Royal Caribbean is never one to shy away from trying something new, and it radically changed locations of its signature Italian restaurant on its two newest ships with mixed results.

There's been an Italian specialty restaurant on Royal Caribbean ships for decades, but the cruise line has tinkered with ways to improve it.

Over the years we've seen the evolution of an extra cost Italian restaurant move from Portofino's to Giovanni's Italian Table to the most recent version, Giovanni's Italian Kitchen.

I've dined at all of the versions and always made a point to eat at Giovanni's on all of their newest ships.  Italian food is not only an incredibly popular cuisine, it's always satisfying and I really like the menu changes Royal Caribbean's Food & Beverage team have made in recent years to improve the menu with new additions.

We thought we knew what to expect with Giovanni's until Royal Caribbean's two newest cruise ships launched and experimented with Giovanni's in new areas of the ship.

The changes have brought improvements and also some questions as a result.

A bold placement on Icon

I think it's safe to say the decision to put Giovanni's Italian Kitchen on the Royal Promenade of Icon of the Seas opened a few eyes.

Traditionally, specialty restaurants have rarely been put on the the main thoroughfare of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship because of all the noise and activity.  

The Promenade is where you'll find lots of activities, parades, and parties.

Icon of the Seas is a brand new kind of cruise ship, and it features two levels for the first time.  As a result, Giovanni's was put on the second level of the Promenade.

There's a bit of a "chicken and the egg" situation here, as it's not clear was Giovanni's moved to the Promenade first and Izumi took over its traditional home in Central Park? Or did Izumi get preferential placement in Central Park and Giovanni's needed a new home?

Regardless, putting Giovanni's on the busy promenade is an interesting choice for two reasons.

First, is the noise factor given there's a lot of ambient noise on the Royal Promenade even when there isn't a part or event.

To be fair, I don't think restaurants have to like a library in terms of sound. You're on a cruise ship vacation, not a tiny cafe tucked in a side street of Naples.

Nonetheless, it's a bit louder in this location. The question is do casual cruisers or people that have never cruised before even noticed?

Royal Caribbean is curious of that answer too, because they've been surveying its passengers to determine if the location on the Royal Promenade is a good idea or not.

The second notable difference is the placement of the wine bar, which is essentially an island in the middle of the walkway.

Located on the opposite side of the walkway from the restaurant is a circular bar that serves as the wine bar for the restaurant.

There's also seating that faces the Royal Promenade, which might be the best people watching spot you'll ever find on a cruise ship.

When you sit down for a drink next to Don & Judy at the wine bar here, you're likely to quickly pick up on all the other passengers walking past you.

Just like the restaurant, the wine bar is far from quiet.  But one major benefit of this wine bar placement is you can easily find it.

On Royal Caribbean ships that have the wine bar in Central Park, it's easily overlooked and often completely empty because I believe people are unaware it exists.

The choice of Giovanni's Italian Kitchen on the Royal Promenade makes for a very convenient place.  You can't miss it, and when inspiring conversation runs out, you have the people watching element.

An incredible view on Utopia

Royal Caribbean once again moved Giovanni's to a new home on its newest ship, Utopia of the Seas.

You'll find Giovanni's on Deck 12 in a spot that had been where Wonderland was located on other Oasis Class ships.

While the cruise line wont ever admit it, I think this decision was equally because they thought it was a good idea and because Wonderland just isn't as popular.

Regardless of the impetus, the result is my favorite Giovanni's view of all time.

The restaurant is set across two decks, with a grand staircase down to the seating area.

There's no doubt when you walk in that the giant glass window with a view towards the back of the ship and the Boardwalk will capture your attention.

It's a beautiful vista, and such a pretty view to enjoy with your meal.

Every table in the restaurant can see out to the window, and thought the Product team really got it right with this location and view.

What's even more interesting is they built an outdoor patio on the other side of the window to be able to dine al fresco.

Admittedly, most months of the year in the Caribbean, you can't pay me to eat outside because it's just too hot and humid, but I have a major aversion to being hot.

For winter sailings, it would seem to be the perfect spot to enjoy a meal with the sun setting at dinner.

Not everything is perfect with this Giovanni's location, however, as I've noticed a few oddities about its placement.

First, there are a few Boardwalk balcony cabins that feel like they are inches away from the outdoor seating area. 

I'm not sure who it's more awkward for if there was someone seated at a table near the balcony while someone is on their balcony, but I wouldn't want to experience it.

The other issue is that there's no elevator or door out from the tables on the lower level.  So you need to go up the stairs and out the restaurant to get to the bathroom.

Still, I love the choice to put Giovanni's in this location on Utopia. I think it truly enhances the vibe of the restaurant and 

Italian cuisine is among the most popular kind of cuisines on land or sea, and Royal Caribbean has relaunched one of its most popular specialty restaurants with an all-new menu that features fresh new choices.

Two of Royal Caribbean's cruise ships now offer Giovanni's Italian Kitchen, which is a refresh of Royal Caribbean's Italian specialty restaurant.

Just like how Royal Caribbean looks to evolve and enhance its cruise ships with new things to do, the Food and Beverage team saw an opportunity to improve on Giovanni's Table.

Royal Caribbean Vice President Food & Beverage, Linken D'Souza, said his team looked at how to amplify this particular restaurant, "it was about bringing something fresh, new, but also something that's traditional to our guests."

"We decided to make them younger and fresher and a little bit more contemporary."

"Giovanni's Italian Kitchen came out of that, and it was this opportunity to to introduce some new things, but also keep the favorites that's guests had."

The first thing the team did was not only look at the existing Giovanni's Table menu, but they actually went back to the Italian restaurant concept that has since been retired from the fleet, Portofinos, to identify what did guests like and not like about each of these experiences.

One missing piece they saw was hand-tossed fresh pizza, and immediately they looked at how to bring that option to cruise ships.

Royal Caribbean worked with Renato Viola, who is one of Italy’s best Master Pizza Chefs in the world. 

Before the shutdown, crew members went to Chef Viola's restaurant to spend a week learning how to stretch and perfectly treat the dough, as well as make the recipe.

Royal Caribbean started out with 42 different pizza recipes just to figure out the right dough to use, and then worked on picking out the perfect San Marzano sauce.  The sauce has no added sugar, and relies on a simple recipe of San Marzano tomatoes, water and herbs.

Mr. D'Souza says they are using the highest quality cheese you can get for pizza, and then added hand selected meats and greens to top it all off.

"My inspiration of that quality of pizza was I want to have a pizza that rivals what you would get in Naples."

Mr. D'Souza went as far to say he believes it is the best pizza at sea right now, "We said let's go out and figure out how to make the best and without bragging, I do believe it is the best pizza at sea."

On top of that, Royal Caribbean installed an electric oven that can heat up to 900 degrees, which is essentially the highest temperatures permissible on a ship.

The result? Chef Viola told Mr. D'Souza the pizza is as good as a pizza in his restaurant. Mr. D'Souza thinks that while it's not quite at that level, it is excellent and very good.

The first Giovanni's Italian Kitchen launched on Freedom of the Seas just before the cruise industry shutdown due to the global health crisis, but that ship is sailing again.  In addition, Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar is onboard Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Odyssey of the Seas.

Giovanni's on Odyssey is an extension of the new restaurant concept, with Giovanni's taking over what used to be the Vintages bar area on other Quantum Class ships and offering a smaller bar menu there, such as fried lasagna bites. These small plates are meant to go really well with a glass of wine.

Mr. D'Souza said they focused a lot on the main menu at the restaurant, "we spend a lot of time really developing American Italian favorites and then going a little bit nontraditional."

Top 3 Giovanni's Italian Kitchen must-try's

What should you not-miss when you dine at Giovanni's Italian Kitchen?

I asked Mr. D'Souza for his list of the top three recommendations for anyone trying out the restaurant.

1. Holy Cheesus seven cheese pizza
2. Steak Muffuletta
3. Chocolate raviolis

Mr. D'Souza added if someone considers themselves an adventurous eater to try the Calamari & Polenta appetizer and the Truffle & Eggs pizza, which offers a traditional fried egg recipe commonly found in Europe.

"In Europe, you see fried egg on pizza quite often. There's actually restaurants in every pizza they said we'll do a fried egg on it."