Is there still a bacon shortage? 🤣🤣

[Indianamale]

I will be going on a cruise in October and I remember a few months ago that John Heald said due to a bacon shortage that they would be unable to serve it on the buffet everyday like they had in the past. I was just wondering if its been resolved because where I live I've never had a problem getting bacon. It won't be a deal breaker for me but I just find his excuse hilarious. I've been cruising only on Carnival since 2004 and between all the cutbacks I've noticed since then and all the YouTube videos of fights which I only see on Carnival I'm beginning to think that it's time that I start exploring other options. 

[evandbob]

Well, if no bacon is the final impetus to get you to try a new line, so be it.

 

You won't know what the difference is until you try NCL, MSC, RCCL, Celebrity, or wherever else you actually book one.  What do you have to lose?

 

I sailed Carnival exclusively like you since 2003, but once I fanned out, I discovered a whole world of cruising was waiting for me.  Many, many similarities, but there are some distinct differences, even with pricing.  Carnival is not always the best value! 

 

I've enjoyed my 40 or so Carnival cruises, but I've also enjoyed 5 or 6 other lines, and now my preference is for Celebrity, who woulda thunk it?

 

Oh, and as for a bacon shortage, I didn't notice it on the Mardi Gras last time I sailed Carnival.

Edited August 3, 2022 by evandbob

[prmssk]

You can't know you've picked the right line to be loyal to if you have never tried any other cruise lines.

[dolphfan]

Go to the MDR for breakfast and order it, and it will appear. If eating at the buffet ask a server if they have and sometimes, they will have it in a covered pan, but not you have to

ask. You can also get it at the omelet station.

[Indianamale]

15 minutes ago, evandbob said:

Well, if no bacon is the final impetus to get you to try a new line, so be it.

 

You won't know what the difference is until you try NCL, MSC, RCCL, Celebrity, or wherever else you actually book one.  What do you have to lose?

 

I sailed Carnival exclusively like you since 2003, but once I fanned out, I discovered a whole world of cruising was waiting for me.  Many, many similarities, but there are some distinct differences, even with pricing.  Carnival is not always the best value! 

 

I've enjoyed my 40 or so Carnival cruises, but I've also enjoyed 5 or 6 other lines, and now my preference is for Celebrity, who woulda thunk it?

 

Oh, and as for a bacon shortage, I didn't notice it on the Mardi Gras last time I sailed Carnival.

Thanks for the reply. I will definitely start looking at other cruise lines for my next trip.

[Indianamale]

9 minutes ago, dolphfan said:

Go to the MDR for breakfast and order it, and it will appear. If eating at the buffet ask a server if they have and sometimes, they will have it in a covered pan, but not you have to

ask. You can also get it at the omelet station.

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it. 

[mz-s]

Yes, actually to quote the Guy's burger cook on the Freedom when I was on it - there is a "bacon crisis"

 

Bacon is never coming back to the buffet daily. As we all know there is not nor has there ever been a bacon shortage. It's a shortage of bacon at the price Carnival wants to pay. But that is nothing new. They've been rationing bacon for years. They're cutting back on food in other ways too - I don't think I've received a whole baked potato in the MDR on any of my 3 cruises since the restart.

 

Don't get me wrong, for the most part I love Carnival's product - but they have seriously cheapened their product in the past few years and cranked it up to 11 post COVID.

[Purvis1231]

A few weeks ago while at Sea Day Bruch, I order some bacon, my servers brought me ten pieces. Of course, I had to complain to John Heald that the server thought I was a buffet slayer or something. 

[cruisingguy007]

1 hour ago, mz-s said:

As we all know there is not nor has there ever been a bacon shortage. It's a shortage of bacon at the price Carnival wants to pay. But that is nothing new.

 

Same at my house. Bacon looked much better on the shelf at $5.99-lb than in my cart at the inflated prices. I din't buy any for quite some time because I refuse to pay ridiculous prices. Finally found some nice Wellshire farm black forest uncured bacon for a very low price and bought 40 lbs for $80. Just picked up some additional center cut classic bacon for the same price as well. I don't blame Carnival for controlling costs. Pre-covid $1-$1.50 a pound bacon came along enough to keep my freezers full most of the year. Jumping up to $6 is too much for cost controls, especially when uncouth pigs grab platefuls of bacon. Waste was calculated in before, now it matters to keep the same offerings, it's much more than the 15% cushion.    

[southbayer]

We want our bacon!!!!  And we want our regular straws back, that don't disintegrate!  So if i have to go to the MDR to have it, so be it.. More work for them

[john91498]

Yes, there's still a shortage and the buffet was only serving bacon every other day. Bacon is my daughter's favorite breakfast item and during the off days, we would go to the MDR for breakfast. 

[cruisinqt]

We just got off the Mardi Gras Saturday and I never saw bacon on the Lido buffet. It was offered at sea day brunch though. And Java Blue cafe had free hot breakfast sandwiches loaded with bacon. The 3 cheese omelette & bacon muffin sandwich had to have had at least 10 slices of bacon on it. And there was virtually no lines there at all. So bacon is available at breakfast in certain areas on the ships, just not on the lido buffet every day. 

[wdowns9]

On my May cruise bacon was available the on the 2nd day buffet and never returned. Didnt have any problems getting any in the main dining room. The Bacon Police were in charge of the tongs which didnt go over well with many.

[kona_wahine]

Went to Alaska 2 x this year, NCL had it every day. Carnival Spirit had it a couple times.  Of course we paid 5x as much for the NCL cruise…. That buys A LOT of bacon! 

[Velvetwater]

Maybe they could switch to British style bacon....

 

Although with its higher meat content it could be pricier.

[pe4all]

Magic buffet had bacon every other day.

[kdr69]

11 hours ago, Indianamale said:

the YouTube videos of fights which I only see on Carnival

Well you need to expand your search then, yes, there were two recently on Carnival but there was also a big one on Royal as well involving a large group of teenagers.  

[d9704011]

3 minutes ago, kdr69 said:

Well you need to expand your search then, yes, there were two recently on Carnival but there was also a big one on Royal as well involving a large group of teenagers.  

Perhaps he was referring only to bacon-related fights!?

[Joebucks]

There is no bacon shortage. What there is though, is an extreme rise in the price of bacon. It costs a lot of money to put tubs of bacon out for people to grab entire plates that they may or may not even eat.

[firefly333]

7 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

There is no bacon shortage. What there is though, is an extreme rise in the price of bacon. It costs a lot of money to put tubs of bacon out for people to grab entire plates that they may or may not even eat.

Lol funny coming from a guy named joebucks. I like bacon for breakfast when I'm cruising.. more days they have to serve me brunch in Mdr. 

 

My biggest gripe was whatever that cut of steak was I got one night for dinner. So full of gristle I could chew it. Only ordered it once. I'm hoping for better things when I book next .. probably before my dream jan 2024. Hoping food improves. Add me to those disappointed. Prices are too high out of Galveston for me to pay so much for food cut backs. 

[wemjam]

13 hours ago, Indianamale said:

I will be going on a cruise in October and I remember a few months ago that John Heald said due to a bacon shortage that they would be unable to serve it on the buffet everyday like they had in the past. I was just wondering if its been resolved because where I live I've never had a problem getting bacon. It won't be a deal breaker for me but I just find his excuse hilarious. I've been cruising only on Carnival since 2004 and between all the cutbacks I've noticed since then and all the YouTube videos of fights which I only see on Carnival I'm beginning to think that it's time that I start exploring other options. 

Just off a week or so ago, and still no self serve fresh bacon bits at Guys topping bar.  Been like that all year 🤔

 

Hubby likes to get the potato sticks and top it with the bacon bits, and shredded cheese off the buffet  which buy the way you can't find anywhere either (only the little cubes)

[groundloop]

It sounds like Carnival is the only cruise line that has a bacon "shortage" (and I tend to agree that it's only a shortage of bacon at a price which Carnival will pay). 

 

My most recent cruise was on Holland America and they had bacon every morning at the buffet.  A big difference though is that each buffet station had servers so that nobody got ridiculous amounts of anything.  There most certainly was less waste.

[ABQrobin]

If you have ever done the "Behind the Scenes" tour on a ship, you will understand the issue with bacon.  Those garbage cans from the Lido go downstairs and people have to go through them, laid out on a table to sort and make sure no one is throwing away utensils, plates, cups, etc.  The amount of bacon that ends up in the trash is unreasonable, and all food products go in the food mulcher which gets emptied at sea.  Paper products and the like go into the incinerator bin to be burned, and all other stuff goes into bins that have to be stored below deck until they can be taken off the ship at port.  Its a gross process but everyone should see it and think more about what they throw away onboard...  it has to go somewhere.

[mz-s]

9 minutes ago, ABQrobin said:

If you have ever done the "Behind the Scenes" tour on a ship, you will understand the issue with bacon.  Those garbage cans from the Lido go downstairs and people have to go through them, laid out on a table to sort and make sure no one is throwing away utensils, plates, cups, etc.  The amount of bacon that ends up in the trash is unreasonable, and all food products go in the food mulcher which gets emptied at sea.  Paper products and the like go into the incinerator bin to be burned, and all other stuff goes into bins that have to be stored below deck until they can be taken off the ship at port.  Its a gross process but everyone should see it and think more about what they throw away onboard...  it has to go somewhere.

 

The issue is not that bacon is expensive and Carnival is trying to control food waste. But don't lie to us and say it's due to a shortage. Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining.

[hapytobehr]

17 hours ago, Indianamale said:

I will be going on a cruise in October and I remember a few months ago that John Heald said due to a bacon shortage that they would be unable to serve it on the buffet everyday like they had in the past. I was just wondering if its been resolved because where I live I've never had a problem getting bacon. It won't be a deal breaker for me but I just find his excuse hilarious. I've been cruising only on Carnival since 2004 and between all the cutbacks I've noticed since then and all the YouTube videos of fights which I only see on Carnival I'm beginning to think that it's time that I start exploring other options. 

What I find hilarious are these posts about a bacon shortage. 

 

If you can't live without bacon on a vacation, then you have a real problem.

 

Also, there have been reports of fighting on Royal NOS. If you google it you will see it is not only Carnival.  There are idiots on all cruise lines.