{"id":48358,"date":"2026-04-12T07:26:05","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T07:26:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=48358"},"modified":"2026-04-12T07:26:05","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T07:26:05","slug":"carnival-cruise-testing-chicken-and-waffles-to-replace-previous-barbecue-spot-on-ships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=48358","title":{"rendered":"Carnival Cruise testing Chicken and Waffles to replace previous barbecue spot on ships"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft wp-block-nypost-editor-partner-article-links\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Dining on one popular cruise ship is getting a comfort food shakeup, and passengers are divided over the change.<\/p>\n<p>Carnival Cruise Line is testing a new free lunch menu, Chicken, Waffles &amp; Waves, on select ships, offering a mix of fried chicken, waffles and classic barbecue in one location,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisehive.com\/carnival-cruise-line-testing-new-lunchtime-menu-on-select-ships\/204203\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according to Cruise Hive<\/a>\u00a0and other reports.<\/p>\n<p>The new venue has been spotted on several Conquest-class ships, including Carnival Freedom, Liberty, Glory and Valor.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It replaces a previous\u00a0barbecue-focused station, expanding the menu to include a broader range of comfort food options, though some BBQ will still be available.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are testing some new food options,\u201d Carnival brand ambassador John Heald said in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/JohnHeald\/posts\/pfbid02vVCoo2PyoBRPeou8WNahhKzi8mLT4NAHfmVc4jFTeKxw5otiKM4nBDsZtSCoTgwtl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a Facebook post<\/a>\u00a0this week. \u201cSome very, very exciting new food options.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He also noted the testing extends beyond lunch to new dinner menus, pointing to Carnival Liberty as one ship featuring the lunch offerings on Deck 10.<\/p>\n<p>As the name suggests, the lunch menu centers on chicken and waffles, though the items are served separately, allowing guests to mix and match.<\/p>\n<p>Options include classic fried chicken, spicy varieties and hot honey-glazed versions, along with chicken tenders in flavors like buffalo and Korean-style sauce.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Carnival Cruise Line is testing a new free lunch menu, Chicken, Waffles &amp; Waves, on select ships, offering a mix of fried chicken, waffles and classic barbecue in one location. <span class=\"credit\">be free \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On the barbecue side, guests can choose from slow-cooked pork butt or beef brisket paired with sides such as mac and cheese, coleslaw and potato salad.<\/p>\n<p>The concept blends elements of Carnival\u2019s existing food partnerships, including Guy Fieri\u2019s Pig &amp; Anchor BBQ and Shaquille O\u2019Neal\u2019s Big Chicken, though it is not officially tied to either brand.<\/p>\n<p>The new venue is free to guests, as are many of\u00a0Carnival\u2019s other casual dining options, which is a key selling point for budget-conscious travelers.<\/p>\n<p>But early reactions suggest the concept is a work in progress.<\/p>\n<div class=\"single__inline-module inline-module inline-module--newsletter aligncenter inline-module--nypostbusinessunit aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-newsletter\" data-source-unit=\"Inline Newsletter Module Morning Report\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__title-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__unsubmitted-title-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p class=\"inline-module__cta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In Reddit threads, some passengers praised the variety and convenience, noting short lines and easy access compared to busier buffet areas.<\/p>\n<p>Others, however, say the menu focuses too much on fried food with calls for\u00a0healthier alternatives.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can get deep fat fried food on land,\u201d one woman commented on Heald\u2019s post. \u201cCan\u2019t they try something that isn\u2019t cooked in a vat of oil? Something Mediterranean would be lovely,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<p>Others who had tried the new options since the rollout were less positive.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did not like the chicken,\u201d one person wrote on Reddi. \u201cOver cooked and dry.\u201d Someone else said the waffles could be crispier.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The concept blends elements of Carnival\u2019s existing food partnerships, including Guy Fieri\u2019s Pig &amp; Anchor BBQ and Shaquille O\u2019Neal\u2019s Big Chicken, though it is not officially tied to either brand. <span class=\"credit\">Solarisys \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>In Reddit threads, some passengers praised the variety and convenience, noting short lines and easy access compared to busier buffet areas. <span class=\"credit\">Solarisys \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But longtime Carnival cruisers were already split on the old BBQ, with some calling it tasty and others saying it was \u201chit or miss\u201d or even \u201cterrible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some Reddit users suggested the new chicken-and-waffles option could be an upgrade from the old BBQ setup, especially if it delivers a Shaq\u2019s Big Chicken-style experience.<\/p>\n<p>Others are looking forward to trying it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sounds like a glorious\u00a0brunch spot,\u201d one Redditor said.<\/p>\n<p>The cruise line has taken a similar approach with other quick concepts, including its Bagels at Sea breakfast option, which began as a trial and has since expanded to more ships.<\/p>\n<p>Industry insiders say the move reflects a growing emphasis on fast, casual dining that better fits modern travel habits.<\/p>\n<p>A recent\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisecritic.com\/articles\/6-cruise-food-trends?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cruise Critic report<\/a>\u00a0noted, \u201cThe days of buffet- and main-dining-room-only dining are long gone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fox News Digital has reached out to Carnival for comment.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/12\/lifestyle\/carnival-cruise-testing-chicken-and-waffles-to-replace-previous-barbecue-spot-on-ships\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dining on one popular cruise ship is getting a comfort food shakeup, and passengers are divided over the change. Carnival Cruise Line is testing a new&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48359,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=48358"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48358\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/48359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=48358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=48358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=48358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}