Carnival Cruise Line's main dining room experience is not complete without ordering dessert! There are several desserts on the American Table or American Feast menu that I recommend trying even if you are already feeling a little full. Although the desserts offered during a cruise depends on the length of the cruise, one dessert you should be on the lookout for is the Smores Parfait. 
          The Smores Parfait dessert has chocolate, vanilla mousse, and roasted marshmallow. These are the three ingredients Carnival has listed on the dessert menu under the Smores Parfait. In addition to these three things, the Smores Parfait has graham cracker (or something very similar to a graham cracker) crumbled inside. I am surprised Carnival's menu did not mention this ingredient. 

​Overall Rating:
             On a scale of 5 stars (5 = highest rating and 1 = lowest rating) I would give this dessert 5 stars. Here are my reasons for giving this dessert the highest possible rating:

• Large Portion Size -   The portion size of my Smores Parfait on the Carnival Vista was more than enough for dessert. On most ships that I have seen the Smores Parfait offered, it is served in a cup. ​I was already full by the time I ate this dessert, but I still ate the whole thing regardless because it was too good for me to not eat it all. I felt stuffed later, but it was worth it. 
• Chocolate Pudding -   The chocolate pudding was extremely good. Sometimes chocolate dishes on Carnival ships are too rich, but this chocolate pudding had a chocolate taste that was not too strong. There are two layers of chocolate pudding in each cup of the Smores Parfait. Both layers are close to the graham cracker which means you can enjoy the chocolate pudding with some graham cracker mixed in!
• Marshmallow Taste -  The roasted marshmallow at the top of the Smores Parafait reminded me of marshmallow that had been actually roasted over a real fire. I wish the dessert would have more marshmallow mixed in with the chocolate pudding, but it was good enough.

Common Questions:

• Is this served on all cruises?  -   This dessert dish is not served on all cruises. I have only seen this dish offered on cruises that are considered longer in length (6+ days). However, the chef onboard has the right to change the menu so having a longer cruise does not guarantee this dish will be served. By the same logic, just because a cruise is shorter does not mean there is no chance this dish will not be served, but it is unlikely. 
• Does Carnival serve this dish on the buffet?  -   I have not seen this dish served on the ship's buffet. My guess is it is not served in the buffet, but you never know!
• Can I request a side of ice cream to go with this dessert?  -  The waitstaff on Carnival's ships are usually very happy to accommodate bringing extra desserts and I am sure your waitstaff would be willing to bring you some ice cream to go with this if you ask.  If you want  a lot of ice cream I recommend asking for a full order of ice cream as a second dessert, but if you only want a little bit of ice cream I recommend asking for a scoop of ice cream in the small bowl like what is served with the warm chocolate melting cake dish. 

         Carnival's Vista Class of ships includes the Carnival Vista, Carnival Horizon, and Carnival Panorama (launching December 2019). On all three Vista class ships there are numerous outside deck areas for cruisers to enjoy, but not every area is well known to all cruisers. One particular area that is not well known to cruisers is a small front area located on Deck 14. Although this area is public, I visited this area several times and never encountered anyone else because hardly any cruisers know about this outside deck space. In this post I will share some pictures of this area and explain how to find this hidden outside space. 



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Locating The Deck 14 Front Outside Area:     
                 In order to locate this outside deck area you will need to go to Deck 14 by using the front elevator/stairwell area. Once you are up on Deck 14 you will see an entrance to the second level of the ship's Cloud 9 SPA. You do not need to enter this area because there is a much easier way to get to the front area. From the front/elevator area, on the sides you be able to see stateroom hallway entrances on both sides of the ship.  
                     Enter one of the Deck 14 stateroom hallways (it does not matter which side).  Walk towards the front of the ship. If you do not know which way is the front you will want to walk in the direction that the stateroom hallway numbers get smaller. If the numbers are getting bigger you will want to turn around and head the opposite way! 
                      Once you are at the very front of the stateroom hallway you should nearly dead-end into a stateroom door. However, on the middle side of the hallway you should see a door that leads to small area with a stairwell within the SPA. On the Carnival Vista this door has a circular porthole that allows you to see into this area before opening the door. After stepping out into this area you should see another entrance to the Cloud 9 SPA on one side and a stairwell on another side. This stairwell leads to the Deck 12 level of the SPA. You do not need to use this stairwell. On both sides of this stairwell you should see a hallway with doors at the end. Both hallways have a metal or glass door at the end. Walk down this hallway and unless indicated you cannot exit using the doors, open the doors. On the Carnival Vista, there are two doors that you must open before being able to go outside and I would imagine the Carnival Horizon and Carnival Panorama have the same process. After you open these doors, you are outside. Due to the wind the doors may be hard to open! 

​What Exactly Does This Area Have?
                   Although the view from this area is not exactly panoramic, you can look down towards the front of the ship and see into the horizon. The Carnival Vista had places for 5 people to sit and a moderate sized table between the outside furniture. This seemed like a good place to read, talk, rest, or play games (what type of game would depend on the wind). 
                     For the Carnival Horizon and Carnival Panorama, I do not know for sure if any furniture is outside. If you are cruising on one of these two ships please let me know if you find out! 

Pictures:
             Below are some pictures I took on the Carnival Vista that will hopefully help you find this area: 

                 There are many areas to explore on your cruise ship and looking around a ship is something I greatly enjoy. Although this area is technically not a secret it is very well hidden. Some other areas on the Carnival Vista that include a public front observation area includes Deck 5, Deck 6, Deck 7, Deck 9, Deck 10, and Deck 11. My favorite front decks for looking out on the Carnival Vista are Decks 5 (Promenade) and Deck 9. On this class of ships, Deck 8 does not have a front observation area because this is where the navigational bridge is located. 
                     If you are cruising on the Carnival Vista, Carnival Horizon, or Carnival Panorama have a great cruise and don't forget to check out the many areas of your ship you might be missing out on! 

        Carnival Cruise Line has released the 2019 Christmas decoration schedules for the ships. On the day the ship is decorated for Christmas, the atrium and other public areas of the ship are decorated with Christmas and holiday decorations. This schedule includes the dates Carnival Cruise Line has planned to decorate each ship with Christmas and holiday decorations. 
             Below the Christmas decoration schedule, I have posted a few of the Christmas themed events and activities that take place on Carnival ships during this time of the year once the ship is decorated. Most Carnival Cruises during the Christmas season offer a Holiday show, atrium festivities, and much more! 

Christmas & Holiday Events
Holiday Show:  If you see the "Holiday Show" listed on your daily activity newsletter, the Fun-Times you will have an opportunity to see Carnival's Christmas & holiday themed show. Carnival advertises this show to have the ship's singers & dancers as well as a special performance by the kids onboard. The show also has a visit from Santa and the Grinch. 

"Spirit Of The Season Atrium Moments": 
         Although each class of Carnival ships has a different sized atrium, each ship has an atrium that hosts a variety of Christmas & holiday themed events and activities. On the first night of the cruise, Carnival hosts a tree lighting ceremony in the ship's atrium that is led by the cruise director onboard. The tree lighting ceremony features the Christmas tree's lights synchronized to music. In addition, the ship's atrium should have a red box that says "Letters To Santa". Guests can drop letters off in this box that might get read during the ship's morning show.  Besides the official tree lighting ceremony, Carnival's ships have been known to have Christmas caroling and singing in the atrium throughout the Christmas season. 
               Another event that typically takes place in the ship's atrium is the "Spirit of the Seas - 'Tis the Season" event. This event gives guests an opportunity to wear ugly sweaters and enjoy a guest visit from Santa Claus. 
On ships that sail from Australia, instead of ugly sweaters the ship's will do festive hats. 
Will my ship have snow in the atrium?
Most Carnival ships feature "snow" in the atrium during the Christmas season once the ship's are fully decorated. However, Carnival specifically wrote the Carnival Breeze, Carnival Vista, Carnival Horizon, and Carnival Panorama will not feature snow.

Will Christmas & holiday themed movies be shown on the ship's SeaSide Theater?
                 Carnival's information about the 2019 Christmas & holiday season says ships that have a Seaside Theater will show holiday themed movies. In addition, movies will be shown on the ship's stateroom TVs. The movie channels can be found in the Fun-Times daily activity newsletter or on the Carnival Hub app. 

What other miscellaneous Christmas events occur?
                     Carnival usually does a Christmas & holiday themed trivia session at some point during the cruise. The scope of this trivia includes music, movies, TV shows, and more. It sounds like anything related to Christmas or the holidays is fair game for this trivia!
                      Carnival also is advertising a Holiday Arts & Crafts that will take place during the cruise. Check the Fun-Times onboard the ship for more information if you are cruising during this time of year.
                         According to Carnival's Christmas information, a holiday themed duck hunt will be another option for cruisers. Some hidden ducks will available around the ship that will allow cruisers to get a prize if the duck is found! I have a feeling more information about these ducks, what they look like, and what types of prizes will be given will be available onboard. 

If you are cruising during the Christmas season in 2019 have a great time. Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays 2019! 


All of this information is subject to change and is not designed to be comprehensive. Some things may vary by cruise. Information is from Carnival's main website and was accessed on August 10, 2019. 
Source:  Carnival's Website (Link will take you away from RyG's Cruise Guide)

        One event Carnival Cruise Line ships usually host on sea days is called Tea Time. This event typically takes place in one of the ship's dining rooms or a smaller lounge in the middle of the sea day's afternoons. Tea Time is advertised in the Carnival Fun-Times Daily Activity Newsletter if the event is being held during the day. 
           When the doors open for tea-time a host or hostess will seat guests. The way tea time is run will vary by the ship's crew members working. Both times I have been to this event it was setup to where guests were served by waitstaff. However, I have heard and seen reviews that have the tea time desserts available in a mini-buffet setup. The main thing you should know is the format of the event can vary by cruise! 

Not All Teas Are Free, So Be Careful!
              One thing some people may not realize is not all of the tea options are complimentary. As of the time of writing, Carnival offers regular tea, green tea, and decaf tea complimentary. If you are unsure if the tea packet is free, just ask the waiter or waitress that is serving you.
                  The tea packets that are not complimentary are flavored. On my Carnival Freedom cruise in 2017, the tea packets available for sale consisted of Art of Tea flavors such as: Egyptian Chamomile Caffeine Free, Mint Green Tea Low Caffeine, Black Tea Organic Breakfast Bold Caffeine, Earl Grey Creme Medium Bold Caffeine, and more. My picture of the tea packets does not clearly show the names of all of the packets available so I was unable to type all that were sold during my cruise on here. 
                

Desserts
             The desserts offered can vary by ship and tea time session. Here are a few pictures I managed to capture of desserts during some of my cruises: