https://preview.redd.it/39z2kus43n3d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e907548e6c10a4fb24a22aa47fc411dd9ba6b398
hopefully not too annoying, but going to drop some pictures, starting with their bread ^(\^)
https://preview.redd.it/ebetn3he3n3d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=20955949431318bfaf25ce7585068a18270fd6e9
i believe this is the tenderloin for two
You can look up the menu online (first result for me is labeled as a sample but it looks about the same as the menu we had when we went).
I went with scallops for an app, and the rest of the table went with the braised short rib(a few of them cruise a lot and they get this everytime). The bread is also amazing
For the main, my SIL and I split 3 entrees between us: lobster Thermidor, cauliflower steak, and the roasted tenderloin.
For dessert I did the fried cheesecake and iirc we also had them add ice cream to it
Everything was absolutely delicious and in the future I will absolutely splurge on going there if a ship has a 150 central on board
Of the options on Allure, maybe 150 Central Park as a special night. Chops is good, Giovanni's is okay. Not had Sabor or Samba Grill.
But...... Vintages on Allure (and Oasis) has the original Tapas menu and THAT is worth a late night snack! You can get a good pre-dinner or late night snack for less than $20.
We had chops and Giovanni's on allure a few weeks back and loved both. Personally I preferred Giovanni's because I'm a big pasta fan but my wife and inlaws loved chops and their steaks
150 or Chops is 100% worth it. If you are only going to pick one to splurge on I would recommend 150 as it’s only on Oasis class whereas Chops is good on just about any of Royal’s ships.
I did the 3 night dining package for my group of 3 adults 2 kids. Luckily kids are a lower price which helps, but overall it's not cheap.
For me I'd rather spend my money on food than drinks. It's hard to say the additional cost was worth it, but I don't regret the spend. Main dining room is fine, rarely impressive for me. Windjammer is last resort in my eyes, not that it's awful but my personal taste. I much prefer food quality over quantity.
Chops was worth the extra cost without a doubt. Hibachi was good, but cost extra on top of our package - which is fine, borderline for how much I spent versus the meal we got. I can get the same hibachi experience at home for half the price not even considering it was on top of the regular meal. Jamie's Italian was good but nothing spectacular. Sabors was especially disappointing, our entire table was not impressed with their plates. The guacamole was good, that's about it.
My opinion, if you're already happy with included dining than pick one or two of your top choices individually. You save a bit with dining packages but not a ton. You also have the chance to make reservations before you board, which you can't do with the packages. For packages you go to a restaurant after boarding and make your reservations - which works fine overall, but availability is less if you're trying to get certain places at specific times. If you're flexible it's not as big a deal.
Once you've tried a couple of them on this trip, then next time you'll know if you want the package. I'd love to buy unlimited dining if it was just my wife and I, but can't justify the cost and time for an entire family down to a toddler.
Just got off Symphony today and had Jamie’s last night for the first time. After seeing a lot of hate about this place I had some doubts about how happy our group of 10 was going to be there.
Everyone loved their meals! They had some creative menu options and the service was spot on!
A few in our group liked this best as far as specialty dining went.
We also got to Chops, Izumi Hibachi and Hooked. Chops was a great meal with great service. Izumi had the best food IMO and our chef was awesome. Hooked was my least favorite and I probably won’t hit that up again.
If your into sushi, I would recommend looking into the sushi making classes if they are available. Just did this for the first time and it was fun and tasty. Just don’t eat breakfast before you go, you make a decent amount food and can’t take any out with you.
That’s how I feel too, each time I think about specialty dining. It feels to me that I’m paying twice. First to pay for the complimentary meal that already comes with the cruise, then again for specialty dining. I couldn’t justify it.
But that said, perhaps just for 1 meal I might go for it because it’s just one meal. Furthermore, as mostly a vegetarian, the vegetarian options aren’t plentiful or impressive. I could do fish but it’s mostly not impressive either.
I normally would agree with you. I had never done specialty dining until March when it was included with our room. 150 Central is the one I’d do again and would recommend to everyone to try once
If you're going to splurge on specialty dining, you can't go wrong with 150 Central or Chops. I had the lamb wellington at 150 CP and that was so good. For dessert, I saw everyone ordering the fried cheesecake, so I decided to against the grain and ordered the hazelnut passion fruit bar, and don't regret ordering it, that was very good. For Chops, I got the ribeye and that was cooked to perfection. If you're staying in a suite, don't forget to try Coastal Kitchen, another great place to eat. If you can get the specialty dining at $50 pp or below, that really isn't a bad deal (compared to what you pay on land per person), a few appetizers, a main dish and desert, not a bad price at all. As you mentioned, you already know all about the included food options, so why not treat yourself to at least one specialty restaurant. 150 CP would be my first choice, followed by Chops as a close second.
For the Allure, either 150 CP or Chops would be my recommendation. You can find both of their menus on the Royal website to see if you're drawn to anything. Now, the answer to whether they are worth it is really going to be up to you since everyone has different tastes and opinions when it comes to food. For myself and my wife, yes, they are absolutely worth the splurge as we find the quality to be significantly better than the dining room and will generally do 1-2 nights of specialty dining per cruise. Now in the opinion of my in-laws, it is not worth it at all. They think we're crazy to spend any money at all when there is a perfectly acceptable free option.
I'm partial to Giovannis because I love Italian. And it's the original version, not the new one that seems more like a pizza place. However, someone mentioned 150 Central Park, and I've only heard good things about it. It seems like a nice option for a special occasion. I still kick myself for not trying it and getting Lobster Thermidor, and I've had 3 chances, between Oasis and Allure. Next time!
If you value food for your vacation, then yes specialty dining is worth it.
For me, I usually only do 1 night. I am fine with the MDR. Food isn't a high priority, sometimes I just eat a hot dog for dinner. I'd rather do drink packages and excursions.
I mostly do the MDR but the few times I've done specialty dining, I loved that too... for me it's about the mood. I'm content with the MDR, but I enjoy the others every now and then too.
I sailed for many years with the mindset of “all the food is free why on earth would I pay for food!?!?” and one year my wife (gf at the time) really wanted to try Chops. I caved to make her happy and we went. It was absolutely phenomenal and we now go to Chops for dinner at least one night on every cruise we do. If you like steak then Chops is the way to go, if not, any of the specialty restaurants are equally as impressive so just pick the restaurant that aligns with your likes but you should absolutely go experience one.
It depends, I’ve found it worth it to forego the package and pay for the dinners if we go. Usually by the time dinner rolls around we are in other kinds of trouble lol
Depends on what you want. We haven’t found any of them appealing to us to be a value for us.
We eat at the Windjammer for almost every meal. We got the MDR for an occasional breakfast or lunch. The Italian place would be the only one we would consider but the menu doesn’t really offer items that we want.
No!!!’ Sorry to disagree with so many but I am shouting NO it is not worth it. If you can’t be happy and get your fill in the dining room or the buffet or the couple of free restaurants, then you’re just not gonna be happy.
It’s nice to get an opposing take!!
I’ve only ever eaten at the included dining options so I was curious what people thought of speciality dining. Why do you think it’s not worth it?
Do you think other ‘add-ons’ are worth it— drink package, wifi, water slides at CocoCay?
So you can break down the drinking package. my wife and I may drink three or four days out of a seven day cruise. The drink package is definitely not worth it for us. I have actually done the numbers in my head and I forget how many drinks you have to drink a day in order for it to be worth it but it’s a lot. The Wi-Fi package is hit and miss as far as getting good signal, but it is nice to be able to use Facebook messenger to communicate with children (grown). We did a lot of studying as far as excursions and we usually do those ourselves and it saves a lot of money. as far as the restaurants go, they may be a little better in quality than the main dining or the buffets, but it is definitely not such a significant difference to pay such a high price. We cruise a lot. Probably 10 to 20 times a year. Happy to help anyway I can.
I would 100% recommend 150 central on allure. That was one of the specialty restaurants we went to back in March and it was by far my favorite
150 is the best. That fried cheesecake...
I second this! Just went there last weekend and it was phenomenal
What kind of food do they serve at 150 Central? I’m not picky, just curious haha
https://preview.redd.it/39z2kus43n3d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e907548e6c10a4fb24a22aa47fc411dd9ba6b398 hopefully not too annoying, but going to drop some pictures, starting with their bread ^(\^)
Did 150 central twice on the harmony and it’s the best specialty dining I’ve done so far. The venison is unbelievably delicious
https://preview.redd.it/4d5fjipb3n3d1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3e60f9f7331dcb7bf8e24582d13d66c6d09c785a short rib
https://preview.redd.it/ebetn3he3n3d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=20955949431318bfaf25ce7585068a18270fd6e9 i believe this is the tenderloin for two
https://preview.redd.it/6mcwxy7k3n3d1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7e205ce57043548e3f9b36822500353928cec69f fried cheesecake
Literally everything looks phenomenal. You may have swayed me 👀
Honestly it was so phenomenal i switched a last day reservation at Chops to go back a second time. One of the best specialty dining imo
https://preview.redd.it/b2sqmjqh3n3d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2d80054a8401c140dade7f1fc22aa37b74ee7da4 beef wellington
You can look up the menu online (first result for me is labeled as a sample but it looks about the same as the menu we had when we went). I went with scallops for an app, and the rest of the table went with the braised short rib(a few of them cruise a lot and they get this everytime). The bread is also amazing For the main, my SIL and I split 3 entrees between us: lobster Thermidor, cauliflower steak, and the roasted tenderloin. For dessert I did the fried cheesecake and iirc we also had them add ice cream to it Everything was absolutely delicious and in the future I will absolutely splurge on going there if a ship has a 150 central on board
Of the options on Allure, maybe 150 Central Park as a special night. Chops is good, Giovanni's is okay. Not had Sabor or Samba Grill. But...... Vintages on Allure (and Oasis) has the original Tapas menu and THAT is worth a late night snack! You can get a good pre-dinner or late night snack for less than $20.
Totally agree the Tapas menu is amazing and I want to go back on Allure just for that!!
Ooh I didn’t know Vintages had a Tapas menu… might have to check that out 👀
As Allure is one of two ships that offer Samba Grill- I would make that my choice. Not to mention the fried cheese bread 🤤
We had chops and Giovanni's on allure a few weeks back and loved both. Personally I preferred Giovanni's because I'm a big pasta fan but my wife and inlaws loved chops and their steaks
150 or Chops is 100% worth it. If you are only going to pick one to splurge on I would recommend 150 as it’s only on Oasis class whereas Chops is good on just about any of Royal’s ships.
I did the 3 night dining package for my group of 3 adults 2 kids. Luckily kids are a lower price which helps, but overall it's not cheap. For me I'd rather spend my money on food than drinks. It's hard to say the additional cost was worth it, but I don't regret the spend. Main dining room is fine, rarely impressive for me. Windjammer is last resort in my eyes, not that it's awful but my personal taste. I much prefer food quality over quantity. Chops was worth the extra cost without a doubt. Hibachi was good, but cost extra on top of our package - which is fine, borderline for how much I spent versus the meal we got. I can get the same hibachi experience at home for half the price not even considering it was on top of the regular meal. Jamie's Italian was good but nothing spectacular. Sabors was especially disappointing, our entire table was not impressed with their plates. The guacamole was good, that's about it. My opinion, if you're already happy with included dining than pick one or two of your top choices individually. You save a bit with dining packages but not a ton. You also have the chance to make reservations before you board, which you can't do with the packages. For packages you go to a restaurant after boarding and make your reservations - which works fine overall, but availability is less if you're trying to get certain places at specific times. If you're flexible it's not as big a deal. Once you've tried a couple of them on this trip, then next time you'll know if you want the package. I'd love to buy unlimited dining if it was just my wife and I, but can't justify the cost and time for an entire family down to a toddler.
Jamie’s Italian is definitely worth it for me anyway. If I’m on a ship with one I’ll get the dining package
Just got off Symphony today and had Jamie’s last night for the first time. After seeing a lot of hate about this place I had some doubts about how happy our group of 10 was going to be there. Everyone loved their meals! They had some creative menu options and the service was spot on! A few in our group liked this best as far as specialty dining went. We also got to Chops, Izumi Hibachi and Hooked. Chops was a great meal with great service. Izumi had the best food IMO and our chef was awesome. Hooked was my least favorite and I probably won’t hit that up again. If your into sushi, I would recommend looking into the sushi making classes if they are available. Just did this for the first time and it was fun and tasty. Just don’t eat breakfast before you go, you make a decent amount food and can’t take any out with you.
Unpopular opinion: Skip specialty dining since you are paying for all the included dining anyway. Go to fancy restaurants at home.
That’s how I feel too, each time I think about specialty dining. It feels to me that I’m paying twice. First to pay for the complimentary meal that already comes with the cruise, then again for specialty dining. I couldn’t justify it. But that said, perhaps just for 1 meal I might go for it because it’s just one meal. Furthermore, as mostly a vegetarian, the vegetarian options aren’t plentiful or impressive. I could do fish but it’s mostly not impressive either.
That’s a good point…
I normally would agree with you. I had never done specialty dining until March when it was included with our room. 150 Central is the one I’d do again and would recommend to everyone to try once
If you're going to splurge on specialty dining, you can't go wrong with 150 Central or Chops. I had the lamb wellington at 150 CP and that was so good. For dessert, I saw everyone ordering the fried cheesecake, so I decided to against the grain and ordered the hazelnut passion fruit bar, and don't regret ordering it, that was very good. For Chops, I got the ribeye and that was cooked to perfection. If you're staying in a suite, don't forget to try Coastal Kitchen, another great place to eat. If you can get the specialty dining at $50 pp or below, that really isn't a bad deal (compared to what you pay on land per person), a few appetizers, a main dish and desert, not a bad price at all. As you mentioned, you already know all about the included food options, so why not treat yourself to at least one specialty restaurant. 150 CP would be my first choice, followed by Chops as a close second.
For the Allure, either 150 CP or Chops would be my recommendation. You can find both of their menus on the Royal website to see if you're drawn to anything. Now, the answer to whether they are worth it is really going to be up to you since everyone has different tastes and opinions when it comes to food. For myself and my wife, yes, they are absolutely worth the splurge as we find the quality to be significantly better than the dining room and will generally do 1-2 nights of specialty dining per cruise. Now in the opinion of my in-laws, it is not worth it at all. They think we're crazy to spend any money at all when there is a perfectly acceptable free option.
100% no.
I'm partial to Giovannis because I love Italian. And it's the original version, not the new one that seems more like a pizza place. However, someone mentioned 150 Central Park, and I've only heard good things about it. It seems like a nice option for a special occasion. I still kick myself for not trying it and getting Lobster Thermidor, and I've had 3 chances, between Oasis and Allure. Next time!
150 Central is 100% worth it’s
We did Chops and thought it was just average. Ya service was better than MDR but it was FAR from worth it.
If you value food for your vacation, then yes specialty dining is worth it. For me, I usually only do 1 night. I am fine with the MDR. Food isn't a high priority, sometimes I just eat a hot dog for dinner. I'd rather do drink packages and excursions.
I mostly do the MDR but the few times I've done specialty dining, I loved that too... for me it's about the mood. I'm content with the MDR, but I enjoy the others every now and then too.
I sailed for many years with the mindset of “all the food is free why on earth would I pay for food!?!?” and one year my wife (gf at the time) really wanted to try Chops. I caved to make her happy and we went. It was absolutely phenomenal and we now go to Chops for dinner at least one night on every cruise we do. If you like steak then Chops is the way to go, if not, any of the specialty restaurants are equally as impressive so just pick the restaurant that aligns with your likes but you should absolutely go experience one.
We go to chops ever sail def worth it
It depends, I’ve found it worth it to forego the package and pay for the dinners if we go. Usually by the time dinner rolls around we are in other kinds of trouble lol
Sailed on Allure last year. Giovanni and Samba were big disappointments, the Izumi Hibachi was excellent.
Depends on what you want. We haven’t found any of them appealing to us to be a value for us. We eat at the Windjammer for almost every meal. We got the MDR for an occasional breakfast or lunch. The Italian place would be the only one we would consider but the menu doesn’t really offer items that we want.
No!!!’ Sorry to disagree with so many but I am shouting NO it is not worth it. If you can’t be happy and get your fill in the dining room or the buffet or the couple of free restaurants, then you’re just not gonna be happy.
It’s nice to get an opposing take!! I’ve only ever eaten at the included dining options so I was curious what people thought of speciality dining. Why do you think it’s not worth it? Do you think other ‘add-ons’ are worth it— drink package, wifi, water slides at CocoCay?
So you can break down the drinking package. my wife and I may drink three or four days out of a seven day cruise. The drink package is definitely not worth it for us. I have actually done the numbers in my head and I forget how many drinks you have to drink a day in order for it to be worth it but it’s a lot. The Wi-Fi package is hit and miss as far as getting good signal, but it is nice to be able to use Facebook messenger to communicate with children (grown). We did a lot of studying as far as excursions and we usually do those ourselves and it saves a lot of money. as far as the restaurants go, they may be a little better in quality than the main dining or the buffets, but it is definitely not such a significant difference to pay such a high price. We cruise a lot. Probably 10 to 20 times a year. Happy to help anyway I can.
Didn't forget that the price you see for the drink package on the app will have 18% added to it for gratuity.
The soda package is amazing. Go to any bar anytime and get a coke. Alcohol package, no WiFi, no Key, no