11 Things I Learned about the Carnival Magic Culinary Arts Crew #CruisingCarnival #CarnivalMagic

11 Things I Learned about the Carnival Magic Culinary Arts Crew

Are you planning a cruise in the near future? When booking your vacation, the last thing you probably think about is the inner workings of the ship. The crew aboard the Carnival Magic, when above and beyond during our cruise to ensure we had an enjoyable experience. Whether it was our fun and energetic Cruise Director Dr. E, the medical staff that took care of our youngest when he had an emergency health crisis on the ship or our room steward that made our room feel like home during the entire cruise. Each and every one of the Carnival Magic crew played a part in making our vacation memorable.

During our cruise, the Food Services Manager invited my family and me to experience a private tasting with the Head Chef. We were greeted by Head Hostess Verica at the Northern Lights restaurants and taken to the kitchen for an unforgettable experience.

The head chef came out and talked to us about how he prepares meals for the 3600 plus passengers aboard the Carnival Magic each day. After our tasting, he answered a few questions we had before heading back to finish the seven-course meal he was making for the lucky guests who booked the private experience. The Chef’s Table is a very exclusive experience with seating for only 14 guests.

During our experience I tried to ask questions I thought travelers would be interested in knowing. Here are twelve things I learned about the Carnival Magic Culinary Arts crew.

• The kitchen staff is made up of over 300 members, including chefs, sous chefs, pastry chefs, bakers, servers, and more.
• The main kitchen spans the entire third floor of the Carnival Magic and includes a bakery for fresh bread and patisserie.

• The menu is planned at the Carnival main office weeks ahead of time. They are then given to chef on the ship. They keep the full menu on the wall for each day of the cruise schedule, with color photographs for easy reference.
• Guests with special dietary needs can input the information into their cruise booking online or you can inform your personal Carnival Vacation Planner while booking your cruise. If you forget before boarding the ship be sure to inform your server on the first night of the cruise.
• Servers will always verify food allergies with the chef once they are made aware of any food allergies or special diets.

• Some meals take up to three days to prepare, depending on the sauces required for the dish.
• The head chef tastes each dish he creates to serve guests each night. Meals are prepared in very large portions, so he always samples the dishes to ensure it’s high quality and perfect for guests.
• When the ship docks at different ports, they always feature special menu items that are indigenous to that port (island). Be sure to look for the “Port of Call” section on your menu for those rare opportunity meals. They are only offered on the days you visit that specific port.

• The kitchen staff has a lot of training. They also do special certifications while aboard the ship so they are well trained.
• A lot of prep on the ship is done by hand. Food prepared are fresh and not frozen. Like French fries are made of fresh potatoes and are not frozen.
• On average the Carnival Magic serves over 1000 guests for dinner each night at their Southern and Northern Lights restaurant.

If you’re planning on booking a cruise, trust me you’re in for a culinary delight. They take food service seriously aboard the Carnival Magic and aim to provide guests with the best dining experience possible. To learn more about booking a Carnival Cruise visit their website.