Best Cruise for Foodies? Oceania is a Delicious Choice
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Come on… Fess up… Great food matters on a cruise, right?
It sure does for us – and we’ve sailed on more than 65 cruises now.
At the end of the day – whether exploring ancient ruins, treasure-hunting for souvenirs or reading on your ship’s balcony – nothing beats unwinding in an elegant setting with a perfectly chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc and a delicious, artfully presented dinner.
When we heard that Oceania Cruises claims to serve the “finest cuisine at sea,” we were intrigued.
Could Oceania be the best cruise for foodies? We’ve had fantastic dining experiences on Viking Ocean Cruises, as well as aboard Seabourn and Ponant – not to mention Holland America’s standout specialty restaurants.
But if you’re looking for the cruise line with the best food, is Oceania it?
We dug in (careful not to salivate too much over our computers). Here’s what we learned…
Contents: Does Oceania offer the best cruise ship dining?
Pssst! Also see comments and questions from readers at the end of this post.
Is Oceania really the best cruise for foodies?
Oceania Cruises, as you might know, is a casually elegant cruise line with seven mid-size ships sailing to Asia, Tahiti, the Med and elsewhere around the globe. Allura, their eighth ship, debuts in 2025.
And they aren’t whipping up bold claims out of thin air.
Awards for best cruise ship dining
Oceania clinched the top spot for “Best Mid-Size Cruises Overall” in the 2023 Cruise Critic Cruisers’ Choice Awards – with cruisers raving about its exceptional “service and dining.”
They were also the 2022 winner for “Leading Cruise Line” in the World Travel Awards and ranked #2 for “medium ships” in the Conde Nast Traveler Readers Choice Awards the same year.
As for “best cruise ship food” awards, Oceania’s Marina earned a spot on USA Today’s “10 Best” list for “Best Cruise Ship for Dining” (runner-up in 2023 and the top spot in 2021).
Investing in culinary excellence
No doubt having legendary Master Chef Jacques Pepin oversee the galley for so many years helped the line to achieve gastronomic success.
Once the personal chef to Charles de Gaulle, Pepin is the talented French American celebrity chef who rose to fame cooking on TV with Julia Child. (Now in his late 80s, he’s Oceania’s executive culinary advisor, supported by two Master Chefs of France who are Oceania’s new executive culinary directors.)
Something else that whets our appetite… Every single plate is made-to-order.
This means your meal is given that extra bit of attention – which can make the difference from “okay” to “fresh from the sauté pan, piping hot, OMG this is delicious!”
Oh, and here’s another tasty tidbit. Oceania Cruises has the highest ratio of culinary staff at sea, with one chef for every ten guests.
A matter of debate?
Not everyone buys into the hype, though.
Check out our Comments section below, and you’ll see Dex Nelson had a less-than-stellar experience on his Insignia cruise:
“Food was unremarkable in the main dining room. The steakhouse brought me two unchewable rib eyes. Best thing in the Italian grill (Toscana) was the lasagna. The buffet was limited and repetitive. I’ve have had better food on other lines.“
(If you’ve sailed on Oceania Cruises, feel free to weigh in. We’d love to hear your thoughts!)
Where are we going for dinner?
Let’s check out Oceania’s restaurants…
Oceania’s three larger vessels – the 1,200-guest Vista (2023) and their two “timelessly sophisticated” sister ships, the 1,238-guest Marina (refurbished 2023) and Riviera (refurbished 2022) – boast more eateries than their smaller ships.
Marina and Riviera have five full-service restaurants serving different cuisines from around the world. Vista has six. (This is in addition to informal, inside or alfresco dining venues.)
There’s no extra charge for the specialty restaurants onboard any of Oceania’s ships.
Grand Dining Room
Let’s start with the Grand Dining Room, the main restaurant on all ships, serving Continental cuisine.
As befits a fine dining restaurant, tables are set with Versace bone china, Christofle silver and Riedel crystal.
The menu typically features five to six appetizers (you may find Sturgeon caviar!), three soups, three or four salads, five or six main courses and several Jacques Pepin signature dishes (his French classic, five-peppercorn beef filet with a light brandy sauce, is always popular).
If you’re watching your waistline, Canyon Ranch spa selections are available too. (The steamed Maine lobster looks pretty yummy – and it’s only 330 calories.)
Toscana
If you’re in the mood for Italian, you can indulge in your own six-course menu at the Tuscan-inspired Toscana.
Perhaps begin with artichoke-and-parmesan cheese timbale with black truffle sauce? Then move on to a light minestrone soup, followed by hand-rolled gnocchi in a creamy pesto sauce or fresh lobster-and-shrimp linguine.
A Caesar salad prepared tableside, then veal scaloppini, should hit the spot as the fourth and fifth courses.
And for dessert, well, for us, it would have to be the classic Italian tiramisu.
Polo Grill
Then there’s the Polo Grill. Its high-back burgundy leather chairs and dark wood furnishings set the stage for a true steakhouse.
All the beef is USDA prime from Black Angus cattle, dry-aged for a minimum of 28 days.
Jacques
You’ll find Jacques on Marina, Riviera and the new Allura. It looks like a Parisian bistro, with heirloom antiques and art from Jacques Pepin’s own collection.
This is the place for frog legs, escargots with garlic butter, mussels in white wine, duck breast with orange sauce, lamb loin in a Cabernet Sauvignon sauce, and most everything else delicious to eat that’s French.
Cheeses are flown in from France. And a custom rotisserie slowly turns roasted chicken, duck, pork, beef and veal.
Red Ginger
Red Ginger is the most sought-after specialty restaurant.
Some guests say it’s one of the absolute best cruise ship restaurants – the equivalent of a delicious pan-Asian dining experience you’d find in San Francisco, New York or Seattle.
Expect the food to be bold and spicy – caramelized tiger prawns, seared tuna with a sesame crust and wasabi cream, creative salads like spicy duck with watermelon and cashews.
Mmmm… Need we say more?
Ember
Ember, found on Vista, serves up bold American farm-to-table flavors.
Bite into a spicy blackened crab cake with zesty corn salsa and roasted tomato sauce. Or maybe you’re craving a porcini-dusted bone-in ribeye, drizzled with a rich foie gras-truffle demi-glace?
Culinary discovery tours
Eating is one pleasure; learning about different local culinary cultures is another.
With Oceania, you can delve into the food traditions of many of the destinations you visit on their popular culinary discovery tours.
First you get a little orientation about the local cuisine.
Then, accompanied by an Oceania chef instructor, you explore local food markets, restaurants, vineyards, farms and cooking schools.
Of course, some grazing and sampling is on the activity menu too.
When you stop at Marseilles, you stroll through the daily colorful market of nearby Aix-en-Provence, bursting with hand-made sausages, vegetables and cheeses, before being treated to a one-of-a-kind cooking demonstration at a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Then you get to eat what she’s whipped up.
In Catania (Italy), you learn how to make cannoli from a Sicilian pastry chef.
In Cozumel (Mexico), you visit a cacao plantation and see how chocolate is made.
And in Sydney (Australia), you buy fresh local oysters from the famous Sydney Fish Market.
Hands-on cooking school
Now, you’re probably keen to try preparing some of these wonderful dishes yourself, right?
Well, on Vista, Marina and Riviera, you can do just that at The Culinary Center – the first hands-on cooking school at sea.
Everyone has their own fully-equipped workstation. Roll up your sleeves, because you’re going to have fun mucking about with your hands!
Unlike some cooking schools at sea, at The Culinary Center you’re not only learning how to cook, you’re sipping wine, hearing personal stories from the chef and learning about the local cuisine.
Discover the secrets for making the perfect mojito, brush up on your knife skills, master the art of working with rice paper and revel in creating one of the most-requested desserts – the drunken limoncello cake.
Sadly, the only problem is that cooking back home may seem, well, boring, in comparison.
Personalized service
None of this would matter a whit, though, if the service was only so-so.
On Marina and Riviera, 800 crew members look after 1,250 guests. On Oceania’s four other smaller ships, there are 400 crew for just 680 guests.
That staff-to-guest ratio is pretty high. We hear they remember your name and your likes and dislikes.
Seating is open at all restaurants – dine at the time you want. And if you want a romantic table for two, just ask. (No being forced to sit with that dreadful couple from New York, or was it Toronto?)
Oh, and the butlers (yes, suite guests have butlers!) are trained by the Guild of Professional English Butlers, which certifies staff for the royal palaces of Britain.
Cruise line with best food? Maybe!
Okay. We’re convinced that Oceania offers some of the best cruises for food lovers.
We were convinced enough that we booked a 14-day cruise along Vietnam’s coast and paid our non-refundable deposit. (We ultimately canceled the cruise in favor of doing our own recent DIY land adventure in Vietnam and Siem Reap.)
Of course, we’re more than ready to twirl chopsticks and use lobster forks on Oceania Cruises in future! How about you?
See some of our other cruise line food and drinks articles
Our top travel tips and resources
Hotels: Booking.com is perfect for scoring a “wow” hotel – or at least a decent one – at lower rates than the hotel’s own website. We especially like Booking’s flexible cancellation policy!
Vacation homes, condos and rentals: We prefer and use Vrbo (Vacation Rentals by Owner).
Cruises: CruiseDirect offers amazing deals on cruises (including Holland America, Viking Ocean Cruises, Seabourn and other lines we’ve reviewed).
Flights: To book the cheapest flights, search on Google Flights or Expedia. (Just be aware Expedia tickets may be non-refundable.)
Airport lounge access: We love (and have) Priority Pass for comfy lounge seats, free snacks and drinks, complimentary WiFi and sometimes even showers and spa services!
Tours: For the best local food, walking and other guided tours, plus skip-the-line tickets to attractions, check out Viator (a TripAdvisor company) and GetYourGuide.
Car rental: Renting a car is often a great way to explore off the beaten path. Discover Cars searches car rental companies so you get the lowest rates.
eSIMS: Stay connected affordably with Airalo eSIMS covering 200+ countries and trusted by 10 million+ users, including us! (No more huge roaming bills!)
Travel insurance: SafetyWing is designed for frequent travelers, long-term adventurers and digital nomads. It covers medical expenses, lost checked luggage, trip interruption and more. We also have and recommend Medjet for global air medical transportation.
Travel gear: See our travel shop to find the best luggage, accessories and other travel gear. (We suggest these comfy travel sandals for city walking, the beach and kicking about.)
Need more help planning your trip? Check out our travel tips and resources guide for airline booking tips, ways to save money, how to find great hotels and other crazy useful trip planning info.
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Photo credits: Oceania Cruises
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