Carnival Food Quality Very Subpar

[Saint Greg]

11 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

I have not been all that impressed with cruise pizza on either Carnival or RCI. But you know, Chicago. I can get way better pizza right here, baby!  

 
That’s the stuff that’s like a bread bowl filled with pizza sauce?

[KmomChicago]

Just now, Saint Greg said:

 
That’s the stuff that’s like a bread bowl filled with pizza sauce?

Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

[Denverdonkeys]

21 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

I have not been all that impressed with cruise pizza on either Carnival or RCI. But you know, Chicago. I can get way better pizza right here, baby!  
 

I really don’t look for pizza on a cruise, at all, in other words. Cookies either, for that matter.   It’s just not kinda their thing, IMHO. 

More like Chicago style casserole. Gross. Give me NY style.

[KmomChicago]

6 minutes ago, Denverdonkeys said:

More like Chicago style casserole. Gross. Give me NY style.

Yes I really like NY as well, any Gotham pizzeria is also going to blow away the cruise ship version as far as I’m concerned.
 

We have excellent thin crust in Windy too as a lot of people prefer it. Seriously plenty of midwesterners dislike deep dish. But yes I do love the gooey stuffed even though I can’t really digest either the lump of dough or the lump of cheese anymore.
 

I’m also thinking Screaming Sicilian or Tombstone frozen are even better. Either way, it is about the last thing I want on a ship. There are so many things onboard that are much more interesting and that I don’t get all the time here. 

[SNJCruisers]

1 hour ago, Saint Greg said:

 
That’s the stuff that’s like a bread bowl filled with pizza sauce?

 

1 hour ago, KmomChicago said:

Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Layered with sausage and cheese.  Slices are non foldable, so you must eat it with a knife and fork.

[misand]

On 12/28/2021 at 12:10 AM, Calnev1 said:

Unfortunately, the pizza on our one MSC cruise was the ONLY food that was any good.   MSC should stick to being a cargo line.  They certainly treated us like cargo.

Wow we had a completely opposite experience. MSC use to be my least favorite and now it moved up to #1.  We were on the Meraviglia.  

[misand]

8 hours ago, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

Here is a picture of your Carnivals pizza. Not for me.

Only the very edge of ours was.  I really like mine.

[Calnev1]

16 minutes ago, misand said:

Wow we had a completely opposite experience. MSC use to be my least favorite and now it moved up to #1.  We were on the Meraviglia.  

And we were on the Divina.  Will never forget the waiter who crashed into my wife, and tried to make it up to us by bringing us "fish soup" the next night.  And all this denigration of Guys burgers in this thread ... on our Divina cruise the burgers were wrapped in foil and left to sit, bun and all, under a heat lamp.  Yuck.  But as far as treating people like cargo, MSC unilaterally moved the start date of our cruise back six days.  Without bothering to inform us.  I found it out weeks afterwards by happenstance.  What clowns.

[misand]

1 minute ago, Calnev1 said:

And we were on the Divina.  Will never forget the waiter who crashed into my wife, and tried to make it up to us by bringing us "fish soup" the next night.  And all this denigration of Guys burgers in this thread ... on our Divina cruise the burgers were wrapped in foil and left to sit, bun and all, under a heat lamp.  Yuck.  But as far as treating people like cargo, MSC unilaterally moved the start date of our cruise back six days.  Without bothering to inform us.  I found it out weeks afterwards by happenstance.  What clowns.

Moving your start date is insane.  

[Calnev1]

1 hour ago, KmomChicago said:

 

 

I’m also thinking Screaming Sicilian or Tombstone frozen are even better. 

A frozen pizza better than a fresh made pizza?  On what planet??

[matymil]

I was on the Magic afew months ago. The ship left port, i was on it. The food was edible, i was happy.

[matymil]

9 hours ago, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

Here is a picture of your Carnivals pizza. Not for me.

Was this on one of the newer ships? Anytime ive ever gotten Carnival picture its never looked like that. That actually looks pretty good imo

[Calnev1]

48 minutes ago, misand said:

Moving your start date is insane.  

And I get it that my experience with the Divina several years ago could have been a one-off, and maybe MSC has improved by leaps and bounds since then.  I do to this day get MSC offers in the mail that look good both price wise and itinerary wise.  But at the back of my mind I think, well,  "Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me."

[IntrepidFromDC]

This was a fun thread to read.  I'll add my opinions, which are very much in agreement with some posts but also very much in disagreement with others...

 

Guys Burgers are NASTY.  I really tried, cruise after cruise, to give them a chance.  Just NASTY.

Pizza Pirate pizza is made with fresh mozzarella instead of processed cheese bits... ITALIAN PIZZA!  AWESOME!

Steakhouse is almost always both AMAZING and sublime.

[Calnev1]

1 hour ago, IntrepidFromDC said:

 

Guys Burgers are NASTY.  I really tried, cruise after cruise, to give them a chance.  Just NASTY.

Pizza Pirate pizza is made with fresh mozzarella instead of processed cheese bits... ITALIAN PIZZA!  AWESOME!

Steakhouse is almost always both AMAZING and sublime.

Its a sign of the times when there is so much disagreement on the most basic of all-things-Americana:  burgers and pizza.  On the bright side, I am happy to know that the  lines at Guy's and the Pizza Pirate (or whatever its called these days) are just that much shorter since many of the folks on these boards will never be in those lines.

[KmomChicago]

5 hours ago, Calnev1 said:

Its a sign of the times when there is so much disagreement on the most basic of all-things-Americana:  burgers and pizza.  On the bright side, I am happy to know that the  lines at Guy's and the Pizza Pirate (or whatever its called these days) are just that much shorter since many of the folks on these boards will never be in those lines.

Well said and another great reason to take a big group on a cruise. Generally something for everyone even if that something is different for others. It was Pizza Pirate on Legend but I think it was Piazza Pizza on MG. Either way, just meh for me.
 

One of my favorite foods last week was just a little scoop of butter chicken from Good Eats at the buffet. Our little Midwest city is a bit too far from the local megalopolis for us to get any Indian food. Anything really unique is more of a draw for us than anything “normal.”

 

We need to keep arguing here, so I’m not much of a fan of the 24/7 Swirls soft serve but it is what my dad mentions most often about his 2 Carnival cruises and the reason he can probably never sample another line. 

[Colorado Beach Bum]

I would say most of the food is pretty average and seems like it has gone down in quality over the years.  But in our opinion Carnival food and choices is much better than NCL, RCL and even Disney.  The other lines may have more speciality restaurants that are good but MDR and Lido food/choices are better on Carnival.  Mardi Gras definitely has stepped up the choices and we enjoyed all the new places on that ship. 
 

Count me in as a big fan of Guys burgers.  I enjoy the thinner, smash style patties which I know others don’t.  And pizza at midnight after a few drinks is always pretty good 😀

[Don Kehote]

16 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Lou Malnati's > Gino's East > Pequod > Uno > Due > Giordano's.  I am willing to die on this hill.

[Calnev1]

2 hours ago, Colorado Beach Bum said:

I would say most of the food is pretty average and seems like it has gone down in quality over the years.  But in our opinion Carnival food and choices is much better than NCL, RCL and even Disney.  The other lines may have more speciality restaurants that are good but MDR and Lido food/choices are better on Carnival.  Mardi Gras definitely has stepped up the choices and we enjoyed all the new places on that ship. 
 

Agree that, for my wife and I, the MDR food (and other free options) have been better onCarnival than NCL or RCL.  And competetive with Disney.  

[firefly333]

22 minutes ago, Calnev1 said:

Agree that, for my wife and I, the MDR food (and other free options) have been better onCarnival than NCL or RCL.  And competetive with Disney.  

And I wouldnt eat pretty much dinner entree in the Mdr and quit going. Enjoyed my carnival cruises and food is available more hours ... but gristly steak and other choices. Never found one entree on carnival I liked for dinner. 

 

I'm a picky eater and didnt always on rcl either but more choices I would eat or went to buffet. I dont get the praise of carnival food. .. I never went hungry isnt high praise. 

 

Actually ncl was my favorite I think. Cant remember celebrity. Maybe liked ncl better because was a change. My liberty OTS last day lunch in buffet we had a seafood buffet. Some got lobster, I wasnt fast enough but had lots of shrimp. They had mussels and clams and other stuff and sauces. Was surprised. Maybe just lucky dec 12 to 19. Better for sure to me than chocolate buffet.  

[cmukid87]

I don't think I would label the food as subpar.  I know what I am getting when I get onboard. I know I'm not getting a Michelin Star experience.  I enjoy the food because I know that's exactly what I paid for.  

 

The way I look at it is this.  If I took my family of 6 out to eat at a local chain restaurant for 3 meals per day for 7 days, I'd be paying $2000+.  Or I can pay a little more and be on a ship in the Caribbean.  That's my justification for the food not being mind blowing.  I eat it.  My kids enjoy it.

[NutsAboutGolf]

2 minutes ago, cmukid87 said:

I don't think I would label the food as subpar.  I know what I am getting when I get onboard. I know I'm not getting a Michelin Star experience.  I enjoy the food because I know that's exactly what I paid for.  

 

The way I look at it is this.  If I took my family of 6 out to eat at a local chain restaurant for 3 meals per day for 7 days, I'd be paying $2000+.  Or I can pay a little more and be on a ship in the Caribbean.  That's my justification for the food not being mind blowing.  I eat it.  My kids enjoy it.

 

I think the issue for most, the taste of the MDR and buffet food isn't even close to chain standards.  With that being said, I do think the service is outstanding and is generally far better than service received at a chain.

[sid_9169]

1 hour ago, Don Kehote said:

Lou Malnati's > Gino's East > Pequod > Uno > Due > Giordano's.  I am willing to die on this hill.

I'll make a note of these in case I ever make it back to Chicago...

[Wennfred]

Seen lots of videos from cruisers about MSC, more negative reviews on their foods then positives, on top of that good luck getting a refund on issues, they told one vlogger that his 750.00 would be refunded in 3 months or they can give him 750.00 OBC, it was his money, he just booked and they messed up that booking. So plenty of bad reviews on MSC, I would never give them a chance.

Edited December 30, 2021 by Wennfred

[Wennfred]

18 minutes ago, cmukid87 said:

I don't think I would label the food as subpar.  I know what I am getting when I get onboard. I know I'm not getting a Michelin Star experience.  I enjoy the food because I know that's exactly what I paid for.  

 

The way I look at it is this.  If I took my family of 6 out to eat at a local chain restaurant for 3 meals per day for 7 days, I'd be paying $2000+.  Or I can pay a little more and be on a ship in the Caribbean.  That's my justification for the food not being mind blowing.  I eat it.  My kids enjoy it.

The point with paying $2000.00 for the week with your family is you have the choice to go to many types of restaurants and have good quality foods, and not forced to eat dog food onboard.

 

Yes you can find something to eat as I did even on a restricted diet but the MDR has gone down big time, 27 cruises since 1983 so I’ve seen the changes.

 

Fred