Royal Caribbean's new immersive restaurant might be the most fun dining experience I've had in a long time.
Available on the new Legend of the Seas ship, Royal Railway Legend Station is a new offering of a restaurant they debuted a few short years ago. This new version is smoother, offers higher quality cuisine, and delivers the kind of meal you'll be talking about for a long time.
When Royal Caribbean invited me to try it on a preview sailing of the new ship, I was eager to see how this experience would measure up. I had experienced the Wild West show on Utopia of the Seas and even went to an early test preview at Miami Headquarters.
When you combine great food, technology, and entertainment, you get what might be the best elevated dinner experience that encapsulates everything Royal Caribbean wants in everything on its ships: a terrific memory maker.
After taking in every minute of the 90 minute meal, here's what my experience at Royal Railway was like.
Disclosure: Royal Caribbean invited me to sail on Legend of the Seas and dine at Royal Railway for no cost. I purchased separately Royal Railway on another upcoming sailing that I paid for on my own.
Royal Railway is a dinner show that looks like you're on a train
Located on the Royal Promenade, you'll find what appears to be a train station and this is all part of the story telling at Royal Railway.
Unlike traditional specialty restaurants on cruise ships that offer a specific type of cuisine, there's show and technology that aims to transport you to a different time and place.
It costs extra to dine at the Royal Railway, which should be booked before the cruise begins via the Royal Caribbean app. Yes, printed tickets are delivered to your cabin that you need to bring with you.
About 30 minutes prior to your train time, you can enter the station. This is where I already started getting impressed.
You walk onto a station platform that looks and sounds like a real train station. There's even a bar that has cocktails you can order for your ride.
The level of detail on the platform alone sets the tone for why Royal Railway is so impressive.
When it's time for your train (dinner and show), a conductor will call for everyone to board.
I was impressed by the variety and flavor of each course
Each train car has a table for two or four, where the full menu is waiting.
The story behind Royal Railway is you're following the Silk Routes that Marco Polo took on his journey back from the Orient to Europe.
Each region your train visits along his famous path represents a course of food and cuisine. Most of the food is served family style, but the main entree (Turkey) is ordered individually.
There's food from Persia, India, Turkey, China, and Italy. Other than Turkey, all the food are small bites that are meant to be shared. All the food from Italy and China are served to each person as a sampling platter.
Before we talk about the show, I think the food should be recognized for being sophisticated, yet palate pleasing. You don't have to be a foodie to enjoy eating here, as there's lots to choose from. There's even a kids menu that anyone can ask for!
I was so impressed by the Silk Routes food, to the point I would go back just for the food options.
The original Royal Railway on Utopia of the Seas had a more family-focused menu and its food was good, but didn't wow me. The Silk Routes menu is a significant step up in variety and flavor.
Your journey begins in China, where a trio of appetizers are served to each person.
The Wood Ear Mushroom Spring Roll had such great flavor, and I was pleasantly surprised how much better it was than your average spring roll.
The Hoisin Duck Egg Rolls sounded strange (I don't ever order duck), but I really enjoyed it.
Moving to India, a platter of food is served for your table to share.
I love Indian food so much, so this was the highlight of my meal. As someone that has eaten a lot of Indian on Royal Caribbean ships, this is not your garden variety Windjammer curry.
While Indian food might be somewhat polarizing, I think the flavors and spice level are quite balanced for novice tastes. Nothing was overly spicy, but it retained plenty of flavor. Stick with the Butter Chicken and Potato Chop if you're new to Indian food.
In Persia, a palate cleanser is served to prepare you for your entree.
It's a tasty sorbet that was more like pre-dessert than anything, so I enjoyed it!
In Turkey, your entrees are served and we went with the two kebabs. One is a beef kebab and the other an Impossible (vegan) kebab.
Very similar flavor profiles for both, and I ate every bite. This is when I started hitting my food limit because I had eaten everything from the Indian serving earlier.
At dessert, there's another sampler provided for everyone.
Our table's favorite was the Stracciatella Gelato, but my wife really liked the Raspberry Bombolini.
This is the best use of technology on a cruise ship
What elevates Royal Railway beyond just another cruise ship specialty restaurant is the train experience.
Through the use of technology, it looks and feels like you're riding on a train.
As your train pulls out of the station, the windows open and you have a digital view of the places Marco Polo visited. The rumble of the tracks is felt in subtle vibrations in your seat. The car itself gently moves to simulate movement.
In addition to following Marco Polo's route, each region you visit will celebrate a festival. Holi in India, Chinese New Year, and Hot Air Balloon Festival in Turkey, for example.
Each second of the ride has something else to see outside the window and what you see on one side is different than what's on the other side.
It's a convincing simulation, while your conductor hosts stops in periodically to narrate and explain the significance of the region, Polo's experience there, and what the food you're being served represents.
Silk Routes solves for most of the issues with the first restaurant
One major improvement with Silk Routes is the pacing and story telling is much better. There's more storytelling on Utopia, which felt like interruptions to a dinner meal many times.
I think there's a much better balance of show, food, and story this time around.
I loved my meal and show, but I recognize there are two possible problems with Royal Railway for some guests.
While the menu has a good deal of variety, it's not as familiar food as you might find in the Main Dining Room or a specialty restaurant like Chops Grille.
My kids are very picky eaters, and would probably eat less than half the food served.
The other issue is cost, because Royal Railway isn't cheap. For an upcoming sailings, the cost of one person is $165 (slightly cheaper for kids). That's over $500 for dinner for four people.
Of course, this isn't your typical specialty restaurant and there's much more that comes with your dinner than just different food. Royal Caribbean calls it a real memory making experience. Not once-in-a-lifetime, but certainly the kind of meal you might book to try and use it for a special evening.
Dinner you won't forget
As someone that's always looking for experiences that stand out as being unlike anything I can do anywhere else, this hits that target squarely in the center. There's no way you won't dine at Royal Railway and not come home and tell your friends about it.
Moreover, it's not just about it looking like a train. The show element is very well done, but the food stands out on its own as something I wish I could get more of separately.
