“Food sells cruises, and it wasn’t like that 20 years ago,” asserted John Mulvaney, director of culinary operations at Holland America Line, at a panel discussion during F&B@Sea. The trade show—part of the broader Seatrade Cruise Global event—took place at Miami’s Mana Wynwood Convention Center the third week of April, bringing together cruise line professionals, suppliers and hospitality leaders
Reflecting the growing importance of cruise culinary operations, this year’s F&B@Sea drew record-breaking attendance and featured 230-plus vendors, making it the largest iteration of the conference since it debuted in 2023.
Experiential Dining Emerges as Key Trend
The newly released Cruise Food & Beverage Trends Report 2026 from Seatrade Cruise—based on insights from 163 cruise buyers and suppliers—reflected two key priorities: experiential dining and global flavor exploration. In fact, 80 percent of respondents pointed to experiential dining as a key trend, as cruise lines blend cuisine with entertainment and storytelling.
Cruise line executives discussed those themes and more in two enlightening panel discussions at the show: “Beyond the Horizon: The New Era of Cruise F&B” and “From Port to Plate: Delivering Authentic Local Flavors at Sea.” Here are five trends these leaders noted that are reshaping culinary offerings onboard cruise ships.
Dining Has Become a Booking Decision
It’s no longer enough for cruise lines to offer a good meal—guests are choosing their cruise line based on the food. “Culinary F&B is really now a deciding factor in how guests choose to book from brand to brand,” said Marisa Christenson, associate vice president of food and beverage operations and development at Holland America Line/Seabourn. “They’re looking for a place they can connect—connect with the guest experience, connect with the destination—and F&B is very much a big part of that. So it’s a differentiator.”
For a line like Holland America, known for its longer itineraries, culinary variety is essential—and it takes guest feedback seriously. “We absolutely listen to that feedback—down to the details of how well our toaster is toasting in the Lido Market,” said Christenson. “We hear it, and we make sure we address it.”
While most travelers place a high emphasis on dining—98 percent of vacationers research where they’re going to eat, said Linken D’Souza, senior vice president of food and beverage operations at Royal Caribbean International—cruise lines have a captive audience, which presents a unique opportunity. “We have the biggest ships, and we have experiences for everyone,” said D’Souza. “We still have the traditional buffets and dining rooms, but we have QSR [Quick-Service Restaurant] experiences, fine dining experiences, immersive dining experiences. We’re creating a palette for all customers to be able to enjoy the vacation the way they want to enjoy it.”
Royal Caribbean’s Royal Railway is an example of the line’s “eatertainment.” (Photo Credit: Royal Caribbean International)
“Eatertainment” Is the New Dinner Theater
Themed, theatrical dining experiences are no longer a novelty—they’re a competitive priority. Royal Caribbean has coined the term “eatertainment” for the spectrum it now offers, from casual sports bar games to fully immersive dinners.
D’Souza described the line’s “revolutionary concept,” the Royal Railway on Utopia of the Seas and the upcoming Legend of the Seas. “It’s a train on a ship where we have an immersive dining experience—sound, ‘butt-kickers’ in seats, actors, a whole variety of different effects that give you an experience”—paired with a five-course meal. The concept was rigorously tested in Royal Caribbean’s innovation lab before launch. “We built up a whole train car, put executives through it, put employees through it, and we go through the food, the service, the acting—we get feedback in real time,” said D’Souza.
Holland America’s new Koningstafel, Dutch for “King’s Table,” is a “high-touch dining experience” that takes guests through the galley during peak service so they can get a behind-the-scenes look at a kitchen’s hustle and bustle, said Christenson. The six-course feast debuted on Oosterdam and is available on cruises of 14 days and longer. “We’re working with our entertainment team right now on a fun new initiative in our dining rooms on the last night of the cruise,” added Christenson.
The Menu Should Tell the Story of Where the Ship Is Sailing
“People want to see where they’re sailing, and they want to taste where they’re sailing,” said Mulvaney. When guests go ashore and try local cuisine, Holland America carries that authenticity through to what they’re serving onboard. “We call it the ‘arc of the cruise,’” he added.
That authenticity requires intentional staffing as much as sourcing. “We’ve got a large demographic of chefs from Latino, Asian, European and South Asian backgrounds,” said Mulvaney. “If the ship is sailing in a particular area, we send more chefs on board who actually come from there—because reading a recipe and cooking it will never be authentic. You need someone who has eaten that dish their whole life.”
Menu language has evolved to match. “Gone are the days when you could just put ‘Chicken Hawaiian-Style’ on the menu,” said Mulvaney. Now a traditional Hawaiian dish will be served with its proper name and prepared correctly—“because your customers know,” he added.
Chef Masaharu Morimoto is the ambassador of Holland America Line’s Global Fresh Fish Program. (Photo Credit: Holland America Line Media)
And storytelling is part of the craft, noted Mulvaney: “You’ve got to tell the story. You’ve got to make it visible on the menu.”
Explora Journeys is taking destination dining further with a new program launching on Explora III this summer, allowing guests to build their own menus for intimate, private celebrations. “Say you’re in the south of France and you want to have a zucchini flower stuffed with porcini mushroom,” said Alban Gjoka, vice president of food and beverage for Explora Journeys. “You can take the chef, go in the market in port, buy your sustainable produce, and then come on board to help craft the meal. Then the wine concierge will be suggesting what to pair with that dinner.”
Guests then watch their special meal being prepared just for them in an open kitchen for a private chef’s table experience. “We are building an emotional connection,” said Gjoka.
Guests Expect Transparency
Executives agreed that today’s guests want to know where their food comes from—and they want it to mean something. “There is a very clear rising expectation of transparency in sourcing—where our products come from, how they were sourced and who we choose to partner with,” said Christenson.
Holland America’s Global Fresh Fish Program is a direct response to that demand—securing more than 80 species of fresh fish from 60 ports worldwide, with a commitment to “port to plate” within 48 hours. “The fish dish that you have in the dining room is really going to vary based on where you are in the world,” said Christenson.
In fact, cruise lines have transformed their purchasing operations to meet this demand. “We do a lot more local purchasing today than we ever did before,” said Peter Tobler, director of food and beverage operations for Windstar Cruises.
The desire for transparency stems from travelers’ increased food knowledge, noted Mara Papatheodorou, a tastes and traditions expert who works with ATLAS Ocean Voyages. “Travelers are much more aware of the culinary world,” she said, thanks to food media, documentaries and social media. “They do travel with their palate and their curiosity.”
F&B@Sea brings together cruise line professionals, suppliers and hospitality leaders. (Photo Credit: Sara Perez Webber)
Connection Is Still Key
Beyond cuisine itself, the act of dining together remains one of cruising’s most distinctive selling points. “The ability to come together and have a family dining experience is kind of lost in the modern world,” said D’Souza, pointing to busy lifestyles and meals eaten in front of the TV, mobile devices in hand. “When you’re on vacation, it’s an opportunity to reconnect, engage with family and friends, enjoy that time together, and really create special memories that last a lifetime. What’s great about the experience on board ships is that guests can come together in ways that they used to.”
Despite the proliferation of specialty dining options, both D’Souza and Christenson believe that the traditional dining room will always have a role to play in cruising. “I think people still want both,” said Christenson. “There’s nowhere else in the world where you’ll get to know your waiter like you do on a cruise ship. Maybe the fixed seating isn’t as popular, but we still absolutely honor that tradition, and have a lot of people expecting that. It’s about flexible dining and giving people choices and really what they want.”
Ultimately, the evolution of cruise cuisine is about more than menus, sourcing or specialty dining. It’s about connection—to destinations, to culture and to one another. As Papatheodorou put it: “Travel empowers us. It transforms us. And from port to port, and dish to dish, the world really does become a smaller place around the table.”
Source Travel Pulse
Tags: Royal Caribbean Marisa Christenson F&B@Sea Holland America Alban Gjoka Windsrar Cruises