Royal Caribbean offers a wealth of food to try on your next cruise but an emerging trend aboard their ships are specialty restaurants that are not included in the base fare. These restaurants focus on a particular cuisine or food style for an additional cost.
Cost of specialty restaurants
Royal Caribbean offers two cost structures to pay for their specialty restaurants: cover charge and a la carte.
Many restaurants have a simple cover charge per person to get in and then guests may order as much as they want from the menu (alcoholic beverages would be extra, like they are elsewhere on the ship). Cover charges can range from a few dollars per person to $75. Most are between $10-$30 per person.
Some restaurants offer an a la carte menu, with a small cover charge. Here, guests pay for admission and then pay an additional fee for each item they order off the menu. You will typically find this pay structure at Izumi, a sushi restaurant.
Getting into the specialty restaurants
There are two ways to dine in one of the specialty restaurants aboard your Royal Caribbean cruise. You may make a reservation for the restaurant either before your cruise even begins or during your cruise. Reservations are a recommended way of ensuring a spot at the restaurant of your choice. Specialty Restaurants can typically be reserved online up to 4 days before your sail date. Advanced reservations are limited to parties of six persons or less in all Specialty Restaurants.
Alternatively, you can try simply showing up at the restaurant at the time of your choice and see if there's availability. Quite often, there will be availability for restaurants to walk up to but popular restaurants may fill up, especially during popular dining hours.
What are the specialty restaurants available?
The specialty restaurants vary from ship to ship across Royal Caribbean's fleet but here is a list of all the restaurants available
- Chops Grille (Steakhouse)
- Portofino (Italian)
- Johnny Rockets (American)
- 150 Central Park (American)
- Izumi (Sushi)
- Solarium Bistro (American)
- Giovanni's Table (Italian)
- Samba Grill (Brazilian Steakhouse)
- Rita's Cantina (Mexican)
- Seafood Shack (Seafood)
Are the specialty restaurants worth it?
Many passengers we speak to generally enjoy the food at the specialty restaurants. It's not to say that if you don't dine there, you will be disappointed with the complimentary food on the ship. Rather, specialty restaurants are a perk that you can opt to pay for in the same way some people find it enjoyable buy a massage or gamble in the casino.
Generally speaking, the food at specialty restaurants can be of a finer quality than the complimentary food but personal tastes will vary. Specialty restaurants are a great way to have a fun night out or celebrate special occasions.
