Carnival Unveils “The Next Course”: Emeril Lagasse Restaurants for Festivale and Tropicale, Plus Fleetwide Menu Upgrades

What Carnival announced

Carnival Cruise Line unveiled "The Next Course" on June 11, 2026, at an event in New Orleans with Chief Culinary Officer Emeril Lagasse — a fleetwide culinary push aimed at families who eat most of their meals on board without upgrading to specialty restaurants. For Carnival's core Caribbean audience, the message is straightforward: included dining is getting more attention at a time when headline fares still matter.

The line serves more than 100 million meals a year to more than six million guests, so even small menu changes touch a huge share of vacation budgets. This announcement sits alongside — but goes broader than — the June 7 main dining room menu rollout already sailing on Celebration and other ships.

New restaurants on Festivale and Tropicale

The splashiest pieces land on future Excel-class ships. Four new specialty restaurants and bars will debut on Carnival Festivale, entering service in 2027, and Carnival Tropicale, due in 2028:

• Emeril's Coastal Seafood — Emeril Lagasse-led seafood venue; Travel Weekly reports a $50-per-person cover charge
• Uku Lei Lei
• Fetaccine
• Le Bistro Musicale — Festivale only

These are optional add-ons above your base fare. Pricing for Uku Lei Lei, Fetaccine, and Le Bistro Musicale has not been confirmed in the trade sources we reviewed.

What's changing across the fleet now

Rollouts already underway include refreshed main dining room menus, a Lido Family Menu, Bagels @ Sea, a revamped Chef's Table menu, express dining, expanded grab-and-go, and mobile ordering. Trade coverage notes main dining rooms may open as early as 5 p.m. on some ships — useful if your family prefers earlier seatings.

Carnival has not published a ship-by-ship schedule for every fleetwide item, so already-booked guests should check the Carnival HUB app or ask on board as new menus appear. The June Celebration menu test was one early step; The Next Course frames the longer-term Emeril partnership and the future-ship venues coming on Festivale and Tropicale.

What this means for you

If you are comparing Carnival Caribbean sailings against another line, weigh what is included — not just the posted fare. Your base ticket still covers the main dining room and Lido buffet; Emeril's Coastal Seafood and the other future specialty venues are extra spend when those ships sail.

For food-focused travelers, the fleetwide grab-and-go and express dining updates may matter more than waiting for Festivale in 2027. Families sailing Miami short hops this fall can sample refreshed menus on current ships while specialty Emeril dining remains a future-ship story. Our Miami Caribbean cruise planning guide walks through homeport logistics if you are weighing departures from South Florida.

When we checked on June 12, sample Carnival Caribbean sailings started from about $258 per person including taxes and fees — a directional sample across thousands of options, not a quote for your cabin. Filter below to compare live fares against the dining upgrades you care about.

What to do next

If you are already booked, watch the Carnival HUB app for menu updates on your ship and budget for specialty restaurants separately from your included meals. Shoppers deciding between booking now versus waiting for Festivale should weigh near-term fleetwide changes against the 2027 debut timeline.

When you are ready, browse Carnival Caribbean sailings or scan today's deals for a wider comparison across lines.