Curious about Royal Caribbean cruise food? Possibly have a cruise booked with them or just looking for a review? This post will discuss everything I ate on my 5 night Royal Caribbean cruise on Adventure of The Seas.
I do want to say these videos of what I ate on my cruise are from my cruise in April 2022.
Since then Royal Caribbean has implemented new menus which you can see here.
There will still be things I ate, especially in the buffet that you will still see on Royal Caribbean cruises today no so need to worry that all of your favorite items might be gone! I definitely am sad with the changes for just a couple of things but overall do not mind that Royal has updated their menus.
One thing I will miss with the change is being able to order creme brulee every night of my cruise as that is no longer offered except for one or two nights.
I will say everything I ate in this article (besides on a shore excursion but even then that was included in the price) was from the included food options on my cruise. I did not pay anything extra for my selections below.
This post is all about Royal Caribbean cruise food.
Before I discuss everything I ate on my cruise I did want to answer a couple common questions.
1. Do you pay for food on a cruise?
The general answer is no! Included in the price you pay for your cruise fare is the option to eat all of your meals and snacks at the included venues onboard your ship!
This is what I do for the most part since I currently cruise on a budget so I do not like to spend extra money on food since I can eat for “free” based on what I’ve already paid.
Common included venues are (more or less will be offered depending on your ship):
-The main dining room
-Windjammer buffet
-Cafe Promenade
-Sorrento’s pizza
However, if you do want to upgrade your experience Royal Caribbean offers several specialty dining restaurants (these options will vary based on the ship you’re sailing on) for an addtional price.
2. Can you bring food on a cruise?
You are allowed to bring non-perishable prepackaged food in limited amounts.
3. Do I have to pay for room service?
If you’re getting just the continental breakfast offerings on a Royal Caribbean cruise, this is free!
Anything else you order via room service will have a $7.95 service charge + an 18% gratuity added on top.
Room service is available 24 hours a day while on your cruise!
4. Will I be able to get something to eat 24 hours a day?
Yes! While your choices at certain times of the day will be very limiting, you will be able to eat something even late at night.
Usually your choice will be something grab and go from the cafe or some pizza.
What I Ate On My Royal Caribbean Cruise:
Day 1: Embarkation Day
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Since this was embarkation day of our cruise we did not eat breakfast on the ship. This ship sailed out of Galveston, Texas. We live in Texas so we just drove to the port that morning.
For lunch of course we went to the windjammer buffet shortly after boarding.
In the buffet I ate:
-Cheeseburger
-Potato wedges
-Fruit
-Corn
This was all standard across the board for cruise food. It was good but not great. I personally haven’t had a burger on Royal Caribbean I absolutely LOVED compared to other cruise lines who I think cook them a little better.
That being said I enjoy that my food is included and I don’t have to pay any more money to be able to eat my entire vacation.
Later that night we went to the main dining room for dinner. We usually eat in the main dining room every night of our cruises. Occassionally we will miss a night and eat in the buffet, but not often.
For dinner I ate:
-Bread and butter
-Caesar salad
-Corn polenta with mixed vegetables, sauce and feta cheese
-Hazelnut chocolate cake with ice cream
This dinner was actually REALLY good. I am not a vegetarian but sometimes on a cruise I will pick the vegetarian option if it sounds good. Especially because I unfortunutely do not like seafood or mushrooms which are in ALMOST every dish offered.
If you don’t like some of the meat selections one night I encourage you to try something new and go for the veggie option, you may just love it as much as I did.
Dessert was definitely the star of the meal! I am a desserts girlie so I could be bias but this dessert is one of my favorites that Royal Caribbeann offers. If you like chocolate I would 100% try it on your next cruise.
*The hazelnut chocolate cake is now offered on Italian night of your cruise if your sailing has that menu.
After dinner, some shows, time in the casino, etc we of course had to end our night with some pizza!
Adventure of The Seas does not have a seperate Sorrento’s to grab pizza. You will have to go to Cafe Promenade to get it.
For this night I ate a veggie loaded pizza slice and a cheese pizza slice. Always good, always recommend.
Day 2: Sea Day
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For day two we started with breakfast in the buffet! When going on a cruise we normally only have breakfast in the main dining room once.
However if you never go to the main dining room for breakfast I definitely think you should try it at least once! It’s a really nice, relaxing experience.
It just takes a little bit longer and they are open fewer hours so we don’t always make it since we end up wanting to do other activities on the cruise.
For breakfast in the buffet I had:
-Scrambled eggs
-Bacon
-Fruit
-Hashbrown triangles
-Whole grain muffin
Honestly there is not much to report on these breakfast selections. They are all good but just your basic breakfast options.
My favorites were the hashbrown triangles. I usually eat three of these in the morning. SO good.
I also was plesantly surprised with the muffin. It was the perfect sweet but not too sweet addition to my breakfast that I was looking for as someone who loves breads, pastries, etc.
Lunch:
I did not really eat lunch this sea day. I ended up having soft serve ice cream as my first snack after breakfast.
If you don’t get the pool deck ice cream on your cruise you are doing yourself a great disservice. It’s simple but delicious and refreshing. Especially on those hot sea days.
Later on I also had a pina colada. Now this drink definitely has enough calories to be considered a meal (however I don’t suggest you skip food for drinks lol).
A pina colada is my FAVORITE drink to get on a cruise. It’s cold, tropical and just what I want while sailing away into the horizon.
Mid afternoon snack:
Since I did not partake in lunch I did get hungry later on in the day and went to Cafe Promenade to get some pizza. I got a veggie slice and a cheese slice again. 10/10 recommend.
What I ate for dinner in the main dining room:
-Bread and butter
-Porblano pepper soup
-Short ribs with mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables
-Lemon tart with meringue topping
I again was really happy with dinner in the main dining room again. Everything was delicious!
A see a lot of negative reviews on food in the main dining room but I think it all has to do with perspective and what you order.
I don’t go into a cruise, especially a more budget friendly cruise line and expect 5 star food. I also will say some choices are better than others. You can usually find a stand out dish every night that is really good compared to others that will be average.
*The roasted porblano pepper soup is now on Mexican night and the lemon tart is on Italian night.
Day 3: Costa Maya
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On the third day of our cruise we ported in Costa Maya so we ended up having breakfast and dinner on the ship but lunch was part of our excursion.
We did book this excursion through Royal Caribbean though so it’s still a possiblity if you choose the same one that you’d be able to eat the food I did if interested.
Today was the day we had breakfast in the main dining room! It was very relaxing and they sat us right by a window which was very nice to have a view while eating.
What I ate for breakfast in the main dining room:
-Fruit cup
-Eggs benedict with hash browns
This breakfast was more on the average side. I do love eggs benedict but I was not given a lot of sauce so it was very average.
Lunch:
On our ruins & lake excursion I ate baked chicken and fajitas at the lake part of the excursion. Everything I had was good!
Dinner in the main dining room:
-Bread and butter
-Onion tart
-Indian curry
-Creme brulee
Bread and butter for dinner never fails me. It’s always good. This was another successful day in the main dining room. I loved everything I had. The onion tart was surprisingly DELICIOUS.
I always love getting some curry on a cruise. With the new menus it is a standard every night compared to before you had to request it. If you haven’t tried curry you should try it on a cruise.
If you don’t like it you can always pick another option so there’s no risk!
Then of course my favorite cruise ship dessert, creme brulee! If you haven’t tried it, you should.
Late night snack:
We went to Cafe Promenade of course since that was the only place open later at night. I got a slice of pepperoni pizza and a red velvet cheesecake brownie which was delicious.
I love the grab and go options at Cafe Promenade. Check it out on your next cruise!
Day 4: Cozumel
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Day four we ported in Cozumel and went to Paradise Beach club. I am someone who loves an early morning on the beach before it gets super hot and crowded. We ported at 7 am and the beach club opened at 8 so we got there right when it opened.
Since we did that we ended up skipping breakfast. I also ended up with a really bad sinus infection on this cruise (covid negative multiple times) so I did not feel like eating much today.
Beach club lunch:
I asked for chicken nachos with all of the fixings at our all inclusive beach day and they did not disappoint. It was delicious and the perfect pick me up while sitting on the beach.
Dinner:
We had way too much fun in the sun this day so we did not go to dinner or get late night food. I had several smoothies at the beach club.
We had an early night and just relaxed in our room, watched tv and went to bed.
{Related content you may like: 17 Must Have Cruise Essentials From Amazon You Need Before Your Next Cruise}
Day 5: Sea Day
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For the last day of our cruise we ate alllll the things! Definitely made up for not eating much the day before.
On this sea day we decided to have breakfast in the windjammer.
What I ate for breakfast:
-Bacon
-Hash brown circles
-Fruit
-Whole grain muffin
Another basic but good breakfast in the buffet. Same favorites, hash browns and the muffin.
Just an hour or two later we made our way back to the buffet for lunch.
Lunch in the buffet:
-Salad
-Baked chicken
-Pasta salad
-Small sandwhich
-Strawberry cake
-Caramel brownie
The chicken had a spicy sauce on it so it was the standout of the meal. The caramel brownie was also pretty good but the strawberry cake was sadly disappointing. Not much flavor.
Mid afternoon snacks:
We started with a pizza slice. I had just one slice with chicken and veggies. Always a good choice.
A couple hours later we went back to the windjammer for the third time that day.
Buffet:
-Curry
-Rice
-Coffee flavored cake
The curry was really good, I always recommend that on cruises but the cake was not very good.
Dinner in the main dining room:
-New york strip steak with vegetables and a baked potato
-Creme brulee
The steak can sometimes be not so good on a Royal Caribbean cruise if you aren’t upgrading it but this one actually came out the right temperture and was seasoned decently so it was good. The sides were extremely bland though.
Creme brulee never fails me. Again, sad I can’t order this every night on a Royal cruise anymore.
*New York strip steak is now offered on the Welcome Aboard night, Caribbean night, Italian night, and Royal night so tons of options if you want to give it a try.
Late night snack:
We ended our night with two slices of pizza. I got a slice of pepperoni and a chicken with vegetables slice. Pizza is 100% a stable when going on a cruise. It’s so nice being able to grab a slice basically whenever you want.
Ending Thoughts:
Overall, I really enjoyed the food on my Royal Caribbean cruise on Adventure of The Seas. Like I said above, you will get an upgraded experience and quality of food if you pay for their specialty dining but it is not needed to enjoy your meals on your cruise.
I will continue to mostly if not for my entire cruise eat just the included options since there is always so much variety to choose from!
This post was all about Royal Caribbean cruise food.
