If cruising is synonym with any word, it would be FOOD! From a huge selection of buffet entrees to burgers and tacos to formal dining, there is something for everyone to enjoy! My husband and I just came back from a 3-day cruise to Mexico and I made detailed notes for this guide! If you're planning on taking the same cruise soon or just planning on cruising with Carnival Cruise Line in the future, you've come to the right place! Below is a daily chronicle of the food served aboard Carnival Imagination!Cruise DetailsCarnival Imagination | 3-Day Cruise | May 10th (Thursday) - May 13th (Sunday) Mother's Day | Port Stop at Ensenada | 1 Fun Day at SeaThe RestaurantsCarnival has 3 dinner dining times. Early (5:45-6:15), Late (8:00-8:30) and Your Time  Dining (5:45-9:30). On this cruise, we chose "Your Time" dining.Carnival Imagination has 3 main dining rooms: Lido, Pride & Spirit. Also available are Guy's Burger Joint, Blue Iguana Cantina, Pizza Pirate & Carnival Deli.Lido Dining Room houses the buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Additionally, the Salad Bar, Sweet Spot, Swirls (soft-serve ice cream), Carnival Deli and Pizza Pirates are also located inside the Lido Dining Room.Spirit Dining Room is where the early and late scheduled dinners are served. These are assigned and reserved seating. The menu served here is the same as that of the Pride Dining Room.Pride Dining Room is where "Your Time" dinners are served with an open seating assigned at the time of arrival.Other Options:

• Chef's Table is the ultimate foodie experience for an extra fee.

• Included on the menu are other gourmet entrees for an extra fee.

• Wine, cocktails and other drinks are also available for extra charge.

• For mid-afternoon munch (between lunch and dinner), Guy's Burger Joint and Blue Iguana Cantina are open.

• For late-night munch, the Carnival Deli and Pizza Pirate are open.

Pro-tips

• Most cruisers assume that the formal dining rooms are only open for dinner and head straight to the buffet for breakfast and lunch. All dining rooms are open for the meals, so make sure to check out the menu.

• Bring a formal attire! Friday night's attire was Cruise Elegant (formal wear) if you are to eat at Pride or Spirit Dining Rooms. The Lido Buffet is always casual.

• Order as much as you want on the menu! Yes, its allowed! You don't have to settle for just 1 appetizer, 1 main course and 1 dessert. You can even have seconds! Just be mindful of being wasteful! Only order what you can finish!

• I prefer going to the formal dining rooms either Pride or Spirit (for ALL meals) instead of the buffet. Carnival has an excellent selection of gourmet and plated food like escargot, steak and salmon that are not available at the buffet.

• Check out the buffet selection first before heading to your assigned dining room to compare the menu. Some dine at the formal dining room first and early to make room for some of the buffet selection later that evening.

• If you have a sweet tooth like me, the buffet will have a wider selection of desserts however the formal dining rooms will have fancily-plated desserts. Try both!

• When dining at the Pride dining room, you can request for a table by the window for an excellent view!

• Be friendly to your servers! They work long hard hours and often only have a few hours off (not an entire day off like us).

• Stay tuned for the formal dining show by the servers and staff on the 2nd and 3rd night!

• Tips and gratuities are charged in advance but I still always tip my servers! If you've had an excellent service, make a note of their names and mention it on the survey you will get on your email later.

• Early and Later dinners have assigned seats and you may be sharing your table with other people. This is an excellent way to meet other cruisers however if you're not up for that, choose "Your Time" dining to be seated just with your company.

• Don't overeat! --but I almost always do anyway! I often have to take a 24-hour fast the day after the cruise ends!

Day 1 | Embarkation DayWe arrived 2 hours earlier than our scheduled arrival time at 1:30 PM at the Long Beach Carnival Port. Since our last cruise in 2016, the check-in process has improved heaps! We breezed through in less than 10 minutes and was on board ready for lunch!Upon arrival, we were all directed to the Lido Deck for the buffet while we wait for our luggage and room to be ready. During this time, the buffet, Guy's Burger Joint and Blue Iguana Cantina are open!==================================================================Day 1 | Lunch | Lido Buffet | Italian FareEntrees: Penne with Ham and Meat Sauce, Chicken Breast Sage and Prosciutto, Grilled Basa Sicilian, Rosemary Scented Potatoes, Eggplant Caponata and Roast BeefDesserts: Strawberry Cakepops, Fudge Brownie, Peach Crumble Cake, Key Lime Pie, Mocha Cake, Chocolate Chip Cookie and JeloOther options: Salad Bar and Carnival Deli==================================================================  Once our room and luggage were ready, we took a quick nap before the sail-away party and dinner!==================================================================Day 1 | Dinner | Pride Dining Room | Attire: Cruise CasualAppetizer: Seared Tuna, Marinated Chicken Tenders, Cream of Ripened Tomatoes, Gazpacho Andalouse, Kale or Romaine Cesar Salad, Shrimp Cocktail, Fried Calamari, American Navy Bean Soup, Greek Salad and Spicy Aligator Fritters (Rare Finds/Special of the Night)Main Dish: Fried Shrimp, Roasted Chicken, Honey Glazed Pork Loin, Beef Lasagna, Crisp Portobello Mushrooms, Featured VegetarianFrom the Grill: Mahi-mahi Fillet, Chicken Breast, Flat Iron Steak and Pork ChopsSide Dishes: Corn and Vegetable Succotash, Lo Mein Noodles, Sauteed Beans, Whipped Potatoes, Steamed Rice and Steamed BroccoliDessert: Caramel Phyllo with Caramel Cream, Strawberries and Cream, Tiramisu, Chocolate Molten Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream, Ice Cream Selection, Fruit Plate and Cheese Plate==================================================================Day 2 | Fun Day at Sea==================================================================Day 2 | Breakfast Buffet | Lido Dining RoomEntrees: Scrambled Eggs, Boiled Eggs, Pancake, Waffle, Sausage, Potato Wedge, Spinach Bread, Canadian Ham, Beans, Biscuits and Gravy, BaconOthers: Selection of Fruits, Cereal, Oatmeal, Omelette BarContinental Breakfast: Multi-Grain Muffin, Cinnamon Rolls, Croissants, Jam Danish, Sticky Buns====================================================================================================================================Day 2 | Sea Day Brunch | Pride Dining RoomEntrees: Funnest French Toast, Fat Stack Pancakes, Steak and Eggs, Mac and Cheese, Papardelle Principe de Napoli, Grilled Salmon Fillet and Chicken ala DiavolaDesserts: Ice Cream, Caramelized Cheesecake, Banana Cream Pie and Double Chocolate Brownie==================================================================We chose to dine at the Pride Dining Room for Brunch instead of the Buffet for lunch this day! Here is the buffet lunch selection!==================================================================Day 2 | Fun Day at Sea Lunch Buffet | Lido Dining Room | All-American and Chocolate ExtravaganzaEntrees: Roasted Turkey with gravy and stuffing, Boston Baked Fish, Southern Fried Chicken, Yankee Pot Roast, Cheesy Mashed Potato and Pumpkin-stuffed TomatoDesserts: Marshmallow, Almond Biscotti, Chocolate Muscovado, Candied Orange, Sugar Frosted Almonds, Espresso Palmiers, Strawberry Jujubes, Frosted Walnuts, Chocolate Chip Madeleine, Lemon Jujubes, Almond Chocolate Lemon Cake, Orange Choco Cake, Pear Choco Cake and Truffle Cake, Chocolate FondueOthers: Salad Bar, Deli Bar and Hand-made Swan Strawberry Ice Cream==================================================================Of the 4 days we were on this cruise, the 2nd Day "Fun Day at Sea' buffet dessert has the most selection and best selection! Plus, its chocolate day with chocolate fondue and a selection of chocolate desserts!==================================================================Day 2| Afternoon Tea | Pride Dining RoomTea: Lipton Black Tea or pay $2.09 for other premium teasSnacks: Smoked Salmon Crostini, Cucumber Cream Cheese Sandwich, Coffee Macaron, Chocolate Fruit Tart and various cakes selection====================================================================================================================================Day 2 | Dinner | Pride Dining Room | Attire: Cruise FormalPro-Tips: Stay tuned for the staff show!Appetizers: Shrimp Cocktail, Broiled Sea Scallops, Baked Stuffed Mushrooms, Heart of Iceberg with Radicchio and Red Onions, Asparagus Cream Soup, Minestrone Milanese, Chilled Strawberry Bisque and Caesar SaladEntrees: Blue Crab Ravioli, Oven Baked Japanese Sea Bass, Grilled Jumbo Shrimp, Roasted Duck, Tender Roasted Prime Rib, Barbecued St. Louis Spare Ribs and Zucchini Eggplant ParmigianaFrom the Grill: Salmon Filet, Flat Iron Steak, Herb-Roasted Chicken Breast and Pork Chop with Caramelized Onions and Stewed AppleDesserts: Vanilla Creme Brulee, Malted Chocolate Hazelnut Cake, Carnival Melting Chocolate Cake, Coffee Cream Cake, Fresh Tropical Fruit Plate, Cheese Plate and a Selection of Ice Cream==================================================================We each ordered 2 entrees and shared all desserts.Day 3 | Ensenada PortBecause we headed out to explore Ensenada, we didn't dine at the Pride Dining Room for lunch, however, I will include some of the food we ate while in Ensenada.==================================================================Day 3 | Breakfast Buffet | Lido Dining RoomEntrees: Scrambled Eggs, Boiled Eggs, Pancake, Waffle, Sausage, Potatoe Wedge, Spinach Bread, Canadian Ham, Beans, Biscuits and Gravy, BaconOthers: Selection of Fruits, Cereal, Oatmeal, Omelette BarContinental Breakfast: Multi-Grain Muffin, Cinnamon Rolls, Croissants, Jam Danish, Sticky Buns***the breakfast buffet menu is the same for all days that we were there==================================================================While in Ensenada, we booked the La Bufadora Tour and Horse-back Riding excursions.We left the ship early at around 8 AM so we can do as many excursions as possible. Unfortunately, there were only 2 excursions (outside of Carnival) that we were interested in doing that was available and we ended getting back to the ship at 1:30 PM. Lunch Time!==================================================================Day 3 | Lunch Buffet | Lido Dining Room | Carribean FareEntrees: Rice and Beans, Jerk Chicken, Island Beef Stew, Shrimp and Calamari Fritters, Fried Plantains, Fried Dumplings and Jerk Pork LoinDesserts: Pear and Fig Cake, Key Lime Pie, Apricot Ginger Loaf and Pineapple Upside DownOthers: Salad Bar and Carnival Deli Bar==================================================================Out of all the buffet menu during our cruise, I enjoyed the Caribbean fare the most! ==================================================================Day 3 | Last Dinner | Pride Dining Room | Attire: Cruise CasualAppetizers: Caprese Salad, BBQ Chicken Flatbread, Italian Wedding Soup, Lychee Bisque, Shrimp Cocktail, Salmon Cake, Roasted Pumpkin Soup, Four Season Salad, Caesar Salad and Escargot (Rare Finds/ Special of the Night)Main Dish: Penne Mariscos, Chicken Chow Mein, Seared Red Fish, Jerked Pork Loin, Root Vegetables in Pie Crust and Featured VegetarianFrom the Grill: Salmon Fillet, Herbed Chicken Breast, Grilled Beef Tenderloin and Pork Chop with Caramelized OnionsSide Dishes: Singapore Rice Noodles, Ratatouille, Baked Potatoes, Mac and Cheese with Bacon, French Fries and Creamed SpinachDesserts: Baked Alaska, Fresh Tropical Fruit Plate, Cheese Plate, Selection of Ice Cream and Carnival Melting Chocolate Cake==================================================================  After dinner and the Fun Farewell Music Trivia, we went back to the room to freshen up but ended up staying in for the rest of the night! I didn't get to visit the buffet to see their menu!Day 4 | Debarkation Day All good things must come to an end - well, until next time at least!==================================================================Day 4 | Breakfast | Pride Dining Room***the menu is similar to what you can get at the buffet except for a few items listed belowEntrees: Eggs Benedict, Broken Eggs Sandwich, Avocado Toast, Egg White Fritata, Roasted Broccoli and Cheddar Scramble, Corned Beef Hash and Smoked SalmonOthers: Omelette your way, continental breakfast items, French Toast, Short Stack Pancakes, Buttermilk Waffles, Oatmeal, Cereal and Yogurt============================================================================ I hope this helps prepare you for your next cruise! Let's get social and tag me on any of your cruise food faves! Happy sailing! Cheers!