11 Dining & Drinks Secrets Every Cruiser Should Know
June 29th 2026 | 4 minute Read
ROYAL CARIBBEAN INSIDER GUIDE
How to eat well, drink smart, and save a bit of money onboard
Dining is one of the best parts of any Royal Caribbean cruise, and there’s a lot more to it than just showing up to dinner. After years of sailing, we’ve collected the small, lesser-known tips that help our travellers get the most out of the food and drink onboard: where to eat, what’s already included, what you’re allowed to bring with you, and the little tricks that quietly keep your bill down.
Here are the eleven dining and drinks tips we share with our clients so they can sail like old hands from day one.
1.Buffet or Main Dining Room? You don’t have to choose
Your cruise fare includes two free options: the open buffet (the Windjammer) and the Main Dining Room, which has full table service. People often ask us which one to go for. The good news is you don’t have to choose.
• Mix and match. Wander through the buffet, grab a small bite to wake up your appetite, then sit down to a proper meal in the Main Dining Room. Want a dessert from the buffet afterwards? Go back whenever it’s open. Nobody’s counting.
• Order more than one dish. Can’t decide between two mains in the dining room? Order both. Royal Caribbean will happily bring double portions or as many starters as you like. Just ask your waiter.
• Plan ahead. The Main Dining Room menu changes every day. It’s posted on the screens by the entrance each morning, and you can also browse it in the Royal Caribbean app.
2.Order pizza made to order
Most Royal Caribbean ships have Sorrento’s, the pizzeria that always seems to have a queue. It’s open from early afternoon until late, which makes it handy after a night out around the ship.
- Skip the display slices. You can ask the staff for a custom order. They’ll make a fresh pizza exactly how you want it, with specific toppings, extra sauce, or a longer bake if you like the crust crispy.
- Gluten-free, too. There’s a good gluten-free base on request. Just ask.
3.You can bring your own soft drinks onboard
Didn’t buy a drinks package? You can still bring your own non-alcoholic drinks aboard on embarkation day.
• The allowance: up to 12 standard cans, bottles, or cartons (around 0.5 litre / 17 oz each) per stateroom. Cola, diet sodas, juices, energy drinks, whatever you like. They have to go in your hand luggage when you board, not in your checked bags.
• Our tip: grab a can from your room and take it into the Main Dining Room or buffet. It’s completely fine and people do it all the time. It also saves you paying for soft drinks at meals.
4.Upgrade your poolside soft serve (the bartender trick)
Cold soft-serve ice cream on a sunny deck is hard to beat, and it’s included in your fare with no limits. The machines are usually up on the pool deck, in chocolate, vanilla, or twist.
- The trick: fill a cup with soft serve and carry it over to one of the nearby deck bars. Ask the bartender to turn it into something better, like an upgraded iced coffee or a creamy cocktail. They know this one well and are happy to help. (The alcoholic versions need a drinks package or are charged separately.)
5.Bring your own wine, and have it saved for later
If you haven’t got an unlimited drinks package but still like a good glass of wine with dinner, you’re welcome to bring your own.
• The allowance: each guest of legal drinking age can bring one sealed 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne in their carry-on on embarkation day.
• Worth knowing about corkage: if you want to drink your bottle in the Main Dining Room or another public venue, Royal Caribbean now charges a corkage fee of about $15 USD per bottle, and they’re enforcing it more consistently than they used to. There’s no charge if you drink it in your own stateroom.
• Our tip: your waiter will happily open the bottle for you, and if you don’t finish it, that’s no problem. The staff will re-cork it, store it under your stateroom number, and bring it back out on later nights.
6.Private breakfast on your balcony, and it can be free
One of the most underused perks onboard is having breakfast brought to your room, without even getting out of bed.
• How it works: each room has a printed door-hanger order form. The night before, tick the dishes you want and a time slot, then hang it on your door handle before bed. A hot breakfast turns up at your door in the morning.
• How to keep it free: watch the sections on the form. The Continental Breakfast section (pastries, croissants, fruit, cereals, coffee, tea, and juices) is free. The American Breakfast section with the hot items like eggs, pancakes, and sausages carries a fixed room-service delivery fee.
• Note: you can also order by phone in the morning, but expect to wait 30 to 60 minutes. Filling in the door form the night before saves you that wait. And if you’ve got a balcony, starting the day looking out at the ocean is worth doing at least once.
7.The Oasis-class secret: free breakfast at the American diner
Keep this one in mind if you’re sailing on a Royal Caribbean Oasis-class ship (Oasis, Allure, Harmony, Symphony, Wonder, or Utopia of the Seas), the ones with the boardwalk neighbourhood.
• The perk: the retro 1950s-style Johnny Rockets diner charges a cover at lunch and dinner, but on Oasis-class ships it opens in the mornings for a free breakfast.
• On the menu: eggs cooked to order, pancakes, French toast, crispy bacon, coffee, and juices, with full table service in a much calmer setting than the main buffet. Hours are usually around 7:30 to 10:00 AM.
• Bonus: if you have a Refreshment or Deluxe Beverage package, Johnny Rockets’ famous milkshakes are included at no extra charge.
8.Specialty dining: when it’s worth it, and how to save
Alongside the free venues, the ships have specialty restaurants (Italian, Asian, steakhouse, and so on) for an extra fee. Can you have a great cruise without them? Of course. The included dining is genuinely good. But for a special occasion, or just a quiet, more refined meal, one or two specialty dinners make a nice treat.
• Book in advance. Reserve through Royal Caribbean’s website before your cruise rather than waiting until you’re aboard. It’s almost always cheaper, and often discounted.
• Go for lunch. Where it’s offered, the lunch menu is nearly the same as the pricier dinner menu but costs noticeably less. It’s a good way to try a chef’s restaurant for less money.
• Our picks: if you’re not sure where to start, Giovanni’s (Italian) and Chops Grille (steakhouse) are on most ships and are reliably excellent.
9.Yes, you can take food back to your room
Plenty of hotels frown on you carrying food or plates out of the dining area. On a Royal Caribbean cruise, there’s no such rule.
• Total freedom: spotted something good at the buffet, or want some fruit or a snack for later? Load up a plate and head back to your stateroom. The crew is completely used to it, and eating in your own space with the view from your balcony is hard to beat.
10.Smoothies and wellness at the Vitality Café
If you’re into fresh juices, fruit smoothies, or a post-workout protein shake, this one’s for you. You won’t find these at the regular buffet, but they’re almost always somewhere onboard.
• Where to find it: most ships have a dedicated Vitality Café, usually tucked inside the spa and fitness centre. It serves juices pressed on the spot from fresh fruit and veg (orange, carrot, beet, celery, strawberry, ginger), plus shakes with protein powders and wellness supplements.
• The money-saver: these juices and smoothies are included at no extra charge if you have a Refreshment or Deluxe Beverage package, so they’re well worth using.
