Royal Caribbean (RCL) has officially fixed a problem that some passengers did not think actually needed fixing, The cruise line has revealed new dinner menus for its main dining rooms (MDR). The reveal follows a test period that took place on Symphony of the Seas toward the end of 2022 and it's a major change that's not likely to be universally loved.
Ostensibly, Royal Caribbean is making the changes -- which will be rolled out fleetwide in the first quarter -- for two reasons. First, the cruise line would say waste is reason one (although customers might equate that with a desire to spend less money by offering fewer choices.
The second, and bigger, reason is that Royal Caribbean wants simpler menus to speed up its dinner service. That's clearly something that some customers want, as the traditional 90-minute to two-hour cruise ship dinner might not meet the needs of some passengers.
On the other hand, many passengers relish the leisurely dinner with multiple courses as a chance to reset and connect after a busy day, before an action-packed evening of shows, music, dancing, gambling, and perhaps some adult beverages.
The MDR changes try to please both audiences but run the risk of disappointing everyone.
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Royal Caribbean Gets Rid of Classics (Mostly)
The biggest change to the Royal Caribbean main dining room menus is that they no longer offer the "classics" section every night. That part of the menu offered a few basic items -- New York strip steak, spaghetti bolognese, a basic chicken, and a few others. Dropping it takes away a key option for people who aren't that daring and robs guests a chance to have a favored appetizer like escargot, French onion soup, or shrimp cocktail every night.
Those items will all be offered, just not on an every night-basis. The new menus will have a theme each night and the first nights theme contains a nod to some of those fan-favorite items, Matt Hochberg of the Royal Caribbean Blog reported.
"The theme for the first night is 'Welcome Aboard,' and the menu features some classics from the old menu, including the caesar salad, shrimp cocktail, escargots, New York strip steak, spaghetti bolognese, Royal cheesecake, and ice cream," Hochberg wrote.
Other themes will include Italian, French, and Caribbean. Premium selections from the Chops premium steakhouse restaurant are also still available with a filet mignon, lobster tail, or the two together as a surf & turf.
Royal Caribbean Passengers May Have Mixed Feelings
Before making these changes, Royal Caribbean tested the new menus on Symphony of the Seas and solicited passenger feedback. The new menus are somewhat changed from the test menus and they do feature many familiar items. In fact, all of the old "classics" are offered at least once during even a short cruise.
In addition, Royal Caribbean is limiting guests to one extra lobster tail on longer cruises that have a lobster night. Previously, passengers could have as many lobster tails as they wanted, but the rising cost of lobster has forced the cruise line to change that, according to Hochberg.
The new dinner service is designed to last about 75 minutes. Royal Caribbean will continue to evaluate guest satisfaction and may make further tweaks as it rolls the new menus out across the entire fleet.
Royal Caribbean expects all ships to have the new menus by February.
