Carnival Festivale Will Feature Several New Dining Venues
Carnival Festivale will bring more than just a new name to Carnival’s Excel class. When the ship debuts in May 2027, it will feature several new dining venues that help set it apart from Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee.
The fourth Excel-class ship is expected to introduce a stronger music-inspired theme across the ship, and that appears to carry over into some of its restaurants as well. Carnival’s Chief Culinary Officer, Emeril Lagasse, has been involved in developing new food concepts for the ship, and the early lineup suggests Carnival is using Festivale to try some new combinations.
New Dining Concepts Coming to Carnival Festivale
The new restaurants appear to focus on blended cuisines and themed experiences, giving Carnival Festivale a different dining identity than its sister ships.
Uku Lei Lei
Uku Lei Lei will blend the spirit and cuisine of Hawaii with bold Asian flavors.
Based on the early description, this could be one of the more interesting additions to Carnival Festivale. Carnival has already experimented with mixed-style dining on the Excel class with ChiBang!, although that restaurant is not really fusion cuisine. Instead, it offers separate Chinese and Mexican menus. Uku Lei Lei seems like it may take that idea in a new direction with Hawaiian and Asian-inspired dishes.
This venue will most likely replace ChiBang! on Carnival Festivale.
Le Bistro Musicale
Le Bistro Musicale will feature classic French dishes inspired by the charm of a Parisian bistro.
This venue will most likely replace Emeril’s Bistro, which has been featured on Carnival’s earlier Excel-class ships, each with a slightly different name and menu. The name also fits with Carnival Festivale’s larger music theme and should work well in the ship’s Studio 724 zone, where it will be located.
Fettacine
Fettacine appears to combine the seaside flavors of Greece with the rich traditions of Italy. This venue will most likely replace Cucina del Capitano.
That combination could give Carnival a fresh take on Mediterranean dining, with dishes that pull from both Greek coastal cuisine and classic Italian flavors. It also gives Carnival Festivale a restaurant concept that feels familiar enough for mainstream cruisers while still being different from what guests have seen on Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee.
Carnival has yet to feature Greek cuisine in a specialty restaurant onboard, so this would be a first for the cruise line.
It also makes sense that Carnival may be ready to phase out Cucina del Capitano on its newest ship. The restaurant has become somewhat confusing for guests because Carnival currently has two different versions of the concept. On older ships, Cucina del Capitano has a more elevated menu and a $24 charge. On Excel-class ships, it has a smaller menu and is complimentary the first time, then $8 after that. That inconsistency can be confusing for guests trying to understand what is included before they sail.
Emeril’s Coastal Seafood
Emeril’s Coastal Seafood appears to blend Gulf Coast soul food with New England seafood traditions. This venue will most likely replace Rudi’s Seagrill.
Of the new venues, this one may be the clearest continuation of Emeril Lagasse’s influence on Carnival’s Excel-class dining. Instead of the New Orleans-inspired Emeril’s Bistro concept, this restaurant seems to broaden the focus to coastal seafood, mixing Southern flavors with classic New England seafood dishes.
Carnival Festivale Is Getting Its Own Dining Identity
One of the biggest criticisms of modern sister ships is that they can sometimes feel too similar. Carnival’s Excel-class ships have already avoided some of that by giving each ship different themed zones, but Carnival Festivale seems to be going even further by rethinking some of the standard restaurants found on Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee.
The changes also make sense with the ship’s theme. Carnival Festivale is expected to lean heavily into music and celebration, and several of these new venues appear to match that direction. Le Bistro Musicale, in particular, feels designed around the ship’s identity rather than simply being another restaurant onboard.
Are These Changes an Improvement?
That will depend on the menus, pricing, and whether these venues are complimentary or specialty dining. Some guests may be disappointed if Carnival removes popular venues like ChiBang! and Cucina del Capitano, especially if complimentary or lower-cost dining options are replaced with extra-fee restaurants.
The most interesting part is how many of these concepts seem to combine cuisines: Hawaiian and Asian, Greek and Italian, and Gulf Coast soul food with New England seafood. If done well, that could give Carnival Festivale some unique dishes not found elsewhere in Carnival’s fleet.
For now, the new restaurants make Carnival Festivale feel like more than just another Excel-class ship. Instead of simply repeating what has worked before, Carnival appears to be giving the ship its own dining personality.
Carnival Festivale is scheduled to debut in May 2027.
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