I challenged myself to go on the biggest cruise ship in the world and spend less than $50 to eat at three restaurants.
I was inspired when I ran across a recent Royal Caribbean pre-cruise sale that brought the price down of one restaurant just $9.
Specialty dining is quite popular, but also tends to be expensive. However, if you know when to book, there are deals to be had.
For my recent 4-night showcase sailing on Star of the Seas, I was able to eat at three different restaurants and have a meal at each one for less than $50. Here's how I did it.
Pier 7
I came up with this dining challenge when I spotted Pier 7 going for just $9 for brunch.
It's common that the price of a specialty restaurant for lunch would cost less than dinner. I think it's because there's less demand for a sit down meal on a busy sea day.
Pier 7 is the a casual sit-down restaurant right in the middle of the kids-only Surfside neighborhood.
It costs extra to dine here for adults, but is complimentary for kids under the age of 12.
Royal Caribbean describe the food as, "California-inspired dishes," and I really like that there are different foods you won't usually find elsewhere on the ship.
For $8.99, I was able to order one item from "Board Bites", one item from "Wave-Riding Entrees" and one dessert.
I tried the Pier 7 salad, although I regret not going with the Buddha Bowl instead.
I wasn't in the mood for breakfast, so I had the Surfer's Club sandwich.
Dessert was the Caramel Waffles, and it was so decadent. I probably would have skipped dessert, but since I got it included, why not.
I paid $9 for a meal that's listed as $25 if bought a la carte, or two dishes for a flat $15 fee.
Izumi
Not only do I love Izumi, but it's now the most popular Royal Caribbean specialty restaurant by volume. So I felt I was in good company to choose this.
The pre-cruise sale listed dinner for $23.99, and I jumped on it since it would leave me some breathing room on price for my third restaurant and because you don't have to twist my arm to dine here.
Just like Pier 7, you have the choice of ordering off the fixed price menu or going a la carte.
Basically you can order food up to $40 in value, either with one small plate, two large plates, and dessert; or just pick and choose what you want up to $40.
So with the sale, that's an additional $16 in value.
I picked:
- Miso soup (included with the fixed price menu)
- Tofu ginger salad
- Spicy crispy tuna roll
- Chef's sushi selection
- Chocolate lava cake
That's a lot of food for just twenty four dollars, and certainly very satisfying too.
It's worth mentioning I could have had an even less expensive meal if I went to the Izumi sushi window.
This is a to-go window, where you can order a few different sushi rolls.
The sushi options include a choice of two rolls, plus edamame or seaweed salad. You'll find both sashimi and nigiri rolls to pick from. And then you can either eat it in Central Park, or take it elsewhere on the ship, such as your balcony!
If you prefer dessert for your meal (I won't tell your mom), they also have amazingly decadent bubble cones too!
Giovanni's Italian Kitchen
With about $17 left in my budget, I had a lot of good choices for my third dinner.
I was actually impressed by how many inexpensive meal choices I had that would fit with a $17 budget:
- Burger at Playmakers
- Giovanni's Wine Bar food menu
- Trellis Bar
I looked at each of the menus, but went with Giovanni's because I could squeeze in two things and also enjoy air conditioning (sorry Trellis Bar).
You may not be aware, but you can go to the wine bar at Giovanni's Italian Kitchen without a reservation and order off the bar menu. There's a sub selection of food items from the restaurant menu available.
I was able to order the Giovanni's House Salad and the Margherita Pizza for just $15 total.
I usually order the salad when I dine at Giovanni's, because I like the mix of greens and light, yet tasty dressing. It's one of the few non-carbs on the menu, so I'll embrace it.
I love the pizzas at Giovannis and I think they're vastly underrated.
The pizzas Royal Caribbean serves at Giovanni's were actually created by Renato Viola, who is one of Italy’s best Master Pizza Chefs in the world.
If you find yourself in South Florida, check out Mister O1 Pizza, because it's the creation of Renato's works and you can order the same pizzas (plus many more) as you'd find on Royal Caribbean ships.
Pre-planning pays off
My $50 challenge is the result of a simple, yet effective strategy: pre-book your cruise and do your research.
It's amazing how many discounts and deals you can get by simply booking in advance and researching what's available for your cruise.
I was more impressed I could get prices this low for both Izumi and Pier 7, considering this is a brand new ship.
It also helps this challenge to be on a ship that has a lot of restaurant choices, which is an advantage of bigger and newer Royal Caribbean cruise ships.
In the end, I ate at three restaurants for about $48 and each was a legitimate meal. It was a great way to enjoy plussed up dining without breaking my budget.
