What’s cooking in onboard cuisine

The Lido buffet has gotten a makeover. At night, many cruise lines transform ships' ubiquitous buffet venues into more glamorous — yet still relatively casual — dining destinations. Oceania Cruises' Spanish-influenced Tapas on the Terrace is a favorite, with its small tastes, comprehensive salad bar and freshly made Sangria being highlights; you can eat on the outside deck in good weather. On P&O's Artemis, the Conservatory Grill features candlelit tables and great steaks. Queen Mary 2's Asian-fusion Lotus, part of its King's Grill buffet, was fantastic, bar none — but it was tough to get a table! Harder in fact to find a spot there than at the hip and trendy Todd English.

And speaking of buffets, the midnight buffet is on its way out. Celebrity is one line among many that has sounded the death knell for its once-per-cruise gala midnight buffet. Instead, passengers with the late-night munchies can head to the Cova Café coffee shops, which now offer "after-theater menus" from 11 p.m. to close. Menu items include tartlets, canapés, artisan cheeses and petit fours. Late-night dining on other lines include NCL's 24-hour restaurant, which serves comfort food like mac 'n cheese and tomato soup round the clock, and Princess' evening bistro from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. in the Horizon Court, which offers an array of choices from sandwiches to salads, pastas and desserts.

If midnight gorging is out, brunch is suddenly in. Celebrity now has a once-per-cruise gala brunch — complete with photo-worthy fruit and vegetable carvings. Brunch includes a little bit of everything, from made-to-order smoothies and eggs on the breakfast end to more lunch-worthy pizza, paninis and wraps. Also on the brunch bandwagon is Disney Cruise Line's adults-only restaurant, Palo, which offers a champagne brunch on sea days. Princess offers a champagne brunch as part of its in-room dining program, but passengers must have a balcony to partake (and pay an extra fee).

Cruising's not just about eating — it's about learning to concoct the stuff as well. Holland America's really carving out a niche on this one; its Culinary Arts Center has a television-ready demo kitchen and ships offer small groups hands-on lessons that are fun and tasty. Regent Seven Seas Cruises, too, takes cooking seriously and on some cruises offers lectures and demos by its partner, Le Cordon Bleu.

These days, the culinary education doesn't stop with onboard demos. Cruise lines are recognizing the appeal of food- and wine-based shore tours -- a tastier and more in-depth option to the traditional bus tour. Oceania has teamed up with Food and Wine Trails to offer tours that give a taste of local life, as well as a taste of local food and wine. Azamara introduced new culinary excursions to its 2008 Europe cruises, including a tour of Slovenian salt plants, olive farms and wine cellars, and a "pasta party" in Civitavecchia, Italy (the port for Rome), complete with a pasta-making workshop.

If you're hooked on the cult of celebrity chefs, turn off the Food Channel and start packing your bags. Several celebrity chefs now have onboard restaurants or serve as culinary advisors to the cruise lines. Boston-based Todd English of Olives fame has outposts on Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria. British TV fans will recognize Pierre White, star of ITV's "Hell's Kitchen," who has a restaurant on P&O's Ventura with another to come on Oriana. Public television cooking star Jacques Pepin is Oceania's Executive Culinary Director, making his mark on all the ship's restaurants, and Nobuyuki "Nobu" Matsuhisa, a classically trained sushi chef with an empire of eateries around the world, is the mastermind behind Crystal's Silk Road and Sushi Bar restaurants. Will Rachael Ray and Emeril be next?

Carnival's wine program may have folded, but wine aficionados have plenty of choices these days for viticulture at sea. Wine bars can be found on NCL's, Royal Caribbean's and Princess' newest ships for a little onboard imbibing. Cruise West offers two California wine country itineraries, with visits to Napa and Sonoma wineries, and once a year, Celebrity turns a Vancouver-to-San Diego repositioning cruise into a wine lover's cruise with vineyard visits, wine appreciation seminars and lectures by wine experts. Crystal is also banking on its guests being wine aficionados — its ultimate wine experience dinners on select voyages feature rare vintages and a $1,300 per person price tag.

Other beverage trends include the rising popularity of tea as a gourmet drink; Cunard has introduced Wedgwood tea service on its ships — featuring 23 flavors that range from traditional to contemporary. Coffee bars are now an expected feature, particularly on the big ships. Beyond the specialty brews (priced a la carte), they offer pastries and savory snacks. Our favorite? Crown Princess' International Cafe features a bakery with on-the-spot ovens ... and the smell is delectable. Smoothies and milkshakes are also finding their niche spot onboard. You can find these breakfast-meets-dessert concoctions on Royal Caribbean and Oceania.

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