I'm not going to lie. I'm the target audience for a Chef's Table, whether it's on Carnival or any other cruise line. I regularly seek out tasting menus at restaurants, devise elaborate menus for theme parties and, unfortunately for my waistline, eat just about everything.
So I was thrilled when my very late bid for a reservation at Carnival Magic's Chef's Table went through. My traveling companion begged off -- allergic to seafood, she said, and the idea of talking about food for several hours bored her to tears.
I have no problem taking on a gastronomic adventure solo. Our group met in the Atrium near Guest Services. As expected, the other passengers were couples, including one group of four traveling together from Charleston, South Carolina. We had all dressed "country club casual" -- button-down shirts, khakis and a few jackets on the men; maxi dresses, cute tops and skirts or capri pants for the women.
It wasn't a particularly chatty group -- my first inkling that this Chef's Table would be a little more subdued than others I had attended. A jolt of electricity hit the group when the ship's executive chef showed up.
While he's not entirely in charge of the Chef's Table menu -- it's drawn up at the corporate level, with input from all of the executive chefs in the fleet, he said -- he would be our guide for the evening, shepherding us through each course and showing us around the galley.
Other passengers watched curiously as we walked through the dining room, passing into the kitchen. There, a phalanx of wait staff greeted us, directing us to a prep table that had been cleared, save small mason jars filled with olives and thinly sliced ribbons of manchego cheese.
Flutes of Champagne were handed out and the feasting began with an onslaught of adorable amuse-bouche dishes. The bites were innovative; Salt and Sugar, for example, came as olives with a cotton candy floss. A tiny shrimp po'boy was topped with bacon ice cream.
Smoked salmon with candied lemon arrived on a metal tree. Each taste warranted a photo. Yet my fellow guests seemed tentative. Normally at a Chef's Table, each dish is greeted with oohs and ahhs. Foodies like to take photos and then dig in. Not so here, where people poked their olives and winced at savory ice cream.
After our bites, we were welcomed to the actual table, a long rectangle set attractively in a quieter area of the galley. Personalized menus greeted us, as well as a selection of breads, served with roasted walnut pesto and homemade butter.
Dias gave a proper introduction of what we'd experience through the night. Then the first round of "real" appetizers began. Presentation is where Carnival's Chef Table excels, and this was evident from the first dish. A soup bowl was set in front of us with a small whisk and a container of matcha green tea powder nearby.
Waiters poured green pea soup from clear teapots as we whisked the matcha powder into the hot liquid. The concept was fun and interactive; the table perked up with the whisking, although only a handful actually touched the green soup. The next dish, a more traditional pork belly and shrimp app, received more approval murmurs. Break time. Before the entrees arrived, Chef Dias walked us through the kitchen, which was currently in the middle of busy dinner service.
Despite the hectic atmosphere, the smiling dining crew handled us gawking without missing a beat. One of my favorite finds was a photographic list of every appetizer, entree and dessert that Carnival Magic's dining team serves during its different cruises. In a kitchen with many native languages, the visual representation can help. Next, Chef Dias led us to another prep table, where several mixing bowls had been set out.
It's no secret that the warm chocolate melting cake is one of Carnival's signature desserts. We were given a demonstration on how it was made and one lucky member of our group -- a line cook at a diner, he later told us -- received a chef's hat and stirred the batter.
A fixed kids' menu is also available at lunch and dinner. For finer fare, you can order from the Nouveau Restaurant menu for a small surcharge, but this is an unnecessary way to spend extra money unless you really have to eat that premium steak or lobster. Breakfast in the dining room also provides a more sophisticated option to the all-you—can-eat buffet with a nice selection of hot items, eggs cooked to order, juice, milk, tea and coffee.
The buffet has more food, but you'll feel fancier sitting at one of the tables in the quieter Empire. International Food Plaza: This casual, buffet-style dining area offers passengers a choice of 10 international food stations.
Enjoy Asian and Italian, carvery meats, sandwiches, pies, snags, salads and desserts. Pirate Pizza, located in the back corner, serves free wood-fired pizzas to order 24 hours a day. Don't miss the chance to try a fresh-baked breakfast pizza. Other complimentary breakfast options include made-to-order omelettes, pastries, fruits, cereals and standard hot breakfast options.
During breakfast, complimentary chilled orange and apple juice is also available, along with milk, tea, coffee from a machine and water. There is also a barista-run coffee bar, but items here do carry a small surcharge. BlueIguana Cantina: One of our favourite fee-free venues on board is the BlueIguana Cantina , an authentic Mexican-style cantina serving a range of tacos and burritos with traditional toppings.
Most people go there for lunch but the best-kept secret is its flavour-packed breakfast burritos and huevos rancheros , with the added bonus of dining poolside away from the morning buffet crowds.
Guy's Burger Joint: Just a few metres from the cantina are some of the best burgers at sea, brought to you by celebrity chef Guy Fieri's Guy's Burger Joint. The open-air American-style venue has free fresh-off-the-grill burgers and hand-cut fries with a choice of toppings.
If you like Aussie-style burgers, just ask the crew for a Boomerang Burger. It's not listed on the menu, but your burger will come topped with wads of delicious beetroot relish. Fat Jimmy's C-Side BBQ: If you have a lunchtime hankering for a sizzling barbecue, Fat Jimmy's dishes up tasty sausages, pulled-pork sandwiches, jacket potatoes, salads and more. This was one of our favourite outdoor gems, hidden away up the stairs from the mid-ship pool on the Lido deck. Taste Bar: Only open in the early evening, near the RedFrog Pub and Pharaoh Theatre on deck 2, Taste is the spot for complimentary samples of some of the great cuisine served at the ship's speciality restaurants.
The concept is to have a taste of the non-free food for free, to try to lure you in, so be sure to take advantage of that. Ice cream: Unlike most other cruise lines, Carnival still has a free soft serve ice cream machine. You can help yourself to cones or bowls of vanilla or chocolate ice cream and frozen yogurt, on the Lido Deck near the pool, all day and all night.
Free non-alcoholic drinks are available at several stations across the ship and in all food venues. These include chilled water, a lovely selection of teas, coffees, espresso machines and hot chocolate. Free orange and apple juice is available during breakfast. The tap water in your cabin is filtered and drinkable.
Compulsory tipping is not enforced on Australia-based Carnival ships, though passengers are welcome to reward crewmembers for exceptional service. You'll find a huge variety of live free entertainment on board Carnival cruise ships every night at a range of various venues.
There are free Dive-in Movies by the pool, Broadway-style musicals, game shows and magicians at the 1,seat theatres, plus comedians at the Punchliner Comedy Club. Various bands and solo entertainers perform at multiple bars and lounges, and on select nights you can sing on stage with a band at the best karaoke at sea.
To get into the swing of things, pack costumes for the free themed party nights, which are a great laugh. The Funtimes cruise newsletter will arrive in your cabin daily and is packed with more than 45 activities to choose from each day. Staff-led deck activities include a beanbag toss, golf chipping competitions, a Wiggle for Westmead fundraiser and family scavenger hunts. There are also organised pool games, sports tournaments, card games, quiz and trivia sessions, cooking demonstrations, health and wellness seminars, dance classes, towel-folding workshops and more.
The all-weather Dome pool has a retractable roof, elevated hot tub and plenty of sun lounges. The Sun Pool is located further forward toward the bow and is identical to the Dome Pool, minus the proliferation of sun lounges. The Serenity Pool is a smaller pool and hot tub located in the adults-only Serenity area. Carnival's waterpark area on the top deck is a standout and has a SplashZone for little cruisers with mini-slides, water play and tipping buckets.
There's also a nine-hole mini-golf course, a golf simulator and a basketball court on the Sports Deck. Passengers also have free use of the ship's huge air-conditioned fitness facility fitted with state-of-the-art equipment including weight machines and free weights, stationary and recumbent bikes, cross-trainers, stair climbers, treadmills and a rowing machine.
Families have access to a fully supervised, complimentary kids' club program, run by qualified youth staff and separated into age-appropriate groups. No thank you. Is the vivid blue kinda unnerving as you sip on it? Vodka Cruisers are a good drink as they are often of special so they can be quite cheap. Pom Pom. They're alright. Not again. Sometimes described as an alcopop, this premixed drink is available in seventeen flavours, including guava, lemon, lime, passion fruit, pineapple, raspberry, and other flavors depending on location.
Drink Responsibly. Great to share with friends and swap flavours. Delicious and fruity, a real treat for the senses. Who knows! I would like to find Walker Cookie tins in Ohio? Pomagranite is the flavour base for that. I love the variety of flavours as I dont like to drink the same flavour every time. Here you go then. Need proof? If you know me, you know that my go-to holiday drink is a four pack of Cruisers. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
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