One of the biggest complaints from Royal Caribbean passengers is that the cruise line offers a limited number of late-night dining options.
Once the Windjammer Buffet closes at 9:30 or 10:00 p.m., depending on the ship, guests can, in most cases, enjoy pizza at Sorrento's and snacks at Promenade Cafe as complimentary options. Some Oasis-class ships also offer basic hot dogs at Boardwalk Doghouse, but pizza or snacks are offered on most ships.
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If you want to pay, ships with Playmakers sports bars offer wings, burgers and bar food until 11 p.m., while room service is always available for a flat fee. The catch with room service, of course, is that you have to be in your room.
Some cruise lines, including Carnival, have delivery services that can bring food to you wherever you are. Royal Caribbean doesn't offer anything like that. And unless you're on Icon of the Seas, which keeps the free Aquadome Marketplace and its five food stands open late, you have very few options.
The cruise line has been quietly testing a solution to this problem on two of its newest ships.
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Royal Caribbean borrows a casino concept
Casinos want to keep players at the tables and slot machines. A person who has to walk a long distance to get something to eat or drink may not return.
That's why casinos on land and at sea have bartenders working the floor to make sure people have drinks. If they could bring in screens and portable toilets to keep people from getting up from their tables when nature calls, they probably would.
Land-based casinos also offer food for customers to eat. It is usually not located directly in the casino, but there are restaurants, fast food stands and coffee kiosks in the surrounding area.
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Casino operators want people to never leave the tables and slot machines, whenever possible. Keeping them hydrated and perhaps a little tipsy is good for the bottom line.
Having food nearby also makes players less likely to leave for a bite to eat and decide not to come back. On a Royal Caribbean cruise, pizzas and snacks are usually on a floor above the casino.
It's not much, but it gets them away from the sights and sounds of the casino. Letting people out of that bubble might lead to them going to sleep, or opting to listen to live music at the pub or Schooner bar, or choosing karaoke, dancing or some other nighttime activity.
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Royal Caribbean tests a casino mini buffet
Wonder of the Seas, once the world’s largest cruise ship, made its debut sailing in March 2022. The ship was originally planned to sail in China, so it had some design features that set it apart from other Oasis-class ships.
That included a room on the fourth deck, the same deck as the main casino, called the Golden Room. That space was intended to be a high-roller casino, but when Wonder moved to U.S. and European cruises, that space, which housed Jazz on 4 on earlier Oasis-class ships, was used as a secondary, non-smoking casino.
The Golden Room, being geared toward high rollers, also featured a small buffet area with warming trays. Royal Caribbean has selectively used that food service area for a nightly buffet on some Wonder of the Seas voyages.
It is a selection of hot and cold snacks similar to the Happy Hour offering for Crown & Anchor Diamond and above members in the Crown Lounge.
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“Think appetizers, snacks, cheese and crackers, etc. I've seen breaded shrimp, mini egg rolls, mini quiche, little chicken or beef skewers, pigs in a blanket, mozzarella sticks, things like that,” Mike from OCSC shared on the website. Royal Caribbean Blog Message board. “There are also mini desserts on the CL, like chocolate covered strawberries and squares of various random things.”
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Utopia of the Seas, the newest ship in the Oasis class, also features a mini-buffet in its casino, except it's in the main room, not the secondary non-smoking space.
Both Wonder and Utopia have been offering late-night casino food on some cruise ships. It’s still a test, but the decision to include the space on Utopia of the Seas suggests the cruise line has some faith in the idea and that it’s not just a legacy concept due to Wonder’s unique origins in being designed to sail from China.
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