Going on a cruise and wanting to know what Royal Caribbean food is like? Here is an honest review of what Royal Caribbean offers, a look at their menus with pictures and more.
I went on a 5 night cruise on Royal Carbbean’s Voyager of The Seas. Read the full review of how that ship is holding up here.
Royal Caribbean introduced new menus in January 2023, stirring up the cruise community. Some cruisers were excited for a change and other loyal fans were upset they would not be able to get certain foods every night in the main dining room.
I personally was fine with the change after becoming bored of the same old same old. (Besides not being able to order creme brûlée every night in the dining room because that was my favorite!)
If you’re going on your first Royal cruise you might be wondering what type of food they offer, how it tastes, what venues they have and more.
This post will give an honest look at their food and menus from a day by day perspective.
Since I did not go on a longer cruise I do want to point out I did not get to experience all of the menus but this still gives a good look at a majority of the menus.
This post is all about Royal Caribbean food.
Comments:
It is important to remember that everyone will have a different view on what food is great, good, average or terrible.
Some people might go on a cruise and it is the nicest experience they have had. Others could consider it the same level as an average chain restaurant from home.
In my opinion cruise food is good but it is nowhere near the best food I have had in my life. Manage your expectations.
I suggest going into a cruise with an open mind, trying new foods, and not being afraid to ask for something else if you don’t like your food.
Main Dining Room:
Day 1: Welcome Aboard Night
Welcome Aboard is the first menu on a cruise that Royal offers.
They have structured their menus to now show chef recommendations at the top of the menu. I have to say these are usually spot on with good options if you aren’t sure what to choose.
You are able to order more than one appetizer, entree and dessert if you would like to try a couple of options or even take one to go.
Appetizer:
For night one I of course had some bread and butter. You should enjoy this every night of the cruise if you are able to eat bread. For this cruise, like all cruises I had bread every night but this is the only photo I will include since that gets repetitive.
I chose the spinach and artichoke dip. I would say this was good but not great. The dip was creamy but needed a little but more flavor. That is common with cruise food.
Entree:
For my entree I chose the slow roasted prime rib.
I’ve had this on a few Royal cruises, it’s usually pretty average. I have to say this was the best prime rib I’ve had on a cruise.
It still did need a little seasoning but the quality of beef seemed a lot better than I’ve had in the past and the tempture was perfect.
This was rated again, good but not outstanding.
Desserts:
For dessert I did as I always do and chose 2 options.
The first picture is of the Royal cheesecake and the second picture is key lime pie.
Royal has pretty good desserts. I find them to be much better in the main dining room compared to the desserts you’ll find in the buffet.
The key lime pie wins dessert of the night. This has always been a great dessert from Royal. The cheesecake was also good but I wouldn’t say it was the best.
Overall Thoughts:
Overall for night one I would rate the night’s dinner as 6/10. It was good but most everything was just good but not great. The key lime pie was the best out of the bunch.
For a look of the entire day here is a video of everything I ate on TikTok:
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Day 2: A Taste Of France
A Taste Of France was the menu we received for night 2.
This night is where escargot lovers are able to get that dish!
Appetizer:
For my appetizer I chose the baked french onion soup. This is a Royal classic and is SO GOOD.
I can’t recommend this soup enough. If you like french onion or even if you just want to try something new you won’t be disappointed.
This has always been rated a great appetizer.
Entree:
For my entree I chose the roasted beef tenderloin.
This is another great option from Royal.
If you’re looking to eat beef at some point on the cruise, this has always been the best beef on each cruise.
It tastes good, the temperture was perfectly done and it was very tender.
Dessert:
For dessert I chose the creme brûlée and the toasted almond creme puffs.
Usually I rate the creme brûlée pretty well but this one missed the mark. It was not done well, it barely had any sugar topping and was just not very good.
The creme puffs however were delectable. The chocolate sauce on the bottom was very rich and unexpectingly good. They also were much larger in size than I thought they would be.
Overall Thoughts:
Overall considering the quality you usually have on cruises when it comes to food I would rate this night a 9/10.
The only item that didn’t fall into the great category was the creme brulee but it has been much better in past experiences so I wouldn’t write it off if you’re wanting to try it.
Here is everything I ate on day 2 of the cruise:
Day 3: A Taste Of The Caribbean
Appetizer:
For my appetizer I chose the asian-style pork bao tacos.
These were a HIT. If you’re looking for a standout on a cruise this was one.
The buns were very sweet and soft and the contents were delicious.
Entree:
For my entree I chose the jerk-seasoned pork chop.
This was the chef’s choice for the night. I would rate this good/average.
The pork chop was a little tough but the sauce and the salsa on top were delicious.
The rice didn’t have any flavor and the bread was good but just average as well.
I think this entree has the potential to be great.
Dessert:
For dessert I chose the carrot cake and the no sugar added warm blueberry cobbler.
I have found on cruises that the no sugar added desserts are actually quiet good. I’m someone who likes very sweet desserts so I used to not get them thinking they would be bad but they are the opposite!
Both of these desserts were great. The carrot cake is always good on Royal and I love the little chocolate carrot. The blueberry cobbler was perfectly sweet with delicious crumble.
Overall Thoughts:
Night 3 was a great food night. While my entree was good but not outstanding, it did have good flavor and the potential to be rated higher. I would rate everything overall a 9/10.
The pork tacos were the star of the night.
Here is a video of everything I ate on day 3 on Voyager of The Seas:
Day 4: A Taste Of Mexico
Appetizer:
For my appetizer I ordered the grilled sweet corn cakes.
For some reason I thought these were going to be whole corn kernels but it was actually a pancake consistency.
These did not have any flavor at all. The salsa on top was good but the actual corn cakes were a bust.
Entree:
For my entree I chose the butter chicken. I did want to try a Mexican dish since that was the theme but I ended up having a huge lunch that was mexican themed in port so I wasn’t in the mood for more for dinner.
If you love indian food however you should try some on a cruise! It has always been good in my experience and this was no exception.
The butter chicken was fantastic! It had great flavor. I would recommend this to anyone who loves curry or wants to try something new.
Desserts:
For my dessert choices I chose the tres leches cake and the caramel flan.
The tres leches was sweet, light and delicious.
The caramel flan was where things went bad. It was shockingly disgusting. I hope and can only imagine it was just my serving and this dessert doesn’t taste this bad all the time.
It tasted exactly what I imagine a burnt cigarette tasts like. My husband tried it as well and agreed on that exact flavor. It might’ve been the worst thing I’ve ever eaten in my life.
Overall Thoughts:
The night fell a little flat to me. It was 50% delicious and 50% not only underwhelming with the appetizer but just bad in general with the flan.
I would rate this night a 5/10 just because I did love the butter chicken and the tres leches otherwise it would be a lot lower.
Here is a video of everything I ate, including the food in port:
Day 5: A Taste Of Italy
Appetizer:
For my appetizer I chose the beef carpaccio.
This is one of the best appetizers Royal does. If you haven’t tried it or aren’t sure about raw meat but are wanting to branch out, I would give this a try.
The best way to eat it is over bread with a little of everything.
I’ve had this on a few ships and it has always been executed well.
Entree:
For my entree I chose the lasagna al forno.
I didn’t have the highest of hopes for this dish when ordering but when it came out it looks really well done. After trying it I ended up loving this dish. It had a variety of great flavors and I loved the cheese on top.
Dessert:
The desserts I chose for the final night of the cruise were the italian chocolate hazelnut cake and the lemon curd tartlet.
I’ve had both of these desserts several times on other Royal ships and they are delicious every single time.
This hazelnut chocolate cake was VERY rich, much more than others I’ve had in the past but so so good.
The lemon tartlet is perfectly tart and sweet. Both of these are hits.
Overall Thoughts:
This night was a 10/10. That is still keeping in mind that it is cruise food. Giving it a 10 doesn’t mean it’s the best food I’ve ever had but as far as getting meals on a cruise ship, they were very good for being included in the price and not at a specialty restaurant.
Here is a video of everything I ate on my last day of the cruise at sea:
Additional Included Food Options:
Other than the main dining room that is open for breakfast, lunch most days and dinner every night, Royal Caribbean also offers other venues that are included in the price of your cruise.
On Voyager of The Seas specifically there are only 2 other included venues:
-The Windjammer Buffet
-Cafe Promenade
If you are wanting to see some options that they serve be sure to check out the videos I linked above to see breakfast, lunch and snacks from both of these venues.
Other newer Royal ships have many more included options you can eat at. Be sure to check out what is available to you on your cruise.
Specialty Dining Restaurants:
If you would like to upgrade your dining experience Voyager of the Seas has a few options to choose from:
-Chef’s Table
-Chop’s Grille
-Giovanni’s Table
-Izumi
Just like the included options, depending on the ship you are sailing on there could be a lot more options to choose from.
Whatever you do a cruise is a fantastic vacation with lots of options for you to choose from. Try something new, order 3 desserts, eat late night pizza!
This post was all about Royal Caribbean food.
