Key Aspects:

• A Carnival guest has asked if Guy’s Burger Joint could be open 24 hours or at least offer service later in the evening.
• The popular venue is typically open from 12:30-6:30 p.m., though hours can vary. Unfortunately, expanded service is not possible due to cleaning and stocking needs.
• Various other late-night options are available for hungry guests, including the snack buffet and room service.

Guy’s Burgers are some of the most popular food at sea, and in fact, the quick-service venue aboard Carnival Cruise ships has won numerous awards, including best burger in the Cruise Hive Awards four different times – every year the category has been offered!

The biggest problem (other than the occasionally long lines) is that the burgers simply aren’t available for as many hours each day as guests would prefer.

One guest recently reached out to John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line’s brand ambassador, to ask if it might be possible to get the burgers served later.

“What are the chances of getting Guy’s Burger open 24 hours or at least past midnight?” the guest asked. “I need an after club burger!”

Depending on the ship, Guy’s Burger Joint is typically open from 12:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m., though individual hours may vary on port days vs. sea days.

Unfortunately, those hours are not likely to be expanding anytime soon, much to hungry guests’ dismay.

“I’m afraid that’s not going to happen,” Heald responded. “We only have a certain number of crew and do not have the crew to open something like this 24 hours, plus it has to be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized and restocked every day.”

Industry laws do have an impact on how many hours crew members may work, which dictates how different venues can operate and what hours they can be open.

Since Guy’s Burger Joint is only open and serving for 6 hours, it might seem easy to extend the venue’s service hours.

Crew members’ shifts, however, also have to cover the time necessary to prep the food before opening, as well as post-closure cleanup and restocking for the next day.

Heald does go on to remind the guest that there are other late night “comfort food” options available for guests. This includes the late-night Lido Buffet with chicken tenders, pizza, hot dogs, sandwiches, and desserts.

The Late Night Snack Menu was first introduced in July 2023. It was further expanded in November 2024 with more selections and some rotating items for different nibbles each night, including different soups or salads for lighter fare.

Guests can also order from room service at any time, regardless of when they may finish showing off their moves at the club, but there is a cost.

The soups, sandwiches, wings, pizza, fries, and dessert range from $3-8 each, with an 18% service gratuity automatically added to every order.

There is even a burger on the room service “Leisure Dining” menu. For $8, guests can enjoy the burger with lettuce, tomato, pickles, crispy bacon, and a side of curly fries. Burgers are offered with and without cheddar cheese, but they don’t have the SMC (Super Melty Cheese) characteristic of Guy’s Burgers.

Other Guy’s Burger Options

This is not the first time that Guy’s Burger Joint has made headlines from hopeful guests. In 2019, Carnival Sunrise began offering an exclusive Guy’s breakfast menu, with specialty burgers that included fried eggs, maple “donkey” sauce, hashbrown patties, turkey sausage, and French toast buns.

Over the years, guests have occasionally wished for that breakfast menu to be expanded fleetwide. As recently as January 2025, however, Heald confirmed that the menu was only available on Carnival Sunrise and would not be offered on other ships.

Several ships do offer unique themed burgers, however. For example, Carnival Firenze and Carnival Venezia offer Italian-style burgers with pepperoni and mozzarella in keeping with their Italian vibes.

In March 2025, several months before Celebration Key opened to guests, Guy’s Burger Joint debuted a “BBQ Rum Runner” burger in honor of the new destination.

When it isn’t being used for its award-winning burgers, the grills at Guy’s Burger Joint are often put to other uses as well, including preparing pancakes for the Lido buffet breakfast in order to keep up with orders.

Key Aspects:

• Is 35 minutes late just too late to be seated at an assigned dining time? Carnival Cruise Line is now cracking down on late guests.
• If guests do not arrive for their assigned dining time within a reasonable margin, they will be directed to the Lido buffet instead.
• Experienced guests agree and note they have had many frustrating experiences with late dining companions that can be stressful for staff.

Carnival Cruise Line is no stranger to dining room controversies, from proper attire to the temperature of butter to the removal of tablecloths. But for guests with assigned dining times, what type of window is appropriate for being on time or being considered late to the meal and therefore denied entrance?

The situation isn’t uncommon, but the cruise line is now cracking down on tardy diners and directing them toward the Lido Marketplace buffet instead.

Carnival’s brand ambassador, John Heald, noted in a recent daily Facebook video that the timing policy must be more strictly enforced because some guests just take it too far.

“I had somebody who complained to me about the dining room and the fact that he and his partner arrived, they were in early seating, and they arrived 35 minutes late for dinner and were asked to go to the Lido deck,” Heald explained. “I say, personally, bravo to the team on the Carnival Pride for doing that.”

Carnival Pride is homeported from Baltimore, Maryland. The ship’s current sailing departed on Sunday, October 12, 2025, and is a 7-night Bahamas itinerary with visits to Nassau, Princess Cays, and Celebration Key.

The ship features the two-story Normandie Restaurant dining room aft on Decks 2 and 3 (Promenade and Atlantic). The Lido Marketplace is midship on Deck 9.

Early dining times typically start between 5-6 p.m., though times can fluctuate on different sailings depending on dining time preference and operational needs.

Nevertheless, is 35 minutes late just too late to join the scheduled seating? Heald believes so.

“Okay, 5 minutes, 10 minutes max, but it puts ridiculous pressure on the dining room staff to get you served and to get the dining room table cleared and ready for late seating,” he noted. “We are really going to be doing this if you do arrive late for your assigned seating, you will be asked to eat on the Lido.”

Worth Reading: Carnival Explains Why Guests Can’t Pre-Select Seats for Dinner

Heald stresses that maintaining the proper dining times within a reasonable margin is only fair, not only for other diners, but also for staff who have to ensure the meal proceeds smoothly in order to maintain the flow of service.

Time pressure may not be so strict on late seating because those will be the last diners in the restaurant that evening, but particularly for early seating, it is important to be prompt to one’s dining time.

Other Guests React

Heald reached out to his more than 645,000 followers and asked whether a margin of 20 minutes would be fair to guests.

“Do you agree that if someone is 20 minutes or more late for dinner that under most circumstances they should be kindly invited to eat on Lido Deck?” he asked.

Responses were overwhelmingly in favor of such a deadline for dining time adherence, and in fact, many guests noted that 10-15 minutes is more then fair.

“Last trip we had 2 out of 10 folks 45 minutes late 4 out of 6 nights. It was very frustrating for us that showed up on time and in the middle of our entrees when they show up,” one guest described. “Then the entire table had to wait on dessert until they caught up.”

“I watched a family come in an hour late on my current trip and they were still sat down. Most of the servers were setting up the tables for the next sitting,” another guest shared. “I am sure it was frustrating for staff.”

Other guests noted that land-based restaurants don’t typically hold reservations for more than 15-20 minutes, so that timing is very fair.

Fortunately, guests onboard Carnival ships have other options for their evening meals. Not only is the Lido buffet available every evening, but it might be possible to accommodate guests who are late to their assigned dining time at the more flexible Your Time Dining service.

Specialty restaurants might also be an option, though those do have extra fees and reservations often fill up for each sailing so late-minute changes might not be possible.