I've been on Princess and Carnival and we're now set to take a spin on the Sovereign of the Seas. We watched with great interest the documentary about the renovation on this ship, and while we have no illusions that it's an older ship, we're looking forward to visit the celebrity we saw on TV.
I truly wasn't considering another cruise this year, but we were going to Florida anyway ...
At any rate, I'm curious about what to expect for the food. From what I've read the meal timings aren't as liberal as other ships and you actually have to pay for the burger joint (I'm going to miss those freebie poolside grills). Any thoughts on this or the experience in general?
__________________
RCI Sovereign of the Seas 2005
Caribbean Princess 2005
Carnival Paradise 2004
Hi Kate,
RC still adheres to the set dining times (main and late seating) for meals in the main dining room (as do a number of the cruise lines). As for burgers - you do have to pay for dining at Johnny Rockets, but there is still the standard poolside grill that provides burgers, hot dogs, fries, etc. for free.
Nancy
Really? I saw nothing on the RCCL website that indicated they had a poolside grill (just poolside ice cream). We're going on the Sovereign which is an older ship, so we just assumed she was lacking in amenities.
My next question is - why would they offer free burgers, pizza and ice cream but then also have a venue where you have to pay for the same things?
__________________
RCI Sovereign of the Seas 2005
Caribbean Princess 2005
Carnival Paradise 2004
Ooops! I may have mispoke - I should have said there is still a grill, not necessarily "poolside". You wouldn't necessarily notice it as a separate section - the burger grill is a section of the Windjammer Cafe (sometimes a separate grill outside near the pool and sometimes within the confines of the Windjammer Buffet line itself), but always an option on RC ships (whether there is a Johnny Rockets or not). Johnny Rockets is considered a specialty restaurant, with gourmet burgers and milkshakes/malts (not available at the Windjammer) - but they still offer the standard burger and fries at lunch to those guests that do not wish to pay the extra money for a "specialty product".
Nancy
I was on the Mariner in Apr and there were NO poolside burgers available on this ship. As a matter of fact they only had 10 poolside tables. The rest were lounge chairs.
I believe Johnny Rockets is only on the Voyager class ships. The Vision and Radiance class have "poolside" grills where you can get free hot dogs, hamburgers, etc.
I was just on the Monarch of the Seas which is a Sovereign class ship. I don't remember a poolside hamburger grill but as Nancy said, you can get free hot dogs, hamburgers, etc at the Windjammer.
So I guess the upside is that free burgers are in fact a reality. The downside is that since they will be lumped with the Windjammer, they will only be available during Windjammer hours, and one has to fight the buffet lines to get one. I don't really mind them not being poolside since I can take my plate wherever I wish.
Johnny Rockets and Sorrentos were both added to the Sovereign during her renovation. Normally neither is on that class of ship, so I will consider the pizza place at least to be a bonus.
__________________
RCI Sovereign of the Seas 2005
Caribbean Princess 2005
Carnival Paradise 2004
Yea - you can take your burger any place to enjoy it, however, it would have been nice to have MORE tables available. We (The Mariner) had 5 on each side of the ship. And one side was the smoking side, so that side did not count since I am not a smoker.
Hi Kate, My sister's and I just got back from my cruise on The Sovergh of the Sea.We just got back on Friday, June 10. This was my first cruise. Had a great time. Their is food , food , food. You won't have any trouble eating. They do have food buffets at midlight.There is a pizza place on board. It's free. Next to it is Johhny Rocket. There is a $3.95 cover charge per person. Butyou can eat 5 hambugers and 3 order's of chilli -cheese fries if you want. Out of all the meals. I enjoyed the breakfast best. I loved the omlets. They will cook them to your TASTE.I had one everyday. I hope you have a great time.Have fun.
OK, now I know I'm asking a lot of questions about the food, but I just want to know where I will be nickeled and dimed before I get on. Alot of people have bad experiences because they did not know what to expect.
At Johnny Rockets, are the milkshakes/malts included in the cover charge or are they extra?
__________________
RCI Sovereign of the Seas 2005
Caribbean Princess 2005
Carnival Paradise 2004
Linear Mode
