Carnival Jubilee Food Review

February 23, 2025 Annalisa DaughetyLeave a comment

Here’s a comprehensive review of the food on the Carnival Jubilee. For context, we were on the Jubilee in early February 2025. For what it’s worth, our trip on the Jubilee was our 16th cruise, and we’ve cruised on 3 lines so far: Carnival (obviously), Royal Caribbean, and Princess.

Value:

I can safely say that the food included on the Jubilee makes this ship the best value at sea (in my opinion). The Main Dining Room and Lido Buffet are always included on every ship we’ve ever been on. Beyond that, it varies from line to line and then from ship class to ship class. On the Jubilee (an Excel Class ship), there is SO MUCH included in your base cruise fare. Here are the venues you can eat in at no additional charge:

Pacific Restaurant (Main Dining Room for “My Time Dining” which is what we always choose)
Lido Marketplace Buffet
Guy’s Burger Joint
Guy’s Pig and Anchor (Barbeque)
Shaq’s Big Chicken
BlueIguana Cantina
Beach Buns (sandwiches and hot dogs)
Coastal Slice Pizzeria
Street Eats (food trucks that change menus daily)
Fresh Creations (salad bar)
Cucina del Capitano (free at lunch on sea days, free at dinner the first time and $8 each additional time)
Chibang (free for lunch on sea days, free at dinner the first time and $8 each additional time)

That is a LOT of food included in your base cruise fare! You could easily go on a cruise on the Jubilee for a week and not spend a cent of additional money beyond your cruise fare and still eat like a King.

As far as the quality and taste of the food, we were extremely satisfied with all the selections throughout the week. Here are some of our favorites:

*Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon and brunch potatoes*

Breakfast/Brunch

Johnny’s favorite was the Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon. He ordered this three mornings at sea day brunch, and also on the day we were getting off the ship. He loved it.

My favorite of the week was the Skillet Cake with Whipped Ricotta, Guava Preserve, Marshmallow, and Maple Butter, served with a side of Crispy Bacon and Cheese Grits.

*Skillet Cake with Crispy Bacon (not pictured are the delicious cheese grits!)*

Honorable mentions include the Chicken & Biscuit with chili honey glaze syrup from Shaq’s Chicken, a breakfast burrito made to order from Blue Iguana Cantina, and the Parfait with gluten free granola, Greek yogurt, and wild berries on the Sea Day Brunch menu.

Lunch

We spend a lot of time talking about our love of Guy’s Burger Joint, so it probably comes as no surprise that for both of us, our favorite lunch of the week was a Guy’s burger.

*Our first meal when we board a Carnival ship is almost always a Guy’s Burger!*

Johnny tried out the newest burger, the BBQ Rum Runner. (the new burger comes with super melty cheese, jalapeno-pineapple salsa, rum BBQ pulled pork, coleslaw, shaved onion, pickle, and donkey sauce).

I am a fan of the Ringer, which is a burger with super melty cheese, BBQ sauce, and an onion ring.

This was our first meal onboard the Jubilee, just after we boarded. It definitely didn’t disappoint, and we each enjoyed a Guy’s burger later in the week for lunch as well.

Honorable mentions include the Caprese Sandwich at Sea Buns, the Crispy Chicken Sandwich from Shaq’s Big Chicken, the make your own pasta bowl at Cucina del Capitano, and the BBQ chicken and brisket plus sides at Guy’s Pig and Anchor.

Dinner

During the week, there are so many dinner choices. We had the main dining room 3 nights, Chi Bang 2 nights, Cucina del Capitano 1 night, and Guy’s Pig and Anchor 1 night. I will definitely make different choices next time I’m onboard! Although Guy’s Pig and Anchor is good for lunch and in fact was one of our honorable mentions, I do not think it is as good in the evenings as the other options. Given the chance to do it again, I’d skip out on dinner at Pig and Anchor and probably choose to go back to the Italian restaurant again.

Johnny’s favorite dinner meal was at Chi Bang and was the Sweet and Sour Shrimp. (this was definitely an honorable mention for me! We love Chi Bang!)

My favorite dinner was actually on night one in the Main Dining Room and was the Szechuan Shrimp. It was absolutely delicious, and I found myself wishing it was on the menu again.

Our honorable mentions: anything at the Italian restaurant (Johnny had the Spaghetti, but he requested Nonna’s meatballs and red sauce with it and it was great), Lobster in the main dining room on the second elegant night, and filet mignon in the main dining room on the first elegant night.

Appetizers/Desserts

One of the most fun things about dining on a cruise ship is that you get to choose appetizers and desserts! It’s such a treat (we don’t normally splurge on those when we go out to dinner at home) and often we find that we enjoy the appetizers/desserts every bit as much as the main course.

*The Carnival Melting Chocolate Cake is my all-time favorite!*

One thing I like to do in the Main Dining Room is to order the Cheese Plate (from the dessert menu) as an appetizer. I love “fancy” cheeses and so this is one of my favorites.

Our “best” appetizers of the week included Crawfish Strudel (Johnny), Cheese Plate (me), Spinach Salad (me), Nonna’s Meatballs (Johnny), Caprese salad (me), and Spring Rolls from ChiBang (both of us) with Sweet and Sour sauce (you have to ask for that sauce specifically).

Our favorite desserts of the week included the Carnival Melting Chocolate Cake (my all-time favorite), the Banana Split (Johnny–and just FYI, this is on the kids’ menu in the main dining room, but grown-ups can order it, too!), Tiramisu (Me, from the Italian restaurant), and Creme Brulee (Johnny, Main Dining Room).

*Spinach Salad with walnuts, blue cheese, oranges, and raspberries.*

If you’re torn between appetizers, you can always order two! Don’t be afraid to try something new. And in the main dining room, if there isn’t an appetizer that sounds good, you can ask for a main course in an appetizer portion. Our experience has been that they are very accommodating if you just ask.

Final Thoughts:

I often read the reviews from other cruisers and am shocked at the ones who constantly complain about the food, the menus, the options, etc. The Jubilee is our second time on a Carnival Excel Class ship (our first was the Mardi Gras) and we are so pleased with the options. There is so much included that it feels impossible to even try it all! In this food review, I didn’t even touch on stuff like late night snacks (sandwiches, burgers, etc.), nearly round-the-clock self-serve ice cream, pizza, and room service. My guess is that if you cruise on the Carnival Jubilee and come home with absolutely nothing nice to say about the food. . .it might be that either you just like to complain, or cruising just isn’t for you! There is something for every palate on board and if the many included options don’t measure up for you, you can always pay extra to enjoy the steakhouse, Rudi’s Sea Grill, the hibachi bar, the Seafood Shack, Emeril’s Bistro, or sushi.

Also, for those of you who have a special diet, I did notice that there was a Gluten Free Menu and a Vegan Menu each night, and every meal that we had the waiter would specifically ask us if anyone at our table had any dietary restrictions or food allergies. So, for those of you who are on the fence about cruising due to a food allergy, it seems like you are covered!

Travel · Travel Tips · Trip Reviews

Carnival Jubilee Cabin Review

February 13, 2025 Annalisa DaughetyLeave a comment

*Cabin 5380 on the Carnival Jubilee. Regular Interior Cabin.*

We were on the Carnival Jubilee in early February 2025, and we opted to stay in an interior cabin. After many cruises in many different cabin types, we have pretty much settled on an interior being the top choice for us.

We don’t spend a ton of time in the room, and the price difference between interior and balcony is usually enough to make me feel good about the value of an interior cabin.

Full disclosure: I don’t ever see the value of an ocean view. For us, it’s kind of an all or nothing deal. I either want the value of the interior or I want my own balcony! If I’m going to spend $200-300 more for an ocean view, I’d rather just splurge to the next level and have a balcony. (But that’s just me. To each their own when it comes to room choice!)

Anyway, we opted for savings this time and didn’t regret it. I did a lot of research as well and ultimately, I believe that we were in the very best location on the ship.

In 2023 we were on the Carnival Mardi Gras–a sister ship to the Jubilee. We did what we always do and booked a Lido deck interior cabin. On all our past cruises with Carnival, an interior Lido cabin was awesome. We were right in the middle of the action, and it was super convenient.

However, on the Mardi Gras, we did not feel that way AT ALL! On the Excel class ships like Mardi Gras and Jubilee (and Celebration) Decks 6-8 are what’s known as Grand Central. It’s the center of the ship where lots of activities and shows are. The dining room can be found there, as well as many of the specialty restaurants (Chi Bang, Cucina del Capitano, the deli, the pizzeria, Guys Pig and Anchor BBQ, as well as Summer Landing, the aft pool and lounge area that we enjoyed immensely. The casino can also be found within those decks, as well as Java Blue Cafe.

After our time on the Mardi Gras, I decided that when we booked the Jubilee we would do things differently! I booked us in an interior mid-ship cabin (near the stairs/elevators) on deck 5.

This was really a perfect location! We could go up one super easy flight of stairs and be right in the middle of Grand Central on Deck 6. This became our group’s typical meeting spot. There were comfy chairs, access to Java Blue Cafe (paid and free coffee and snacks) and a bar nearby where we could get our Dr. Pepper or Fruit Punch fix easily. One more flight of stairs and we were at the main dining room where we had Sea Day Brunch and dinner three of the seven nights of the cruise.

*Full length mirror on the Jubilee is inside the closet!*

The Jubilee is BIG. It’s also got small elevators. Crowded elevators. Hard to come by (sometimes) elevators. Being on Deck 5 meant that we could pretty easily utilize the stairs to go between our cabin and Decks 6, 7, and 8 without needing to wait for an elevator. We did use the elevators when traveling up to Decks 16 and above! But we spent the majority of our week somewhere between Decks 6-8. When it was time to walk off the ship on port days, the Gangway was on Deck 6. That meant one flight of stairs from our room. No waiting in long lines for the elevator. Easy, peasy.

So I was super happy with our location choice and the next time I book the Jubilee (because there will definitely be a next time) I will most likely put us on Deck 5 again.

Now for the cabin itself. . .not gonna lie. The interior cabins on the Carnival Jubilee are the smallest interior cabins we’ve seen on any ship. There was MAYBE a foot of space between the bed and the wall. The bathroom was tiny. Ironically, our cabin was set up for three people and there was actually a pull down bed on the wall. I cannot imagine having a third passenger in a room that small. Maybe a small child, but beyond that I don’t see it being very comfortable at all.

On a positive note, there was ample storage space for our clothing (two closets with drawers and shelves, etc.) and there was room under our bed to store our luggage.

I went prepared for the tight space though, and I took my magnetic hooks so I could hang up as much stuff as possible (hats, lanyards, swim covers, etc.) and I also hung my “over the door” shoe organizer on the wall to hold our other stuff, like sunblock, hair products, vitamins, and misc. items we didn’t want to take up limited counter space.

I would recommend the regular interior cabin on the Jubilee to couples looking for value or to a family of 3 or 4 with small children. Johnny and I discussed it and we really think if your kids are older than 5, you may want to look at a different cabin type just because the room is so small. The regular interior cabin is 158 square feet. For a family with older kids still looking for value, check out the premiere interior cabins, which are a little larger at 205 square feet. That may not seem like much, but it would definitely make a difference!

Travel · Travel Tips

Cruise Favorites and Must Haves

January 11, 2025January 11, 2025 Annalisa DaughetyLeave a comment

Over the years, we’ve found a few items that come in handy on cruise ships–and we want to share those with you! Some of these are must-have items (like lanyards and waterproof phone cases) and others are just things that we like to have (tumblers and straws).

We use these magnetic hooks on EVERY cruise–they go on the walls of our cabin, and we save space by using them to hang hats, lanyards, swim coverups, sunglasses, etc. They are so handy!

The over-the-door shoe holder is a good hack if you’re like us and have a lot of stuff but don’t like the counters cluttered OR if you are traveling as a family with 3-4 in a cabin. We put the holder on the bathroom door and use it to hold medicine, hair care items like hair spray or curling iron, makeup, sunblock, etc. It definitely holds a ton and keeps your room organized.

I LOVE these pop-up hampers. They are super easy to slide in your suitcase and they come in so handy to collect dirty clothes throughout the week.

I’m not gonna lie–I am not a fan of paper or edible straws. I always take these “real” straws with me and use them instead. They are easy to pack and easy to clean and reuse.

The three-outlet charger really does come in handy, especially if you have multiple devices to charge.

The water shoes I listed here are cheap and easy to pack–and they really come in handy if you wind up at a rocky beach OR if you’re like me and kind of squeamish when it comes to putting your feet in the water and not knowing exactly what you may be stepping on!

I’m adding our Go Pro and misc. accessories here in case anyone is looking for a good adventure camera. We love the Go Pro and all the features it has to offer. It’s especially awesome for underwater video and photos.