One of the best parts of cruising is all the great food that is available. Between the free food and specialty options, I like to indulge and try everything a cruise ship has to offer.
On a recent cruise aboard the Carnival Ecstasy, I was surprised to find most of Carnival’s special seats available. Although the Ecstasy is the oldest ship in Carnival’s fleet and will be scrapped in a few weeks, the ship was equipped with many complimentary dining options.
Aboard the Carnival Ecstasy, I was able to sample most of Carnival Cruise Line’s signature food options.
We were able to visit BlueIguana Cantina, RedFrog Rum Bar, Alchemy Bar, Piano Bar, Guy’s Burger Joint, Pizza Pirate, Carnival Deli, Lido Marketplace and Seaday Brunch aboard Carnival Ecstasy.
On my previous Carnival cruise, I absolutely loved the burgers offered by Guy’s Burger Joint – but I really didn’t get a chance to try any of the places other than the bugget. I was determined to try everything aboard the Carnival Ecstasy to see how it all compared.
1. Seafood day brunch
I was so excited to try Carnival’s famous Seaday Breakfast – and it did not disappoint! I take brunch very seriously, so I have high expectations for breakfast food. The menu for Seaday Brunch felt very modern and trendy with options that rival some of my favorite brunch spots on earth.
On our first morning, we signed up for Seaday Brunch on Carnival’s app and our table was ready right away. It was so nice that breakfast was available until noon, so we were able to sleep in and take our time going to brunch.
We ordered a number of items to sample, including the signature 12-hour French toast and pan cake.
Both of these were out of this world delicious. The 12-hour French toast had crispy, caramelized edges topped with ripe peaches; it was full of flavor. My sister and I agreed that it was probably the best french toast we’ve ever had in my life. We went back a second time on the last day of the sea and each ordered our own dish to savor its goodness.
The pan cake was equally decadent and topped with whipped cream, marshmallows and whipped ricotta. We liked how it was slightly sweet.
I would have also enjoyed the option of ordering a specialty coffee here (I love a latte in the morning) but the servers said that wasn’t available. The chicken waffles let us down and the omelets were too greasy, but the pancakes and french toast made up for it!
2. BlueIguana Winery
Coming in a close second is BlueIguana Cantina! This was another raved about place when I was doing some research on the food options available on Carnival Ecstasy.
During our 4-night cruise, I had two really good experiences with BlueIguana Cantina. This was the first place I decided to eat when we boarded the ship, as the chicken tacos called my name as we walked around the pool deck.
The small tacos, served on flour tortillas, reminded me of street tacos. The toppings bar had a lot of options, although it was a bit messy and picky. Either way, the tacos hit the spot and were the perfect size for a poolside snack.
I also went to BlueIguana on the last morning of our cruise to have a breakfast burrito because I had heard so many people talking about how good they were. I stuffed mine with bacon, egg, cheese, skillet, onion and sour cream in a warm tortilla. I especially appreciated how quickly my burrito was served, as the buffet nearby had a huge line.
3. Alchemy Herb
I loved the concept of this apothecary inspired bar! As a science lover and former college chemistry major, all the periodic table references made me smile. I chose the Revved Up Mojito Martini, which was a fun twist on a classic favorite. It was a strong and sweet cocktail – right up my alley!
At Carnival Ecstasy, the Alchemy Bar was located outside the Starlight Lounge. You can tell the bar was added during a renovation phase given its odd placement by the stairs, but it was still nice to have as an option.
When we decided to try Alchemy Bar the first night, we were still technically in Alabama waters, so we had to follow local liquor regulations. Therefore, the menu was limited and we could not see what was available.
Since it was so expensive for a drink ($17 after tip) and I didn’t have a drink package, I didn’t make another trip back to the bar. Hopefully on a future Carnival cruise, I can try some of the other delicious sounding cocktails.
4. Guy’s Burger Joint
Located right next to BlueIguana Cantina on the pool deck is Guy’s Burger Joint, which serves up hearty burgers and lots of fixings. Guy Fieri didn’t hold back on this partnership, as Carnival says each ship serves around 1,000 burgers every day!
This was one of my favorite spots last time I traveled; so on our first day at sea, i decided to have this for lunch.
I found myself having a hard time focusing on what to order with the menu having so many abbreviations (SMC = super melted cheese) and lofty references (Anaza Rojo = Onion Ring) that I couldn’t understand. I had to keep referring to the bottom of the menu to figure out what was in each burger, which made me feel like I was cramming for an upcoming quiz at school.
Along with the music blasting at the pool bar and a line forming behind me, I got bored trying to pick the best option.
I ordered The Ringer, which said it has SMC, Rojo Ring and Guy’s Burger and Brown Sugar BBQ sauce. I didn’t realize there was LOTP, meaning the burger would be filled with all the veggies I had no interest in having on a burger.
After removing all the greens, the burger was delicious.
My burger tasted freshly made and high quality, something I would find in a restaurant. It was definitely higher quality than anything you would find at a fast food restaurant. The fries were also tasty, although not as hot as I would have liked. I wish the menu was easier to understand to make faster and more informed decisions with fewer shortcuts.
5. RedFrog Rum Bar
As its name suggests, RedFrog Rum Bar has a variety of rum-based drinks to match a pleasant Caribbean atmosphere. On the Carnival Ecstasy, the RedFrog Rum Bar was much smaller than the images I saw online of other ships.
On our last day at sea, we knew we had to get drinks here as it’s a classic onboard carnival option. The bartenders were energetic and very attentive as we listened to the music blaring on the pool deck through the speakers.
Unfortunately, I didn’t like the drink I ordered. I tried the Dirty Mojito, which had spiced rum and brown sugar. It looked delicious, but it wasn’t sweet enough for my liking. My sister had the Red Rum Treasure, which was the most popular drink at the bar according to the bartenders. We both preferred her drink over mine.
Again, since we didn’t have a drink package, we didn’t go back for another drink because they add up quickly and we wanted to keep costs down. Luckily, we had too many drinks the day before in Cozumel at the all-inclusive resort.
6. Deli carnival
One of Carnival’s main food options is the Carnival Deli, which serves old-time sandwich favorites. There was a large menu with hot and cold sandwich options.
My sister tried the meatball sandwich and I had the ham and cheese sandwich. The meatball sandwich was delicious with fresh tomatoes and ricotta on tomato focaccia. I also enjoyed my ham and cheese sandwich, in which I chose to swap out the mustard for mayo. It was made to order and served on two large slices of fresh bread.
I was surprised by the quality of food served at Carnival Deli. It was much better than I expected – and much better than the food we had on campus in college. The service was a little slow and the line was long, which shows that it’s a favorite with everyone.
7. Pirate Pizza
Located in the Lido Buffet next to Carnival Deli, Pizza Pirate serves small, hand-tossed pizzas. This pizza parlor is open 24 hours, so it is very popular at night when guests have late night snacks.
My sister and I tried Pizza Pirate on the last day of our cruise and wanted to try the prosciutto pizza and the garlic cheese pizza. We ended up with a slice of cheese and a slice of garlic cheese, which was good.
The service was a little slow, but the pizza was hot and fresh. The crust was pretty thin and crispy, and we both would have liked a little more on the toppings. Perhaps the giant bag of Napoli flour in plain view behind the counter had my expectations a little high. As a light snack, it was good and tasted delicious.
8. Piano Bar
The Piano Bar is another classic carnival venue that contributes to the overall high-energy, nightclub atmosphere every night on board the ship. I’ve never been to a piano bar at sea; it sure was a fun place to stop on our last night!
Everyone was singing with a drink in hand. The highly coveted seats are obviously right around the piano, which sits atop a desk/piano hybrid. Roger is the Carnival pianist who was entertaining the crowd all night.
Unfortunately, Piano Bar earns a lower ranking on my list because it was too small in Carnival Ecstasy. There simply weren’t enough seats for everyone who wanted to enjoy the fun and listen to the music. It was too packed to try and get a drink so we didn’t stay long. The room was also covered in neon signs, however the lights were on, which I didn’t like.
I think the experience would be better on a newer ship that has a bigger Piano Bar.
9. Lido Marketplace
Lido Marketplace is the large buffet serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Compared to other ship buffets, it was smaller than I expected.
We were unexpectedly disappointed in the buffet. The food was pretty average and the options never really appealed to us. Things always got sorted out and sometimes it felt dirty.
I was expecting a bigger selection, but there are plenty of other places to eat on board that I would recommend before settling on the Lido Marketplace food.
Honorable Mention: Afternoon Tea
Although not technically part of Carnival’s special dining options, our 4-night cruise featured afternoon tea in the dining room on both cruise days. Online forums reveal that it can be hit or miss whether every Carnival ship offers afternoon tea on certain itineraries with the cruise line citing staffing issues as the reason. I was excited to see this on the seafood day itinerary and knew we had to try it.
We were delighted to spend some time during our sea day at afternoon tea. Although there was a small selection of free tea, they circled around a cart filled with tons of divine looking sweets. We sampled cream, chocolate layer cake, lemon sponge, peach crumble and macarons.
This was such a lovely and relaxing afternoon break!
