Royal Caribbean's new main dining room menus are officially here.

Symphony of the Seas is the one of the first cruise ships in the fleet to launch the official new menu following weeks of testing, along with Wonder of the Seas. 

In late 2022, Royal Caribbean began testing new menus onboard the Symphony of the Seas. After receiving positive feedback from guests, they announced that they were going to permanently change the menus on all ships within the fleet.

Royal Caribbean cited the swiftness of service as the primary reason for implementing new menus. Michael Bayley, Royal Caribbean International's President and CEO, said that guests often complain about the length of dinner service.

In addition to a new design, each night's menu will have a theme: French, Italian, etc. There are still no sugar added and vegan options available, as well as premium selections.

A Maine lobster tail can be purchased for $16.99, Chops Grille filet mignon for $19.99, and surf & turf for $34.99. 

Here's a first look at the new menus onboard the Symphony of the Seas. 

Welcome Aboard

The theme for the first night is "Welcome Aboard," and the cuisine served is American. The menu features some "classics" from the old menu, including the caesar salad, shrimp cocktail, escargots, New York strip steak, spaghetti bolognese, Royal cheesecake, and ice cream. 

All sailings will feature the Welcome Aboard menu on the first evening.

French Night

The dining theme of night two onboard the current Symphony of the Seas sailing is French Night.

It seems as though the primary feedback they received for the menu was in regard to the desserts, as many of them have been updated compared to the sample menu that was tested last month.

Sailings six nights and longer will offer the French Night menu on the first formal night.

Italian Night

All sailings will feature the Italian Night menu on at least one evening.

Caribbean Night

On Caribbean sailings, the Caribbean Night menu comes out on the first evening at a Caribbean port.

Mexican Night

On Mexico sailings, the Mexican Night menu comes out on the first evening at a Mexico port.

The Royal Night

Gone are the days of ordering multiple lobster tails. If you'd like a second, you'll now be charged $16.99 plus 18% gratuity. 

Sailings six nights and longer will offer The Royal Night menu on the second formal night.

Mediterranean Night

British Night

Sailings six nights and longer will offer the British Night menu on at least one evening.

Bon Voyage Night

Sailings six nights and longer will feature the Bon Voyage menu on the final evening

Kids' Menu

The kids' menu is offered every night of the sailing and does not change. 

What's different about the menus?

One change is more of a cohesive theme to each night, with different cuisines and cooking styles highlighted in each day's menu.

Look for themes such as Italian, American, or Caribbean themes, with the chef's featured choices listed at the top of the menu.

Something else guests may notice is the removal of the "classics" section, which offered a subset of menu options that were available each night and never changed. 

Royal Caribbean is also limiting guests to one lobster tail for no additional cost on the evening the broiled lobster is available.

Prior to this change, guests could order unlimited lobster tails, but the realities of the lobster trade forced Royal Caribbean's hand in part.

Royal Caribbean can only buy 90% Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified food, which means that lobster needs to be either farm raised or wild caught. A recent shift in Maine lobster purchasing due to environmental concerns has places like Whole Foods halting the purchase of the items.

As a result, Royal Caribbean has changed to buying Canadian lobster that is still MSC certified.

Importance of guest feedback

It's been a few years since the last time Royal Caribbean refreshed their dining menus, which is why they relied on guest feedback when curating the new menus. 

During the testing phase, they sent a team of six people onboard the Symphony go the Seas who were responsible for conducting in-person meetings with 30-40 passengers per day. In addition, surveys were sent out via email. 

In an exclusive interview, Linken D'Souza, the Global Vice President of Culinary, Dining, & Beverage said, "If there's four or five modifications we can make, we'll iterate and make those changes. If there's a theme that's not working and we're seeing a lot of dissatisfaction on a specific day within the cruise period, we'll review that experience."

A quicker, more consistent dining experience

As previously mentioned, one of the reasons for this change is to decrease the time guests spend in the Main Dining Room.

The company believes that dinner should last around 75 minutes. Prior to the new menus, passengers could spend 95-120+ minutes at dinner. A shorter dinner service allows guests to get enjoy other activities during their cruise vacation. 

If you do not want a faster dining experience, all you have to do is tell your waiter. 

"I think holistically, when you look at both the service experience we create with the theming of nights and then the food that's layered in...you're going to see hotter, fresher, more consistently plated, beautiful food," said Mr. D'Souza. 

When will the new menus be on all ships?

Royal Caribbean expects the new menus to be available on all ships by early February.

The current plan is to begin the new menu deployment in January, and by early February, it should be available on all ships across the fleet.

Cruises are a time to splurge on food and drinks that we normally wouldn’t have at home, whether endless soft serve ice cream on the pool deck or three course meals in the Main Dining Room.

While I usually splurge on a Royal Caribbean cruise, I recently had an 8-night back-to-back sailing on Independence of the Seas and I wanted to watch my weight. Plus, one day after we disembarked Independence of the Seas we would board Wonder of the Seas for the Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise. I was determined to fit into my dresses for that cruise!

I am prone to putting on weight fast. It's not unusual for me to gain 8-12 pounds on a weeklong cruise. I knew keeping a healthy diet would be a challenge onboard with all the tempting, delicious food and cocktails available, but I had a goal I was committed to reach.

Eating healthy onboard

I decided to eat most of my meals in the Windjammer as I figured there would be more selections there than the Main Dining Room. Having dinner in the Main Dining Room with the bread basket in front of me for two hours would be too hard to resist!

My motto as I entered each meal was to make healthy choices. Breakfasts were very simple, mostly consisting of cereal with banana slices and occasionally a slice of bread. We went to the Main Dining Room one morning for breakfast where I had a veggie omelet with mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, and spinach.

I even ordered my cereal from room service a couple mornings; there's no reason why I can't enjoy breakfast on my balcony! I did, however, pass up the vanilla lattes I usually like to have on cruise mornings. Instead, I opted for Earl Grey tea with no milk and Splenda.

I enjoyed pre-dinner snacks of raw vegetables and chicken skewers in the Diamond Lounge. For dinner, I started with a raspberry vinaigrette salad, roasted broccoli, carrots, and usually a meat from the carving station (turkey or beef).

For dessert, I opted for pieces of cantaloupe and watermelon.

I drank a lot of water

Another healthy choice I made on my cruise was to drink a lot of water. I brought a Royal Caribbean tumbler onboard with me (the one that you get with a soda package). I measured how much liquid it would hold before my trip so I could keep track of how much water I consumed. 

The tumbler was easy to keep filled as there is always water available. My go-to places for water refills were Cafe Promenade and Sorrento’s. 

Before my cruise, I also researched lower calorie cocktails if I wanted to indulge, but I ended up just sticking to water. Our concierge even suggested brewing some flavored tea and putting it over ice for more variety!

Exercising onboard

I start every morning at home with a 5K run around my neighborhood, so on the ship, I visited the jogging track every other day for my 3.1 mile run. I always went running on the track pre-dawn to see an amazing sunrise and to hopefully get most of my run finished before the crowds showed up.

I have a love/hate relationship with the jogging track. Even though the run/walk lanes are clearly marked, there’s always a slow-moving group that takes up the entire track—or worse yet—walks the wrong way around it. I try to remember to pack my patience!

Treadmills make me dizzy, so I'm not a huge fan of going to the gym, although I did do a little bit of the step machine one morning. 

Speaking of steps, I took the stairs EVERYWHERE. I'm proud to say that I didn’t see the inside of an elevator for 8 days! One day we got off the ship twice at Perfect Day at CocoCay to meet up with friends that were on the ship next to us and I took the stairs from Deck 1 to 14 twice in an hour!

Not all exercises have to be regimented, and part of exercising onboard is making it fun. I had a blast jumping in the Sky Pad, and one morning I did the sky climber since the rock climbing wall wasn’t open yet. There was also basketball, soccer, and open time on the ice rink available. You’d be surprised how much of a workout you can get doing those activities!

Something else that worked for me was to keep a journal of what I ate, how much water I drank, and which exercises I did each day. Time gets away from me on a cruise and it’s easy for me to forget what I ate and if I need to make adjustments on the next meal or the next day. 

Did it work?

My goal after 8 nights on Independence of the Seas was to see the same number on the scale when I got home as when I left. I was extremely surprised to find out that I actually lost a pound and a half.

It felt great to be able to wear those dresses I had been determined to fit into on the group cruise. While on the Wonder of the Seas group cruise, I splurged on specialty restaurants and cocktails on the brand new ship. It’s all about balance!

It's official: Royal Caribbean will revamp its main dining room menu with a look and offerings beginning in January 2023.

After a few weeks of testing on Symphony of the Seas, Royal Caribbean has confirmed a new menu will replace the existing menu, beginning in January.

This is the first new dining room menu in over five years for the cruise line.

Royal Caribbean cautioned that the exact menu selections may change, so test menus that have been used so far may not be the final product.

New menu arrives in January

Royal Caribbean had been quietly testing a new menu on Symphony of the Seas, which was first spotted in November.

Over the last few weeks, the cruise line sought to capture guest feedback about the changes and make appropriate tweaks.

Speaking at the naming ceremony on Wonder of the Seas this weekend, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley confirmed the new menu changes are going to proceed forward.

"We got all the written feedback. I think the food and beverage team has done an amazing job in making sure we're responsive to that. Our plan is to is to roll out the new menus starting in January," Mr. Bayley said when a travel agent asked for further information on the test.

Mr. Bayley also talked about hesitation related to a new menu.

"We're very thoughtful and conscious about any changes that we make. But we do think that where we're heading with the new menus is going to be better and more enjoyable."

In an exclusive interview, Linken D'Souza, Global Vice President Culinary, Dining & Beverage, talked in greater detail about the new menus.  He added that the current plan is to begin the new menu deployment in January, and by early February, it should be available on all ships across the fleet.

"We'll get that data back really probably by the end of December. We'll review that over the holidays. And then as we come back, post the New Year's week, we will start a deployment on the new menu across the fleet."

"It'll probably roll fairly quickly because we want it to be consistent across the fleet as quickly as we can."

Making dinner faster

Why the change? The top reason according to Royal Caribbean is swiftness of service.

In responding to a question about the new menu, Mr. Bayley said that a top complaint from passengers has been how long dinner can take some times.

"It's also fair to say that we get a lot of feedback from customers who do want to have a slightly faster service."

He was quick to add dinner is not planned to become as fast as possible either, "I would say there is no intention to rush somebody through that dinner."

"It's your choice and all you have to do is tell your waiter, 'I don't want to rush service. We want to enjoy our time.'" 

Adding to Mr. Bayley's point, Mr. D'Souza explained the issue with how long dinner can sometimes take, "today, our dining experience takes 120 plus minutes, in some cases for larger parties, at least 95 minutes for a party two. That's a really long dining experience."

So how long should dinner take? Royal Caribbean thinks the magic number is around 75 minutes.

"The first thing will help us do is improve the speed of the pace of the meal," Mr. D'Souza explained.

"Not hugely, but let's call it about 15 minutes is what we're seeing, which is a significant reduction, gets us much closer to that 75 minute target for what our guest experiences is really what what we have looked at in the research. And they said that's kind of what the guest ideal dining experience time."

"Hotter, fresher, more consistently plated, beautiful food"

Besides speed of service, Mr. D'Souza thinks this new menu will result in a better experience for guests.

"I think holistically, when you look at both the service experience we create with the theming of the nights and then the food that's layered in and then the consistency. And quality improvements that you're going to see hotter, fresher, more consistently plated, beautiful food."

He admitted up until now, that has not been the case and it bothered him, "my frustration with that is I want to deliver a more consistent and great quality experience for our guests versus a hit and miss experience."

An updated menu also allows the dining experience to be more consistent, which is a major concern for Mr. D'Souza.

"You make a French onion soup that doesn't taste the same on every ship or look the same, and frankly, that's not acceptable to me."

"I would rather our guests have a very clear understanding and expectation of what they're going to get. And they either love it or hate it. That's okay. But if you love it, I want it to be the same amount of love for that dish. Whether you came today and you came 16 months back and you ate once in the Caribbean and next time in Europe, it should taste exactly the same."

Easing the load on crew members

An ancillary benefit of the menu is the realities of the legacy menu and its impact on the workload for crew members.

"Frankly, the workload for the crew, it's not manageable anymore with the amount of special requests."

"We're putting some structure on the process to really be more diligent in how we how we operate the dining space."

He also acknowledged that there are a lot of new crew members, and the restart process since 2021 has been a challenge that didn't exist years ago.

"We have more what we call new roles in our business than we've ever had. And these are new employees who have the depth and length of experience. So we've got a lot of new employees who simply are still learning."

Final menu not set yet

While the plan is to have the dinner menus change across the fleet beginning in January, the exact menus are not set yet.

Mr. D'Souza talked about the timeline for finalizing the menu, "The menu that is currently on Symphony will go through some iteration from the themes themselves to the items that guests like."

"The theme nights you've seen are not necessarily theme nights that you're going to see when we launch. So there may be some modifications based on the feedback."

In fact, there will be additional themed nights for longer sailings.

According to Mr. D'Souza, they are also working on menus for 8, 9 and 10 night cruises.

Feedback so far from guests

Royal Caribbean has received lots of reviews of the menu changes from its passengers, both loyal cruisers and first timers.

According to Mr. Bayley, consumer research teams were sent onboard Symphony of the Seas during the trial to talk focus groups of customers.

"We always do find that when you do these changes, you get, especially with our loyal customers who are very much used to their routine, we do get more feedback and sometimes negative feedback from our loyal customers because they like, they enjoy the way it was," Mr. Bayley explained when talking about the menu change.

"But we also find that our new customers and new to cruise enjoy the new menu."

"We're working our way through it. We're very responsive to the feedback."

You might be curious what the feedback looks like, and Mr. D'Souza provided additional context.

Royal Caribbean has a team of six people onboard the ship that are doing in-person meetings with guests, along with the email surveys that have been sent out to many more. The team onboard has met with at least 30-40 guests every day of the cruise to get their opinions.

"Overwhelmingly, the feedback for all of the teams, has been exceptionally positive."

Guests not happy with the change? Try it first

Mr. D'Souza appears keenly aware of the initial negative comments he read online when the new menu was first spotted, but he hopes people will judge the menus onboard the ship and not just in the vacuum of the internet. 

"We understand that it's going to be some people who are not really thrilled about all the changes."

"What I would ask for is I would ask for the opportunity for people to really try the experience themselves and not prejudge it before they've been on the ship."

He added that when the new menus roll out in January, the offerings are not set in stone. Additional feedback will be reviewed to make further refinements.

"We don't stop taking feedback after we start the new menu."

"If there's four or five modifications we can make, we'll iterate and make those changes. If there's a theme that's not working and we're seeing a lot of dissatisfaction on a specific day within the cruise period, we'll review that experience."

Royal Caribbean hasn't announced it will change the main dining room menus, but we have a look at the test menus.

If you haven't heard, Royal Caribbean is testing a new main dining room menu on Symphony of the Seas.  It is simultaneously surveying past cruisers on new menus.

At first, we saw the menu changes in the Royal Caribbean app but enough people have sailed on Symphony of the Seas or gotten email surveys to get a good look at the menus in their printed form.

The menus not only have a different assortment of items, but have a new design to them as well.

I've found six of the menus, each with a distinct theme that curates the majority of the choices.

You can click on each menu to see a larger view.

Royal Night

Mediterranean Night

Mexican Night

Italian Night

French Night

American Night

Caribbean Night

Thanks to Joe Morrison for providing some of these menus

What's different about the new menus?

If you've cruised with Royal Caribbean in the past, there will be a few noticeable changes.

First, the look of the menu is different. The layout and design is new, although the categories of options remains unchanged.

One of the major differences in this menu is there is no longer a "Classics" section, where you would find a selection of menu items that did not change each night.

The other big change is with lobster on the second formal night.

The new menu lists a "cold water Maine lobster" and indicates a second lobster tail will be charged $16.99 plus 18% gratuity. Prior to this change, additional lobster tails had no additional cost.

Why Royal Caribbean is making this change

When asked about the new menus, Royal Caribbean says this is a test on Symphony of the Seas only that they are conducting in order to garner feedback from guests.

Part of why the cruise line wants to change the menu is to optimize and speed up the dining room experience for guests. 

Royal Caribbean emphasized the importance of "swiftness of service" when it comes to eating in the dining room. By having more consistency of what's being prepared in the kitchen, they can produce food faster.

Could this be what the next version of Royal Caribbean's main dining room menu looks like?

Royal Caribbean sent past guests an email survey with options for a new main dining room menu, and asked them for feedback.

RoyalCaribbeanBlog reader Shannon Apodaca shared screenshots from the survey, which asked a variety of questions regarding the main dining room experience.

The example menu is for a French night theme, and it features both a new layout and new choices on the menu.

The survey then asked for ratings of each dish and how appealing they were to the respondent. 

Also included in the survey were questions about the main dining room experience overall, such as:

• How many minutes is too short, just right, and too long for dinner in the main dining room?
• What proportion of the menu would you prefer to contain familiar vs new dishes?

Then the survey asked for the top 3 things you look for in the menu items:

• Wide variety of dishes
• Lots of dishes to choose from
• Familiar items
• Healthy options
• New items I've never had
• Easy to understand descriptions
• Small portions
• Listing of all ingredients in each dish
• Sourcing of ingredients
• Exotic options

Next was a question about top 3 things in particular do you look for in the service of the main dining room:

• Gets to know me
• Anticipates my needs
• Doses not rush my service
• Offers suggestions
• Quick Service
• Friendly staff
• Bring samples to try
• Goes above and beyond
• Provides detailed description of menu items
• Refills drinks promptly
• Same server each night

Finally, it asked for guests to share the ideal main dining room atmosphere, in terms of lighting, table settings, music, silverware and more.

Following up on ship testing

This survey is being conducted in conjunction with a real-world example of the new menu taking place on Symphony of the Seas.

As we reported first, Royal Caribbean has changed the main dining room menu on only Symphony of the Seas to trial out the new menu.

Thanks to Thomas Napolitano for providing these menus

The new menu layout is part of the test, along with a change in the lobster portions provided.

Royal Caribbean says the impetus for making the change is for the guest experience in an effort to simplify the dining room menu, which would allow the service to speed up.

In short, Royal Caribbean is looking for a way to make the dinner experience in the main dining room more predictable and efficient.

The next time you eat in the main dining room, the menu might look a little different.

Guests sailing on Symphony of the Seas have reported seeing a change to the main dining room menu layout, as well as a change to the lobster choice.

The main dining room is a staple of the cruise ship dining experience, primarily because it is included with your cruise fare and open for dinner every night.

A reader on Reddit spotted the change, noting, "only one feature in each category per night, and the classics section is gone entirely! Only 4 items per category now."

In looking through the menu via the Royal Caribbean app, the recurring items have been removed, such as spaghetti bolognese, chicken, strip steak, et al.

On the second formal night, the Lobster Tail is listed as Cold water Maine lobster with the note an additional lobster tail would cost extra.

"Second Lobster Tail will be charged $16.99 plus 18% gratuity."

Prior to this change, the main dining room did not charge extra for more than one lobster tail on the second formal night.

Another change is the extra charge steak that was already on the menu has increased in price from $16.99 to $19.99.

The change is limited to Symphony of the Seas currently.

Why did Royal Caribbean make this change?

I was just as curious about this change as everyone reading it, so I reached out to Royal Caribbean for clarification on the changes.

The dining room menu update is limited to Symphony of the Seas currently, and the company is adamant they will be listening to guest feedback onboard the ship for their opinions.

The impetus for making the change is for the guest experience in an effort to simplify the dining room menu, which would allow the service to speed up.

While there is no denying there are less items on the menu than before, one of the chief complaints of the dining room has always been how long the meal takes. 

Swiftness of service is a focus Royal Caribbean wants for the dining room.  By having more consistency of what's being prepared in the kitchen, they can produce food faster.

A more focused menu will hopefully translate to a faster kitchen without compromising the experience for guests.

They were quick to point out there will still be a beef, fish, poultry, and vegan option every night of the cruise.

I asked about costs being a factor, but Royal Caribbean said they're always looking for ways to improve the guest experience and reduce the lag that can occur during the meal.  One night there could be too much time between the appetizers and entrees, while another night the appetizers and entrees come immediately after each other with little delay inbetween.

Ultimately, Royal Caribbean will rely on guest feedback from people on Symphony of the Seas to determine how successful this change ends up being.

I asked about the change to the lobster tail in if the cold water Maine lobster is a larger serving size than the previous option, but am waiting a response on that.

Reaction to the changes

As you might imagine, a lot of cruisers had plenty of thoughts on this change.

In the Royal Caribbean Dining facebook group, there were over 200 comments at the time of this posting discussing the change.

Jim Rath posted, "Inflation hits everywhere, not just on land."

James Romo said, "Royal is doing it's hardest to make me want to switch cruise lines."

Karah Ryan Smith thinks the lobster change is more than just a pricing switch, "Maine lobster is definitely different than the Caribbean lobster that is usually served. Maybe that’s why."

Leigh Montgomery wrote, "I’m sailing on Symphony next week and it says the same thing. What a bummer!"

Izumi is Royal Caribbean's popular Japanese specialty restaurant on nearly all of its ships, so is it a good idea to purchased the pre-fixed option instead of paying as you go?

I've been eating at Izumi since it was first introduced on Oasis of the Seas when the restaurant was tucked away on deck 16 and always loved the assortment of sushi (and non-sushi) options. I've always thought besides the variety of food, it also allows for a very filling or light meal because everything is priced a la carte.

Recently, many blog readers have been choosing the pre-fixed menu option and it got me wonder if it was a better idea. Would I save money with it, and would I leave the restaurant feeling as satisfied compared to paying as I go?

On a recent Allure of the Seas cruise I chose to go with the fixed menu option in order to see how well it would work for my style of eating.

What is the pre-fixed menu?

The Izumi menu is priced individually for each item, and that means you pay for what you order.

Royal Caribbean has an alternative option where you pay one price and get certain amount of food included. They've tweaked what's included over the years, but today it's:

• 1 small plate, like Miso Soup or Pork Gyoza Dumplings.
• 2 large plates from a selection of signature rolls, sushi & sashimi, flavorful bowls of ramen and more.
• 1 dessert like mochi ice cream offered in a variety of flavors.

The cost onboard is $34.99 per adult or $10.99 per child (children between the ages of 6-12. Children ages 0-5 are complimentary).  You may find a better price if purchased before your cruise from a Cruise Planner sale. If you have a dining package, you can opt into the pre-fixed menu.

Royal Caribbean sometimes offers the Sushi & Sake lunch, which is different from the pre-fixed menu as it includes alcohol, isn't available for kids, and is more of an experience with the sake instruction aspect.

My meal

I had the unlimited dining package for my cruise and decided to give the pre-fixed option a try.

The waiter gave all of us the choice, and once I opted into it, he took my order based on the three courses I could choose from.

The online menu didn't make the distinction, but at the restaurant, a bowl of miso soup was included in addition to the 1 small plate.  I went with the soup and the vegetable fried rice. I usually do just sushi, but I was really in the mood for fried rice.

As for the large plates, there's quite a few choices to consider.

I ended up with the spicy crispy tuna roll and the chef's sushi selection. The sushi selection has plenty of sushi variety for what I like, and the crispy tuna roll helps bring a different texture to the meal.

To round it out, I went with the chocolate lava cake for dessert.

Izumi prix-fixe review

After trying the pre-fixed menu, I came away from my meal thinking this is an option to simplify the menu down for someone who may be completely new to Japanese food.

I eat a lot of sushi on cruise ships and on land, so I have a pretty good idea of what I like and don't like. Moreover, I've spent years trying different things on the Izumi menu to find the right combination for me.

Thanks to years of dining package prowess, maximizing every dollar out of my dining package has proven to be a fruitful endeavor. 

Depending on how adventurous you are, the prix-fixe menu can be advantageous in terms of value.

I think it's fair to compare it to the dining package, which allocates $35 worth of food to each person.  Unlike the fixed price option, the dining package stipend can be pooled among everyone at your table, which means the light eaters can provide greater value to the friends.  This is usually the case when I eat with my wife, as she rarely ever comes close to getting $35 of value from her dining package.

In adding up the prix-fixed menu option I chose, I came away with $46 of value compared to if I bought the same items a la carte. That sounds like a great value, but there's a few things I would have done differently had things not been included. I would have only gotten one small plate, but since miso soup came with it at no additional cost, I opted for the soup and a small plate. 

I also never order dessert at Izumi. I'd much rather get my extra calories from another sushi roll because I love their sushi that much.

Of course, if you don't eat sushi, then the fixed price menu has fewer options and I think beef teriyaki and an udon or ramen bowl sounds like a lot of food.

Ultimately, if you're looking for a big meal, everyone getting a dining package and pooling your money together should get you more food than everyone on the prix-fixe.  If you are a light eater, I think you'll find more food than you can handle with the option and better off paying for Izumi a la carte.

I certainly didn't walk away disappointed or hungry, but I think for the way I enjoy sushi, I'll stick to the individual item pricing at Izumi for the time being.

Every Royal Caribbean cruise offers a 24-hour room service menu, where you can get breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and dessert delivered to your cabin. Extremely convenient, room service is something many cruisers come to appreciate, especially those who love to enjoy a private meal on their balcony.

Understanding the ins and outs of Royal Caribbean’s room service offerings and policies is good to know before your cruise begins.

Let’s dive in to our guide and tips for ordering room service on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

How much does Royal Caribbean room service cost?

Royal Caribbean room service (aside from complimentary continental breakfast) comes at a cost of $7.95 USD per order, per room. This is a fixed-cost, so you will pay the same fee whether ordering one dish for one person in a cabin or ten separate items for four people in a cabin.

An 18% gratuity is added on top of the $7.95 fee for a total cost of around $9.40.

In addition, while tipping is not required, it’s customary to give a small cash tip ($1-5) to the crew member delivering room service to your room.

When and how can I order room service?

Room service breakfast is from 6AM - 11AM each day of the cruise except disembarkation day. All other room service is available from 11AM to 6AM.

Ordering room service from the breakfast menu can be ordered through Royal Caribbean’s door hanger menus or by calling room service from your stateroom’s telephone.

The door hanger menu is a breakfast menu where you put a checkmark next to which items you would like to order, the quantity of each item, and the time you would like breakfast delivered. After selecting your order, hang the menu on the outside of your stateroom door. Menus should be placed on your stateroom door no later than 3AM on the morning you would like room service breakfast.

When you arrive in your stateroom on the first day of the cruise, you should find a stack of breakfast room service menus in the cabin’s drawer or desk. If you do not see any, ask your stateroom attendant to deliver the menus to your room.

The door hanger menu only exists for breakfast, so all other room service orders should be placed over the phone.

Read more: Food on a Royal Caribbean cruise

Does Royal Caribbean have free room service?

Royal Caribbean’s continental breakfast menu is complimentary, and while the menu is limited, this can be a great perk for passengers onboard.

The continental breakfast menu offers the following, although is subject to change from sailing to sailing:

• Toast (wheat, white, gluten-free)
• Plain bagel
• English muffin
• Donuts (glazed, chocolate)
• Baked pastries (Croissant, blueberry muffin, assorted pastries)
• Assorted jams & spread (strawberry jam, honey, cream cheese, butter, etc.)
• Cereals (Special K, Corn Flakes, Frosted Flakes, Raisin Bran, granola, oatmeal, grits)
• Fruits (apples, oranges, bananas, fruit plate)
• Yogurts (plan, fruit)

Continental breakfast beverages include juices (apple and orange), caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, tea (black, green, and herbal), and milk (regular, chocolate, fat free, lactose free, and half & half).

Continental breakfast is the only free room service option available on Royal Caribbean for most guests. However, those passengers in Grand Suites and above (any suite except a Junior Suite) have 24-hour complimentary room service available.

American breakfast menu

Outside of continental breakfast is an American breakfast menu which comes with the standard $7.95 room service cover charge. Items from the American breakfast menu can be ordered in conjunction with the continental breakfast menu.

The American breakfast menu features more cooked-to-order meals:

• Scrambled eggs
• Scrambled egg whites
• Scrambled egg beaters
• Omelets (plain, ham, and cheese)
• Fried eggs (sunny-side up, over medium, over easy, over hard)
• Buttermilk pancakes (plain or blueberry)
• Hash browns
• Bacon
• Pork sausage
• Chicken sausage

All day room service menu

Aside from breakfast, all-day room service is available from 11AM - 6AM, and features a variety of lunch and dinner options as well as dessert. Whether for an afternoon snack, dinner, or late-night meal, you’re sure to find something that interests you on the room service menu.

Here is a sample of what may be included on the room service menu, although this is subject to change:

• Soups (chicken noodle and tomato)
• Salads (cobb, Greek, caesar)
• Chicken tenders
• The Royal Burger
• Grilled cheese
• Hot dog
• Philly cheesesteak
• Rigatoni Bolognese
• Grilled salmon
• Grilled quesadilla
• Cheese or pepperoni pizza
• Fried chicken wings
• PB&J
• Sides (French fries, side salad, potato chips)
• New York cheesecake
• Chocolate cake with caramel sauce
• Chocolate chip cookies
• Fresh seasonal fruit plate

Why should I order room service?

First and foremost, room service is extremely convenient. It may seem crazy to order meals directly to your cabin when there are so many dining options elsewhere onboard, but the ease of having a meal in your stateroom without having to get ready to go anywhere can be a favorable option.

Additionally, room service breakfast can be especially nice on port days when you have an excursion booked that starts early in the morning, especially if you have kids to get ready for the tour. Being able to eat breakfast in your room as you get ready for the day can be a lot easier than bringing the whole family to somewhere like the Windjammer for a rushed breakfast.

Room service can also be a great option if you have a balcony, as you can enjoy a private meal on the balcony with wonderful ocean views. Balconies include a small table as well, making it easy to enjoy a meal there.

Are drinks included with room service?

Drinks are not included with room service, even if you have a beverage package. The American breakfast menu, for example, has a mimosa and Bloody Mary available, but these will be priced at current bar pricing (plus gratuity).

If you have a beverage package, you’re usually better off walking to a bar onboard and bringing a drink back to your room than ordering drinks from room service.

That being said, you are still able to order drinks to your room even if they come at an extra cost.

Another Covid-19 protocols has been relaxed.

Royal Caribbean announced a change to its flexible dinner choice that would allow families with unvaccinated children to dine there once again.

In an email to travel agents, Royal Caribbean said unvaccinated guests seated with their traveling party are able to dine in My Time Dining once again.

Prior to this change, Royal Caribbean had restricted My Time Dining to vaccinated passengers only.

Here is the exact verbiage in the policy change.

"As we work through our health and safety protocols your clients can expect onboard, we wanted to share an update with you all. If unvaccinated guests remain seated with only his/her traveling party, we are pleased to share that My Time Dining is available to them."

This allows families with unvaccinated children to have the choice to eat at My Time Dining for dinner.

Read more: My Time Dining versus Traditional Dining

Currently, Covid-19 vaccination is recommended, but not required, for children age 11 and under.

Up until now, the Main Dining Room, which spans multiple decks, designated areas for parents and unvaccinated kids, and areas for vaccinated parties only. My Time Dining was not available to parties that include unvaccinated guests.

One of many relaxed protocols

Royal Caribbean has slowly rolled back a number of health protocols on its ships following the passing of the Omicron variant and the cruise line's decision to enter into the CDC U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highly vaccinated program.

Having nearly everyone vaccinated against Covid onboard, Royal Caribbean has been able to remove or lessen certain Covid-19 protocols that were once universal across the cruise industry.

Face masks are no longer required at all indoors on Royal Caribbean ships for vaccinated guests, including in Adventure Ocean.

Masks were also made optional recently in the cruise ship terminals during embarkation or disembarkation, unless where local regulations require it.

Royal Caribbean has also done away with is separate areas for vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers.