Carnival Cruise Line Hikes Prices for Specialty Dining Venues

[Bill Miller]

Are you cool with the main dining room menu or do you need specialty dining? 

 

Carnival’s Specialty Dining Price Increases in 2023

Venue	Old Price	New Price	% Increase
Steakhouse	$48	$49	2%
Rudi’s Seagrill	$48	$49	2%
JiJi’s Asian Kitchen	$18	$24	33%
Cucina del Capitano*	$18	$24	33%
Bonsai Teppanyaki Lunch	$35	$38	9%
Bonsai Teppanyaki Dinner	$38	$42	11%
Chef’s Table Expereince	$80 to $99	$99 to $150	Up to 52%

[mz-s]

The beatings will continue until morale improves.

[staceyglow]

It's what the market will bear. 

 

Anyone who knows anything about pricing knows that if you sell out of a product well in advance of its expiration date, you aren't charging enough. 

And I have seen several relatively recent recent posts about the Teppenyaki and the Chef's Table being sold out. 

 

SEE also:  FTTF. 

[BlerkOne]

Very misleading

Chef’s Table Expereince

$80 to $99

$99 to $150

Up to 52%

[weezal]

rudi's and steakhouse were $42 at the beginning of 2023

[shof515]

New pricing been in effect for about a month:

 

[havanadaydreaming]

we really enjoyed teppanyaki last month.  

 

but i can pay $40 for hibachi on land. 

[mz-s]

2 minutes ago, havanadaydreaming said:

we really enjoyed teppanyaki last month.  

 

but i can pay $40 for hibachi on land. 

 

Right, the pricing of Carnival's specialty dining used to be so affordable because you were basically replacing a MDR meal so you only paid the difference. I guess now they're finally admitting their MDR food is worthless.

[mz-s]

17 hours ago, staceyglow said:

It's what the market will bear. 

 

Anyone who knows anything about pricing knows that if you sell out of a product well in advance of its expiration date, you aren't charging enough. 

And I have seen several relatively recent recent posts about the Teppenyaki and the Chef's Table being sold out. 

 

SEE also:  FTTF. 

 

I'm sure every cruise is different but I haven't seen chef's table sold out in a long time on any cruise I've been on. Teppenyaki is different of course because it's much more limited and it does usually sell out.

[pajazz28]

15 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

Very misleading

Chef’s Table Expereince

$80 to $99

$99 to $150

Up to 52%

I am sailing on Celebration in January and i paid $119.00 PP for Chef Table. How can different ships have different pricing? 

[mz-s]

2 minutes ago, pajazz28 said:

I am sailing on Celebration in January and i paid $119.00 PP for Chef Table. How can different ships have different pricing? 

 

It is my understanding that some ships offer a galley tour and some do not. Still other ships are offering an "enhanced" menu that costs $150, with no option for the cheaper menu.

[runner15km]

I'm cool with the MDR never went to a specialty restaurant. 

[mz-s]

13 minutes ago, runner15km said:

I'm cool with the MDR never went to a specialty restaurant. 

 

I only go if the casino is paying personally.

[BlerkOne]

3 hours ago, pajazz28 said:

I am sailing on Celebration in January and i paid $119.00 PP for Chef Table. How can different ships have different pricing? 

The $150 is a new experience Carnival is trying on a few ships.

 

I think even these prices might be a little stale

 

An 18% service charge will be added and applied directly to the guest’s Sail & Sign account. additional gratuities may be extended at the guest's discretion. The fee does not include any beverage that is normally ordered through bar service such as wine, liquor, soda and bottled water.

• The reservation fee is $90 USD per person on the following ships: Carnival Conquest, Carnival Elation, Carnival Freedom, Carnival Glory, Carnival Legend, Carnival Liberty, Carnival Luminosa (on Alaska cruises), Carnival Miracle, Carnival Paradise, Carnival Spirit, Carnival Sunshine and Carnival Valor.
• The reservation fee is $119 USD per person on the following ships: Carnival Breeze, Carnival Celebration, Carnival Dream, Carnival Horizon, Carnival Jubilee, Carnival Magic, Carnival Pride, Carnival Radiance, Carnival Sunrise, Carnival Vista and Mardi Gras. On these ships, the Chef's Table offers an enhanced experience! 
• The reservation fee is $150 USD per person on the following ships:  Carnival Firenze, Carnival Panorama and Carnival Venezia. On these ships, the Chef's Table offers an enhanced experience!

[weezal]

https://help.goccl.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4250/~/specialty-restaurants---dining-reservation-information

[tonit964]

4 hours ago, mz-s said:

 I guess now they're finally admitting their MDR food is worthless.

The dining room food was actually excellent on my Panorama cruise a couple of months ago, I know it can be hit or miss but I was pleasantly surprised. 

[mz-s]

1 minute ago, tonit964 said:

The dining room food was actually excellent on my Panorama cruise a couple of months ago, I know it can be hit or miss but I was pleasantly surprised. 

 

I am bummed because I missed the new menus by a few weeks on my most recent cruise. I really want to try the new menus they are getting pretty good reviews. The old American Table was pretty well worn out for me, although I do like some of the dishes.

[jimbo5544]

7 hours ago, havanadaydreaming said:

we really enjoyed teppanyaki last month.  

 

but i can pay $40 for hibachi on land. 

But u are not on land when on the ship.

[jimbo5544]

2 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

I am bummed because I missed the new menus by a few weeks on my most recent cruise. I really want to try the new menus they are getting pretty good reviews. The old American Table was pretty well worn out for me, although I do like some of the dishes.

New menus were a home run for us, esp the Emerils 

[mudd77]

Can anyone who has been on Mardi Gras recently confirm if Guy’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse is still included at no additional cost for dinner? I just noticed that Carnival's website is showing that it is an additional fee now. Thanks in advance.

[maintain242001]

MDR on the celebration last week was pretty awful if you talked to people. We only went once on the last elegant night and its amazing how multiple people can order the same thing and it be so different from plate to plate. Service was good but the food is not great. Pivoting a bit from the original point of this topic but if prices are going up again the food quality better reflect that. Demand is high so they can raise prices right now that's how it works but the food on celebration last week was pretty blah. I dont expect a five star rated meal but there has to be something in the middle.

[jimbo5544]

On 12/12/2023 at 2:39 PM, maintain242001 said:

MDR on the celebration last week was pretty awful if you talked to people. We only went once on the last elegant night and its amazing how multiple people can order the same thing and it be so different from plate to plate. Service was good but the food is not great. Pivoting a bit from the original point of this topic but if prices are going up again the food quality better reflect that. Demand is high so they can raise prices right now that's how it works but the food on celebration last week was pretty blah. I dont expect a five star rated meal but there has to be something in the middle.

Gotta ask.  You went once, why?

[maintain242001]

26 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Gotta ask.  You went once, why?

Prime rib night. Had to give it a shot at least to see if the talk was true.

[jimbo5544]

9 minutes ago, maintain242001 said:

Prime rib night. Had to give it a shot at least to see if the talk was true.

So you never eat in the MDR?

Edited December 15, 2023 by jimbo5544

[maintain242001]

4 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

So you never eat in the MDR?

I've been on ten or so cruises probably ate about that many times in the MDR and post covid it hasn't been great. We had a couple first time cruises in our group  last week who wanted to try it out so we went but I'm not in a rush to go back. Brown gravy isn't Au Jus even though carnival seems to think it is.