So far, I've shared all the food available in the Carnival Main Dining Rooms AND Lido Marketplace on the Magic ship.

But, there 's even more food than that. There are a number of additional food spots included in the cost of the cruise. Here are some of those:

Guy's Burger Joint



"When we went looking for someone to help us grill up the best burgers at sea, we found just the guy. Carnival teamed up with best-selling author, restaurateur and Food Network personality Guy Fieri to bring all the authentic appeal of a roadside burger shack to Guy’s Burger Joint, the cool poolside spot for hot burgers and hand-cut fries.



Try a fresh-off-the-grill burger Guy’s way, or take it off-road to our toppings bar and truly make it your own.



And since Guy’s vision for burger perfection knows no borders, our Fun Italian Style ships each feature a Guy’s Burger Joint location that adds exclusive Italian flavors to the menu. (We’re talking a pepperoni pizza burger, plus the Super Melty Mootz, which comes smothered in — you guessed it — mootzarella cheese!)"



These burgers themselves are pretty simple, but then there's a topping bar to take it to the next level. Pretty tasty overall.




Guy's Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que



"When the cool ocean breeze hits your nose with the sweet smell of smoke, you know you better follow it to Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse. At this onboard, open-air spot, Guy's doin’ his authentic, real-deal barbecue, his way.



The Barbecue Hall of Famer is bringin’ some big time meats like Championship Pork Butt, Smoked Round of Beef, Smoked Andouille Sausage and his famous Blue Ribbon Chicken as well as rockin’ sides like Mac Daddy Mac n Cheese, Old Skool Potato Salad and Collard Greens. Throw in his signature line of barbecue sauces and you’ve got a rockin’ sea day on deck"



This one is only open on Sea Days and during lunch, so I had to make sure to schedule this one out. And, then there was a bit of line, but it was worth it.



Pork butt, mac & cheese, potato salad - it was all tasty.




BlueIguana Cantina



"Nobody knows Mexican dining like a blue iguana. Well, our blue iguana, at least.



That’s why it should come as no surprise that the BlueIguana Cantina™ features freshly made tacos and burritos stuffed specially for your enjoyment.



Throw our homemade tortillas and salsa into the mix, and you have a casual dining experience that will make you say “mmmm” (which is actually Iguanese for “more, please”).



This location offers both breakfast and lunch, so I had to hit up both. I had a breakfast burrito in the morning and fish tacos in the afternoon. Both pretty tasty - but the salsa bar is where it's at.




Pizzeria del Capitano



"On Carnival ships, the captain tends to be kind of a big deal — almost a celebrity. On select ships, they’ve even got their own pizza spot. The best news? Pizzeria del Capitano is open morning, noon, and late into the evening… and you’re invited. And since our captains tend to be Italian, you know we’re talking primo ingredients. We start with hand-tossed dough, made from imported Italian flour, and add fresh mozzarella to form a solid base. Then there's a choice of toppings, to put the finishing touches on this piping hot, fresh-from-the-oven mealtime — or snacktime — classic. (Also, try our caesar salad — buono, capisce?)"



Pasta Bella



The pasta restaurant is an added cost and is only open for dinner BUT there is a scaled down version of it available for lunch.



It's a single sheet of paper where you can determine how you want your pasta cooked. And it's great!




Last, but not least, some room service is included in the cruise cost.



Only breakfast is included, and it's fairly limited, but boy is it nice to have it brought right to your room.



I called the night before to get some cereal and bagel with cream cheese.



Room service is available outside of breakfast hours, but it comes at a cost.



Next, and finally, I'll share the restaurants that are an additional cost.

The main alternative to the sit-down dining room is the Lido Marketplace.



The Lido Marketplace is essentially a buffet that is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night. And there are a variety of stations - both self-serve and made-to-order - to choose from.



Breakfast included options like eggs benedict and an omelette station.



Lunch features a salad bar plus tons of stations that include Italian or BBQ or Mexican and more.



Often, there is a theme, and you can find similarities between what is in the main dining room and what is on the buffet.



Comfort food items were on a bar labeled Comfort Kitchen.



Here's a sampling of my goodies.



and more!



There's also the Carnival Deli, which has hot pastrami on rye, grilled Reuben, roasted turkey breast on a country roll and more.



I tried a philly cheesesteak here.



The Mongolian Wok station features Asian fare.



Select your noodles and veggies.



Then tell the chefs which meat you want in the wok.



Finally, add a sauce and voila.



The Carvery is a station where they literally carve meat right for you.



It was roast beef on the day I visited.



The Sweet Spot is where your desserts are. On one sea day afternoon, they do the Chocolate Extravaganza where all of the desserts are chocolate.



Swirls is the ice cream bar. Choose from chocolate, vanills or strawberry.



I had ice cream just about every night.



Good Eats was another station with tons of tasty options, usually served late night.

For my first cruise ever, I booked with Carnival. It's the more price-conscious, family-friendly cruise line.



The specific ship for my cruise route was Carnival Magic. Each of the ships have their own names and individual amenities.



"At 1,004 feet, this one continued the Dream class tradition of large-scale, bow-to-stern cruise ship fun including the food-and-entertainment space Ocean Plaza, the splashy stylings of Carnival WaterWorks™... and The Lanai, a convenient, scenic half-mile outdoor wraparound promenade deck. In other words, a cruise on Carnival Magic has no shortage of its namesake charm! This is also the ship that introduced the world to Cucina del Capitano®, which serves up Italian favorites fit for a captain. Who can forget their first taste of RedFrog Pub®, with its laid back, not-a-worry-to-be-found atmosphere... plus its exclusive, tasty, not-a-drop-to-be-found (on land, that is) beer, ThirstyFrog® Red. And if you wanted to visit the original Guy's Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse™... guess which ship you'd check out! Keeping with the times, Carnival Magic features the delicious good times of Guy's Burger Joint™, BlueIguana Cantina™, Alchemy Bar® and RedFrog Rum Bar®."



I decided that I wanted to try as many food options as possible. It required a bit of planning because some restaurants are only open on certain days, certain times, some are included in the cost, some are an additional cost, some need reservations in advance, some have food waiting for you.

MAIN DINING ROOM
-Dinner-
This is the main dinner option that is included in the price of the cruise. You select "your time" dining or a "set" dining time, and you essentially have reservations in the dining room each evening of the cruise. It is a seated three-course meal, and the menu changes each night of the cruise. Sometimes there are themes, and there are always standard options, like chicken breast and broiled steak. Each menu also includes some "Emeril Selects," which are interesting options inspired from Chef Emeril Lagasse. And each menu also includes the option to "upgrade" to steakhouse selects and enjoy higher end entrees for an additional cost. I chose to have dinner in the main dining room - Northern Lights - several times during my cruise. But, here are the menus for the whole 7-day cruise:

Day 1



Day 2



Day 3



Day 4



Day 5



Day 6



Day 7



Day 8



Here are some of my dishes from the above menus.



First, they all begin with bread & butter.



Papardelle with braised lamb, tomato cream sauce, garlic and parsley.



Cornish game hen with root vegetables and pan sauce.



Lemon sorbet.



Spaghetti carbonara with bacon, parmesan, garlic and cream.



Broiled striploin steak with creamy peppercorn sauce, vegetable succotash, and buttered parsley potatoes.



Banana cream pie.



Chilled strawberry and chia seed with sweet yogurt and poached strawberry.



Chicken cordon bleu with ham, swiss cheese, creamy lemon caper sauce.



Carnival melting chocolate cake.



Emeril Selects appetizer - fried tomatoes - Louisiana special, breaded and fried, creole shrimp remoulade.



Poached pig ale and cheddar soup with roasted vegetables, mushrooms and smoked onions.



Penne Mariscos with shrimp, calamari, mussels and tomato cream.



Baked Alaska.

MAIN DINING ROOM
-Breakfast-

While dinner is the biggest meal of the trip, the Main Dining Room also serves breakfast on port days. And, it happensd fo be in the other dining room than the one I was assigned for dinner, so I was excited to get to experience both.



Here is some of what I tried:



Avocado toast with poached egg. Cheese on the side.

MAIN DINING ROOM
-SeaDay Brunch-

On sea days, there is brunch. It is served a little later and has some different options from the traditional breakfast menu.

Here's some of what I tried:



First, some small pastries for the table.



Skillet cake with whipped ricotta, guava preserve, marshmallow & maple butter.



Huevos Rancheros with tortilla, roasted chicken, manchego cheese and fried eggs.

MAIN DINING ROOM
-Afternoon Tea-

During the afternoon on sea days, tea and pastries are served in the main dining room.



I did just a light tea because that's not really my thing.



And, waiters came around with little nibbles - like pastries, cucumber sandwiches and tarts.



And that's it for the Main Dining Room! Stay tuned for more dining options.