Old school dining at fine dining establishments on land is so last season! Nowadays, dining on cruise ships and enjoying all the luxury of being on land while also experiencing a unique water-borne experience is where it’s at.
Some of the world’s best chefs have turned their sights to cruise ships in recent years, bringing their skills to the sea and using local, seasonal and themed ingredients to create dishes with a difference. Here are some of the best Michelin-starred cruise ship restaurants to try out on your next cruise trip.
Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Dining Room
Crystal Cruises was the first luxury cruise line to team up with professional chefs and restaurateurs to create the ultimate dining experience on water. The Crystal Dining Room prepares intricate and delicious creations every night, while also never repeating the same menu twice. On offer are the best Caesar salads at sea, luscious lobster, expertly prepared tuna tataki and miso black cod from Nobu-trained cooks, and an excellent array of winemakers’ dinners and vintages to match thanks to the Vintage Room. These cruises are also all-inclusive, so all of this fabulous fare and all your cocktails and other drinks are completely on the house!
Crystal Cruises’ ships also offer a simpler dining experience, although simple in this case is certainly nothing to sneer at. Expect traditional French croissants, juicy Kobe beef burgers, and barbequed duck quesadillas, among many other tempting treats. During the line’s Wine and Food Festival Cruises, celeb chef Alan Wong is a regular star act, and cruise goers can also explore Europe’s best vineyards on land and place a few bets for horse racing too, should they wish to.
Silversea’s Silver Spirit
Silversea Cruises has upped the game with its legendary Silver Spirit restaurant, which has been going since 2009. The 540-passenger ship actually boasts six fine dining establishments in total – a first for the cruise industry. Each of the restaurants on offer differ radically too, and range from Seishin and its delicate Asian fusion dishes to Le Champagne with its room, menu and wine list designs collated by gastronomical genius Relais & Chateaux, the line’s culinary partners.
Silver Spirit, on the other hand, shines with luxury and sophistication, and cruise goers go mad for its elaborate six-course menus and exclusive wine pairings. The main restaurant has a particular talent for creating modern international cuisine – and that’s not even mentioning its dedicated butlers that serve you your meal course by course in the fanciest room service you have ever seen!
Seabourn’s Seabourn Odyssey
The Seabourn Odyssey restaurant would be any dining connoisseur’s dream. With its sheer white drapes, simple but theatrical decoration, towering ceiling and chic black leather chairs, you can always expect to dine in style while enjoying a legendary Odyssey cruise. Of course, the ship has more than one dining establishment, including another fine dining haven complete with black leather furniture, red banquettes and plush purple cushions. Star chef Charlie Palmer is also on-board with an exceptional range of steaks to suit the tastes of every guest imaginable.
At the main restaurant, expect fanciful fare like golden brioche, juicy seafood, and complimentary champagne and caviar on the deck to start your afternoons off on a high note. Restaurant 2 boasts dishes like chestnut and porcini mushroom soup with a honey-spiced squab and fig empanada, among many, many other delicacies. Delicious!
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