Food, food—everywhere! Let me start off by saying that Icon of the Seas has more dining venues than any other ship in the entire Royal Caribbean fleet. That’s a lot of food! And I got to eat as much of it as possible in seven days. There are about forty places to eat on the beautiful Icon, and 13 of them are included in your cruise fare! Believe it or not, I ate in 11 of the 13 complimentary restaurants—my bad?! Two of the complimentary restaurants, Coastal Kitchen and The Grove, are for suite guests only. I wasn’t in a suite on this cruise, but I talked to several suite guests, and they raved about those two dining venues.
Our first dinner was in the Main Dining Room (MDR), where you can choose early, late, or my-time complimentary dining. I opted for early dining. The MDR is on three levels, Decks 3, 4, and 5, and it is absolutely breathtaking, from its interesting artwork to the magnificent chandelier. And the food? To die for! If you choose to eat in the MDR for supper, you will have the same waiter and assistant waiter for the duration of the cruise. They will offer you elite service, and you will be best friends by the end of your cruise! If you have breakfast or lunch in the MDR, you’ll sit at different tables with different waitstaff.
But let’s talk about dinner! Once I was seated, my assistant waiter appeared out of nowhere, greeted me, placed my linen napkin on my lap, handed me a menu, and placed freshly baked rolls on the table. What a way to start dinner—I felt like a princess! Very soon after, our waiter appeared, introduced himself, and explained the menu. This was getting better and better! Needless to say, I had impeccable, professional, friendly service in the MDR the entire week. And as a side note, I must say it’s the same on every Royal Caribbean cruise I’ve taken.
Now, onto the food—and there is an abundance of it. You can have as little or as much as you want. You can order one appetizer, three appetizers, or even no appetizers! The same goes for the entrees and desserts. Your choices are wide open. Eating in the MDR is a great way to try foods you’ve never eaten before because if you discover you don’t like something, you can get something else! There is a different themed menu every night, including the Welcome Aboard Menu, the Taste of Italy Menu, and the Royal Night Menu. Along with the different themes, there are also standard items you can order nightly. You can even order three Premium Selections at an extra charge (Maine lobster tail, Chops Grille filet mignon, and surf & turf). Your waiter will tell you what the chef’s recommendations are every night, but you can order whatever your heart desires. You typically have six appetizers, seven or eight main courses, and seven desserts to choose from each and every night!
Here are some of the menu items I had and absolutely loved. Appetizers/Starters: crab cake, grilled sweet corn cakes, escargot, spinach, and artichoke dip, escargot. I always thought Escargot was disgusting, even though I never tasted it. I decided to try it on a Royal cruise and discovered I love it! I especially love soaking my bread in the mouth-watering garlic oil. So don’t be afraid to try something new! Entrees/Main Courses: prime rib, Maine lobster tail (included at no extra charge on Royal night!), mushroom risotto, chicken marsala, chili-lime-crusted salmon. The salmon was another new food I tried and loved. Desserts: warm apple cobbler, key lime pie, Italian chocolate hazelnut cake, Royal cheesecake…well, actually, all the desserts—I have a huge sweet tooth!
When you are finished with your entire meal, your waiter will inform you of what’s going on that night and where you’ll be tomorrow (in port or at sea). Then the night is yours to enjoy!
Stay tuned for my next post: ICON OF THE SEAS: FOOD AND DINING – PART 2!
