On my June 2022 cruise onboard Royal Caribbean‘s Harmony of the Seas my husband and I booked a wonderful lunch – A Taste of Royal. This dining option was available through the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner after booking our cruise. The cost was $54.99 per person. I would highly recommend making a reservation for this lunch as soon as possible once you have booked your cruise. It’s normally offered only once on a seven day cruise.
I don’t like to read reviews about something like this before I experience it for myself, so I had no expectations nor did I know the menu in advance.
We were told we’d have a letter with information in our stateroom prior to the lunch with the time and location but we did not receive any notification. The time did show up in our app, but not location. Thankfully I found the information in the daily, printed Compass newsletter we received in our stateroom the night before.
Our Taste of Royal lunch was held in the 150 Central Park Restaurant located on Deck 8.
The premise of the lunch is to give guests a taste of dishes available at the many Specialty Dining locations on board Royal Caribbean’s ships. All Royal Caribbean ships have a variety of Specialty Dining options, some more than others. Royal also offers Specialty Dining Packages that allow you to dine at three, four or five Specialty Dining restaurants or you can choose an Unlimited Specialty Dining package that allows you unlimited dining at these select restaurants during your cruise. You can also book the restaurants individually. Our ship had six Specialty Restaurant options – Izumi Hibachi & Sushi, Jamie’s Italian by Jamie Oliver, 150 Central Park, Chops Grille, Sabor and Wonderland.
The menu for our Taste of Royal lunch included options from Hooked, Wonderland, Giovanni’s Table, Chops Grille and 150 Central Park. Hooked and Giovanni’s Table can be found on other Royal Caribbean ships but were not available on Harmony of the Seas.
We were seated at a table for two. I will say the restaurant was not full but I have a feeling there was a set number of tables available for the event.
After being seated we were each given our first course the signature cocktail for the lunch – The St. Peter’s Spritzer. Since I love St. Germain I knew I would like this drink. Very refreshing and delicious.
Our remaining food courses were brought to the table with plenty of time between them to enjoy each bite. I really appreciated that the experience was not rushed.
My favorite from these three courses would definitely be the last, the Filet Mignon and Spicy Jumbo Shrimp, a selection from Chops Grille. The steak was cooked perfectly, the shrimp as well. It says “spicy” the description but I didn’t find much heat in the dish. My least favorite was the Risotto. The taste was bland and the crab meat was scant.
Our final course was dessert. The “fried” cheesecake was intriguing and it did not disappoint. Very tasty with a wonderful crunch on the outside and delicious cheesecake in the center.
In all this was a nice surprise and definitely worth the price. You could add a wine flight that paired with each course for an additional $19.99 but since I was attending a wine tasting later that day I did not partake. From start to finish it was approximately a 90 minute lunch.
Having the additional selections from restaurants not on the Harmony of the Seas was a nice touch as it may lead me to try those restaurants when I sail another ship. I would also most likely pay for a meal at Chops Grille just for that Filet and Spicy Jumbo Shrimp dish.
If you have any questions about Taste of Royal or would like more information on booking a Royal Caribbean cruise please contact me!
Travel with you soon,
Betsy
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Betsy Walker Travels 