Carnival Dispels Rumors of Egg Shortages Onboard
There are some foods out there that aren’t all that they are cracked up to be – but eggs are not one of them. Eggs are not only a favorite at breakfast, but are also a key ingredient in many recipes and desserts.
An egg shortage onboard Carnival’s cruise ships wouldn’t just impact breakfast items like scrambled eggs and omelettes, but could impact other dishes served onboard. But thankfully, this is not something that cruisers need to worry about.
As of Wednesday, March 19, 2025, Brand Ambassador John Heald confirmed that rumors of egg options being removed were false.
“Apparently once again one of the many copy and paste and egg agerate cruise pages said yesterday that due to the egg shortage (hence me using the words egg agerate) that ‘Carnival has removed all egg options from their menus.’ This is of course utter nonsense,” Heald said in a pun-filled Facebook post.
“I know there is an egg shortage in parts of the United States but we still offer all the egg options we always have,” Heald continued.
Unfortunately for much of the US, a dangerous strain of avian influenza has been decimating flocks, killing 13.2 million hens in December 2024 alone, and has continued to wreak havoc throughout the first quarter of 2025.
This has resulted in egg shortages and increased prices in both grocery stores and restaurants – with chains like Denny’s and Waffle House temporarily adding a small surcharge to all meals that include eggs until things normalize.
But of course, Heald couldn’t conclude his post without making another joke: “We source all our eggs from a farm in Cleveland, Ohio. It’s called Old Macdonald’s Chicken Farm and the Beards have a brilliant relationship with Mac who is the EIEIO of the farm.”
In actuality, Carnival has a partnership with the Humane Society of the United States to source eggs using 100% cage-free chickens – which is a more ethical way of raising the hens.
Business as Usual Onboard
If Heald’s reassurance wasn’t convincing enough, plenty of recent Carnival guests in the comments were able to confirm that there was no sign of a shortage onboard.
“I have been on 4 cruises this winter. My 60th carnival cruise will be on the Vista in October. Eggs were not a problem. We had great times and memories,” one woman wrote.
“I had as many omelettes and over easy eggs as I wanted for breakfast every morning on a cruise about 4 weeks ago. So awesome. Just have to stand in eggs to order line,” another man confirmed.
No one reported having experienced any limitations on portions or extra fees to order the eggs, either.
Additionally, Carnival is not known to use powdered eggs for dishes like omelettes, opting for fresh eggs instead. These eggs are dehydrated and transformed into a powder, as their name suggests.
Powdered eggs allow for easy transportation and storage and are primarily used in culinary settings where a shelf-stable product may be needed – but they aren’t as widely used as they used to be and can even cost more than fresh eggs.
Read Also: Free Carnival Cruise Dining Options You’ll Want to Know (With Menus!)
But while eggs aren’t going anywhere, rumors that another staple in the Lido Marketplace has gone away are true.
Grapes are a popular fruit that can complete a healthy breakfast or offer a sweet dessert. However, they have been phased out because having multiple guests pick the grapes off the vine – as what could happen in the buffet line – is unhygienic.
That said, it’s possible that the grapes will rejoin the eggs onboard in the future – or will perhaps be served in pre-picked bowls (instead of on the vine) as they have been in the past.