How do you keep cruise ship passengers well fed?

You know that feeling of anxiety and confusion when you invite a bunch of guests to dinner? Now imagine Largest cruise ship,For example Royal Caribbean Cruises’ Symphony of the SeasAnd provided three meals a day to 30,000 passengers for a week!

Purchasing food for dinner guests can be exhausting, so imagine ordering food for 6,600 passengers! Inventory managers on Symphony of the Seas have a $1 million weekly grocery budget to supply the ship’s many restaurants.

We need a bigger boat.

Symphony of the Seas delivers the equivalent of 30 truckloads of 500 pallets of food and drinks each week. That’s about 600,000 pounds of food. It’s a nightmare to pack up that much groceries!

Food preparation on most cruise ships is never-ending. There are breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, at least one or two 24-hour dining areas, and room service. For the chefs and crew, that’s all there is to do, and they rarely take a day off during the entire cruise.

A large cruise ship like Symphony of the Seas will have more than 200 chefs, about 1,000 employees and 36 different kitchens.

Watch this YouTube video to get an idea of ​​what it’s like:

How one of the world’s largest cruise ships prepares 30,000 meals a day

How much do cruise meals cost?

A cruise ship typically spends about $12 to $15 per person per night on food and beverages. Cruise lines expect the average passenger to spend about 6% of their ticket price on food and beverages.

This is a reasonable cost, and it is difficult to replicate the per capita cost on land. Cruise lines benefit from economies of scale and keep costs down because they buy in staggering volumes.

Cruise lines typically carry similar passengers on the same journeys, and this commonality allows them to predict the amount and type of food with a high degree of accuracy. This helps reduce waste, and most cruise lines do a good job of minimizing it.

Cruise ship dining data

Here’s some of the energy consumed by a large cruise ship (Symphony of the Seas) during a seven-day cruise.

• 1,500 pounds of coffee
• 60,000 eggs
• 9,700 pounds of chicken
• 15,000 pounds of beef
• 18,680 hot dogs
• 700 pounds of ice cream
• 20,000 pounds of potatoes
• 2,100 pounds of lobster tails
• 12,600 pounds of flour
• 2,500 pounds of salmon
• 5,000 pounds of french fries
• 5,300 pounds of bacon
• 12,000 pounds of flour tortillas
• 2000 lbs wing
• 2,000 pounds of shrimp
• 4,850 pounds of strawberries
• 8,800 pounds of tomatoes
• 21,000 ice cream cones
• 44,000 bread rolls
• 67,500 pastries

More than just bread and water

All that food makes people thirsty, so water alone consumes nearly half a million gallons of fresh water every day.

To keep the water cold, 120,000 pounds of ice are produced every day. Plus, 28,000 bottles and cans of beer are served!

Although Betty Crocker If she loves baking, then making 40 varieties of freshly baked bread and more than 100 pastries every day is a daunting task for her.

Infographic from Symphony of the Seas

Fighting food waste on cruise ships

Most cruise lines, especially the larger ones, take various measures to avoid food waste.

Royal Caribbean has proprietary technology that allows it to track how much food is wasted. One strategy involves weighing plates of lasagna before and after they are served. Based on the information it gets, Royal Caribbean adjusts production accordingly.

Royal Caribbean also uses point-of-sale data to help predict how much food will be used based on passenger demographics, itineraries or other information.

For example, if there are a lot of children on a cruise ship, which Disney is one of, they naturally know that they will need a lot more chicken tenders than if most of the passengers are adults.

Cruise lines take various steps to avoid food waste because it is not only environmentally responsible but also helps them reduce costs.

Here are some common practices and strategies cruise lines are using to reduce food waste:

Menu Planning

Careful menu planning is essential to ensure that the quantity of food ordered and prepared is sufficient for the passengers’ consumption.

Cruise lines typically try to minimize the use of perishable ingredients when designing their menus.

Portion Control

Meals served on cruise ships are generally limited in quantity to reduce the possibility of leftovers.

Buffet-style dining areas may have staff portioning out food to prevent oversized portions.

Real-time monitoring

Some cruise lines use technology to monitor food consumption trends in real time, helping them adjust food production accordingly.

Planned Donation

Many cruise lines have partnerships with local charities or food banks. Port of call Donate surplus food that cannot be used on board.

Staff training

Crew members are often trained to be mindful of food waste and may receive training in portion control, food handling and preservation techniques.

Recycling and composting

Cruise ships often have recycling and composting programs to manage food scraps and packaging waste more sustainably.

Recycling of leftover food

Leftover food can sometimes be repurposed in creative ways to create new dishes or incorporated into staff meals to minimize waste.

Sustainable Procurement

Cruise lines may prioritize sourcing food locally at destination ports to reduce the need to overstock food and minimize waste.

Guest Education

Some cruise lines educate passengers on the importance of reducing food waste and encourage them to be mindful of their consumption.

Food waste tracking

Cruise lines can track and analyze food waste data to identify areas for improvement and set goals to reduce waste.

Adjustment Menu

Cruise lines may adjust menus based on passenger preferences and spending patterns, minimizing the production of less popular dishes.

Partial customization

Some cruise lines offer passengers the option to customize their portions, allowing passengers to choose smaller portions to reduce food waste.

Final Thoughts

The sheer volume of food required on cruise ships is a testament to the logistical complexity of maintaining these floating cities, which offer passengers a diverse array of culinary and cultural experiences.

However, it also highlights the importance of responsible food management to minimise waste, reduce environmental impact and ensure the sustainability of this extraordinary industry.

Cruise lines strive to balance luxury with sustainable practices in onboard dining to create a fun and enjoyable vacation.