The Importance of Cuisine in the Cruise Industry

The culinary experiences available from cruise lines are evolving — here's how travel advisors can use those enhanced offerings as a selling tool.

The days of humdrum cruise food are long gone, as cruise lines around the globe continue to up the ante with new culinary experiences designed to please an ever-more-sophisticated clientele. And travel advisors are discovering that cuisine can be an especially powerful selling point with clients. 

“Food has become a major factor in cruising, instead of an afterthought,” said Amy B. Windham, a travel advisor at Four Corners Travel in Marietta, Ga. “It has transformed cruising.” It’s also become a big money maker, according to this year’s Cruise F&B Trends E-Report, which is based on research performed by Seatrade Cruise in 2022. The study found that six leading cruise lines account for over $2 billion in food and beverage expenditures annually. 

Some of the biggest trends, according to the report, are an increase in specialty dining options. Other trends include the availability of meat alternatives and non-alcoholic beverages, as well as greater use of technology, especially in the form of contactless menus, self-service kiosks and QR codes. More authentic local cuisine and more “mindful” culinary experiences are also on the rise for this year and next, according to the report. 

The increased sophistication of the cruise industry’s approach to food and beverage is a far cry from a few years ago, notes Windham. “I started selling travel full-time 18 years ago,” she said. “Way back then, the main question was, ‘Do you pick early or late seating for dinner?’ Then, when open-seating options came out, that was a big thing. Now, it’s a matter of finding which dining experiences best fit my clients.”

Bridget Edwards, concierge travel advisor at Favorite Grampy Travels in Holly Springs, N.C., agrees about the evolution of cruise cuisine. “The cruise industry has absolutely elevated its offerings in terms of cuisine,” she said. “All of the major cruise lines have improved their offerings over the past several years. This reinvigoration fits well with today’s cruiser: a savvy consumer interested in spending his or her money on all of life’s little pleasures.”

More Than a Buffet

The cruise industry has become more creative to entice travelers with culinary experiences, from chef’s tables and celebrity-chef-branded restaurants to cooking classes and culinary-themed shore excursions. And clients are — if you’ll pardon the pun — eating it up, according to multiple travel advisors.

“Clients always ask what type of food the cruise lines serve; if there’s a variety,” said Sheyla Paz, owner and advisor at Sheyla Adventure Travel in Nashville, Tenn. “Especially for small cruise lines, variety is important because they don’t want to eat the same thing all the time.”

Paz says that beyond just dining, special experiences are increasingly popular among her clients — including food and wine tastings and cooking classes. Having those types of experiences available, especially for people who are foodies, is great,” she said. “They want to learn recipes when they travel so they can re-create them when they get back home.” 

Kurt Crowl, president and owner of Travel Leaders Palm Beach in Palm Beach, Fla., praises the industry’s evolution.

“The cruise lines have evolved tremendously in this area,” he said. “It started when they began offering a variety of venues onboard, getting away from the main dining room. Now, some are offering opportunities to go shopping with the chefs in local ports, as well as food expeditions. [They’re] treating cuisine as an important part of the shore experiences.”

When it comes to cuisine, “our cruise clients want variety, quality and an experience,” Crowl added. “They also want very strong wine programs onboard to match the food.”

Arie Fisher, a travel advisor at ArieJTravels in Charlotte, N.C., said that cuisine is one of the biggest draws for cruisers today. “The quality of cuisine on a cruise is important because it adds value to the travel experience,” she said. “People are paying for an experience that they can’t get at home.”

Willing to Pay a Premium

Not only are cruise clients looking for a wider variety of culinary experiences, they are also willing to pay extra for it, according to Jessica Causer, travel advisor at McCabe World Travel in McLean, Va.

"They’re more than happy to pay the upcharge to dine in the specialty restaurant,” she said, adding that it’s often up to the advisor to suggest upgraded culinary activities. “It’s an area of the cruise experience that I have to bring up to the client. We have so many new-to-cruising clients. When you’re dealing with a first-time cruiser, the main concern is often where the cruise is going.”