Once upon a time, the price of a cruise included all your food. This is still true today, but you also have options to pay for a meal in one of the ship’s specialty restaurants. You may wonder, “Why should I pay extra if I can eat my way through my entire cruise for free?”
My husband and I wondered the same thing, so we did some onboard research on our 2025 two-week North Pacific crossing on Holland America’s Noordam from Yokohama to Vancouver. We explored both options. Here are our experiences, conclusions, and suggestions.
Editor’s Note: The writer’s specialty dining experiences were hosted.
Specialty Dining
They call it specialty dining for a reason. As incredible as the all-inclusive food may be, these restaurants offer an elevated experience featuring dishes you won’t find anywhere else on Holland America ships. Norwegian, Carnival and most other cruise lines also offer their own unique specialty dining options that can be worth the extra charge.
Whether it’s a special occasion or romantic getaway, specialty restaurants offer a quieter, cozier atmosphere.
My husband and I dined at three specialty restaurants aboard the Noordam:
- Tamarind
- Canaletto
- Pinnacle Grille
Each scored high marks for innovative dishes and exemplary service. We felt the experience was worth the extra charge, and we won’t hesitate to include specialty dining when budgeting for our next cruise.
SheBuysTravel Tip: An automatic 18% service charge is added to the cost of the meal, so tipping isn’t necessary.
Tamarind
Cost: $35 per person
This elegant restaurant specializes in Pan-Asian cuisine and was our favorite of the three.
We shared our appetizers of lobster and shrimp potstickers with smoked shoyu and pickled ginger and Shitake and tofu spring rolls with kimchi and vermicelli. We enjoyed both, but the potstickers blew us away.
My entrée of wasabi and soy crusted beef tenderloin was tender, spicy and one of the best beef dishes I’ve ever tasted. My husband thoroughly enjoyed his Mongolian barbecue lamb chop with baby bok choy.
Asian desserts are usually on the light side, and ours were no exception. My yuzu cheesecake arrived in a white chocolate shell, and was fruity and refreshing with soft creamy cheese.
My husband’s mango posset with coconut macaroon, passion fruit jelly and mango sorbet hit the spot without feeling heavy.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Skip the airport stress — Lyft’s On-Time Pickup Promise guarantees your scheduled ride shows up within 10 minutes of your pickup time. If it doesn’t? You’ll get Lyft Cash. You can schedule up to 90 days in advance and even lock in your rate. Use code SBT25 to save 25% off ONE scheduled ride to the airport.
Canaletto
Cost: $25 per person
This gem is like an Italian kiss in the middle of the ocean. With made-from-scratch pasta, sunny flavors and cheerful, friendly service.
We began with my appetizer of sweet, juicy grilled tiger shrimp with salsa verde, fennel and lemon-herb grattato. My husband savored his veal and sage meatballs with glazed cipollini onions and zesty rustic tomato sauce.
For our entrée, we both fell in love with the bold flavors of our Mussel, Scallop and Calamari Trenette. The exquisite combination of seafood came with a tomato reduction and lemon, served over a medium-width curly pasta, and topped with anchovy-herb crumbs
For dessert, my husband opted for the Assogato, Malaga gelato with lemon zest and espresso poured over the top. I delighted in a sinfully scrumptious chocolate hazelnut tart with a fluted chocolate shell and a satiny filling.
Pinnacle Grill
Cost: $25 per person for lunch; $52 for dinner
This restaurant exudes class from the moment you sit down until your final goodbye to the staff. It’s the place to go when you’re in the mood for high-end steak and/or seafood.
We began our meal with generous Dungeness crab salads with mandarin oranges in a zesty dressing.
For our entrée, we both chose the 8-ounce filet mignon. The beef was so juicy and tender, I could have cut it with a butter knife and the flavor was outstanding
For sides, we ordered crispy thin-cut fries, roasted beets with gorgonzola, mushrooms and creamed spinach. All arrived hot and cooked to perfection, although the spinach was disappointingly watery.
When it came to dessert, we went our separate ways, with my husband choosing a fluffy, intensely flavored chocolate soufflé. I opted for an extravagantly arranged chocolate cobbler with a fudgy interior, topped with a thin waffle-like Dutch cookie, ice cream, strawberries and a coffee sauce.
A Few Tips
- Read menus carefully. Some steak and seafood dishes come with an additional charge in specialty restaurants.
- On Holland America ships you can find daily specialty restaurant menus on your stateroom’s TV and your ship’s app. This gives you the option of planning your special meal.
- Cruise ship coffee can be a java junkie’s worst nightmare. We found the coffee in the specialty restaurants superior to any of the offerings available throughout the ship.
- If you’re traveling with children 12 and under, Holland America’s specialty restaurants charge half-price for their meals, and nothing at all if they eat off the kids’ menu
Leave a Reply