Cruise Dining Tips

Tips for Fine Dining on Your Cruise

Often part of the cruise experiences means getting to experience exquisitely fine dining. Some of the greatest chefs in the world cook aboard cruise ships. Many amazing fine dining experiences can also be found at various ports of call around the globe. Part of the fine dining experience is the feelings of refined sophistication to go along with your amazing cuisine. Here are some tips to make sure you eat like you have been raised in the classiest of environments.

Removing Things From Your Mouth:
It is acceptable to discretely remove unwanted objects from your mouth. No one wants to see another guest choke on a fish bone because they were too embarrassed to remove it. A good rule of thumb is to remove the object in the manner in which it was placed in your mouth. Under that rule, a small chicken bone should be removed with the fork, while an olive pit may be dropped onto an open palm. An exception to this rule is a fish bone, which is generally too small to be removed with a fork. Fish bones should be delicately removed with the fingers. Always place any removed objects on the edge of your plate, never attempt to hide them in the napkin.

Specific Food Tips:

Chicken is to be eaten with a knife and fork.
Clams and oysters should be eaten by holding with the left hand and lifting the meat our with an oyster fork.
Crab, shrimp and lobster cocktails are to be eaten with a cocktail fork.
Fantail shrimp are to be eaten while grasped by the tail.
Crab and lobster claws should be cracked with a nutcracker and broken with the fingers before removing the meat with an oyster fork.
Butter should always be placed on a baked potato with a fork rather than a knife. Do not scoop out the insides of the potato at once and discard the skin, but rather scoop out the insides bite by bite.
When eating soup, never insert the whole spoon into the mouth. Instead, fill the bowl of the spoon about two-thirds full, then sip the liquid from the side of the spoon. Do not slurp.
Chips are to be eaten with the fingers, while French fries are to be eaten with a fork. Never pick up the whole piece and just bite off a part.

Accidents:
Do not attempt to mop up spills with your napkin, and do not pick up items that have been dropped on the floor. Instead, politely ask the waiter to clean up any spills and bring replacements for any items that have been dropped.