Live From The Carnival Freedom: Crossing the Atlantic for a New Whale Tail

[jam19872016]

Back onboard after my stroll through town. Malaga is a very pretty place and I really enjoyed my two days here.

 

I've hit the buffet for an extra gloopy helping of lunch 😋 

 

 

 

 

[exlondoner]

5 minutes ago, jam19872016 said:

Back onboard after my stroll through town. Malaga is a very pretty place and I really enjoyed my two days here.

 

I've hit the buffet for an extra gloopy helping of lunch 😋 

 

 

 

 

I can’t even recognise what most of it is. There are chips, something that might be penne pasta and…I’m at a loss. Can you elucidate?

[jam19872016]

In at attempt to raise my presentation score, here are the lunch time cakes before the buffet opened.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is one of the few spots Carnival outshines Cunard. As nice as the desserts were in the dining room, the buffet sorely lacked any good desserts. Not even a nice bread pudding.

 

Unfortunately these delicious cakes are only at lunch, dinner is back to the flavorless cakes and gelatinous mystery desserts.

[jam19872016]

12 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

I can’t even recognise what most of it is. There are chips, something that might be penne pasta and…I’m at a loss. Can you elucidate?

 

Fish and chips.

 

Potato salad.

 

Baked ziti with sausages 

 

Jalapeño cheddar mash

 

Carrot cake

 

Tiramisu cheesecake. 

 

Average lunch, excellent desserts.

 

I tend to stay away from their buffet (except the cakes) its not their strong suit. It was surprisingly good on the way over so I've been gravitating towards it but I think I'm going to back off it.

 

Except the cakes. Love love love the cakes.

 

 

[exlondoner]

9 minutes ago, jam19872016 said:

In at attempt to raise my presentation score, here are the lunch time cakes before the buffet opened.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is one of the few spots Carnival outshines Cunard. As nice as the desserts were in the dining room, the buffet sorely lacked any good desserts. Not even a nice bread pudding.

 

Unfortunately these delicious cakes are only at lunch, dinner is back to the flavorless cakes and gelatinous mystery desserts.

These cakes do indeed look splendid, and just imperfect enough to seem homemade. 
Very inviting, in small quantities.

[exlondoner]

6 minutes ago, jam19872016 said:

 

Fish and chips.

 

Potato salad.

 

Baked ziti with sausages 

 

Jalapeño cheddar mash

 

Carrot cake

 

Tiramisu cheesecake. 

 

Average lunch, excellent desserts.

 

I tend to stay away from their buffet (except the cakes) its not their strong suit. It was surprisingly good on the way over so I've been gravitating towards it but I think I'm going to back off it.

 

Except the cakes. Love love love the cakes.

 

 

Which of those is the stuff that looks like penne pasta? 

[jam19872016]

2 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Which of those is the stuff that looks like penne pasta? 

The ziti. 

[chryso]

It has been a few years since I have cruised on Carnival.  Those menus look pretty good.

[exlondoner]

1 minute ago, chryso said:

It has been a few years since I have cruised on Carnival.  Those menus look pretty good.

They do, but the food not so much, except those cakes.

[jam19872016]

19 minutes ago, chryso said:

It has been a few years since I have cruised on Carnival.  Those menus look pretty good.

 

17 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

They do, but the food not so much, except those cakes.

The presentation leaves something to be desired. Not everything is a winner but for me where Carnival excels is their variety. Most lines I've sailed on you pretty much have the dining room and the buffet for included food. 

 

That's fine if the food was good like Cunard, but despite what the celebrity folks will have you believe, the food is pretty average across all the lines I've sailed with, Cunard excluded. 

 

I have no idea how Cunard is given such a generous food budget 😆. Maybe it's because nobody eats?

[jam19872016]

That Spanish tax is killing me.

 

Oddly I was not charged yesterday even though we were still I'm Soanish waters.

 

 

Cut the music off, I hope I don't invite people who need to make a phone call again.

[NE John]

19 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

They do, but the food not so much, except those cakes.

Carnival could make a bit more effort in food plating presentation. Too much of the food does look too “goopy”. Cruising is a special occasion and good food presentation can help with that feeling of specialness. 
Even nice looking cakes like above could lose its luster if plated poorly. 

[chryso]

14 minutes ago, jam19872016 said:

I have no idea how Cunard is given such a generous food budget 😆. Maybe it's because nobody eats?

That may be the case.  The average age on Cunard is probably 70 so the appetites are not as big.

 

Another difference with Cunard is there are no large cakes that you get a slice from.  Each is a serving, mostly in a ramekin.

Edited October 26, 2023 by chryso

[jam19872016]

1 minute ago, NE John said:

Carnival could make a bit more effort in food plating presentation. Too much of the food does look too “goopy”. Cruising is a special occasion and good food presentation can help with that feeling of specialness. 
Even nice looking cakes like above could lose its luster if plated poorly. 

True and the cakes are ALWAYS plated poorly. They cut very thin slices and they tend to fall apart. Or they are stacked onto each other like mine above. 

 

I'll admit, I don't really pay attention to plating so I'm not sure if it's unique to this cruise, this ship, or this brand. I do know the end result is better On Carnival than Royal, NCL, MSC, and Celebrity (😲 😱). IMHO of course. 

[jam19872016]

1 minute ago, chryso said:

That may be the case.  The average age on Cunard is probably 70 so the appetites are not as big.

Would also explain the subtle digs about ordering seconds, to keep costs down without sacrificing quality. Carnival limits you to two and then charges $5. Cunard just fat shames you 🤣. 

[ObstructedView2]

3 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

Pool is still drained for some reason.

 

Hi @jam19872016🙂

 

When I read your sentence along with your photo, I can only think of Bill Murray in the film Caddyshack🤢

 

 

 

 

💃🍹💃

[jam19872016]

1 minute ago, ObstructedView2 said:

 

Hi @jam19872016🙂

 

When I read your sentence along with your photo, I can only think of Bill Murray in the film Caddyshack🤢

 

 

 

 

💃🍹💃

Now I'm the one who doesn't get the reference 😆.

 

I'll presume you mean there is a sanitary reason the pool is closed but I think it is water related. There are some plumbing issues onboard that seem worse than before the dry dock.

 

I suspect it was drained due to weather and they can't get it refilled, as the hot tubs have been inexplicably drained from the start of the cruise.

 

This is all speculation of course.

[exlondoner]

44 minutes ago, jam19872016 said:

 

 

I have no idea how Cunard is given such a generous food budget 😆. Maybe it's because nobody eats?

Well, it is usually quite expensive. And, as well as age and decrepitude leading to reduced appetites, you yourself suggested, I think, that the better quality food left you feeling fuller. They have also considerably reduced the choices over the years, leading, I assume, to less waste.

[jam19872016]

Off to the sauna. There was a giant crack in the window in there but it has been fixed. I wonder how they decided which to correct as there are still a number of cracked windows, including the steakhouse which I would have thought would be a high priority. 

[exlondoner]

41 minutes ago, jam19872016 said:

True and the cakes are ALWAYS plated poorly. They cut very thin slices and they tend to fall apart. Or they are stacked onto each other like mine above. 

 

I'll admit, I don't really pay attention to plating so I'm not sure if it's unique to this cruise, this ship, or this brand. I do know the end result is better On Carnival than Royal, NCL, MSC, and Celebrity (😲 😱). IMHO of course. 

Is it your choice to have it all on the same plate or is it how they do it? Different things on different plates would make it look much nicer. I’m just wondering whether the problem is simply that I’m living in the wrong century.

[chryso]

4 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Is it your choice to have it all on the same plate or is it how they do it?

I believe in the buffet, you get your own plate and fill it up.  I don't remember any trays being available so I suppose piling it on is the simplest method.

[techteach]

1 hour ago, exlondoner said:

These cakes do indeed look splendid, and just imperfect enough to seem homemade. 
Very inviting, in small quantities.

Kinda makes you want to watch a cake baking show! 🤣

[chryso]

4 minutes ago, techteach said:

Kinda makes you want to watch a cake baking show! 🤣

I discovered that Roku Live Tv has a channel of nothing but reruns of the Great British Bake Off.  I watched all evening yesterday.  So many "celebrity" bake offs, I haven't seen.

[LargeNegroni]

Phew finally caught up! Thank you so much for sharing your adventures with us.

Happy travels and please keep us posted on further culinary cruise capers. 👏🏻🥃

[Petersonfcu]

1 hour ago, jam19872016 said:

 

 

I'll admit, I don't really pay attention to plating 

Oh, the horror. 

 

The next time I get a Guy's burger I'm going to examine it closely, and if they haven't plated it well, I will hand it back.

Edited October 26, 2023 by Petersonfcu