Carnival Pride - how's the food?

[RikkuCat]

We are getting ready to book a cruise with some friends for May or June of this year out of Baltimore, and trying to decide between Royal Caribbean and Carnival. We seem to be leaning towards the Carnival Pride due to the itinerary, but many of the CC reviews of the ship complain about the food. None of us have ever sailed on Carnival before, so we're not sure how the food compares to other cruise lines.

 

I realize that this is a very subjective question, and I'm sure people have a variety of opinions. I have only taken one cruise before (NCL) and was not impressed with the food in the MDR or lido, though the speciality restaurants were good. One of our friends has sailed on Royal Caribbean (though it was 5+ years ago) and says the food was great. Is the food simliar on all cruise lines, or am I just picky?

 

It looks like the Carnival Pride only has one speciality restaurant, so I'm a little concerned about variety as well. On our NCL cruise, the menu in the MDR didn't vary much and we were bored with the food by the third day, so we started eating in the specialty restaurants. With only one specialty restaurant on this ship, we wouldn't have another option.

 

There's a slight chance that I might be overthinking this. :D

[jpg1747]

I've sailed on both RCCL and Carnival and while the MDR menus are very different, the quality of food served on both lines is pretty much the same. Don't expect fine dining in a venue where they are serving so many people at one time. The food is adequate, you won't starve. You do get a much better dining experience in the specialty restaurants, so if that's what you want try that. But keep in mind it's the same menu every night. I haven't done the chef's table, so no comment on that. As far as the Lido buffet and similar stations, again both are pretty typical of that kind of food.

 

NCL keeps the MDR food boring so you'll spend money at their specialty restaurants. The menus on Carnival and RCCL are much more varied.

[jimbo5544]

We are getting ready to book a cruise with some friends for May or June of this year out of Baltimore, and trying to decide between Royal Caribbean and Carnival. We seem to be leaning towards the Carnival Pride due to the itinerary, but many of the CC reviews of the ship complain about the food. None of us have ever sailed on Carnival before, so we're not sure how the food compares to other cruise lines.

 

I realize that this is a very subjective question, and I'm sure people have a variety of opinions. I have only taken one cruise before (NCL) and was not impressed with the food in the MDR or lido, though the speciality restaurants were good. One of our friends has sailed on Royal Caribbean (though it was 5+ years ago) and says the food was great. Is the food simliar on all cruise lines, or am I just picky?

 

It looks like the Carnival Pride only has one speciality restaurant, so I'm a little concerned about variety as well. On our NCL cruise, the menu in the MDR didn't vary much and we were bored with the food by the third day, so we started eating in the specialty restaurants. With only one specialty restaurant on this ship, we wouldn't have another option.

 

There's a slight chance that I might be overthinking this. :D

There is only one specialty restaurant on the Pride (love the Pride, been on her 3 times). The Steakhouse is very good. The only other option you can try is Chef's Table which is something they offer a couple of nights during the cruise. The head chef and his team prepare a set menu for you. We have done this 4 times, and did it on the Pride in April. Very nice even, although pricey ($75/person). Over two hours with unlimited wine (white and red and their choice). Your other cruise, NCL is known for having many specialty rest. You are correct, you may be overthinking this a tad....;). Let us know your thoughts when you return.

[Cobra1365]

We just sailed Pride in November. I have to say I was a built disappointed with the food and food service this go around. Not enough to say it would stop me from sailing her again. In fact we plan to...Baltimore is too convenient a port.

 

But, our MDR food was mediocre and the service very slow. But, that's out of how many tables? Others on the same crusie found it fine.

 

It sounds like you are basing the cruise decision like we do...the itinerary. If the cruise goes where you want to go, the two lines are similar enough.

[Silent Penguin]

We found the MDR food to be about what we expected given the price of the cruise. To paraphrase a recent review, if you like Applebees, you should be satisfied with the food on the ship. I agree with that.

 

I will add that we found the meals to be mostly hits and a few misses. To my surprise, the broiled lobster was tender and tasty, not rubbery and dry as I expected. Dh tried all the soups and only found a couple to be not worth the stomach space -one being the lobster bisque served at David's (specialty restaurant). On the other hand, the worst pot roast we've ever tasted we had on the Pride. We ate only a few bites.

[Dare2Believe]

I've been on the Pride twice and the only food related issue was the temperature of the food at the buffet. However, this happened on the Carnival Victory and NCL ships as well, this is not a Pride only complaint!

 

The MDR was great on the Pride...I suggest going there for breakfast, lunch and dinner! NCL's specialty restaurants are great, I agree, but the standard food on the Pride is definitely nothing to shake your fist at.

 

On a side note, the Baltimore port was VERY user friendly! I'd recommend sailing from there if you're still debating.

[sparks1093]

We read a lot of negative reviews before we sailed but enjoyed the food, which ranged from good to great. The Pride has a different menu every night so you don't have to worry about boredom. The Warm Chocolate Melting Cake (WCMC) fully lives up to it's reputation. I found the lobster to be very nicely done, a pleasant surprise. For breakfast I would strongly recommend the made to order omelet stations (I believe they will make eggs to order too but stuck with omelets).

[RikkuCat]

Thanks, everyone! Good to know that the food quality is similar, and I had suspected that NCL lowered the quality of food in the MDR in order to get people to go to the speciality restaurants (worked for us!)

 

On a related note, do they change up the menu in the MDR throughout the week? (If anyone has also sailed on Grandeur of the Seas out of Baltimore, I'd love to hear your feedback on that, too)

 

On our NCL cruise, one side of the dinner menu changed every day and the other stayed the same. The breakfast and lunch menus were the same all week. While we weren't impressed with the overall quality of the food, our biggest complaint was lack of variety. Even though one side of the dinner menu changed every day (maybe 2-3 different appetizers and half a dozen different entrees), everything tasted similar. That's probably my biggest worry about cruising on a ship that doesn't have many dining options.

 

Glad to hear that Baltimore is a great port to sail from, as we're in the DC area! We sailed out of NYC last time because we wanted to try NCL. Maybe we'll try the Pride this time because of the itinerary and try the RCCL ship for our next cruise.

[jimbo5544]

Thanks, everyone! Good to know that the food quality is similar, and I had suspected that NCL lowered the quality of food in the MDR in order to get people to go to the speciality restaurants (worked for us!)

 

On a related note, do they change up the menu in the MDR throughout the week? (If anyone has also sailed on Grandeur of the Seas out of Baltimore, I'd love to hear your feedback on that, too)

 

On our NCL cruise, one side of the dinner menu changed every day and the other stayed the same. The breakfast and lunch menus were the same all week. While we weren't impressed with the overall quality of the food, our biggest complaint was lack of variety. Even though one side of the dinner menu changed every day (maybe 2-3 different appetizers and half a dozen different entrees), everything tasted similar. That's probably my biggest worry about cruising on a ship that doesn't have many dining options.

 

Glad to hear that Baltimore is a great port to sail from, as we're in the DC area! We sailed out of NYC last time because we wanted to try NCL. Maybe we'll try the Pride this time because of the itinerary and try the RCCL ship for our next cruise.

The evening menu in the MDR changes every night. There are certain things that are on there every night but most items are unique to that night. They also have twodifferent categories. These are Didjaever (things that you might never try) and comfort food (kind of like home cooking options).

[jpg1747]

Here are all the menus:

 

http://www.zydecocruiser.net/menus/CarnivalCruiseLineMenus.htm

[RikkuCat]

Here are all the menus:

 

http://www.zydecocruiser.net/menus/CarnivalCruiseLineMenus.htm

 

Thank you so much - this is SO helpful! Looks like it is similar to NCL in that some items stay the same the whole cruise and others change nightly. Looks like there is a little more variety in the lunch menu, which is nice.

[Jimbo59]

I have sailed both RCCL and Pride out of Baltimore. Pride has better food in general in the MDR and Lido. RCCL Enchantment had a very poor lunch arrangement in the MDR on sea days - salad bar with long lines and a limited menu otherwise. Both did not open the MDR on port days.

 

Don't be concerned about slow service - the idea is that you should slow down, enjoy your meal and the company. You can eat fast food at home.

[RikkuCat]

I have sailed both RCCL and Pride out of Baltimore. Pride has better food in general in the MDR and Lido. RCCL Enchantment had a very poor lunch arrangement in the MDR on sea days - salad bar with long lines and a limited menu otherwise. Both did not open the MDR on port days.

 

Don't be concerned about slow service - the idea is that you should slow down, enjoy your meal and the company. You can eat fast food at home.

 

Really? They don't open the MDR at all on port days, or just not for lunch? I don't expect to be eating lunch on the ship on port days, so that's not a big deal...but I'd like to eat breakfast and dinner there.

 

No concerns at all over slow service - we're not in a rush. My concern is solely about the quality and variety of the food, based on our experience with NCL.

[serene56]

I have not had a bad meal on a cruise ship.

 

Food is very subjective/. What I find is good another person may say it was horrid.

 

Depends on expectations too. You will find people that expect 5 star cuisine while in a ship.

 

You will find on crnival the buffet shuts down at 2:30 and when coming in from a port your choices for lunch are greatly diminished.

Grill, pizza, deli. Room service will take forever.,

 

I found food to be about the same on Carnival as Royal. Princess was a step above both. (my opinion- which will differ from others Im sure

[Jimbo59]

Really? They don't open the MDR at all on port days, or just not for lunch? I don't expect to be eating lunch on the ship on port days, so that's not a big deal...but I'd like to eat breakfast and dinner there.

 

No concerns at all over slow service - we're not in a rush. My concern is solely about the quality and variety of the food, based on our experience with NCL.

 

Sorry, I meant to say that the MDR is not open for lunch on port days.

[love2cruiseforfree]

its been a couple years since we've sailed on carnival. leaving for Bahamas in a few weeks. can't remember....what beverages are offered in the buffet area for lunch, dinner....? do they still have ice tea and lemonade?

[sparks1093]

its been a couple years since we've sailed on carnival. leaving for Bahamas in a few weeks. can't remember....what beverages are offered in the buffet area for lunch, dinner....? do they still have ice tea and lemonade?

 

Iced tea, lemonade, coffee, hot chocolate, milk, hot tea- those the ones that come to mind.

[RikkuCat]

I have not had a bad meal on a cruise ship.

 

Food is very subjective/. What I find is good another person may say it was horrid.

 

Depends on expectations too. You will find people that expect 5 star cuisine while in a ship.

 

You will find on crnival the buffet shuts down at 2:30 and when coming in from a port your choices for lunch are greatly diminished.

Grill, pizza, deli. Room service will take forever.,

 

I found food to be about the same on Carnival as Royal. Princess was a step above both. (my opinion- which will differ from others Im sure

 

Thanks, this was really helpful. Good to know that choices might be limited, especially on port days. I'm not a big fan of the buffet, but if they have fruit or a salad bar, I'll find something to eat.

 

I think we're just going to try it out and see if we like it. This cruise has the itinerary we like best out of Baltimore at the time we want to go, and we'll have a good time even if the food isn't the greatest. If we're disappointed in the food, we'll try a different option for our next cruise.

 

I certainly don't expect 5-star cuisine, but the food in the MDR on NCL was BORING. Fairly bland and everything tasted the same.

[jedg22]

We'll be on the May 19 cruise on Pride and last year we went in September. Loved the food in the dining room...not one meal that we didn't enjoy ! The buffet for lunch had a wonderful fresh salad bar with many options....did that most days, but the deli was great, especially the grilled sandwiches. The men loved the burgers from the grill ! We always enjoy the pizza also ! A few years ago we tried RCC...the food was not good...not much selection in the dining room and food was sub par at best. The pizza was a joke. This is just my opinion...I'm from a big Italian family of excellent cooks and bakers and am picky when it comes to dining....I can honestly say that we really enjoy the food and every Carnival ship we've been on !