Right now, my daughter is traveling on Norwegian Encore from Seattle for her honeymoon. They regret not doing the Caribbean or Europe and are dissatisfied with the trip itself. They both stated it was an absolute snooze fest and they are 29. She has taken eight cruises: two on Princess, four on Celebrity, one on Carnival, and one on Norwegian. This cuisine, she claimed, was inferior to all of others.
If you’re a gourmet, you will not be satisfied with anything. Additionally, the food at Virgin is quite underwhelming, so don’t fell for their marketing.
This summer, we took a Celebrity cruise to Alaska and were fortunate enough to dine in Luminae, the restaurant reserved for Retreat participants.) Everyone concurred that the food and service were the best they had ever had on a trip. (If it’s relevant, I work as a travel agent and take cruises frequently, so I have a lot of comparisons.) Among those who dined in the main dining rooms on the same voyage, our pals claimed that overall, it was still better than their previous cruises (Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Princess).
Consider Princess and add the Premier package if you often receive a drink package. You can add limitless specialty dining for an additional $30 per day on top of the drinks, wifi, and crew appreciation fee. Using the ships Princess has in Seattle for Alaska on May 25 and 26, this is an amazing method to ensure delectable meals each and every time. The Star Princess, who boasts the most specialized dining options among the fleet, will be here for 26.
Food is subjective so you’re not going to get a definitive answer. I’ve sailed on all four of those lines and would rate Celebrity as the clear winner for included food and Norwegian for extra charge restaurants. For buffet, I’d vote Celebrity and Princess, with Norwegian only worthwhile for Indian food (but it’s extremely good) and Royal Caribbean as something to be avoided. But for casual included quick-service, I preferred Royal (pizza at Sorrento’s) and Princess (International Cafe). Just my opinion, of course, and others will vehemently disagree.
So purely on overall food, I’d pick Celebrity Edge sailing out of Seattle. The (significant) downside to Celebrity is that they do not have a permit to enter Glacier Bay National Park. If that’s on your must-do list, I’d recommend Holland America. I’ve been pleasantly surprised with Holland’s food - not quite at Celebrity’s level but well above the others. Again, IMO.
Of course, if you have a particularly generous budget, there are luxury lines sailing Alaska itineraries. Cunard, Regent Seven Seas, and Oceania all sail out of Seattle.
@Alain I’m grateful. I’m very grateful for the advice. I’ve only ever been on Celebrity, and that was more than ten years ago, out of the four I named. Since then, ships have seen enormous alteration. Unfortunately, the luxury lines, such as Oceania, are far beyond my means.
I had the worst food a few years ago on princess. Just awful, I told them my issues way in advance, checked it, double-checked it, and when we boarded? They had no idea, so they threw it together, and it sucked. No spice at all, not even salted. It was a while ago, so I’m sure they’re better, but next time, I’m doing a different line.