Carnival Cruise Line Admits Dining Is Not Intended as the Best
A cruise vacation can be about many things – family time, beach getaways, exploring ports, and much more. For many guests, the food is a top attraction on any cruise ship, with delicious options available from morning to night, and even into the wee hours.
It is understandable that occasionally the food may not be to your liking, but shouldn’t there always be some top quality choices? Perhaps not.
Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, has offered a startling insight into the cruise line’s dining. While diverse and always offering something to enjoy, Carnival’s food has never been intended to be the best for true cuisine connoisseurs.
“Apart from the fun, and the crew, I still believe that probably food is what’s on most people’s mind when they cruise,” he began.
He’s not wrong, given the extraordinary popularity of the embarkation day lunch at the Lido Marketplace buffet – don’t forget to grab a slice of Funfetti cheesecake, only offered at that very first lunch.
Heald goes on to note that he gets many, many questions and compliments about the food onboard Carnival’s 29 cruise ships. From delicious steakhouse dinners to the award-winning Guy’s Burger Joint to decadent desserts, most Carnival guests enjoy the food.
Most, but not all. There are always some travelers who are disappointed in the food selections, either in variety or quality.
“Let’s be honest, I also get comments that are not complimentary,” he acknowledged. “That’s understandable. Food is very much a personal choice and it’s something that is, and always will be, a very important part of the cruise experience.”
Heald goes on to note that he occasionally gets comments from apparently hungry guests who claim there was “nothing to eat onboard” or that they “left hungry” from meals.
“That’s nonsense,” he said. “You may not like everything, but there is always something to eat.”
What makes Heald most frustrated, however, is when guests reach out to him after a cruise and complain about various selections.
As an intermediary between guests and ships, he then contacts the ship and more often than not discovers the guest never made any comment onboard, never mentioned their dining concerns either to the wait staff in the dining room or at Guest Services.
Crew members cannot take any steps to correct a situation and make a guest happy if they don’t know what is making the traveler unhappy in the first place.
“I urge you, I implore you, please, please, please, if you’re not happy with something, tell your waiter, he or she will tell the dining room team or the chef directly, and they will do everything they can to do better for you,” Heald said. “The crew wants to help you.”
After a cruise, there’s no way for any changes to be made to help guests best enjoy their vacation.
I’ve been in this situation myself, with a less-than-firm chocolate melting cake. While I appreciate a molten middle, a cake that is nothing more than a puddle of syrup is not to my taste. After a disappointing dessert, I spoke to my server, and every evening thereafter I had a perfectly cooked melting cake – much to the dismay of my waistline.
A Surprising Admission
What is most surprising about Heald’s discussion of food is the idea that Carnival Cruise Line’s food has never been meant to be the best in the industry.
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This follows a recent guest comment he received denigrating the food quality.
“Yesterday, and yes I’m looking at you, sir, you know who you are – you ripped into me saying that Carnival no longer has five-star cuisine,” Heald explained. “We’ve never had five-star cuisine, we’re not a five-star cruise line. We’re not. We’re America’s cruise line, we’re a family cruise line.”
He notes that in the 40 years he’s worked with Carnival Cruise Line, he’s never heard of anyone claiming that Carnival is a line for five-star cuisine.
He does, however, suggest the Queen’s Grill onboard Cunard Line ships, or vessels in the Seabourn Cruises fleet – both Carnival-owned cruise lines – for superior cuisine.
Has Carnival Cruise Line’s food changed over the years? Absolutely, yes. On my very first cruise onboard the then Fascination (even before she was Carnival Fascination), I enjoyed the strawberry bisque chilled soup, served with a mint sprig atop a garnish of finely diced fresh strawberries.
Most recently aboard Carnival Celebration, I still got the strawberry bisque, but now it is served with a blob of strawberry Jell-O rather than the fresh berries. While I much prefer the former presentation, the soup is still delicious, and I simply don’t eat the bite of Jell-O.
This simply goes to highlight that everyone’s food preferences are different, and of course everyone has a different idea of what “five-star” cuisine may be.
For me, not having to cook, serve, or clean up after meals is well worth five stars!
Carnival Cruise Line Admits Dining Is Not Intended as the Best