Deen on Deck. It's a travel blog.

Some cruiselines have a reputation for food that’s… not amazing. Institutional, mass-produced, equivalent to your average high school cafeteria — but dressed up to feel faaaaaancy. Carnival, in particular, is one where the perception is that passengers care way more about the liquid food than the solid — that they’re there to party and they won’t even remember what they ate. As long as it cures the hangover. Which, incidentally, I hear the Guy’s breakfast burgers are amazing at… Ok, but I digress.

So, how WAS the food? Actually, for the most part, it was great! Like many aspects of the just-recently-sailing-again Carnival Paradise, there was good and bad — but mostly good!

The Scores:

1. The Coffee Bar (and I believe it’s literally just called “Coffee Bar” on Paradise) — really great. Unexpectedly great. Yes, there’s an upcharge here, but it’s a very reasonable $3.75 for a Grande. Highly reccomend – the perfect Mocha, in my opinion.
2. Destiny Main Dining Room — Never let us down. Good every single night.
3. Guy’s Burgers, of course. Delicious as ever. If only they weren’t 7,000 calories. But that’s not the burger’s fault. It can’t change what it is. Perfection.
4. Blue Iguana — nice break from the buffets and main dining room and always has that freshness to it. Ya girl always loves a burrito from Blue Iguana. Bonus: The lines were never too bad here.

The Misses:

1. Seaday Brunch Sad to say, this was disappointing. Service was slow (probably because it was in Elation) and they seemed to be out of a lot of things.
2. Every MDR breakfast I had, come to think of it, was a miss. They were completely out of my beloved Indian breakfast feast, Masala Dosa (which is a huge bummer, since I dream of it all year) and what they did have was some dry, cold pancakes and some game-y bacon. Pass. 😦
3. Elation. Need I say more? Every meal I had here was…. bad. I really hope they improve in the coming months, but for now – avoid Anytime Dining in Elation Main Dining room at ALL costs.

Coming up: The menus…