Eating on the Lido Deck

As promised, here is my cruise food review!  On our cruise ship, the Carnival Fascination, there were two dining options: Lido Deck and Sensation Dining Room.  The Lido Deck is composed of mini-restaurants including: Pizzeria, Deli, Buffet, Grill, Mongolian, and a Salad Bar.

One benefit of eating on the Lido Deck is the freedom to wear just about anything.  Tons of people went through the lunch line wearing their bathing suit and flip-flops.  Whereas to eat in the Sensation Dining room, you have to meet a general dress code.

The Lido Deck operates on a typical time schedule, serving meals based on the time of day: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Midnight Snack Bar.

Breakfast Bar

We only ate breakfast on the Lido Deck once.  The options were just about the same whether you ate on the Lido Deck or in the Sensation Dining Room, and we preferred the atmosphere of the dining room.

I loved the lemon poppyseed muffins.  Unfortunately, they were only available on the first day! 

The breakfast bar offered a selection of cheeses, meats, danishes, bagels, muffins, melons, grapefruit, bananas, apples and oranges.

Other breakfast selections were omelettes, french toast, waffles, pancakes, sausage, bacon, etc.

It's a good thing coffee was available 24/7, or else Grandpa might not have gotten on the ship!

Deli

In my opinion, the best food on the Lido Deck came from the deli.  I ordered this amazing sandwich twice. 

Fresh Mozzerrella Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato & Pesto on Foccacia.  It was supposed to have Argula instead of iceburg lettuce, but I'm not complaining because it was still incredibly tasty!

Austin ate at least one Grilled Reuben a day.  I may or may not have eaten a few bites every time, too.

Corned Beef, Sauerkraut, and Swiss Cheese melted on Rye bread.  Yum.

Mongolian Grill

We ate at the Mongolian grill for our first meal on the ship.

Then we went back again another day because it was quite tasty!

The best part about Mongolian Grill is the option to choose your own veggies, meat, noodles and sauce.

Veggie options included: carrots, onions, bok choy, mushrooms, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, bean sprouts, peas, and more!

Meat choices varied from day to day, but included: beef, chicken, shrimp, pork, and clams.

There were also a couple of different noodles and sauces to choose from.

Lunch Buffet

My least favorite food on the Lido Deck was the buffet.  Not because the food was horrible, but because I am buffet-challenged.  I always fail at compiling an appetizing plate when the options are endless.  See below if you don't believe me.

My incompetency at the buffet can be credited to my attempt to try a taste of everything.  The results?  I have a bunch of random food that doesn't go together, and I am left with only a tiny bite of the items that I truly like.  Sure, I could go back for seconds of the food I liked; but at that point, it's more tempting to just fill up on dessert.

Austin enjoyed the buffet much more than I did.  Then again, as I've said before, he'll eat anything.  Who even needs a garbage disposal when you've got him around?

Clearly I need to take a few lessons from him in the Art of Buffet Eating.

Salad Bar

The salad bar makes a great lunch.  And the best part is, if you're still hungry, you can always grab a sandwich from the deli.

There was an assortment of components for making the optimal salad.  I was so happy to find raisins and sunflower seeds!

Grill

The longest line always formed at the Grill counter.  I guess this is the real-American food: hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken nuggets and fries.

Burger toppings were typical: cheese, mushrooms, onions, lettuce, and tomatoes!

Everyone loves a burger!

Actually, Annie is chowing down on a piece of cardboard slice of pizza.  You won't see any pictures of the pizza here, though.  Frankly, the pizza on the cruise ship was pathetic.  And I'm not just saying that because I'm a pizza snob.  Austin ate a slice and he never went back for more.  That never happens, trust me.

Dessert Bar

I saved the best for last: dessert.

We consumed our fair share of ice cream cones.  Soft-serve ice cream and frozen yogurt are available 24/7.

Any flavor combination you like: strawberry, chocolate, or vanilla!

Desserts, desserts, desserts!

Apple crumble cake with vanilla ice cream on the side.

After a day in Key West, we had to try a slice of key lime pie!  Again, complimented with a side of ice cream.

My overall score for the food on the Lido Deck was B+.  My favorites were the deli and the dessert bar.  I never got bored with the food options because the buffet was ever-changing, and we mostly only ate on the Lido deck for lunch.

Next up: Sensation Dining Room.

Do you like eating at a buffet?

I don't prefer buffets.  The food is usually mediocre, at best.