We had an issue in the MDR and found the Solarium Bistro and they were so amazing. We ate there just about every single night for dinner and many lunches.
We tried it for breakfast one day and really enjoyed it, so we ended up going there several times. We didn't try it for lunch or dinner, but maybe next time!
When I was on Allure in 2019 I ate at Solarium Beastro every morning for breakfast. I found it to be much less crowded than the Windjammer. I am not a morning person but like my breakfast so this was perfect for me. I also ate there a few times for lunch for same reason. Maybe not a good idea to advertise this option for fear more people will go there. 😅
We were on the Wonder a few months ago, and our room was near the Solarium Bistro, so we decided to check out their breakfast offerings. We wound up eating there almost every day of our cruise. Especially loved taking our food into the solarium to enjoy the ambiance and the ocean views!
For those of you wondering why Matt would rank the MDR so high he has always had a soft spot for it even when they lowered the quality of food a while back. I suspect he likes the more formal sit down aspect of it that you don’t get in the other included restaurants. That’s probably more important than the food quality to him since you have to pay extra to get it anywhere else.
He also mentioned enjoying the ambience. I don't disagree with his assessment; the three best meals I had on my RC cruise were all in the main dining room.
Wonderful list of free food options, and the ones on Icon look fantastic. At this point, I can not afford a cruise on this ship and wish that Royal Caribbean will consider adding these food options (especially crepes) on their older, more affordable ships.
I really suggest you call a travel agency! My travel agent is always able to find me sailings that are in my budget! You just have to be flexible with time of year/cabin options
@@pw-sz6ds disney is still probably more expensive than icon though, if you want especially if you're talking about their cruise ships lol and icon is a new ship so its going to be popular, kinda like Sun princess in that way
We went there every day of our Icon cruise for lunch. We had a party of five, so everyone loved the variety. Problem is seven days of build you own crapes is not helpful to the waistline.
I love going to the MDR for breakfast. I feel like it’s easily overlooked. I haven’t been for lunch, but would like to check that out on my next cruise.
I use to love cafe prom. But now it’s just ok, I was on Wonder and I only went 2 times. Back in the day on Allure if you wanted to find me just go to Cafe P.
Exactly right on Cafe Promenade. In the last two or three years they have cut way back on both selection and rotation through the day. Liberty was my second or third ship. On Liberty the selection was very wide for both breakfast and lunch/dinner. Cakes cookies fruit items and salads. Several different finger sandwiches daily etc.
Thanks for the info on Liberty. I will be on that ship next month and hope Cafe Promenade still has a very wide selection. Anthem OTS last December was good, but limited.
@@DogDayz0fSummer Good hearing from you. My first sail was in 2015 on the Norwegian Spirit. I chose that sailing for the itinerary which was exactly what I wanted. At the time Spirit was 20 yrs. old and second hand. Cosmetically in fine condition but the food was very disappointing. Twice since then Spirit has been slated for the scrapyard but has continued to elude that fate. My second voyage was on RC Mariner. Mariner remains my sentimental fav but Liberty is second or third with Ovation. While on the Liberty I had an enjoyable conversation with the piano bar player while on a smoke break. I'm in Memphis and he live near Hernando MS which is about 30 miles south. I had his card, got it home but have since lost it. Absent any sarcasm, good luck with Promenade and other similar venues. Post Covid cutbacks are likely still in place. Best wishes for a great cruise.
I just sailed on Navigator of the Seas and thought El Loco Fresh was just ok. The quesadillas were always a hit but the premade burritos were mid and the beans were lacking. I just booked a trip on quantum next and am excited for the larger variety of food choices and really hoping that dog house is better than this video made it seem. Some comments are giving me hope.
I sailed on Liberty of the Seas back in 2019 and loved every minute of it. We are planning another cruise in 2026 in Alaska and will sail with RC. I agree that the main Dining Room has plentiful and delicious options. My roommate preferred Cafe Promenade for the simple fact that they offered sugar free cookies. My question is, with all the restaurants and high quality foods and catering to gluten free eaters, why do they not offer more for diabetics? The only dessert options my roommate had were ice cream in the MDR or the cookies.
One or our favorite places wasn't mentioned - Johnny Rockets for breakfast. It's FREE, unlike lunch or dinner. We love El Loco Fresh, Park Cafe, Sorrento's and the Windjammer. Haven't eaten in a main dining room in over 10 years. Too many other options. Keep cruising 🛳️❤️🍹
The Solarium is a great place to go for breakfast when you don't want to be overwhelmed by the food selection like you would at Windjammers. Plus, since it's in the adult area, there's usually not a lot of kids there.
Matt, I totally enjoy all your videos. Hands down the most informative in my opinion. But you mentioned being from CT and how the pizza is the best! Fellow CTer here! I hope your pick is Pepe's!! LOL Thanks again for all the great videos!
Windjammer is very subjective based on what ship you are on. Was on Adventure OTS and they didnt have fruit compote & whipped cream by the pancakes & waffles at breakfast, When I asked a crew member, he pointed to jam in the condiment area. However was just on Anthem and they had fruit compote, chocolate sauce and whipped cream by the pancakes and waffles!
Mini Bites on Harmony was actually a go-to spot for us. The menu seems like it was borrowed from El Loco Fresh (which I've never had, but seen in your videos), and we loved the tacos and quesadillas. It was close to our stateroom and had a Coke freestyle machine so we went all the time!
We were not a fan of mini bites🥴I’m excited for loco fresh because our next cruise ship has it and I’m a big Mexican fan. I personally loved sorrientos lol. Dog house was cool on Harmony.
18:21 I agree with you on the Dog House at least on oasis class ships. The bun is terrible and it prevents me from actually getting a good ole mustard dog! My question is how can it be right next-door to Johnny Rockets, who’s hotdogs are phenomenal?!! I am completely baffled! I was on wonder of the seas two weeks ago I should’ve tried the dog house to see if they change the buns!
I was very disappointed with Coastal Kitchen on Oasis of the Seas. I found the dinner service to be very loud; it felt like I was sitting in a mall area due to the noise. We opted to go to the MDR instead.
I really wish these sort of videos would be honest about the Solarium Bistro. It's the exact same food as the Windjammer, just a much more limited assortment. It's only Mediterranean at dinner time.
..and way less crowded. Many of the included restaurants are different by degrees, not giant leaps. So there's something to be said about convenience and ease of getting in.
Too many restaurants that are almost exclusively on Icon. Not many of us Royal Cruisers will experience them as Icon is way too expensive. On every Royal Cruise I am on we can't wait until we go to Chops. Awesome steaks. I would put Chops at the top of my list. Samba is also a top 3 for us. I can't believe it will be going away. Central Park I would agree with. Maybe a little higher on my list. We also love Park Cafe. It should be on the list.
Correct, and restaurants on new ships that cost more than older ships have a higher barrier of entry too. It's just the fairest way I could come up with
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog Fair enough. i rarely sail in suites, usually balconies, and i don't do specialty dining. I am looking forward to aquadome market when i finally get to sail on Icon. (next cruise is Southern Caribbean on Rhapsody in Nov.) any plans to blog about that itinerary? pretty light pickings on you tube for RC
Is there another than pizza for an evening snack? Something we love on NCL is the evening snacks & ice cream machine. Wondered if anything like that on RC
Aquadome market was a hit among nearly every RU-vid influencer who went on the inaugural cruise. I can't wait to try it! Main dining I would rank lower ONLY because I dislike their lunches every time I go there, and breakfast is pretty boring. However dinner is outstanding, I agree with you there. And I would have ranked Windjammer #2 because I have gotten some of the best food on the ship, especially on smaller ships, at the Windjammer. They have specialty food you won't see anywhere else, such as the daily asian servings. And... Tacos. Yes! Mini Bites and Dog House are the reason Harmony of the Seas is my least favorite ship in the fleet. I can't wait for it to be amplified, so they can remove those awful eateries.
The Dog House should include hot fries made to order, chili & cheese, Italian hot dog on a regular warm hot dog bun. Better yet turn the area into a Gelato stand because Johnny Rocket's hot dogs are 100% better.
Disappointed Mini Bites was so low. Going on Harmony in September and was looking forward to trying that. But otherwise I mostly agree with your list! Never been on Icon though so can't really rate those.
Hi Matt. I have the opportunity to eat dinner at Coastal Kitchen on Ovation. Do you recommend taking it while I can or just enjoy the other venues paid or free - does the menu change? Thank you. BTW, last year I asked if any ships have Mac N Cheese venue, glad to see it!
it's a great place for kids, take them next time! Quieter than Windjammer, on the same floor as the H2O zone and pool, it's got kid friendly food like fruit and chicken and desserts.
On Wonder OTS, the bistro was adjacent/connected to the solarium, so technically not in a restricted area (although on my cruise I didn't really see many kids eating there).
Mdr at two is crazy. Dirty paper menu and food somewhere between McDonalds and a low end sit down. Also base camp should be at last because charging for those things especially charging double digits for them is a hate crime
@@sl4193it was. We went twice the first and the 7th night. The first we had steak that tasted as if they airdropped them in from ihop and the 7th was the second formal night and in the middle of dinner they played party music and paraded the culinary team through which is fine but not on formal night imo.
park cafe is 👎👎.its lackluster. this is thee only place i walked out of and didnt eat from, on my week long cruise. i wouldve put it right before dog house
Main dining room is awful. Wind jammer is 100 times better!!!!! Worst steak I've ever had was in the wind jammer!!! Nothing is cooked fresh for you, thry have it all sitting in hot boxes waiting to be served. To each their own, but i wont be visiting the MDR in the future.
I have to say the hot dog place is the worst and they do not open until 11 .. They literally boil their hot dogs and have to be the cheapest they can find they are not even pure beef.. Stay away
As of March 2023 the food in the MDR is horrible. The steak is not even close to Denny’s - Holiday in is a big step up. Many of the other top 5 eateries are much better than the MDR.
Paying for a suite is no different then paying for a dining package, IMO. I disagree with including suite only restaurants. That’s my only criticisms, Matt. ❤️✌🏻🤟🛳️🎯
I would drop Coastal Kitchen and the Grove to the bottom / NA status simply because I don't ever see myself ever sailing in a suite. Unless I hit one of these mega lottery jackpots and have money to burn.
Hope RCI adds some of these Icon eateries on other ships. Unfortunately Icon cruise fares are way out of out budget. We agrees that Park Cafe is a great quick lunch spot. And I love El Loco Fresh
I haven't been a fan of the MDR on the two RC transatlantic cruises. I cruise solo and have bought the unlimited specialty package both times. I rise early and always breakfast in the Windjammer. Aside from the substandard bagels I found there, I liked the buffet and also had some lunches and dinners there as well. I like the fact that they have Indian and other ethinic foods as well. Promenade cafe and the next door Sorrento are good for late night and nothing special. I like Cafe270 for lunch once or twice.
Thanks Matt, I do love the MDR for their daily menu change and atmosphere. I can’t wait to go try the new places on Icon next year! I went on HOS in November and tried the Solarium and wasn’t impressed, I know you call it a gem but you’ve said a lot that I don’t think it’s a gem anymore 😂 it was busy and didn’t have much selection. Again thank you for your videos!
