There’s something sublime about hitting the buffet at midnight on a cruise, but not all cruise ships offer midnight buffets. Midnight buffets have disappeared from many cruise ships for a variety of reasons, with the main reasons being that midnight buffets often wasted food due to being usually lightly attended and cruise ships wanting to prepare for busier meals like breakfast than midnight buffets. Although many cruise ships do not have midnight buffets, many have late night or even 24/7 dining options to serve as alternatives to midnight buffets. From Carnival to Royal Caribbean, keep reading to find out which cruise ships have midnight buffets and late night food options.
Royal Caribbean Midnight Buffet
Sadly, Royal Caribbean does not offer a midnight buffet. The buffet on Royal Caribbean cruise ships, called the Windjammer, is open for breakfast at 7:30 in the morning and stops serving dinner at 9 at night. If there’s something special on the buffet that you’ll want at midnight, you can save a plate in the fridge in your stateroom for later!
Royal Caribbean Midnight Buffet Alternatives
There are other options for midnight snacks on your Royal Caribbean cruise in place of a midnight buffet too. Café Promenade can be a perfect late night dining option with quick snacks like pastries, sandwiches, wraps, and more! Sorrento’s Pizza is another great place to get something to eat at midnight on Royal Caribbean cruise ships. Sometimes a slice of pizza is the perfect answer to a long day of cruising!
Royal Caribbean cruises also offers 24/7 room service rather than a midnight buffet as well. You can order some late night food directly to your stateroom with room service. Room service offers foods off the lunch menu like burgers, hot dogs, pizza, and more between 11 am and 6 a.m. Between 6 am and 11 am, room service offers food off the breakfast menu like pancakes, eggs, and even Bloody Marys! Room service on Royal Caribbean costs $7.95 per delivery and an additional 18% tip.
Carnival Midnight Buffet
Like with many other cruise lines, Carnival does not offer a midnight buffet on any of their cruise ships. The buffets on Carnival Cruise ships start serving breakfast at 7:30 am and stop serving dinner at 9:30 pm. Like with other cruise ships, you can take food from the buffet back to your stateroom to store in the mini fridge for later if you really want something off the buffet at midnight.
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Carnival Midnight Buffet Alternatives
While Carnival does not have a midnight buffet, there are lots of late night and even around the clock options in lieu of a midnight buffet on Carnival. Stop by the Pizzeria at Lido’s Marketplace to satisfy your late night cravings with pizza and ice cream served 24 hours a day. What better combo for a midnight meal on a cruise than pizza and ice cream! You can also stop by the Carnival Deli any time of day for a custom made sandwich. The closest alternative to a midnight buffet on Carnival cruise ships is the late night snacks offered at the Lido Buffet. Grab some complimentary late night snacks from the Lido Buffet between 11:30 pm and 1 am.
Carnival also offers 24/7 room service in place of a midnight buffet. Get your midnight snack delivered directly to your stateroom instead of having to navigate a midnight buffet on your next Carnival cruise! You can order from the room service late night menu between 10 pm and 6 am and get a grilled cheese, BLT, omelette, or even a donut sandwich delivered to your room at any hour! Room service on Carnival cruise ships also offer breakfast between 5 am to 10 am and lunch between 6 am to 10 pm. Prices vary by item for Carnival room service, although there are some complimentary offerings.
Princess Cruise Midnight Buffet
Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, commons.wikimedia.org
While there may technically be a midnight buffet on your next Princess Cruise, you’ll have to act quick! Princess Cruise buffets start serving breakfast at 5 in the morning and stop serving dinner at exactly midnight. You might be able to say you technically went to a midnight buffet on your next Princess Cruise, but cruise employees will often start packing up the buffet before the exact stroke of midnight.
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Princess Cruise Late Night Food Options
In addition to the potential of being able to hit the midnight buffet on your next Princess Cruise, there are also a wide variety of late night options available. Stop by the International Café any time of day to get some quick midnight snacks like sandwiches, soups, and cookies!
Like with other cruise lines, Princess Cruises also offer 24/7 room service in place of a midnight buffet. Unlike other cruise ships, room service on your Princess Cruise does not have a flat service fee, you are charged entirely based on what food items you order. That being said, there are still complimentary choices as well as paid choices on the room service menu. You can view the room service menu and even order directly from the TV in your stateroom!
Disney Cruise Midnight Buffet
While there is no official midnight buffet on Disney Cruises, there is a late night buffet that starts 10:30 pm in the District, the adults only area of the ship. Breakfast on typical Disney Cruise buffets starts at 7:30 am and dinner ends at 8:30 pm. Like with other cruise ships, you can also bring food back from the buffet to your stateroom for later if there’s something on the buffet that you know you’ll want at midnight!
Disney Cruise Midnight Buffet Alternatives
In addition to the late night buffet, there are other late night dining options as alternatives to a midnight buffet on your Disney Cruise. While many of the restaurants on board Disney Cruises are not open until midnight, there are some options that stay open as late at 11 pm. Tow Mater’s Grill is a good spot to grab some late night meals.
Like with many other cruise lines, there is also 24/7 room service on your next Disney Cruise in place of a midnight buffet. You can get food delivered directly to your room at midnight or any other time that you’d like! There is no flat fee for room service on Disney Cruises, but some items do incur an additional cost.
Celebrity Cruise Midnight Buffet
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Unfortunately, Celebrity Cruises does not offer an official midnight buffet. Celebrity Cruises has offered midnight buffets in the past but you will not find a midnight buffet on your next Celebrity Cruise. You will have to wait until breakfast to hit the buffet on your Celebrity Cruise! The buffets on your Celebrity Cruise will stop serving dinner at roughly 9:30 pm, but snacks are often left out on the buffet until 1 am.
Celebrity Late Night Food Options
Despite the lack of an official midnight buffet on your next Celebrity Cruise, there are still many options for late night food. Stop by the buffet for an unofficial midnight buffet on your Celebrity Cruise with the ‘Chef Late Night Selections’ offered between 10 pm and 1 am. You can also stop by Café al Bacio & Gelateria on many ships for a late night coffee, pastry, or gelato!
You can also find 24/7 room service on your next Celebrity Cruise in place of a midnight buffet. Get everything from quick snacks like signature soups and salads as well as full meals like seared salmon, rack of lamb, or even frog legs delivered directly to your stateroom at any time! While room service on Celebrity Cruises is typically free of charge, orders made between 11 pm and 6 am do cost a $4.95 fee.
Norwegian Midnight Buffet
Fitting with the other major cruise lines, Norwegian Cruises does not offer a midnight buffet on any of their cruise ships. The buffets on Norwegian Cruise ships start serving breakfast at 7:30 am and stop serving dinner at 9:30 pm.
Norwegian Late Night Food Options
While there is no midnight buffet on your next Norwegian Cruise, there are great options for food in the middle of night. Stop by O’Sheehan’s Neighborhood Bar and Grill for perfect midnight meal options like burgers, reubens, chicken wings, nachos, and more!
Also fitting with other major cruise lines, you can get room service delivered to your stateroom in place of a midnight buffet on your Norwegian Cruise. Get delicious options like a BLT, burger, pizza, or even full meals like grilled salmon, skirt steak, and fish & chips delivered to your stateroom at almost any time of night! Items on the ‘All Day’ menu from room service can be ordered at any time between 10 am and 6:30 am, so make sure you order before 6:30 if you’re pulling an all-nighter! Room service on Norwegian Cruise lines costs a flat fee of $9.95 per order, except when ordering the continental breakfast or coffee in the morning.
Conclusion
We are sad to report that the majority of cruise ships have stopped offering midnight buffets. The large amount of food and work needed for midnight buffets paired with low attendance has resulted in the loss of midnight buffets on most cruise ships. While you most likely won’t be hitting the midnight buffet on your next cruise, almost every cruise offers dining options for midnight snacks and meals. Some notable mentions for great alternatives to midnight buffets on cruise ships include Sorrento’s Pizza on Royal Caribbean, O’Sheehans on Norwegian, and the Pizzeria at Lido Marketplace on Carnival.
