I always laugh when I think of my first cruise in 2004. I thought each of us was limited to one appetizer, one entree, and one dessert. I would enjoy my dinner, but then I would head to the Lido buffet a little later every night, feeling a bit embarrassed that I was still hungry. I didn’t know that you could order multiple appetizers, entrees, and desserts.
Back then, you had your choice of early or late dining. Your Time Dining was not yet a thing, and there was no Hub App or QR code to scan for a menu. All of the tables had a white table cloth to accompany every meal. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were served in the main dining room every day. Lobster was served on all cruises three days or longer. There was no sea day brunch until the concept was introduced in late 2013.
Carnival periodically updates its menus by adding new menu items into its rotation. In 2004, there was no strawberry bisque. When it was first served to me on a cruise to Alaska in 2010, the waiter saw the look of confusion on my face when he placed a large white bowl down in front of me with only a small dollop of chopped strawberries. He got a good laugh out of it, and then poured the strawberry bisque into the bowl from a small pitcher. This appetizer became one of my favorites.
Fast forward to 2023, and Carnival is adding over 60 new entrees to its menu, beginning with a pilot test on the Carnival Dream in June and slowly rolling out to other ships, such as the Carnival Conquest in July. Here is a sample dinner menu that was posted on June 19th, 2023 by Carnival’s brand ambassador John Heald.
There are two main things that you might notice right away. First, you’ll see that the menu has an Emeril Selects section, featuring appetizers and entrees by Chef Emeril Lagasse. He is a well-known American chef, restaurateur, and television personality, famous for his expertise in Creole and Cajun cuisine. In December 2022, Carnival appointed him as their Chief Culinary Officer. All of the Carnival Excel class ships (Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee) each feature an Emeril’s Bistro onboard.
Second, what happened to the cheese plate, which is usually listed in the dessert section of the menu? While the reaction to the new dinner menu was mostly positive, there was a lot of criticism and uproar about the removal of the cheese plate. Just three days later, on June 22nd, 2023, another dinner menu was posted by John Heald, this time with the re-addition of the cheese plate!
Carnival plans to roll out the new menu to its entire fleet by early 2024:
| Menu Rollout Month | Carnival Ships |
|---|---|
| June 2023 | Carnival Dream |
| July 2023 | Carnival Conquest Carnival Horizon |
| August 2023 | Carnival Sunrise Carnival Vista Carnival Radiance Mardi Gras |
| September 2023 – Early 2024 | Remainder of US fleet |
| Late 2024 | Australian Cruises |
Sometimes I hear comments that Carnival serves the same food over and over again. With the dinner menu, I have to disagree. Sure, you can get a Caesar Salad, Featured Indian Vegetarian entree, and the Carnival Warm Melting Chocolate Cake every day if you prefer, however, many appetizers, entrees, and featured desserts are different every night. In fact, I took a 15 day Hawaiian cruise in 2015, and they did a great job of offering a different selection of appetizers, entrees, and desserts every night.
| Food Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Hawaiian Shrimp Poke | a flavorful starter that combines avocado, edamame, rice, creamy spicy sauce, togarashi chili and wakame. |
| Roasted Duck Rolls | a delicious appetizer made with rice paper and scallions and served with sweet garlic sauce. |
| Pappardelle with Braised Lamb | an Italian-inspired first course featuring tomato cream sauce, garlic and parsley. |
| Food Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Grilled Swordfish | a tasty seafood entrée that’s served with smashed fingerling potatoes, fava beans and cherry tomato salad in a citrus saffron sauce. |
| Cornish Game Hen | an elegant entrée served with roasted root vegetable and pan gravy. |
| Salad Entrees | the Ultimate Cobb Salad, the Asian Chopped Salad with Chicken, and the Beefsteak Salad. |
| Food Type | Food Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Appetizer | Crab and Shrimp Cake | this seafood appetizer is served over charred corn and apple slaw and remoulade sauce. |
| Appetizer | Beef Carpaccio | mascarpone-truffle cream flavors this Italian-inspired appetizer. |
| Entree | Coffee Glazed Roast Duck | Creole potato wedges accompany this delectable duck entrée. |
| Entree | BBQ Salmon | house-made Worcestershire sauce flavors this entrée that’s served with an Andouille potato hash and topped with fried onion rings. |
Here are some exciting new dessert options!
| Food Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Dutch Double Chocolate Pave | a rich chocolate cake |
| Banana Cream Pie | a item formerly only available at Sea Day Brunch |
These new dessert options are coming to a Carnival restaurant in the near future.
| Food Type | Food Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Appetizer | Escargots Bourguignonne | this popular appetizer features shallots, garlic and parsley Pernod butter. |
| Appetizer | Stuffed Mushrooms | spinach, Romano cheese and truffle herb velouté complete this tasty appetizer. |
| Entree | 12-Hour Braised Short Ribs | this mainstay entrée is served with green beans, chive mashed potato and a truffle au jus. |
| Entree | Classic Beef Wellington | A delicious beef fillet is wrapped in puff pastry and served with sweet and sour Brussels mushroom Madeira sauce. |
| Dessert | Chocolate Melting Cake | This rich and warm chocolate dessert is one of Carnival’s most popular dishes of all-time and the perfect complement to a scoop of ice cream. |
| Dessert | Bitter & Blanc | another guest-favorite, this bread pudding dessert is made all the tastier and more flavorful with a cinnamon dulce sauce. |