18 October 2025
By Publisher Ray Carmen
Behind the glittering decks and ocean sunsets lies a hidden world of scale and splendour — the ship’s kitchens. The culinary engines of the world’s grandest cruise liners work around the clock to feed thousands of guests in pure style, and the numbers are staggering.
Aboard a typical luxury cruise ship, hundreds of chefs and culinary staff prepare up to 20,000 meals a day — from sunrise buffets to midnight delicacies. Mountains of ingredients arrive before each voyage: tons of steak, lobster, and fresh produce, plus thousands of bottles of fine wine and champagne. It’s a floating festival of flavour.
Each cruise is a masterpiece in logistics and luxury. Sommelier teams track vintages worth fortunes, pastry chefs craft sugar sculptures fit for royalty, and seafood teams turn the morning’s catch into five-star art. On some voyages, more than 60,000 eggs, 15,000 bottles of wine, and 5,000 lobsters are consumed before the ship returns to port.
Passengers never see the ballet below deck — where precision, timing, and teamwork meet the rolling rhythm of the sea. From French truffles to Caribbean rum cakes, the galley becomes a global kitchen celebrating the joy of travel through taste.
At sea, indulgence isn’t just a menu — it’s a mission. And for the chefs of the world’s floating palaces, every meal is a voyage of its own.
