A Food Dilettante's Musings: Cruise Food

Carnival Carribean Cruise Food: Day 7

I find that the last day of cruising is always the day of stuffing-yourself-senseless, a last chance to feel like you can afford to indulge yourself.

Lunch

Antipasto-calamari, prosciutto, portobello, artichoke heart, cherry tomato

Chilled Orange Soup with Tapioca Pearls; German Lentil Soup

Neptune's Chef Salad-iceberg lettuce with greenland baby shrimps, poached scallops, and Alaskan snow crab meat; Chinese Pepper Steak with Steamed Rice

Trout Almondine

Apple Hollander; Gingerbread Cake

Strawberry Pina Colada at the Casino

Dinner

Lobster Bisque with oak wood aged brandy; Mango Cream Soup with ginger

Panko-Crusted Shrimp; New England Crab Cake with apple relish and bell pepper and rosemary remoulade

Barbecued Whole Cornish Hen; Prime Rib au Jus

Capuccino Ice Cream Pie; Grand Marnier Souffle with Orange Vanilla Sauce

Carnival Carribean Cruise Food: Day 6

We spent the entire day 6 in Cozumel and Tulum, Mexico. This was my favorite stop because the excursion was cultural (a visit to the Mayan ruins of Tulum) rather than sporty. We came back to the ship feeling rather sad knowing that Cozumel was our last port before heading back to Galveston.

Dinner

Fried Shrimp with pickled cucumbers and plum sauce; Chicken Tenders marinated in Thai spices

Duet of Petit Filet Migon and Beef Short Rib Confit in a Red Burgundy Sauce; Veal Parmigiana

Chocolate, Raspberry, and Vanilla Cream Cake with almond sponge, raspberry coulis, and raspberry sorbet

Carnival Carribean Cruise Food: Day 5

We only got off the ship to walk on the ocean floor wearing funky underwater helmets at George Town, Grand Cayman. There was nothing above ground that interested us. :-)

So we faced the dilemma of eating at the Cezanne buffet, which was the only dining option open on the ship while at port. The Caymans is expensive and the food doesn't have a character of its own, so we decided to skip lunching on land. Luckily we found a pick-your-own-ingredients to stir-fry station on the opposite side of the 24-hour pizza station. There were a variety of vegetables, 2 kinds of noodles, a choice of beef, chicken, and/or mussels and clams, Thai BBQ sauce, Black Pepper Sauce, or Sichuan Sauce. I got beef and mussels and clams in the super spicy Thai BBQ sauce. We definitely made the right choice for our lunch!

Stir-fried Vegetables and Noodles with Beef, Mussels, and Clams in a Thai BBQ Sauce

Because we had late seating for dinner, we always hit the sushi bar by the casino, which was open from 5-6:30PM. The sushi on the Conquest is better than Holland America, so this was tolerable.

Sushi

Dinner

Escargots in Garlic Butter with Chablis and Pernod; Black Tiger Shrimp, Ahi Tartare, and Hickory Smoked Salmon

Cream of Broccoli with Wisconsin Cheddar; Chilled Creamy Bing Cherry Soup

Salad with Green Beans and Roma Tomatoes

Grilled Jumbo Tiger Shrimps with mustard potatoes; Lemon Confit Topped Grouper with Roasted Cauliflower and Mustard Potatoes

Baked Alaska; Chocolate Cake

Cheese Plate

Carnival Carribean Cruise Food: Day 4

We spent the entire day 4 in Montego Bay and Ocho Rios in Jamaica so only ate dinner on the ship. It was one heck of a great dinner! The spices of the Tom Ka Gai was super spicy especially tasty against a surprisingly strong chicken broth. It started the meal with a bang!

Dinner

Tom Ka Gai; Smoked Duck and Caramelized Oranges

Friend Mozzarella; Sliced Beef Tenderloin with a Noodle Salad

Wilted Spinach and Portobello Mushroom Salad with Blue Cheese and Bacon

New Zealand Spring Lamb Dijonnaise with spiced carrot and turnip mash; Assorted Seafood Newburg Style-Black Tiger Prawns, Scallops, and Mussels in Lobster Sauce with Saffron Rice

Beef Straganoff with pickled beets, sour cream, half a hard-boiled egg, and spaetzle

"Bitter and Blanc" Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce

Carnival Carribean Cruise Food: Day 3

Here's a good advice for anyone planning on taking a cruise. Don't order anything that's fried. Because the dining steward has to wait for the food for each course to get plated for all of his/her diners before he/she brings them out, anything that is fried becomes cold and limp by the time it arrives in front of you. Thus, I made a mistake in ordering the calamari for lunch.

The food improved immediately after day 1, and so I started enjoying the heart and soul of cruising--eating nearly 24 hours a day.

On a really good note, the desserts on the Carnival Conquest sure beats those on Holland America-Volendam!

Lunch