Both Carnival and Royal Caribbean have made a number of changes to restaurants since returning to sailing following Covid pandemic-related shutdowns. Both cruise lines have revamped their Main Dining Room (MDR) menus.
In the case of Royal Caribbean (RCL) – Get a free report, the cruise made a lot of cuts, eliminating menu staples like spaghetti bolognese, grilled salmon, and New York strip steak that used to be on the menu every day. The cruise also included daily recurring appetizers such as shrimp cocktail, French onion soup, and snails.
Related: Carnival Cruise Line reconsiders popular cabin service
Those items still appear, but not every day and the new menus are much smaller with a different theme for each night. This was apparently done to speed up service and reduce food waste.
Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) – Get a free report He also changed his MDR menus, but his changes actually added some items as well as removing others. The cruise line worked with its culinary director, Emeril Lagasse, to refine its menu, adding some dishes designed by the famous chef.
Additionally, Carnival also added $5 for any entrée after the main course. Both Royal Caribbean and Carnival have also started charging for lobster after the first serving, at least in part because prices for the prized seafood have risen dramatically over the past year.
Many of the changes to the MDR for both cruise lines have been perceived as the companies holding things back. That’s more true for Royal Caribbean’s new MDR menus than for Carnival’s, but in both cases, there were items that were once offered daily that now only appear sometimes.
Those changes received a lot of attention on both social and real media. Carnival, however, has made another change to the dining room that passengers will love that hasn’t received as much, or really any, attention.
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Image Source: Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival and Royal Caribbean offer limited late-night dining
During the day on Carnival and Royal Caribbean cruises there are several casual places included where people can eat during or between meals. Carnival has Guy Fieri pizza on all ships and offers casual Mexican food near the pool on many of its ships.
Royal Caribbean has El Loco Fresh, a casual Mexican restaurant on many ships, and Boardwalk Dog House that offers a selection of hot dogs on Oasis-class ships, as well as burger and seafood stands on select ships.
However, after 6 pm, many of those places close, as MDR, buffet and specialty restaurants open for dinner. Once those locations stop serving dinner, usually around 10 p.m., dining options dwindle on both cruise lines.
On Royal Caribbean ships, evening options include the Playmakers sports bar until 11 pm on many ships, then snacks at Cafe Promenade, pizza at Sorrento’s, or room service. To order room service, you must be in your room to receive it.
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Carnival has late night pizza and a new late night menu that includes some sandwiches, soup, salad and a few other options. That’s an improvement over its rival, but the cruise line also has a unique delivery method that Royal Caribbean doesn’t offer.
Carnival Cruise Line Adds ‘Room’ Service Throughout Ship
Without much fanfare, Carnival will now deliver pizza to its passengers no matter where they are on the ship through its onboard “Hub” app.
“Any time of the day or night, choose your toppings, tell us where on the ship you’ll be, and optionally take a selfie to help delivery people find you. (Delivery is just $5 per pie…and the pizzas are always free), the cruise line shared on its website.
Carnival charges $5 for room service delivered to your room for unlimited items, while Royal Caribbean charges $7.95 no matter what you order. Both offer free delivery of continental breakfast items between 6 and 10 a.m.
On many ships, Carnival has also expanded “anywhere” delivery options beyond pizza.
“In addition to being able to order pizza and beer for delivery to almost anywhere on board, we’ve expanded this feature to include a variety of culinary and beverage offerings,” Carnival shared via the Hub app on a recent trip to Venice that departed from NY.
