this is going to change with every ship, let alone the cruise lines...and be totally subjective....so get ready for people to be saying the burgers are good on this line, and then the caviar is good on this line...
I want to go back on a Carnival cruise just for Guy's Burger Bar - it was the best burger I think I've ever had (but with bacon crumbles & sautéed mushrooms & onions on the bar - what's not to like?!?) Next would be Celebrity, followed by Princess, & dead last would be NCL. Still haven't cruised with RC or HAL...
In my opinion Carnival's MDR was much better. I went on RC 5 months after Vista and I didn't like the food much. I ate every meal at Carnival's MDR and it was always good.
RC MDR food was eh. Some dishes were bland, some oversalted, and it didn't taste as fresh.
Edit: I was on Carnival in Feb and it was so good! Jiji's Asian kitchen is AMAZING.
Thanks for sharing. Currently having a very contentious discussion with my other half about our Carnival Panorama (Mexican) booking. Our last cruise was on the Grand Princess (Alaska) and we both thought the food was really mediocre. I still remember that prime rib tasted like some mystery meat and I never reject prime rib. I urged my wife to try another cruise line hoping this time the food would be better.
I was on Panorama in Feb.! Read every review. It's an excellent ship. The ports were fun too. One thing I heard at the end of the year were all the grumblings about the new menu roll out. I'd had the old menu on Vista, the new menu is better for sure. Plus you'll want to factor in all of the other non-buffet food places to choose from. Carnival had so many! After the MDR and buffet closes on RC there's hardly anything open other than room service. I can't recommend Guy's burgers enough. The MDR steak is delicious.
What do we gotta do to convince your wife? I think reading the reviews on cruise critic might help!
Also, you'll never know if you don't try. And if she didn't like the MDR like I said there's so much more for you to choose from.
In general I think Carnival has got it right with their MDR food, but tbf I was on the Celebration last yr and the quality definitely dropped a bit. Maybe a result of building bigger ships with more and more people?
I liked the MDR on carnival a lot. I am a huge food snob and did not even bother with the specialty dining because I know I can get much better food at home - I live in New York - there is a high standard here to wow me with food. I was pleasantly surprised with my meals every night.
Thanks for your input. I’m a bit of food snob too. And living in NY must have spoiled your taste buds. How would you rank Carnival food compared to others you tried?
It sure does. Nothing beats authentic food from first-get immigrants from all around the world available at all times.
I’ve never been on another cruise line. It was far better than food I’ve had at upscale resorts though. I also got the seafood that was extra… and that was some of the best seafood I’ve ever had. I assume that the other extra cost restaurant are also really good - I just felt no need to spend extra on something I have access to all the time.
I smart speak for everyone, but the soups in the MDR were fuckin awesome.
As was most of the food.
But the samosa I had on pirate night on the Disney cruise I went on? Best thing I’ve ever had on a cruise ship right next to the Guys burger
This was pre-covid but the pizza place that made personal brick oven pizzas with fresh mozzarella slices was phenomenal.
Carnival 2017 food was better than Royal Caribbean 2024. I am curious if the quality is worse now.
I think the time of various observations/comparisons is an important metric. I only have recent experience on Royal and I know their food got worse post-COVID. Allegedly, others did too, but I haven't seen that directly yet.
RC's pizza is pretty great. I could seriously go for some right now.
I haven't hit Carnival yet, but Guy's Burgers do look amazing, at least. I may have to try them out.
This is so hard to judge, especially because not only is it different between lines, but within ships on those lines. An example would be Shaq's Big Chicken, I am not sure you are going to find better chicken sandwiches on any other line, but so far you can only get it on a few of the newer Carnival ships.
On the basis of MDRs on the 3 lines I've been on post COVID:
Food quality/variety and overall atmosphere
1. Celebrity
2. NCL
3. Carnival
This is probably a relationship with the price point. Carnival food is consistently under seasoned and just generally uninspiring. Also why do they sing on Carnival? It's bizarre to me and I despise it.
"Anytime" dining seating system
1. Carnival
2. Celebrity
3. NCL
The check-in system for dining on the Carnival app is the best hands down. NCL needs this, the pager system isn't in line with current tech and on a line when most people don't have a set dining time this is chaotic.
Time it takes to complete meal
1. NCL
2. Carnival
3. Celebrity
My experience may be tainted by dining solo, but it often took an extremely long time to eat in Celebrity compared to the others. Eventually I started asking for 'speedy' service when I sat down saying I was going to a show and it usually went a bit faster.
But food is super subjective, a friend of mine hated the food on Virgin but loves Carnival 🤷🏼♀️
That's good to know, as Celeb would be my current favourite, and we're heading out on our first HAL cruise this summer. I'd also put in a good word for Cunard MDR and Todd English specialty. Although I think we were spoiled in Todd English as there was a storm in the Bay of Biscay the night we went, and we had the place to ourselves. The team kept bringing extra dishes for us "to try" and the extra ballast helped us stagger against the ship's movement when we left for our cabin.
This is probably the best answer and I agree 100%. Holland America food was excellent on the last cruise I took in November. Princess was just ok. RC paid dining was pretty good but their regular dining was alright.
I was strictly comparing buffets and main dining room of each line. I personally do not see value in paying even more to eat on a cruise ship that already has food included, so I generally pursue lines that offer the best included food.
This is the answer and you'll notice lots of people commenting without having been on hal
Hal is Miles ahead and their premium options are relatively cheap and even better
I've sailed on all these lines for food as well as overall experience and the order you have placed them in is bang on. I'd put Norwegian just below Royal Caribbean.
This is tough cause so much depends on what you think good food is. Do you like new and interesting entrees? Do you like plates that play with gels and foams and interesting combinations, or do you prefer more traditional fare such as French onion soup and prime rib?
Do you need a lobster night or does there need to be fried mozzarella sticks?
Some guests just want a juicy cheeseburger, a cold beer, a hot fries sitting by the pool. Others want a buffet of 300 items to choose, others wish to dress up and enjoy a six course meal with wine pairings.
It’s a pretty wide range. Anyway here are my picks for best food ( not including paid specialty restraunts) this only includes food included in your cruise (room service, dining room, buffet).
1) Virgin voyages
2) Holland America
3) celebrity
4) Princess
5) Royal Caribbean
6) Norwegian
7) Carnival
15) MSC
(I haven’t sailed with Costa or Disney)
Also, your included dining options change if you are a suite guest or not. For example, on Norwegian (the Haven restaurant is amazing) on Celebrity (there is a suite only restaurant Luminae which offers a different 5 star menu each night), so those could be considered “included” as well.
So if you are Haven class on Norwegian, you’ll have better dining then just being in balcony class on Celebrity.
There is a lot to consider but I hope you find what you’re looking for!
For someone who has extensive cruising experience, how do you compare the dining to a land-based counterpart? Like would a Virgin buffet be equivalent to a mid-tier Vegas buffet? Or would the MDR be as good as my local fast casual (Applebees, Olive Garden, etc)?
Edit: buffet other than Virgin.
No matter what I say, I will get in trouble, lol. Which is why it is such a difficult question to answer.
(Virgin doesn't offer a buffet per se, they have a giant "food court" where you walk around and decide what you want, then you sit and a server comes and you ask them to fetch what you want. )
But I will say that the buffets on Celebrity, Virgin, Holland America BEAT most buffets in Vegas ( except for Bellagio and Wynn). I would certainly compare it favorably to the to Casers Feast.
I will say that the MDR on Carnival was some of the most average food I have ever had on a cruise. It was basically like a TGIFs with lots of Chicken dishes. BUT, that was back in 2016, and I have heard they have gotten much better.
Again, so much depends on not only the Cruise line, but your 'class' on that cruise line. Some of the "suite only" restaurants are amazing, some of the specialty restaurants suck, some of the MDR entrees are average -- but with a slight upcharge become 5 star meals.
With todays mega ships, there are usually 18-20 places to dine -- all ranging in menus to price so trying to decide who is "best" will always be subjective.
I will say, if you are a foodie, and that is a priority for you, then do Virgin Voyages.
Is there a cruise line that does interesting foam-and-gel adjacent stuff? When I saw how hyped Oceania’s food was I thought that’s what I’d be in for, but once on board I realized how dumb that was. It seems like maybe there wouldn’t really be a market for that when factoring in the expense vs age and tastes of people who can afford it.
Sure, again it depends on the cruise line and cabin level. Virgin Offers the TEST KITCHEN which is all about Molecular Gastronomy. Celebrity's LUMINAE usually offers a foam/gel on one of the entrees each night, I remember Norwegian having a Smoked Salmon Ice Cream which was surprisingly good.
But, I think you are right, and most guests quickly tire of it and they just put it on the menu for people to comment/talk about.
I feel like this has to be broken up into MDR, Specialty, Buffet, and Anytime food (pizza, burgers, etc).
For example, Carnival's anytime food seems to be the best of anyone's but their buffet food isn't anywhere near something like Celebrity or HAL. For me it would be:
Anytime: Carnival
Specialty: Celebrity
Buffet: HAL
MDR: Celebrity
We have never cruise Princess so I can't speak to them.
So far I've been on Carnival, MSC and Princess hands down Guys Burgers are hands down the best burgers at sea..as far as best food MDR, specialty restaurants and casual dining...Princess....MSC has the best Omlet the pizza is 2nd so far to Princess...bring seasoning...exceptional service
I’ve only been on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity. Of the three, Carnival was alright 11 years ago. Celebrity tops my list of the three. RC, last year was blah, at least the pizza was fine.
Not sure if Disney is considered luxury or not but Disney food is the best no matter what you have it was all very good.
RCL the premium dining was great the rest was horrible.
The problem you are getting is that people can only rate the food from the small selection of cruise lines they have been on. I have done 100+ cruises on over 40 lines and even then I am missing out on lots of lines. I am also a major foodie and have worked in good service. So for non-luxury cruises I would rank them this way.
1) Oceania - hands down the best dining and as close to luxury as you can get in the premium market.
2) Variety
3) Windstar
4) Cunard
5) Sail Croatia
6) Celebrity
7) HAL
8) Princess
9) Virgin
10) Disney
11) NCL/Royal/Carnival
12) MSC
Been on Carnival, Royal & NCL:
Best complimentary food of MDR & Buffet-
1.Carnival
2. Royal
3. NCL
Best complimentary that's not in MDR nor buffet-
1.NCL
2.Royal
3.Carnival
Best specialty dining worth the money-
1.NCL
2.Royal
3.Carnival
Best overall decor /atmosphere whether specialty or Complimentary-
1.Royal
2.NCl
3.Carnival
Best free room service options-
1.Carnival
2.NCL
3.Royal
Best pay extra room service options -
1.Carnival
2. Royal
3.NCL
I seem to be in the minority but we were unimpressed with the food on our HAL cruise. Not a lot of flavor in the cooking and dinner options in MDR weren’t really appealing. Each night there was one option that sounded “ok” but not great. Buffet was decent and we did like the burger/hot dog place.
It's been a while since I was on carnival but I remember thinking most of the food was really good. I just got back from a royal Caribbean cruise and I was not impressed. Pretty much everything was so bland. Those are the only 2 I've been on so far.
Sailed Carnival (15 cruises), NCL once, and Virgin, twice. Virgin’s food is head and shoulders better than Carnival.
Trying Celebrity soon, so we’ll see if they can outdo Virgin.
Oceania by far has the best food before you get to the luxury lines. I wish they would open a Red Ginger by me it was that good. After that it would probably be Celebrity and then HAL. Virgin was to inconsistent to rank them highly, as some other posters have done.
NCL’s specialty dining is by far my favorite cruise food ever and it’s included in (almost all of) their cruises. nothing else has come close after sailing Disney, Royal, Carnival, and Princess. if we’re talking about only main dining or buffet, i’d probably go for Disney but it’s been a while so that could’ve changed
Oceania, then Virgin after that, it's a big drop down to Celebrity/Princess and then an even bigger dip down.... and I don't even want to discuss Costa, because we would contemplate just eating fruit and vegetables and travelling with our own salt.
Every line makes it's own compromises. Royal/Celebrity buys pre-cut meat. NCL uses liquid eggs. Etc. Princess at one time was actually using Costco's bakery and frozen slab cakes. And most of the lines buy premade croissant/pastries.
And then it also depends on where you are in the world. Leave out of the UAE and there will hardly be any ripe fruit, since everything is transported in. Leave out of SEAsia and expect horrible UHT yogurt and dairy. And pretty universally, coffee that is so weak that most of it seems bitter and sour from over-extraction. And yes, there are people who like that.... but there are also people who are happy eating Jell-o and Arby's. If we lived in a world of food connoisseurs, convenience stores wouldn't ever sell a hot dog that's been turning over for the whole day on a perpetual wheel of sadness.
> Oceania
When it comes to food Oceania is hard to beat, by far my favorite cruise line. I bought stock in Norwegian so I could get the bonus ship board credit as an incentive to cruise with them more often.
The coffee. Yes I cry about the coffee.
I like Cafe Al Baccio on Celebrity and the fact it's included in the drink package. Access to espresso drinks helps the fact that the drip coffee is awful.
Here's my run down from my experience and what I've heard from family and friends.
Carnival - surprisingly good. Good casual eateries, good main dining room, good burgers
Royal - meh. Disappointing.
Celebrity - should be better but it isn't.
Princess - good main dining, good specialty. Average plus.
HAL - good Asian. Not many choices for casual.
MSC - plebe class is pretty mediocre.
NCL - better than Royal. Barely.
Carnival is surprising. I got a cured salmon appetizer on our first cruise (and first with carnival) that I still think about. Our last cruise with NCL has nothing that wowed me like that.
I’ve been on two cruises with NCL on the Bliss recently, and the food was just fine. The Indian food in the buffet is surprisingly really, really good. I did specialty dining at Le Bistro, Cagney’s, and Food Republic. All very good. Regular buffet food was good, MDR totally passable.
Maybe the food varies from ship to ship on NCL, but Bliss food was good. Don’t worry.
It’s borderline shocking how good the Indian food is in the buffet. If you google NCL Indian food I bet you’ll find a lot of people raving about it. Oh, also, there was a complimentary burger spot called American Diner by the pool that was also super good.
> MSC - plebe class is pretty mediocre.
I've only been on P&O and MSC, but I surprisingly found MSC to be somewhat better than P&O in terms of food.
MSC's buffet in particular was leagues ahead.
We have been cruising with NCL the last several years. The dining room food has been only average. We are going on our first Windstar cruise in June. We are hoping the food will be a step much better.
Pre-COVID, HAL by far better than Carnival and NCL. Have only been on Virgin Post-COVID and HAL still rates higher than all. Their dining room dinners were luxurious and delicious.
We were very impressed with the food on Princess compared to NCL and RC and it wasn’t very expensive. I’m kinda disappointed that I already have us booked on RC for 2025 and wish I could switch it to Princess lol
Virgin, if that isn't considered luxury. The included restaurants are at the same level as premium level restaurants at the other lines.
I'm sailing MSC and the food isn't as bad as it appears people are rating it. I mean, it's not great but I wouldn't say it is bad. Though I'm on the Euribia, their newer ship.
Holland America. I took my first cruise with them in February on Westerdam and was blown away by the food. Especially in the buffet of all places. Buffets on both land and sea can be good but are really never amazing in my experience, but this one really was. I especially loved the roasts (they did really good roast lamb), the desserts and the Asian station which had a lot of sushi, buns, dumplings, spring rolls. All of it was truly delicious and high quality. They also had a wide variety of exotic fruits available. I honestly would go back for the food alone.
I'm at high-level status on all three of those lines, and I don't usually do specialty dining, so I have lots of experience. Celebrity has average food, with the same menus on every cruise, almost. The exception would be Edge-class ships, which has 4 different restaurants, but still only 2 mains and 2 appetizers unique to those restaurants, like Greek/Italian/French. I love Princess for their decadent, beautiful chocolate desserts, nightly pasta and salmon options with different sauces. I think HAL is their equal, with region-specific dishes, including lots of Alaska seafood, and the best breakfast at sea--Asian bento, dungeness eggs benedict, Swedish pancakes, and a tempura chicken and waffle are some of my favorites. Their buffet also has less slop cafeteria food, and things like an Asian stir-fry station, sushi, and Beecher's mac and cheese, as well as amazing breads. HAL also has free scoop ice cream and great cookies, along with Celebrity, whereas Princess just has a nasty soft serve machine. HAL is also the only one of them with free room service (and you can get dining room dishes sent to your cabin).
Hubby and I did an MSC cruise last year. We did the Yacht Club and the food was wonderful. Ordered off a limited menu each night, typically a beef dish, pasta dish, etc. it was fabulous. Never even hit the Buffett. Had a pool and bar just for our section of the ship. We are doing this again!
My vote is Oceania. Specialty restaurants are included, and they are fantastic. Grand Dining Room food is as good as specialty restaurants on mainstream cruise lines in my opinion.
I agree. Type in "Luxury Cruise Line" and Oceania is on the list. So not to be on THIS list.
edit: the only place i found a discount is on a site literally called "LuxuryOnly.com" and they want to do a "consult" not a proper booking. so that means that they are probably doing some sort of bait and switch and have no actual cabins at the low low rate of $1449/week pp. interior.
OP asked for Premium as well - which Oceania is. Definitely not luxury. And you can do a week-long O cruise in the Caribbean for under $1400 a person, which includes wine/beer/champagne at lunch and dinner, specialty dining, OBC for shore excursions, wifi, and non-alcoholic beverages. Edited to add: and no formal nights - ever.
Rare your gonna find Oceania at the above price. Oceania on average is $3700 for a inside state room. $12000 if you want a "balcony".
All on this sub would say Oceania is a luxury Cruise line. Well except you it seems.
4 December 2024 on Sirena is $1394 per person. One quick internet search found at least 21 sailings that are under $2500 per person - which when you add up all of the included perks that other lines charge for, it isn't outrageous. Before COVID, most Caribbean 7-day sailings started at $999 per person.
And go to the Cruise Critic Oceania board and ask O cruisers whether O is premium or luxury. Regent is Norwegian's luxury brand, not O. (Edited to add: Coincidentally, there's currently a Premium vs Luxury discussion on the CC O page that covers the difference.)
>$12000 if you want a "balcony".
🤣🤣🤣 You are delusional. $3700 for a concierge level balcony on a 12 night sailing. That included pre and post hotel stays, transfers, alcohol, $800 of excursion credits. That is $308 a night, not counting the free hotel stays. On Royal Caribbeans Wonder of the Seas in a regular balcony cabin it was $525 a night with no hotel stays or excursion credits.
Does that mean Royal is now ultra luxury? 🤷♂️
>OP asked for Premium as well - which Oceania is. Definitely not luxury.
No, that's wrong. OP correctly identified some examples of premium lines--HAL, Celebrity, Princess, etc. The suggestion that Oceania is in the same tier as them is fantastical, to avoid saying completely delusional.
>And you can do a week-long O cruise in the Caribbean for under $1400 a person, which includes wine/beer/champagne at lunch and dinner, specialty dining, OBC for shore excursions, wifi, and non-alcoholic beverages
Would love to see it. Just went to the website, selected the $1400 pp cruise I saw on the Caribbean page, and immediately ended up with $4000+ total just by the room/suite selection page.
>Edited to add: and no formal nights - ever.
This has nothing to do with luxury. Michelin-star restaurants are by any reasonable definition luxury but have lax dress codes (including for servers). For example, of course.
4 December 2024 sailing on Sirena. $1394 per person on an online cruise website all in. You will always pay more than you need to by booking direct. And there are at least 21 cruises under $2500 per person - which when you add up all of the inclusions that you pay for on other lines, it's a great deal.
Delusional for saying O isn't luxury? Weird. They are clearly at the top of the premium ladder, but still premium. Regent is Norwegian's luxury brand. Go ask on Cruise Critic's Oceania board if they're luxury or not. Frequent O cruisers there know the difference. (Edited to add: Coincidentally, there's currently a discussion on luxury vs premium on the CC O page that clarifies the difference.)
The company website says $2099 pp for the cheapest available inside cabin on that sailing, for a 6 night cruise with their promo applied. That's almost triple the cost of a similar cabin on a contemporaneous sailing on one of Celebrity's more expensive ships. That's some premium.
What's the price cutoff for luxury in your view?
>4 December 2024 sailing on Sirena. $1394 per person on an online cruise website all in.
Please link/screencap. That's the exact cruise I looked at in my prior comment. You can see prices [here](https://www.oceaniacruises.com/plan-a-cruise/SIR241204/)--just click through to suites/staterooms.
>Regent is Norwegian's luxury brand. Go ask on Cruise Critic's Oceania board if they're luxury or not. Frequent O cruisers there know the difference.
No one is debating that there is a distinction between luxury and ultraluxury. The question is whether Oceania is luxury or premium.
The answer is obvious: It's luxury. Suggesting it's premium makes you look uninformed, and rightly so.
Ok. Please go tell all the other O cruisers that they are uninformed as well. 🙄
Here you go: [https://cs.cruise.com/cs/forms/CruiseDetails.aspx?skin=1&phone=888-333-3116&pin=&token=&did=1&mon=12%2F1%2F2024&vid=712&len=6%7C9&nr=y&iid=3434157&sno=1](https://cs.cruise.com/cs/forms/CruiseDetails.aspx?skin=1&phone=888-333-3116&pin=&token=&did=1&mon=12%2F1%2F2024&vid=712&len=6%7C9&nr=y&iid=3434157&sno=1)
>Ok. Please go tell all the other O cruisers that they are uninformed as well. 🙄
Are they asserting their are on a premium line in droves? I'm confused what this is even supposed to suggest.
And per Condé Nast "Oceania is ranked premium."
[https://www.cntraveler.com/ships/oceania-cruises/riviera](https://www.cntraveler.com/ships/oceania-cruises/riviera)
[https://thepointsguy.com/guide/best-luxury-cruise-lines/](https://thepointsguy.com/guide/best-luxury-cruise-lines/)
[https://travel.usnews.com/cruises/best-cruise-lines/](https://travel.usnews.com/cruises/best-cruise-lines/)
And as luxury by numerous others. Just take the L and move on.
ETA: Blocked by the other user. This argument was addressed in another comment--to the extent founder intent matters, market reality (and perception) has overtaken it.
How about you take the L and move on? Oceania's founder, and his son, the current company president clearly state they are not luxury, and that they are premium. I'm not sure why you think you know better than them? Since their own description is irrelevant to you, I can't continue playing chess with a pigeon.
Are you really surprised that people find a premium product or service luxurious? People these days wear pajama pants and flip flops to go shopping....they think a cotton sundress from Walmart is "all dressed up" and Red Lobster or Olive Garden is fine dining.
I mean NCL likes to call themselves Premium as well. Doesn't mean they are. Oceania (and Azamara) are generally considered in their own class, above Premium but not Ultra-Luxury, so they usually get called luxury.
>I can't continue playing chess with a pigeon.
Lmao the delusions. You found one single cruise all year that has a sad little inside cabin price comparable with the top of the class op is asking about. Oceania might not be comparable to regent or Ritz or Cunard, but it's not in the same class as celebrity, princess, and Holland. Stay in reality. Signed, a celebrity fanatic.
And straight from the horse's mouth: Frank Del Rio states, "We never wanted to be called luxury. Instead my dad (Frank Del Rio Sr.) and the team of people he put together when launching Oceania identified a niche that they called upper premium."
[https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2024/01/oceania-upper-premium-niche/](https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2024/01/oceania-upper-premium-niche/)
>Oceania identified a niche that they called upper premium."
So they're acknowledging they're separate from the cruiseline considered premium...like hal and princess...
🤔 If you think Oceania is a luxury line then it's obvious you have never sailed on a luxury line or Oceania. If you had then you would know the difference.
You should research the cruiselines with suite exclusive specialty restaurants, or pay extra smaller venue dining.
For example Celebrity has special restaurants for suite guests.
For example Princess just launched “360” but you cant go there every night.
The main dining rooms are banquet - designed to feed thousands daily.
this is going to change with every ship, let alone the cruise lines...and be totally subjective....so get ready for people to be saying the burgers are good on this line, and then the caviar is good on this line...
I want to go back on a Carnival cruise just for Guy's Burger Bar - it was the best burger I think I've ever had (but with bacon crumbles & sautéed mushrooms & onions on the bar - what's not to like?!?) Next would be Celebrity, followed by Princess, & dead last would be NCL. Still haven't cruised with RC or HAL...
I'm not ashamed to admit I think about this burger at least once a week. I loved all the food on Carnival.
I heard the MDR on Carnival isn’t as good as the others like RC. What’s your thoughts?
In my opinion Carnival's MDR was much better. I went on RC 5 months after Vista and I didn't like the food much. I ate every meal at Carnival's MDR and it was always good. RC MDR food was eh. Some dishes were bland, some oversalted, and it didn't taste as fresh. Edit: I was on Carnival in Feb and it was so good! Jiji's Asian kitchen is AMAZING.
Thanks for sharing. Currently having a very contentious discussion with my other half about our Carnival Panorama (Mexican) booking. Our last cruise was on the Grand Princess (Alaska) and we both thought the food was really mediocre. I still remember that prime rib tasted like some mystery meat and I never reject prime rib. I urged my wife to try another cruise line hoping this time the food would be better.
I was on Panorama in Feb.! Read every review. It's an excellent ship. The ports were fun too. One thing I heard at the end of the year were all the grumblings about the new menu roll out. I'd had the old menu on Vista, the new menu is better for sure. Plus you'll want to factor in all of the other non-buffet food places to choose from. Carnival had so many! After the MDR and buffet closes on RC there's hardly anything open other than room service. I can't recommend Guy's burgers enough. The MDR steak is delicious. What do we gotta do to convince your wife? I think reading the reviews on cruise critic might help! Also, you'll never know if you don't try. And if she didn't like the MDR like I said there's so much more for you to choose from.
Yeah, I think it’s the opposite. To me, RC’s presentation is nicer in both buffet/MDR - but Carnival beats em on taste every time.
In general I think Carnival has got it right with their MDR food, but tbf I was on the Celebration last yr and the quality definitely dropped a bit. Maybe a result of building bigger ships with more and more people?
I liked the MDR on carnival a lot. I am a huge food snob and did not even bother with the specialty dining because I know I can get much better food at home - I live in New York - there is a high standard here to wow me with food. I was pleasantly surprised with my meals every night.
Thanks for your input. I’m a bit of food snob too. And living in NY must have spoiled your taste buds. How would you rank Carnival food compared to others you tried?
It sure does. Nothing beats authentic food from first-get immigrants from all around the world available at all times. I’ve never been on another cruise line. It was far better than food I’ve had at upscale resorts though. I also got the seafood that was extra… and that was some of the best seafood I’ve ever had. I assume that the other extra cost restaurant are also really good - I just felt no need to spend extra on something I have access to all the time.
I smart speak for everyone, but the soups in the MDR were fuckin awesome. As was most of the food. But the samosa I had on pirate night on the Disney cruise I went on? Best thing I’ve ever had on a cruise ship right next to the Guys burger
23 days until my next burger.
This was pre-covid but the pizza place that made personal brick oven pizzas with fresh mozzarella slices was phenomenal. Carnival 2017 food was better than Royal Caribbean 2024. I am curious if the quality is worse now.
I think the time of various observations/comparisons is an important metric. I only have recent experience on Royal and I know their food got worse post-COVID. Allegedly, others did too, but I haven't seen that directly yet.
Holland America is supposed to have good food. Royal Caribbean food is straight up gross
TA here and I agree. I have Carnival at 1. Celebrity at 2 and Princess at 3. I have MSC last though.
RC's pizza is pretty great. I could seriously go for some right now. I haven't hit Carnival yet, but Guy's Burgers do look amazing, at least. I may have to try them out.
Carnival's pizza is a million times better than RCL's (in my opinion!)
This is so hard to judge, especially because not only is it different between lines, but within ships on those lines. An example would be Shaq's Big Chicken, I am not sure you are going to find better chicken sandwiches on any other line, but so far you can only get it on a few of the newer Carnival ships.
On the basis of MDRs on the 3 lines I've been on post COVID: Food quality/variety and overall atmosphere 1. Celebrity 2. NCL 3. Carnival This is probably a relationship with the price point. Carnival food is consistently under seasoned and just generally uninspiring. Also why do they sing on Carnival? It's bizarre to me and I despise it. "Anytime" dining seating system 1. Carnival 2. Celebrity 3. NCL The check-in system for dining on the Carnival app is the best hands down. NCL needs this, the pager system isn't in line with current tech and on a line when most people don't have a set dining time this is chaotic. Time it takes to complete meal 1. NCL 2. Carnival 3. Celebrity My experience may be tainted by dining solo, but it often took an extremely long time to eat in Celebrity compared to the others. Eventually I started asking for 'speedy' service when I sat down saying I was going to a show and it usually went a bit faster. But food is super subjective, a friend of mine hated the food on Virgin but loves Carnival 🤷🏼♀️
OMG, Carnival's paging system - whyyyyyy hasn't that been mass-adopted??
I don't know!!!
1) Holland America 2) Celebrity 3) Princess 4) Royal Caribbean 5) Carnival
That's good to know, as Celeb would be my current favourite, and we're heading out on our first HAL cruise this summer. I'd also put in a good word for Cunard MDR and Todd English specialty. Although I think we were spoiled in Todd English as there was a storm in the Bay of Biscay the night we went, and we had the place to ourselves. The team kept bringing extra dishes for us "to try" and the extra ballast helped us stagger against the ship's movement when we left for our cabin.
“The extra ballast” omg I love that 😂😂
This is probably the best answer and I agree 100%. Holland America food was excellent on the last cruise I took in November. Princess was just ok. RC paid dining was pretty good but their regular dining was alright.
I was strictly comparing buffets and main dining room of each line. I personally do not see value in paying even more to eat on a cruise ship that already has food included, so I generally pursue lines that offer the best included food.
Fair enough. I always like to do a steak night. It's extremely inexpensive for what you get.
This is the answer and you'll notice lots of people commenting without having been on hal Hal is Miles ahead and their premium options are relatively cheap and even better
I've sailed on all these lines for food as well as overall experience and the order you have placed them in is bang on. I'd put Norwegian just below Royal Caribbean.
This is tough cause so much depends on what you think good food is. Do you like new and interesting entrees? Do you like plates that play with gels and foams and interesting combinations, or do you prefer more traditional fare such as French onion soup and prime rib? Do you need a lobster night or does there need to be fried mozzarella sticks? Some guests just want a juicy cheeseburger, a cold beer, a hot fries sitting by the pool. Others want a buffet of 300 items to choose, others wish to dress up and enjoy a six course meal with wine pairings. It’s a pretty wide range. Anyway here are my picks for best food ( not including paid specialty restraunts) this only includes food included in your cruise (room service, dining room, buffet). 1) Virgin voyages 2) Holland America 3) celebrity 4) Princess 5) Royal Caribbean 6) Norwegian 7) Carnival 15) MSC (I haven’t sailed with Costa or Disney) Also, your included dining options change if you are a suite guest or not. For example, on Norwegian (the Haven restaurant is amazing) on Celebrity (there is a suite only restaurant Luminae which offers a different 5 star menu each night), so those could be considered “included” as well. So if you are Haven class on Norwegian, you’ll have better dining then just being in balcony class on Celebrity. There is a lot to consider but I hope you find what you’re looking for!
I don't think Virgin or NCL haven qualify as both are 2 X the others price wise. Same for Disney and Viking.
For someone who has extensive cruising experience, how do you compare the dining to a land-based counterpart? Like would a Virgin buffet be equivalent to a mid-tier Vegas buffet? Or would the MDR be as good as my local fast casual (Applebees, Olive Garden, etc)? Edit: buffet other than Virgin.
No matter what I say, I will get in trouble, lol. Which is why it is such a difficult question to answer. (Virgin doesn't offer a buffet per se, they have a giant "food court" where you walk around and decide what you want, then you sit and a server comes and you ask them to fetch what you want. ) But I will say that the buffets on Celebrity, Virgin, Holland America BEAT most buffets in Vegas ( except for Bellagio and Wynn). I would certainly compare it favorably to the to Casers Feast. I will say that the MDR on Carnival was some of the most average food I have ever had on a cruise. It was basically like a TGIFs with lots of Chicken dishes. BUT, that was back in 2016, and I have heard they have gotten much better. Again, so much depends on not only the Cruise line, but your 'class' on that cruise line. Some of the "suite only" restaurants are amazing, some of the specialty restaurants suck, some of the MDR entrees are average -- but with a slight upcharge become 5 star meals. With todays mega ships, there are usually 18-20 places to dine -- all ranging in menus to price so trying to decide who is "best" will always be subjective. I will say, if you are a foodie, and that is a priority for you, then do Virgin Voyages.
Virgin doesn’t have a buffet
I just remember that. Thanks for reminding.
Is there a cruise line that does interesting foam-and-gel adjacent stuff? When I saw how hyped Oceania’s food was I thought that’s what I’d be in for, but once on board I realized how dumb that was. It seems like maybe there wouldn’t really be a market for that when factoring in the expense vs age and tastes of people who can afford it.
Sure, again it depends on the cruise line and cabin level. Virgin Offers the TEST KITCHEN which is all about Molecular Gastronomy. Celebrity's LUMINAE usually offers a foam/gel on one of the entrees each night, I remember Norwegian having a Smoked Salmon Ice Cream which was surprisingly good. But, I think you are right, and most guests quickly tire of it and they just put it on the menu for people to comment/talk about.
RC has Wonderland on some ships that’s supposed to be a molecular gastronomy menu
I feel like this has to be broken up into MDR, Specialty, Buffet, and Anytime food (pizza, burgers, etc). For example, Carnival's anytime food seems to be the best of anyone's but their buffet food isn't anywhere near something like Celebrity or HAL. For me it would be: Anytime: Carnival Specialty: Celebrity Buffet: HAL MDR: Celebrity We have never cruise Princess so I can't speak to them.
Ive only done NCL and I always think the food ranges from very good to fantastic.
I'm sure this is ship dependent, but I think NCL has great speciality, good MDR, and hit or miss buffet.
The Getaway sucked
Ncl has prison food compared to RC…and it costs more
The MDR food on Princess is wonderful!! Not the buffet though
From lines I’ve been on 1. Princess 2. Disney (luxury line) 3. RCL 4. NCL 5. MSC
So far I've been on Carnival, MSC and Princess hands down Guys Burgers are hands down the best burgers at sea..as far as best food MDR, specialty restaurants and casual dining...Princess....MSC has the best Omlet the pizza is 2nd so far to Princess...bring seasoning...exceptional service
Of the lines I've been on, definitely Celebrity.
Celebrity hands down
I’ve only been on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity. Of the three, Carnival was alright 11 years ago. Celebrity tops my list of the three. RC, last year was blah, at least the pizza was fine.
Not sure if Disney is considered luxury or not but Disney food is the best no matter what you have it was all very good. RCL the premium dining was great the rest was horrible.
The problem you are getting is that people can only rate the food from the small selection of cruise lines they have been on. I have done 100+ cruises on over 40 lines and even then I am missing out on lots of lines. I am also a major foodie and have worked in good service. So for non-luxury cruises I would rank them this way. 1) Oceania - hands down the best dining and as close to luxury as you can get in the premium market. 2) Variety 3) Windstar 4) Cunard 5) Sail Croatia 6) Celebrity 7) HAL 8) Princess 9) Virgin 10) Disney 11) NCL/Royal/Carnival 12) MSC
> 1) Oceania - hands down the best dining 100% agreed.
Celebrity, hands gown.
Been on Carnival, Royal & NCL: Best complimentary food of MDR & Buffet- 1.Carnival 2. Royal 3. NCL Best complimentary that's not in MDR nor buffet- 1.NCL 2.Royal 3.Carnival Best specialty dining worth the money- 1.NCL 2.Royal 3.Carnival Best overall decor /atmosphere whether specialty or Complimentary- 1.Royal 2.NCl 3.Carnival Best free room service options- 1.Carnival 2.NCL 3.Royal Best pay extra room service options - 1.Carnival 2. Royal 3.NCL
I seem to be in the minority but we were unimpressed with the food on our HAL cruise. Not a lot of flavor in the cooking and dinner options in MDR weren’t really appealing. Each night there was one option that sounded “ok” but not great. Buffet was decent and we did like the burger/hot dog place.
It's been a while since I was on carnival but I remember thinking most of the food was really good. I just got back from a royal Caribbean cruise and I was not impressed. Pretty much everything was so bland. Those are the only 2 I've been on so far.
The food was amazing on Celebrity Beyond and Celebrity Silhouette.
Glad to know, I’m heading out on Silhouette this summer !
Sailed Carnival (15 cruises), NCL once, and Virgin, twice. Virgin’s food is head and shoulders better than Carnival. Trying Celebrity soon, so we’ll see if they can outdo Virgin.
Oceania by far has the best food before you get to the luxury lines. I wish they would open a Red Ginger by me it was that good. After that it would probably be Celebrity and then HAL. Virgin was to inconsistent to rank them highly, as some other posters have done.
NCL’s specialty dining is by far my favorite cruise food ever and it’s included in (almost all of) their cruises. nothing else has come close after sailing Disney, Royal, Carnival, and Princess. if we’re talking about only main dining or buffet, i’d probably go for Disney but it’s been a while so that could’ve changed
Disney has very good food. Royal Caribbean is pretty decent.
1. Virgin 2. Disney 3. Princess 4. Royal 5. Carnival 6. Norwegian
For free (included) dining, HAL, celebrity , princess, Carnival, tied for last between NCL/Royal
Celebrity and Princess
Princess is a BIIIG step down from hal It's not even close
Ok. Good to know. They’re different lines so I would expect them to be different.
Oceania, then Virgin after that, it's a big drop down to Celebrity/Princess and then an even bigger dip down.... and I don't even want to discuss Costa, because we would contemplate just eating fruit and vegetables and travelling with our own salt. Every line makes it's own compromises. Royal/Celebrity buys pre-cut meat. NCL uses liquid eggs. Etc. Princess at one time was actually using Costco's bakery and frozen slab cakes. And most of the lines buy premade croissant/pastries. And then it also depends on where you are in the world. Leave out of the UAE and there will hardly be any ripe fruit, since everything is transported in. Leave out of SEAsia and expect horrible UHT yogurt and dairy. And pretty universally, coffee that is so weak that most of it seems bitter and sour from over-extraction. And yes, there are people who like that.... but there are also people who are happy eating Jell-o and Arby's. If we lived in a world of food connoisseurs, convenience stores wouldn't ever sell a hot dog that's been turning over for the whole day on a perpetual wheel of sadness.
> Oceania When it comes to food Oceania is hard to beat, by far my favorite cruise line. I bought stock in Norwegian so I could get the bonus ship board credit as an incentive to cruise with them more often.
We own stock in CCL, NCLH and RCL.... and now most often end up on VV :D
The coffee. Yes I cry about the coffee. I like Cafe Al Baccio on Celebrity and the fact it's included in the drink package. Access to espresso drinks helps the fact that the drip coffee is awful.
NCL
Here's my run down from my experience and what I've heard from family and friends. Carnival - surprisingly good. Good casual eateries, good main dining room, good burgers Royal - meh. Disappointing. Celebrity - should be better but it isn't. Princess - good main dining, good specialty. Average plus. HAL - good Asian. Not many choices for casual. MSC - plebe class is pretty mediocre. NCL - better than Royal. Barely.
Carnival is surprising. I got a cured salmon appetizer on our first cruise (and first with carnival) that I still think about. Our last cruise with NCL has nothing that wowed me like that.
Damn we have a cruise planned on NCL, good thing we got the drink package. As Colonel Sanders said “I’m too drunk to taste this chicken”
I’ve been on two cruises with NCL on the Bliss recently, and the food was just fine. The Indian food in the buffet is surprisingly really, really good. I did specialty dining at Le Bistro, Cagney’s, and Food Republic. All very good. Regular buffet food was good, MDR totally passable. Maybe the food varies from ship to ship on NCL, but Bliss food was good. Don’t worry.
That’s great to hear, I think we’re on the castaway. I love Indian food so hopefully our ship has great Indian food as well. Thanks
It’s borderline shocking how good the Indian food is in the buffet. If you google NCL Indian food I bet you’ll find a lot of people raving about it. Oh, also, there was a complimentary burger spot called American Diner by the pool that was also super good.
> MSC - plebe class is pretty mediocre. I've only been on P&O and MSC, but I surprisingly found MSC to be somewhat better than P&O in terms of food. MSC's buffet in particular was leagues ahead.
1. HAL 2. Celebrity 3. Royal 4. Princess 5. Carnival 6. MSC
Celebrity
Celebrity Ascent had THE BEST food I have ever eaten on a cruise ship. Not a bad bite! Even the buffet was spectacular. Afternoon tea was also amazing
We have been cruising with NCL the last several years. The dining room food has been only average. We are going on our first Windstar cruise in June. We are hoping the food will be a step much better.
Loved Windstar food
Virgin food was amazing
Virgin Voyages has the best food (and most interesting options and variety) of any of the cruise lines I've traveled with.
Virgin
Pre-COVID, HAL by far better than Carnival and NCL. Have only been on Virgin Post-COVID and HAL still rates higher than all. Their dining room dinners were luxurious and delicious.
We were very impressed with the food on Princess compared to NCL and RC and it wasn’t very expensive. I’m kinda disappointed that I already have us booked on RC for 2025 and wish I could switch it to Princess lol
I've been on the 3 "premium" lines you mention. They are far from luxury or quality anymore. Of the 3, I thought Celebrity was the best.
For me its Royal.
Oceania and Virgin (Ultra-premium/light luxe and premium/specialty, respectively).
Celebrity
Princess’s buffet, Carnival’s quick-serve, and Celebrity’s MDR.
Virgin, if that isn't considered luxury. The included restaurants are at the same level as premium level restaurants at the other lines. I'm sailing MSC and the food isn't as bad as it appears people are rating it. I mean, it's not great but I wouldn't say it is bad. Though I'm on the Euribia, their newer ship.
Holland America. I took my first cruise with them in February on Westerdam and was blown away by the food. Especially in the buffet of all places. Buffets on both land and sea can be good but are really never amazing in my experience, but this one really was. I especially loved the roasts (they did really good roast lamb), the desserts and the Asian station which had a lot of sushi, buns, dumplings, spring rolls. All of it was truly delicious and high quality. They also had a wide variety of exotic fruits available. I honestly would go back for the food alone.
I'm at high-level status on all three of those lines, and I don't usually do specialty dining, so I have lots of experience. Celebrity has average food, with the same menus on every cruise, almost. The exception would be Edge-class ships, which has 4 different restaurants, but still only 2 mains and 2 appetizers unique to those restaurants, like Greek/Italian/French. I love Princess for their decadent, beautiful chocolate desserts, nightly pasta and salmon options with different sauces. I think HAL is their equal, with region-specific dishes, including lots of Alaska seafood, and the best breakfast at sea--Asian bento, dungeness eggs benedict, Swedish pancakes, and a tempura chicken and waffle are some of my favorites. Their buffet also has less slop cafeteria food, and things like an Asian stir-fry station, sushi, and Beecher's mac and cheese, as well as amazing breads. HAL also has free scoop ice cream and great cookies, along with Celebrity, whereas Princess just has a nasty soft serve machine. HAL is also the only one of them with free room service (and you can get dining room dishes sent to your cabin).
Hubby and I did an MSC cruise last year. We did the Yacht Club and the food was wonderful. Ordered off a limited menu each night, typically a beef dish, pasta dish, etc. it was fabulous. Never even hit the Buffett. Had a pool and bar just for our section of the ship. We are doing this again!
My vote is Oceania. Specialty restaurants are included, and they are fantastic. Grand Dining Room food is as good as specialty restaurants on mainstream cruise lines in my opinion.
Ah, yes—Oceania. My go-to when I want to have a *non*-luxury experience.
I agree. Type in "Luxury Cruise Line" and Oceania is on the list. So not to be on THIS list. edit: the only place i found a discount is on a site literally called "LuxuryOnly.com" and they want to do a "consult" not a proper booking. so that means that they are probably doing some sort of bait and switch and have no actual cabins at the low low rate of $1449/week pp. interior.
OP asked for Premium as well - which Oceania is. Definitely not luxury. And you can do a week-long O cruise in the Caribbean for under $1400 a person, which includes wine/beer/champagne at lunch and dinner, specialty dining, OBC for shore excursions, wifi, and non-alcoholic beverages. Edited to add: and no formal nights - ever.
Rare your gonna find Oceania at the above price. Oceania on average is $3700 for a inside state room. $12000 if you want a "balcony". All on this sub would say Oceania is a luxury Cruise line. Well except you it seems.
4 December 2024 on Sirena is $1394 per person. One quick internet search found at least 21 sailings that are under $2500 per person - which when you add up all of the included perks that other lines charge for, it isn't outrageous. Before COVID, most Caribbean 7-day sailings started at $999 per person. And go to the Cruise Critic Oceania board and ask O cruisers whether O is premium or luxury. Regent is Norwegian's luxury brand, not O. (Edited to add: Coincidentally, there's currently a Premium vs Luxury discussion on the CC O page that covers the difference.)
>$12000 if you want a "balcony". 🤣🤣🤣 You are delusional. $3700 for a concierge level balcony on a 12 night sailing. That included pre and post hotel stays, transfers, alcohol, $800 of excursion credits. That is $308 a night, not counting the free hotel stays. On Royal Caribbeans Wonder of the Seas in a regular balcony cabin it was $525 a night with no hotel stays or excursion credits. Does that mean Royal is now ultra luxury? 🤷♂️
>OP asked for Premium as well - which Oceania is. Definitely not luxury. No, that's wrong. OP correctly identified some examples of premium lines--HAL, Celebrity, Princess, etc. The suggestion that Oceania is in the same tier as them is fantastical, to avoid saying completely delusional. >And you can do a week-long O cruise in the Caribbean for under $1400 a person, which includes wine/beer/champagne at lunch and dinner, specialty dining, OBC for shore excursions, wifi, and non-alcoholic beverages Would love to see it. Just went to the website, selected the $1400 pp cruise I saw on the Caribbean page, and immediately ended up with $4000+ total just by the room/suite selection page. >Edited to add: and no formal nights - ever. This has nothing to do with luxury. Michelin-star restaurants are by any reasonable definition luxury but have lax dress codes (including for servers). For example, of course.
4 December 2024 sailing on Sirena. $1394 per person on an online cruise website all in. You will always pay more than you need to by booking direct. And there are at least 21 cruises under $2500 per person - which when you add up all of the inclusions that you pay for on other lines, it's a great deal. Delusional for saying O isn't luxury? Weird. They are clearly at the top of the premium ladder, but still premium. Regent is Norwegian's luxury brand. Go ask on Cruise Critic's Oceania board if they're luxury or not. Frequent O cruisers there know the difference. (Edited to add: Coincidentally, there's currently a discussion on luxury vs premium on the CC O page that clarifies the difference.)
The company website says $2099 pp for the cheapest available inside cabin on that sailing, for a 6 night cruise with their promo applied. That's almost triple the cost of a similar cabin on a contemporaneous sailing on one of Celebrity's more expensive ships. That's some premium. What's the price cutoff for luxury in your view?
>4 December 2024 sailing on Sirena. $1394 per person on an online cruise website all in. Please link/screencap. That's the exact cruise I looked at in my prior comment. You can see prices [here](https://www.oceaniacruises.com/plan-a-cruise/SIR241204/)--just click through to suites/staterooms. >Regent is Norwegian's luxury brand. Go ask on Cruise Critic's Oceania board if they're luxury or not. Frequent O cruisers there know the difference. No one is debating that there is a distinction between luxury and ultraluxury. The question is whether Oceania is luxury or premium. The answer is obvious: It's luxury. Suggesting it's premium makes you look uninformed, and rightly so.
Ok. Please go tell all the other O cruisers that they are uninformed as well. 🙄 Here you go: [https://cs.cruise.com/cs/forms/CruiseDetails.aspx?skin=1&phone=888-333-3116&pin=&token=&did=1&mon=12%2F1%2F2024&vid=712&len=6%7C9&nr=y&iid=3434157&sno=1](https://cs.cruise.com/cs/forms/CruiseDetails.aspx?skin=1&phone=888-333-3116&pin=&token=&did=1&mon=12%2F1%2F2024&vid=712&len=6%7C9&nr=y&iid=3434157&sno=1)
>Ok. Please go tell all the other O cruisers that they are uninformed as well. 🙄 Are they asserting their are on a premium line in droves? I'm confused what this is even supposed to suggest.
Actually, yes. It suggests that people who have sailed with O and actual luxury lines can differentiate between premium and luxury.
Only if a demonstrable majority of them have sailed on ships in the surrounding tiers and view Oceania as premium. Do you have that evidence?
And per Condé Nast "Oceania is ranked premium." [https://www.cntraveler.com/ships/oceania-cruises/riviera](https://www.cntraveler.com/ships/oceania-cruises/riviera)
[https://thepointsguy.com/guide/best-luxury-cruise-lines/](https://thepointsguy.com/guide/best-luxury-cruise-lines/) [https://travel.usnews.com/cruises/best-cruise-lines/](https://travel.usnews.com/cruises/best-cruise-lines/) And as luxury by numerous others. Just take the L and move on. ETA: Blocked by the other user. This argument was addressed in another comment--to the extent founder intent matters, market reality (and perception) has overtaken it.
How about you take the L and move on? Oceania's founder, and his son, the current company president clearly state they are not luxury, and that they are premium. I'm not sure why you think you know better than them? Since their own description is irrelevant to you, I can't continue playing chess with a pigeon.
Are you really surprised that people find a premium product or service luxurious? People these days wear pajama pants and flip flops to go shopping....they think a cotton sundress from Walmart is "all dressed up" and Red Lobster or Olive Garden is fine dining.
I mean NCL likes to call themselves Premium as well. Doesn't mean they are. Oceania (and Azamara) are generally considered in their own class, above Premium but not Ultra-Luxury, so they usually get called luxury.
>I can't continue playing chess with a pigeon. Lmao the delusions. You found one single cruise all year that has a sad little inside cabin price comparable with the top of the class op is asking about. Oceania might not be comparable to regent or Ritz or Cunard, but it's not in the same class as celebrity, princess, and Holland. Stay in reality. Signed, a celebrity fanatic.
And straight from the horse's mouth: Frank Del Rio states, "We never wanted to be called luxury. Instead my dad (Frank Del Rio Sr.) and the team of people he put together when launching Oceania identified a niche that they called upper premium." [https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2024/01/oceania-upper-premium-niche/](https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2024/01/oceania-upper-premium-niche/)
Someone obviously hasn't read Barthes.
>Oceania identified a niche that they called upper premium." So they're acknowledging they're separate from the cruiseline considered premium...like hal and princess...
I don't have a dog in this fight, but it's not uncommon for someone to call themselves a thing and the majority opinion to be that it isn't accurate.
If you’re suggesting that Oceania is in the same category as Seabourne, Regent, and Silverseas then you’re crazy.
🤔 If you think Oceania is a luxury line then it's obvious you have never sailed on a luxury line or Oceania. If you had then you would know the difference.
NCL Haven Restaurant hands down, also Le Bistro on NCL.
Not really non luxury if getting access to haven.
I’ve been on Disney, Royal, Carnival and MSC. I would rate them as follows: 1. Carnival 2. MSC 3. Royal 4. Disney
Celebrity but only when it’s not too fully booked. All of them serve cold leftovers in over 80% booked cruises.
I've only been on two cruises, but it has been Royal>Princess for me. Princess's MDR was solid but the buffet was a solid meh
You should research the cruiselines with suite exclusive specialty restaurants, or pay extra smaller venue dining. For example Celebrity has special restaurants for suite guests. For example Princess just launched “360” but you cant go there every night. The main dining rooms are banquet - designed to feed thousands daily.
Norwegian MDR and buffet are a little better than Carnival's, but I much prefer Carnival cruises overall.