Cruises, generally, are not known for excellent food.
Granted, it's tough to churn out mass-produced grub for hundreds or thousands of passengers, and even tougher to let that food maintain some semblance of culinary integrity. Somehow, though, a few lines are figuring out how to present passengers — especially passengers who are willing to pay extra — with creative entrees that feature high-quality ingredients and delicate flavors.
And as more travelers get interested in the epicurean arts, cruise companies are rushing to accommodate. The trends are many: We're seeing chef's tables on board, pumped-up specialty restaurants, food-themed itineraries and excursions, master-class cooking lessons for passengers, a focus on ingredients that are local to ports of call, even shopping trips to farmers' markets guided by your ship’s chefs. Also, almost every line now seems to have its own Michelin-starred chef.
Here are the 10 cruise lines that really stand out for onboard food above all the rest.
SEE ALSO: The 100 best US restaurants for eating outdoors, according to OpenTable
DON'T FORGET: Follow Business Insider's Lifestyle page on Facebook!
Seabourn
The biggest news in cruise food is that Seabourn has partnered with Thomas Keller, the can-do-no-wrong founder of Napa’s French Laundry, New York's Per Se, and Bouchon, which has four U.S. locations.
This spring, Seabourn, a line known for catering to those willing to pay for deep luxury, debuted a new Keller restaurant (called, simply, "The Grill") aboard the 600-passenger Seabourn Quest, with plans to add similarly fancy eateries — French Laundries at sea, essentially — to the line's other two boats by late 2018.
The Michelin-starred chef is seeing to it that all of the line's dining venues will use the best possible ingredients for his French-American creations, and that they'll provide unrivaled service, too.
RELATED:10 Easy Ways to Save Money on a Cruise
Crystal Yacht Cruises
Aboard Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony is a restaurant called Silk Road, with menus by Nobu Matsuhisa. The inventive chef's Japanese-Peruvian cuisine has earned him acclaim via his 22 Nobu restaurants, and now fans can enjoy his restaurants and sushi bars at sea.
Aboard the 62-guest Crystal Esprit, the culinary concept centers around the local ingredients of the Seychelles and the Mediterranean coast. On another ship to come, the 84-guest Crystal Ravel, whose maiden voyage departs in August 2017, a weeklong itinerary called "Bordeaux, the Wine Region & Beyond" will head into the heart of France's wine region, including a visit to Arachon, a seaside town famous for its oysters.
Crystal passengers get free in-stateroom dining 24 hours a day, seven days a week — so breakfast on the balcony won't be an extra expense.
Oceania Cruises
In 2015, Oceania was named the best cruise line for foodies by both Fodor's and Berlitz. In 2014, SmarterTravel's sister site, Cruise Critic, called it a "best dining" editor's pick, while USA Today listed the line's Red Ginger among the best restaurants at sea. In 2013, Oceania won "best dining" in the cruise category of Condé Nast Traveler’s readers’ choice awards.
Such consistent acclaim should be expected from a luxury line, especially when that line's culinary director is Jacques Pepin. Pepin himself joins along for two Oceania voyages, including one that goes from Venice to Lisbon, and another that goes Venice to Rome. During both of those itineraries, guests get treated to special menus, culinary lectures, cooking demos, and other goodies designed to keep gourmand hearts (and palates) happy.
RELATED:The Worst Decisions You Can Make on a Cruise
See the rest of the story at Business Insider