Specialty Restaurants

[travelgirl06]

I'm looking for some insights on how RCL specialty restaurants compare to DCL's. We're celebrating our anniversary on Navigator next month and would like to do at least one nicer meal sans kiddos. We've done Palo and Remy on DCL and enjoyed both, are any royal restaurants similar to these? I know they don't have an adults-only restaurant, which would be my preference, so what is my best bet?

I think navigator has Chops, Izumi, Giovanni's table and Sabor. I was leaning towards Giovanni's (if it's similar to palo) or maybe the wine pairing dinner at Chops. Are the RCL restaurants worth the up charge, or are we better off splurging on other stuff?

Also, if we book in advance is it easy to cancel/modify. I'm willing to book, but since we can't pre-book nursery time there may be a need to adjust depending on nursery availability.

 

[karmacats]

I'm looking for some insights on how RCL specialty restaurants compare to DCL's. We're celebrating our anniversary on Navigator next month and would like to do at least one nicer meal sans kiddos. We've done Palo and Remy on DCL and enjoyed both, are any royal restaurants similar to these? I know they don't have an adults-only restaurant, which would be my preference, so what is my best bet?

I think navigator has Chops, Izumi, Giovanni's table and Sabor. I was leaning towards Giovanni's (if it's similar to palo) or maybe the wine pairing dinner at Chops. Are the RCL restaurants worth the up charge, or are we better off splurging on other stuff?

Also, if we book in advance is it easy to cancel/modify. I'm willing to book, but since we can't pre-book nursery time there may be a need to adjust depending on nursery availability.

The restaurants are definitely worth the upcharge, and should be easy to change if your times change. cancellations have to be a day or two before or else you're charged the upcharge anyway, but oftentimes the staff will waive the charge - it's not a guarantee, though. if you change the time or date, they generally will not charge you.

i haven't been on navigator but have eaten at chops on liberty and at giovanni's on allure. chops was meh the first time (in 2008) but very good the second time (about 6 months ago). i'd say its decor and atmosphere, at least on liberty, was the closest to palo, as far as being upscale-ish. we also had excellent service there.

the food at giovanni's table was my favorite - so much so that we booked a second lunch there after eating there once - and it's still a "nicer" experience, but i'd say not as upscale as chops.

i haven't been to izumi or sabor, so can't comment on those.

there is nothing similar to remy, except maybe the chef's table on ships that have them (which i don't think navigator does), and the uber-fancy restaurant whose name escapes me in central park on oasis and allure.

i don't think you could go wrong at either chops or giovanni's.

fwiw, although they are not adults-only, i've seen very few kids in either one, and no very young kids. if you can eat at a later time, that will help avoid the kiddos, too.

 

[travelgirl06]

Thanks for the tips! DH just forwarded me an email from RCL about booking specialty restraints and I told him I was researching it

Glad to hear the restaurants are more adult-oriented even if they aren't adults only. We certainly don't mind if there are well-behaved kids around, but don't want to spend an extra $70 for a noise level similar to the MDR

 

[SevenWonkas]

I have never been to any of the DCL specialty restaurants, but have been to a lot of the ones on Royal Caribbean. (DH and I do a speciality restaurant every cruise).

Like another poster said, I rarely see kids in the specialty restaurant. If they are, they are always well-behaved! Which makes sense, when you think about it. Would you pay an extra $20 bucks each for your kid to just be a handful?

You'll find varying opinions on whether the upcharge for specialty restaurants is worth it (on any cruise line), but we feel it is.While the food may not be $20 better in all cases, the service and setting make it worth it. The service is less rushed and more attentive.

We've always enjoyed Chops. It's always been a nice, quiet setting. The lights are usually low. I don't usually see large groups at Chops. We went to Giovanni's earlier this year on Allure. It actually was a bit loud in there. Part of it may have been the acoustics of the room, and a lot of it was because we were seated next to a party of 12. Giovanni's is also supposed to be family style, and more relaxed than Royal's other Italian restaurant, Portofino. You are encouraged to order multiple things at your table, and share it with everyone. Our server didn't bat an eye when we ordered multiple appetizers and entrees. If you're looking for a nice date night, I may skip Izumi. While it was tasty, and the service was excellent, it was casual. People were there in their shorts and t-shirts. It did remind me of just going to the neighborhood sushi shop for dinner. (Not that we have one in our neighborhood, but you get the picture!) I've never been to Sabor, but am excited to try it when we go on Oasis in 2016! (Yes, we have a cruise booked out that far)

I hope you have a nice time!