Carnival has been rolling out the dining roster for Carnival Festivale — the fourth Excel-class ship, due into service in May 2027 — one venue at a time, like a chef who refuses to let you see the whole menu until you've already committed. This week's reveals confirm the biggest culinary shake-up the class has seen since Mardi Gras debuted in 2021, all under Carnival's fleet-wide banner, The Next Course.

Who's cooking

Leading the pack is Emeril's Coastal Seafood, a specialty spot with a menu from Chief Culinary Officer Emeril Lagasse — because of course it is. Joining it: Uku Lei Lei, blending Hawaiian specialties with Asian flavors; Fetaccine, an Italian-meets-Greek Mediterranean venue; and Le Bistro Musicale, a Paris-inspired French room with live music, for guests who want their escargot scored.

• Far East Eats replaces the departed ChiBang!, pivoting to dishes from across Asia.
• La Cucina Italiana is slated to replace Cucina del Capitano on future newbuilds.
• New bars: The Spark (live performances, song-inspired cocktails), Mix (build-your-own drinks), and Festival Grounds Coffee & Bar.

Pour one out for ChiBang, the Mexican-Chinese fusion oddity that somehow worked. It's being quietly retired, which in cruise-menu terms means it sleeps with the fishes.

I bring this up mainly because I already know how the review episode goes. Tom will spend nine minutes deciding between Emeril's seafood and whatever the breakfast situation is, circle back to the eternal breakfast-burrito-versus-French-toast debate, and land on ordering everything. The rest of the Golden Crew will nod along like this is a productive use of recording time. Festivale is still a year out, so there's ample time to argue about it — repeatedly, on microphone.

For now it's a big, ambitious lineup on paper. Whether Far East Eats can fill ChiBang's weirdly specific shoes is a 2027 problem. Carnival's own announcement has the full spread.