6 Best Pizza Shops on Cruise Ships

Alfredo's -- an Italian-style venue that's done up in wood and marble and found aboard Grand Princess, Sapphire Princess, Royal Princess, Regal Princess, Majestic Princess and Sky Princess -- is a fan favorite on Cruise Critic's message boards when it comes to cruise ship pizza shops. Opt for personal pizzas or brick oven-style thin crust with your choice of a plethora of toppings. Best of all, it's free. A few other ships, including Coral Princess and Island Princess, also have an outpost of Alfredo's inside the line's signature Italian restaurant, Sabatini's, which serves pizza during lunch hours.

Through its partnership with famed Italian restaurant and slow food pioneer Eataly, MSC Cruises' MSC Divina and MSC Preziosa are able to offer some of the best pizza we've ever tasted. Several varieties are available -- including margherita, vegetarian and white pizza with ham -- and only the highest-quality ingredients are used, making the added charge ($8 and up, depending on toppings) worth every penny. (It's still less than what you'd pay for a pizza ashore.) MSC ships also serve noteworthy (and complimentary) pies at a pizza station in the buffet. Note: MSC Meraviglia has an Eataly restaurant onboard, but it does not have a pizza kitchen.

Found on Royal Caribbean's Freedom-, Oasis- and Quantum-class ships, as well as Majesty of the Seas, Sorrento's offers complimentary sweets and Italian fare, including pizza. The line bills the venue as offering "a Caribbean twist on New York-style pizza." Options change periodically and include chorizo and Hawaiian varieties. Best of all, Sorrento's is centrally located along the Promenade, so you're never far from cheesy goodness.

In terms of cruise pizza, Carnival's got it right, offering it 24 hours a day on all of its ships. Visit Pizzeria del Capitano (on Carnival Sunshine, Carnival Sunrise, Carnival Magic, Carnival Dream, Carnival Vista, Carnival Horizon and Carnival Panorama) or Pizza Pirate, on all other ships, for no-charge slices good enough to make anyone's mouth water. Choices include margherita, pepperoni, funghi (mushroom) and prosciutto.

Sitting poolside and don't feel like venturing too far to grab some pizza? Enjoy a standard plain or pepperoni slice -- or indulge in a New York-themed specialty pie, such as the Tribeca (roasted chicken, red onion, cilantro, barbecue sauce and smoked mozzarella) or Wall Street (prosciutto, arugula, extra-virgin olive oil, white sauce, gorgonzola and mozzarella). You can even build your own, choosing from a variety of sauces, meats, veggies and extras. Found on most ships, New York Pizza (New York Pizza & Deli on Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam) is located by the pool area so you won't have to interrupt your sunbathing. Even better: The pizza is free.

Named after a street in Naples, Italy, renowned for its pizzerias, luxury line Silversea's Spaccanapoli restaurant arguably is the closest you can get to "the real thing" aboard a ship. The restaurant, which overlooks the pool area on Silver Muse and Silver Spirit (and soon on Silver Moon), serves fresh pizza at lunchtime and dinner -- complete with table service. Diners can choose from calzones and pizza in a variety of flavors, such as diavola (with spicy salami) or bufalina (with buffalo mozzarella and basil). Spaccanapoli is included in the cruise fare.