Vacation Cruising

We all must eat! Luckily, for you, cruise ships can offer up some of the most delicious and well-prepared food around. You may be lucky enough to sample foods you’ve never tried before, and you’ll want to enjoy the great cuisine.

The deal is food, food, and more food. Breakfast, brunch, lunch, mid afternoon snack or tea, dinner, midnight buffet and room service, you’ve never had so many eating opportunities. They have to think up names for all the different meal times. You’ll have as many as 10 opportunities a day to eat.

Food on board is covered in your cruise package, but there are extras that can add up quickly busting your budget. Many will have specialty coffee shops or pool side snack bars that are not included. If you want to save some cash, try to stay away from these. There really is no need to put extra charges on your account for these.

Complimentary ice cream is often served during the late afternoon in the buffet area and offered as a dessert selection in the dining rooms. Free coffee and tea are usually are available 24-hours a day someplace on most ships and you might consider brining an insulated mug from home to fill up at the beverage station.

You will be able to request your dinnertime, so it’s a good idea to explore this a little more closely. With so many opportunities to eat, seating and such can be an important part of your cruise.

Cruise ships generally offer two main seating schedules. The early seating generally starts with a breakfast around 7:00 a.m. with lunch at noon and dinner at six. Late seating starts around 8:30 a.m. for breakfast with lunch at 1:15 p.m. and dinner at 8:15 p.m.

These times, obviously, aren’t exactly the same for every ship, but these examples should be close. Once you pick a mealtime you’ll be expected to follow it for the three main meals of the day. Some ships are more flexible about breakfast and lunch than dinner.

If you can’t make your mealtime, you might let your waiter know so they don’t wait for you. You’ll have lots of other meals that you can catch. You can’t go hungry on a cruise ship. There are lots of other opportunities to find food. Early breakfast on deck, maybe an informal lunch on deck by the pool, tea, midnight buffet and most ships have free room service, some for all 24 hours.

It’s up to you and those in your party to choose which mealtime is better for you. Are you early risers or late sleepers? When do you usually eat at home? What type of cruise activity is your favorite?

The early schedule will cut into your sunning on deck time. The late seating cuts into your nightlife. If you like to linger over a long dinner, the later seating will feel less pressure to clear the table since there won’t be another seating immediately following your dinner.

If you take the second sitting, you’ll have more time to spend on shore exploring the ports of call or participating in shore excursions.

Many ships have 2, 4, 6, 8 and larger person tables in their dining rooms. The Cruise Line will do its best to match you to your preference, but just like the cabins, those who book earliest will have a better chance at getting their request.

When deciding what size table to sit at, there are a couple of points to consider. If it’s just the two of you, and you want privacy, go for the 2 top. You will have to move quickly, since there is a limited number of two person tables available. The four tops can be risky for a couple. You’ll only have one other couple at the table, and you might get lucky or get stuck with some duds. Many cruisers enjoy the chance to get to meet others and go for the larger tables. A bigger table will also increase the chance that you’ll be able to find others in the mix whom you will enjoy meeting.

If you’re not happy with your seating or your companions, Speak with the Maitre d’ immediately. They probably won’t be able to do anything immediately since all the tables will already be full, but they can start to work on solving your problem.

Your seating request should be listed on the cruise information packet that you’ll receive after booking. Some Cruise Lines will confirm your seating before you arrive. You’ll usually also find a meal assignment card in your cabin when you arrive. It should have your table’s number on it.

You might want to take the assignment card along to your first meal, so you know where you are going.

Every cruise line will state that "no requests are guaranteed" and that your table assignment will be confirmed at embarkation. The worst way to start your cruise vacation is to find out at embarkation that the cruise line wasn't able to honor your dining preference. For example, you wanted the main seating and you've been assigned the late seating or you wanted the late seating and have assigned to the main seating.

Also, if you are just traveling as a couple and want a table for two, you won't know whether you have a table for two until you arrive at dinner that first evening. The worst scenario possible is you think you have a table for two and then find out at dinner that you've been put at a table with four other couples.

To avoid these problems, make sure at embarkation that your dining preference, as well as all others in your group show what you requested. Your boarding cards issued by the cruise line at embarkation, such as should show your dining room assignment — early or late — and table assignment.

Verify that all members of your group have the same dining room and table assignment. If not, as soon as you board the ship, go immediately to the dining room and meet with the Maitre d' to ask him to make the needed changes. The Maitre d' will usually always try to accommodate your wishes if at all possible. The key here is that changes are made on a first-come, first-serve basis, so the earlier you see the Maitre d' the better your chances are to get the needed changes made.

Similarly, if you are expecting a table for two, visit the dining room as soon as you board the ship and find your table (each table is numbered). If it isn't a table for two, speak with the Maitre d' to get it changed. You spend a lot of time at dinner and you want it to meet your expectations.

Want to make brownie points with the crew and possibly get even better service? Most cruise ship employees have to eat what is left over from the dining room menu or buffet (unless they want to pay for something different). You may want to ask if there is anything special they would like and then order room service and give it to them. (Usually they want burgers!). Since room service is included in your reservation, you will win the gratitude of these employees and reap the benefits!

Bring along some zip-lock Baggies. They’ll come in very handy for shore trips. Order up a sandwich from room service and pack it in your Baggie to take on shore with you. This way you won’t have to eat in a restaurant that will most likely break your budget. I’ve heard tales of $18.50 for a salad in Hilo, Hawaii, and $32 for a tuna sandwich in Cozumel!

If you have special dietary needs, notify the cruise line up front. They can usually make some accommodations for your special needs. Often the menus will already have choices that are low calorie, low sodium or vegetarian. But, you’ll still want to notify the line up front to see if they can accommodate your requests.

As we’ve stated before, you certainly won’t go hungry on board a cruise ship. Beverages, however, can break your cruise budget. There are ways to save on these too though.