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I have eaten a lot of cruise ship desserts.
Princess. Celebrity. Royal Caribbean. Holland America. MSC. Carnival.
And after conducting this very important research, my best friend Mary and I have reached a conclusion:
Carnival's Melting Chocolate Cake might be the best cruise dessert we've ever had.
Except we don't call it that anymore.
We call it the Hot Pot of Glory 😂
Hot Pot of Glory
And honestly?
That's a much better name. 😂
There were eight of us at dinner most nights, and once somebody started calling it the Hot Pot of Glory, the name stuck.
Everyone at our table started using it.
Eventually even our wonderful servers got in on it.
And I personally ordered one five of our six nights on Carnival Magic.
Five.
So now whenever Mary and I try another really good cruise dessert, there's basically one question:
Yeah...but is it Hot Pot of Glory good?
That's the standard.
What Is Carnival's Melting Chocolate Cake?
If you've sailed Carnival before, you probably already know exactly what I'm talking about. It has a huge following online.
Carnival calls it the Melting Chocolate Cake.
We obviously improved the branding. 😂
I'm also not going to turn this into one of those serious food reviews where I analyze the plating and give the texture an 8.7 out of 10.
It's warm.
It's chocolate.
It's gooey.
It makes me ridiculously happy.
What else do we really need?
If you're new to Carnival, you can find all my Carnival posts, reviews, menus and cruise tips here:
→ Explore My Carnival Cruise Guide
The Night Mary's Mom Ordered Fruit
And then there was the night Mary's mom tried to be responsible.
She ordered fruit for dessert.
Perfectly reasonable decision.
Until dessert started arriving at our table.
Remember, there were eight of us.
One Hot Pot of Glory appeared.
Then another.
Then another.
As all those little pots of warm chocolate started making their way around the table, Mary's mom looked around...
…and announced that she'd changed her mind.
😂
I don't blame her.
Our wonderful servers didn't miss a beat.
They made it happen, and soon she had her own Hot Pot of Glory too.
The fruit never stood a chance.
I think that may have been the exact moment our silly little Hot Pot of Glory joke reached its full potential.
Fun Fact: We Could Get It Gluten-Free
This was a really interesting discovery from our Carnival Magic sailing.
We were able to get the melting chocolate cake gluten-free onboard. This made us so happy our gluten-free friend was able to join the fun!
If you have dietary restrictions, I'd always ask your dining team about what's available on your particular sailing rather than assuming every ship will handle something exactly the same way.
But it was available to us, which meant nobody had to sit at our table watching the Hot Pots of Glory arrive without getting in on the action.
And clearly our table took this dessert very seriously.
This Carnival Magic cruise sailed from Miami, and I’m a big believer in staying near the port the night before a cruise whenever I can.
I’ve stayed at several Miami hotels over the years, so I put together the ones I’ve personally stayed at and loved in one place.
No Point Left Behind Fave Miami Pre-Cruise Hotels
The Lazy Girl Dessert Rule
I think this officially gives us another Lazy Girl travel rule:
When you find something on vacation that consistently makes you happy, you're allowed to keep choosing it.
It's why I bring the same hammock float to my favorite Caribbean ports, hunt down thermal spas on cruise ships and apparently order the same chocolate dessert five nights out of six. 😂
I'm not trying to win an award for doing the most things on vacation.
I'm trying to have a really good trip.
And sometimes that means saying:
I'll have the Hot Pot of Glory again, please.
My Carnival Cruise Packing Faves
The things I actually pack and use when I sail Carnival.
How We Booked This Carnival Magic Cruise
If you're wondering how I manage to cruise around 7–10 times a year, I don't book every cruise the same way.
Sometimes it's points and miles. Sometimes it's a casino offer. Sometimes I just find a really good cruise deal.
This particular Carnival Magic sailing was booked with a Carnival casino offer, and I'm definitely not a high roller.
→ How I Booked My Carnival Magic Casino Deal
→ My Low-Stakes Casino Cruise Strategy
And sometimes all that deal hunting gets me onboard a ship with unlimited access to my favorite chocolate dessert.
So there's that 😂
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Keep Reading My Carnival Cruise Guides
Start here for my Carnival reviews, menus, casino deals, packing guides and real-life cruise experiences.
→ Meet Mary, My Bestie + Cruise Travel Agent
Mary Kennedy is my cruise partner in crime and the travel agent I personally use when I don't want to handle the booking myself. Her link isn't an affiliate link and I don't earn anything if you book with her.
And if the Hot Pot of Glory has you thinking maybe you need a Carnival cruise of your own:
→ Check Current Carnival Cruises & Prices on Cruises.com
Casino offers, points and miles are also part of my personal travel strategy. I gamble at a level I'm personally comfortable with and don't recommend spending more simply to try to earn a future cruise offer.
About the Author
Hi, I’m Julie, the traveler behind No Point Left Behind. I cruise 7–10 times a year and share how I use points, miles, casino offers and smart travel deals to travel more without making it complicated.
Real trips. Real costs. Lazy Girl Approved.
