Do Cunard Cruises Include Meals? Your Guide To What Is Included
If you’re taking your first cruise with Cunard you may be wondering what is included in the cruise fare.
I’ve cruised with Cunard a number of times, and in this post, we’re going to explore the included food options available.
Do Cunard Cruises Include Meals?
Yes. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are all included on Cunard cruises.
Their outstanding Afternoon tea is also included.
Guests have a number of included dining options to choose from including the main dining room, buffet, room service and The Red Lion pub.
When cruising with Cunard I always stick to the included food options – and if you want to do the same this is totally fine.
That said, there are speciality options which cost a little extra – but can add a lot to the cruising experience.
Buffet
On every Cunard cruise ship, you will find a buffet.
All food in the buffet is included in the cruise fare and you are free to eat as much or as little as you’d like.
The process of eating in the buffet is very relaxed and easy, you simply show up when you’d like to eat and pick anything that you’d like.
The buffet on Cunard cruise ships is open 24 hours a day.
From continental and cooked breakfasts, served until late morning, to home-style pizzas, hearty roasts, fragrant curries, fresh salads and hand rolled sushi, the choice as always is yours.
Cunard
Cunard buffets have a range of options but the food onboard is definitely geared towards British tastes. Being from Britain I love being able to order some of my favourite foods, like Yorkshire puddings.
Most Cunard buffets are made up of the following sections:
Carvery Meat
Pasta
Salads
Daily Specials
Breads/Sandwiches
International Dining
British Classics
Desserts
Valentine’s Day buffet, Queen Mary 2
Which Drinks Are Available In The Buffet?
At all times you’ll find water, tea and coffee in the Cunard buffet.
Any drinks found in the buffet located by the food are included in your cruise fare and you are able to simply help yourself. This is normally water, tea, coffee and juices at breakfast.
There will be a number of types of tea and coffee available for you to choose from, I’m personally a big fan of Peppermint Tea and Cunard had this as an option.
At breakfast time you’ll also find juices included.
Main Dining Room
Every day breakfast and dinner will be served in the main dining room, the dining room may also be open for lunch but this usually depends on the itinerary of the ship.
The main dining room, as the name suggests, is probably where you will have most of your meals on a Cunard cruise.
In the main dining room, you will be waited on by staff who will take your order and bring your food to you.
Guests are free to order as much or as little as they would like, if you want to have two desserts, go ahead! It’s not a problem.
Fixed Dining
When taking a cruise with Cunard guests will be assigned a set time and table for dinner.
If you don’t want to eat in the main dining room one evening this isn’t a problem, you don’t have to let anybody know you simply just don’t show up and dinner will start without you.
The main dining room does have strict dress codes every night and this was one of the things that most surprised me during my first Cunard cruise.
It’s actually why I started this website, I was used to cruising on cruise lines which didn’t really have enforced dress codes so my Cunard cruise came as quite a shock.
To learn more about the dress codes, including what you definitely cannot wear, check out this post:
Are There Any More Complimentary Food Options On Cunard Cruises?
Room Service
On almost all cruises that I’ve been on there has been an extra charge for room service. I was surprised to find out on my first Cunard cruise that room service was included!
I’ve often used room service when I didn’t want to get dressed to go to the main dining room – but I also didn’t want to go to the buffet.
I have great memories of eating room-service meals on the balcony with my family.
When you order Room Servicethere is no charge for food items – and no delivery charge either.Most other cruise lines charge for Room Service
Room service breakfast Queen Mary 2
As Cunard is a British cruise line and we aren’t accustomed to tipping delivery waiters there is no pressure to leave a tip with the person delivering your food.
Of course, they would never say no – but don’t feel as though you need to. Cunard will automatically add gratuities to your onboard account to cover tips for staff.
The room service is available 24 hours a day! That is incredible.
Below is an example of a Cunard room service menu:
Red Lion Pub
On all Cunard ships, you’ll find a small pub which serves classic British pub food – such as Bangers and Mash, pies, curries and sandwiches.
The Red Lion pub serves great Fish and Chips if you ever have the opportunity to try it!
The pub is also the location of things like daily trivia, and always seemed to be quite a popular spot onboard.
Other Food Options
Carinthia Lounge / Café Carinthia
On Queen Mary 2, they serve Light lunches, small plate dishes and cakes in the Carinthia Lounge.
My Mum had what she describes as the “Best Macaroni Cheese Ever” in here!
On other ships, there is the Cafe Carinthia, which also serves light lunches and pastries.
There are charges for alcoholic drinks and speciality coffees, but the food is free.
Find out more about the cruise I took on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 – it’s the world’s last Ocean Liner here:
Find out more about the difference between Ocean Liners and Cruise Ships here:
There are a number of options which cost extra on Cunard cruises.
These aren’t mandatory and it is totally possible to go on a Cunard cruise and not pay a penny extra for food.
That said, if you do want to splash out and treat yourself to a special meal the following are options:
Steakhouse At The Verandah
One of the most popular speciality restaurants on Cunard ships is the steakhouse.
Most cruise lines will have some sort of Steakhouse and Cunard’s is called the “Steakhouse at The Verandah.”
Perfect for special occasions, the exceptional menu features USDA Prime-certified cuts and superb seafood. Open for lunch and dinner, Steakhouse at The Verandah celebrates the best of land and sea. Buttery soft wagyu. Flavoursome Black Angus beef. A fruit de mer platter laden with lobster, Scottish langoustines, and Atlantic crab. When ordering from the range of steaks, not only will it be cooked exactly to your preference, but you’ll even be presented with a selection of steak knives to choose from.
Cunard
It is interesting to note that the steakhouse can be booked onboard – but is slightly cheaper if you book it pre-cruise.
If you know you are going to want to try this restaurant, booking in advance would be my suggestion.
Al Fresco Dining
Cunard offers guests the opportunity to really eat under the stars – weather permitting of course.
This does come at an extra charge but I can imagine that it’s amazing if you are sailing through somewhere picturesque and the weather is good.
On Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth you even have the choice to indulge in dining al fresco at the Lido. Naturally this option is weather permitting but it’s a memorable way for you to experience the thrill of being at sea or in an iconic location, especially when accompanied with live entertainment.
Cunard
One thing that isn’t included in a Cunard cruise is daily gratuities.They will be added to your onboard account automatically.
To learn more about gratuities, including how they also affect drinks and spa treatments, check out this post so that you don’t have any nasty surprises on your cruise:
The maps are available to buy for cruises back to 2015 and for any future cruises. They come in different sizes and colours. All you need to know if your cruise dates and where you started and ended, the team will work out the rest.
