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:
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.
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.
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.
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).
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!
