We’re on board Carnival Liberty all this week reporting on the implementation of Carnival Cruise Line’s new Funship 2.0 initiative, a $500 million project that promised to transform the line’s onboard experience when it was announced in October. Follow along via our Sealog and subscribe for updates as they happen.
It’s fascinating to see Funship 2.0 in action. On Carnival Liberty we’re seeing pretty much the same crowd of passengers as we’ve seen on other 7-day sailings on a variety of Carnival ships. There’s no surprise there. But take that same bunch of people, expose them to the new onboard experience that Funship 2.0 represents and they take on a whole different demeanor.
Carnival guests at the BlueIguana Cantina are a good example.
Lines are nothing new to anyone who has been on a cruise ship. It is just part of the deal. Over across the deck at Guy’s Burger Joint, lines are almost non-existent as they have figured out how cook, assemble and serve a variety of handcrafted burgers in a timely manner. They don’t get too far ahead of demand, serving old food. They don’t get behind demand either, causing a line of hungry guests.
But over at the Blue Iguana Cantina its all done to order, based on what each guest wants. Here, one might expect
The complimentary dining venue serves tacos and burritos on tortillas that are made fresh right there throughout the day. A glass-encased tortilla-making machine centers the area with a serving station on either side, one for tacos, one for burritos. As they wait for their order, guests can watch the tortilla machine that can produce upwards of 700 wraps per hour. Fish, chicken and pork tacos are offered, as well as chicken, beef and shrimp burritos served on either whole wheat or jalapeno pepper tortillas.
Burrito lovers can select from a variety of fillings, including pinto beans, cilantro-lime rice, black beans, roasted corn, charred green peppers, sautéed onions, lettuce, tomato and guacamole, all choices that could potentially slow things down
This did not happen while I watched for a full hour at the peak of lunchtime.
Times ranged from less than a minute to a bit over five minutes when the line was its longest and here’s the unusual part: No one complained about the line. That’s a first for me. Someone always complains.
Take pretty much any line, at any time, for anything and there will be a complainer or two moaning about the line not moving fast enough. I sat within hearing distance and watched as 187 people went through the Blue Iguana Cantina line. Not one complained about the line. To say this is a “new breed” of Carnival guest might be giving humanity in general a bit more credit than it deserves but there is a lot to be said for the mood on this ship that can be directly attributed to the Funship 2.0 programming.
Some other observations about the Blue Iguana Cantina-
- Guests can further customize their taco or burrito at a nearby salsa station with their favorite fresh toppings. Few did. I’m not sure why either. Maybe because the crew really loads on the ingredients to where guests feel they must be done and its time to eat. Maybe because they just don’t see the self-service salad bar-like station. Hard to say.
- But toppings include including pico de gallo, Mexican crema fresca, sliced vegetables, watermelon and red and green tomatillo salsas, corn salsa, cilantro, shredded cheese and assorted hot sauces which could really add an extra dimension to the experience and should not be missed.
- The Burrito side is way busier than the Taco side. I never saw a line at all for the taco side and only 27 of the 187 people I saw go through opted for that choice. That might very well be because the Burrito side has all the ingredients sitting in front of the crew members who custom-build the burrito for the guests while the Taco side simply adds the meat selection to the tortilla. Guests then go to the condiment bar to complete their tacos.
While Chris is being hosted by Carnival Cruise Lines on this 7-day sailing, he is free to report and write what he sees with no expectation from the cruise line.
Related articles
- Dueling songsters rock the deck on Carnival Liberty (chriscruises.net)
- Funship 2.0 preview: The Social Experience (chriscruises.net)
- Carnival Funship 2.0 preview (chriscruises.net)
- Carnival Funship 2.0 makes Carnival Liberty a whole new ship (chriscruises.net)
