Carnival Cruise Line testing new cruise lunch options
Enhancing cruise food offerings with more options for passengers to enjoy on board is a key focus area for Carnival Cruise Line in 2026. Recent enhancements introduced across the Carnival fleet have primarily centered around adding more convenience and flexibility for complimentary cruise meals with new options like Express Dining in the main dining room and a Family Express offering at the Lido buffet.
Now, as Carnival continues to focus on upgrading cruise dining, the cruise line is in the process of testing new menus on select ships, from new main dining room dinner menus to new casual lunch offerings.
Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald shared one new lunch menu that the cruise line is currently testing on select ships on his popular Facebook page on April 8.
"As I've mentioned, we are testing some new food options, some very, very exciting new food options on different ships and not only a new dinner menu," Heald said. "For example, today's highlighted ship, Carnival Liberty, has this menu at lunchtime served on deck 10."
Want the latest cruise news and deals? Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter.
Carnival testing new fried chicken-focused lunch menu
On board Carnival Liberty, Carnival is currently testing a "Chicken Waffles & Waves" menu as an addition to the complimentary lunch options available on the ship. The menu offers a selection of chicken dishes available with or without a side of waffles, as well as barbecue selections and sides.
The new "Chicken, Waffles, & Waves" menu includes:
- Classic Fried Chicken
- Spicy Fried Chicken
- Crispy Chicken Burger
- Saucy Chicken Tenders
- Hot Honey Glazed Fried Chicken
- Fluffy Waffles
- Slow Cooked BBQ Port Butt
- BBQ Beef Brisket
Related: Try these casual cruise ship specialty dining gems
The menu also includes sides of creamy coleslaw, mac and cheese, and potato bacon salad.
If the menu proves popular with Carnival Liberty passengers, it will likely roll out to more ships soon as Carnival continues its work to enhance the complimentary food options available on board its cruise ships this year.
New menu expands dining options on ships with fewer lunch venues
The decision to test a new menu of chicken dishes for lunch likely stems from the popularity of Big Chicken, a casual dining venue featured on Carnival's Excel-class ships and Carnival Radiance. Big Chicken was founded by Shaquille O'Neal, Carnival's Chief Fun Officer, and serves a menu of crispy chicken sandwiches and chicken strips.
Smaller, older Carnival ships, like Conquest-class Carnival Liberty, lack Carnival's newer lunch venues, so introducing some new menu options on these ships can freshen up casual cruise dining and add more variety to the offerings.
In comments on Heald's post, a number of passengers noticed the similarities between the new menu and what's available on Carnival's newer ships.
Related: Can you eat healthy on a Carnival cruise?
"We tried Shaq's for the first time on Celebration and we loved it! This new menu for ships that don't have Shaq's would be awesome," Christina Thrower said.
Many passengers are glad to see Carnival focusing on expanding options across the fleet and bringing more dining variety to older ships.
"I'm happy to see the expanded menu, more choices will appeal to more members of a group and allow them to eat together," Michael J Garvey commented.
(The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.)
Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me's Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@postcardtravelplanning.com or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published April 8, 2026 at 2:10 PM.