Carnival Cruise Line introduces fresh-baked donuts, beignets, churros across US fleet

Carnival Cruise Line is expanding its food and beverage offer with the introduction of made-to-order pastries across its North American fleet. 

The new product was first announced by Brand Ambassador John Heald on social media, who confirmed that 11 vessels are already serving freshly prepared doughnuts, beignets, and churros during breakfast hours.

Currently available on ships such as Carnival Jubilee, Carnival Celebration, Mardi Gras, Carnival Vista and Carnival Horizon, the pastries are being sold for a small fee, with a wider rollout to the rest of the fleet expected within weeks. 

Locations vary by ship, with venues including Street Eats, Sweet Spot, and Seafood Shack. Information about the offer is available via the Carnival HUB app and the daily Funtimes journal.

Pricing includes two or five doughnuts for US $4 and US $8 respectively, four New Orleans-style beignets for US $3.50, and golden churros rolled in cinnamon sugar, offered at US $3 for five pieces or US $5 for ten. 

Fillings and toppings range from powdered sugar to Boston cream and chocolate sauce. A breakfast combo including two doughnuts and four beignets is priced at US $7.

The move is part of a wider strategy by Carnival to broaden its range of paid casual dining items, complementing the traditional included offerings with low-cost extras that appeal to repeat guests and families. 

Onboard spending has become a growing revenue stream across the industry, with cruise lines increasingly offering à la carte options such as specialty coffees, desserts, and snack foods. 

The price point of Carnival’s new pastries positions them as accessible add-ons, encouraging impulse purchases while diversifying ancillary revenue.

The expansion also reflects a trend towards regional flavour influences in product development. Beignets draw inspiration from New Orleans, a key embarkation port for Carnival, while churros and filled doughnuts appeal to international palates. 

Offering these options at breakfast aligns with passenger demand for more flexible, grab-and-go dining that complements the buffet and main dining room.

In a related development, Carnival has also rolled out a new coffee-to-go service. Passengers can now pre-order drinks from Java Blue Café via the HUB app for morning pick-up, part of an effort to use technology to streamline service and reduce queues.