Best cruise lines for foodies

Cruises and food go hand in hand. And, as travellers appetites for dining experiences have grown, so have the cruise lines offerings. From interactive dining to culinary programmes, celebrity chefs to shore experiences, here are the best cruise lines for foodies.

Celebrity Cruises dedication to high-quality cuisine is seriously impressive. However, it’s their innovative approach to interactive dining where they really outshine the rest. Le Petit Chef™ is a one-of-a-kind dining concept where tabletops come to life with an animated fusion of entertainment and dining. The collaboration with TableMotion Studios first debuted on Celebrity Edge in 2018 and features a 3D animation of a tiny chef preparing your plate for you. Le Petit Chef™ can be found on every single ship in the Celebrity Cruises fleet apart from Celebrity Flora, Celebrity Xpedition and Celebrity Xploration.

Attention to detail is Holland America Line’s thing. So much so the cruise line has created the Holland America Line Culinary Council® which brings global influence and expertise to dining venues across their fleet. The council is made up of eight world-class celebrity chefs led by Rudi Sodamin, the Culinary Council Chairman. The line-up also includes Kristen Kish, Top Chef season 10 winner, David Burke, a restaurateur, cookbook author, inventor and consultant, Jacques Torres, a French-trained Master Chef and artisan chocolatier, Ethan Stowell, who was named one of the Best New Chefs in America by Food & Wine in 2008, Jonnie Boer, a Dutch-born chef and Andy Masuda, the founder of the Sushi Chef Institute in Southern California.

In 2019, Oceania Cruises introduced Dom Pérignon champagne dinners to La Reserve. The six-course Dom Pérignon Experience, available on Marina and Riviera, is a spirited Champagne pairing dinner blending playful Dom Pérignon vintages with refreshing gastronomic surprises. Expect Britanny blue lobster in a yellow curry broth with coco foam, sashimi-style seared wagyu beef with sauteed arugula, blood orange-soya jus and caviar perlita, all perfectly paired with Dom Pérignon.

Staff Stories: The Finest Cuisine at Sea® on Marina

P&O Cruises work with the brightest lights of the culinary scene, their Food Heroes Marco Pierre White, Olly Smith and Eric Lanlard, to bring guests innovative, delicious menus and exclusive foodie experiences. One of these foodie experiences is The Cookery Club, which provides a fantastic opportunity to get hands-on in a state-of-the-art kitchen. Featured on Britannia, The Cookery Club, which is hosted by Marco Pierre White on select sailings, offers cooking demonstrations, delicious dinners and even interactive Q&A sessions.

As a pioneer for culinary voyages, Princess Cruises has been voted as one of the best cruise lines for food lovers by Food & Wine Magazine. And it’s easy to see why! The Chef’s Table experience is no ordinary meal on a Princess cruise. The evening begins with a galley tour during the kitchen’s busiest dinner hours where the executive chef reveals the evening’s special menu as guests enjoy pre-dinner drinks and appetisers. Then, a multi-course dinner is served at a reserved table in the dining room. The evening’s menu may focus on regional cuisine or local ingredients and each course is paired with wine. During dessert, the chef joins the group to answer questions. To conclude the experience, each participant receives an autographed copy of a Princess cookbook, a handwritten copy of the menu and a souvenir photo.

Seabourn’s intimate fleet of small size ships means guests receive the ultimate service. This service extends to shore with the cruise line’s extensive Epicurean Collection which includes experiences as diverse as roaming the markets on Shopping with the Chef days in local markets, visiting gardens to see what grows locally, trying regional specialities and learning how to make them. Most popular is the Shopping with the Chef days where chefs shop for the ship and stop to share how various ingredients can be used back on board, even talking through recipes and offering a taste of ingredients.

When Silver Moon debuted so did Silversea’s Sea and Land Taste (S.A.L.T) Programme. Promising to broaden guests taste horizons, the programme sees passengers take a deep dive into destinations with immersive culinary experiences. The S.A.L.T Kitchen serves to compliment on shore experiences with destination-focused menus and wines, the S.A.L.T Bar serves regional drinks and the S.A.L.T Lab offers workshops, tastings and demonstrations.