Americans have an insatiable appetite for pizza. In fact, 93 percent of the U.S. population has eaten pizza within the past month! Americans also chow down on 46 pizza slices per person annually, and Statista research shows that they spent an incredible $16.5 billion on pizza purchases in 2023.
So, with “National Pizza Month” on the horizon for October, The Meandering Traveler thought it the perfect time to explore pizza options by sea and land. So, here are myriad fun factoids about pizza, plus our look at some of the best pizza eateries.
(On six ships, Silversea serves up delicious “made to order” pizzas in Spaccanapoli, as shown in the photo above. Photo copyrighted by Silversea Cruises Ltd.)
Best Pizza at Sea … and on Land too!
The first U.S. pizzeria appeared in New York City at the turn of the 20th century. Across the U.S. today, diners chow down at more than 61,000 pizzerias. With roots in Italian culture, pizza is essentially a flat bread dough topped with olive oil, tomatoes, oregano, mozzarella or other cheeses and more.
Often, people add many other fresh ingredients, based on their personal taste. That might include pepperoni, mushrooms, other fresh vegetables, sausage, seafood, pineapple or even caviar! Plus, consumers can opt for thin, regular or deep-dish crusts.
When baked quickly at high temperature, pizza emerges piping hot from the oven with incredible flavors. So, let’s dive into the world of pizza at sea and on land.
Best Pizza at Sea – Delicious Options
The Meandering Traveler recognizes that individual traveler choices for the “best pizza at sea” can vary widely. That said, here are some of our favorite options; they’re gleaned from our own seagoing pizza experiences, that of Pavlus Travel’s president, and also a well-known cruise photojournalist.
If your choices are different, that’s A-Okay! What counts is “choice.” And every year more flavorful pizza options crop up on ocean ships. So, just enjoy!
1. Best Pizza at Sea: Princess Cruises
In top “pizza news at sea,” this summer Princess Cruises formed a new partnership with Chef Tony Gemignani. He’s famed as a 13-time World Pizza Champion. To celebrate, the “Love Boat” line set a new Guinness World Record for the “World’s Largest Pizza Party.”
Now, here’s an amazing factoid! During this July 2024 onboard party, Princess’ guests devoured more than 60,000 slices of fresh-from-the-oven pizza. The pies were prepared by the line’s master chefs.
Princess’ New Pizza Recipes
Today, the new pizza partnership is already paying off for Princess’ guests in two savory ways.
- First, Chef Gemignani has created two pizzas exclusively for Princess. Each offers a blend of yummy flavors and premium ingredients. They range from Soppressata sausage and hot honey to agave pesto and fresh goat cheese.
- Second, the top chef also has shared with Princess three of his signature award-winning pizza recipes from his land-based eateries.
So, pizza lovers have something to cheer about. Chef Gemignani’s pizza recipes first debuted this year at Alfredo’s onboard the new Sun Princess. (Separately, that ship also has a new Love by Britto specialty eatery, as discussed in a past blog.)
Look for the five new pies to be extended to the entire fleet over the next month or so. That will happen at the Alfredo’s and Gigi’s specialty pizzerias. Some ships instead have a pop-up Alfredo’s experience in Sabatini’s. There, at lunchtime, guests can also choose one of the new pizza creations.
Chef Gemignani personally trained Princess’ chefs in preparing his pizza recipes. He did that both on board the line’s ships and at his Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco. That fabulous land-based eatery placed second in the nation for the 2024 best U.S. pizza restaurant in Time Out’s ratings.
2. Best Pizza at Sea: Silversea’s Spaccanapoli
Another great pizza choice at sea? The Meandering Traveler personally enjoys Spaccanapoli on ultra-luxury Silversea. (See the photo atop this page — copyrighted by Silversea Cruises Inc.)
Tapping into the line’s Italian heritage, the eatery’s name reflects a renowned street in Naples, Italy. Dividing that city in two, the thoroughfare is famed for its many pizzerias.
We’ve experienced Spaccanapoli’s tasty pizza pies on both Silver Moon and Silver Nova. They’re cooked to order and quite yummy in flavor. On Silver Moon, we had a fabulous view of the pool deck as well.
In total, cruise guests can savor this eatery’s creations on six Silversea ships. So, besides the two vessels we mentioned, travelers can also enjoy Spaccanapoli on Silver Ray, Silver Muse, Silver Dawn and Silver Spirit.
3. Best Pizza at Sea: Disney Cruise Line Options
Multiple tasty pizza options await guests on Disney Cruise Line. Among them on the upper decks are:
- Pinocchio’s Pizzeria on the Disney Wonder and Disney Magic
- Luigi’s Pizza (one option within Flo’s Cafe) on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy
- Daisy’s Pizza Pies at Mickey and Friends Festival of Foods on the Disney Wish.
One of our favorite Disney pizza options is available at the Palo brunch. Exclusively for adults, that fine dining eatery specializes in delectable Italian cuisine.
In addition, Disney excels with choices for very tasty room-service pizza. How about a four-cheese pizza or perhaps a vegetarian delight or pepperoni pie?
4. Pizza at Sea: RCI’s Sorrento
In July, The Meandering Traveler also sampled both the pepperoni pizza and Margherita pizza at Sorrento’s Pizza on Royal Caribbean International’s new Utopia of the Seas, now sailing from Port Canaveral, FL.
The freshly baked New York-style pizza pies flow constantly from the oven. Typically, classic cheese, Margherita and pepperoni pies are always available, but on a rotating basis you’ll find other offerings too, such as Hawaiian, Mexican, vegetarian and more.
If you desire something unique, how about a meat-laden Carnivore pizza or a pineapple, bacon and BBQ-infused Caribbean Dream pizza?
We felt our complimentary pizza was tasty and flavorful, plus the crust was perfect. The venue itself also flows well. Guests line up inside the restaurant, eyeball the choices and are generally served quickly.
Sorrento’s servers continually bring new pies from the oven to serve up slices that the guest selects.
Flexible Hours, Great People Watching
One bonus for us was Sorrento’s location. It’s nestled within the ship’s Royal Promenade. So, we just took our plate with pizza slices to a table immediately adjacent to that promenade.
We loved this relaxing area and simply watching folks stroll along the promenade. It’s the perfect spot for people watching!
We dined at this casual dining spot multiple times and at different times of the day. Service was very good, with servers cleaning tables quickly and cheerfully bringing more pizza if guests requested that.
Soda machines are nearby. Servers will also notify pub staff across the promenade if diners request a glass of wine or a beer. The pub will prepare those alcoholic drinks, which are then delivered to diners at Sorrento’s tables.
Open for lunch, dinner and throughout the day, Sorrento is found on multiple Royal Caribbean International ships. They include Icon-, Oasis-, Quantum- and Freedom-class vessels, plus Majesty of the Seas.
5. Best Pizza at Sea: Oceania’s Waves Grill
Oceania Cruises has a well-deserved reputation as “the foodie’s cruise line.” Simply put, it’s famed for its gourmet cuisine and specialty dining options.
But as Shelby Steudle, president, Pavlus Travel, discovered recently, it also serves up tasty pizza at sea. She enjoyed a few slices from a freshly baked pizza ordered at the Waves Grill on Riviera. Pizzeria hours are from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
At this Neapolitan trattoria, a warm pizza oven is at its epicenter. Hand-tossed pizzas feature such delectable toppings as smoky roasted bell peppers, truffle oil, fiery chorizo or tart lemon chicken, to name just a few.
6. Pizza at Sea: HAL’s New York Deli and Pizza
The Meandering Traveler set sail last year on Holland America Line’s Rotterdam. During the line’s 150th anniversary cruise from the U.S. to Rotterdam, we sauntered up to the New York Deli and Pizza.
This casual eatery’s seating overlooks the all-weather pool deck. Guests are protected from rainy or cool weather by a magrodome, a sliding-glass roof that can be automatically opened and closed.
We were pleasantly surprised at the extensiveness of this small eatery’s pizza menu. Guests have a choice of six, nine-inch, thin-crust pizza choices — from the Tribeca to the Grand Central, from the Bronx to the Central Park or the Primo.
We opted for the Primo pizza with a recipe by Chef Ethan Stowell of Holland America Line’s Culinary Council. It was flavorful and hearty — topped with salami, pepperoni, red bell peppers and olives.
Alternatively, guests can “build their own pizza,” choosing from favorite meats, sauces, veggies and extras.
More Pizza at Sea Options
Certainly, pizza venues are highly popular on ships where some guests are children or teens. That said, two adults-only ocean lines — Viking and Virgin Voyages — also have flavorful pizza options.
Acclaimed cruise photojournalist Chris Owen has sailed repeatedly on Viking. On a voyage just a few months ago, he discovered pizza on one side of Viking’s casual World Cafe.
While pizza isn’t a huge part of the Viking dining offering, it’s nice for pizza enthusiasts to know there’s availability. Owen says Pizza Margherita is typically offered, with another rotating selection as well.
On Virgin Voyages, the Pizza Place gives guests complete control over the make-up of their pizza pie. That includes everything from choosing the dough, the cheese, cracked pepper, ricotta or other toppings desired.
Alternatively, Virgin’s guests can just choose from a pizza menu. Then they can head outside to lounge in hammocks until the pizza is ready.
Small Coastal Vessels Too
At times, pizza options show up on some small coastal or river vessels. For instance, The Meandering Traveler sailed earlier this year on American Cruise Lines’ 100-passenger coastal catamaran, American Eagle. At lunchtime on a few days, we sauntered up to Deck 3’s casual Lookout Cafe. Burgers, wraps or pizza are among the lunch choices.
Other days, though, we headed for the main dining room aboard. One option that we really liked was that if nothing appealed for lunch while seated there, we could just inform our server.
Presto, the crew would order a pizza of our choosing from the other restaurant. A server would deliver it to our table. The pepperoni pizza was exceptional.
In conclusion, we’ve offered our “subjective take” on six of our top choices for “best pizza at sea,” plus a few other options.
That said, MANY other cruise lines — too numerous to name, frankly — also bake tasty pizzas. They span the cruise universe from ultra-luxury and luxury to premium, contemporary and expedition lines. So, just head to sea and enjoy!
Best Pizza on Land in the U.S.
Certainly, travelers heading to a luxury hotel or resort in New York, Miami, Los Angeles or elsewhere within the U.S. have prolific pizza choices. So, we’re pleased to shine a spotlight on some terrific resources for pizza fans. We’ve found these particularly helpful when “on the go.”
For instance, check out Food and Wine’s list of the “Best Pizza in America 2024,” and The Robb Report’s “50 Best Pizzerias in America 2024.”
Another great resource is Time Out’s “50 Top U.S. Pizza” list. For the third year in a row, Una Pizza Napoletana in New York City is 2024’s top pizza spot.
Runner-up honors? In second place is Tony’s Pizza Napoletana by Chef Tony Gemignani (cited in this story for his new Princess Cruises partnership) in San Francisco. Pizzeria Beddia by Joe Beddia in Philadelphia is rated third best.
Top Pizza Places: Dave Portnoy’s Pizza Reviews
Our top “go-to” resource for pizza intel while traveling, though, is “One-Bite Pizza Reviews” by Dave Portnoy. As president of Barstool Sports, Portnoy heads to pizza spots across the country – from New York to Chicago, Los Angeles to Miami and beyond.
Portnoy’s video clips show the restaurant. He also samples the pizza. We’ve discovered dozens and dozens of interesting video reviews at Portnoy’s One-Bite Pizza Reviews site.
Best of all, readers also see his pizza ratings on a scale of 1-to-10 for each pizzeria. For instance, Portnoy rates Di Fara Pizza in Brooklyn, NY, at a stellar 9.4. But he also gives a perfect 10 rating to Monte’s Restaurant in Lynn, MA.
Best Pizza in Europe
Since pizza is strongly rooted in Italian culture, travelers planning a trip there might check out TasteAtlas.com’s best-rated pizza spots in Italy.
As for other countries on the continent, here is Time Out’s rating list of Europe’s best pizzerias. Hint? The top choice isn’t on the European mainland. It’s west London’s Napoli on the Road in the U.K.
And for a site that celebrates all the top pizza rating lists, here’s a link to Pizza Today’s 2024 National Best Pizzas list guide.
Well, now we’re both hungry and ready to head out on a fabulous vacation! How about you? If so, use the contact information below to talk with a personal travel planner.
But just remember this. Whether you’re traveling by land or sea, amazing pizza often awaits!
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