This was our eighth Carnival Cruise, our first aboard the Magic. We have never eaten in the Carnival Steakhouse before for one reason…it costs extra. Ron is frugal when it comes to dining out. If we can’t eat for under $40 at a restaurant, we don’t go to that restaurant, period. So paying $35 per person to eat on a cruise, when amazing food is available in the Main Dining Room or on the Lido Deck, just doesn’t make sense to him. Thankfully, we were blessed to be able to give it a try.

We booked our dinner in the Carnival Steakhouse from the phone in our stateroom. You can also book online before your cruise, or at the Carnival Steakhouse kiosk on the ship. We chose to dine at 6:00pm, the same time we would normally eat in the Main Dining Room so that we would remain on schedule with the rest of the family for the evening.

We checked in at the steakhouse just before 6:00pm. We were seated right away. We had two very attentive waitresses. The steakhouse seats approximately 50 people so it is a more intimate and quiet dining experience. You are still very close to the other tables so it is nice but not super romantic.

My 18oz Spice-rubbed Prime Ribeye Steak

The Carnival Steakhouse Food

The menu for the Carnival Steakhouse is full of delicious sounding choices. First we were brought a small tomato soup and some different breads to choose from. Next they brought by a tray with the different cuts of meat on it so that you could see the size and cut you would be choosing. We placed our orders for our appetizer, salad, and entree with side dish. I chose the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail, Sliced, Sun-Ripened Beefsteak Tomato, the 18oz Spice-rubbed Prime Ribeye Steak, and Baked Potato with all the trimmings. Ron ordered the Grilled Portobello Mushroom, Classic Caesar Salad, the 18oz Spice-rubbed Prime Ribeye Steak, and the Steamed Broccoli.

Our meals were amazing. Everything was cooked to perfection. The ribeyes were done just as we asked and were very flavorful. I thoroughly enjoyed my beefsteak tomato. The meal is well paced, you don’t feel rushed, but you also don’t notice too much lag time either. We were amazed that we each polished off an 18oz ribeye! It was just so good, you HAD to keep eating. As we were sitting there stuffed to the gills, the waitress came and asked what we would like for dessert. Did we have room for dessert? Well, I ordered the Cheesecake with Hazelnut Biscuit and Ron ordered the Sherbet. Honestly, the cheesecake was a let down. It was rather dry. Since I wasn’t very hungry I didn’t mind leaving most of the cheesecake behind. Next time I’ll order the Chocolate Sampler.

Is the Carnival Steakhouse Worth the Extra Money?

In one word, yes. I would love to return to the Carnival Steakhouse on a future cruise. While Ron would never be persuaded to pay for it, I would, just like I do all our “fancy” meals when we travel. I usually set aside money when we travel for 1 or 2 dining experiences that don’t fall in Ron’s budget. On future cruises, I will take us to the Carnival Steakhouse. The quality of the food, the ambiance, and the entire dining experience are worth the extra cost.

Carnival Steakhouse Details

• The Carnival Steakhouse experience is available on the following ships:Spirit,Legend, Miracle, Pride, Conquest, Glory, Valor, Liberty, Freedom, Splendor, Breeze, Dream, Sunshine, Vista, and Magic.
• There is a kid’s menu available for children ages 11 and under for $10. I don’t recommend taking your young children.
• You need reservations.
• The attire is cruise casual/cruise elegant based on the night so make sure you dress appropriately.

Are you ready to book your Carnival Cruise vacation? Email Me and let’s get started.

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About the Carnival Hub App

The Carnival Hub app is available for free from both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. I highly suggest you download the app before you leave for your cruise, the free wifi on board is often very slow, especially in the first few hours before the ship leaves port. The app also works as a countdown calendar before your vacation so that is a little added fun! At the time of this writing my app says my next cruise is 57 days away!

Once you board the ship, open the Carnival Hub app and click “I’m Onboard, Log Me In” at the bottom of the screen. This is when the app comes to life. You can view and interact with the digital Fun Times deciding what activities you want to attend. Click the star icon next to an activity and your app will alert your 15 minutes before that activity is about to begin. You can also view all of your dining and beverage options on the app. The most recent upgrade even added the menu for the Main Dining Room. The app has searchable deck plans so you can find your way around your floating home away from home. You can even purchase the CHEERS and Bottomless Bubbles drink programs from your app once you are onboard the ship. The latest upgrade also added a weather feature! All of the above features are free and run on the free Carnival wifi, just put your phone in airplane mode so that you don’t accidentally receive large charges if you lose wifi signal.

For the low price of $5.00 per device you can use the messaging feature of the Carnival Hub app. Find your friends and family who are onboard and add them to your messaging page. Ron and I did this on our last cruise and we found out that to use this properly you need to keep the app running all the time which, on some phones, could eat into battery life.

Mom Maven’s Thoughts

I loved having the free info on the Carnival Hub app in my pocket at all times. The additions of menus and weather will be great on my next cruise. The messaging worked ok but sometimes I closed my app, because I always close all my apps, and missed messages from my husband. I think this will just get better as we move forward and the technology evolves but what we have is a great start.

If you are thinking about booking a Carnival cruise, please Email Me my vacation planning services are FREE.

The post Download the Carnival Hub App Before Your Next Cruise appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Carnival Cruise Line’s newest ship, the 133,500-ton Carnival Horizon, will
be the first in the fleet to feature Dr Seuss WaterWorks, a vibrant water park inspired by the whimsical world
and words of the legendary children’s author. The 3,934-passenger vessel is set to debut in Europe April 2,
2018.

The announcement was made by Carnival President Christine Duffy and Dr Seuss Enterprises President
Susan Brandt at Cruise3Sixty, an annual gathering of travel agents held in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Dr Seuss WaterWorks builds upon the line’s distinction as the family cruise leader carrying nearly
800,000 kids a year as well as the incredible success of the fleetwide Seuss at Sea program, an exclusive
partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises that features immersive onboard Dr Seuss-themed youth, family, dining
and entertainment experiences.

About Dr Seuss WaterWorks

Located on Deck 12, Carnival Horizon’s Dr. Seuss WaterWorks will offer two distinctly different slides
each promising their own splash-tastic fun. Inspired by everyone’s favorite feline, The Cat in the Hat slide will feature an enclosed raft slide
offering more than 450 feet of heart-racing twists and turns. The entrance resembles The Cat’s famous red and
white hat with the distinctive color pattern carried throughout the slide in alternating translucent and opaque
sections.

Sure to be equally fun will be the Fun Things slide, an enclosed body slide with whimsical polka dots
and special lighting effects and named after the mischievous duo Thing 1 and Thing 2 and encompassing 213
feet of exhilarating all-ages fun. Dr Seuss WaterWorks will also include a 150-gallon tipping bucket patterned after The Cat’s hat, along
with a kiddie splash zone with dozens of water spray toys.

Larger-than-life images of famous Dr. Seuss characters – including The Cat in the Hat holding an inner
tube, The Grinch sporting a surf board tucked under his arm, and Thing 1 and Thing 2 frolicking atop their
namesake slide – will greet visitors as they enter the park, with memorable Dr. Seuss phrases displayed on clear
partitions that surround the facility.

”Our ships are designed as the ultimate seagoing playgrounds and Carnival Horizon will take this
concept to the next level with the spectacular Dr Seuss WaterWorks which promises fun for guests of all ages,”
said Duffy. “Dr. Seuss is an iconic American brand and we’re delighted to expand our partnership with this
incredible top-deck water attraction for our guests.” Added Brandt, “We’re excited to build upon our relationship with Carnival by introducing our first-ever water park. Dr Seuss is all about family fun and togetherness and we can’t wait to see our characters come to
life in this colorful and exciting space.”

Dr Seuss WaterWorks is just one of several family-friendly features on Carnival Horizon which will
also feature the groundbreaking bike-ride-in-the-sky attraction called SkyRide, an IMAX Theatre and the
SportSquare outdoor recreation area with a suspended ropes course. A wide range of accommodations will also
be offered, including extra-roomy staterooms in Family Harbor, which will include a Family Lounge area with
large screen TVs, board games and complimentary breakfast, cookies and other snacks.
Carnival Horizon will also feature the Dr Seuss Bookville family reading and play venue and popular
Seuss at Sea activities like The Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast with The Cat in the Hat and Friends and the
Seuss-a-palooza Parade and Story Time.

Carnival Horizon Sailings

Carnival Horizon is scheduled to make its maiden voyage April 2, 2018, with a 13-day Mediterranean
cruise from Barcelona – the first of four round-trip departures from this port. Carnival Horizon will reposition
to the U.S. with a 14-day trans-Atlantic crossing from Barcelona to New York May 9-23, 2018.
Following a summer schedule of four-day Bermuda and eight-day Caribbean departures from the Big
Apple, Carnival Horizon will shift to Miami and kick off a year-round schedule of six- and eight-day Caribbean
cruises beginning Sept. 22, 2018. Carnival Horizon will also offer a special two-day cruise to Nassau from
Miami Sept. 20-22, 2018

All Carnival sailings are currently open for booking through April of 2019. If you have any questions or are ready to plan your next Carnival cruise vacation please Email Me, I’m here to help make your next vacation a memorable one.

The post Dr Seuss WaterWorks Debuts on the Carnival Horizon in 2018 appeared first on The Mom Maven.

We were ushered into the dining room past a Cat in the Hat ice sculpture to adorably decorated tables which set the scene for the fun to come. The breakfast/brunch menu is creative and classic. With offerings like…

• Do You Like Green Eggs and Ham? Would you, could you, on a boat? Try them while you float. Try them and you may, I say.
• Scrambled Super-Dee Dooper-dee-Booper, Special de luxe a-la Peter T Hooper Omelets We’ll crack’em and shuck’em and chuck’em in pans. We’ll mix in some beans and use fifty-five cans We’ll mix in whatever you wish; Feel free to create your own stupendous egg dish.
• Truffula Tree Pancakes Those pancakes! Those pancakes! Stacked high as the trees. I’ve been searching my whole life for stacks such as these.
• Horton’s Cereal-Crusted French Toast So, gently, and using the greatest of care, Horton tossed bread and cereal in the air, and he lifted a plate and placed it close, and when his mixture landed it was cereal French Toast.
• From There to Here, From Here to There, Funny Belgian Waffles are Everywhere One berry, two berry, red berry, blue berry. Waffles with whipped cream. Waffles without. Just tell us which one; no need to shout.
• Fox in Socks Steak and Eggs Don’t blab such blibber blubber! Try to say filet mignon topped with two fried eggs, Béarnaise sauce, chopped potatoes and grilled tomatoes. Now is your tongue numb?

Ron and I both had the Fox in Sox Steak and Eggs, Oh My Goodness it was delicious! I have been thinking of that filet ever since! We seriously can’t stop gushing about how delectable our food was. We checked in with others at the breakfast and everyone agreed, the food was top-notch.

During the meal time we had three different character interactions. We were visited by Thing 1 and Thing 2, then by the Cat in the Hat and finally by Sam I Am. All of the interactions were good. The character handlers had autograph stamps for kids who wanted their books autographed by the characters. We all had individual or family pictures taken with each character.

We have done several different kinds of character meals over the years and the Green Eggs and Ham breakfast on Carnival was great. It had appropriate whimsical theming, delicious food and good interactions with beloved characters. To top it off the breakfast is only a $5.00 per person up charge  during your cruise! The character meal is available once per cruise on all Carnival ships and is held typically on a sea day. Reservations are suggested but ‘walk-ins’ are welcome (space permitting); during peak seasons, reservations may be necessary. Reservations can only be made once on board by contacting the reservation line (extension 32323) between the hours of 10:00am and 10:00pm. The phone extension is also listed in the ‘Fun Times’.

If you are ready to take your family on a Carnival cruise, Email Me for a travel quote.

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