Many cruise lines offer specialty dining options, smaller, themed restaurants that are available at an additional cost. That’s in addition to the variety of dining options included in the cruise fare. Writer Sherry Spitsnaugle shares the experience of the Cucina del Capitano menu as well as other fun activities on the Carnival Breeze cruise ship.

Save this article to Pinterest to help you plan your specialty dining experience and cruise on Carnival Breeze. Images are from Cucina del Capitano, top row, and from ports Costa Maya and Cozumel including the author, her great niece, and niece. Photos by Sherry Spitsnaugle. Graphic by RealFoodTraveler.com.

Your next cruise: Why dining in the specialty restaurant should top your list

Aromas of garlic and fresh bread greeted us as we walked into Cucina del Capitano, one of two specialty restaurants on the Carnival Breeze.

My niece, Kelly; great-niece, Sammy, 14; and I immediately loved the cozy café with its red and white checkered linens, soft lighting, and open-air kitchen. Sammy clapped her hands when our server delivered a platter of warm, cheesy rolls to our table.

Cheese garlic rolls are a favorite at Cucina del Capitano’s menu, a specialty restaurant onboard Carnival Breeze.

Lorraine, our server, endeared herself even more to Sammy when she suggested a non-alcoholic Bellini, made by substituting ginger ale for Prosecco. Sammy took one sip of the fizzy, mango cocktail, and exclaimed, “This is YUMMY!”

The sun had already set as we sailed the Gulf of Mexico on the second evening of a five-day cruise heading for Cozumel. We clinked our glasses—the adults with Chianti and Sammy with her virgin Bellini—and toasted each other and the feast we anticipated.

Hungry for more? Get our Editor’s Tips for making the most of specialty dining.

Cucina del Capitano Menu on Carnival Breeze Cruise Ship

We shared an appetizer of antipasti, the classic Italian dish of pâté, prosciutto, capers spread, and olives. By the time our entrees arrived, we had devoured the entire plate of rolls; Lorraine noticed and brought another round.

After our main courses of chicken parmigiana, grilled shrimp with roasted pancetta, and linguini with clams, we finished with biscotti and limoncello. Then, we expressed thanks and said our goodbyes.

Grilled shrimp and veggies at Cucina del Capitano specialty restaurant.

The intimate dining experience in the small restaurant with only eight tables allowed time for us to chat with Lorraine who told us her home country is the Philippines. Sammy quizzed her about what it was like to work on the ship.

“I met my husband on the ship and we have a great life,” Lorraine told us, adding that her favorite part of the job was meeting the passengers.

In keeping with Italian customs, we were treated like family.

When we left, the chef and cooks, stirring and grilling in the open kitchen, stopped to wave goodbye and Lorraine hugged each of us.

Why pay more to dine in a ship’s specialty restaurant?

We had dined the night before in our assigned, general dining restaurant, which was perfectly fine but didn’t compare to the relaxed setting in Carnival’s version of an Italian trattoria, found on select Carnival Cruise Line ships.

With more than 3,000 passengers on board, the massive two-story dining rooms seat hundreds of guests while Cucina del Capitano accommodates fewer than 50.

Cucina del Capitano, which translates to captain’s kitchen, recreates recipes of the Italian captains and officers. Designed to feel like a captain’s home, childhood photos of the ship’s Italian crew adorn the walls.

The evening we dined at Cucina del Capitano, Carnival Breeze Captain Giuseppe Donato ate with some of the crew at the captain’s corner table.

True to Italian tradition, food was served in large portions, using vine-ripened tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, and fresh rosemary, oregano, and sage.

Dining in the specialty restaurant on many cruise lines is not included in the price of the cruise, but the flat fee ($18 per person plus the cost of drinks at Cucina del Capitano) was worth the additional cost.

Captain’s table at Cucina del Capitano.

Hungry for more? Read Sherry’s tips for cruising with kids.

Other activities on the Carnival Breeze cruise ship: morning yoga, fun on the sports court, ropes course

We rose early the next day for yoga in the Cloud 9 Spa, with fitness trainer Francis from South Africa. With its crew of 60 different nationalities, Carnival Breeze provided the chance to engage with people from all over the world.

When Francis introduced himself, he pronounced his name, “Fron-cis.”

“Here, I’m Francis,” he said, emphasizing the letter “r” and speaking in a Texas drawl.

With only five people in the class, we received extra attention, and also chatted after class with other participants. One woman even joined us for breakfast following class and we all agreed to meet for the 4pm Pilates class.

The ship offers a range of services in the spa from morning stretch classes to lectures such as, “Improve Your Posture,” “Eat More and Weigh Less,” and “How to Increase your Metabolism.”

There’s also a sports court, ropes course, and water slide on the top deck.

Activities abound onboard Carnival Breeze.

Ports of Call

In our first port of call, Costa Maya, Sammy swam with the dolphins on one of Carnival’s pre-arranged excursions.

After her adventure, she opted to spend some of her money to experience a fish spa, where customers place their feet in a bin of water filled with inch-sized fish.

She handed over a twenty-dollar bill for twenty minutes of tiny fish nibbling at the dead skin on her feet, leaving newly exposed skin. Sammy claimed it tickled as she giggled and squirmed while the fish swam around her toes, arches, and heels.

The area of Costa Maya where we visited focused solely on cruise ship passengers, so the shops felt touristy and manufactured. But we didn’t care. We settled at an outdoor café among palm trees in the tropical breeze and ordered cheese quesadillas, chips and pico de gallo.

Chips and salsa in a restaurant in one of the ports on the Carnival Breeze cruise ship.

We agreed that there is something about the food in Mexico that cannot be duplicated in our home state of Colorado.

We had been looking forward to snorkeling in Cozumel, our second port of call, but our excursion was canceled due to wind. The area near the ships was packed with cruisers and tourists, so we took a taxi for $15 to the center of town. We found a café and enjoyed a repeat meal of quesadillas, chips and guacamole.

In the taxi back to the ship, I mentioned how busy the town was, and the driver put his hands together in prayer. He told us how empty the area had been during the pandemic.

“We love everyone coming to our island,” he said.

Cozumel welcomes visitors to the port from various cruise ships.

Dive-in movie under the sky

We skipped dining in the restaurant after our day in Cozumel and opted for pizza as we reclined in lounge chairs and watched Top Gun: Maverick play on the giant screen above the swimming pool.

Dive-in movie night took place on Carnival Breeze’s mid-deck as the ship sliced through dark waves under a starless sky.

The chilly ocean air made it perfect for huddling under fleece blankets and eating pizza, popcorn, and chocolate cake.

Memories of cruising on the Carnival Breeze ship: La dolce vita

On the final night of our cruise, we dined in the main restaurant. Over our meals of grilled salmon, fried chicken, and jumbo shrimp, we took turns naming our top three highlights from the cruise.

Kelly said she loved dinner at Cucina del Capitano, yoga class, and being together in our cozy cabin.

I repeated her number one choice of our Italian dinner and added dive-in movie night and eating pico de gallo in Costa Maya and Cozumel.

For Sammy, swimming with the dolphins, limitless ice cream, and hanging out with the other teens on the ship didn’t make the cut. Not even the animal-shaped towels our cabin steward left on her bed each night were on her list.

Her highlights came from one source: Cucina del Capitano. She gave it some thought and then rattled off, “My Bellini, cheesy rolls, and Lorraine.”

We’re already thinking about our next cruise. We don’t know which cruise line we’ll choose or where we’ll sail. But we know we’ll splurge on the specialty restaurant, with its intimate setting, gourmet cuisine, and we hope — a server as welcoming and gracious as Lorraine.

Carnival Breeze from port of call, Costa Maya, Mexico.

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Choose Your Cruise and Specialty Dining

To select our cruise, I worked with CruiseCompete, a company that works with cruise experts to gather the best quotes. After creating an account, I entered dates, number of people, type of ship, and preferred city of departure. Within minutes, I received quotes from several agents. When I had specific questions, I chatted with my personal cruise expert. CruiseCompete celebrates its 20th year in business this September.

Most cruise lines offer one or more specialty restaurants that charge a flat fee. Premium lines such as Silversea include all restaurants (and a butler!) and the drinks flow without additional charges.

Small ships such as UnCruise, which accommodate an average of fewer than 100 passengers offer relaxed dining, alcohol, and superior cuisine, which are included in the price of the cruise.

Viking River Cruises and Viking Ocean Cruises offer dining areas that are destination-focused such as Manfredi’s, which offers farm-inspired foods from Tuscany.  Viking’s inclusive value provides for all onboard meals that include beer and wine with lunch and dinner. Some restaurants on board Viking require a reservation; it’s best to check ahead.

Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Disney Cruise Line, each offer specialty restaurants.

-Story and photos by Sherry Spitsnaugle

Hungry for more? Sherry tells what it’s like on an UnCruise ship.