American Table to be Rolled Out Fleetwide by the End of the Year

[elsbarre]

Edit : yes I did see the dates above but I heard May for a bunch of ships?

[PinaCarada]

Edit : yes I did see the dates above but I heard May for a bunch of ships?

 

He said that in May, they would start to place the menu in a new bunch of ships, and gave the order of the rollouts but no specific dates. He then followed up a few days later with the exact dates, with only the first ship (Magic) being released in May.

Edited April 17, 2015 by PinaCarada

[kelson21167]

I had the new menu when it first came out on the Liberty Not a fan. I cruise 2-3 times a year and make sure I book a ship without these menus.On the Conquest in October so I can still hope. If you have some favorite meals kiss them good-bye. I hope you can find some new favorites

[lsbgvaguy]

We had it on Liberty and thought it was great! The dishes themed to the ports were very nice.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

Here are the dates when the next wave of ships will be getting the American Table menus. This was posted on John Heald's Facebook page on March 17:

 

Carnival Magic - 5/31/2015

Carnival Triumph - 6/20/2015

Carnival Dream - 7/19/2015

Carnival Pride - 8/9/2015

Carnival Conquest - 8/31/2015

Carnival Splendor - 9/20/2015

Carnival Miracle- 10/10/2015

Carnival Sunshine - 10/31/2015

 

Well I hope the best for the American Table, and understand that people are tired of the old menu, but I'm glad that we'll be able to eat from the classic menu a 2nd time on Elation. ;)

[jimbo5544]

So how did this whole thing finally play out? At first they pulled the table linens, are they using table linens now or not.

 

They rolled it out on the Breeze about a month ago. On our 4.5.15 sailing they had the new menu......and table linens.

Edited April 20, 2015 by jimbo5544

[TravelScholar]

Here are the dates when the next wave of ships will be getting the American Table menus. This was posted on John Heald's Facebook page on March 17:

 

Carnival Magic - 5/31/2015

Carnival Triumph - 6/20/2015

Carnival Dream - 7/19/2015

Carnival Pride - 8/9/2015

Carnival Conquest - 8/31/2015

Carnival Splendor - 9/20/2015

Carnival Miracle- 10/10/2015

Carnival Sunshine - 10/31/2015

 

I'm on Conquest on 05 September. I wonder if any of these dates are likely to change. The new menus sound pretty good to me, but it will be interesting to see how the service goes with the menus being so new to the ship, assuming the rollout date holds.

[TerReuv]

I had the new menu when it first came out on the Liberty Not a fan. I cruise 2-3 times a year and make sure I book a ship without these menus.On the Conquest in October so I can still hope. If you have some favorite meals kiss them good-bye. I hope you can find some new favorites

 

We, too, will be on the Conquest in October and it should have the new menus starting 8/31. However, the menu's have changed some since they were first tried so I don't think you can go by the ones when they first tried it.

 

I have seen the new menus and think that they look good. There are a lot of the favorites (at least mine) and a lot of new options. I like being able to pick out my sides for each entree.

[bruadhin]

They rolled it out on the Breeze about a month ago. On our 4.5.15 sailing they had the new menu......and table linens.

 

We will be on the Breeze at the end of the month. What was your impression of the menu?

[jimbo5544]

We will be on the Breeze at the end of the month. What was your impression of the menu?

 

 

Generally in favor. There are still some of the old favorites and enough new items to make a difference. The MDR wait teams still seem to be adjusting to it when we sailed. It did not detract from service at all, just a feeling I had. There were 2 new dinner options that I really enjoyed, a Greek dish that was a stuffed pepper with two side items that I LOvED and a chicken dish. The new apps are different but good. Tried two of the pies for dessert, the apple was OK and the cherry was good. Feel free to ask additional questions.

[bruadhin]

Generally in favor. There are still some of the old favorites and enough new items to make a difference. The MDR wait teams still seem to be adjusting to it when we sailed. It did not detract from service at all, just a feeling I had. There were 2 new dinner options that I really enjoyed, a Greek dish that was a stuffed pepper with two side items that I LOvED and a chicken dish. The new apps are different but good. Tried two of the pies for dessert, the apple was OK and the cherry was good. Feel free to ask additional questions.

 

Any chance bitter and blanc and the Grand Marnier souffle survived? Those were two of my favorite desserts.

 

Earlier people had mentioned an appetizer for the table to share. Are they still doing that and was it in addition to or in place of the regular appetizer?

[jimbo5544]

Any chance bitter and blanc and the Grand Marnier souffle survived? Those were two of my favorite desserts.

 

Earlier people had mentioned an appetizer for the table to share. Are they still doing that and was it in addition to or in place of the regular appetizer?

 

The Grand Mariner souffle def survived, I am pretty sure the bitter and blanc did as well (we were dining at the Steakhouse that night so I did not see the menu and an going on what I was told by someone). Apps were individual.

[legion3]

OK after having the American Table menu last week on the Breeze, I am quite fine with it. Found plenty to eat, the service from our wait staff was very good to excellent (we were Early seating) Dinner was never over 2 hours but it was never under 1.5 either.

 

Some nights had more interesting items than other evenings

 

bitter and Blanc did survive and came on the same evening as Beef Wellington.

 

I did learn on the Breeze that in order to get red meat medium (a warm pink center) that you need to say Medium rare (and maybe add a rare to it). Medium will not be pink inside, not in the Italian place, not for Beef Wellington, etc... (also found the pork chop on sea day brunch to be a bit dry-fortunately it came with sauces and stuff to jazz it up)

 

Knowing how to order made the last nights Prime rib excellent as it was truly a medium. Also Grand Mariner souffle came on that evening.

 

I also tried the steakhouse selections in the MDR, the steak was excellent and as good as the Steakhouse version, however, be advised that the MDR does not have the spice rub to add to the steaks.

 

the lobster tail selection was excellent!!!

Edited May 4, 2015 by legion3

[falkcor]

interesting comment from john heald this morning:

 

"Just a quick update on our new and now very popular American Table menus. This year we will now add the menus to just two more ships. The Carnival Magic starts on 07/19/15 and Carnival Triumph on 08/10/15.

cheers"

 

source:

 

as of the time of writing this, the carnival faq lists the following ships as currently having the american table / feast menu:

 

Carnival Breeze

Carnival Freedom

Carnival Glory

Carnival Imagination

Carnival Inspiration

Carnival Liberty

 

source: https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1107/kw/american%20table

 

i kinda wonder what is behind this reversal... the menu is something they control entirely, and to have said it'd roll out fleet wide earlier this year, to now put it on hold again... it will have been about 2 years by the time they implement their new menu across all the ships?

Edited June 12, 2015 by falkcor

[lovestocruise19]

interesting comment from john heald this morning:

 

"Just a quick update on our new and now very popular American Table menus. This year we will now add the menus to just two more ships. The Carnival Magic starts on 07/19/15 and Carnival Triumph on 08/10/15.

cheers"

 

source:

 

as of the time of writing this, the carnival faq lists the following ships as currently having the american table / feast menu:

 

Carnival Breeze

Carnival Freedom

Carnival Glory

Carnival Imagination

Carnival Inspiration

Carnival Liberty

 

source: https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1107/kw/american%20table

 

i kinda wonder what is behind this reversal... the menu is something they control entirely, and to have said it'd roll out fleet wide earlier this year, to now put it on hold again... it will have been about 2 years by the time they implement their new menu across all the ships?

 

I found this to be unusual, too. Wonder what the hold up is. I don't mind either way, but I was kinda looking forward to some different choices. I sail on the Valor in January.

[jimbo5544]

interesting comment from john heald this morning:

 

"Just a quick update on our new and now very popular American Table menus. This year we will now add the menus to just two more ships. The Carnival Magic starts on 07/19/15 and Carnival Triumph on 08/10/15.

cheers"

 

source:

 

as of the time of writing this, the carnival faq lists the following ships as currently having the american table / feast menu:

 

Carnival Breeze

Carnival Freedom

Carnival Glory

Carnival Imagination

Carnival Inspiration

Carnival Liberty

 

source: https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1107/kw/american%20table

 

i kinda wonder what is behind this reversal... the menu is something they control entirely, and to have said it'd roll out fleet wide earlier this year, to now put it on hold again... it will have been about 2 years by the time they implement their new menu across all the ships?

It certainly has been a cautious rollout. From a cruiser perspective, on our last cruise on the Breeze just a couple of weeks after deploying the new menu, I could sense the affect it had on the dinging team,. Not nesarily a performance issue but the "newness" was still evident.

[bruadhin]

It certainly has been a cautious rollout. From a cruiser perspective, on our last cruise on the Breeze just a couple of weeks after deploying the new menu, I could sense the affect it had on the dinging team,. Not nesarily a performance issue but the "newness" was still evident.

 

I definitely did not find it to be an improvement in service. They seem confused if anything. I can understand a desire to refresh menus after a period of time, but I don't see how the new service standards were an improvement.

[blondietink]

Had the new menus on the Liberty in April. Not a fan. We are not really seafood people (2 of us have seafood allergies) and we don't eat pork (there seems to be a lot of pork on the new menus). We are just good plain food people, I guess. There is a steak choice every night, and the dry baked chicken breast. We ate mostly on the Lido deck for dinner along with a lot of other people. We never went hungry, just not fans.

[trvlgirlmq]

We did not care for the new menu either on Breeze last month. We were not happy with the lack of choice in entree's. No, I do not want to eat chicken, pork chop or steak every night of my vacation. I eat that at home every other week of the year. Several nights we ordered a couple appetizers each and dessert. First time we really considered eating buffet food for dinner which did not make me happy. I had a side of creamed spinach one night that was so salty that it was completely inedible. Does the chef not taste each dish each night?

 

I could have sworn I read that the whole new concept was that you ordered a protein entree and then added sides from the list??? I ordered the flat iron one night with a side of mashed potatoes. The plate came out with a baked potato on it! I told our server that I would not have ordered another side if I had known that it already came with something. He said no problem but it was a problem for me to waste food.

[jordanaire]

I hope that the Dream has the new menus by the end of September! I want to try something different after 18 cruises with Carnival.

 

:cool:Bill

[falkcor]

I hope that the Dream has the new menus by the end of September! I want to try something different after 18 cruises with Carnival.

 

:cool:Bill

 

apparently, it will not. as posted above (post from today), they are only adding it to 2 ships for the rest of the year, and dream is not one of them.

[linbobky]

we have had both menus and I do not care witch one we have in October on the fascination, I will find plenty to eat!!:)

[Raxter54]

I hope that the Dream has the new menus by the end of September! I want to try something different after 18 cruises with Carnival.

 

:cool:Bill

 

I was hoping that too. This is our first Carnival cruise, so it's not like we are tired of the old menu or anything. I would just like to know ahead of time what we can expect. Now I'll have to go looking for examples of the "old" menu, since I've already downloaded all the American Table/Feast menus :(

[dvond]

We are on the Pride at the end of August, it was scheduled for early August, we wanted something different after 10 Carnival cruises,,,,ugh

[kathy370]

Just got back from a cruise on the Glory. I am NOT a fan of the new American Table menu. Several nights there was nothing we really wanted for an entre. I did like the port specific items, that is a good idea. But, the thing that I really didn't like was no Bitter N Blanc. The waiter explained that they had lots of "new and better" desserts. But, after asking for a special order they did make Bitter N Blanc for our table. Hopefully, if others ask for it enough they will have it back on the menu soon.