Carnival Glory - FOOD from the MDR/free eateries

[beshears]

There are 8 of us that will be going on the Glory next March. They are "expecting" me to come up with ideas/suggestions on the Glory ship, where there is no cost.

 

If you have been on the Glory within the past year, and have eaten at the MDR or one of the places where the food is free, what would you (yes, I know this is your opinion) suggest we check out, or ask for?

[fshstck]

Any chance to eat in the MDR take it- sometimes they have Sea Day Brunch or lunch as well as dinner every night.

[BNBR]

I found the buffets to be borderline miserable on the Glory. There are a few bright spots though. The Deli is good, Guys was great, Blue Iguana was great, too. And you can skip some of the inedible food on the buffet anyways. Fish and Chips was "ok."

 

Definitely don't skip the MDR - and especially take advantage of the "brunch" in the MDR when it's available. It's AWESOME. We thought food in the MDR is where the Glory shined the most, plus Guys and Blue Iguana. Oh, and the pizza is the best cruise ship pizza I've ever had.

 

Blue Iguana ended up being our favorite spot for breakfast. No line, breakfast burrito's are awesome, too.

 

You bring up "no cost" - the only places with extra cost is the Steakhouse and the Sushi (plus desserts at coffee bar on deck 5). Otherwise, it's basically all included.

[beshears]

BNBR, thanks for your reply. This is good to know. I know my son said he was looking forward to trying out the pizza (never had it on Carnival), and I told him I always found it very good. The others you mention sounds great as well. This will really help when planning where we will EAT. :)

[Lurkyloo]

We always eat breakfast in the MDR instead of Buffet - the food is made fresh and the atmosphere is more relaxing! As others mentioned, brunches on Sea Days are excellent. (Times are different for brunch so make sure you check - we came too early for brunch day :))

[bandtaxi]

If you like burgers, definitely Guys will be a favorite!

[BallFour4]

There are 8 of us that will be going on the Glory next March. They are "expecting" me to come up with ideas...

 

Perhaps I'm reading too much here, but let me share some valuable advice.

 

It is your vacation too. After 30+ cruises and groups ranging from just my wife and I to 20 people I have been cast into the role as organizer for the last time.

 

Here's what I do now, as recently as Sunday when future cruise friends assembled for grilled fish on the patio:

 

 

• give them the Carnival link for the FAQ page
  
• book your own shore excursions for what you want to do
  
• don't try to fit a big group of you in one dining table, spread out
  
• let them fend for themselves in lines, theater seats and sun loungers
  
• don't wait for people to go to dinner, you need fixed time dining
  
• let them find their way to Guest Services, the gym and all the other activities
  

There's more, but you get my point. Trust me, I've done it poorly for too many cruises and needed a vacation when I got off the ship.

 

 

 

Have a super time!

 

 

.

Edited October 27, 2016 by BallFour4

[Micahs Grandad]

Lots of good choices for food including guys, blue iguana and deli.

 

If you know good pizza it is ok but not the best.

[woodman]

BallFour4 your right on point. We have cruised with friends and family many times. We always found ourselves trying to please them and our selves as well. Can't be done no matter how you try. With a group of 20 darn near impossible. I hope you have an enjoyable cruise and take BallFour's advice. Happy cruising.

[queenofthebalcony]

I found the buffets to be borderline miserable on the Glory. There are a few bright spots though. The Deli is good, Guys was great, Blue Iguana was great, too. And you can skip some of the inedible food on the buffet anyways. Fish and Chips was "ok."

 

Definitely don't skip the MDR - and especially take advantage of the "brunch" in the MDR when it's available. It's AWESOME. We thought food in the MDR is where the Glory shined the most, plus Guys and Blue Iguana. Oh, and the pizza is the best cruise ship pizza I've ever had.

 

Blue Iguana ended up being our favorite spot for breakfast. No line, breakfast burrito's are awesome, too.

 

You bring up "no cost" - the only places with extra cost is the Steakhouse and the Sushi (plus desserts at coffee bar on deck 5). Otherwise, it's basically all included.

 

I agree with all here. Good advice. Except, the Lido buffet is good for just making your own big salad. Fresh.

[riffatsea]

My husband also really likes the made to order/eggs/omelets on the breakfast buffet in the morning.

IF you want egg beaters or just egg whites they will have those too.

[mattdharmon]

Gotta agree with Guys and Blue Iguana. Skip the buffet and enjoy the MDR. Great ship, great food!

 

 

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[BeachLoverstoo]

Hey, I like the Fish n Chips spot. I get fried oysters and bouillabase. For those who enjoy sushi, they have that too. Probably one of the best things about this little out of the way spot, is that most guests don't figure out where it is until later in the cruise. The first few days, it's quiet. Lots of officers have been seen eating there and we like talking with them.

[Essiesmom]

Hey, I like the Fish n Chips spot. I get fried oysters and bouillabase. For those who enjoy sushi, they have that too. Probably one of the best things about this little out of the way spot, is that most guests don't figure out where it is until later in the cruise. The first few days, it's quiet. Lots of officers have been seen eating there and we like talking with them.

 

I found the fish to be very greasy, but love the fries, and the sauces they have there. EM

[BNBR]

I agree with all here. Good advice. Except, the Lido buffet is good for just making your own big salad. Fresh.

 

The salads, cheese, deli, fresh made omelets - all were great. The hot foods on the buffet were terrible.

[BNBR]

I found the fish to be very greasy, but love the fries, and the sauces they have there. EM

 

I have to agree. I was looking forward to the fish and chips spot prior to the cruise and found the fish to be greasy and too bready (and I like plenty of breading/crunch). The fish itself was mediocre as well. They did have some other options that I didn't try that looked pretty darn good though.

 

The great thing about Glory and the layout of the food areas... is that they are all right next to each other. Some are awesome, some not. So it's easy to get a great meal and each member of your family can even visit a different spot all from the same table. I liked that.

[beshears]

LOTS of good suggestions.

 

How can I find out "brunch" times?

 

Yes, I know our big group will probably go different directions, but I want to help them out, as they are working too, and don't have a lot of time, and they pretty much KNOW, I know the ropes of cruising. If we get together for dinner, that will be fine. We are all next door to each other, this will help too. :)

[A&Jfamily]

LOTS of good suggestions.

 

How can I find out "brunch" times?

 

Yes, I know our big group will probably go different directions, but I want to help them out, as they are working too, and don't have a lot of time, and they pretty much KNOW, I know the ropes of cruising. If we get together for dinner, that will be fine. We are all next door to each other, this will help too. :)

 

Brunch is served on sea days from approximately 8 am-1 pm (same menu throughout- can be found on line easily). On port days the MDR will be open for breakfast, but not lunch. Your free food is going to be spread out on the lido (Guy's, Blue Iguana, pizza, deli etc) and perhaps on promenade if there is taste bar. But that is just a walk by and grab bite.

 

Rather than tell them what they can eat/do for free, it would be much easier to tell them what isn't: gym classes, alcohol, spa, casino, bingo, sushi and steakhouse. All will be listed in Fun Times with $ next to it. Really, I agree with the other posters - this is WAY to many people to try to please. We just traveled with our best friends on their first cruise, and that was no issue - but it was only 4 of us. With this many: Cut them loose!!!:D

[ray98]

Yup....no way I would be suckered into that impossible task. You will never please everyone in a group that big.

[beshears]

Thanks for your answers.

[mainescout]

Most of the times we have eaten from the Lido buffet we bring the food upstairs near the fish & chips. Usually much quieter and almost always lots of seating available

[beshears]

OK, so your saying we might be better off going up to deck 10 and take our food? Are there steps inside the buffet area, or do we go outside and walk up? I know some ships do have steps inside the buffet area. I know most buffet areas are pretty large. If they do have steps inside, what (food) area are they close to?

[DebbieMo]

Check out my spreadsheet here: Conquest, Glory, Sunshine Dining Spreadsheets

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2321212

 

 

Carnival Glory - Eastern Caribbean June 2016

[BNBR]

OK, so your saying we might be better off going up to deck 10 and take our food? Are there steps inside the buffet area, or do we go outside and walk up? I know some ships do have steps inside the buffet area. I know most buffet areas are pretty large. If they do have steps inside, what (food) area are they close to?

 

Towards the back of the buffet area, near the desserts right in the middle, there is 2 sets of stairs that go up. Upstairs is where Fish and Chips is located as well. All of the dining/buffet is in that one area on deck 9/10. Including Guys Burgers, Blue Iguana, Pizza, Sushi, Buffets, etc. etc. etc. It's basically one big long area that stretches from the mid-pool to the aft-pool. It's quite simple. Towards the aft, there are interior stairs that go up to the Deck 10 area where there is usually ample seating as many don't realize there is that upstairs area.

 

We never had any issue with seating at the buffet or outdoor areas. It was quite nice actually. Try the pizza, they really do great pizza on Glory.

Edited January 10, 2017 by BNBR

[DebbieMo]

Haven't read all the responses so these might be duplicate: brunch in the MDR definitely, breakfast in MDR daily if you're able. You almost get the exact foods like on lido but you don't have to wait on a line, look for a table and your food is served. It seemed like breakfast took the same amount of time in lido or MDR. Wish we did it every day rather than battle lido. Hubby said the deli sandwiches were really good and so was the omelette station at breakfast. I didn't go to the comfort kitchen section on lido until the 4th day and wish I had sooner because they had good stuff. I personally didn't care for Guys burgers or Blue Iguana Cantina but some in our party liked it. Pizza was ok, not great, popcorn was terrible and ice cream was a hit all around. We loved Glory!

 

ETA: didn't realize I was responding to an old thread..oops

 

Carnival Glory - Eastern Caribbean June 2016

Edited January 10, 2017 by DebbieMo