Carnival buffet tips

[havanadaydreaming]

Just off a 4 nt cruise, we ate at buffet every night.  We wanted a very casual, relaxed experience.  

 

Anyone else have tips to maximize buffet experience on carnival? Here's my two cents: 

 

*cake options at lunch far superior to dinner dessert options 

 

*the beef strip at carver station was pretty rare, fyi.  (I was trying to stick to chicken and fish for dinner) im a med rare guy but those medium+ fans might want to get a peek at the beef before gettimg a slice. 

 

*surprisingly no indian or chinese entrees during our trip. Im just begun experimenting with indian dishes, was looking forward to tasting new to me dishes. 

 

*big winner was shrimp creole i put on top of the jambalaya.  Deeeeee-licious.  

 

*the deli was very busy at all times. I wanted to try new steak and cheese but didnt want to wait 15-20 mins

 

*the black bean soup was my 2nd fave item on buffet.  

 

*shredded cheese no longer on salad bar??? 

 

*my preferred lunch was a Guy burger, no bun and no fries (trying to cut calories) followed by sides from buffet.  

 

*the daily potato salad looked good.  I was hoping to see a mustard potato salad one of the days but the salad bar items remained constant day by day.  

 

*only made breakfast 2x but bacon was available and plentiful both days. 

 

*cheesy jalapeno mashed taties were solid.  

[Drazil65]

Every once in a while we do the buffet for dinner if we are running late and want to see an early show.  

 

*Agree with the carving station for beef, a little too rare for me but perfect for DH and DS, definitely take a look first.

 

*My SIL is also prefers "mustard"  type of potato salad, she actually gets the buffet potato salad and adds a squirt of  mustard from the condiment tray to mix in, she said its good.

 

*I do the salad bar and then will add a nice piece of grilled chicken or salmon (if on the buffet that day) to the top, makes a nice meal and filling.

 

*We do utilize the deli options and find the line goes pretty quickly normally then add some sides from the buffet to complete the meal.  

 

We normally grab some swirls ice cream or frozen yogurt (me) after a meal in a drink cup (not cone) and head back to the buffet to find fresh fruit to add (strawberries, pineapple etc.) on top. Every once in while there will be additions at the dessert bar area (to add on top of cakes etc) that we can use on ice cream as well (chocolate or caramel syrup) to make more of a sundae.  

 

[overeasy]

Yes, the shrimp creole on a Dream cruise in July was great!  Had a bowl and a half.

 

Lately I have just picked a couple or three items at a time to sort of graze on, then go back later for favorites.  In other words, I do not try to do create a full meal with one trip through the buffet.

 

We sometimes pick up cold cuts, cheese cubes, fruit, cookies, milk and cereal to stash in the room fridge for convenient late-night snacking.  Then I carry the dishes back with me to Lido next morning on my coffee run.

 

I scrounged a plate, steak knife and an orange from the buffet, a collins glass from an unattended bar, ice from our room, and built a passable cocktail (Kitty Highball) with my carry-on wine and ginger ale.

 

So it seems that I am treating the buffet as my personal kitchen LOL.

[Bollycats]

They serve a nice Indian vegetarian meal in the dining room every single night.

[audcc77]

At the end of the salad bar, they have 3 different prepared salads.  Many times I look at those and think they’re bizarre, mixing strange ingredients together and have tried them anyway. 
 

Turns out, they’re delicious. 

[BarbieGee]

There are some good ideas here.

 

I like the tip of; making a plate of snack items and bringing it to the cabin, stashing it in fridge for late night munchies.

 

I've read here that the MDR offerings have been small portions. So, if one is still a bit hungry... head to the buffet and 'graze'? Best of both food offerings!

 

😉😎

[SRQbeachgirl]

My best buffet tip: Get two plates, put your food on one and then turn the second one upside down to cover your food. Your food will stay warm and now you have a "tray" to put your coffee/juice/tea on without trying to juggle all the way to wherever you're sitting (which for me is often our balcony or an outside deck somewhere). 

[Theosprey247]

The grits for breakfast.  I get them every morning. 

[EngIceDave]

The buffet coffee is usually terrible. Now, don't scoff at this, but they do have Nescafe instant coffee.

 

Americans have been trained to be adverse to instant coffee, but it's very common in much of Europe and it's really pretty good. Little bit of experimenting between amounts and you cream/sugar combo, you can beat the premade monster pot coffee. 

[ninjacat123]

7 minutes ago, EngIceDave said:

The buffet coffee is usually terrible. Now, don't scoff at this, but they do have Nescafe instant coffee.

 

Americans have been trained to be adverse to instant coffee, but it's very common in much of Europe and it's really pretty good. Little bit of experimenting between amounts and you cream/sugar combo, you can beat the premade monster pot coffee. 

Is the Nescafe in packets by the hot water, coffee etc?

[ober134]

I agree the lunch time cake buffet is pretty great. Funfetti cheesecake served only on embarkation day is THE BEST dessert of the week.

[topaz123]

4 hours ago, Bollycats said:

They serve a nice Indian vegetarian meal in the dining room every single night.

Yes, the same thing.....over and over. Carnival once had a INDIAN site in the rear of the ship...by the pool. Had lots of INDIAN favorites.. Tikka Masala, Chutney, Chickpea Curry and more...Naan fresh too. Delicious .....now sadly gone.

[EngIceDave]

1 hour ago, ninjacat123 said:

Is the Nescafe in packets by the hot water, coffee etc?

Yes. Regular and decaf. I usually grab a couple extras in case they're out later and on final day of cruise, I snatch a few to take home.

[ober134]

20 minutes ago, topaz123 said:

Yes, the same thing.....over and over. Carnival once had a INDIAN site in the rear of the ship...by the pool. Had lots of INDIAN favorites.. Tikka Masala, Chutney, Chickpea Curry and more...Naan fresh too. Delicious .....now sadly gone.

We just went on RCCL last month. Was a wide selection of Indian dishes each day. Really enjoyed it and miss it on Carnival.

[EngIceDave]

I know down below in the staff area, they have various ethnic stations and ethnic nights in the crew mess and I have both read and been told, that food is amazing. They allow more flexibility because it's for the crew, so it's more authentic

[sgttami]

4 hours ago, BarbieGee said:

There are some good ideas here.

 

I like the tip of; making a plate of snack items and bringing it to the cabin, stashing it in fridge for late night munchies.

 

I've read here that the MDR offerings have been small portions. So, if one is still a bit hungry... head to the buffet and 'graze'? Best of both food offerings!

 

😉😎

I 'll get a deli sandwich (ham and cheese or tuna) and bring it back to the cabin and keep in fridge for late night munchies after the casino. 

I always pack Zip loc bags!

Other than that, I've never eaten a meal at the buffet on any cruise.

[Drew B 58]

2 hours ago, topaz123 said:

Yes, the same thing.....over and over. Carnival once had a INDIAN site in the rear of the ship...by the pool. Had lots of INDIAN favorites.. Tikka Masala, Chutney, Chickpea Curry and more...Naan fresh too. Delicious .....now sadly gone.

I don’t think that was ever on all of the ships.  They still have it on Splendor.  Not sure if it on any others…

[ninjacat123]

8 minutes ago, Drew B 58 said:

I don’t think that was ever on all of the ships.  They still have it on Splendor.  Not sure if it on any others…

I thought I remembered a kiosk called "Tandoor" on Breeze, up on Lido.  Not there on the deck plans.  It was pretty yummy!

[BarbieGee]

1 hour ago, sgttami said:

I 'll get a deli sandwich (ham and cheese or tuna) and bring it back to the cabin and keep in fridge for late night munchies after the casino. 

I always pack Zip loc bags!

Other than that, I've never eaten a meal at the buffet on any cruise.

YES! Ziplock bags! Great idea! 😎

[Ilovesailaway]

1 hour ago, EngIceDave said:

I know down below in the staff area, they have various ethnic stations and ethnic nights in the crew mess and I have both read and been told, that food is amazing. They allow more flexibility because it's for the crew, so it's more authentic

Is this in the buffet area where passengers have access? I don't know where your talking about

[EngIceDave]

21 minutes ago, Ilovesailaway said:

Is this in the buffet area where passengers have access? I don't know where your talking about

No pax access, this is crew mess.

[staceyglow]

55 minutes ago, EngIceDave said:

No pax access, this is crew mess.

A week or so ago, John Heald posted the crew menu on Facebook and it looked delicious. There were many requests in the comments for Carnival to have a "crew favorite" up at the LIDO, so fingers crossed that JH mentioned that to the beards. 

[Ilovesailaway]

1 hour ago, EngIceDave said:

No pax access, this is crew mess.

Ty, I wonder why a reference to that area was posted here? 

[lasvegascruising]

TANDOOR, best food ever!!  I truly wish Carnival would bring it back to a bunch of the ships.  Why, oh why, did it go away?

[Pellaz]

11 hours ago, ober134 said:

I agree the lunch time cake buffet is pretty great. Funfetti cheesecake served only on embarkation day is THE BEST dessert of the week.

 

There are persistent rumors of red velvet cake on the buffet at lunch, which our friend Ashley says is amazing.  It might also be an embark-day only item, since she haunted the buffet the rest of the week and never saw it.  🙂  

 

10 hours ago, EngIceDave said:

I know down below in the staff area, they have various ethnic stations and ethnic nights in the crew mess and I have both read and been told, that food is amazing. They allow more flexibility because it's for the crew, so it's more authentic

Carnival feeds their crews well.  I've been told during more than one BtF Tour that, while the passenger MDR menu repeats every 8 days, the crew-mess menu repeats every 28 days.