Food on an Alaska Cruise

Cruise food quality varies more by line than most people expect, and Alaska adds a specific question: whether the seafood on your plate came from the water you are sailing through or from the same supply chain as a Caribbean sailing.

Food quality on cruise ships varies far more by line than by ship, and Alaska adds a question that other regions do not: is the seafood local?

The lines, ranked on food

Celebrity

The best food of any large ship line sailing Alaska. Celebrity carries a serious wine list with sommeliers who know it, and Blu, the restaurant reserved for AquaClass guests, is the best complimentary venue on any mainstream ship in the region.

Luminae, for The Retreat suite guests, operates at close to luxury line standard. Raw on 5 handles sushi and the Alaska crab is worth the surcharge.

Oceania

Better still, on smaller ships. Oceania was built around a culinary proposition and it charges no surcharge for its specialty restaurants, which is a luxury line feature at a premium price. Toscana and Polo Grill are both included.

The Culinary Center on Riviera runs hands on classes including Alaska seafood sessions using ingredients bought in port.

Holland America

The best value, and the only mainstream line running a genuine regional sourcing programme. Its Fresh Fish Ambassador scheme buys Alaska seafood in port during the season and features it on the menu that same week.

Pinnacle Grill is consistently among the better specialty steakhouses in the premium segment, and Rudi's Sel de Mer is the best place on board to eat halibut properly cooked. See Holland America.

Princess

Competent rather than distinctive. Crown Grill is the specialty venue most worth the surcharge on an Alaska sailing, and the International Cafe is open around the clock, which matters on a 6:00 am excursion day.

Royal Caribbean and Norwegian

The widest choice by venue count, with quality varying by venue rather than by ship. Chops Grille and Izumi on Royal Caribbean, Le Bistro and Cagney's on Norwegian, are all reliable. Neither line runs a fresh in port sourcing programme.

Carnival

Better than its reputation, particularly in the casual venues. Guy's Burger Joint and BlueIguana Cantina are both included and both good. Sea Day Brunch is a Carnival institution and works well on the glacier day.

The seafood question

Alaska produces some of the best wild salmon, halibut and king crab in the world, and a great deal of what is served on cruise ships in Alaska arrived through the same supply chain that feeds Caribbean sailings.

That is not a scandal. Provisioning a 4,000 guest ship requires volume and consistency that in port buying cannot supply. But it does mean that if eating genuinely fresh Alaska seafood matters to you, plan to do it ashore.

Holland America is the exception, and its programme is a real reason to eat in the main dining room at least twice on that line.

Eating ashore

Expect $25 to $45 for a main course. Alaska food prices are high because everything except the fish is shipped in.

A salmon bake is the classic tourist option and is usually good rather than remarkable. Fine as part of a combination excursion, thin as a standalone.

Practical dining advice

Book specialty dining for the scenic cruising evening. After a glacier day the ship is quiet, nobody is rushing back from an excursion, and in late June the light lasts until nearly 11:00 pm. A port night is the worst choice, because people return tired and late.

Use the buffet on port days. It opens early enough for a 7:00 am excursion, which the main dining room often does not.

Reserve specialty restaurants at embarkation. On flexible dining lines like Norwegian, the good venues fill in the first hours.

Ask about the fresh catch. On Holland America specifically, ask what came aboard in port. Elsewhere, the answer will tell you something useful.

Dietary requirements

Every major line handles common dietary requirements well, provided you notify them in advance through the special requirements form, ideally at least 30 days before sailing. Onboard, speak to the maitre d' on the first evening and they will usually take your order a day ahead for the rest of the cruise.