In recent years, cruise ships have not only grown in size but also in the incredible variety of restaurants they offer. I remember my first cruise with MSC in 2007; there was basically only one restaurant at night, and that was it. Nowadays? Seriously, you can find far more restaurants on a cruise than in a shopping mall.
However, dining on a cruise ship raises many questions. Is everything complimentary? What do I have to pay for? Are there plenty of options like seafood, Japanese restaurants, and pasta? Does the fun cruise line also has interesting and great restaurants? Let's delve into some of the most popular questions and topics.
Dietary Needs
Carnival can provide guests with meals suited to the following special dietary needs: vegetarian, low-cholesterol, low-fat, low-carbohydrate, low-sugar, and gluten-free. Trained chefs will make every effort to fulfill your requests and will gladly prepare freshly-made options that meet your dietary needs. Once on board, speak with the headwaiter or dining room host in advance so they can assist in planning your daily meals in the dining room.
Dress Code
The dress code for Carnival is very, very similar to most cruise lines, like Disney and Royal Caribbean. Carnival Cruise ships have a wide variety of restaurants onboard, and some restaurants enforce dress codes. Be sure to include at least one outfit that fits every requirement so that you can enjoy any restaurant you desire. At any restaurant and at any time of day, you at least need to cover up your swimsuit and wear water shoes.
In the evenings, some ships enforce a “cruise casual” dress code. For men, this dress code can call for longer dress shorts or jeans and a collared polo shirt. For women, the dress code may ask for sundresses, skirts and blouses, dress shorts, and capri pants.
Our tip? Always include one or two fancy outfits in your baggage, depending on how long your cruise is.
Room Service
Complimentary breakfast is available from 6am to 10am, although there are a few à la carte menu options that cost extra. Room service is available from 10am to 6am and offers a variety of food options from a specific menu, all of which are à la carte and incur additional charges.
Dining Room
The dining room aboard cruise ships is a classic. As the name implies, this is always the big restaurant included in your cruise fare, and Carnival has at least two dining rooms per ship. As is standard in cruise lines, you can also select between traditional dining and Your Time Dining when you book.
Traditional dining lets you choose if you want early or late dining. Early dining typically starts at 5:15 pm, while late dining starts at 7:15 pm. With Your Time Dining, however, you can arrive during a specific time, usually between 5:00-8:30 pm. Your Time Dining is indeed very convenient, but you don’t have an assigned table, so there might be waiting times if the main dining room is very crowded.
In the main dining room, guests are limited to two complimentary entrees before having to pay for additional ones. Two entrees are already quite substantial, but if you need more food, you can always visit the Lido Marketplace later on.
Lido Marketplace
Lido is the typical buffet station that is almost always open on Carnival ships. Want a quick breakfast with all the basic items available to you? Come to Lido. Don’t want to waste a lot of time and want to get back to the pool as soon as possible? Come to Lido. Is the main dining room too crowded and you don’t want to eat a lot? Come to Lido. They are open basically all day and night. You can find there a deli counter, a salad bar, pizza, an Asian station, a pasta bar, and a frozen yogurt station as well.
Now, this might seem like a lot, but Lido often doesn’t offer a wide variety of food options for you to choose from. The food is also generally considered mediocre by most guests. While Carnival is well known for its great complimentary restaurants, the buffet options are typically seen as average at best.
Complimentary Dining aboard Carnival Cruise Line
We have good news for you, friends: Carnival has significantly improved their food over the past few years! It’s not just me saying this, many people online are quite impressed with the food options on Carnival Jubilee and Mardi Gras. The complimentary restaurants receive high praise, even if the paid options sometimes fall short of the excellence found on Royal Caribbean or Disney. But hey, good, free food is always welcome, right?
BlueIguana Cantina and Guy's Burger Joint are two of the best complimentary restaurants across all cruise lines. You can’t go wrong with either. BlueIguana Cantina is a Mexican restaurant offering delicious tacos and burritos, while Guy's Burger Joint offers tasty burgers, fries, and hot dogs. You have access to an unlimited amount of burgers and burritos on a cruise - and that’s already good enough - but now you’re telling me that they all taste great? Oh god, let’s just hope that the fitness center inside Carnival is also top tier (spoiler: it is).
There are also optional, paid restaurants available on every cruise. Fortunately, they are not as expensive as those on Disney Cruise Line. For example, you can dine at the steakhouse Fahrenheit 555 for a fixed price of $49 per adult or enjoy Chinese cuisine at Jiji Asian Kitchen for just $24.
The Best Restaurants aboard Carnival Cruise Line
BlueIguana Cantina
Type: complimentary, no dress code, mexican, breakfast, lunch.
Burritos, tacos, and tortillas with great sauce. And they all taste amazing! Seriously, is that not good enough? Okay, let me tell you that this restaurant is located on the main pool deck, so you don’t even need to leave the pool for too long. Is that good enough? Great! The BlueIguana Cantina gets amazing reviews from guests worldwide and is often considered one of the best complimentary restaurants across all cruise lines. If you love Mexican food, you will probably become friends with a blue iguana. If you don’t love Mexican food, you will probably change your mind after coming here at least once. The BlueIguana is amazing; there’s not much else to say about it.
Guy's Burger Joint
Type: complimentary, no dress code, burgers, lunch.
Burgers. Good burgers. For free! They are served with fries, with some options also coming with onion rings. Guy’s Burger Joint is often regarded as offering some of the best complimentary burgers across cruise lines. The burgers are big and tasty, freshly made, and topped with delicious melty cheese. Just Google Guy’s Burger Joint and you will see that it often ranks on guests' lists as the best restaurant on Carnival Cruise.
Fahrenheit 555
Type: paid, cruise casual/elegant, steak, dinner.
Price: $49 (adults); $11 (children 11yo and under).
Carnival offers a main steakhouse aboard every cruise ship, with Fahrenheit 555 being the most popular option. The price is fair, and the quality of the food and service doesn’t leave anything to be desired compared to more expensive restaurants on other cruise lines. It's advisable to reserve a spot here well in advance! As of 2022, Fahrenheit 555 included a free bottle of wine on the first night of the cruise and during elegant nights, and you can get a 50% discount on wine during your second night! Your meal at Fahrenheit 555 includes an appetizer, salad, entrée, side, and dessert.
Additional Restaurants aboard Carnival Cruise Line
Seaday Brunch
Type: complimentary, no dress code, brunch
Ahhh, I love a good brunch. And I love Seaday Brunch even more! It's the perfect spot whether you want to skip breakfast or just enjoy a hearty meal. You can savor huevos rancheros, special French toast, loaded mac-n-cheese, and a variety of omelets. Brunch is served until noon, so you can even sleep in until 11am after a full night of partying aboard this fun cruise line.
Big Chicken
Type: complimentary, no dress code, chicken, breakfast, lunch, dinner.
As the name implies, this restaurant is all about chicken. It offers chicken tenders, nuggets, sandwiches, and possibly even chicken biscuits, all complimentary. Big Chicken, owned by Shaquille O'Neal, serves delicious food that manages to surprise most guests. The chicken is tender, crispy, and fresh, cooked just for you, so it’s never frozen and rugged. Big Chicken is only available on the newest ships like Mardi Gras and Carnival Jubilee, and it’s a great alternative to Guy’s Burger Joint.
Thing 1 & Thing 2 Birthday Breakfast
Type: paid, no dress code, character dining, breakfast.
Price: $15 (adults); $10 (children)
Did you know that this character dining changed in 2024? Yeah, it now offers new music and a brand new menu for a very reasonable price. Oh, you don’t actually have to be celebrating a birthday for this, by the way. The Thing 1 & Thing 2 birthday breakfast usually takes place in the Main Dining Hall. It features characters like The Thing (duh!), the Cat in the Hat and a few more that I remember seeing in… Islands of Adventure. If your kids love Dr. Seuss, then they will probably have a great time here.
Here are more restaurants available on Carnival Cruise Line:
- Emeril's Bistros at Sea (seafood)
- Rudi’s Seagrill (seafood)
- Guy’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse (BBQ)
- Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que (BBQ)
- Bonsai Teppanyaki (japanese)
- Bonsai Sushi (japanese)
- Cucina Del Capitano (italian)
- Pizzeria Del Capitano (pizza)
- Seafood Shack (snacks)
- JavaBlue Café (coffee)
Carnival Cruise Line Drink Packages
Carnival Cruise offers a variety of drink packages, ranging from soda-only options to premium wine packages for those who enjoy a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon with dinner. You can purchase a drink package at the time of booking to save money (usually 10%), or do so while on your cruise.
Bottomless Bubble
Price: $8.20 (child, per day); $11.21 (adult, per day).
This is the standard soda/juice drink package, which allows you to enjoy unlimited Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist and more throughout the entire length of your cruise. Each guest receives a sticker that must be presented at specific locations to redeem their beverage of choice. Whether you dislike alcoholic drinks and prefer unlimited soda, or have children who love Pepsi by the pool, this package might be ideal for you.
Cheers!
Price: $70.74 (per adult per day; must be 21 yo+)
Cheers is the first drink package for those that love cocktails and a good beer. Just keep in mind that each adult assigned to the same stateroom must purchase this program. The Cheers package allows for up to 15 alcoholic drinks, per 24-hour period, and Carnival might refuse to serve you drink if you made the fun cruise line be way too much FUN with capital letters. Drink responsibly, friends!
With this package, you have access to all spirits (including cocktails), beer, and wine by the glass with a menu price of $20 or less. You also receive discounts on drinks that exceed this price.
Cruise the Vineyard Wine Package
Price: $95.58 (3 bottles); $148.68 (5 bottles)
This package is straightforward: you pay upfront for either 3 or 5 bottles of wine at a flat price. Unlike the Cheers! Package and the Bottomless Bubble package, you don’t need to pay daily. Instead, you receive stickers to trade for your wine of choice. If you love wine, purchasing this package in advance can help you save money. An 18% service charge will be added to your beverage charge.
Cruise the Vineyard Premium Wine Package
Price: $146.32 (3 bottles); $227.74 (5 bottles)
The Premium Wine Package operates similarly to the standard Wine Package, with the main difference being the higher-quality wine options available. For those who truly appreciate fine wines, this package offers a great opportunity to enjoy premium selections and potentially save money.
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