I Rank & Review All the Food on Carnival Celebration - Mardi Gras (What to Avoid!)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ต.ค. 2024
- I rank and review the food on the brand new Carnival Celebration and Mardi Gras after I tried most of it during the inaugural sailing of the Mardi Gras. The Celebration is a brand new ship and features more restaurants and places to eat than any other Carnival cruise ship other than Carnival Mardi Gras. Places like Cucina del Capitano, Guy's Pig & Anchor Smokehouse, Guy's Burger Joint, Rudi's Seagrill, Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, Blue Iguana Cantina, Seafood Shack, Street Eats, Shaq's Big Chicken, and many more!
The Carnival Mardi Gras was the first ship to sail from Port Canaveral in over 15 months. The Mardi Gras is the brand new ship from Carnival Cruise Line, the first of its Excel Class of ships. The Carnival Celebration will debut in November 2022, followed by a third Excel ship in 2023.
#Carnival #CarnivalMardiGras #food
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What a great video! We love it! Mind if we use it? Reply #ChooseFun and @carnival in the comments if that’s okay. Thanks! Full terms and conditions here: bit.ly/choosefunterms
Hi @carnival! Of course you can - thank you so much. #choosefun
@@ZachtheTravelingMan Congrats! You're getting noticed by Carnival! You may end up a brand ambassador! Just don't tell them you've fallen in love with Celebrity!
Oooh, free cruising for the ZachMan!
Haha I wish! I’m not sure they ever used it.
Hi Zach! Really good video my Friend!
~ Jason
Hi Jason! Thank you so much! Have a great week. 👍🏻
Mmmm so many great places to try 👌🏾
This was Super Informative! Great Job, Thanks!
Thank you. Glad you found it informative!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your insight on the food venues aboard the Mardi Gras ship! I am patiently waiting for our opportunity to join in on the fun coming this November! Cruiser for life!
Hope you enjoy your cruise on the Mardi Gras!
I already knew Shaqs Big Chicken would get your #1 spot. I have heard nothing but positive feedback. I think we will do 2 speciality dining. Bonsai Teppenyaki ( another vlogger raved about it & Rudis due to both of your reviews) my first Carnival ever so I am excited about Guy's Burgers 🍔 I glad to see you have it highly rated . 😀
I hope you have such a great time on your first Carnival cruise. Thank you for watching!
Shaq's Big Chicken knocks Chick-Fil-A out of the water. I'll put Popeyes at 1B.
I agree with you on the Blue Iguana. I love the Tacos and Breakfast Burrito
Great review. I thoroughly enjoyed you vlog series from the Mardi Gras. Glad to see your channel growing
Thank you so much, Jim! A few more videos to come from that series, then onto the next cruise. I’m glad you’ve been enjoying!
Excellent review. Well structured and I feel like I know where to go when I book my cruise on the Marci Gras!!
Thank you so much! Go right to Shaq’s and start there. You can’t go wrong. :)
We had a wonderful food experience on Mardi Gras! And Shack's big chicken is where we ate the most. I actually gained 10 lbs! Thank you for your review, I watched it before we sailed!
I am so happy to hear about your positive experience on Mardi Gras!! I am still craving Big Chicken, that was some good stuff. Thank you for watching and for letting me know about your experience.
It sure does. I know it all too well. 😂
WOW! Excellent review! My brother and his wife are going on the Mardi Gras in June! I shared this with them!
Thanks for watching and for sharing!
Enjoyed the video! Normally I'm a Royal Caribbean cruiser but I booked Mardi Gras to see what it's like to sail with Carnival. I am really bummed about the Chibang - I was looking forward to eating there. I appreciate your honest reviews, even though it has made me a bit nervous. I still want to give Mardi Gras a go. One thing you mentioned about Royal Main Dining, most people attend the Main Dining every night. Miss one night and they're calling you questioning what they did wrong, where did you eat for dinner and why. All the questions are super creepy but I did miss our head waiter and his assistant. Food is exceptionally tasty ans well prepared and if it's not to your standard, they replace it, no questions asked. Definitely never encountered cold food.
Thank you for watching! The main dining on Royal was next level. I still miss my dining staff from my Adventure cruise in June.
have Rudy's booked for our august 28th cruise. super happy to hear you loved it!
Take me with you! 😂 Seriously though, I hope you enjoy and I’m sure you will. It was amazing!
Awesome Video, I just found your channel and you left me with a great first impression!
There is so much to eat on the Mardi Gras I think when I get the opportunity to sail her its gonna have to be a back to back
Hi Craig, thank you for watching and welcome to my channel! A back to back would definitely be the most effective way to experience the Mardi Gras! There’s just so much to see, do, and eat!
Absolutely! We sailed on August 21st for 7 days and couldn't get to even half! Thankfully, we are sailing on her again this Saturday and also October 2nd!
That’s awesome, Linda! I hope you have a great time sailing her again (and again)!
Great video! I’m hungry now… 61 days until Mardi Gras for me.
Thank you so much! That’s so soon - I hope you have a great time!!
I really enjoyed the dining room also. Take care Zach !
It was great. You too, Rodney!
I have a 2 week on the Mardi Gras and 2025!! Now I know what to eat!
You’re adorable! I can’t wait to go on a cruise. Thanks for sharing. Love your channel!
Thanks for watching!
Great Video! My wife and I are going on the Mardi Gras this March, and watching this makes it much more exciting! Do you know if the specialty restaurants such as (Cucina Del Capitano) will still be complementary dining?
Thank you and thanks for watching. I hope you both have a great cruise on Mardi Gras! As far as I understand, they should be. I really don’t think Carnival ever intends on charging for them, but that’s just my opinion. Given the large size of those venues compared to the size of the dining rooms makes me think they need those to serve as dinner options for the long haul. Especially as they continue to increase capacity.
Great info , Thanks
This was a fun and informative video. I want to try Shaq's sooooooo bad! 🤤
Thank you! I want to go back and have it again. I literally think about it daily. 😂
Great Review
Thank you! 😊
Great restaurant review!
"Shebang it up!" Cracked me up.
"Meatballs" means they have a giant pot of meatballs and you were allowed to have ONE from that giant pot. 😆
ChiBang definitely received mixed reviews. Others missing JiJi as well. Is suggest they rethink this for Celebration. Have a bigger JiJi's and perhaps a Blue Iguana sit down Mexican restaurant.
Finally had a chance to watch this and so glad I did. Am revamping my food spreadsheet. Now that I'm doing the Elation right before Mardi Gras I can get my fill of Guys Burgers there, and maybe knock out other duplicates. This was great. Thanks for posting!
Thanks for watching - glad you found it and the spreadsheet useful!!
I was on the first voyage of Mardi Gras…31 jul…I was disappointed in the palm dining room the first night, however by Fri they worked out some kinks and the food was great..Emerils was good…we only went once , but the meal was good. I agree with the Chi bang…was disappointed ..food wasn’t that great…
TY for this information. This is VERY HELPFUL. We're leaving on 4/30
Thank you for watching, Debbie! I’m so glad you found it helpful. Have so much fun on your cruise!! 😊
Best food review ever 👍
Thank you so much! Appreciate you watching. 😊
Big chicken and bonsai sushi were my favorites on mardi gras
i’m so excited my family is going this month!
Woohoo! You’re going to love it. Have a great time!
Awesome info wife and I will be on the Mardi Gras in may 2022.but I find hard that the lido buffet wasn’t that good and rated so low.but I will find that out on my own when I get there thanks again
Thanks for watching! Hope you have a great cruise.
Cucina del capitán was free when I went into this summer. Breakfast in palm restaurant is good, service is slow tho. If you like sushi, try the restaurant, it’s top tier.
I enjoyed your honest opinion on the food and services on board the cruise ships you keep it real
Thank you so much and thanks for watching!
Excellent review! We are booked B2B for Dec 10/17, 2022.
Thank you so much. I hope you have an amazing cruise! A B2B sounds lovely.
I’m on the Mardi Gras right now. Chi bang is so amazing we ate there two nights in a row!!!
Glad you’re enjoying it! Have fun. :)
@@ZachtheTravelingMan I think Chabang got their act together according to some people. Going for Italian tonight.
I’m really happy to hear that! Cucina is amazing and I’m sure you’ll love it too.
Just got off the mardi gras and 100% agree with you on chi bang. Thank goodness it was free, I feel bad for those who have to pay after the inaugural season. I'd be soooo upset if I had to pay for this restaurant. It was just awful.
That’s how I felt too. I wouldn’t even go back if it were still free. Too many other amazing places to eat on the Mardi Gras.
My wife and l are not much into specialty dining onboard cruise ships; however, we may do an exception for the Mardi Gras... Thanks for your review!
Thank you for watching!
Oct 22, 2022 Me & my Wife will be flying to Port Canaveral in Orlando, FL for the Carnival Mardi Gras 8 day Eastern Caribbean cruise. This will only be our 3rd cruise. It's so lovely, we both can't wait.. 😎🛳️🌴🥥 From Fort Worth Tx
I hope you have a great time!!
love the video and the in depth review of food
Thank you for watching! 😃
Cucina del Capitano was not an option for breakfast on the March 19th sailing on Mardi Gras I just returned from. Looked out every morning for it while getting my Java Blue coffee. Their dinner offering was delicious! Great video!
Oh darn! Sorry to hear that wasn’t an option - I hope you enjoyed the cruise. Thank you for watching!!
I’m going on the Radiance in December, and I KNOW imma be eating at the Big Chicken every single day. 😩👌🏼
Hahaha yes you will. I can promise you that! Enjoy it though. :)
chicken was good, but the biscuits I got were not cooked enough
Loved this review. We just got off our 7 day Caribbean cruise on Mardi Gras. Loved the ship the restaurant options were plentiful. Sad to say I had a terrible experience in the main dining room. We finally had the Italian restaurant on our last night and had the pistachio pasta dish and we absolutely loved it. Wish we ate there more often. We stayed away from the Market place for COVID and sanitation reasons. Loved Shaqs chicken spot the potato salad was delicious. Guys is always a plus. The buffalo shrimp were really good for $7 at the seafood market on lido. The Mac and cheese at pig and anchor was good but the rest was subpar. Breakfast and brunch everyday in the main dining room was delicious never missed a beat.
Thanks for watching!
Everyone is raving about Shaq’s.
It’s soooo good!
Are there two nights where you get lobster free in main dinning room? Tuesday & Thursday? Hate to use up my cruise credit to get lobster.
Tremendous video on restaurant foods!!!
Thanks, Jim! I believe the second night of the cruise was lobster night. Not sure if they had it on the second elegant evening (which was Thursday night), as I missed dinner in the Main Dining Room that evening.
Free lobster is only the first elegant night. The second one has filet mignon
I waited for #1 to like the video, lol. I just got back from the Mardi Gras (12/10-17) and this video is really accurate. The only thing I disagree on is the 'Street Eats' score, those 3 snack places were magical. My wife and I went to the fry place daily and I loved the steamed options and grill place. I also did not get a chance to eat everywhere, this boat was awesome!
Well I’m glad I had the right #1 to earn that like 😂. I mean how could it not be Big Chicken?! Glad to hear improvements have been made and that you enjoyed the ship and your cruise. Thanks for watching!
If you can pull yourself away from the burritos, try the huevos rancheros on the side of Blue Iguana. Fresh fried eggs on a freshly made tortilla, black beans, avocado, tomato, cheese, salsa…it’s amazing. I like it better than their burrito.
Sounds amazing - thanks for the suggestion, I’ll have to get that next time. They also have an amazing Taco Salad there at lunchtime.
Thanks for the food update brother
Thanks for watching!
Great review :)
Thanks for watching! 😊
Superb vid.
Thank you!
We are getting the Jubilee in Galveston. I'm hoping a few of the premium restaurants will be free for the first year, but it doesn't sound like it.
great review!! are you allowed to order more than 1 portion of any entree at the pay restaurants
Thank you! I’ve found that it really just depends on the restaurant and server. I’ve had them allow me more than one entree and then other times tell me it’s restricted to just one. I’d ask them!
Holland America may not be your style, but they also have a restaurant from Chef Rudi called Sel de Mer. It is amazing, as is all of the food on Holland.
I do hope to try Holland America one of these days. Thanks for watching!
It will be interesting to see if the food quality/taste improve as the new crew settles down and becomes more experienced. I agree that guy's burger/Blue iguana were very good while guy's smokehouse was disappointing. I tried these 3 restaurants pre covid on the Vista.
I agree and assume they will with time as they become more experienced and also learn what their guests prefer. Can’t wait to sail the Mardi Gras again sometime to compare! Thank you for watching.
Awesome!!!
Yep-shaqs big chicken is the greatest on that ship. I ate it every day last year and when we go on the Mardi Gras this Saturday I will again eat here every day. Blows chick filet out of the water!
Yes it does! I crave it all the time and it’s been well over a year and a half since I sailed Mardi Gras haha.
Thank You! My husband was hoping for good food.
Bonsai Teppanyaki needs to be booked beforehand as well. Super hard to get into as its a hibachi experience with little table room. But worth it ❤️
Good to know - thank you for the tidbit!
You forgot to mention that Rudy's is an additional specialty cost dining restaurant. Believe it or not a lot of people going to think that's complimentary and included with your cruise.
Thanks for the great videos...They should have just keep.JiJis and maybe added some more menu items or experience.
I totally agree with that. ChiBang has nothing on JiJis.
We were disappointed in the MDR on the Mardi Gras. The Maitre D kept calling our waiter up to sing or dance or be introduced while our food sat on trays getting cold. The 2nd night we never got dessert because the waiters were all off dancing. The Maitre D was annoying with his constant announcements while we were trying to enjoy our dinner. The food was lackluster, my steak was so tough I could not eat it, and the portions were small and not great presentation. That being said, while he was actually serving us, not off dancing, our waiter and his staff were excellent. We never went back after the 2nd night. We tried all the other restaurants and some of them were fabulous. We loved Bonsai Teppanyaki and Rudi's and the steak house. Emerils was amazing and Shaq's Chicken and Street Eats were so good. Pretty much everywhere we ate, including room service, was better than the MDR.
Sorry to hear that you didn’t have a good experience in the MDR, but so glad you enjoyed the rest of the food. I appreciate you watching and sharing your experience with me!
Totally agree with the food and breakfast on the lido...to me it was not up to par with other carnival ship, I was disappointed in the Pig and Anchor...the service was not the greatest, and you could tell that my sides had been nuked
Thank you for the info, very helpful! Did you happen to know if there are any vegan options?
Thanks for watching! On the Carnival website, they do list multiple vegan options available all around the ship, including the main dining room. www.carnival.com/awaywego/cruising-fun/how-to-plan/how-to-eat-vegan-on-a-cruise
Shaq's Big Chicken was my favorite too omg
I loved it! Still craving it.
@@ZachtheTravelingMan I've been craving it since last month. Going back for more next month🤤
Ahhh enjoy and have fun!
Hey Zach I made reservations last week for Rudi's and Bonsai and they allowed me to use onboard credit to pay the fee. FINALLY!
Woohoo! I think you’ll love them. Have a GREAT cruise. 🛳
Just want to say you can pre book speciality restaurants and still use on board credit. Same is true for shore excursions, etc. anything you buy in advance from the fun shops it allows you to apply on board credit on the check out screen
Hey Lauren, thanks for watching! You’re absolutely right, you can do that now. At the time of filming this video, that wasn’t an option. Glad they’ve added it!
I have been on six cruises in the last few months all my favorite was hot in the main dining room
Great review! We are going to 2 weeks, is Chibang really that bad? We really wanted to try it...
Thank you! I did not enjoy it at all, but I did read that folks said it improved some after the first sailing. Maybe try it out and see what you think if you’re really interested.
yes it is bad
@@bettywalker8549 We may give it a try since its free....
@@phrewilly8556 You might as well try it. I have found myself disagreeing with the majority on countless things in the past. You won’t know until you try.
@@bettywalker8549 LOL! Short and to the point! Love your review!
Yeah man, I usually gain 10-13 pounds on every cruise. Usually water weight. I’ll be on the Mardi Gras August 13th. Can’t wait!!
Have a great time! It’s a fantastic ship. And the food is 💯.
Thanks sir!!
Thanks for watching!
I am going on this boat in December and I have been on the original boat to
That’ll be my first stop… Shaq big chcken
Just rewatched the video as I'm now 18 days out. I did make the spreadsheet so I'm fully ready and still i wont be able to get it all in. Also CCL has made a good change since you posted this video. You can use your OBC in advance now from the website. I don't know for sure if it works with specialty dinning, but it does with several things like excursions.
I’m excited for you - and I know you are! I’m glad you got your spreadsheet and food figured out and ready to go. Someone else mentioned the OBC thing to me - I’m really glad to hear they’ve made that change. I usually book my specialty dining with OBC ahead of time with the other lines, so it’s nice to hear Carnival is doing the same. Thanks for re-watching!
Yeah i loved Shaq Big Chicken.
Sooooo good!
Listen everyone from 12-2pm Cucina del Capitano has make your own pasta for FREE the LASAGNA is wonderful
Hi Zach I know it’s been a while since you cruised the Mardi Gras but do you happen to remember if the wonderful potato salad you mentioned at shaq’s was self serve? Like you I’m trying to stay away from the buffet type eateries.
Hi Yvette - yes, the potato salad was on the “fixings” buffet with the condiments, pickles, and such, and was self serve.
The apple cheesecake was awesome
😋 😋 😋
good detailed review. Glad I watched this. I can't sail on Carnival. The food is just too unhealthy. I would need an angioplasty after the cruise.
Is the chi bang included or extra
It is included!
were you able to get any video or pictures of those cakes in lido?
Unfortunately did not capture those in any of my footage.
Thanks for the video but we disagree on Guy’s burger which is nothing but tasteless grease. Love Cucina.
We can agree to disagree! I much preferred the Chicken Shack over Guy’s on the Mardi Gras. Thanks for watching!
My favorite Street Eats where the lobster tacos
I missed out on those!
Have you tried Bonsai Teppanyaki? Didn't see that reviewed here
Not yet! I hope to in the future, just didn’t have enough time this cruise.
@@ZachtheTravelingMan Awesome! Have this reserved for a cruise coming up. Very excited to try this. But, definitely very interested in Shaq's big chicken because of your review. Thanks!
Shaq’s is everything!! Hope you have a great time.
Weird, I thought you made it to Emerils, but then again I watched so many vlogs its easy to confuse them
The one morning I tried to go there (in a coming vlog) they didn’t have several items. I never got the chance to go back sadly.
Just got off the Mardi Gras
The Guys pig and anchor was the worse BBQ place I've ever had with carnival and the best for me was Rudi, the second best was Shaq chicken
I was not impressed either.
pizza was crap.
So finally only the restaurants you have to pay extra is the best food ?.?
The best food comes with and uncharge, yes. But there are still really good free eateries onboard.
And this is why I gain so much weight regardless of how much I walk on a cruise!
Lol you and me both! The struggle is real. Sometimes I take a walk, but it’s often after my 15th meal of the day 😂
Did you get a chance to eat any of Emeril's Cajun food?
Sadly I did not. It was on my list but the morning I went there for breakfast they were out of several items. I decided I would go back but then never got the chance. 😭
@@ZachtheTravelingMan That's good. I thought they didn't make your list. Cajun is my favorite and I can't wait to try it on my November cruise.
You’ll have to let me know how it is. I hope you have a great cruise!!! 🛳
Are you saying rudis was free?
No, Rudi’s was around $40 additional.
Sorry about Chibangs....reminds me of the song:
"She bangs, she bangs, oh, baby
When she moves, she moves
I go crazy
'Cause she looks like a flower
But she stings like a bee
Like every girl in history...."
LOL you're right!
How could you miss the New Orleans place?
Emeril’s Bistro. I went there for breakfast one day and they were out of a few items so I said I’d return another day and just never had the time.
Can you share your spreadsheet?
zachthetravelingman.com/ranking-rating-carnival-mardi-gras-food-worst-to-best/
I think you're cute and I was beyond impressed w a meal plan spreadsheet 😭✌
Capitano is family style but if you are eating by yourself they minimize the pottions
Everyone should try the food venues and not skip because someone doesn't like it. Try everything atleast once.
There no longer serve breakfast at La Cucina - which is a very sad disappointment as it was my favorite place for breakfast
That’s so sad! Thanks for updating me on that. And thanks for watching. 😊
@17:25
Carnival freedom it's sun king steakhouse
Thank you for filling me in! Much different than Fahrenheit 555 😂
Umm..any clues as to chefs table?
I have actually never tried Chef’s Table on any of my cruises!
19…19!
I counted twice! 😂
I guess I'll cancel out Chibang!
Honestly you won’t be missing out. Use that opportunity to try one of the other awesome dining venues!
I'm still going to give it a shot but I'm going to write down what Zach had and not get that. Lol. 😉
Pig and Anchor is disgusting. I’m a Texan 🤠 so I know my BBQ. I don’t know how they cook their meet, but they aren’t smoking it. You should be able to smell the meat cooking. Carnival needs to discontinue Pig and Anchor .
I knew ChiBangwould be disappointing when they didn’t put any meat on the nachos😮
Yeah that’s not a good look. They need to make adjustments to the menu and quality of food there.
Friends of mine on different sailings really liked it.
I remember John Heald posting a picture of their nachos on Facebook, and everyone (myself included) wondering wtf those were, because they sure as hell didn’t resemble proper nachos. Even Taco Bell serves better looking nachos.
I actually rated main dining room a zero. Food was just awful.
I wish you had dined in the main dining room more than once, your experience was an exception l think...very disappointing and very average food. It's easy to see that the servers there are overwhelmed, so just do not expect a dining experience like the one from the Fantasy for instance. And l too, was very eager to eat at Shaq's, and did so three times. Once for breakfast and l don't what kind of biscuits those are supposed to be but don't expect a fluffy southern buttermilk style biscuit. These are more like wheat crackers. So for me, it was just ok, but maybe l was expecting too much there. For most of your review l agree which is why l hit the thumbs up. But one thing you didn't mention and maybe you didn't try, was the cole slaw in the Pig and Anchor...the worst. Guy had better check up on that item because it would be hard to believe he thinks that is good as it is being served now. Now I know what you're thinking, big deal, it's just cole slaw... Well in the south, we love our cole slaw and what they serve there and call cole slaw ain't worth...nothing. Thanks for your review.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. And for watching!
ROFL! “how much I gained!”
😂 🤣
It looks like a hybrid egg drop/chicken noodle soup. It definitely does not look good or authentic.