If you eating in the Lido buffet of your Carnival Cruise ship for breakfast you will have a variety of choices each morning of the cruise. The best part of the Lido buffet for breakfast is you can choose to eat as much as you want and for most items get to serve yourself. 
              This post will share items that are commonly found in Carnival's Lido buffet for breakfast. The actual food offerings during your cruise may vary slightly so don't be disappointed if something you see here is not offered. Enjoy the pictures posted here of the food offered in the Lido buffet from some of my cruises!

​Main Lido Breakfast Buffet Line Selections:
             Typically, Carnival's main Lido buffet lines have similar offerings each day of the cruise, but the style of a dish offered can vary. On my cruises, the exact offerings for a morning's breakfast vary by day and cruise. However, typically there are scrambled eggs, oatmeal, and some sort of sausage available each morning. Starting in late 2021, Carnival started serving bacon every other day.  Additionally, Carnival typically will have some sort of potato dish each day of the cruise. The potato dish served  could be roasted potatoes, hash browns, or some other variation of a potato. Carnival does the same thing with the sausage available at breakfast. One day of the cruise might be sausage links, but the next day might be sausage cooked in a different way. The exact offerings are up to the chef onboard the ship. I have also seen Carnival's main breakfast buffet lines offer grilled tomatoes, baked beans, grits, and biscuit & gravy. French toast and pancakes are usually served on alternating days, but this can vary depending on the chef. The food offered each day has varied more after the Covid-19 pandemic re-start. 

Pastries & Fruits:
                 Carnival's Lido breakfast buffet is filled with a variety of different pastries and sweets. I reached out to Carnival to ask for a list of pastries typically served on the buffet. The Lido buffet selection generally consists of the following pastries: Apple Cornet, Vanilla Crown, Cinnamon Swirls, Raspberry Danish, Croissant, Banana Bread, and muffins. The muffins offered is up to the chef and could include: Chocolate Chips muffins, Orange Sunrise muffins, Chocolate Chunk muffins, Banana Nut muffins, Glorious muffins, Lemon Poppy Seed muffins, or Honey Raisin muffins.         
​ Here are a few pictures of some of the pastries that I have captured on past cruises:

What types of fruits are generally available? 
              The exact offering can vary by day. Carnival usually has fruits available including cantaloupe, prunes, honeydew, pineapple, peaches, grapefruit, and watermelon. Some Carnival ships have bite sized sliced fruit available by the pastries, but generally the main breakfast buffet line has large chunks of fruit available. The location of fruit can vary by ship. 

                   Besides hot breakfast food dishes, fruit, and pastries, Carnival also usually has a variety of sliced meats & cheeses available in the Lido buffet. If cruisers want cereal, Carnival also has cereal available in the Lido buffet. Carnival utilizes cereal dispensers in the buffet instead of small boxes.  On my recent Carnival Cruise, cereals available included Cheerios, Frosted Flakes, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Corn Flakes, Fruit Loops, and Lucky Charms. I have also seen Raisin Bran & Rice Krispies offered pre-pandemic, but not after the cruise re-start. 

Omelet Station:
          An omelet station is also available, but I cover this in another post:  Click Here For My Omelet Station Post

Unofficial Carnival Cruise Food Guide:
           Please check out my unofficial Carnival Cruise Food guide by clicking here. 

      Today Carnival Cruise Line announced a series of changes that are coming to onboard specialty dining venues, the main dining room, and self-service ice cream stations. The changes are a direct result of prices continuing to rise for food supplies and Carnival seeing huge amounts of food waste onboard. This post will discuss discuss the changes Carnival announced today. 

Complimentary Self-Service Ice Cream Hours Cut
             Carnival's self-service ice cream machines on the Lido buffet have been complimentary and 24 hours for a long time. However, Carnival is changing the self-service ice cream & frozen yogurt to be available from 11am until midnight. The ice cream will continue to be complimentary, but will only be available for 13 hours of the day instead of 24 hours. Carnival's letter noted ice cream in the very early morning hours and at breakfast was contributing to a high amount of food waste. 

Main Dining Room Charge For Third+ Entrees 
                Carnival's main dining room has allowed guests to pick as many appetizers, main courses, and desserts (unless otherwise marked) as they want. Carnival is implementing a $5 charge effective immediately for each entrée ordered starting with the 3rd entrée. You can still get a first and second entrée for free (unless it was already marked as costing extra). 
                     Additionally, Carnival is asking guests to consider taking what you want, but eating what you take. Carnival offers half portions of many menu items. You just need to ask your waitstaff when you order for the half portion! Carnival will be monitoring food waste of dining room foods and will remove highly wasted items to make sure food waste is minimized where possible. 

Change With Lobster On 6+ Night Cruises In The Main Dining Room
                        On cruises that are 6+ nights Carnival will continue serving complimentary lobster on cruise elegant evening. Previously the lobster main course was served on the first cruise elegant night, but Carnival is changing this to be on the second elegant evening. Some people like to order multiple lobster main courses when it is free, but keep in mind if you get 3 entrees you will be paying the $5 fee discussed above. 

Specialty Dining Venue Prices Are Increasing 
                   Carnival is raising the price for specialty dining venues onboard. Steakhouse prices across Carnival's fleet will become $48 (this was $42) per person. Additionally, other specialty dining venues will be seeing price increases (i.e. Bonsai Teppanyaki, Rudi's Seagrill, Cucina Del Capitano, JiJi's Asian Kitchen etc). Prices will vary based on the venue, but Carnival is raising prices due to the ingredients for these dishes continuing to rise. 

For more Carnival Cruise Food information please check out my Unofficial Carnival Cruise Food Guide by clicking here.

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       The Havana Cabana staterooms on Carnival Cruise Line's Excellence (XL) class ships are a great place for guests that want a patio style balcony and access to some exclusive amenities. On the Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee Deck 8 is home to the Havana staterooms. 
           The Havana staterooms on Deck 8 consist of some different type of rooms including the Havana Cabanas, Havana Interiors, Havana Cabana Suite, Havana Cabana Extended Suite, and Havana Cabana Extended. All of these rooms, including the interior Havana rooms, come with access to the Havana Pool area which is located on Deck 8. Additionally, all of these rooms require guests to be 12 and older in order to be booked in the rooms. Carnival provides wristbands that must be used to access to the Havana Pool Area. 
                     The goal of this post is to focus on the Havana Cabana staterooms and look at the pros & cons of these staterooms.  A Havana Cabana stateroom is one that has a patio outside. The patio is a fenced in area that has a gate that leads to an area of Deck 8 that can be walked around. This allows for easy access to the Havana Pool area. Typically, the Havana Cabana patios come with a swinging chair, patio chair, and table. 

                 Overall, there are many positives to staying in a Havana Cabana stateroom on the Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, or Carnival Jubilee. Before booking I recommend you do or keeping the following things in mind: 

• Research your particular Havana Cabana stateroom to determine what the view from the balcony will consist of. The exact view you have will depend on where your room is located. 
• Keep in mind that staying in a Havana Cabana suite (or any other type of suite room) will typically come with a higher person per day service gratuity. 
• Look for videos on You-Tube that will show you what your particular Havana Cabana balcony will look like. Watching videos from other guests is one of my favorite ways to get familiarized with a ship's layout. 

      When I book a Carnival Cruise I take the time to carefully research my available stateroom options prior to booking. I will look at the ship's deck plans to see what is above & below my potential room to try to identify anything that could be noisy at night. I am a light sleeper and noise from music or other guests will very quickly wake me up. 
              This post is a list of the stateroom locations I personally try to avoid. All of the stateroom locations to avoid that are listed below are based on my own experiences. There could be other areas that experience noise that are not listed here. However, please keep in mind, no matter where you stay on a cruise ship you might have to deal with noise from fellow guests walking down the stateroom hallway. 

1. Near The Nightclub or Disco
                  Typically Carnival Cruise Line's nightclubs are open throughout the evening and into the early morning hours. The music in the nightclub is loud and depending on the songs played can have an extra loud beat. I try to avoid staterooms that are above or below the ship's nightclub for multiple reasons. The first reason is the direct noise of the music. If the nightclub is close to a stairwell/elevator area, depending on the insulation, the noise of the music can travel up or down to stateroom decks. The second reason I try to avoid staying close to the nightclub is people coming back from the nightclub in the early morning hours can sometimes be noisy. On my recent Carnival Breeze cruise I was one deck above the nightclub and each night experienced very noisy people coming back around the time the nightclub closed. Noise from other guests can happen anywhere and not just in rooms close to the nightclub, but being in an area with a higher likelihood of being used as a cut-through hallway after nightclub hours could result in some extra noise. 

2. Close To The Atrium
​                 Carnival Cruise ships generally have entertainment in the atrium throughout the evening that can last late. Entertainment sometimes is live music or a party in the atrium hosted by the cruise director. For Carnival ships with atriums, these atrium areas are usually several decks high. The noise from the atrium lobby can travel many decks up and enter the stateroom hallways. On my 2013 Carnival Triumph cruise I stayed close to the atrium, but on a deck that was many above the atrium lobby. The music in the atrium lobby & noise of the crowd enjoying the music traveled up to my stateroom. I could not fall asleep and was miserable for most of the night until the music stopped. For this reason I personally try to stay away from booking any stateroom on any deck that is somewhat close to the atrium area (if the Carnival ship has an atrium). 

​3. Lido Deck - Close To The Pool Area
                     The Lido Deck on a Carnival Cruise ship is probably one of the most popular decks. At night the Lido Deck is used for hosting Dive In Movies, deck parties, or other late night events. People also use the Lido Deck for going to the ship's buffet or other food eateries. Since the Lido Deck is highly visited by other guests at all hours of the day, I try to avoid staying anywhere close to the main pool or near the front/elevator stairwell area on the Lido Deck. 

4. Near Elevator/Stairwell Areas
                       My general rule of thumb is to stay at least 3 staterooms away from an elevator/stairwell area if possible. I don't want to hear the chime of the elevator throughout the night and the elevator/stairwell area can be noisy if a group of guests are talking as they get in and out of elevators.  

Other Considerations:

• Regardless of a stateroom's location, you may have to put up with noise from other guests walking by.  
• Besides the areas I listed above there could be some less than ideal stateroom locations I did not mention here. These 4 areas mentioned in this post are from my personal experience and are areas I will try to avoid. I highly recommend researching your potential stateroom pick while booking and try to identify any possible areas that could have noise from public spaces. 
• Some people have ear plugs that help with noise. If you are someone who uses ear plugs to block out noise at night, make sure to add these to your packing list so you don't forget them. 

If you would like to view Carnival's ship deck plans I have compiled a listing of the deck plans. Click Here to view my list of Carnival ship deck plans. 

       The Carnival Conquest recently underwent a dry-dock where the ship received routine maintenance & a re-painting of the ship's hull to  add the new Carnival livery. Earlier this week Carnival announced the Carnival Conquest is the first Carnival ship to receive a dedicated pickleball court. 

Location Of Carnival Conquest's Pickleball Court
          Based on the picture Carnival provided in their press release, the pickleball court is located in front of the ship's funnel within the same netting as the half basketball court. Carnival's press release notes the Carnival Conquest is the first ship with a permanent dedicated pickleball court. 

Other Outdoor Options on Carnival Conquest:
               Carnival's website states that there is a half basketball court on the Carnival Conquest in addition to pickleball & ping-pong. The Carnival Conquest also has a jogging track and mini golf course as part of the outdoor SportsSquare amenities. 

Other Carnival Ships With Pickleball: 
             Other Carnival ships have the option for pickleball to be played onboard, but there is not a dedicated space for pickleball. Ships where pickleball can be played on multi-purpose courts in SportsSquare includes Carnival Breeze, Carnival Celebration, Carnival Freedom, Carnival Glory, Carnival Horizon, Carnival Jubilee, Carnival Legend, Carnival Liberty, Carnival Miracle, Carnival Panorama, Carnival Pride, Carnival Spirit, Carnival Splendor, Carnival Valor, Carnival Vista and Mardi Gras.

For more information please check out Carnival's press release by clicking here (link will take you away from RyG's Cruise Guide). 

If you would like more Carnival dry-dock information please check out my unofficial Carnival dry-dock schedule by clicking here. 

        The Carnival Luminosa is joining Carnival Cruise Line's fleet in November 2022. Carnival Luminosa is scheduled to sail from Brisbane, Australia through April 2023 and then the ship is scheduled to reposition to Seattle, Washington for a season of Alaska cruises. When the Carnival Luminosa's Alaska cruises end the ship is scheduled to sail a 30 day cruise from Seattle that includes stops in Alaska, Japan, Philippines, and Indonesia before the cruise ends in Brisbane, Australia. 

About The Carnival Luminosa
             Before discussing the 30 night cruise further, I think it makes sense to briefly discuss the Carnival Luminosa. There are several cruisers that are not aware of the Carnival Luminosa. The Carnival Luminosa starts sailing for Carnival Cruise Line in November 2022, but the ship is not brand new. Prior to joining Carnival's fleet, the ship sailed for sister brand Costa Cruise Lines as the Costa Luminosa. 
                 The Carnival Luminosa has similarities to Carnival's Spirit Class, but there are design differences that are notable to guests that have sailed on either Carnival Spirit, Carnival Pride, Carnival Legend, and Carnival Miracle. I'll discuss some of the design differences in another post, but Carnival does classify the ship as a Spirit Class ship despite some differences. Carnival Luminosa has a gross tonnage of 92,720 GT, length of 964 feet, full guest capacity of 2,826 guests, and 926 officers/crew working onboard. 
                   Some work has been performed to convert the ship from a Costa ship to a Carnival ship, but the scope of work includes leaving several of the ship's venues alone. The traditional Carnival funnel will not be present on the Carnival Luminosa when it first sails and may be added in a future dry-dock. Carnival is installing some Fun Ship 2.0 features to the ship, but not all will be added. For informaton regarding the dry-dock plans of the Carnival Luminosa and work anticipated to be complete prior to the ship's debut for Carnival please check out my previously written post by clicking here. 

The 30 Day Cruise Scheduled Itinerary
                    The scheduled 30 day cruise itinerary for the Carnival Luminosa departs Seattle on September 14, 2023. This cruise will start out by heading to Alaska and then the ship will begin crossing the Pacific Ocean. While crossing the Pacific Ocean the Carnival Luminosa will cross over the International Date Line. Crossing the International Date Line will be during a series of several back to back sea days. When the Carnival Luminosa reaches the other side of the Pacific Ocean several port of call days in Japan are scheduled. After leaving Japan the Carnival Luminosa will sail for a stop in the Philippines and then a port of call stop in Indonesia. Please note, there are sea days mixed throughout (see below for the scheduled itinerary). The 30 day cruise will end in Brisbane, Australia.  
Please note: The scheduled itinerary for this cruise is subject to change at any time and may not be reflected below as Carnival could make changes at any time, including during this cruise. Check Carnival's website for the latest itinerary information. Port of calls can be cancelled, swapped, or times in port can be altered due to a variety of circumstances. 

        Can you bring alcohol or sodas on a Carnival Cruise? Does Carnival let you bring your own snacks to the ship? Questions about bringing alcoholic beverages, wine, sodas, and snacks are common. The goal of this post is to discuss Carnival's current policy.  

Can you bring liquor or alcohol onboard a Carnival Cruise?
          Carnival prohibits guests from bringing alcoholic beverages onboard except all guests 21 or older are allowed to bring a bottle of wine that is up to 750 ml. The bottle of wine must be sealed/unopened and is required to be brought onboard in carry-on luggage. This means if you have two guests traveling in the same room that are both 21 years or older you can bring two bottles of wine as long as the wine bottles meet the 750 ml requirements and are unopened. If you have three guests in a room where two guests are 21+ years and one guest is under 21 years old, you can still only bring two bottles of wine because guests under 21 cannot bring wine onboard. 
                   Other alcoholic beverages besides the wine bottle exception are not allowed. You cannot bring any other liquor or alcohol in your carry on luggage or checked luggage. If Carnival's Security team sees the alcohol through the scanner it will be confiscated and discarded. Carnival's FAQ clearly states no compensation will be given for discarded beverages. 

Can you sneak alcohol onboard a Carnival Cruise in rum runners or in a water bottle?
                        People have tried creative things over the years to smuggle alcohol onto their cruise. Some of these people have successfully posted about it on You-Tube or social media. Carnival is likely aware of many of the different things people will try to sneak alcohol or drinks onboard the ship. I recommend you don't try because if you get caught it will get confiscated and you wasted your time & money. Carnival's security team screening carry-on luggage or luggage that is checked are looking for prohibited drinks as part of their security check. 

Can you bring soda or non-alcoholic beverages onto a Carnival Cruise?
                      Carnival does allow guests to bring a limited quantity of sodas or non-alcoholic beverages onboard. Non-alcoholic beverages per Carnival's definition includes drinks such as sparkling water, sodas, energy drinks, juice, and milk). The limit is 12 sealed (not opened) cans or cartons of the beverage and the ounces per can/carton must be 12 ounces or less. The beverages must be in carry-on luggage. 
Important Note:  The policy allows cans or cartons that are sealed. You cannot bring plastic bottles or glass bottles even if they are unopened. Bottles of drinks will likely be confiscated. 

Can you bring bottled water onto a Carnival Cruise?
                          You cannot bring bottled water onto a Carnival Cruise because Carnival's policy prohibits bottled non-alcoholic drinks from being brought onboard. If you bring sealed canned water this would be allowed. 

Does Carnival allows coolers to be brought onto the cruise ship?
                           Carnival's policy strictly prohibits large coolers. However, guests are allowed to bring coolers onboard if not larger than 12'' by 12'' by 12'' and if for the purpose of holding small quantities of non-alcoholic beverages or medication. You must bring the cooler with you as carry-on luggage. 

If I buy alcohol in my cruise port of call can I bring it back onboard?
                         Carnival's policy allows for alcoholic beverages purchased in a port of call to be brought back onto the ship, but these beverages will be confiscated and held until the last morning of the cruise. There are generally no exceptions to Carnival's policy and any alcoholic drinks bought in a port of call will be confiscated upon your arrival back onto the ship. Pick-up information for these beverages will be communicated to you at the time the drink is confiscated. On some cruises port of call purchased drinks are delivered to your room, but on most cruises (especially shorter cruises) you will have to pick up your alcoholic beverage from a designated area of the ship on the last day. Make sure you do not forget to pick-up your purchases before getting off the cruise on the last day!

Can I bring snacks or food onto a Carnival Cruise?
                             You can bring snacks or food onto a Carnival Cruise ship as long as the snacks are pre-packaged and un-opened. Carnival's prohibited items list specifically says food that is homemade or pre-cooked is not allowed. Carnival will not provide any refrigeration, storage, or food preparation for any items. 

For More Policy Information:
                             I highly encourage you to read Carnival's website before your cruise to get the latest information on what drinks or foods/snacks are allowed or not allowed prior to your cruise. The policy is subject to change at any time!
Click Here For Carnival's Policy Center - see the "Carnival's Liquor & Beverage Policy" section and "What items am I not allowed to bring" sections for more details. 

           Try to spot these Galveston landmarks or things from your cruise ship while docked or sailing away from Galveston!  Galveston is a homeport for many cruise ships and a great place to begin your cruise vacation. When I cruise from Galveston, I always try to spot different buildings, landmarks, and things around the city while the ship is docked at the terminal and sailing away. I created this mini scavenger hunt to help those sailing from Galveston know of some things to look for from the deck of their ship. Some of the things on my list are able to be seen when your cruise ship is docked, but other things can only been seen once the ship is sailing out of Galveston. 

Quick About Cruising From Galveston:  Cruise Terminal 1 is now named Cruise Terminal 25, Cruise Terminal 2 is now Cruise Terminal 28, and the new Royal Caribbean cruise terminal is Cruise Terminal 10. This numbering system reflects the pier numbers. 

         There are many more things you can look for from your cruise ship as it departs Galveston, but this list is my favorite items to look for as my cruise departs. 

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This article was originally written on 3/7/2015, updated in July 2016 & August 2019, and updated again in October 2022. ​

           Thanksgiving Day is quickly approaching for 2022 and Carnival Cruise Line usually does a few onboard activities to celebrate the holiday. Carnival Cruise ships typically will have a special Thanksgiving Menu available in the main dining room for evening's dinner. Additionally, there are usually special activities held that are Thanksgiving themed. 
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Will Christmas decorations already be up for a Thanksgiving cruise?
Most Carnival ships will not be decorated for Christmas at the time of the Thanksgiving cruise. To see the 2022 Carnival Cruise Christmas Decoration schedule please click here. 
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         Carnival Cruise Line decorates each ship around the November or December timeframe with Christmas decorations and a menorah. Typically, each Carnival ship has a Christmas tree and Letters to Santa box in the atrium area. Other Christmas decorations are scattered throughout the ship which typically include garland in the atrium, a Christmas village made of food, and more. The exact decorations will vary by ship!
            Carnival Cruise Line has announced the 2022 Christmas decoration schedule for the ships. Typically the first date of the decorations is the start of the Christmas & holiday cruises. 

Carnival Breeze |  Thursday, December 1, 2022
Carnival Celebration |  Sunday, December 4, 2022
Carnival Conquest |  Friday, December 2, 2022
Carnival Dream |  Sunday, November 27, 2022
Carnival Elation |  Monday, November 28, 2022
Carnival Freedom | Thursday, December 1, 2022
Carnival Glory |  Sunday, November 27, 2022
Carnival Horizon | Saturday, November 26, 2022
Carnival Legend | Sunday, December 4, 2022
Carnival Liberty |  Friday, November 25, 2022
Carnival Luminosa | Sunday, December 4, 2022
Carnival Magic | Sunday, November 27, 2022
Mardi Gras |   Saturday, November 26, 2022
Carnival Miracle |  Sunday, November 27, 2022
Carnival Paradise |  Saturday, December 3, 2022
Carnival Panorama |  Sunday, November 27, 2022
Carnival Pride |  Sunday, December 4, 2022
Carnival Radiance |  Friday, November 25, 2022
Carnival Spirit |  Sunday, November 27, 2022
Carnival Splendor |  Monday, December 5, 2022
Carnival Sunrise | Saturday, December 3, 2022
Carnival Sunshine |  Monday, December 5, 2022
Carnival Valor |  Monday, November 28, 2022
Carnival Vista | Saturday, November 26, 2022

The listing for 2022 was posted by John Heald, Carnival's brand ambassador, on Facebook. You can also view a more updated schedule along with a list of sailings for the Holiday show on Carnival's website by clicking here. 

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