Carnival Cruise Line is offering passengers a multi-course dinner experience in under an hour as part of its latest onboard enhancement, Express Dining.
Currently, Carnival passengers can spend up to two hours at dinner in the Main Dining Room, with early dining starting around 5:00 p.m. and late dining starting after 7:00 p.m.
But with the new Express Dining experience, dinner can be over in a much quicker time frame.
Available every night in the ship’s main dining room, groups of six and fewer have the opportunity to finish their meal in only an hour, according to a recent press release from the cruise line. The offering is perfect for family and friends who want a quick meal to go catch a show or put the kids to bed.
Express Dining is already available on 15 of Carnival Cruise Line’s ships, with plans to expand to the full fleet by the end of May.
“Our guests continue to tell us they value greater flexibility in how they spend their time on board, and Express Dining was designed with that in mind,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “Our pilot program generated positive feedback from our guests.
“With this in mind, we are excited to expand Express Dining to offer them the same high quality dishes and attentive service our dining rooms are known for, while giving guests the ability to use more of their time to enjoy all the other onboard fun.”
Despite its speedy service, Express Dining still maintains “a thoughtfully curated menu, mirroring the main dining room offerings, with a slightly abbreviated selection,” as noted in the release.
The offering is currently available on ships including the Carnival Jubilee, Carnival Celebration, Carnival Venezia, Carnival Firenze, and Carnival Panorama. A full list of ships with Express Dining can be found here.
Guests who are booked under the cruise line’s flexible Your Time Dining option can pick Express Dining on the Carnival HUB App for no additional cost.
According to the press release, the dining option comes after the launch of Family Express service on the Lido Deck, which was first introduced on Carnival Vista and is now available fleet-wide.
Family Express is a quick-service lunch buffet option, perfect for kids and families. It’s designed to reduce dining wait times for families and offers fast food options like chicken tenders, hot dogs, and mac and cheese.
Carnival Cruise Line is making multiple moves this year to enhance its dining experiences. Starting May 4, the company is offering guest favorites spots like Fahrenheit 555 and Bonsai Sushi Express on board Carnival Adventure and Carnival Encounter, which sail from Sydney and Brisbane, respectively.
Known for its premium cuts, Fahrenheit 555 offers “beef cooked to guests’ exact specifications, alongside a standout selection of seafood, gourmet mains, tempting appetizers and an extensive wine list,” according to a February press release.
Meanwhile, Bonsai Sushi Express has an affordable menu of made-to-order sushi, sashimi, rolls, salads, poke bowls and desserts.
