Playmakers Menu

[CGTLH]

Looking at the Royal app they have listed the menu for Playmakers. Looks like it will be a nice selection of Sports Bar style grub... Time open per the app is 12pm to 2am

On thing I did find funny is the Wing Challenge.

[Traveler]

The good thing is that food will be available until 2 AM ...

[Matt]

Tagging @mpoole3

[Nicolas LaBarre]

There's the chicken wings I have been looking for! 

[[email protected]]

On 3/26/2018 at 3:09 AM, Traveler said:

The good thing is that food will be available until 2 AM ...

Oh great. My cabin is right above it

[Rose City Cruiser]

What is up with Royal charging for food that is complimentary on other cruise lines?  O'Sheehan's with NCL.  Guy's Burger Joint with Carnival.  

[DocLC]

I would have been happier with slightly lower prices. The prices are much too close to land prices, negating the part of the value of cruising. While some other cruise lines to charge for "gourmet" burgers (and others do not), the ones that charge are about half of what Royal is charging.

[twangster]

6 hours ago, DocLC said:

I would have been happier with slightly lower prices. The prices are much too close to land prices, negating the part of the value of cruising. While some other cruise lines to charge for "gourmet" burgers (and others do not), the ones that charge are about half of what Royal is charging.

I was thinking the same thing. 

[Traveler]

2 hours ago, twangster said:

I was thinking the same thing. 

Again , it will be all about how much people will agree to pay.

Currently beside Pizza and cold sandwiches there is not any other option to eat after 10 PM so I Guess they are mainly targeting the "I really like to eat something with my drink" people (which I am one of them) , if enough people will start to bring pizza and and sandwiches to this bar maybe they will get the hint and start lower some of the prices . hopefully they will not do the opposite and band food from the outside/limit the time Sorrento is opened ... 

[monctonguy]

This will make the drink packages pay off for them in spades even more!....Drunk people can choose free terrible pizza  or pay for this pub food so I can see where the $ will be made between 10pm-2am!

 

I am glad to see some pub food options..would have been nice to have at least a couple free options or some lower pricing overall.

 

Interesting how Royal is getting further and further away from anything complimentary on their cruises...I cant think of anything they have added recently that is included?!

[Jason.H.]

Not interested. I'll never understand the concept of paying the price for a cruise then having to pay extra for food. That's kind of the price point of booking a cruise over a land vacation. 

[monctonguy]

5 minutes ago, Jason.H. said:

Not interested. I'll never understand the concept of paying the price for a cruise then having to pay extra for food. That's kind of the price point of booking a cruise over a land vacation. 

I think this is the thoughts/feelings of a lot of people.

 

I have a feeling if I was to take a cruise on NCL or Carnival I would be blown away at the food options included compared to Royal.

[Lovetocruise2002]

On 3/28/2018 at 12:45 PM, Jason.H. said:

Not interested. I'll never understand the concept of paying the price for a cruise then having to pay extra for food. That's kind of the price point of booking a cruise over a land vacation. 

My husband (strongly) and I (sort of) share this same thinking.  Of all the cruises we've taken, I have only been able to convince him twice to pay extra for a specialty restaurant.  One was Wonderland because it was so different and unique, and the second was Jamie's, because we are suckers for pasta.  Last cruise we "splurged" on 3 bar bites off the Brass and Bock menu and that was only because we had extra OBC lol.  I have never once been to Chops, 150 CP, Giovanni's, Sabor, etc.  It is sad to see the extra charge for everything most of the industry is headed that way.  Just have to roll with it I suppose...

[Rose City Cruiser]

3 hours ago, monctonguy said:

I think this is the thoughts/feelings of a lot of people.

 

I have a feeling if I was to take a cruise on NCL or Carnival I would be blown away at the food options included compared to Royal.

Carnivals' Guy's Burger Joint > Johnny Rockets.  And it's complimentary. 

[twangster]

3 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

 Just have to roll with it I suppose...

If most people roll with and pay then it creates new revenue and it stays (and more ships go that way).  If people don't pay then it becomes a liability on the balance sheet and it will change or disappear.  Ultimately its the cruising community that dictates.

It's replacing Sabor so there should be little surprise there is a charge.  I just have a hard time paying nearly land prices on top of the cruise fare.  If it were less I'd possibly try it but at these price points I'll avoid it and hope others do as well so it makes them re-think the pricing.

For the room service fee I can order 2-3 orders of wings, 2 burgers, chips plus some other stuff all for $7.95.   For $8 at Playmakers all I get is 12 wings and nothing else.  I wonder if i can bring my room service food to Playmakers and eat them there?

I'm hoping they participate in Diamond happy hour otherwise I may not drink there very much either since I don't plan on buying the drink package for the 12 night transatlantic. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

52 minutes ago, twangster said:

If most people roll with and pay then it creates new revenue and it stays (and more ships go that way).  If people don't pay then it becomes a liability on the balance sheet and it will change or disappear.  Ultimately its the cruising community that dictates.

It's replacing Sabor so there should be little surprise there is a charge.  I just have a hard time paying nearly land prices on top of the cruise fare.  If it were less I'd possibly try it but at these price points I'll avoid it and hope others do as well so it makes them re-think the pricing.

For the room service fee I can order 2-3 orders of wings, 2 burgers, chips plus some other stuff all for $7.95.   For $8 at Playmakers all I get is 12 wings and nothing else.  I wonder if i can bring my room service food to Playmakers and eat them there?

I'm hoping they participate in Diamond happy hour otherwise I may not drink there very much either since I don't plan on buying the drink package for the 12 night transatlantic. 

Oh, I completely agree. By "just roll with it" I meant there's not much point to complaining, just don't eat there if you don't want to pay extra.  They are just following suit with everyone else so it's no surprise.  But people must be paying for it because they keep adding specialty restaurants....

[CGTLH]

So..  wonder how much they will charge for these beauties.

Hopefully that isn't the only option it can be filled with.

[Traveler]

4 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Oh, I completely agree. By "just roll with it" I meant there's not much point to complaining, just don't eat there if you don't want to pay extra.  They are just following suit with everyone else so it's no surprise.  But people must be paying for it because they keep adding specialty restaurants....

I do not have problem with specialty restaurants , we are even eat in one or two every cruise. but I feel I have good alternative with the complimentary options if its the WJ the MDR and sometimes park cafe.

In this case we are talking about eating after 10 PM which , lets face it , you do not have many good options (if at all) unless plastic taste Pizza or cold sandwiches (which I like by the way) is enough for you.   

So maybe a good solution would be to have the regular menu during the day as a special restaurant , who know maybe there Hamburger will be so good that I Will even try it, during the night it would be nice if they offer special night menu  which will offer cheaper deals 

[Lovetocruise2002]

10 hours ago, Traveler said:

In this case we are talking about eating after 10 PM which , lets face it , you do not have many good options (if at all) unless plastic taste Pizza or cold sandwiches (which I like by the way) is enough for you.   

So maybe a good solution would be to have the regular menu during the day as a special restaurant , who know maybe there Hamburger will be so good that I Will even try it, during the night it would be nice if they offer special night menu  which will offer cheaper deals 

Like a late night menu?  Never thought of it from that perspective.  I can definitely see how that might be appealing to some.  But still cheaper to do room service like @twangster mentioned.  That's the good thing about cruising though right...something for everyone 

[CGTLH]

I'm sure they will permit outside food, think of the Pub on Anthem.

The thought I'm sure they had in mind is those that won't pry themselves from watching the game being willingly to pay for food.

Plus unless you had a runner, the problem with room service idea is the wait. Even if someone was willing to wait in the room the wait just for room service delivery could take sometime.

[Rose City Cruiser]

I won't be surprised if they introduce BOGO deals to certain C&A tier levels if their food sales are lower.  Offer it to the D/D+ members just to get feedback since this is a brand-new restaurant concept. 

[Traveler]

3 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Like a late night menu?  Never thought of it from that perspective.  I can definitely see how that might be appealing to some.  But still cheaper to do room service like @twangster mentionIed.  That's the good thing about cruising though right...something for everyone 

I hope that such late night menu will be cheaper ...

I do hope for better prices. 

to protest the price I am planning to take some sandwiches from the cafe and take it to the play maker in two weeks from now

[Rose City Cruiser]

27 minutes ago, Traveler said:

to protest the price I am planning to take some sandwiches from the cafe and take it to the play maker in two weeks from now

Ask the wait staff if they have Dijon mustard for the sandwich

[Traveler]

3 minutes ago, jurrjurr said:

Ask the wait staff if they have Dijon mustard for the sandwich

good idea , I love Dijon Mustard , it will also give a good option to give him a tip , he/she should not be blame for RC pricing  

I promise to report the reaction in the live blog.  

[[email protected]]

 

Chose RCL because of Symphony. If it turns out to be nickle and dime, it will be my last. Norwegian has many complimentary after hours restaurants, plus free incentives.

[Joe01]

Playmaker's menu looks phenomenal. I'm not a sports bar type, but will make an exception for this.

[Toyman55]

Everyone's gotten into name branding as justification for charging based on the name.  That and the Food Networks are making everyone think a steak is not just a steak and a hamburger is not just a hamburger if a name is associated with it.  Using that philosophy, they charge what the market will bear and since people are on vacation even though everyone complains, people will pay it.  Heaven forbid they bring an IN n Out on board and start charging for their hamburgers (even though they are pretty good for a hamburger). 

We usually go to all inclusive resorts because the locales are nice, the service is very good, and the food and drinks are good.  Typically the food is local dishes made with local products, but they also offer a variety of other cuisines based on their clientele.  At the all inclusives we frequent the guests are mainly European so it is typically American and European standard fare.  In Hawaii, it is usually  Asian.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DocLC]

11 hours ago, Toyman55 said:

Everyone's gotten into name branding as justification for charging based on the name.  That and the Food Networks are making everyone think a steak is not just a steak and a hamburger is not just a hamburger if a name is associated with it.  Using that philosophy, they charge what the market will bear and since people are on vacation even though everyone complains, people will pay it.  Heaven forbid they bring an IN n Out on board and start charging for their hamburgers (even though they are pretty good for a hamburger). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While I agree with the premise here, which would explain the chargers for Johnny Rockets, for instance, Carnival has Guy's Burger Joint and now his new BBQ restaurant, and they don't charge extra for it, so it can be done. Carnival also tends to be less expensive and offers a better array of included dining options during the day, in my opinion. 

[Orange Crush]

I'm not paying an upcharge for nachos and potato skins on a cruise ship.  If I'm going to pay more for food on a vacation, it's going to be for an experience that wows me like Chef's Table, Chops or 150.  If I want fried food or chips and dip that badly, then I'm going to support the local economy of the place I'm visiting.  I ain't paying Royal for that.

This is yet another continuation of a nickel-and-diming trend I'm getting less and less patient with.  I'm the sort who budgets a whole vacation and prefers to pay over time and up front for everything so I don't have to have a care in the world while I'm actually on vacation and there will be no big surprise bills at the end to close out my vacation on a sour note.  I do not enjoy spending money WHILE on vacation.  I want all of that sorted before I put my flip flops on.  Cruising Royal used to accommodate me on that, but that's becoming less and less so.

And not only are they adding more for-pay options, they're degrading their complementary offerings too.  I've noticed a distinct nose dive in food quality from the MDR and Windjammer on ships with more specialty restaurants and upcharges.  And there's that rumor they're going to nuke the drink package benefits on Coco Cay soon.  Gotta squeeze the guests more for that water park . . .

If I have to shift my vacation dollars to all-inclusive land resorts or start taking a fresh look at the other cruise lines competing with Royal but offering more for the money without all the nickel and diming, then that's what's going to happen.  It's certainly looking that way more and more.

[Lovetocruise2002]

1 hour ago, Orange Crush said:

And not only are they adding more for-pay options, they're degrading their complementary offerings too.  I've noticed a distinct nose dive in food quality from the MDR and Windjammer on ships with more specialty restaurants and upcharges. 

That pretty much echos what @karl_nj was saying in another thread a few days ago....

 

[henrysea13]

On ‎3‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 12:51 PM, monctonguy said:

I think this is the thoughts/feelings of a lot of people.

 

I have a feeling if I was to take a cruise on NCL or Carnival I would be blown away at the food options included compared to Royal.

I don't care if these cost a little for me to be able to have food like this after a night in the casino is a great thing now royal could give out credits for free food too the gamers rather then free drinks it would be fine with me plus you get a 795 disc unless they charge the stated prices plus 18%

[monctonguy]

Not sure what a 795 disc is......

 

Free drinks are worth more than free food usually.....so a better deal.

 

I wouldn't say these things cost a little.....and it sounds like other cruise lines have a lot more complimentary and late night food options.....that was my point and the point/feelings of many others as well.

[twangster]

Carnival ain't no picnic either and they are also adjusting their onboard MDR experience which is one of many reasons why I opened my eyes to look past them and try Royal a couple years ago.  Other than formal night they stopped using table clothes in the MDR and you eat off a plywood table that wasn't designed to be used without a tablecloth much like a country barn experience.

I will say that Guy's Burgers on Carnival blows away Johnny Rockets which has become a WJ burger and fries with something like a sauce trying to resemble what you get in a JR land restaurant but not pulling it off very well.  On more than one night on a Carnival cruise I skipped the poor MDR experience and just had Guy's Burgers for dinner which are included.

Food is such a personal experience.  What I think is terrible (sushi) other people crave. 

In many ways Walmart of the Seas (Carnival) is dragging the industry down with it.  Cheap cruises come with cheap onboard experiences.  The competition can't price themselves too much higher or people will jump ship and accept the poor Carnival experience knowing they paid less for it.  For many people cheap is best and their expectations are lower because the price is lower.  No one walks into Walmart expecting it to be a Nordstrom.  That leaves better cruise lines having to find ways to cut corners to keep the price gap small enough for people to remain loyal.  The downside is people expect better because it's more money.  It's very hard to find the balance between better but not much more costly to deliver.

For me, Royal is still better and worth the additional cost if for no other reason than to avoid cruising with carnies.  YMMV.

[henrysea13]

Quote

finally someone went out on a limb and risk the wrath of the carnymartians thank you Twangster for telling it like it is to me a trip on a carnival boat is like a trip to wall mart complete with the wallmartians I feel that Royal is taking the dangerous business attitude that if you don't like it go away there are others behind you who want your spot but as always happens eventually there is no one waiting Royal has a great buffer though and as I see it appears to be shifting focus to the Asian market. I for one have 2 cruises with royal at the end of this year but in the mean time I am going to take a investigative look into getting what I pay for I can only suggest that Royal take a long hard look at what they are doing and stop throwing stuff against the wall to see if it will stick it truly annoys the people who have remained loyal to royal all these years

 

[DocLC]

Ironically, Carnival just released information about new complimentary late night dining options as Royal is introducing paid options. 

While I do believe Royal provides a better product overall, I haven't found my recent cruises on Carnival to be interior to Royal especially if you're comparing the experience to the non Freedom, Oasis, and Anthem class ships. They have better complimentary did options, better comedy club options, more affordable sushi options, and better poolside movie options. Their main theater shows are inferior thought in my opinion and I like Royal's staterooms, staff, fellow passengers, design, and choice of specialty restaurants better. 

[monctonguy]

With all these changes..Royal has not made their offerings BETTER...all they have done is charged more for more options and taken away less complimentary options.

 

I am not saying there has to be a race to the bottom, but Royal had a good product that offered those people who WANTED to pay more some extras the opportunity but also made sure that everyone had lots of included options. This now is not such the case.

 

Royal already consistently charges more than Carnival just to cruise on their ships, never mind the extras once on board. So I wouldn't say they are cutting corners to make it more affordable .If anything, Royal is consistently upping the cost of cruising with them even for the basics often included elsewhere.

 

It wasn't broken before..they really didn't need to fix it.

 

The only thing that has changed in the past 5 years or so is the push to MEGA ships and those huge costs have to be recouped somehow!

[BugsyCruiser]

At first I wasn't exactly happy about Sabor being replaced with this on Symphony but now I'm looking forward to trying it out when I finally sail on Symphony!