As a further return to normalcy and offering guests unique and memorable experiences onboard, Carnival Cruise Line is resuming the behind-the-scenes galley tour that is part of the Chef’s Table dining experience on its ships.
The tour resumption is effective immediately, and includes the in-galley dining or designated Chef’s Table dining locations where available.
Galley Tour Returns
The Chef’s Table experience is a highly popular, exclusive dining event onboard every Fun Ship. The event includes a once-in-a-lifetime menu prepared as guests watch, but the even more enjoyable parts of the event are the insider insights provided by the master chef and assistant chefs hosting the event.
Part of the insights include the behind-the-scenes galley tour, where guests have the opportunity to see where thousands of cruise ship meals are prepared every day.
Carnival Cruise Line brand ambassador John Heald announced on his popular Facebook page on September 7, 2022, that the galley tour will now be returning to every Chef’s Table experience.
“I am so pleased to let you know that the Chef’s Table events will be now include the return of the galley tour before the meal,” Heald said. “For those ships that have the tables inside the galley or the special ‘Chef’s Table’ dining rooms, these will also be open again.”
The galley tour gives participants to see a part of the cruise ship not open to the public, as well as to see the appliances, storage facilities, and other areas related to food preparation, even as the ship’s staff is hard at work to prepare the next meal, decadent desserts, and other culinary creations.
The tour was initially discontinued when cruise travel resumed after the industry shutdown to better preserve sanitation protocols, promote social distancing, and protect crew members and guests from accidental transmission.
Furthermore, the entire Chef’s Table experience was temporarily suspended in mid-May due to crew staffing shortages that made it impractical to offer such an exclusive, personalized experience with multiple crew members, which impacted dining services in other areas of each vessel.
The popular dining option was finally restarted from June 30, 2022, aboard all Carnival ships, and is always sold out quickly and given rave reviews from guests.
Another Behind the Scenes Option Still to Return
Resuming the Chef’s Table galley tour is one more step toward a full return to all the most popular Carnival cruise experiences, but there is still one very popular option missing.
The cruise line has not yet resumed the “Behind the Fun” Ultimate Tour that includes visits to a variety of areas vital to a ship’s daily operations. While the tour varies on each ship and can be impacted by overall operations, guests typically visit the ship’s bridge, engine control room, staff dining areas, laundry, and other spaces.
A brief look at the main galley is also often included in the “Behind the Fun” tour route, but without the detail, insights, and deluxe menu available through the Chef’s Table experience.
These tours are only offered once per sailing on the last sea day of the voyage, and space is only available for 16 interested guests.
According to Carnival’s website, the “Behind the Fun” tour continues to be suspended at this time.
“Given our focus on returning to service and executing our health and safety protocols, we will not be able to offer this tour until further notice,” the website says.
Heald has indicated that this exclusive tour will be returning, however, though no firm date has been announced for its resumption.