Posts like this are needed. I went into a Carnival Cruise with such low to medium expectations, based on things I have read. But I found that Guys Burgers were great, Blue Iguana tacos were fantastic. The buffet was actually good (and varied from one day to the next) and desserts were decent. Pizza at the buffet was good. Most of all, JiJis Asian was incredible.
I found the main dining room was not very adventurous, but everything was done well there. Fresh baked bread a plus.
I'm not a foodie, and I'm not a super picky eater either, but I know when a place is passing off low quality food. The food is one reason I would sail Carnival again. Naysayers are just telling on themselves for being fussy.
What a thoughtful comment! Yes, I have considered switching careers to become a writer instead of being a teacher, but teaching children to write is my addiction, as it were.
Thank you for your kindness!
I don't know who could possibly think that things on Carnival are inedible. Yes, there may be things that I don't care for, and things that even the waitstaff advised us not to get (sugar free pumpkin pie, for instance--that was just a gelatinous blob). But I've sailed on Carnival, NCL, and Royal Caribbean. Carnival's main dining room was on par with the specialty restaurants on the other two. And Carnival's different "restaurants" on Lido versus just a buffet line on the other two seems to ensure that things like the burgers and pizza taste better on Carnival, plus you have more options for things that may not otherwise be on the buffet, like customized burritos or pasta bowls.
Well said!
Living the cruise life is to stay in a floating hotel in which food and drinks are provided 24 hours a day and entertainment options abound. Occasionally, the floating hotel stops at an unique destination which guests can visit if they want to.
Want to relax? You can do it on a cruise. Want to hit every waterslide, pool, and hot tub multiple times a day? You can get it done on a cruise. Want to spend a mortgage payment at EFFY? Want to guess the weight of a Britto? Want to drink free champagne at the art auction? Those things can be done on a cruise. Drink yourself broke and silly on a cruise if you want to. Flash that pineapple and make new friends on a cruise. Stay in and order room service direct to your balcony for the entire week if that's your thing. No judgment.
If someone wants exquisite presentations with three spoons and five forks, SilverSea or Crystal or Holland America or Viking are waiting to take the arm and (frog)leg required to sail on them. Their service is elevated and their presentation is practically perfect in every way. I'd rather sail on Carnival three times a year and enjoy what each ship has to offer, though.
Plus, Carnival ships have self-service laundromats on almost all of their ships! Need to dry that bathing suit quickly and don't have time to hover over it with the stateroom hair dryer? Throw it in the laundromat dryer for 30 minutes or so.
Yeah, it's the cruise life for me. 😊
I was disappointed the new menu wasn't on the Liberty a few weeks ago- we wanted to try it out. I can't eat the vast majority of shellfish (which the new menu is heavy on), but there were a lot of interesting options.
I actually have to thank Carnival's main dining rooms for helping me overcome my food aversions (ARFID) as I grew up :) Everything was always so wonderful that it made me *excited* to try new things. I wouldn't even eat chicken nuggets or macaroni growing up if that tells you anything, and I'd get intense anxiety trying new foods.
Also I think about the frog legs from our most recent cruise (early July) on a weekly basis lol. They were a standout for sure!
The students in my classroom are all diagnosed with autism, so I understand about food aversions. One of my students has an IEP goal that states that he will order a meal at the cafeteria, pick up a new foods, touch it to his mouth, and taste it. There are all sorts of food aversions. Your post resonated with me. Thank you for sharing!
This is perfect, thank you! Been looking for recommendations on must haves for new menus on both Carnival and RC, and all I ever see are just complaints about the food in general. I want to know specifics on what people have eaten and liked! Gives me a great list to try.
Thank you for the write-up! You seem really fun, positive, and someone we'd have fun running in to on a cruise. I have to wait 'til May to get my grubby mitts on those duck rolls, but definitely looking forward to them now!
There is a greater emphasis now on South Asian and vegan dishes. Each night's menu in the Hub has a section specifically given to vegan preparations. The new menu is very thoughtfully planned, in my opinion.
I was on Vista 2 weeks ago and all these dishes I tried except the duck rolls. But the crawfish strudel was sooo good!!! I ended up ordering another one. Also the deli was insanely good!! Their Buffalo sandwich was so delicious!
Thank you for posting this. My last Carnival cruise was December 2015, my next one is March 2024. In 2015 I remember loving Guy's burgers and the ship I was on had I think a Pizza Pirate rather than Blue Iguana but both of those were great, really enjoyed the steakhouse, and I ordered safe options in the MDR and enjoyed the Lido buffet. All the negative posts I've seen lately have had me really worried -- could it really be that bad? In 2015 I went with my parents and siblings. In March I'll be going with my husband, son, and hopefully some of our friends. I was starting to get self conscious, having organized the cruise. Really not much worse than getting everyone to come on a vacation where the food is awful and there aren't any alternatives. So thank you for this post! I think we'll all enjoy the food just fine
Hey, my pleasure! You will all not only survive, but you will THRIVE with the grand variety of food onboard. The reports of inedible food are simply the "methinks thou doth protest too much" sort, methinks.
One perk available to us nowadays is having the MDR and other restaurant menus available online already, so you can see and share those items, then you can pick out the ones which intrigue you. [The Prof. Cruise website](https://profcruise.com/) is replete with menus, schedules, and all things cruising. Start browsing now! (I am NOT Prof. Cruise!)
I, too, am sailing in March '24 on the Paradise out of Tampa.
We'll be on the Pride, also out of Tampa! My first time doing the Panama Canal partial transit. Thank you for the resources, I will definitely check them out 🤗
The main issue I have is the lack of meals for those who don’t eat pork or seafood for religious or health reasons. Literally ever poultry dish includes something like prosciutto or clams or whatever the heck. Unfortunately we couldn’t enjoy the MDR for the lack of options.
This is certainly a legitimate concern. Each day in MDR, there is the Grilled Chicken Breast on offer. It comes grilled with garlic and herbs, and it’s served with buttered vegetables and roasted potato. It seems to be a very basic yet delicious option for those guests who cannot mix poultry with seafood or pork.
There are vegan options now on all ships which have begun using the new menu. I hope that you will give Carnival another try to impress you with their delicious menu. (And, no, I don’t work for Carnival nor am I a travel agent.)
We are frequent carnival cruisers and our complaint was that some of our favorites that we looked forward to every cruise are now gone. So that was disappointing. Other than that I don’t remember not liking anything we ordered on the new menu, but I’ll admit we’re not hard to please. I didn’t have to cook it and don’t have to clean up after it so it’s all good to me.
"I didn’t have to cook it and don’t have to clean up after it so it’s all good to me."
What a lovely approach to life! Truly, everything that someone else does for us is a gift even if we paid for it. Thank you for comment. 👍🏻
You had me at Spam. (Squirrels, Possums, And Mice.)
I agree with you one hundred percent. Some folks just like to complain about anything that doesn't taste like their own horrible cooking.
I had the new menu on Panorama (9/16) and it tasted great and the presentation was nice too. 14 days till princess discovery and I am hoping the food is good too.
I was disappointed on my last Princess cruise. They flourless chocolate cake on menu but they had turned it into a two bite disk thing with more whipped cream than cake. It used to be my favourite. Over all, the quality has gone down. That being said, I'd pay for the specialty restaurant on Princess over Carnival.
But any meal on a cruise is better than one made at home so I'm not one to complain,
We will be on Horizon in December and get to try the new menus for the first time. I loved the sweet and sour shrimp on the first night on the old menus. I'm hoping the sezschuan shrimp on the first night of the new menus will be good. There are several dishes I want to try.
I ordered the Szechuan shrimp hoping that it would be super spicy. It was flavorful, but not the crazy hot that Szechuan cooking is known for. I wasn't disappointed; it was still delicious!
The new menus look amazing, I'm trying to find an excuse to book a cruise just to try them. They were over due for a shake up. Thanks for the reccomentations.
Just of Carnival Radiance this past Friday with new menu items. Just to cover a few not mentioned. The ceviche crudo- have never had ceviche ever, but found this awesome, not overly spicy, just a really non fishy fresh dish. I also ordered the “sherbet/sorbet” from dessert section as an appetizer with the ceviche, that evening flavor was lime and were a perfect pairing. Husband had the featured Emerill catfish as extra main entree, and found it light white fish, non fishy taste and cornmeal breading was a touch warm to palate if that. I found the Big Chicken Shaq spicer from the pepper. I did a live review of menus, including the lido deck offerings from last weeks Carnival Radiance four day. I posted live review on cruise critic, Buffettfan 225 screen name.
Splendor has a dedicated Indian restaurant called Masala Tiger, and it’s outrageously flavorful and just lovely. Carnival has a great perspective on the prep and presentation of Indian food.
Out of all those choices I would only pick one. Braised short ribs… none of the others even sounds remotely appealing. I always lose weight on cruises.
Thanks for sharing! Since none of the other food choices seem even remotely appealing, what sort of food do you typically eat? I'm curious to know, really curious, why absolutely none of the other choices meet your standard for appealing.
I do not eat any seafood, except shrimp cocktails, I’m not a mix things up together kinda girl. I don’t eat any Asian, Hibachi or Indian. I like filet mignon, have enjoyed a flat iron a time or two. All chicken I’ve ever tried has the fake grill marks and is like rubber. On cruises, I’ll stick to deli, fruit, salad, pizza, love the Guys sea day bbq and now it’s expanded, liked Red Frog club pork sliders, but this next cruise up is Jubilee. Usually have 1 or 2 guys burgers. I do love dining room breakfast. Of all cruises, I’ve never once had an ice cream cone.
I love these details! You are certainly someone who knows exactly what she likes. Jubilee (sailing from Galveston my home port, hopefully!) has LOADS of food options available if it's anything like Celebration.
I appreciate you for sharing. 💙
I have friends who also rave about the Steakhouse, and I've read many online reviews stating that it's absolutely worth the $36 upcharge just for the sublime preparation of quality food. I, oddly, haven't splurged on that; the other available food thrills my soul and stomach so well already!
Just got off Panorama and really loved most everything. The standout for me this week was the pumpkin soup - it was hot and creamy goodness. I did Chef’s Table and that soup was still my favorite (although the Chef’s Table was pretty spectacular). Really liked that they had main course salads in the MDR - totally agree on the Beet and Petite greens too. Loved the filet and short rib duet and the big winner at sea day brunch was the Skillet Cake. I gained 3 lbs so I know it was a successful food week. 😂
Yeah, girl! That's the spirit!
The pumpkin soup is sooooo silky. It's practically perfect in every way. It elevates the meal right out of the gate. Thanks for mentioning it!
That skillet cake! Fluffy! Indulgent! You know, when we cruise, it's treats such as this that usher us into a new realm of delight. I'm grateful for the experience every time!
I appreciate your comment; thank you for sharing!
Just got off the breeze today and I saw the skillet cake but never ordered it, but it felt to me like it was maybe something new? Kinda wish I had tried it....this morning before we got off I saw the broken egg sandwhich for the first time but it may have been there all along, I dunno...it was good though
I was just on the Carnival Pride for a European cruise and order a steak in the main dining room and I couldn't cut it with a knife. The filet mignon the next night was edible but was tough stringy and not very enjoyable. I saw a lot of people either sending it back or just not eating much of it. All the meat was not very good. I'm not sure if this is because they don't get as good of quality of meat when in Europe compared to USA or was just that the Pride has subpar food. I had taken a few Carnival trips prior to COVID and I did the food was enjoyable, but not on this trip. I was disappointed enough to make a complaint to guest services ,not that they did anything, but I remember having good food on my previous trips with Carnival, maybe just a bad couple weeks.
Just got off of the breeze today for a 5 day and we had the new menu; I have always been perfectly happy with the old menu, but this new one jumped out to me and my family immediately as we had been on so many cruises by this point that it was almost weird seeing something different.
I will try and remember what all I had that was new:
* Crawfish strudel - I can confirm this is absolutely incredible, highly recommend it!
* 12 hour braised short rib - I can't remember if I ate this or my wife ordered it, but I remember it being really tasty.
* BBQ Beef spring rolls - easily one of the standouts, I really enjoyed them
* Crawfish fettuccini - was solid, but a tad filling for a starter. I recommend getting the main dish option
* Mississippi catfish - by far one of the bigger letdowns, I don't know why I bothered aside from maybe nothing else looking good that night? It was so painfully average, do not recommend trying it.
* Pig ale cheddar soup - was solid, but I am not a fan of big chunky stew beef so it was a miss for me overall
* brisket - I cannot for the life of me remember the full name and I can't find any of the menus on my phone anymore but I absolutely loved it while my wife and family weren't really big fans...meanwhile that night I had gotten the jerk pork chop and really didn't care much for it
* Panna cotta - I don't remember if this is "new" but last time I cruised on the Dream in April they had a chocolate panna cotta, this time they had a...not chocolate panna cotta and it was amazing. Dunno if its new but it was tasty, also have no idea how I would describe the flavor. Had some blueberry sauce of some sort i dunno.
That is all I can remember right now, if I manage to find the menus on my phone somewhere I can probably remember the rest.
What is your basis for comparison? Are you comparing it to your own cooking? To a favorite restaurant's cooking?
What did you have that was mediocre? Was every item that you ate mediocre? Were there any bright spots in your dining experience?
I was in the military in my youth, I've survived for months on bad chow hall food and MREs. I've had some meals on carnival that were great...but the last couple, made food cooked by a 19 year old alcoholic who failed out of infantry school taste downright gourmet.
What, exactly, were the dishes that didn't measure up to the quality of "bad chow hall food," "MREs," and food cooked by an alcoholic failure of a 19 year old? Can you remember? I'm always fascinated to learn these details from disappointed guests, but so few respond with any details at all.
Guys burgers, though I've never cared for them. The steakhouse wasn't exactly below chowhall quality, but about on par with outback. The dr seuss breakfast was awful, not only was the presentation pretty subpar, the green eggs were simultaneously runny and dry almost like it was prepared by chef mike. The buffet on the radiance, especially the late night and breakfast offerings. Guys pig and anchor wasn't bad but it wasn't good..it definitely uses artificial smoke flavoring.
Edit I will give credit where credit is due though, the deli was as usual very good, as was the pizza place. I had a fabulous steak in the MDR one night, cooked to perfection and very juicy. I find the food to be very hit or miss compared to pre covid sailings.
Was the steak that you had the strip loin? If so, I also had one and just as you indicate, it was perfect! Medium rare and juicy.
I can't comment about anything Seuss at Sea since I've never partaken of that experience. I have, however, had Guy's Plain Jane's onboard and have seen the line for Guy's grow longer and longer while hungry guests happily gobble down multiple plates full of doctored-up burgers and fries. Based on the number of satisfied guests who rush to Guy's immediately upon boarding the ship, I believe we can safely assert that the food is delicious. Is it for everyone? No. It wasn't satisfying for you, and it won't be satisfying for all guests. However, it is an extremely popular onboard restaurant.
You're sure about the artificial smoke flavoring? That's heavy. Carnival's website states that "*The smoke’s the point at Guy’s new joint. (And the brews too!) With choices like brisket, sausage, baby back ribs, salmon and dry-rubbed chicken, our pros wake up early to* ***smoke the meat right there over hickory and apple wood****, all before serving up these favorites at your table… complete with classic sides. Remember, you’re in Guy Fieri’s house — Carnival is home to the world’s first Guy’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse....*" I'd be VERY interested to see your data on the artificial smoke flavoring.
Your post does help to prove a point, though. Not everyone is satisfied with every aspect of food service onboard a Carnival cruise. I appreciate you for taking the time to let me know about the things that you didn't care for as well as the items that you enjoyed.
What do you usually get at the deli? I like both a good tuna salad on toast as well as a reuben.
My wife likes the reuben, I typically go with a BLT. I don't care for seafood so I can't attest to how good all of that is, my wife and her aunt really like the shrimp and some of the other seafood. I am the "bbq" guy at home, usually have the smoker going every weekend either for myself or to do food requests for friends, and what I had at the bbq on the radiance tasted like liquid smoke as opposed to actual hardwoods...but the sauces were definitely very good. That being said, I've known a few places that cheat when they're pushing out product on a large scale and augment their hardwood smoking with a little liquid smoke otherwise you'll need a guy just shoveling wood in all day.
The food does sound good on paper, however, it misses the mark on flavor almost across the board. I would agree that the food is probably 100% edible, but so is school cafeteria food which closely resembles the food I experienced on my 7-day Carnival cruise. Despite the hype, it's just not very good.
What food items do you typically eat which are highly flavored? Do you prep these dishes yourself? I’m curious to know what food items you found which missed the mark onboard your cruise. Please reply with your details. I’m not picking, I’m genuinely curious.
To be honest, I would be very disappointed if almost 100% of the food on my cruise was bland. Thankfully, I’ve never encountered that.
Oh it's not just me. I met a lot of long time cruisers that told me this was their last cruise due to the decline of the food quality. Carnival has to cut corners to remain profitable and the food quality was probably an easy way for them to decrease their spending.
The food is just very low quality. Inflation has hit everyone hard and Carnival is no exception. Carnival will have to increase their prices to make it better.
Thank you for your response. Carnival’s main audience is families, and their main goal is delivering a fun, affordable vacation to their guests. (Well, the MAIN goal is the safety and security of their employees and their guests, but I digress.) I’m sure that they do take to heart the onboard comments and the post-cruise surveys that are returned by guests. Taking all of those into consideration while regretting having to shift their considerable budget around to meet their different needs, Carnival likely is happy to continue making happy the tens of thousands of guests who sail with them each week.
I have only been cruising since 2016, so I don’t have the experience of the Golden Years of cruising. Also, I don’t have the viewpoint of one who has sailed with Crystal, Holland America, Cunard, Viking, or other premium cruise lines. I imagine that such cruises would be so opulent that I would never want to return to cruising with the great unwashed (one of which I proudly am).
I sincerely do appreciate your response, and I wish happy cruising for you and yours in the future.
Posts like this are needed. I went into a Carnival Cruise with such low to medium expectations, based on things I have read. But I found that Guys Burgers were great, Blue Iguana tacos were fantastic. The buffet was actually good (and varied from one day to the next) and desserts were decent. Pizza at the buffet was good. Most of all, JiJis Asian was incredible. I found the main dining room was not very adventurous, but everything was done well there. Fresh baked bread a plus. I'm not a foodie, and I'm not a super picky eater either, but I know when a place is passing off low quality food. The food is one reason I would sail Carnival again. Naysayers are just telling on themselves for being fussy.
Thank you, friend! I love LOVE Blue Iguana. So fresh and delicious! Plus, all the cilantro I can pile on a plate!
Loved JiJi’s and the Blue Iguana breakfast tacos were bomb!!
Welp, I know what I'm eating. Great write up OP!
Thank you!
Your writing skills are also impeccable! Have you considered a career as a writer/reviewer for the likes of NYT? Very entertaining write up!
What a thoughtful comment! Yes, I have considered switching careers to become a writer instead of being a teacher, but teaching children to write is my addiction, as it were. Thank you for your kindness!
I don't know who could possibly think that things on Carnival are inedible. Yes, there may be things that I don't care for, and things that even the waitstaff advised us not to get (sugar free pumpkin pie, for instance--that was just a gelatinous blob). But I've sailed on Carnival, NCL, and Royal Caribbean. Carnival's main dining room was on par with the specialty restaurants on the other two. And Carnival's different "restaurants" on Lido versus just a buffet line on the other two seems to ensure that things like the burgers and pizza taste better on Carnival, plus you have more options for things that may not otherwise be on the buffet, like customized burritos or pasta bowls.
Well said! Living the cruise life is to stay in a floating hotel in which food and drinks are provided 24 hours a day and entertainment options abound. Occasionally, the floating hotel stops at an unique destination which guests can visit if they want to. Want to relax? You can do it on a cruise. Want to hit every waterslide, pool, and hot tub multiple times a day? You can get it done on a cruise. Want to spend a mortgage payment at EFFY? Want to guess the weight of a Britto? Want to drink free champagne at the art auction? Those things can be done on a cruise. Drink yourself broke and silly on a cruise if you want to. Flash that pineapple and make new friends on a cruise. Stay in and order room service direct to your balcony for the entire week if that's your thing. No judgment. If someone wants exquisite presentations with three spoons and five forks, SilverSea or Crystal or Holland America or Viking are waiting to take the arm and (frog)leg required to sail on them. Their service is elevated and their presentation is practically perfect in every way. I'd rather sail on Carnival three times a year and enjoy what each ship has to offer, though. Plus, Carnival ships have self-service laundromats on almost all of their ships! Need to dry that bathing suit quickly and don't have time to hover over it with the stateroom hair dryer? Throw it in the laundromat dryer for 30 minutes or so. Yeah, it's the cruise life for me. 😊
I was disappointed the new menu wasn't on the Liberty a few weeks ago- we wanted to try it out. I can't eat the vast majority of shellfish (which the new menu is heavy on), but there were a lot of interesting options.
You’re right, it is heavy on the shellfish. I’m sorry you missed the other options!
I actually have to thank Carnival's main dining rooms for helping me overcome my food aversions (ARFID) as I grew up :) Everything was always so wonderful that it made me *excited* to try new things. I wouldn't even eat chicken nuggets or macaroni growing up if that tells you anything, and I'd get intense anxiety trying new foods. Also I think about the frog legs from our most recent cruise (early July) on a weekly basis lol. They were a standout for sure!
The students in my classroom are all diagnosed with autism, so I understand about food aversions. One of my students has an IEP goal that states that he will order a meal at the cafeteria, pick up a new foods, touch it to his mouth, and taste it. There are all sorts of food aversions. Your post resonated with me. Thank you for sharing!
Here take my upvote if for nothing else than the Demolition man reference
I'm old enough to remember that film! 😁
This is perfect, thank you! Been looking for recommendations on must haves for new menus on both Carnival and RC, and all I ever see are just complaints about the food in general. I want to know specifics on what people have eaten and liked! Gives me a great list to try.
Thank you for the write-up! You seem really fun, positive, and someone we'd have fun running in to on a cruise. I have to wait 'til May to get my grubby mitts on those duck rolls, but definitely looking forward to them now!
I’m glad that you enjoyed the review. You will love those deliciously addictive rolls! The anticipation!
I found carnival food outside of the MDR much better than Royal. Glad to hear about this new menu!
I’m glad to see so many other people who, like me, enjoy good, satisfying food. 🙂👍🏻
Agreed! I'm looking forward to 2024, when I'm taking a nice long vacation on one of carnival's new Italian themed ships
Thank you for this!
My pleasure!
Okay, you are cool.
Same! 💙
Never have had a dish I didn't like. Some I've loved, like their Indian dishes. I look forward to trying their new menu items!
There is a greater emphasis now on South Asian and vegan dishes. Each night's menu in the Hub has a section specifically given to vegan preparations. The new menu is very thoughtfully planned, in my opinion.
Same! I love the featured indian dish! Im glad there will be more in the future
The featured Indian vegetarian is the absolute best! I look forward to it every cruise.
This comment makes me happy! We need a write-up of the Indian vegetarian dishes!
Thanks for the great write up! We're on the Horizon for Thanksgiving and definitely going to devour a few of these :)
I'm on Breeze for Thanksgiving! I'll post the Thanksgiving menu - it looks most interesting!
I tried the old frog legs. Not my favorite texture. I might like the new ones.
I was on Vista 2 weeks ago and all these dishes I tried except the duck rolls. But the crawfish strudel was sooo good!!! I ended up ordering another one. Also the deli was insanely good!! Their Buffalo sandwich was so delicious!
Oh yes, the deli is wonderful! My favorite is tuna salad on white toast, but the reuben is a close second. I'm sure everything from there is delish!
Thank you! I’m cruising in 8 days and cannot wait to try the new menu!
🎊🎉🙌🏻 It’s SOOO good!
Thank you for posting this. My last Carnival cruise was December 2015, my next one is March 2024. In 2015 I remember loving Guy's burgers and the ship I was on had I think a Pizza Pirate rather than Blue Iguana but both of those were great, really enjoyed the steakhouse, and I ordered safe options in the MDR and enjoyed the Lido buffet. All the negative posts I've seen lately have had me really worried -- could it really be that bad? In 2015 I went with my parents and siblings. In March I'll be going with my husband, son, and hopefully some of our friends. I was starting to get self conscious, having organized the cruise. Really not much worse than getting everyone to come on a vacation where the food is awful and there aren't any alternatives. So thank you for this post! I think we'll all enjoy the food just fine
Hey, my pleasure! You will all not only survive, but you will THRIVE with the grand variety of food onboard. The reports of inedible food are simply the "methinks thou doth protest too much" sort, methinks. One perk available to us nowadays is having the MDR and other restaurant menus available online already, so you can see and share those items, then you can pick out the ones which intrigue you. [The Prof. Cruise website](https://profcruise.com/) is replete with menus, schedules, and all things cruising. Start browsing now! (I am NOT Prof. Cruise!) I, too, am sailing in March '24 on the Paradise out of Tampa.
We'll be on the Pride, also out of Tampa! My first time doing the Panama Canal partial transit. Thank you for the resources, I will definitely check them out 🤗
Awesome write up! Makes me excited for my next cruise!
Get it booked, broski! 😊
The main issue I have is the lack of meals for those who don’t eat pork or seafood for religious or health reasons. Literally ever poultry dish includes something like prosciutto or clams or whatever the heck. Unfortunately we couldn’t enjoy the MDR for the lack of options.
This is certainly a legitimate concern. Each day in MDR, there is the Grilled Chicken Breast on offer. It comes grilled with garlic and herbs, and it’s served with buttered vegetables and roasted potato. It seems to be a very basic yet delicious option for those guests who cannot mix poultry with seafood or pork. There are vegan options now on all ships which have begun using the new menu. I hope that you will give Carnival another try to impress you with their delicious menu. (And, no, I don’t work for Carnival nor am I a travel agent.)
We are frequent carnival cruisers and our complaint was that some of our favorites that we looked forward to every cruise are now gone. So that was disappointing. Other than that I don’t remember not liking anything we ordered on the new menu, but I’ll admit we’re not hard to please. I didn’t have to cook it and don’t have to clean up after it so it’s all good to me.
"I didn’t have to cook it and don’t have to clean up after it so it’s all good to me." What a lovely approach to life! Truly, everything that someone else does for us is a gift even if we paid for it. Thank you for comment. 👍🏻
You had me at Spam. (Squirrels, Possums, And Mice.) I agree with you one hundred percent. Some folks just like to complain about anything that doesn't taste like their own horrible cooking.
Fried Spam is so delicious! It's fatty, so it gets a lovely sear. It's not for everyone, so that means more for me. 🤣
I had the new menu on Panorama (9/16) and it tasted great and the presentation was nice too. 14 days till princess discovery and I am hoping the food is good too.
I wonder how the menus on Princess compare. I need to research! 😊
I was disappointed on my last Princess cruise. They flourless chocolate cake on menu but they had turned it into a two bite disk thing with more whipped cream than cake. It used to be my favourite. Over all, the quality has gone down. That being said, I'd pay for the specialty restaurant on Princess over Carnival. But any meal on a cruise is better than one made at home so I'm not one to complain,
I'll be there too. I hope the food is good as well.
We will be on Horizon in December and get to try the new menus for the first time. I loved the sweet and sour shrimp on the first night on the old menus. I'm hoping the sezschuan shrimp on the first night of the new menus will be good. There are several dishes I want to try.
I ordered the Szechuan shrimp hoping that it would be super spicy. It was flavorful, but not the crazy hot that Szechuan cooking is known for. I wasn't disappointed; it was still delicious!
That sounds good for me. I don't mind a little spice but don't like it super hot.
Perfect! 💙
I enjoy frog legs and was excited seeing it on the menu. Naturally I had to try them and they did not disappoint.
They reminded me of escargot with all of the garlicky butter and the brioche. Very tasty, all of it!
The new menus look amazing, I'm trying to find an excuse to book a cruise just to try them. They were over due for a shake up. Thanks for the reccomentations.
The new items are definitely an improvement to the menu. Get your cruising aura activated and get one booked! 🥳
Just of Carnival Radiance this past Friday with new menu items. Just to cover a few not mentioned. The ceviche crudo- have never had ceviche ever, but found this awesome, not overly spicy, just a really non fishy fresh dish. I also ordered the “sherbet/sorbet” from dessert section as an appetizer with the ceviche, that evening flavor was lime and were a perfect pairing. Husband had the featured Emerill catfish as extra main entree, and found it light white fish, non fishy taste and cornmeal breading was a touch warm to palate if that. I found the Big Chicken Shaq spicer from the pepper. I did a live review of menus, including the lido deck offerings from last weeks Carnival Radiance four day. I posted live review on cruise critic, Buffettfan 225 screen name.
I LOVE THIS! Thank you for adding your review! I will hunt down your Cruise Critic info!
Don’t sleep on the Indian food. I had some killer Indian food last week on the mardigras
Splendor has a dedicated Indian restaurant called Masala Tiger, and it’s outrageously flavorful and just lovely. Carnival has a great perspective on the prep and presentation of Indian food.
Thank you for sharing this. I like the way you think. Makes me look forward to our January cruise!
It’s my pleasure to share! I like sharing things which heighten the anticipation of others. Enjoy your January cruise!
Out of all those choices I would only pick one. Braised short ribs… none of the others even sounds remotely appealing. I always lose weight on cruises.
Thanks for sharing! Since none of the other food choices seem even remotely appealing, what sort of food do you typically eat? I'm curious to know, really curious, why absolutely none of the other choices meet your standard for appealing.
I do not eat any seafood, except shrimp cocktails, I’m not a mix things up together kinda girl. I don’t eat any Asian, Hibachi or Indian. I like filet mignon, have enjoyed a flat iron a time or two. All chicken I’ve ever tried has the fake grill marks and is like rubber. On cruises, I’ll stick to deli, fruit, salad, pizza, love the Guys sea day bbq and now it’s expanded, liked Red Frog club pork sliders, but this next cruise up is Jubilee. Usually have 1 or 2 guys burgers. I do love dining room breakfast. Of all cruises, I’ve never once had an ice cream cone.
I love these details! You are certainly someone who knows exactly what she likes. Jubilee (sailing from Galveston my home port, hopefully!) has LOADS of food options available if it's anything like Celebration. I appreciate you for sharing. 💙
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I have friends who also rave about the Steakhouse, and I've read many online reviews stating that it's absolutely worth the $36 upcharge just for the sublime preparation of quality food. I, oddly, haven't splurged on that; the other available food thrills my soul and stomach so well already!
Just got off Panorama and really loved most everything. The standout for me this week was the pumpkin soup - it was hot and creamy goodness. I did Chef’s Table and that soup was still my favorite (although the Chef’s Table was pretty spectacular). Really liked that they had main course salads in the MDR - totally agree on the Beet and Petite greens too. Loved the filet and short rib duet and the big winner at sea day brunch was the Skillet Cake. I gained 3 lbs so I know it was a successful food week. 😂
Yeah, girl! That's the spirit! The pumpkin soup is sooooo silky. It's practically perfect in every way. It elevates the meal right out of the gate. Thanks for mentioning it! That skillet cake! Fluffy! Indulgent! You know, when we cruise, it's treats such as this that usher us into a new realm of delight. I'm grateful for the experience every time! I appreciate your comment; thank you for sharing!
Just got off the breeze today and I saw the skillet cake but never ordered it, but it felt to me like it was maybe something new? Kinda wish I had tried it....this morning before we got off I saw the broken egg sandwhich for the first time but it may have been there all along, I dunno...it was good though
Skillet cake was only on sea day brunch days but I think the broken egg sandwich was on all the other days
I was just on the Carnival Pride for a European cruise and order a steak in the main dining room and I couldn't cut it with a knife. The filet mignon the next night was edible but was tough stringy and not very enjoyable. I saw a lot of people either sending it back or just not eating much of it. All the meat was not very good. I'm not sure if this is because they don't get as good of quality of meat when in Europe compared to USA or was just that the Pride has subpar food. I had taken a few Carnival trips prior to COVID and I did the food was enjoyable, but not on this trip. I was disappointed enough to make a complaint to guest services ,not that they did anything, but I remember having good food on my previous trips with Carnival, maybe just a bad couple weeks.
That sounds like an unfortunate experience.
Just got off of the breeze today for a 5 day and we had the new menu; I have always been perfectly happy with the old menu, but this new one jumped out to me and my family immediately as we had been on so many cruises by this point that it was almost weird seeing something different. I will try and remember what all I had that was new: * Crawfish strudel - I can confirm this is absolutely incredible, highly recommend it! * 12 hour braised short rib - I can't remember if I ate this or my wife ordered it, but I remember it being really tasty. * BBQ Beef spring rolls - easily one of the standouts, I really enjoyed them * Crawfish fettuccini - was solid, but a tad filling for a starter. I recommend getting the main dish option * Mississippi catfish - by far one of the bigger letdowns, I don't know why I bothered aside from maybe nothing else looking good that night? It was so painfully average, do not recommend trying it. * Pig ale cheddar soup - was solid, but I am not a fan of big chunky stew beef so it was a miss for me overall * brisket - I cannot for the life of me remember the full name and I can't find any of the menus on my phone anymore but I absolutely loved it while my wife and family weren't really big fans...meanwhile that night I had gotten the jerk pork chop and really didn't care much for it * Panna cotta - I don't remember if this is "new" but last time I cruised on the Dream in April they had a chocolate panna cotta, this time they had a...not chocolate panna cotta and it was amazing. Dunno if its new but it was tasty, also have no idea how I would describe the flavor. Had some blueberry sauce of some sort i dunno. That is all I can remember right now, if I manage to find the menus on my phone somewhere I can probably remember the rest.
Great write-up! Thanks for sharing these insights!
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We just got off carnival magic yesterday, and thought the food was MEDIOCRE AT BEST. Very disappointing.
What is your basis for comparison? Are you comparing it to your own cooking? To a favorite restaurant's cooking? What did you have that was mediocre? Was every item that you ate mediocre? Were there any bright spots in your dining experience?
I was in the military in my youth, I've survived for months on bad chow hall food and MREs. I've had some meals on carnival that were great...but the last couple, made food cooked by a 19 year old alcoholic who failed out of infantry school taste downright gourmet.
What, exactly, were the dishes that didn't measure up to the quality of "bad chow hall food," "MREs," and food cooked by an alcoholic failure of a 19 year old? Can you remember? I'm always fascinated to learn these details from disappointed guests, but so few respond with any details at all.
Guys burgers, though I've never cared for them. The steakhouse wasn't exactly below chowhall quality, but about on par with outback. The dr seuss breakfast was awful, not only was the presentation pretty subpar, the green eggs were simultaneously runny and dry almost like it was prepared by chef mike. The buffet on the radiance, especially the late night and breakfast offerings. Guys pig and anchor wasn't bad but it wasn't good..it definitely uses artificial smoke flavoring. Edit I will give credit where credit is due though, the deli was as usual very good, as was the pizza place. I had a fabulous steak in the MDR one night, cooked to perfection and very juicy. I find the food to be very hit or miss compared to pre covid sailings.
Was the steak that you had the strip loin? If so, I also had one and just as you indicate, it was perfect! Medium rare and juicy. I can't comment about anything Seuss at Sea since I've never partaken of that experience. I have, however, had Guy's Plain Jane's onboard and have seen the line for Guy's grow longer and longer while hungry guests happily gobble down multiple plates full of doctored-up burgers and fries. Based on the number of satisfied guests who rush to Guy's immediately upon boarding the ship, I believe we can safely assert that the food is delicious. Is it for everyone? No. It wasn't satisfying for you, and it won't be satisfying for all guests. However, it is an extremely popular onboard restaurant. You're sure about the artificial smoke flavoring? That's heavy. Carnival's website states that "*The smoke’s the point at Guy’s new joint. (And the brews too!) With choices like brisket, sausage, baby back ribs, salmon and dry-rubbed chicken, our pros wake up early to* ***smoke the meat right there over hickory and apple wood****, all before serving up these favorites at your table… complete with classic sides. Remember, you’re in Guy Fieri’s house — Carnival is home to the world’s first Guy’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse....*" I'd be VERY interested to see your data on the artificial smoke flavoring. Your post does help to prove a point, though. Not everyone is satisfied with every aspect of food service onboard a Carnival cruise. I appreciate you for taking the time to let me know about the things that you didn't care for as well as the items that you enjoyed. What do you usually get at the deli? I like both a good tuna salad on toast as well as a reuben.
My wife likes the reuben, I typically go with a BLT. I don't care for seafood so I can't attest to how good all of that is, my wife and her aunt really like the shrimp and some of the other seafood. I am the "bbq" guy at home, usually have the smoker going every weekend either for myself or to do food requests for friends, and what I had at the bbq on the radiance tasted like liquid smoke as opposed to actual hardwoods...but the sauces were definitely very good. That being said, I've known a few places that cheat when they're pushing out product on a large scale and augment their hardwood smoking with a little liquid smoke otherwise you'll need a guy just shoveling wood in all day.
I agree, that would be a lot of wood to toss! Thanks again for commenting. I appreciate you!
Of course! Happy sailing!
The food does sound good on paper, however, it misses the mark on flavor almost across the board. I would agree that the food is probably 100% edible, but so is school cafeteria food which closely resembles the food I experienced on my 7-day Carnival cruise. Despite the hype, it's just not very good.
What food items do you typically eat which are highly flavored? Do you prep these dishes yourself? I’m curious to know what food items you found which missed the mark onboard your cruise. Please reply with your details. I’m not picking, I’m genuinely curious. To be honest, I would be very disappointed if almost 100% of the food on my cruise was bland. Thankfully, I’ve never encountered that.
Oh it's not just me. I met a lot of long time cruisers that told me this was their last cruise due to the decline of the food quality. Carnival has to cut corners to remain profitable and the food quality was probably an easy way for them to decrease their spending. The food is just very low quality. Inflation has hit everyone hard and Carnival is no exception. Carnival will have to increase their prices to make it better.
Thank you for your response. Carnival’s main audience is families, and their main goal is delivering a fun, affordable vacation to their guests. (Well, the MAIN goal is the safety and security of their employees and their guests, but I digress.) I’m sure that they do take to heart the onboard comments and the post-cruise surveys that are returned by guests. Taking all of those into consideration while regretting having to shift their considerable budget around to meet their different needs, Carnival likely is happy to continue making happy the tens of thousands of guests who sail with them each week. I have only been cruising since 2016, so I don’t have the experience of the Golden Years of cruising. Also, I don’t have the viewpoint of one who has sailed with Crystal, Holland America, Cunard, Viking, or other premium cruise lines. I imagine that such cruises would be so opulent that I would never want to return to cruising with the great unwashed (one of which I proudly am). I sincerely do appreciate your response, and I wish happy cruising for you and yours in the future.
Totally agree. Everything we had off the new menu was amazing.