Al Fresco Dining at Sea

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Imagine Watching the Sunset as you Enjoy Your Meal....

Do You Want a View with Your Meal?

Al Fresco dining (eating outside) has become a necessity in the COVID-19 era as restaurants added this option to stay in business with limited indoor capacity imposed by most local governments.   However, Al Fresco dining has been popular long before that.

(Updated 10/14/21)

Can I Dine Outside on a Cruise?

Most ships these days have one or more outside dining options.   Typically, they are found around the pool deck, offering the opportunity for guests to grab a quick meal and get right back to having fun in the sun.   With the advent of specialty dining, introduced by Norwegian Cruise line in 2000 as Freestyle Dining, many restaurants are located on a deck dedicated to these specialty restaurants.   You have the option to dine indoors or outdoors in many cases.

Some of Our Favorites

Rooftop Garden Grill, located on deck 15 on Celebrity Edge offers splendid views of the sea while enjoying lunch or dinner outside.  Dine in early evening and you can be engulfed in color as the sun gently sets into the sea. See our blog post, Rooftop Garden Grill Dining, for details on one of our recent meals.   You will enjoy a great meal with great views .

When Norwegian Cruise Line introduced their Breakaway Class, they introduced The Waterfront, a revolutionary, quarter-mile oceanfront walkway lined with shops, restaurants and bars.   Pictured here La Cucina, Norwegian Escape's Italian restaurant. It is warm, cozy, family friendly (lots of big tables) and has its own bar and even a pizza oven, not to mention tables outside on The Waterfront. A Carnival cruise ship passes by as we dine outside. This is one of our favorite restaurants on Norwegian Cruise Line, due to the ambiance and good food.

On Carnival Cruise Line ships, you have several options to dine outdoors.  Guy's Burger Joint, pictured here, serves up your choice of Guy Fieri's famous burgers topped with your favorite ingredients. Blue Iguana Cantina serves up some of the best burritos at sea.  Enjoy breakfast or lunch poolside with your choice of fixings.

Perhaps the most memorable Al Fresco dining we experienced on a cruise ship was a cookout on Azamara Journey.  They turned the pool deck into an amazing dining venue, complete with entertainment.   The highlight was these grilled lamb chops prepared on deck.  How many of you thought you would ever see a BBQ grill on a cruise ship?

If you enjoy Al Fresco dining, add that to your bucket list for your next cruise vacation.  It's been worth the extra charges, when applicable, to dine outside at one of the specialty dining venues.  We'd be happy to help you select a cruise ship that offers you the most choices including ships with free options.  

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Rooftop Garden Grill Dining

Dining Al Fresco on Celebrity Edge

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What would be more unexpected than dining Al fresco on a cruise ship?

With the introduction of specialty dining venues on cruise ships, designers were given the entire ship as their palate to create their dining experiences. Outdoor dining is the perfect way to enjoy a good meal while relaxing and enjoying nature. Celebrity Edge, which was put in service in 2018, is one example of an opportunity to dine outdoors during your cruise. We've had the good fortune of sailing on her twice.

Are you craving backyard BBQ? 

Discover the ultimate in outdoor eateries where you’re surrounded by the open sky and the most incredible garden and ocean views around when you dine Al fresco on Celebrity Edge. Te Rooftop Garden Grill serves up gourmet backyard favorites. Whether you visit for lunch or dinner, start your outdoor culinary journey with Smoked Chicken Wings or the Pulled Pork Slider Trio (just to name a few).

Our Meal

As the sun began to set, the chefs prepared our appetizers and main dishes.  Since we had the drink package, in addition to the dining package, we could experiment with one of the specialty drinks served in the Rooftop Garden Grill - BBQ punch.   It was actually quite refreshing.  Before long our appetizers were served.

We each ordered something different for appetizer and main dish.  Appetizers were  Train Wreck Fries with bacon, scallions, four cheeses and ranch dressing (we left off the hot peppers) and the Braised Beef Short Rib Chili.   For our main course we had Hickory Smoked Brisket and Mesquite Baby Back Ribs.   

Dessert

No meal on a cruise is complete without having something sweat from the bakery.  Our selections were Cherry Apple Pie and The Cookie - "The One and Only with Vanilla Gelato".  Those that know me already are aware that we both love gelato.  

Dining outside on the upper deck of Celebrity Edge was one of our most enjoyable meals.  We highly recommend you have lunch or dinner there at least once during your cruise.  More images from our dinner can be found in our Shutterfly Photo Albums:  Rooftop Garden and Rooftop Garden Grill.

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Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat