Please take the Punch out of the Brunch

[Ms Belvedere]

Sounds like just another excuse to get rid of lunch in the Main Dining Room on Sea days....

 

yep...another cut.... :(

 

I'm with you Linda, this is something I'll skip even with the free drink thrown in. The tomato soup sounds interesting but who in the world came up with the idea of a brunch with a cheesy comedian?

 

Who is Carnival trying to draw in to a Brunch with Punch or whatever they're calling it?

[golfadj]

Sounds like just another excuse to get rid of lunch in the Main Dining Room on Sea days....

 

yep...another cut.... :(

 

Maybe but do think the idea of the comedian in the DR is ridiculous.

[funinthesun1964]

I think the brunch with the comedian sounds really dumb. If I want comedy, I will go to one of the shows. If I want a meal, I go to the dining room. Don't feel like listening to a comedian when I could be meeting and talking with other people. Dumb idea Carnival!!!!

[nealstuber]

To answer some of the many questions on this thread:

 

On the Magic:

 

A traditional main dining room breakfast was served on all port days in the Aft Dining room. No lunch in the MDR as has been the case forever.

 

On sea days, no "breakfast" is served in the MDR. BUT brunch starts at 10am and just about everything from the breakfast menu is available.

 

Breakfast food in both Venues was of the same caliber and very good.

 

No lunch eithr MDR at all and the Brunch choices are very limited. BUT its tough to say this is a cut when there is a nice sit down lunch available at no charge in the Italian resturaunt which was even nicer than the pasta bar RCCL served on sea days in the MDR the last time we sailed with them. Also many other new venues on the Magic - Seaside Bar-Bque (almost nobody knew about this) and a hot-dogs on the sports deck.

 

So to us it really did not feel like a "cut" - just wish there was a better selection of Lunch items - and - for sit-down breakfast fans it would be nice if it started a little earlier. Of course, the comics telling armpit smell jokes while you are eating must go.

[Irishlinny]

To answer some of the many questions on this thread:

 

On the Magic:

 

A traditional main dining room breakfast was served on all port days in the Aft Dining room. No lunch in the MDR as has been the case forever.

 

On sea days, no "breakfast" is served in the MDR. BUT brunch starts at 10am and just about everything from the breakfast menu is available.

 

Breakfast food in both Venues was of the same caliber and very good.

 

No lunch eithr MDR at all and the Brunch choices are very limited. BUT its tough to say this is a cut when there is a nice sit down lunch available at no charge in the Italian resturaunt which was even nicer than the pasta bar RCCL served on sea days in the MDR the last time we sailed with them. Also many other new venues on the Magic - Seaside Bar-Bque (almost nobody knew about this) and a hot-dogs on the sports deck.

 

So to us it really did not feel like a "cut" - just wish there was a better selection of Lunch items - and - for sit-down breakfast fans it would be nice if it started a little earlier. Of course, the comics telling armpit smell jokes while you are eating must go.

Are you sure the brunch started at 10? On the Miracle it started at 9 (which is still later than some people wanted to eat).

[nealstuber]

Are you sure the brunch started at 10? On the Miracle it started at 9 (which is still later than some people wanted to eat).

 

 

Not 100% sure about the first two sea days - but on the last sea day for sure doors opened at 10.

[k2excursion]

Sounds like just another excuse to get rid of lunch in the Main Dining Room on Sea days....

 

yep...another cut.... :(

 

Exactly what I was thinking. But we'll have to wait until this thing flops before they do that. Until then, the cheerleaders will keep thinking "Carnival will never do that." I'll give it a try on the Breeze. Some menu items look interesting, but I could do without the comedy.

[momof3cruisers]

Stand-up comedy is a nightime with drinks thing.

 

If I want to laugh in morning, I'll read the funny pages.

 

Exactly! Also, those comedians can get awfully raunchy. Do they stick to the "family friendly" thing during brunch? Offensive before coffee sounds excessively unpleasant.

[luckybecky]

Sounds like just another excuse to get rid of lunch in the Main Dining Room on Sea days....

 

yep...another cut.... :(

 

Hmm, I'm not sure how this is a "cut" seeing as how they are serving lunch in the MDR on sea days. If they stop serving entirely, then I suppose we can all complain about the cut, but as of now, they are still providing a full service lunch in the dining room. Or, at least they were on our cruise. I don't know if they have cut lunch on other ships.

 

On our recent Breeze cruise, we had 3 sea days. The Sapphire dining room was open all three of those days from 9:00am to 1:30pm. The menu included a wide selection of breakfast items. But if you aren't into breakfast, you could order soup, salad, filet mignon (steak 'n eggs), pasta, fish, or chicken.

 

We actually really liked it. The service we received was good too. Not slow. However, I definitely agree with the consensus here that Carnival could ditch the comedy bit. It was pretty lame on the day we went. On the other hand, it was very brief, I'd say under 5 minutes, so it wasn't too intrusive. Just a brief interruption. By the way, someone mentioned dancing waiters -- we never saw that at any of our meals on the Breeze.

 

Exactly! Also, those comedians can get awfully raunchy. Do they stick to the "family friendly" thing during brunch? Offensive before coffee sounds excessively unpleasant.

 

Yes, they definitely only do family stuff.

[golfadj]

Dont see how 5 minutes with a comedian can work especially in a large venue where most people cant see him.

 

Think they will drop this before long but the new menu items for the brunch sounds interesting.

[navybaby1113]

I'm excited to try the new menu items, but they could get rid of the comedian.

[prattmom]

T

 

No lunch eithr MDR at all and the Brunch choices are very limited. BUT its tough to say this is a cut when there is a nice sit down lunch available at no charge in the Italian resturaunt which was even nicer than the pasta bar RCCL served on sea days in the MDR the last time we sailed with them.

 

Which is great if you can eat pasta....

[nealstuber]

Hmm, I'm not sure how this is a "cut" seeing as how they are serving lunch in the MDR on sea days. If they stop serving entirely, then I suppose we can all complain about the cut, but as of now, they are still providing a full service lunch in the dining room. Or, at least they were on our cruise. I don't know if they have cut lunch on other ships.

 

.

 

On Magic no "lunch" in MDR and only two "lunch" like entires on the brunch menu... (But with Lunch in the Italian Resturant and and the seaside cafe we saw this as a fair trade).

[nealstuber]

Which is great if you can eat pasta....

 

A sandwich or tacos or something else to compliment the the amazing tomato soup is definitely in order.

[misstopgun]

or listen to howard stern.

Well, that explains a lot! LOL should have known you were a Stern fan.

[misstopgun]

I was really excited when this was first announced and I saw the menus. I am a breakfast fan but hubby is not. This would serve both of us well. We could just ignore the comedian.

 

The service issues that are noted here though are leaving me a bit apprehensive. Nothing worse than being grumpy in the morning because you haven't had breakfast compounded with reasons to be even grumpier. Not a good start to a vacation day.

[luckybecky]

On Magic no "lunch" in MDR and only two "lunch" like entires on the brunch menu... (But with Lunch in the Italian Resturant and and the seaside cafe we saw this as a fair trade).

 

Hmm. Maybe they have different menus for different ships. I know the brunch was served through lunchtime on the Breeze (9am to 1:30pm), and inclulded several "lunch like" items. For apps, they had a fruit plate, tomato soup, and caesar salad with chicken, all of which seemed "lunchy" to me. For main dishes, they had a pasta dish, grilled salmon, grilled diavolo chicken, mac & cheese with chicken, steak or bacon. All of those seemed like good lunch choices. And for dessert, they had banana cream pie, cheesecake, and ice cream, also not breakfast items. Add to this all the breakfast choices and it seemed like a pretty wide menu to me. Maybe it is different for different ships. It was really good when we tried it, with good service. I know this may be hit or miss and YMMV.

 

I agree with you that the lunch at the Italian restaurant was also good. And it included waiter service, for those who don't want to do the self-serve restaurants. We didn't try the C-side BBQ but heard it was great.

 

We didn't go hungry, that's for sure! :D

[momof3cruisers]

Hmm, I'm not sure how this is a "cut" seeing as how they are serving lunch in the MDR on sea days. If they stop serving entirely, then I suppose we can all complain about the cut, but as of now, they are still providing a full service lunch in the dining room. Or, at least they were on our cruise. I don't know if they have cut lunch on other ships.

 

On our recent Breeze cruise, we had 3 sea days. The Sapphire dining room was open all three of those days from 9:00am to 1:30pm. The menu included a wide selection of breakfast items. But if you aren't into breakfast, you could order soup, salad, filet mignon (steak 'n eggs), pasta, fish, or chicken.

 

We actually really liked it. The service we received was good too. Not slow. However, I definitely agree with the consensus here that Carnival could ditch the comedy bit. It was pretty lame on the day we went. On the other hand, it was very brief, I'd say under 5 minutes, so it wasn't too intrusive. Just a brief interruption. By the way, someone mentioned dancing waiters -- we never saw that at any of our meals on the Breeze.

 

 

 

Yes, they definitely only do family stuff.

That's good. Thanks for the info.

[nealstuber]

....We could just ignore the comedian....

Trust me - that is impossible. Its like trying to ignore the Jumbo Tron on the pool deck.

 

Hmm. Maybe they have different menus for different ships. I know the brunch was served through lunchtime on the Breeze (9am to 1:30pm), and inclulded several "lunch like" items. For apps, they had a fruit plate, tomato soup, and caesar salad with chicken, all of which seemed "lunchy" to me. For main dishes, they had a pasta dish, grilled salmon, grilled diavolo chicken, mac & cheese with chicken, steak or bacon. All of those seemed like good lunch choices.

 

Would have loved diavolo chicken - definely was not on the menu and the make and cheese (at least it was the kind out of the 99cent box with the ooze cheese instead of the 33cent box with powdered cheeese ) only had chicken as a choice.

[maggieworkman]

Here are the Punchliner menu items:

 

opening act

 

flamin’ tomatoes soup-Grilled tomatoes, puréed into a smooth soup that’s smoky, rich, and bold. Just like me.

 

bagel breakfast*-How it’s done back in the states – a bagel with plenty of cream cheese and smoked salmon.

 

fresh fruit platter with cottage cheese (or plain)-You have to be healthy sometimes. Maybe today’s that day.

 

caesar salad-Did you know the Caesar salad is a Mexican invention? It just might be the best thing to come out of Mexico. Well, other than tequila. This one’s served with fried chicken and jerk bacon.

 

eggs

 

eggs benedict*-Only Americans would name eg gs after some random guy named Benedict. Dig into these classic Eggs Benedict served with your choice of ham or salmon, hollandaise sauce, and zesty home fries.

 

omelettes*-For people too lazy to scramble their own eggs. Choose from plain, spinach, tomato, mushrooms, peppers, onions, bacon, ham, swiss or cheddar. ----egg white omelet on request

 

dos huevos*-Get some huevos this morning, cooked however you like ’em. Served with your choice of dos sides. (That means “two” in Spanish.)

 

sides

 

corned-beef hash – sliced ham – cheddar grits – grilled tomato – hickory-smoked sliced bacon - hash-browned potatoes – pork link sausage – chicken sausage – turkey bacon

 

george’s recipes

 

huevos rancheros*-Better than Nana used to make. Delicious chicken quesadilla, topped with fried eg gs, manchego cheese,

and mucho más Mexican flavors and other words you wouldn’t understand.

 

breakfast burrito*-This ain’t your basic wrap. This is a bonafide, big-and-hearty burrito, with all the good stuff that makes it breakfast.

One soft tortilla, filled with scrambled egg, chorizo, beans, and a whole lot more Mexican goodness.

 

headliners

 

funny french toast-French toast crusted with your choice of Honey Nut Cheerios, Raisin Bran, Fruit Loops or Frosted Flakes. What makes it funny? Nothing, it’s just a name.

 

fat stack pancakes-Here’s your excuse to eat cake for breakfast. Your choice of blueberry, chocolate chip or plain.

 

carne y huevos*-When it comes to brunch, go big or go home. Well, you can’t go home, so you might as well go big. Dig into a filet mignon, topped with 2 fried eggs and béarnaise, grilled tomato and home fries.

 

mac n’ cheese-The only thing cheesier than the jokes on this menu is our mac n’ cheese. And it’s up to you to tell us what you want mixed in: fried chicken, steak or applewood-smoked bacon.

 

pappardelle pasta-Bow-tie shaped pasta with mushroom cream sauce and parmesan cheese.

 

grilled salmon fillet*-Fish fanatics, feast on this fillet: salmon served with roasted pepper, tomato, black olives and capers.

 

hen alla diavola-They say the devil’s in the details. In this case, it’s in the details of how we prepare this dish -chicken split devil-style and grilled with lemon and hot pepper.

 

punchline

 

ice cream -Ask your server about what flavors we’re scooping up today.

caramelized cheese cake-Slice of cheesecake with salted caramel.

 

banana cream pie-This cream pie is BANANAS! No, really. It’s classic banana cream pie with a touch of tamarind and hazelnut ice cream.

 

mexican churros-You guys have donuts. We have churros. Cinnamon-sugar fried dough served with a chocolate dough for dipping. ¡Que rico!

 

 

 

 

There really are only 3 lunch entrees - I guess 4 if you count the mac and cheese.

 

 

This is the lunch menu we had on the Dream last year.

 

Luncheon

 

CAPRESE SALAD

Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella, Basil Leaf Salad, Cured Plum Tomatoes, Sea Salt

 

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD

Parmesan Puffed Bread

 

...OMELET OR SCRAMBLED EGGS

Spinach, Mushrooms, Swiss or Cheddar Cheese, Smoked Salmon

Sausages, Bacon, Tomatoes, Peppers and Onions

 

NEW, NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Chopped Sea Clams, Russet Potatoes, Traditional Seasoning

 

OUR CLUB SANDWICH

Pan Grilled Bacon, Smoked Turkey, Ham, Swiss Cheese, Eggs, Caesar Pesto

 

BEER BATTERED FISH SANDWICH

Soft Bread, Pickled Onions, Vinegar Peppers

 

PENNE MEDITERRANEO

Shrimp, Tomato, Garlic, Scallion, Sundried Tomato Oil

Also Available with Pomodoro Sauce

 

RIGATONI

Three Meat Bolognese, Fresh Ricotta Cream

Also Available in Alfredo Sauce

 

TEX MEX BURGER

Chili, Avocado Salsa, Jack Cheese, BBQ Onions, Tomato, Lettuce

 

NORWEGIAN SALMON AND ROCK SHRIMPS, HONG-KONG STYLE

Ginger, Garlic, Chili, Soy, Steamed Noodles

 

FLAME ROASTED, DOUBLE CUT THICK, PORK CHOPS

Goat Cheese Potato Puree, Apple Compote, Corn and Sugar Snap Peas

 

Desserts

 

CARAMELIZED BANANA CREAM PIE

 

CHOCOLATE BROWNIE MELTING TART

 

VACATION SUNDAE

Almond Macaroons, Bitter Chocolate, Raspberries, Vanilla & Chocolate

 

 

To me that seems llike a big difference in lunch offerings. Luckily we are cruising on the Dream next week before the drydock, so I imagine we will still have the old menu.

 

Maggie

[l2f]

The "cut" for us is we don't do breakfast buffet. We like to eat breakfast much earlier than 9 AM when brunch starts.

 

Starting off a sea day having an early relaxing breakfast in the dining room is something we look forward too.

 

If this brunch concept goes fleet wide we will avoid the Spirit class ships and if Carnival doesn't change and offer a traditional breakfast in the 2nd dining room for the other ships, we will cruise elsewhere.

 

Like a few others have said, this is a deal breaker.

[breenw]

The brunch menu that maggieworkman shared looks pretty darn good to me. I don't understand why people are making such a big issue of it. I can understand that those people who party hard the drink alot the night before aren't into the loud comedian thing the next morning, but I don't see anything wrong with the menu. No matter that the cruise line tries to serve, somebody always has a problem with something that is "missing".

[Froufie]

Hmm, I'm not sure how this is a "cut" seeing as how they are serving lunch in the MDR on sea days. If they stop serving entirely, then I suppose we can all complain about the cut, but as of now, they are still providing a full service lunch in the dining room. Or, at least they were on our cruise. I don't know if they have cut lunch on other ships.

 

On our recent Breeze cruise, we had 3 sea days. The Sapphire dining room was open all three of those days from 9:00am to 1:30pm. The menu included a wide selection of breakfast items. But if you aren't into breakfast, you could order soup, salad, filet mignon (steak 'n eggs), pasta, fish, or chicken.

 

We actually really liked it. The service we received was good too. Not slow. However, I definitely agree with the consensus here that Carnival could ditch the comedy bit. It was pretty lame on the day we went. On the other hand, it was very brief, I'd say under 5 minutes, so it wasn't too intrusive. Just a brief interruption. By the way, someone mentioned dancing waiters -- we never saw that at any of our meals on the Breeze.

 

Yes, they definitely only do family stuff.

 

I know the Breeze has two dining rooms and I was under the impression (as were some others) that on sea days one of the rooms would be 'traditional' breakfast (and lunch?) - while the other dining room would be holding the brunch? Is this not the case on the Breeze? (sounds like it was not on the Magic....)

[luckybecky]

The brunch menu that maggieworkman shared looks pretty darn good to me. I don't understand why people are making such a big issue of it. I can understand that those people who party hard the drink alot the night before aren't into the loud comedian thing the next morning, but I don't see anything wrong with the menu. No matter that the cruise line tries to serve, somebody always has a problem with something that is "missing".

 

I agree with you Breenw! The menu is different from the old menu, sure. And some people like the old way. On another thread, people were talking about how they are tired of the old menus and want to know how soon they will change! There is no way to make everyone happy.

 

With all of the food options available, it is really hard for me to understand how the comedy brunch, with a really wide menu, could be considered a "deal breaker" and cause someone to leave Carnival. But this obviously is something that is a crucial part of the cruise experience for some, and if these changes don't meet their needs then I guess it is reasonable for them to look elsewhere.

[Irishlinny]

Trust me - that is impossible. Its like trying to ignore the Jumbo Tron on the pool deck.

 

 

 

Would have loved diavolo chicken - definely was not on the menu and the make and cheese (at least it was the kind out of the 99cent box with the ooze cheese instead of the 33cent box with powdered cheeese ) only had chicken as a choice.

But the comedian is only on for 10 minutes, so very easy to avoid him if needed.

 

I will disagree with you on the mac and cheese...not out of a box. Have seen the recipe for it...has a whole load of ingredients, including 8 or 10 different types of cheese in it. We had a choice of 3 meats to add to it, just as it states on the published menu:rolleyes:

I know the Breeze has two dining rooms and I was under the impression (as were some others) that on sea days one of the rooms would be 'traditional' breakfast (and lunch?) - while the other dining room would be holding the brunch? Is this not the case on the Breeze? (sounds like it was not on the Magic....)

I am also interested in this answer, as I was under the impression the other dining room served the traditional breakfast and lunch. We were on the Miracle and she only has one dining room, so I don't know how it works on the larger ships.

 

I think many people would be happier if they could get breakfast earlier...that seems to be a big issue. That is something they can change. Now trying to come up with a menu that will please everyone is next to impossible.