Both Carnival and Royal Caribbean have made a number of dining changes since they returned to sailing after the covid pandemic-related closure. Both cruise lines have overhauled their Main Dining Room (MDR) menus.
In the case of Royal Caribbean (RCL) -), the cruise made a lot of cuts, getting rid of the basic menu items like spaghetti bolognese, grilled salmon, and New York strip steak that used to be on the menu every day. The cruise also dropped daily recurring appetizers like shrimp cocktail, french onion soup, and escargot.
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 every night. Ostensibly this was done to speed up service and cut down on food waste.
Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) -) also changed its MDR menus, but its changes actually added some items in addition to taking some away. The cruise line worked with its Chief Culinary Officer Emeril Lagasse to refine its menu, adding some dishes designed by the famed chef.
In addition, Carnival also added a $5 for any entree after the second. Both Royal Caribbean and Carnival also have begun charging for lobster after the first serving, at least partially because prices for the prized shellfish have dramatically increased over the past year.
Many of the MDR changes from both cruise lines have been perceived as the companies taking things away. 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 got a lot of attention both on social media and in actual media. Carnival, however, has made another dining change that passengers will love that has not 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 cruise ships there are a number of included casual venues where people can eat during or in between meal times. Carnival has Guy Fieri's Burgers on every ship and offers casual Mexican fare near the pool on many of its ships.
Royal Caribbean has El Loco Fresh, a casual Mexican eatery on many ships, and Boardwalk Dog House offering a selection of hot dogs on Oasis-class ships, as well as hamburger and seafood stands on select ships.
After 6 p.m., however, many of those venues close as the MDR, the buffet, and specialty dining restaurants open for dinner. Once those venues stop serving dinner, usually at about 10 p.m., dining options dwindle on both cruise lines.
On Royal Caribbean ships, late-night choices include Playmakers sports bar until 11 p.m. on many ships, then snacks at Cafe Promenade, pizza at Sorrento's, or room service. To order room service, you need to actually 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 choices. That's an improvement over its rival, but the cruise line also has a very unique delivery method Royal Caribbean does not offer.
Carnival Cruise Line adds ship-wide "room" service
Without much fanfare, Carnival will now deliver its passengers pizza no matter where they are on the boat through its onboard "Hub" app.
"Any time of day, or night, pick your toppings, tell us where on the ship you’re hanging out, and, optionally, take a selfie to help the delivery folks find you. (Delivery’s just $5 per pie… and the pizzas are always free), the cruise line shared on its website.
Carnival charges $5 for room service sent to your room for unlimited items while Royal Caribbean charges $7.95 no matter what you order. Both offer free delivery for continental breakfast items between 6-10 a.m.
On many ships, Carnival has also expanded the "anywhere" delivery choices beyond pizza.
"In addition to being able to order pizza and beer for delivery to almost anywhere on board, we have expanded this function to include a variety of culinary and beverage offerings," Carnival shared through the Hub app on a recent sailing of Venezia that left from New York.
