Key Aspects:
- Carnival Kitchen classes are now open for reservations for sailings in 2026.
- These classes are only offered on Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee.
- Classes range from special cuisines and desserts to full meal experiences.
Guests onboard Carnival Cruise Line’s trio of Excel-class ships can now make reservations for the exclusive Carnival Kitchen classes for sailings in 2026.
These fun and educational activities cover all sorts of culinary creations and are massively popular for both port and sea days.
The opening of the reservations was confirmed by John Heald, Carnival’s brand ambassador. Heald answers hundreds of guests’ questions every week, and has often had to note that the classes aren’t sold out yet on future cruises, but simply weren’t yet available for booking.
“I am glad to say that the Carnival Kitchen cooking classes are now available to pre-book online for those ships that have them in 2026,” he confirmed. “And they are of course Mardi Gras Gras, Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee.”
These small-group classes are offered for a range of tasty treats, including:
- Pasta Master
- Sushi Making 101
- Cake Workshop
- It’s an Ice Cream Kinda Day
- Pit Grill and Smoke
- Pizza Master
- Cupcake Academy
- Bake Shop & Pie Town
- Tailgate Party
Even more immersive options are available such as “El Fuego – A Latin Incident” and “Mission Masala Tiger Class” that include full dinners.
For example, the “Orient Unknown” class offers guests the chance to “unravel the mysteries of southeast Asian cuisine” and create Thai, Indonesian, and Filipino dishes, from soups to satays to desserts.
The shorter classes generally last from one hour to ninety minutes and cost $47 per person. The longer classes vary in time as needed for different meals and cost $67 per person.
How to Take Carnival Kitchen Classes
The Carnival Kitchen classes are available to book before sailing through the cruise line’s website, or guests can sign up onboard via the Carnival Hub app.
These small-group activities do sell out quickly, however, and so pre-booking is highly recommended to be sure guests can enjoy their preferred classes.
Some classes are only offered once per sailing, while others may be offered multiple times throughout a cruise. Exact scheduling can vary depending on any itinerary changes or adjustments for individual sailings.
Carnival Kitchen is only available on the fleet’s Excel-class ships, Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee.
In 2026, Mardi Gras is offering 7-night Eastern Caribbean and Western Caribbean itineraries from Port Canaveral, with every cruise visiting Celebration Key in the Bahamas.
Carnival Celebration is homeported year-round from PortMiami, also offering both weeklong Eastern and Western Caribbean sailings with visits to Celebration Key.
Carnival Jubilee sails from Galveston and offers 7-night Western Caribbean itineraries to Roatan, Costa Maya, and Cozumel through mid-September 2026, at which time she will switch to alternating 6- and 8-night cruises.
The 6-night Western Caribbean sailings will visit Cozumel and Roatan, while the 8-night cruises are to the Bahamas to visit Nassau, Half Moon Cay, and Celebration Key.
Read Also: Carnival Ships by Size – Ranked Largest to Smallest
With up to 6,500 guests onboard each ship, thousands of travelers will have the opportunity to enjoy Carnival Kitchen classes in the coming year. But with that many guests, it’s sure these limited opportunities will also fill up quickly.
Interested guests should consider booking their classes right away to ensure the best selection and availability.
Will Carnival Festivale Offer the Classes?
Carnival Cruise Line’s website confirms that the upcoming Carnival Festivale, the fourth Excel-class ship for the Fun Ship fleet, will also host Carnival Kitchen classes.
While Carnival Festivale is now under construction and in fact bookings for the ship opened in August 2025, she will not be sailing until 2027 and no Carnival Kitchen reservations are yet available for her cruises.
The new ship will be homeported from Port Canaveral, offering 6- and 8-night sailings. At that time, Mardi Gras will transition to shorter 4- and 5-night cruises.
Undoubtedly, classes will continue to be offered onboard both ships in 2027, but those reservations are not likely to open for at least several months.
