
menu. Many cruise lines will allow
2:50
off-men tweaks ranging from extra
2:52
vegetables sauce on the side or small
2:54
portions of main courses, appetizers as
2:57
mains, and occasionally even specific
2:59
off-men dishes. There are three general
3:03
dining do nots that smart cruisers swear
3:05
by, too. First, they do not leave
3:08
booking of restaurants to the last
3:09
minute or until they're on board. They
3:12
do these as soon as they're open online.
3:14
If you wait until you're on board,
3:16
you'll find the best days and times are
3:18
often booked out. I'm just about to go
3:21
on a cruise and booking for dining
3:23
opened 60 days before the trip, but even
3:26
going in the day after it opened, many
3:28
of the best slots had already gone.
3:31
Secondly, smart cruisers do not only eat
3:34
on the ship, but they also always try
3:36
local cuisine in the ports, usually of
3:38
course for lunch. And third, they don't
3:41
take food off the ship into the ports
3:43
because these days most ports ban this
3:46
because of the various health and
3:47
contamination risks. Let's move on and
3:50
talk about some smart dining tips by
3:53
each of the main options. Starting with
3:55
the main dining room.
4:00
Main dining room arrangements and
4:01
options have got more complicated. So,
4:03
smart cruisers make sure they really
4:05
understand the exact main dining room
4:08
setups before even booking the cruise.
4:11
Why? Because different cruise lines have
4:13
different setups to other lines. And
4:15
sometimes it even differs by ships
4:18
within their fleet. Most mainstream and
4:21
premium lines will offer fixed dining,
4:23
so early or late, and then an anytime
4:26
dining option.
4:28
If you want to have the same waiting
4:30
staff, the same table, you need to go
4:33
for fixed dining. If you want
4:34
flexibility, go for anytime. But on some
4:37
lines, like Celebrity, it gets more
4:40
complicated because while they have that
4:41
on their Millennium and Solstice class
4:43
fleet, on edgeclass ships, they don't
4:46
have that. They have four main dining
4:47
rooms that you can rotate around. And
4:50
then on top of that, they also have
4:52
gradebased dining options. So, those in
4:55
aqua cabins eat in the blue restaurant
4:57
and those in suites in the lumini
4:59
restaurant. So, always check the details
5:02
as you book the cruise because I often
5:04
get messages from people who found
5:06
themselves locked into a main dining
5:08
room setup that doesn't suit their
5:10
preferences by not checking when
5:11
booking. For example, they wanted
5:13
flexibility, but they found themselves
5:15
in fixed dining or they wanted early
5:17
dining, but they're in late dining.
5:18
Smart cruisers have specific dietary
5:20
needs. Talk to and make a friend of the
5:22
matraee. They can then ensure that you
5:25
get the right food for your
5:26
restrictions. In fact, smart cruisers
5:28
with strict dietary requirements eat as
5:31
much as possible in the main dining room
5:33
and often go for fixed dining because
5:34
the matra and waiters can then really
5:36
focus and ensure that their needs are
5:39
met consistently. If you have dietary
5:41
issues, approach the buffet and casual
5:43
dining in my view with much more
5:45
caution. And as I mentioned earlier,
5:47
another thing that smart cruisers do in
5:49
the main dining room is sometimes mix up
5:52
the menu and order multiple starters,
5:54
multiple mains, desserts, extra
5:57
desserts, extra things, often for no
5:59
charge, or they might ask for smaller or
6:00
larger portions of the different setups.
6:03
Let's talk now about smart buffet dos
6:06
and don'ts. One of the smart things to
6:08
do, as I discovered, is check if the
6:10
buffet is open for all meals. It is not
6:13
on all lines. For example, on a recent
6:15
Disney Magic cruise, there was no buffet
6:18
option for dinner. On the ultra luxury
6:20
lines like Region 7C's I went on at
6:22
Christmas, the buffet restaurant becomes
6:24
a waiter served Italian restaurant at
6:26
night. There's no buffet. The second
6:29
thing that smart cruisers do is plan the
6:32
best time to go to the buffet and work
6:34
around avoiding peak times. Now, I
6:37
personally avoid the buffet on
6:38
imbulcation day because it just gets too
6:39
busy and a little bit manic.
6:42
It also gets manic for breakfast the
6:45
hour or so before excursion meeting
6:46
times and again around 12:30 to 1:30
6:49
when morning excursions return. It's
6:51
hard to get a table. There's lots of
6:52
queuing and it's not a very peaceful
6:54
dining experience at these times.
6:57
A smart thing to do is to use the buffet
7:00
in areas of scenic sailing as well like
7:03
you know the Norwegian fjords or parts
7:04
of Alaska because the buffet usually has
7:06
floor to-seeiling windows and outside
7:09
seating areas unlike the main dining
7:10
rooms which are often enclosed with no
7:13
sea views. Smart cruisers also focus on
7:16
the made to order stations like eggs
7:19
cooked to order or pasta or salad making
7:21
stations and they focus on those over
7:23
the food lying on the counters because
7:25
it's going to be freshest where the
7:27
other stuff has been sitting for a
7:28
while. Two other smart dos are first
7:31
using the buffet when you're in more of
7:33
a rush. You can be in and out of a
7:35
buffet in 15 to 30 minutes versus the
7:37
long hour and a half or more you can be
7:39
in the main dining room. And second is
7:42
to use it on formal or dress up nights
7:44
when you don't want to get all doled up
7:46
in your finery. One thing smart cruisers
7:48
do not do when it comes to the buffet is
7:51
skip washing their hands before and
7:52
after using it. The buffet is one of the
7:55
highest risk places for catching things
7:57
like the stomach bug norirus. They also
8:00
for this reason do not pick food up and
8:02
put it back, dip fingers in sauces or
8:04
food to taste it, and even use packets
8:05
of sauce versus the bottles if possible
8:08
to minimize touching multi-use surfaces
8:11
and sauce bottles. What about smart
8:14
specialtity dining dos and don'ts? The
8:17
most critical thing smart cruisers do
8:19
when it comes to special dining is book
8:21
way in advance online as soon as it
8:23
opens. Don't wait until you get on board
8:25
to ensure you get the dates and times
8:26
that you want. The second big do for
8:29
special dining is look for deals. Now
8:33
the main ones that smart cruisers look
8:35
out for are invocation day offers, often
8:37
half price to eat in them that day,
8:40
lunchtime discounts, and if based on
8:42
loyalty status or cabin grade, there are
8:44
actually discounted or free specialty
8:46
dining included. They often are.
8:49
Cruisers have planned to do a lot of
8:50
specialty dining. Also look if the line
8:53
offers any packages as they can save
8:55
quite a lot of money than paying per
8:57
visit.
8:59
Also check if there are limits on how
9:01
often you can go. For example, on that
9:03
Disney Magic cruise I mentioned, we
9:05
could only go to Paulo the adult only
9:07
specialtity restaurant once during the
9:09
cruise. Smart cruisers though are
9:12
friendly and keep in touch with the
9:14
major D or the bookings person because
9:16
they will often offer repeat visits to
9:18
selected guests on the quiet in limited
9:21
restaurants when slots open. That's only
9:23
worked for me on that Disney and many
9:25
other cruises. But don't assume, by the
9:28
way, that all special dining is always
9:30
better than the included options. It's a
9:32
large upcharge, but you may be able to
9:33
get some of those dishes in the main
9:35
dining room included within your fair.
9:38
What about the casual dining venues like
9:40
burgers and hot dogs? What are those dos
9:42
and don'ts? As mentioned, do check what
9:46
casual dining is and is not included. As
9:49
I said, on some lines like Princess,
9:50
there is a charge for some, unless you
9:53
have a package and so on. I have found
9:55
casual dining options on the pool deck
9:57
though tend to be included. So on
10:00
Princess, I could get burgers, hot dogs,
10:02
tacos, and even some basic pizza that
10:04
was included in the fair at those venues
10:07
up on the pool deck. And I also find
10:09
that those casual spots can be really
10:10
great for mixing things up. Pizza,
10:12
burgers, tacos, because they're quick,
10:14
but importantly, they're often available
10:16
outside the main meal times if you need
10:18
something to eat. Which brings me to
10:20
room service. When it comes to room
10:22
service, do always check the small
10:25
print. Not all cruise lines offer free
10:27
room service, and on some lines, they
10:30
only charge if you're in certain cabin
10:31
grades with only suites getting it
10:33
included or as part of a premium package
10:35
that you may have bought. For example, a
10:38
while ago, Kunard stopped having room
10:40
service free for Britannia Grade guests
10:43
after 10:00 a.m. in the morning and
10:45
introduced charges for it, but it stayed
10:47
free for sweet guests. I do see room
10:50
service as being able to add to the
10:51
cruise experience like breakfast before
10:53
an excursion to avoid the busy buffet or
10:55
on lines who offer a full afternoon tea
10:57
on room service. One of the biggest
11:00
don'ts which may be more a bug bear of
11:02
mine is don't leave your tray in the
11:04
hallway cluttering it up phone room
11:06
service and get them to remove it. If
11:09
you want to know much more about how to
11:11
manage the main dining room and the
11:12
buffet, join me over in this playlist
11:14
where I dive in two videos into each of
11:16
those in much more detail. See you over
11:18
there.
#Food
#Restaurants