Forget about the cruise ship buffet where quantity trumps quality. Cruise-ship cuisine has come of age, with spectacular new dining rooms, ultra-creative menus, incredible wine lists, specialty restaurants, and even creations from some of the world’s top chefs.
Silversea Cruises — Best Wine Restaurants
The Experience: Special Le Champagne restaurants serve creative cuisine, with each course accompanied by fine wines and champagnes (think 1998 Moet & Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon) selected by experts from Relais & Châteaux.
Favorite Dishes: Swordfish carpaccio; glazed veal shank with gremolata; slow-roasted pear stuffed with Gorgonzola.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises — Le Cordon Bleu
The Experience: Regent gets culinary advice from France’s most famous cooking school, Le Cordon Bleu, which runs the Signatures restaurants on the Voyager and Mariner; the formal and romantic spaces feature French cuisine with creative twists.
Favorite Dishes: Sevruga caviar on celeriac with foie gras rémoulade; rack of lamb with mushrooms and “melted” potato garnishes; warm chocolate tart with raspberries.

Fine dining aboard Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Yachts of Seabourn — Charlie Palmer
The Experience: NYC celebrity chef Charlie Palmer oversees the international cuisine on this line’s super-luxurious yachts; his tasting menus focus on fresh ingredients—herbs, fruits, vegetables, whole fish—gathered at port from local markets.
Favorite Dishes: Lobster roll with yogurt caviar sauce; Shiraz-glazed oxtail presse with Manchego pot stickers; espresso-citrus panna cotta.
Crystal Cruises — Nobu
The Experience: Renowned and inventive Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa has restaurants on Crystal’s two ships, and Penthouse guests can even order his creations from room service.
Favorite Dishes: Spicy creamy king crab with masago (Capelin roe) and scallions; Nobu-style miso-glazed black cod; trio of crème brûlées (ginger, sweet guava, and passion fruit).
Celebrity Cruises — Best Dining Rooms
The Experience: Beyond their excellent cuisine, the most visually stunning dining rooms on the high seas are on the Solstice and Equinox. The dramatic, soaring spaces both feature two-deck glass wine towers designed by Adam Tihany (whose land-based work includes Le Cirque, in New York City).
Favorite Dishes: Roasted California quail with wild rice and black truffle stuffing; signature mozzarella-filled meatballs over linguine with marinara sauce; crème brûlée
SeaDream Yacht Club — Best Private Outdoor Dining
The Experience: Yachting romantics can book a table for two in a private outdoor nook and dine under the stars. Plus, there’s a champagne-and-caviar beach barbecue each cruise (with caviar service on a surfboard).
Favorite Dishes: Homemade terrine of foie gras with fresh fig compote; fillet of cod with herb crust and tomato chutney; fresh lemon tart.
Oceania Cruises — Jacques Pepin
The Experience: Affordable cruises with first-rate cuisine overseen by noted master chef, cookbook author, and PBS cooking-show host Jacques Pepin, who gets his first namesake restaurant, a French bistro, on the new Marina (debuting in 2010).
Favorite Dishes: Colossal chilled shrimp trio with spicy cocktail sauce; filet mignon with sautéed artichokes and smoked mozzarella in a Piedmont truffle sauce; chocolate mousse burger.
Windstar Cruises — Best Alfresco Breakfast
The Experience: Guests enjoy bountiful breakfast buffets with outdoor seating under the billowing sails of these (motorized) sailing yachts. Take your coffee with breathtaking ocean views.
Favorite Dishes: Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, Boursin cheese, and asparagus; chocolate-filled French toast; fresh-fruit kebabs with almond crème.
Cunard Line — Todd English
The Experience: Todd English, the Boston-based celebrity chef known for his Olives restaurants, serves up his deliciously creative take on Mediterranean in plush, Moroccan-inspired spaces on both the line’s ships.
Favorite Dishes: Pumpkin-filled “love letters” (stuffed pillows of envelope-shaped pasta); roasted duck breast, duck-leg confit, and ginger carrot cannelloni; “chocolate fallen cake.”
Bon appetite!