There’s something to whet every diner’s appetite onboard today’s cruise ships – menus created by celebrity chefs and speciality restaurants offering everything from lobster to linguine to sushi and steaks, to the more traditional dining and afternoon tea.

The style of dining has been transformed dramatically over the years but there remains a place for those who prefer the more traditional dining arrangements.

More and more cruise lines specialise in open dining with no set meal times, no allocated places and no formal dress code. This allows passengers to dine when they wish and with whom they wish.

Alternatively, passengers may choose to sail with a cruise line that offers the more traditional style of dining where diners are assigned a specific table with the same dining companions and service staff throughout the cruise. Generally, there will be two separate sittings for dinner.

Many cruise ships also offer speciality restaurants with their own décor and different style of cuisine and dining. These restaurants can include Italian, Asian, Continental and Grills and may have a celebrity chef associated with them such as Marco Pierre White, Aldo Zilli, Nobuyuki ‘Nobu’ Matsuhisa or Michel Roux. At the luxury end of cruising, chefs and sommeliers work together to create the perfect gourmet meal. A number of companies offer wine and food ‘themed’ cruises with celebrity chefs hosting cookery demonstrations. A supplement is generally payable for those who wish to dine in speciality restaurants.

You may prefer the thought of dining al fresco as the sun sets, and some cruise lines provide outdoor dining areas and a number are able to arrange for dinner to be taken on your own private balcony or in your suite.

Together with the different styles of dining is the choice of dress code. The policy is very dependent upon the cruise line and may vary from black tie, to informal to casual or even all three.

During the day, the choice of dining is equally as varied. Full breakfast in the dining room or for those who prefer a more casual start to the day, buffet-style breakfasts are also available sometimes on the outside deck. Lunch can again be taken in the dining room but there are often buffet-style meals at cafés and there are often pizzerias, grills and speciality restaurants. Traditionalists can still find afternoon tea being served by a number of cruise lines along with the popular ice cream parlours.