Royal Caribbean has been offering Italian food for years on its cruise ships and in recent years, has been changing its Italian food offerings up in recent years.  

So today we're going to compare the various Italian restauants Royal Caribbean serves up and see which one comes out on top!

1. Portofino

Royal Caribbean's reigning Italian food champ, Portofino, has been available on many ships across Royal Caribbean's fleet for many years. 

The food at Portofino is based on Northern Italian cuisine and offers traditional Italian pasta, fish and meats. What Portofino does well is mixing traditional Italian favorites with modern style.  You can get a plate of pasta in a tomato sauce or go with the Saltimbocca alla Romana.  

Sadly, Royal Caribbean is in the process of phasing out Portofino in favor of some of the other Italian restaurants we will be discussing in this post but it remains the stalwart of Italian food on many Royal Caribbean ships.

We think of Portofino as the veteran champ that has been around for a while but still has what it takes to comepete.

2. Giovanni's Table

Giovanni's Table is the up-start "new kid on the block" that offers traditional Italian fare, family style.  Royal Caribbean describes Giovanni's Table as, "an Italian Trattoria influenced by the Tuscan countryside".

Whereas Portofino offers a mix of new and old, Giovanni's Table mostly sticks with tried and true Italian dishes.  Eggplant parmigiana, lasagna, meat balls and more are available.  

Having first debuted on Oasis of the Seas, Giovanni's Table has been spreading to other Royal Caribbean ships with each new ship revitalization and stands to be the new standard by which Royal Caribbean serves up Italian food.

Giovanni's Table is the up-start that is making a name for itself but hasn't "won it all" quite yet.

3. Jamie's Italian

The "new kid on the block" is the newly announced Jamie's Italian, which is coming to Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas.  The restaurant is the product of celebrity Chef Jamie Oliver, a famous cook from England.

Royal Caribbean promises you’ll enjoy rustic dishes, handmade using seasonal ingredients, and authentic recipes that are tried and tested crowd-pleasers.

The menu is comprised of Jamie’s Italian Famous Plank piled high with cured meats, pickles and tempting cheeses. From there, try delicious pastas made in-house everyday—like indulgent pumpkin panzerotti and zingy prawn linguine to name a few.

We had a chance to sample a number of the dishes that will be available at Jamie's Italian at the recent Quantum of the Seas dining reveal event in New York and it's clear this Italian restaurant will focus on completely rewriting the book (or menu) on what you think of when it comes to Italian food.

For Italian food on Royal Caribbean ships, Jamie's Italian is like the "dark horse" that could tip the balance in what guests look for on at dinner.

4. Windjammer

Sometimes you just want to enjoy simple Italian food with as much red or white sauce as your plate can handle.  Or maybe you prefer very little sauce.  Whatever your preference, the Windjammer serves up an assortment of Italian food throughout the day at our leisure.

There's something to be said about a plate of pasta with sauce combined with unlimited refills.  And of course you can always grab a burger, salad and sushi to put on your plate too.

The Italian choices in the Windjammer vary daily but there's almost always a pasta dish or two and other traditional Italian dishes here and there.

The Windjammer is a crowd favorite for its simplicity and mass-appeal.

And the winner is?

Which Royal Caribbean Italian restaurant has your vote for the crown? It's a tough choice so share your vote in the comments for this post and choose wisely!

Back in 2012, Royal Caribbean commited to eliminate the use of gestation crates, which are used to breed pigs, from its pork supply chain and today we have a timetable for when to expect this to happen.

Royal Caribbean has set a date of 2022 as the target date by which to reach that goal.

By the end of the year, Royal Caribbean will request an update from its current pork suppliers regarding the plans and progress of their respective pork producers in meeting the pork industry goal of moving away from gestation crates in their operations by 2022, in order to determine which producers share Royal Caribbean's objective of moving to a gestation crate free pork supply. Royal Caribbean supports the continual movement of the industry in this direction and remains committed to keeping the treatment of animals in consideration when supplying its fleet with food.

Michael Jones, vice president of supply chain management for Royal Caribbean Cruises, commented on the update, "Royal Caribbean takes corporate responsibility seriously, including when it comes to the welfare of animals in the food system.  Since 2012, we have been pleased to see dozens of top restaurant chains, grocery chains, food service operators, and other food industry leaders adopt similar stances. We support the recent announcements by Smithfield Foods and Tyson Foods - two of the nation's top pork processors -- regarding their shifts toward better housing methods for pigs."

You may not know what they are called, but the savory bites that are served in the main dining room have become a favorite of many Royal Caribbean cruisers. 

Photo by nenner1

These poppy seed covered bread bites take one or two bites to eat and have become a Royal Caribbean classic food.  It's basically a little savory sour dough "nugget" with herbs baked in that is kind of like a mini roll.  

The name comes from the fact they are bite sized and have the herb savory baked into them.

Some veteran cruisers will specifically ask their assistant waiter when he/she brings over the bread basket for the savory bites if they don't spot them because they are usually available on all Royal Caribbean cruises each night in the main dining room.

It's one of those foods that you just can't stop at having just one roll and I know when I visit the main dining room, something I look for each cruise.

Photo by ikirumata

Savory Bites Recipe

Servings: 1157 pieces (!)

• 25 pounds Potato Bread Flour.
• 2 ½ pounds Savory base.
• 2 pounds Margarine.
• 5 ounces Dry Yeast
• 7 ½ liters Water.

1. Mix all ingredients for 2 to 3 min slow and 5 to 6 min fast speed until well developed.
2. Rest the dough for 30 min.
3. Scale into 16 oz. pieces and pre shape.
4. Roll them sheet pan long and dip in Poppy seed, than put 9 pieces on one sheet pan.
5. Store in freezer overnight.
6. When ready to bake defrost about 3 hours in the fridge, cut them into small triangles (25 pieces per pound stick).
7. Place 9 x 6 on one sheet pan.
8. Bake them between 220 °C and 230 °C and steam for about 13 to 17 min until golden brown.

There's something about a Royal Caribbean cruise that compels people to try new things.  Some may tackle trying to stand up on the Flowrider, others may try to get into the Love and Marriage game show.  Personally, I like to try new foods and it's because of a Royal Caribbean cruise that I joined so many others in indulging (and liking) the escargot.

Escargot, better known as cooked snails, is a delicacy that sounds down right awful but escargot on Royal Caribbean has become a real staple appetizer in the main dining room.  I think a lot of people order it as a goof (it doesn't cost anything extra to try) and after the giggles supside, these same people coming away actually enjoying it.  

The menu describes the escargots bourguignonne as, "tender snails drenched in melted garlic-herb butter."  Drenched is the right word because they come in a serving plate soaked in the salty butter sauce.  There's so much butter and it's so salty that it's hard to really taste the actual snail.  And if you eat it with bread, well, you probably won't even feel the texture.

Escargot has become a staple appetizer that I order everytime I can, although in the last 6-9 months, there's been a "world wide shortage" of escargot so scallops have been offered instead.  However, if you happen to see escargot as an option on your next Royal Caribbean cruise, laugh all you want but you really should order it for a high-class tasty snack!

Escargot Recipe

Garlic Butter

2 TBS Chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves Garlic, finely minced
1/2 tea Dijon Mustard
Freshly Ground White Pepper To Taste
1 1/2 Sticks Unsalted Butter, softened 
1/2 tea Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tea Cognac

Escargots

24 Cannned snails, drained
1 Medium Shallot finely chopped 
1 TBS Dry Sherry 
Salt to taste
French Baguette Slices

1. For the garlic butter: in a food processor, combine the parsley, garlic, and mustard. Season with white pepper. Process for 1 minute. Add a stick butter, the worcestershire sauce and cognac, and process for 2 minutes. Transfer the butter mixture to a small bowl and set aside. 

2. For the snails, rinse the snails in a small colander under cold running water. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. In a saute pan, heat the remaining 1/2 stick butter ove medium heat. Add Shallot and cook, stirring until softened, and translucent. Add the snails and saute until completely heated through about one minute. Stir in the sherry and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and let cool. 

3. Preheat the oven to 400F. Transfer the snails to shells or to snail plates (if using the shells, divide them among 4 ovenproof dishes). Cover each snail completely with the reserved butter mixture. 

4. Bake for a few minutes, or just until the snails are hot and the butter is completely melted and brown on top (do not overbake or the flavor of the butter will be compromised). Serve immediatley with the slices of the French baguette for dipping.

When it comes to classic Royal Caribbean food, the honey stung chicken has developed a bit of a cult following to it thanks to many fans who have come back from their Royal Caribbean cruises speaking of its wonders.  So what is it and why is it so good?

At its core, honey stung chicken is a breaded chicken cutlet that is served in the Windjammer.  Over the years more and more cruises started talking about it so its legend continues to grow.  

Honey stung chicken is served in the Windjammer but the catch is it's only served on embarkation day.  So if you don't get it on that first day you board your Royal Caribbean cruise, then you are out of luck until your next cruise.  We have heard of instances where honey stung chicken is sometimes available via room service as well.

Frankly, its popularity is hard to pin-point but we think because it's only served on embarkation day, it gets rave reviews because people associate it with the start of their cruise and let's face it, everyone is the happiest on the day their cruise vacation they have been looking forward to is finally starting.  

Of course, that's not to take away from what the food is: a tasty piece of boneless fried chicken that is always a good choice when going down the buffet line.

Honey Stung Chicken Recipe

• 3- 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 Tbs raspberry or cider vinegar
• 2/3 cup flour
• 2 Tbs fine dry bread crumbs
• 2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Vegetable oil for frying

Preparation

1. Cut the tenders from the breast, and pound the breasts to flattens slightly. Stir the honey and vinegar together and pour over the chicken. Marinate for 2 hour to 4 hours in refrigerator, stirring occasionally.
2. In a bowl, combine flour, bread crumbs, and cayenne pepper; set aside.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk.
4. In a large heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat to 300°, (higher temperatures could burn honey). Turn oven on to 200.
5. Remove the chicken from the marinade and drain on paper towels. Dip the chicken in beaten egg mixture, season with salt and pepper, and dredge in the flour mixture, coating thoroughly. .
6. Add the chicken pieces two or three at a time. Don't overcrowd the pan. Fry on each side until golden brown. Remove to a rack on a sheet pan, lined with paper towels. Hold in the oven, while you fry the rest of the pieces. 

So are you a fan of honey stung chicken?  Have you tried it and is it a tradition to order it on embarkation day?

Royal Caribbean has announced it will eliminate the use of gestation crates, which are used to breed pigs, from its pork supply chain.  Royal Caribbean joins a growing list of major food companies to address the issue.

“Royal Caribbean is committed to keeping the treatment of animals in consideration when supplying our fleet with food,” said Michael Jones, vice president of supply chain management for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. “Royal Caribbean supports the pork industry’s work to eliminate gestation crates from operation by 2022, and our company has set that date as our target for having a gestation crate-free pork supply chain.”

The Humane Society of the United States applauded the effort by Royal Caribbean.

“Royal Caribbean has a long-standing animal welfare program and has been a good partner in working toward improved conditions for animals,” stated Matthew Prescott, food policy director for The HSUS. “By eliminating gestation crates, Royal Caribbean is taking a positive step away from a practice that people and companies worldwide have condemned.”

Last week Royal Caribbean formally announced it was revamping its main dining room choices by investing in a multi-million dollar upgrade.  Today we know a little more about the changes coming to dinner.

Royal Caribbean is investing in the complimentary dining program to increase the variety of menu choices in the main dining room, and in particular, the inclusion of dishes with regional influences reflective of the destinations Royal Caribbean ships sail to; improved choices for guests with dietary restrictions; and even more enticing presentation. 

The exact changes are as follows: 

• The main dining room menu has been revamped to offer a greater variety of choice.
• Royal Caribbean’s much-loved favorites such as aged hand-cut Manhattan steak, escargot bourguignonne, shrimp cocktail and crème brulee, are now available every night.?
• To cater to its growing global clientele, Royal Caribbean will add more international food options in the dining room with a renewed focus on authenticity.
• Good news for dessert lovers – Royal Caribbean will offer a new “hot from the oven” blueberry peach crumble, sticky bread and butter pudding and sumptuous carrot cake.
• To better cater to those with special dietary needs, Royal Caribbean will introduce more heart-healthy, gluten-free and lactose-free food options. It has enlisted a registered and licensed dietician and nutrition consultant to evaluate existing menus, create new offerings for guests with dietary restrictions, and shape the cruise line’s current gluten-free and lactose-free program into a more guest-friendly experience.?
• All low calorie, gluten-free and lactose-free options will be clearly identified with respective menu icons as well as menu selections that can be modified to fit these requirements for guests.? In addition to the new menu designations, Royal Caribbean is rolling out new daily gluten-free bread offerings, available on request in all venues, including specialty restaurants.
• All of the new main dining menu offerings will include upgraded entrees such rack of lamb, surf & turf, beef sliders and daily entrée dinner salads.
• As part of the investment, the cruise line will continue to focus on training which includes a sous chef certification program with the American Culinary Federation and a new wait staff training curriculum targeting the new menus, standards training, and allergen and dietary programs.
• Guests also will notice a change in the physical menu with a new fresh design featuring the cruise line’s international culinary team.

Royal Caribbean's Executive Vice President of Operations, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo commented on the big investiment, "In today's food-aware culture, the palettes of our guests have evolved and they have come to expect, not only a variety of choices, but cuisine of the highest quality, made with the freshest of ingredients. In recent years, we have introduced many new specialty dining concepts and in this next evolution we are expanding the options in our main dining room with even more variety, allowing us to cater to our international guests while offering them the highest quality dining on land or at sea.”