Carnival Cruise Line’s newest ship, Carnival Celebration, has just set sail from Miami, and we sailed on this ship’s first cruise from the United States. Now, we are back and have put together this Carnival Celebrations Restaurants Guide with menus so you can see what is available at the different restaurants onboard this latest Excel Class ship.
Carnival Celebration Restaurants Guide With Menus
Complimentary Carnival Celebration Restaurants
There are several dining options on the list of Carnival Celebration restaurants that are included in your cruise fare. These include the typical main dining room (Festivale and Carnivale) as well as the cruise ship buffet (Lido Marketplace).
Carnival Cruise Line ships also offer several quick service options that are complimentary. From Mexican favorites at BlueIguana Cantina, to burgers at Guy’s Burger Joint, to chicken sandwiches at Shaq’s Big Chicken, there are plenty of tasty options that won’t cost you anything.
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Java Blue Cafe (Deck 6)
The Java Blue Cafe is your dedicated coffee shop on Carnival Celebration. Located in the new Celebration Central zone, this venue opens at 6 AM most mornings for cruisers to get their caffeine fix. Serving espresso-based beverages and milk shakes that are included in the Cheers drink package, you might find yourself visiting this cafe quite a bit.
While here, you might be tempted by some of the food offerings as well. Java Blue Cafe serves breakfast items from around 7/7:30 to 9:30 AM daily. These options include breakfast sandwiches and continental pastry items. The cafe also serves lunch items from around 3 to 8:30/9:30 PM. These items include sandwiches, chicken pies, empanadas, and more. There are also desserts available, but they will cost a nominal fee.
Carnivale Restaurant (Deck 6)
The Carnival Celebration restaurants include two different main dining room experiences. If you are a more traditional cruiser, you can opt for Assigned Dining at either 5:30 PM (early) or 7:45 PM (late) seating times. The Deck 6 Carnivale Restaurant and the first level of the Festivale Restaurant are reserved for Assigned Dining.
Cruisers who want to try a variety of the dining options on the ship, might want to select Your Time Dining. With this option, cruisers can dine whenever they want at various locations by joining a virtual queue in the Carnival HUB app when they are ready to eat. This option is available from 5:30 to 9 PM daily.
Regardless of whether you pick Assigned Dining or Your Time Dining, the Carnivale and Festivale restaurants offer the same rotational menu. These menus do change nightly with a few always available items, like the famous chocolate melting cake.
Carnivale is the smaller of the two dining venues and is located on the portside of Deck 6.
Festivale Restaurant (Decks 6 & 7)
Festivale is the larger of Carnival Celebration’s two main dining rooms. This 2-story main dining room is located on Decks 6 and 7. Deck 6 is reserved primarily for Assigned Dining while Deck 7 is utilized for Your Time Dining.
The Festivale restaurant is also open for breakfast daily from 7 to 9 AM. On sea days, the restaurant serves a special Sea Day Brunch from 8:30 AM to 12 PM. This Sea Day Brunch is a must-try, especially the skillet cake.
Once again, the dinner menu at this restaurant rotates each evening like most cruise lines offering a wide array of starters, entrees, and desserts.
This venue also serves lobster on one of Carnival’s elegant nights. During our sailing, “lobster night” was the first elegant night; however, Carnival has indicated that this will be changing to the second elegant night in the near future.
Further, across all of the Carnival Cruise Line ships, extra entrees in the main dining room are an upcharge. Guests may continue to order a second complimentary entrée if they choose; however, a third entrée will now incur a $5 charge.
MDR Breakfast | Sea Day Brunch | MDR Dinner Menus
Chibang! (Deck 8)
Chibang was created in response to guest feedback requesting more diverse dining options. This fairly new restaurant concept features both Mexican and Chinese dishes. Currently, this restaurant is complimentary on Excel Class ships.
Chibang is open for lunch on sea days from 12 to 2 PM and dinner nightly from 5:30 to 9:30 PM. Guests wishing to dine at this venue can join the virtual queue on the Carnival HUB app and will be notified when their table is ready. In our experience, we never waited more than 10 minutes for a table. The app also indicates an estimated current wait time at each venue.
For lunch, Chibang’s menu offers noodle bowls and burrito bowls. For dinner, the menu is more expansive offering Asian items like lettuce wraps, Singapore chili shrimp, and Kung Pao chicken. Mexican menu items include loaded nachos, tacos, pollo en mole, and pescado frito.
With so many offerings, you can certainly dine at Chibang more than once during your cruise vacation.
Cucina del Capitano (Deck 8)
A specialty restaurant on other Carnival ships, Cucina del Capitano is also complimentary on Carnival Celebration at the moment. The cruise line indicates that they don’t foresee changing this any time soon.
This Italian restaurant is open for lunch from 12 to 2 PM on sea days and for dinner from 5:30 to 9:30 PM nightly. Just like Chibang, you can join the virtual queue whenever you want to dine here. Of note, if you have assigned dining in the main dining room, you won’t be able to join the virtual queue until after 7:45 PM.
For lunch, this venue serves a small menu of appetizers, soups, and pizza, along with a create your own pasta bowl section. At dinner, cruisers can enjoy favorites like Nonna’s meatball, chicken parm, short rib, and tiramisu.
Cucina del Capitano Lunch | Dinner Menu
Miami Slice (Deck 8)
Located in the vibrant 820 Biscayne zone on Carnival Celebration, Miami Slice is your go-to spot for pizza. This eatery is open daily from 9 AM to 4 AM to fulfill your cravings any time of day.
This pizzeria features a walk-up counter where guests can order fresh out of the oven pizza slices or personal-sized pies. You can then enjoy your pizza in the nearby seating area or take it to-go to enjoy anywhere around the ship.
Don’t be surprised to find a line here, as Miami Slice is quite popular.
Deco Deli (Deck 8)
Adjacent to Miami Slice, you will find Deco Deli. This counter-style sandwich shop serves up a menu of traditional deli sandwiches along with some Miami and Cuban favorites.
Deco Deli is open daily from 12 to 10 PM.
Guy’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse | Brewhouse (Deck 8)
Guy’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse | Brewhouse is another one of the Carnival Celebration restaurants. The BBQ joint is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Carnival Celebration. Dinner at this venue is also complimentary for a limited time; though, you will notice a few differences in the menu.
Guy’s serves breakfast from around 6:30/7:30 to 9/10:30 AM. This small buffet area features all the breakfast staples. The venue also serves lunch from 12 to 2:30 PM on sea days in a buffet-style setting outdoors on the waterfront area.
Dinner is served in the restaurant nightly from 5:30 to 9:30 PM. The menu features all your BBQ favorites with a side of live music. You can choose from chicken, brisket, sausage, and more. St. Louis ribs and prime rib are available for an up-charge.
Further, don’t forget to grab a signature ParchedPig beer brewed right onboard the ship.
Guy’s Pig & Anchor Lunch | Dinner Menu
BlueIguana Cantina (Deck 16)
Located on the Lido deck, BlueIguana Cantina serves up Mexican favorites for both breakfast and lunch. You can customize your breakfast or lunch burrito any way you like as they are freshly prepared just for you. There is even a salsa bar located nearby.
If you’d prefer tacos or a bowl, you can get those too at the BlueIguana Cantina.
This venue is open daily from 7/8 to 10:30 AM for breakfast and 12 to 2:30/3:30 PM for lunch.
BlueIguana Breakfast | Lunch Menu
Street Eats (Deck 16)
Street Eats is also located on the pool deck offering food truck-type selections. Here, you will find Steam Dream, Mad Sizzle, and Time Fries. Each of these venues features one selection a day, and this selection changes daily.
Think items like load fries, dumplings, satays, and more.
The Street Eats hours vary with the stalls opening somewhere between 11:30 AM and 2 PM, then remaining open until 4 or 5 PM. This is largely dependent on your port of call times.
Lido Marketplace (Deck 16)
The Lido Marketplace is your typical cruise ship buffet, featuring a variety of selections for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Honestly, with so many other offerings on Carnival Celebration, we did not eat here at all during our cruise.
The Lido Marketplace is typically open for breakfast from around 6:30/7:30 to 11:30 AM. The venue then reopens for lunch from around 12 to 2:30/3:30 PM. Then, dinner is available from 6 to 9:30 PM nightly.
You’ll find a salad station, dessert station, hot entrees section, cold cuts selection, and more. In comparison to other cruise lines, the offerings are more limited in the buffet; this is likely because there is so much else to eat around the ship.
Big Chicken (Deck 16)
Perhaps one of our favorite newer additions to Carnival ships is Shaq’s Big Chicken. NBA Hall of Famer and Carnival’s Chief Fun Officer, Shaquille O’Neal, scored big with this quick service eatery located aft on the pool deck.
Big Chicken is open for breakfast from around 7/8 to 11 AM and for lunch from 11 AM to 5 PM daily. This venue serves up signature chicken sandwiches with Shaq’s special sauce, in addition to chicken tenders and fries. There’s also chicken and biscuits for breakfast.
This is a popular spot on Carnival Celebration so don’t be surprised to find a line most times during the day.
Guy’s Burger Joint (Deck 17)
Relocated to Deck 17 above the Lido deck, Guy’s Burger Joint serves up some of the best burgers at sea. In partnership with Guy Fieri, this poolside shack features fresh off the grill burgers and fries with a toppings bar for you to customize your meal to perfection.
Guy’s Burger Joint is open every day from around 12 to 6 PM to satisfy all your burger cravings. How many can you eat in just one week?
This is perhaps the busiest quick service eatery on Carnival Celebration, so don’t be surprised to find Disney-style switchbacks. Though, we never waited more than about 15 minutes.
Fresh Creations (Deck 18)
Serenity is the adult only retreat on Carnival Cruise Line ships. This private oasis offers plenty of space with comfy lounge furniture, a pool, whirlpools, a bar, and even some healthy lunch options at the Fresh Creations salad bar.
The salad bar is open from 12 to 2:30 PM on sea days so you don’t have to give up your slice of paradise when you get hungry.
Swirls (Decks 8, 16, 17)
For those looking for their soft serve fix, you can rejoice that there are three locations onboard Carnival Celebration. Choose between vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, or twist.
There is one located in the Heroes Tribute Lounge on Deck 8 aft. The second is found on Deck 16 aft near the Tides Bar and Tides Pool. Finally, the third soft serve station can be found on Deck 17 midship near Guy’s Burger Joint.
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Specialty Restaurants on Carnival Celebration
With so many great offerings, you certainly do not have to pay extra for dining on Carnival Celebration (if you don’t want to). Though, this new ship also offers a few specialty restaurants that come with an up-charge.
If you plan to dine at any of these Carnival Celebration restaurants, you should make reservations pre-cruise, as popular dining times do fill up quickly.
Emeril’s Bistro 1397 (Deck 6)
Debuting on Carnival Mardi Gras, chef Emeril Lagasse’s restaurant makes a return on Carnival Celebration. This new and improved rendition, Emeril’s Bistro 1397, is located in the new Gateway zone.
Emeril’s Bistro is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner serving New Orleans themed cuisine at a la carte prices. No reservations are necessary for this restaurant.
Breakfast is served from 8 to 9:30/10:30 AM each day, and lunch on sea days from 12 to 3 PM. The venue re-opens for dinner from around 3/4 to 9/10 PM.
For breakfast, all items are $6 and include dishes like shrimp and grits and sweet potato waffles. For lunch and dinner, the menu features items like oysters, po’boys, jambalaya, and beignets. The beignets are a must-try!
Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse (Deck 7)
Fahrenheit 555 is Carnival Cruise Line’s signature steakhouse. This American steakhouse has a warm and inviting atmosphere with an open concept kitchen, making it a great choice for an elegant night dinner.
The restaurant is open nightly for dinner from 5:30 to 9:30 PM. The cover charge at this venue is increasing to $48 per person.
The menu at Fahrenheit 555 features upscale offerings like shrimp cocktail, tuna tartare, and premium cuts of beef.
Bonsai Teppanyaki (Deck 8)
Bonsai Teppanyaki is another one of the Carnival Celebration restaurants. This Japanese-style hibachi restaurant offers a multi-course menu for a flat fee of $35 for lunch and $38 for dinner.
This restaurant is open for lunch on sea days from 12 to 3 PM and nightly for dinner from 5:30 to 10:15 PM.
Entrée selections range from chicken, filet, lobster tail, salmon, and shrimp. All meals also include starters and dessert.
Whenever we have dined at a teppanyaki restaurant on a cruise, the food is always as good as the culinary show! This venue is very small so make sure to secure reservations early.
Bonsai Sushi (Deck 8)
Located adjacent to Bonsai Teppanyaki is Bonsai Sushi. This sushi lovers paradise is an a la carte venue that is open for dinner daily from 5 PM to 12 AM. The venue is also open for lunch on sea days from 12 to 2:30 PM.
Bonsai Sushi offers several sushi and sashimi selections, as well as noodle bowls and Japanese small plates. So, even if you are not a fan of sushi, there are probably other menu items for you to enjoy at this venue for reasonable prices.
Rudi’s Seagrill (Deck 8)
Celebrity Chef Rudi Sodamin brings his creations to life on Carnival Celebration at Rudi’s Seagrill. This specialty restaurant is open nightly for dinner from 5:30 to 9:30 PM for an upcharge of $48 per person.
As you might expect, the menu is heavy on seafood with mussels, scallops, shrimp, oysters, calamari, and lobster all on the menu. There’s even a crab-stuffed lobster tail. For non-seafood lovers, you have a choice of chicken, a pork chop, or a NY strip.
The intimate atmosphere of this restaurant makes it another great choice for an elegant night dinner.
Seafood Shack (Deck 16)
The casual Seafood Shack is located on the Lido deck near the new Street Eats on Carnival Celebration. This counter service restaurant is open for lunch and dinner daily varying times from 12 to 10 PM depending on the port of call.
The Seafood Shack offers classic New England favorites like fried clams, lobster rolls, fish & chips, clam chowder, and other fresh local catch.
All menus items at this venue are a la carte at current market prices.
Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast
Enter the whimsical world of Dr. Seuss. Accompanied by the Cat in the Hat, Thing 1 and Thing 2, and friends, you can feast on a colorful breakfast. The Green Eggs and Ham breakfast is offered one day of the cruise at 8:30 and 9:45 AM in the Carnivale restaurant. The up-charge is $10 for adults and $8 for kids under 14 years old.
This special event features menu items like Horton’s cereal crusted french toast, pancake stacks, steak and eggs, and of course, green eggs and ham.
Whether you are a family or just big kids at heart, this is a fun way to spend a sea day breakfast.
Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast Menu
Room Service
Room service is available 24 hours a day with select complimentary items and other items that are available for an up-charge at a la carte pricing.
For breakfast (6 to 10 AM), you can choose from fruit, cereal, continental pastry items, and yogurt for no additional cost as well as breakfast sandwiches for around $5.
During the day (10 AM to 6 AM), various items are available at a la carte prices. Selections include salads, sandwiches, wings, desserts, and more. Most items cost between $5 to $7 each. An additional 18% gratuity will be added to each order as well.
Room Service Menu | Breakfast Menu
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Comments
Do you have plans to cruise on the new Carnival Celebration? What is your favorite from the list of Carnival Celebration restaurants? Drop us an anchor below to share your dining preferences on Carnival Cruise Line.
1 comment
Lynn
Thank you for the detailed info!