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 Tips · Trip Reviews

Regal Princess Cruise Review

January 16, 2024 Annalisa DaughetyLeave a comment

On December 27, 2023, we set out on our fifteenth cruise–an 11-night Caribbean cruise on the Regal Princess out of Galveston, Texas.

Our first cruise was in February of 2014 and obviously, we are hooked. Except for “the Covid years” we have tried to go on a couple of cruises yearly and often take others with us. Cruising is by far our favorite way to travel.

We are Carnival loyalists (more on that in a different post) and 12 of our cruises have been with them (we reached Platinum status in June 2023). We’ve done 2 cruises with Royal Caribbean as well.

Now that Princess is spending part of each year with Galveston as a home port, we figured we should give them a try. It’s a real goal of ours to try some of the other lines and begin to build up some loyalty perks with them. (I suspect Norwegian will be next on our list.)

Rather than try and recap the whole 11 days, I’m going to stick to some pros/cons for this post and then do some more specific posts later.

Let’s do the Cons first so we can end on a good note! (Also, it is so ridiculous to have a con list because let’s be honest, a day at sea is a great day but this is for those of you like myself who like to know alllll the info before choosing a particular ship and spending hard earned money on a trip!)

My 5 “least favorite” things about Princess/the Regal Princess”

Not staying on ship time. This was my biggest dislike. On the 14 other cruises we’ve been on, we’ve stayed on “ship time” the whole time. Ship time means we remained on the time zone of the departure port. So if we left from Galveston, we were on Central time the whole trip regardless of the time of the country we were in. This made it very simple, and we never had to worry about falling back or springing forward. But on the Regal, we changed time 4 different times! It made things a little confusing and those nights where we went to bed only to “lose an hour” before the next morning were a little frustrating. Definitely a mark in the “con” column.
Scheduling/Activities. I felt like the times things were scheduled were a little odd. For example, the 80’s party was held at 10 pm on one of the nights we were “losing an hour” and also the night before we had an early port. Giving the fact that this ship was full of an “older crowd” to begin with, the party was not well-attended. Things scheduled at odd times/in odd locations seemed to be the norm on this ship. (I have no idea if this is fleet wide or Regal-specific). I also had a hard time finding activities that I was really excited about. It all seemed a little. . . generic.
Buffet drink situation. I didn’t mind this as much as my husband did. There aren’t stations (except for coffee/hot chocolate) where you can get your own beverages at the buffet. You sit down with your food and have to wait (or flag someone down) for a server to come take your beverage order.
Juice glasses. This was a little annoying, but again I realize these are definitely first world problems. When you order juice in the dining room at breakfast (or at the buffet) they bring you one tiny glass. I’m not exaggerating. They are really small juice glasses and if someone was there to continually refill as needed, it wouldn’t be an issue, but that wasn’t the case. We finally wizened up and started asking for 2 glasses.
Photo Opportunities. This normally wouldn’t be an issue for me, but on this particular trip we had upgraded to the Princess Premiere package which meant we got all of our digital photos plus we each got 3 printed photos. I felt like there weren’t that many backdrops to choose from each night and of the three days we got off the ship, they were only taking photos one day. We never got our photo made in the dining rooms (didn’t even see a photographer while there) and only one time (New Year’s Eve) did we see a photographer roving about taking candid shots. So overall I definitely don’t think we got our money’s worth on photos included with our package.
Main Dining Room Choices. I think this is strictly a personal preference. The food choices in the MDR each night just weren’t “my kind of food.” I think with the option of NYE when I got Surf and Turf, I opted each time for the pasta choice, I got the French Onion Soup twice, and even the dessert options seemed a little lacking for me. It was very elegant and plated beautifully, but the choices (Duck, Lamb, lots of seafood) just weren’t for me. I definitely never went hungry, but there were several nights we skipped the MDR all together because there just wasn’t anything on the menu we were excited about.

Now for the PRO list:

Beautiful Ship. The Regal Princess is stunning. From top to bottom, we were wowed. The layout takes some getting used to, but we loved the Atrium and the glass elevators, the gorgeous staircases, and the fact that there’s a promenade deck that allows you to walk outside on a lower deck (deck 7 in this case) and be nearer the water. The dining rooms were all very elegant and even the buffet area looked like a nice restaurant.
Relaxation. If you’re looking for a relaxing trip, this is the ship for you. The music was low key, there weren’t an abundance of annoying announcements over the loudspeaker, and overall it was pretty quiet.
Service. I felt like this is where Princess really shined. The service was top notch. From the dining room to the buffet to room service–we felt pampered and taken care of but no one was hovering over us. It was perfect and they did a great job.
Late night food. Gone are the midnight buffets of yesteryear–but on the Regal Princess it was nice to have some late night options besides pizza. The International Cafe is open pretty much 24/7 and had desserts, specialty coffees, sandwiches, etc. for anyone needing a before-bed snack. One night (New Years Eve) there was a late night buffet, but I’m not sure if that was only because of the holiday or if they do that one night on each sailing. Either way, we were pleased with all the options.
Specialty Dining Options. We ate in each of the specialty or casual (extra charge) restaurants and we were pleased with all of them. And the added bonus of having a gelato place onboard was a real treat. Even though I did have the Main Dining Room menu options as a con, I will say that overall there were a LOT of dining choices onboard and there was definitely something for every palate.

*We love a Promenade deck that allows you to get closer to the water!*

So overall, we were pleased with our time on the Regal Princess. Although Princess might not become my default line, it is definitely a line I’d like to do again. I’d go on the Regal again tomorrow given the chance, and I’d definitely like to try out some of their newer ships.

Who do we recommend the Regal Princess for? I’d say anyone (single or couple) over the age of 45 who is looking for a very relaxing vacation.

Who do we NOT recommend the Regal Princess for? Families with children (not a lot of things geared towards kids in my opinion), younger or more active couples who enjoy the night life (dance clubs, etc.), or people who want to be constantly entertained while on a ship.

Feel free to reach out with specific questions about the Regal Princess!

*Roatan was the only port where we saw Princess photographers–we liked this one!*

Food & Recipes · Thrifting & Reselling · Trip Reviews

This is Us

August 25, 2023 Annalisa DaughetyLeave a comment

As of now, the concept of this site and the accompanying YouTube channel can only be described as a chaotic hodgepodge of our favorite things. But I suppose that’s good because it means that we are showing you our authentic selves and not some curated life highlight reel. I get tired of seeing only perfection when I scroll through Instagram, so you can expect a dose of reality from us! We are truth-tellers even when the truth isn’t popular.

We love to travel. Planes (okay, I don’t really like flying but sometimes it’s necessary), trains (love), and automobiles (road trips are my favorite), but also cruise ships. Stay tuned as we discuss our love of cruising and why we believe a cruise vacation is your best bet for a family trip! We will also share some honest reviews of various ships and ports. Keep in mind that we are BUDGET travelers. I will scour the internet for the best deals, and we have lots of tips and tricks for keeping costs down. I’d rather take two budget-friendly trips than one break-the-bank trip and that approach to traveling has worked well for us over the years. (Side note: we have a travel agency called Alliston Travel, and we’d love to help you book your own trip, budget or otherwise!)

Thrifty may as well be my middle name. (Except that my actual middle name is one I share with my mom and Grandma. . .although come to think of it, Thrifty should have been their middle names as well because I got my thrift skills from them!) I learned about Poshmark a few years ago. I’d already dabbled some in eBay, mostly as a buyer. I started out selling our own clothing and shoes, and eventually branched out into selling thrifted items. I absolutely love this little “side hustle” of mine. Nothing gives me more pleasure than to find a highly sought after item at a yard sale that I can then resell to someone on eBay. It’s a win-win. The yard sale proprietor makes their sale and gets rid of the item; I get the rush of finding a great deal; The e-Bay or Posh buyer gets the item they want at a very discounted price, and they don’t have to go to the trouble of searching thrift stores or yard sales. . . and an added bonus is that I get to add a little money to our travel fund. We’ll post here and on YouTube from time to time about our reselling journey, brands to look for, and how to find a side hustle you enjoy.

From time to time, I’ll also add some delicious recipes to this site as well as some of my favorite cooking hacks. We are a family that loves to eat. Our gatherings are typically centered around a meal, and there is nothing I love more than to cook homemade meals for my loved ones. However, I am very concerned these days about the chemicals and products in store bought food. If you’re unaware, please do some research on your own about some of the ingredients that are allowed in foods in the USA versus other countries. We try to grow as much of our own food as possible just so we can control what goes in it! I’ll document our journey here as we raise chickens and a garden and learn some of the old school food preservation skills! We’re just beginning to learn to can our own food, and we just purchased a vacuum sealer as well. If doing a little homesteading is something you’re interested in, you’re in the right place!

Thanks for joining us on this crazy adventure! I hope you’ll find some info here that is useful to you–or at the very least just be entertained by some of the (mis)adventures that will happen along our journey.