Carnival Cruise Lines Onboard Dining - Dining Options for Carnival Cruises (2023)

FAQs

How many meals do you get on Carnival Cruise? ›

Your choices vary by ship, of course, but your basic cruise fare entitles you to eat three meals a day in the main dining room or the buffet, as well as free venues that can include Guy Fieri's Burger Bar, a Mexican restaurant open for breakfast and lunch, a deli, soft-serve ice cream, various snack spots, and 24-7 ...

Much of the food is included in your cruise fare, with the exception of the steakhouse, Cucina del Capitano, and chef's table that cost a little extra. You can eat as much as you want!

You should ask your travel agent or our reservations team to link your bookings together. This can guarantee your group will be seated together (based on table availability) every evening for the duration of the cruise. Was this answer helpful?

Most cruise lines suggest tipping $10 to $12 per day per passenger (not per couple), regardless of age. For a seven-day cruise, this means each cruiser should budget at least $70 for gratuities, or $140 per cabin for two people. How do I pay the gratuities?

Both Royal Caribbean and Carnival offer menus that change each night while also having a section of items that are always available. In addition, the two cruise lines have generally been all-you-can-eat, allowing customers to have as many entrees as they want.

Not permitted in the dining room during the Cruise Elegant dinner for ladies and gentlemen: shorts, gym shorts, T-shirts, beach flip-flops, bathing suit attire, jeans, cut-off jeans, sleeveless shirts for men, sportswear, and baseball hats.

Complimentary drinks are available only while actively playing in the casino and limited to casino bar menu items. Drinks benefit is valid for the eligible VIFP Club Member only. Must be 21 or older to purchase and/or consume alcoholic beverages.

Surprisingly to many, Carnival is one of the few lines that still serves complimentary lobster tails.

Dining room etiquette – If you're a cruise newbie you've probably heard the rumors: You can order as much as you'd like in the dining room! Can't decide between two entrées? (Surf & Turf night gets me every time!) — go for it! Your server won't bat an eye.

Do you have to sit with other people for dinner on a cruise? ›

It's very easy, however, to make sure you get whichever seating arrangement you prefer. In short, you definitely don't have to dine with strangers on your cruise - but you can if you'd like.

On formal nights, proper attire includes tuxedos, suits or slacks (jackets required) for men and evening gowns, cocktail dresses or dressy pantsuits for women. Jeans are welcome in all dining venues during the day, but they're not appropriate in any public venues for dinner or cocktail hour.

Breakfast is served through the afternoon with options such as chicken and egg biscuits and three-cheese omelets. Open for breakfast and lunch until 5:00pm.

We've got exclusive casino offers just for you — starting with FREE drinks + $50 to spend in the casino.

People Are Upset About… Popcorn? One of the latest controversies to hit might as well be dubbed “Popcorngate.” Because as insane as it sounds, some Carnival Cruise Line passengers have become downright irate over the fact that they are now charging $3 for the tasty popped kernels.

What happens if you don't tip on a cruise? Most cruise lines work on the basis that the crew members' pay structure is based on receiving tips. If you choose not to tip, for whatever reason, you are impacting the salaries of the crew who have served you so well during your cruise.

Yes, you can make calls, text, and even video chat from a cruise ship. In port, you can connect to local roaming networks. At sea, you can either make calls via a satellite connection or pay for the ship's Wi-Fi (also via satellite) and make Wi-Fi calls, text or video chat via the internet.

There aren't any hard-and-fast guidelines for this type of tip since it's contingent on your experience, but $25 to $40 on behalf of a couple roughly works out to an extra $2 to $3 per person, per day, for a seven-night cruise.

It's not necessary, but a small tip can be offered for in-room dining. Personally, when I have a great housekeeper, even on a ship that includes gratuities, I will leave a small cash bonus (maybe $20 per passenger) at the end of the cruise. The same goes for waiters.

Order as many entrees as you want

You can order several entrees if you want, or even several appetizers. The wait staff will bring you anything on the menu in pretty much any quantity. If the dish you have been given is distasteful to you in anyway don't feel you have to eat it.

What is the best Carnival specialty dining? ›

Carnival Cruise Line's Cucina del Capitano has been voted the Best Specialty Dining Venue in the 2022 Cruise Ship Awards. The dining venue received more votes than venues from rival cruise lines, including from Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line.

Many first-time cruisers don't realize that they won't be able to go directly to their staterooms upon boarding. Pass the time while you wait for your room to be ready and for the ship to set sail by enjoying lunch on the Lido Deck of the ship. This is a great way to make sure you aren't starving by dinner time!

The first Cruise Elegant evening is scheduled for the 2nd or 3rd day of the cruise; the second Cruise Elegant evening is scheduled for the 2nd or 3rd day prior to the end of the cruise, schedules permitting. Was this answer helpful?

T-shirts, swimsuits, robes, bare feet, tank tops, baseball caps, and pool wear are not allowed in the main restaurant or specialty restaurants at any time. In addition, shorts and flip-flops are not permitted during the evening hours.

To confirm eligibility of your offer visit carnival.com/offers, contact your travel agent or call 1-866-299-5859. Do you accept cash in the casino? Yes, we do. However, while you can insert cash into our machines, we run on a coin-less system.

About Drink Packages. CHEERS! is an all-inclusive beverage program that allows guests to enjoy a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages by paying a flat daily rate. Guests must be 21 or older to purchase CHEERS! and each adult assigned to the same stateroom must purchase the program.

Don't wear sleeveless shirts (for men), cut-off jeans, T-shirts or gym shorts. If you want to attend a “cruise elegant” evening, bring a fancier, more formal outfit. Men can wear suits or dress slacks with a sport coat and dress shirt.

In our buffet restaurant, special drinks dispensers provide you with coffee, tea, hot chocolate, lemonade and ice tea around the clock and free of charge.

Do you have to wear a mask at all times on a Carnival Cruise? ›

Masks are recommended on board but not required. Masks may be required during the entire embarkation and debarkation process (at the home port and port of call), on any transportation, including water shuttles, and when indoors on any Carnival tour.

Also in the main dining room, the line will continue to offer lobster on itineraries of six days or more, but it will be moving to the second elegant evening (instead of the current offering on the first elegant night).

What's included on a Carnival Cruise? To start off, there are some drinks that are included with the standard cruise fare. Water, lemonade, fruit juices, coffee, tea, regular and chocolate milk are all complimentary.

As a thanks for their service, it's customary to provide a tip. The gratuities go to staff that provide passenger-facing services. That means people like the room steward who cleans your cabin and the dining staff. These days, the gratuities are set daily amounts paid by each passenger.

If your cruise ship still has dedicated bar staff in the main dining room, we recommend tipping that individual a bit extra too. If your assistant waiter is in charge of grabbing drinks from the bar, we recommend adding this extra gratuity to his/her tip.

The good news is that yes, you can bring food and snacks on a cruise — including on major cruise lines like Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian.

Most cruise ships require all passengers to be on board no fewer than one to two hours before the scheduled departure time, which is almost always in the late afternoon or evening.

Women can simply wear a cocktail dress or a nice blouse with pants. For men, it's fine to wear a suit, or even a buttoned-down shirt and a pair of slacks if you don't want to get too fancy. Nice jeans would also be ok, although we'd suggest something slightly more dressy. That said, not everything goes.

Your cruise fare always includes food for breakfast, lunch and dinner on a cruise ship. However, not all venues that offer food will be free. The main dining room and cruise ship buffet will always be included in your cruise fare, though a few specialty items might cost extra.

Do you have to pay for every meal on a cruise? ›

Is food included on a cruise? You do not have to pay for food on a cruise – but you might want to. Unless you're sailing on an all-inclusive luxury cruise ship, you'll find two types of restaurants on board a cruise ship: free venues and extra-charge, specialty restaurants.

Order as many entrees as you want

You can order several entrees if you want, or even several appetizers. The wait staff will bring you anything on the menu in pretty much any quantity. If the dish you have been given is distasteful to you in anyway don't feel you have to eat it.

Not permitted in the dining room during the Cruise Elegant dinner for ladies and gentlemen: shorts, gym shorts, T-shirts, beach flip-flops, bathing suit attire, jeans, cut-off jeans, sleeveless shirts for men, sportswear, and baseball hats.

Can you eat whenever you want on a cruise? For the most part, food is available around the clock on most ships. Even in the middle of the night, you can order room service (for a fee) or pick up free late-night nibbles at the buffet or from the 24-hour pizza shops found on many vessels.

Most food is free or included on a cruise. This includes breakfast, lunch and dinner in the main dining room, buffet and some casual restaurants on the cruise ship. Alternative dining in specialty restaurants often has an additional charge and is not included in the cost of a cruise.

Can I bring my own food on a Carnival cruise ship? Carnival's cruise fare includes plentiful snacks and food, available nearly 24/7. However, for passengers who just have to have their favorite pretzels or chips for a midafternoon snack, Carnival permits cruisers to bring onboard prepackaged, ready-to-eat snacks.

On a cruise, most guests bring between $100-$120 in cash per day to be spent on transportation, tips, gifts, food, and shopping. In a survey of 850 cruisers, 71% stated that they took over $100 per person per day when cruising.

Daily service charges are not the only cruise tips you will pay on board. Many cruise lines will tack an automatic gratuity charge onto the bill for extra-fee drinks, restaurant meals and spa treatments. The included tip amount varies by cruise line, but is typically 15% to 20% of the bill.

You can bring snacks or food onto a Carnival Cruise ship as long as the snacks are pre-packaged and un-opened. Carnival's prohibited items list specifically says food that is homemade or pre-cooked is not allowed. Carnival will not provide any refrigeration, storage, or food preparation for any items.