Are Guy’s Burger Joint hours changing?
If you have ever stood at the pool deck at 6:45pm craving a Guy’s Burger only to find the window shuttered for the night, Carnival may finally be listening. New, later Guy’s Burger Joint hours are being tested on Carnival Conquest right now, and if it sticks, it could change how a lot of us plan our sea day dinners.
Brand Ambassador John Heald shared the update himself in a recent social media post. “A while back we started testing something new on the Carnival Conquest by keeping Guy’s Burger Joint open later into the evening,” Heald said. He added that Carnival is “considering keeping the venue open longer” based on how the test has gone so far.
We have eaten more Guy’s Burgers across more Carnival ships than we can count, so this one caught our attention right away. Here is what is changing, what the current Guy’s Burger Joint hours look like on most ships, and what it might mean for your next cruise.
Carnival Is Testing New Guy’s Burger Joint Hours on the Conquest
Here is the news in plain terms: Carnival Conquest is currently running an extended-hours test at Guy’s Burger Joint, keeping the venue open later into the evening instead of closing it down once the pool deck crowd thins out. Heald framed it as a direct response to what guests want. “We know many guests on those sailings enjoy having more casual dining choices later in the day,” he said.
And by his account, it is working. “The response has been fantastic,” Heald said. “People have really enjoyed being able to grab one of Guy’s burgers for dinner.” That is a meaningful shift from how the venue has traditionally operated, since Guy’s has always been a pool-deck lunch and snack stop, not a dinner destination.
Heald’s own invitation sums up the current state of the test nicely: “So, if you’re on Conquest and fancy a burger later in the evening, the Guy’s team will be waiting for you.” Worth noting, this is not replacing the Main Dining Room. It is simply giving guests one more casual option alongside it, which tracks with how Carnival has been rolling out other dining tweaks this year, including refreshed main dining room menus fleet-wide.
What we do not know yet is exactly how late “later in the evening” goes. Heald’s update did not specify a new closing time, just that Guy’s now stays open well past its traditional afternoon cutoff. If you are booked on Conquest, the safest plan is to ask a crew member on embarkation day for the current posted hours, since a test like this can still shift a bit as Carnival fine-tunes it.
What Are Guy’s Burger Joint Hours Right Now?
On most Carnival ships, Guy’s Burger Joint runs during daytime pool hours, generally opening around midday and winding down in the late afternoon or early evening, well before dinner service. The exact window varies a bit by ship, but it has never historically stayed open into the evening the way the Conquest test now does.
We have chased down a Guy’s Burger on more than one Carnival ship well past 3pm, and the timing can be hit or miss. On Carnival Miracle, guests have found that going right when Guy’s opens or waiting until after 3pm tends to mean shorter lines, since the peak lunch rush clears out by then. But once the window closes for the day, that is generally it until the next morning, no matter how much you are craving one.
This is exactly why the Conquest test is a big deal. If Carnival keeps Guy’s Burger Joint hours extended into the evening permanently, it solves a real, recurring frustration: showing up hungry after 6pm and finding the grill dark for the night. For now, treat this as a Conquest-only perk until Carnival says otherwise.
Guy’s Burger Joint itself has been a fixture on Carnival since around 2011, when the line first teamed up with Food Network personality Guy Fieri. In all that time, the venue’s hours have stayed tied to the pool deck’s daytime rhythm, which is part of why this particular change stands out. It is the first real shift to Guy’s Burger Joint hours we can point to since the partnership started.
Why Carnival Chose the Conquest for This Test
Carnival Conquest currently runs short 3- and 4-night sailings from PortMiami to the Bahamas, and that itinerary pattern is a big part of why it was picked for this particular test. Shorter cruises mean higher passenger turnover and more first-time or once-a-year cruisers who want easy, casual options without committing to a formal dinner every night.
It also makes sense from a testing standpoint. A short-cruise ship generates faster feedback. Carnival can watch how the extended hours perform across many quick sailings in a short window, rather than waiting out a single seven-night itinerary to see if guests use the later hours at all.
Carnival has not said whether Conquest’s itinerary style is a permanent requirement for the extended hours or just a convenient place to start. The company is, in Heald’s words, still evaluating whether to expand the idea to other ships. If Carnival does roll it out fleet-wide, we would not be surprised if longer sailings get their own version of the test eventually too.
It also helps that Conquest is an easy ship to reach for a huge slice of Carnival’s customer base. A quick, drivable Bahamas run out of PortMiami tends to draw a mix of first-time cruisers, weekend getaway travelers, and repeat guests looking for a low-commitment trip, and all three groups benefit from more flexible, no-reservation dining. That makes Conquest a logical proving ground before Carnival commits real operational changes to bigger, longer-itinerary ships.
Is Guy’s Burger Joint Free on Carnival?
Yes. Guy’s Burger Joint has always been included in your cruise fare with no upcharge, on every Carnival ship that carries it, and that has not changed with this test. Whether you show up at noon or, on Conquest right now, later in the evening, there is no extra charge for a burger.
That “no charge” detail matters more than it might sound like on paper. On a short 3- or 4-night Bahamas sailing, guests are often juggling a tight budget across excursions, drink packages, and specialty dining upcharges. A free, casual dinner option that does not require a reservation or an extra fee is a real budget win, especially for families who do not want to plan every single meal in advance.
It is also worth remembering that Guy’s Burger Joint sits alongside other complimentary venues Carnival has spread across its fleet, like the Blue Iguana Cantina. Neither one has ever carried a charge, and that consistency is part of why both venues have such a loyal following among regular Carnival cruisers. We have said before how much we love seeing Guy’s Burgers and Blue Iguana on a ship, and these days Guy’s has made it fleet-wide across Carnival, so wherever you sail, you should be able to count on it being there.
That is also why this test feels notable beyond just the later hours. Carnival has been quietly investing in its included dining lineup this year, between the main dining room menu refresh and the ongoing lobster night policy on longer sailings (six nights or more, excluding Alaska, Australia, and Europe sailings where sourcing has been an issue). A later-hours Guy’s Burger Joint fits that same pattern: small, low-cost tweaks that make the included dining experience feel a little more generous without touching the price of your cruise fare.
Our Family’s Take on Guy’s Burgers Across the Fleet
We have eaten our fair share of Guy’s Burgers over the years, and everyone in our house has a strong opinion about their go-to order. Sheri always goes for the Straight Up. Mr. CruiseTipsTV is loyal to the Ringer. And our son sticks with the Plain Jane, no surprises there. The beauty of the menu is that it starts simple, just a handful of burger options, but the toppings and sauce bar is where the real customization happens, and you can build something completely your own from there.
We have also learned the hard way that the Chili’s Maximus is not messing around. It is a legitimately spicy option, and it can catch first-timers off guard if they order it expecting a mild chili topping. If you like heat, go for it. If you are not sure, ask before you commit a whole burger to it.
One thing we have always appreciated about Guy’s Burger Joint on Carnival Panorama and other ships is how consistent the quality is fleet-wide, even though the exact location on the ship changes from vessel to vessel. On newer ships like Carnival Jubilee, Guy’s has moved up a deck from the traditional pool-deck spot, so it is always worth a quick look at the deck plan on embarkation day if you are hunting for it.
We have also noticed that timing your visit matters almost as much as your order. On more than one Panorama sailing, we headed straight for the toppings bar right after a Sea Day Brunch, and the line was practically nonexistent because most of the ship was still finishing up in the main dining room. If Conquest’s later hours hold, that same logic should apply in reverse: an evening visit right as dinner service starts elsewhere on the ship is probably your best shot at a short line.
What This Could Mean for Your Next Carnival Cruise
If you have a Carnival Conquest sailing booked, this is straightforwardly good news. You now have a real, no-reservation dinner option beyond the Main Dining Room and the buffet, and it does not cost anything extra. If your sailing is on a different ship, the honest answer is that the current Guy’s Burger Joint hours have not changed for you yet, and there is no confirmed timeline for when, or if, that will happen fleet-wide.
Our advice: if you are sailing Conquest soon, do not assume the old daytime-only window still applies. Swing by in the evening and see for yourself. And if you are on a different ship, keep an eye on updates from Heald and Carnival directly, since expansion decisions like this tend to get announced the same way this one did, through his social channels rather than a formal press release.
Either way, it is a small change with a real quality-of-life upside for anyone who has ever gotten to the pool deck too late and missed the burger window entirely. We will be watching to see whether Carnival expands the later Guy’s Burger Joint hours beyond Conquest, and we will update this if the test spreads to more ships.
For now, this is a welcome, low-key tweak, and one more reason a short Bahamas sailing on Conquest just got a little more flexible. We will keep tracking how Carnival’s Guy’s Burger Joint hours evolve as the test continues, and we will let you know the moment anything changes fleet-wide. See you on the high seas.
What are Guy’s Burger Joint hours right now?
Guy’s Burger Joint traditionally runs during daytime pool hours, typically opening around midday and closing in the late afternoon or early evening depending on the ship. On Carnival Conquest, Carnival is currently testing keeping it open later into the evening as a casual dinner option.
Is Guy’s Burger Joint free on Carnival?
Yes. Guy’s Burger Joint is included in your cruise fare on every Carnival ship that has it, with no upcharge, no matter what time of day you visit.
Which Carnival ship is testing later Guy’s Burger Joint hours?
Carnival Conquest is the ship currently testing the extended evening hours, according to Brand Ambassador John Heald. Conquest was chosen partly because it runs short 3- and 4-night sailings from PortMiami to the Bahamas.
Will Guy’s Burger Joint stay open late on every Carnival ship?
Not yet. Carnival has only confirmed the test on Carnival Conquest so far and is evaluating whether to expand it to other ships based on guest response.
What’s on the Guy’s Burger Joint menu?
The menu is a simple lineup built around a handful of signature burgers, like the Straight Up, the Ringer, the Plain Jane, and the spicier Chili’s Maximus, plus a full toppings and sauce bar so you can customize your own.
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