Carnival Cruise Line shares important menu news
Passenger have been really angry with the cruise line about one key change, but there are options.
Adoption of digital menus by restaurants was dramatically accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and they’ve now become the standard for many dining establishments across the United States. Cruise lines are no exception, with QR codes now commonly found on dining tables and no paper menus provided unless there is a specific request.
To be fair, there is a lot to like about using QR codes and app-based menus when in Carnival’s main dining room.
For example, if you decide you don’t like your entrée and want to try something else, you don’t have to flag down a server to bring you a copy of the menu – you can simply pull it up on your smartphone. And if you’re trying to decide which nights to eat in the main dining room and when you should book a specialty restaurant, you can view each night’s menu in Carnival’s app and make your decisions.
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However, not everyone loves electronic menus in restaurants. One survey by Technomic found that a staggering 88% of customers preferred using printed menus over QR codes in restaurants. In simple terms, many people don’t want to bury their faces in smartphones as soon as they sit down at their table, seeing it as more of an inconvenience compared to simply being handed a paper menu.
Carnival will provide a printed menu upon request, but there’s more than one version of the dinner menu. If you weren’t aware, Carnival creates a separate menu for guests who maintain a gluten-free diet and also offer a rather impressive vegan menu. The cruise line recently clarified an often-asked question about the availability of paper versions of these menus.
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Several ways to read the menu
There are several ways to view the main dining room menus on a Carnival cruise. Each table has a QR code that makes it easy to view the menu on your smartphone or other connected device.
There’s also the Carnival Hub app, which includes the dining menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can even view the menus for future days on the cruise this way – for example, if today is Monday and you’re curious what’s for dinner on Wednesday.
It's also important to note that it isn’t just the standard dining menu that is available through these electronic channels. You can also view the wine and cocktails menus, as well as Carnival’s gluten-free and vegan menus.
In addition, there is typically a printed version of the menu on display at or near the entrance to the dining room.
Paper menus are still available on Carnival
While the electronic methods of viewing the menu are fine for most people, many still prefer to have a paper menu in their hands. And it’s important to mention that paper menus are still available – and not just the standard dinner menu.
Carnival’s Brand Ambassador John Heald, who is currently sailing on Carnival Magic, recently posted a copy of that evening’s dinner menu, as well as the gluten-free and vegan options.
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Heald clarified, “Paper copies are available of every menu. That includes the regular menu the gluten-free menu or the vegan menu and they are available always on request especially as we know so many of you prefer it.”
There’s significant overlap between each menu. For example, Heald’s standard and gluten-free menus both featured a shrimp cocktail, Caesar salad, and several other appetizers that were on both. Several entrees, including the roast leg of lamb and roasted sirloin of beef, were on both versions of the menu. However, there were some unique options on both.
Carnival’s vegan menu has more in common with the standard dinner menu than you might think, with the caveat that all of the proteins it features are plant-based. For example, there was a shrimp cocktail and Caesar salad on Heald’s vegan menu, but with some crucial ingredient substitutions.
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