I Spent A Week On One Of The World's Largest Cruise Ships, And This Is How Much Food They Actually Need For 6,000 Passengers

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Hey! I'm Spencer, and I love cruises. I just got back from my eighth sailing, this time traveling through the Mediterranean on one of the world's tallest cruise ships. I'm always fascinated by how much food it takes these massive ships to serve everyone on board, and I managed to get a private tour of the galley and their off-limit decks, so here are some of the wildest things I learned.

Man in swim trunks sitting on beach chair holds a small cup of food, with text
Man in swim trunks sitting on beach chair holds a small cup of food, with text
A boxed meal includes salad, veggies, and seared tuna slices with a dipping sauce. Text reads:
A boxed meal includes salad, veggies, and seared tuna slices with a dipping sauce. Text reads:

Spencer Althouse, Instagram: @spenceralthouse

To give you an idea of how much food they go through each week, you need to understand how big the 6,000-passenger ship actually is. I traveled on Sun Princess, which is over 1,100 feet in length, meaning it's longer than three football fields put together. This 21-deck ship is by far the tallest I've ever been on, and it weighs nearly 178,000 tons, which is almost 400 ~million~ pounds. Okay, now onto the food!

A person stands in front of a cruise ship with "Sun Princess" on the side. The ship is described as being longer than three football fields
Spencer Althouse

1.In total, 180 tons of food supplies are loaded onto the ship for every weeklong voyage. That's about 400,000 pounds of provisions, which, to put into perspective, is just shy of how much the Statue of Liberty weighs. Below is what some of that food looks like when stored on the lower decks. The left pic, for example, shows a crewmember loading potatoes, which is a tough job when you consider that the ship goes through over 13,000 pounds of potatoes each week.

Two people load large plastic containers onto a pallet of potato sacks in a ship's kitchen. Text reads,
Two people load large plastic containers onto a pallet of potato sacks in a ship's kitchen. Text reads,
Stacks of food and boxes in a storage area. Sacks of potatoes are on the left, and other food items in boxes are on the right, with arrows pointing to each section
Stacks of food and boxes in a storage area. Sacks of potatoes are on the left, and other food items in boxes are on the right, with arrows pointing to each section

Spencer Althouse

2.They also load about 50 tons of beverages onto the ship. This includes over 16,000 bottles of wine and champagne, along with upwards of 120,000 bottles of beer.

Fish-shaped glass goblet holding a rum-based drink called
Fish-shaped glass goblet holding a rum-based drink called
Several wine glasses on a table with a caption saying,
Several wine glasses on a table with a caption saying,

Spencer Althouse

3.The ship I just sailed on had 28 different bars on board, and they served over 200 unique cocktails, the most popular being Piña Coladas and strawberry daiquiris. Most cruise lines offer unlimited alcohol packages to their guests, which usually cost between $50 and $80 per day. I did the math, and depending on which line you travel with, you typically need to order at least five beverages each day to get your money's worth.

People holding various drinks, including a strawberry daiquiri, with text reading
People holding various drinks, including a strawberry daiquiri, with text reading
A pool bar with various alcohol bottles displayed on shelves and rows of empty glasses in front. Yellow text says,
A pool bar with various alcohol bottles displayed on shelves and rows of empty glasses in front. Yellow text says,

Spencer Althouse

4.But if coffee is more your style then don't worry. They serve about 6,000 cups of regular coffee each day. And that's not even counting cappuccinos, espressos, iced coffees, and so on.

A cappuccino cup filled with soup and foamy broth
A cappuccino cup filled with soup and foamy broth
Milk being poured into a teacup with text stating the tea was served by a personal chef to Princess Diana and the Queen
Milk being poured into a teacup with text stating the tea was served by a personal chef to Princess Diana and the Queen

Spencer Althouse

5.Between seated dining, buffets, specialty restaurants, room service, and more, the culinary teams are responsible for 8,000–10,000 meals every single day. In other words, a typical seven-day voyage can serve upwards of 70,000 meals.

Several fruit plates stacked on a trolley, ready to be served. Text:
Several fruit plates stacked on a trolley, ready to be served. Text:
A food stand in a commercial kitchen holds 80 plates topped with lettuce, tomatoes, and garnishes. Text states,
A food stand in a commercial kitchen holds 80 plates topped with lettuce, tomatoes, and garnishes. Text states,

Spencer Althouse

6.And that means the machinery in the galleys (i.e. the cooking areas) is absolutely massive. Below is a picture of me standing next to one of the giant mixers, which was about to prep 440 pounds of pizza dough at once. For reference, I'm 5'11" (a real 5'11", not a Tinder 5'11").

Me standing by a large dough mixer in a commercial kitchen, the mixer can mix 440 lbs of dough at once
Me standing by a large dough mixer in a commercial kitchen, the mixer can mix 440 lbs of dough at once
A man is tossing pizza dough in the air with a chef preparing ingredients behind him. Text reads:
A man is tossing pizza dough in the air with a chef preparing ingredients behind him. Text reads:

Spencer Althouse

Passengers consume about 1,500 pounds of flour during every seven-day period, but I guess that makes sense when you think about how many pizzas and pastries get made.

7.I've traveled on four different cruise lines, and I think non-cruisers are always the most shocked to learn that none of the food on board is pre-cooked. This means that the galleys basically have to cook for 1,500 guests at a time during each dinner service. After one round of dining is done, they immediately do it all over again for the next service, and so on.

A plate of pasta with tomato sauce and basil, elegantly set on a white-clothed dining table with fine glassware and tableware
A plate of pasta with tomato sauce and basil, elegantly set on a white-clothed dining table with fine glassware and tableware
Hundreds of plates of food being prepped in the galley before being served
Hundreds of plates of food being prepped in the galley before being served

Spencer Althouse

The galleys are divided into sections based on each type of food: meat, fish, soup, salad, dessert, etc. They're also U-shaped so waiters know exactly where to go when they need to grab certain dishes to serve.

8.Believe it or not, all of the pastries and desserts are made from scratch too. Below are some photos I took to show what that process looks like. For example, on the right you can see the different stages of how they prep hundreds of cheesecake dishes to be served during a dinner service.

A massive baking carrier with hundreds of unbaked pastries stacked on top of each other on trays
A massive baking carrier with hundreds of unbaked pastries stacked on top of each other on trays
Many plates of cheesecake slices with a mint leaf garnish lined up on a stainless steel kitchen counter, showing a professional kitchen setting
Many plates of cheesecake slices with a mint leaf garnish lined up on a stainless steel kitchen counter, showing a professional kitchen setting

Spencer Althouse

9.Thousands and thousands of pastries and desserts are made each day — I personally had a donut and Danish every single morning with breakfast, and I have no regrets. This means the ship has to go through a lottttt of eggs and milk. To be exact, 3,900 dozens of eggs and 1,700 gallons of milk are stocked for each seven-day period.

Three chefs in a kitchen preparing pastries, with a
Three chefs in a kitchen preparing pastries, with a
Pastries in trays labelled Nutella Croissant, Pistachio Croissant, and Pain Au Chocolat with an arrow and the word
Pastries in trays labelled Nutella Croissant, Pistachio Croissant, and Pain Au Chocolat with an arrow and the word

Spencer Althouse

10.Cruises go through a lot of meat and fish too. About 30 tons of meat and 15 tons of seafood are loaded onto the ship every single week.

A gourmet dish featuring beef tenderloin, lobster claw, asparagus, baby carrot, ravioli, and a potato puree, beautifully plated on a dark plate
A gourmet dish featuring beef tenderloin, lobster claw, asparagus, baby carrot, ravioli, and a potato puree, beautifully plated on a dark plate
A man in a suit eats his first oyster at a restaurant, caption reads
A man in a suit eats his first oyster at a restaurant, caption reads

Spencer Althouse

11.But if you're a vegetarian or a vegan then you shouldn't worry. Exactly 28 tons of vegetables are brought on board each week. In fact, guests consume over 2,200 pounds of fresh salad alone in that same time period.

A chef prepares multiple bowls of salads with various vegetables in a kitchen. The image text reads,
A chef prepares multiple bowls of salads with various vegetables in a kitchen. The image text reads,
A bowl of roasted edamame sprinkled with seasoning, served on a white scalloped dish
A bowl of roasted edamame sprinkled with seasoning, served on a white scalloped dish

Spencer Althouse

12.Of the 6,000 passengers on board, about 4,300 are guests and 1,600 are crewmembers. The culinary team makes up 20% of the total crew and is comprised of chefs and stewards, i.e. those who clean all the food equipment and prepping stations. These people are responsible for making allllllll the food that gets served from the 26 (!!!!) different galleys on board.

Stacks of clean plates with small portions of food in a commercial kitchen. Text reads,
Stacks of clean plates with small portions of food in a commercial kitchen. Text reads,
Chefs are preparing food in a commercial kitchen, assembling elegant appetizer plates with shrimp and dishes with spiral pastries
Chefs are preparing food in a commercial kitchen, assembling elegant appetizer plates with shrimp and dishes with spiral pastries

Spencer Althouse

And that doesn't even include the 400-ish crewmembers on the dining staff. These are the people who serve and prep the food at each restaurant and buffet. Basically, food is a 24-hour operation on cruises, so they even have people working overnight to help keep guests fed and happy.

13.All of this food obviously means that there's a lot of trash on board, and since real estate on a cruise ship is super important and expensive, they recycle and "digest" as much as possible. For example, there are 15 biodigesters to help eliminate food waste. All the soft foods get put in them, which basically act as a stomach to break and grind everything into a “slurry." Yes, this room smelled as bad as you think it did.

A bin labeled
A bin labeled
Inside view of a biodigester grinding food waste. The machine has rotating blades breaking down food into smaller particles. Text at the top describes the process
Inside view of a biodigester grinding food waste. The machine has rotating blades breaking down food into smaller particles. Text at the top describes the process

Spencer Althouse

14.All of that food is then placed in a dehydrator so the moisture can be removed, and it gets reduced by eight times its original size. Here's a pic I took of the end result, which sort of looks like coffee grounds or dirt.

Metallic industrial dehydrator machine with green components. Red arrow pointing to a button with text
Metallic industrial dehydrator machine with green components. Red arrow pointing to a button with text
A person holding a large bag filled with composted food scraps. Text at the top reads:
A person holding a large bag filled with composted food scraps. Text at the top reads:

Spencer Althouse

15.Finally, I was shocked to learn that all of the water on board is actually made from seawater. The ship basically uses evaporators and does something called "reverse osmosis" to purify everything and separate the salt, turning the seawater into fresh water. The water is then filtered, which makes it safe for everything from drinking to showering.

Man using chopsticks to eat sushi in a restaurant, text above him reads
Man using chopsticks to eat sushi in a restaurant, text above him reads
A man standing on a ship’s balcony holds a pizza. Red arrow points to the sea with text above reading, “…came from this water.”
A man standing on a ship’s balcony holds a pizza. Red arrow points to the sea with text above reading, “…came from this water.”

Spencer Althouse

And, no, the water didn't taste weird or anything like that. It just tasted like regular filtered water! Plastic water bottles were also available on board, but there were some self-serve fill-up stations for passengers like me who brought their own reusable bottles too.

I'm personally a huge fan of cruises and the food on board, but let me know your own thoughts in the comments!

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