Carnival Food - What's good and what's bad?

[MintChocolate]

Avoid mushrooms and scrambled eggs as well as anything oriental from the dining room.

 

Why?

[aflyingbuttress]

Why?

 

Because it's all awful. This was one of the worst cruises I've ever been on. The food was terrible almost all around. The exceptions were the pizza and chefs table. Most of the dining room was disappointing but some was downright gross.

 

The eggs were so bad my 3 year old daughter, who would eat them for every meal if I let her, spit them out and labeled them "kitty cat eggs". She literally (no joke) cried in the mornings when I suggested we get breakfast because she was afraid she'd get kitty cat eggs again.

 

If you're booked on carnival, beware, the food is rough.

[MintChocolate]

aflyingbuttress, that's too bad to hear. :( We always eat eggs and mushrooms as we're vegetarians and these are sometimes our only options. I hope we won't be starved on our upcoming cruise on Breeze in January!

[winddawn]

I loved the lobster bisque in the steakhouse

 

The cold soups in the mdr are awesome

 

Loved the carrot cake from the coffee shop

 

I liked the melting cake but didn't really like any of the other desserts

 

Loved the four cheese pizza and had it almost every night

I second the Lobster Bisque in the steakhouse. That stuff could grow back a limb! Lol. Chicken noodle ain't got nothing on Carnival's Lobster Bisque.

 

And Carnival's Cream of Mushroom Soup runs a close second!

 

Yum!

[moniquet]

I found Carnival food quite good, not as good as HAL but then you get what you pay for. Deserts were a bit of a disappointment but there is always the scrumptious chocolate melting cake:) Exceptional was the warm bread basket, some good sea food too.

[Bleety17]

My Fiancé and I love the food on Carnival! Can never go wrong with Pizza Pirate! Quattro Formaggi is SOOO GOOD!

[johnlisac]

Steak Is awful in the dinning room!!

 

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[ST1TCH]

Just got off the Freedom on Saturday. We were not all that impressed with the buffet. Only meal we ate from there was breakfast and it was ok, typical breakfast food and actually some pretty good scrambled eggs for being mass produced.

 

Our highlights were:

Guy's Burger Joint - awesome burgers

Blue Iguana - great tacos and burritos

Fish n Chips - good fish and the bouillabaisse soup was awesome

Pizza Pirate - some of the best pizza I've had on a cruise ship, all made fresh to order and 24 hours

Seaday Brunch - only did the last day and wished we had done it more, great food

 

We also enjoyed the dinners in the dining room. Nothing spectacular but was enjoyable meals. One thing I would avoid in the future though is the steaks on the main menu (unless you choose one of the $20 up-charge ones). The basic steaks were poor quality and not very good taste. Everything else we had was great though.

 

We did not pay for the up-charge steak house but we did a cooking demo there where they gave us samples of each dish and was some of the best food I had on the cruise. Was very impressed.

Edited December 15, 2015 by ST1TCH

[HectorAchilleus]

I hunted for the Key Lime pie on the last cruise. Never found it on the buffet. Is it a standard across all ships? Do they usually have it on the same day? Anyone remember?

:D

 

Second day of the cruise on lido lunch buffet.

[theriac]

The stuffed mushrooms

 

Carnival has the best Caesar Salad

 

The ribs on elegant night are great.

 

There's this thing at breakfast that is a light pastry filled with sausage that is great!

 

The brisket night one in the MDR is great.

 

Let me say again because they're really that good. The Caesar salad and stuffed mushrooms. It is not a Carnival cruise without those two items!

[SadieN]

The scallops on the new American Table short cruise CE night menu were very good on the Inspiration last weekend. Already decided for next time I'm ordering two for an entree.

[CrimsonTideGal]

Sometimes over looked on the lido is the carving station, they do an excellent roast beef and mashed taters. Not too fond of the turkey, but I have never been that fond of turkey.

 

I like the broiled Salmon. The 20.00 filet mignon is out of this world, and the Black Forest Gateau is my favorite dessert.

 

Key Lime pie is served on the Lido on the second or third day, at lunch and it is fabulous.

 

I loved the shrimp salad sandwich when lunch was in the MDR, so I guess I will have to order room service at least once on the cruise just to get it.

 

Things that aren't great??? Coffee. The sad attempt at a chocolate buffet. That has seriously gone down hill over the years.

 

And the fresh sea air does make everything taste better.:p

 

I agree on the roast beef and potatoes. They are awesome along with the creamy mac and cheese. Have always found this at the rotisserie on embarkation day. Also love the Deli. Be afraid of the scrambled eggs on the buffet and the instant ice tea. Love the lemonade.

[skyeman27]

Blue Iguana, the Arepas with a fried egg on top, sometimes I eliminate the egg and pour some maple syrup (I bring a small bottle on every cruise) on top...

[princesstiffany]

My favorite is actually lunch in the MDR. The only thing I have ordered that I didn't like was the Neptune salad.

[davy jones]

My experience last week on Breeze by meal.

 

Breakfast: Breakfast buffets are pretty much the same on all mainstream cruise ships. I use the "eye" test before selecting buffet food.

 

Good: Omelet station, meats, fruit, croissants.

 

Hit or Miss: French toast.

 

Lunch: I like casual food at lunch and Carnival excels here.

 

Good: Burgers and topping bar, burritos and salsa bar, Indian food, Deli, most items on sea day BBQ and Hot Dog from Deli. Pizza is OK (better than RCI and NCL), Wok is OK (but not worth the wait). Some of the cakes on the sweet table have improved greatly over previous cruises.

 

Hit and miss: Chocolate buffet.

 

Don't like: Fries. I pass because of the seasoning and they can be a bit mushy at times.

 

Dinner:

 

Good: Steakhouse, mac and cheese, soups, , salads, most appetizers, some entrees.

 

Not so good: Lasagna and red pasta sauces far too salty.

 

Bad: Key lime "mousse" was nothing more than sugar free jello in whipped cream. At least the whipped cream was good.

 

Awful: MDR Ice cream and sherbet - I can not say enough about how bad these were. They were flavorless, had a very icy texture with no hint of cream, may have been artificially sweetened and had a freezer burned taste. They were so bad that they ruined desserts like pie a la mode and chocolate melting cake.

 

(The soft serve in the buffet is standard soft serve and would have been a massive improvement)

 

Of Note: I did not have any of these, but the cakes at the coffee bar looked absolutely decadent and had massive servings and reasonable prices.

[SMSACE6]

Some other good things that I am remembering is that Carnival really makes some good soups in the MDR, like pumpkin soup, mushroom soup, beef barley, actually I have liked all the soups that I have tried on Carnival.

 

Something else that I like are those round pastries on the continental breakfast buffets with the cinnamon, and the chocolate muffins.

 

And if you are not wowed by any desserts on lido, then try the humble chocolate chip cookie. They are very good, and one is never enough;)

[cruiseonthebrain]

I love trying all of the cold soups because that is not something I would eat at home. Also the melon an prosciutto is incredible.

[cdnmr]

Might sound sily but one of the tastiest things I found was in the buffet on Caribbean day. The Caribbean stew is very good....actually has a bit of spice to it too. The jerk chicken doesnt compare to the islands but is also quite good.

 

Not a big fan of most buffet food but I look forward to Caribbean days.

[frangran]

If you like cafeteria / banquet food, it's great. Think cheap long island wedding.

 

If you are more of a foodie, then you probably won't care much for it.

 

That said, considering their food budget is what.. $5 a day pp? It's good for the price you pay.

 

 

I agree entirely. "Cafeteria / banquet" is the perfect description. The food varies from just edible to quite good, but it's NOT "5 star cuisine" by any extent of the imagination. However, many people just love it.

[AandBmom]

It's been a while since my last Carnival cruise but here are the foods that stand out as being yummy.

 

-Warm chocolate melting cake, especially when cooked to a medium firm consistency

- most dining room desserts, including baked Alaska

- Tandoor

- Guys burgers and fries

- Blue Iguana at lunch

- fruit plate in dining room

- shrimp cocktail

- omelette station

 

 

Disliked:

- pumpkin pie (and I love all pumpkin pie normally)

- most buffet desserts

[lisajm]

I try to avoid the buffet because while standing in line I observe the lack of hygiene of some other passengers. I.e. Coughing, blowing their noses, touching food with unwashed hands.

 

Can't say enough how wonderful The Chefs Table experience is!

 

Love the soups in the MDR.

 

WCMC is a favorite and you can order it the way you like it. Well done, medium, or extra runny.

 

Pizza and deli are great choices.

 

Upcoming cruise my goal is to make it to tea time!

[Silverspringcruiser]

I find Carnival is really good at American comfort food. The bbq ribs in the MDR, the fried chicken in the buffet, and of course Guy's Burgers, are all outstanding.

[Anthomaniac]

Tea time is excellent! The sticky toffee brioche at dessert in the MDR is awesome

 

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[crusinpsychRN]

Tiramisu is good.

 

Don't want to cruise w/o Guy's! It was a big letdown when they went to lamb shank instead of chops.

 

Was on HAL 2 weeks ago and could NOT get waited on in MDR. Took very long between salad, entree, desert. Happened over and over. Am I invisible? Got a beautiful plate of prime rib but I couldn't cut it with a sharp knife. Waiter asked if everything was okay and I showed him the meat was so tough. His response "and that's a sharp knife."

 

HAL's version of the fake scrambled eggs (what IS that stuff??) are 1000 times worse than Carnival's. They serve the same portions.

 

They did have about 5 different Eggs Benedict every morning. OJ already poured far from other drinks or coffee needed to be stirred. I ordered a Reuben and the guy at the deli asked if whole wheat was okay!?!? His panini maker wasn't hot and it it took a while, asked him to put it back on twice. It was still not done and the meat was cold, cheese not melted. Left it on the plate. They had lamb chops rather than shank but it was served covered in a beef based gravy that made it a bit off. I was not impressed with the food or the ship.

 

I remember Princess food being the worst but that was many years ago. Their ships are just gorgeous and I might try again.

 

I can't stand the new pizza on Carnival.

Edited December 18, 2015 by crusinpsychRN

[crusinpsychRN]

The shrimp salad from room service is fabulous but I think they stopped it. Room service chips are usually stale. Get the potato salad which is good.

 

Like the baked potato and tuna salad too.

Edited December 18, 2015 by crusinpsychRN