Which Cruise Line Has the Best Pizza? Here Are Our Rankings…

Who doesn’t love a good slice of pizza? Whether you’re 8 or 80, sometimes a piece of the pie just falls into place.

And on a cruise, pizza is almost always available. It depends on your line, but many have a place where you can grab a slice (or a whole pizza) almost any time of day, with some serving around the clock.

The good news? Pizza is a food that even when it’s bad, it’s really good. But there’s definitely a difference between a really good slice and a mediocre one. And on cruise lines, the difference can be dramatic.

While we haven’t sailed on every cruise line, we are huge fans of pizza and always make it a point to have some for at least one snack on our travels. And over time, we’ve developed a ranking of what we consider the best… and not so best… parts for when you’re on a cruise.

We’ve ranked each cruise line below, from our opinion of least favorite to most favorite.

Norwegian Cruise Line Pizza

The good one? The Italian sausage in these slices was very good with lots of flavor. However, the rest of the piece was nonsensical.

If you’re a pizza lover, then NCL might not be your favorite cruise line. For one, pizza can be hard to find at all!

For example, on our most recent cruise, we noticed that the ship’s Italian restaurant (which is usually chargeable) was self-serve at lunch. You can also find it at the buffet, but the cruise line doesn’t offer pie all the time like some other cruise lines.

Now, there is likely a difference between the free pizza we got and what is offered at NCL’s higher-end Italian specialty restaurants like Onda and La Cucina for an additional fee. However, for our purposes, we’re only comparing free pizza options.

In our most recent taste test, we tried an Italian sausage pizza. While the slices get high marks for the toppings (the salami we thought was excellent), the rest of the slice wasn’t our favorite.

For one, the slices were small, like you’d see on a pizza floor buffet. Meanwhile, the dough was just too thick for the size of the slice, making it seem more like you’re eating bread than enjoying a slice of pizza.

Then again, it’s pizza, so it’s not too bad. However, we thought it was similar to the mass-produced, high-volume pizza you see at an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet.

Royal Caribbean Pizza

Pizza on Royal Caribbean — While Royal Caribbean earns points for eating pizza around the clock, unfortunately, it comes in small pieces that taste mass-produced.

To us, there are more similarities than differences between NCL and Royal Caribbean Pizza. However, Royal Caribbean gets kudos for availability and variety.

If you want a slice of pizza on a Caribbean cruise, then you can go to the ship’s boardwalk. There you will find Sorrento’s, which offers fresh baked pizzas around the clock. So whether you want a full lunch or just a late night snack then it’s there for the taking.

Also, you can either grab what’s available or ask for a different type of pie. And if you want a slice or the whole pizza, then just ask.

Unfortunately, we think the pizza could be better.

Again, similar to NCL, the slices are small, which we often find throws off the balance between the actual fillings and the crust. It also suffers from the same issue of tasting rather generic to us. It’s certainly edible, but we doubt it’ll be something you mark as one of your favorite things to eat. If you’ve eaten at pizza buffets, then we think you have a good idea of the taste you’ll find.

Carnival Cruise Line Pizza

Carnival offers 24-hour pizza. Pies are delicious, soft and foldable. It ranks among our favorites. And of course, you can eat whatever you want.

If Carnival and Royal Caribbean are rivals, then one place where Carnival tops its competitor is pizza.

First, like Royal Caribbean, Carnival offers pizza around the clock. So no matter what time you have a craving, you can satisfy it (in fact, you can even get pizza delivered to your ship location for a small fee!).

Carnival actually offers two different restaurants with pizza options, depending on which ship you’re sailing. But while they have different names on different ships, they offer the same pizza. The first is called Pizza Pirate and the other is called Pizzeria del Capitano. Again, each of them will give you the same pie, and best of all, it’s included in the cruise fare.

Now, pizzas have a little more Italian flavor and relatively limited topping options. You can order Margherita, Funghi (mushrooms), Prosciutto, Peperoni or Quattro Formaggi (four cheeses). So if you want a pizza with, say, bell pepper and sausage, that’s not on the menu.

But the pizza served is a step up. For one, the pies are baked fresh continuously throughout the day. So instead of pizza sitting under a heat lamp, there might be a pie or two that are ready to be served, but most are made to order.

Also, while the pizzas are relatively small, the thinner dough means you get a nice mix of pizza and actual dough. And the pieces also fold easily instead of breaking.

Finally, whether it’s the ingredients or the recipe, something about pizza is just delicious. It doesn’t taste like a mass-produced pizza, but like a pie you’d order from a restaurant (and pay a fortune for!). We suggest you not only consider the carnival pizza as a snack, but make it a real meal.

MSC Cruises Pizza

Pizza by MSC Cruises — Our favorite pizza? This one comes from MSC, which serves full-sized pies and slices that taste like they came from an authentic pizzeria.

If you like pizza, then we think you’ll like MSC. It’s a cruise line that has a strong presence in Europe and a smaller (but growing) fleet that sails in the United States.

In fact, it has a very European feel when you sail, even if you sail from a place like Miami. So it should come as no surprise with this influence, the cruise line takes a traditional Italian dish very seriously.

Now, the ship we sailed on does not have a dedicated pizza restaurant, but instead, pizza is served at the buffet, which is open several times a day. So while there are some drawbacks of not always being able to grab a slice, this is more than made up for by the fact that the pizza is so delicious.

What sets it apart? For one, these aren’t pizzas and small slices that throw off the ratio of crust to dough to actual cheese, sauce, and toppings. Instead, these are large pizzas with full-sized slices just like you’d get at an authentic pizzeria.

In our experience, you don’t get your choice of toppings, nor can you get a pizza made just for you (although you may be able to ask the staff). Instead, the pizza was offered in a buffet offering several different choices, including bacon, margherita and red style.

As you would expect from a pizzeria on the ground, the slices were large, pliable and perfectly cooked with great flavor. Considering you’ll be paying upwards of $25 (or more!) for this type of pizza, having all you can eat is an amazing deal.

Combined, these factors make MSC the clear winner when it comes to the best cruise line pizza.

Are you a fan of pizza? Which line is your favorite pie? Tell us in the comments below.