Carnival Cruise Lines spent all of 2023 making major dining changes.
First, it took a bold step to cut down on food waste. Some passengers saw that effort as being more about saving money than doing right by the planet.
The cruise line changed a longstanding policy regarding entrees in its main dining room: It began charging a $5 fee for any entree after the second one. Previously, passengers had been able to order as many main courses as they wanted.
That seems like a small change, but passengers saw it as the cruise line taking something away.
Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) -) also revamped its main-dining-room menus right after rival Royal Caribbean did.
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In Royal Caribbean's case, the cruise line made a lot of cuts in the name of cutting food waste and improving service time. The cruise line slimmed down the main-dining-room menus and made each night a theme night.
It also got rid of the so-called classics section of its menu. That meant passengers could no longer order a basic steak, salmon, or pasta every night, and favorites like escargot, shrimp cocktail and French onion soup did not appear on the menu each night.
Carnival's main-dining-room changes were more a menu revamp than the major cuts its rival made. Led by Chief Culinary Officer Emeril Lagasse, a title that's not ceremonial, the cruise line removed some menu items, added new ones, and made dishes created by Lagasse available each night.
Now, as the year comes to an end, the "bam!" chef is a major part of another big dining change.
Image source: Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival adds a cooking class, changes key dining experience
Both Royal Caribbean and Carnival offer a few onboard cooking classes.
Royal Caribbean has a cupcake decorating class and one where passengers learn how to make sushi. Carnival now has a new answer for those options with a cooking class created by Lagasse.
"As part of the program, guests will learn to curate a three-course meal with hand-selected recipes by Emeril, including his world-renowned New-New Orleans Pasta, Shrimp & Okra Gumbo with Filé and Strawberries Romanoff," the cruise line said on its website.
The class debuted on the brand-new Carnival Jubilee, which just began sailing out of Galveston, Texas. The "Carnival Kitchen" will also be offered on Carnival Panorama, Mardi Gras, and Carnival Celebration, according to the company.
In addition to the new class, Carnival has also revamped a signature onboard dining experience, the Chef's Table.
"Carnival has launched a new option for its popular Chef’s Table, an immersive VIP culinary experience that includes a sumptuous multicourse dinner hosted by the executive chef onboard. The premium Chef’s Table 2.0 will offer new menu items for guests to enjoy," according to the cruise line.
An extended dining experience, the Chef's Table is a limited offering that serves 14 guests. It starts with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, followed by a tour to see the galley in operation and concludes with a multicourse dinner.
"The Chef’s Table 2.0 menu promises an exquisite array of new flavors with unique selections of food and wine selections on each Carnival ship," Carnival added.
"From tantalizing starters and main course offerings to world-class wine selections and decadent desserts, guests can fully immerse themselves in a unique and savory experience. Offerings are available fleetwide."
Carnival also makes a key app change
In addition to continuing to revamp its culinary offerings, Carnival has also worked to improve the onboard experience for customers. That has included making a key change in its app that should improve the process of getting off its ships at the end of your cruise.
"To simplify debarkation, Carnival added a new feature on the Hub App. Instead of picking up zone tags for their luggage, guests can indicate a debarkation time via the app and list the number of bags to be placed outside their stateroom so the tags can be delivered directly to them," the cruise line said.
In addition, passengers who plan to carry their own luggage can use the app to pick the time when they wish to get off the ship.
"VIFP members and suite guests will still receive special tags with priority debarkation as normal, and guests who prefer not to use the app can still follow the traditional debarkation process and retrieve their tags," according to the company.
The change has already been made on Carnival Conquest, Carnival Elation, Carnival Sunrise, Carnival Dream, and Mardi Gras. It's expected to be rolled out fleetwide by February.
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