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Can I eat anytime on a cruise?

Sure, you can eat at the buffet at almost any time of the day or make a reservation at a specialty restaurant, but to dine in the main dining room, most cruise lines require you to show up at either a set time or during a limited timeframe.



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Cruise ships are good at making food available 24/7, so if you're hungry, there's usually no one to blame but yourself. The main dining room usually has set meal times, but sections of the buffet will always be open, and you'll usually be able to find a diner, cafe, or pizza shop that's open at all hours.

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Cruises are often known for decadence when it comes to food – it's available all day, every day, in unlimited portions, and it's certainly not all healthy. That said, it is possible to eat healthy while on a cruise ship – while still enjoying yourself, too!

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Much of the food is included in your cruise fare, with the exception of the steakhouse, Cucina del Capitano, and chef's table that cost a little extra. You can eat as much as you want!

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Food on Cruise Ships Free Food on Cruises: Meals are free of charge in cruise ship main dining rooms, buffets and select specialty venues such as Princess' International Cafe, Carnival's Blue Iguana Cantina and Guy's Burger Joint, Royal Caribbean's Park Cafe and Boardwalk Dog House and Norwegian's O'Sheehan's.

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Food and drinking are usually complimentary on the cruises. You are also allowed to bring your own snack on the cruise so that you can have what you love. A certain time is fixed for every meal - breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can either have it with everybody in the dining room or bring it to your room.

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The only bar that will be consistently open late and may stay open 24/7 is the casino bar on most ships. As far as am drinks, the main bar in the atrium is usually available earliest, pool bars shortly there after.

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You can take food from the buffet back to your room if you'd rather eat away from the crowds. If you take food from the buffet or another informal location and bring it back to your room, nobody will object.

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Skip seconds. The lure of the cruise ship's main dining room is you can order multiple appetizers, entrees and desserts with no limit. To keep from overeating at dinner, stick to one appetizer and one entree rather than trying several. Or make a meal of a few small appetizers.

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Dinner or “smart casual” attire If you're having dinner in the main restaurant or any meal at one of the specialty restaurants, you'll follow a “smart casual” dress code on most nights. This means long pants, jeans, a dress or skirt, a stylish top, or a button-down.

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Even though twice-daily stateroom cleaning has long been the standard in the cruise industry, how often you like your cruise ship stateroom cleaned by your cabin steward is a matter of personal preference. Some cruisers love the pampered feeling of a stateroom that is always clean -- when done by someone else.

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The vast majority of cruise lines don't publish official curfews, though they do rely on parents to exercise good judgement. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, the very kid-friendly Disney Cruise Line does not have an official policy regarding curfew for underage cruisers.

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Your choices vary by ship, of course, but your basic cruise fare entitles you to eat three meals a day in the main dining room or the buffet, as well as free venues that can include Guy Fieri's Burger Bar, a Mexican restaurant open for breakfast and lunch, a deli, soft-serve ice cream, various snack spots, and 24-7 ...

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Final word. On most cruises, you're welcome to wander the ship with a drink in your hand, at least in most areas. It's just like one large resort, so grab your favourite tipple and then find your perfect spot to enjoy it. Just make sure you ask for plastic glasses if you want to head over to a pool or hot tub.

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Yes. All drinking water is either distilled from seawater or loaded onboard while the ship is in port.

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Cruise line drinks packages let you order as many drinks as you want while on a cruise for one flat fee. This takes the place of paying for drinks one at a time. At some lines, there are several tiers of drinks packages. Basic tiers often just include sodas and bottled water.

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If you're comfortable wearing jeans, not to worry as many cruise lines permit wearing jeans in the dining room and restaurants most nights of the cruise. Make sure that your jeans are without holes, even if it's the style. As a rule of thumb, stick with dark jeans for a more elegant look.

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Most cruise lines have port agents stationed in the port area to assist if your ship has left without you. In cases when cruisers are late returning to the vessel, the ship's crew will often remove the passengers' essential items -- passports, cell phones and medication -- from the ship to leave with the port agents.

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What drinks are free of charge?
  1. Water. Water is always free of charge on most cruise ships. ...
  2. Flavored water. Some cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean drink package provides their passengers with several options of flavored waters to choose from. ...
  3. Lemonade. ...
  4. Tea and coffee. ...
  5. Hot chocolate. ...
  6. Milk. ...
  7. Fruit juices.


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All major cruise lines will let you buy drinks on an a la carte basis when cruising. You don't need a drinks package to be able to drink alcoholic beverages or any other type of beverage on a ship.

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Spending anything after embarkation is up to you, as the only things not included on any cruise line would be shopping, souvenirs, spa treatments and casino gambling. For these things, you'll need to bring some additional money.

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The Deluxe Beverage Package policy requires all guests wishing to purchase the Deluxe Beverage Package to do so for ALL guests of legal drinking age in the same stateroom. Was this content helpful?

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