Jewel of the Seas Dining

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Dining
Sarah Holt
Contributor

Jewel of the Seas restaurants can be a bit of a game of roulette. The Windjammer buffet restaurant is consistent as a crowd pleaser. However, the main Tides dining room giveth one night and taketh away the next, especially when it comes to portion sizes. However, when disappointments with meals do occur, they are fairly forgivable thanks to the atmosphere and service in all eateries. The specialty restaurants, meanwhile, knock the proverbial ball out of the park, and are pretty reasonably priced.

In short, while Jewel of the Seas dining may not be top-notch, it is also not bad overall.

Special dietary needs, such as gluten-free and vegan, can be met in all eateries. If you don't see anything suitable on the menus, just inform your waiter.

Jewel of the Seas Included Restaurants

Those used to larger ships may find included dining options on Jewel of the Seas a bit scarce, but for a mid-sized vessel such as this, the two restaurants and one snack bar are often enough to accommodate all passengers. The only venue that can get a little bit crowded is Windjammer at breakfast -- expect to do a few laps before you find a seat, especially on sea days.

Free restaurants on Jewel of the Seas include the Main Dining Room, the Windjammer buffet, and Solarium Café, which serves pizza and wraps on Deck 11.

Tides (Deck 4 & 5): Jewel of the Seas' main dining room is split across two floors. Looks-wise, it's a bit The Great Gatsby. Curtains cascade from the top to the bottom floor to look like pillars, there's a waterfall feature at one end and a 1920s-style mural at the other.

It's open daily for open-seating breakfast -- when made-to-order dishes like eggs Benedict are served up -- and on sea days for open-seating lunch. At dinner, Tides offers Royal Caribbean's flexible My Time Dining program. Passengers can choose between assigned early or late dining or opt for flexible dining, in which you pick a preferred mealtime. With My Time Dining, you can change your reservations on a daily basis or just show up whenever you want. You're not guaranteed to get a table right away, but you won't usually have to wait long before you are seated. Those opting for My Time Dining will need to prepay gratuities.

The evening menu at Jewel of the Seas’ dining room has a theme -- such as pimento or pomodoro -- every day. There is always a pasta, fish and meat dish on the menu and a selection of "classics" that never change, such as sliders and New York strip steak. Vegetarian options include the likes of linguini and risotto.

The dessert menu features a few options that never change -- such as cheesecake and a cheese board -- alongside nightly specials like poached pears or baked Alaska. Sugar-free options are also available, although they're not that imaginative and usually amount to a bowl of sorbet.

As with other ships in the line, diners onboard Jewel of the Seas can order some extra-fee entrees, including Maine lobster, surf and turf, and a Chops Grille filet mignon.

There's also a three-course Vitality option for waist watchers, where the calories in the dishes add up to just 800 calories.

Windjammer (Deck 11): Jewel of the Seas’ buffet venue serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It closes between meals. It features a number of food stations, such as Hot & Tasty, Fresh from the Garden and Healthy and Sweet. The dishes are typical cruise fare -- think eggs, bacon, pastries and cold meats for breakfast, and pizzas, pastas and stews for lunch and dinner. The evening menu also tends to include a few regional dishes -- like gyros when you are near Greece, and on the whole it's tasty stuff; think decent pub grub.

Jewel of the Seas Windjammer is big and offers both indoor and outdoor seating – but if you don’t like to wait for breakfast, go at off-peak times, especially on sea days.

Solarium Cafe (Deck 11): Jewel of the Seas Solarium Café is a pocket-sized venue that serves rectangles of pizza and a range of sandwiches. It's open for lunch, dinner, and late-night snacks. Unlike many of its sister ships, Jewel of the Seas doesn’t have a pizzeria such as Sorrento’s.

Room service: You can fill out a card in your room and hang it on your doorknob to ensure that breakfast is delivered to your room in the mornings. Continental breakfasts are delivered for free, but other options – like pancakes or scrambled eggs – come with a convenience charge. Other snacks and larger meals are available 24 hours a day. The menu features dishes like hot dogs and quesadillas. These orders also come with a delivery charge.

Jewel of the Seas Specialty Restaurants and Other For-Fee Venues

Cafe Latte-tudes (Deck 5): This coffee bar serves up specialty a la carte coffees and sweet treats, like cookies and cakes.

Giovanni's Table (Deck 6); prix fixe: Added during the 2016 renovation, Giovanni's Table is a specialty Italian restaurant. It's got a contemporary bachelor pad look to it with leather seating, dark wood tables, and black napkins. The food here is of the cut-above variety. A starter option is a plank of antipasti. Main meals, meanwhile, include a fist-size filet mignon with a Barolo sauce, grilled prawns with garlic butter and Italian herbs, and braised veal osso buco. Desserts are brought around on a trolley, so passengers can chose the dish they like the look of best. Open for dinner only.

Chops Grille (Deck 6); prix fixe: This smart steakhouse features an open kitchen, stained glass-style wall murals and booth seating. The food knocks you right between the eyes. Starter options include plump, springy scallops and three-cheese roasted onion soup. Main meals include jumbo shrimp and a range of conversation-stopping steaks. Don't miss the truffled French fries as a side, either. Opens for dinner only.

Izumi (Deck 12); a la carte: This Japanese restaurant catches the eye with bright murals of Japanese carp and color-pop cushions on the seating. The menu is split into starters, salads, carpaccio, soups and noodles, nigiri/sashimi, signature rolls, hot rock/ishiyaki and desserts. The wine list, meanwhile, features seven different sake options and a range of Asian beers. Open for lunch and dinner.

Chef’s Table (Deck 6); prix fixe: Tucked away next to Safari Club, Chef’s Table is an exclusive five-course dinner experience that can be experienced by just a handful of guests per night. Menus are paired with a variety of wines and hosted by the ship’s Executive Chef. Food offerings may include scallops, lobster salad, baked pasta, soup, filet mignon and a selection of desserts.

Restaurants

  • Café Latté-tudes - Coffee Bar*
  • Chops Grille - Steakhouse*
  • Giovanni's Table - italian*
  • Izumi - Asian*
  • Lobby Bar - Atrium Bar*
  • Pool Bar - Pool Bar*
  • Schooner Bar - Nautical bar*
  • Shoreside Dining Room - American
  • Sky Bar - Pool Bar*
  • Solarium Bar - Pool Bar*
  • The Congo Bar - Clubby Bar*
  • The Pit Stop - Casino Bar*
  • Tides Dining Room - American
  • Viking Crown Lounge - Iconic Bar*
  • Vintages - Wine Bar*
  • Windjammer Café - Casual
  • Windjammer Outdoor - Casual
  • Zanzibar Lounge - Clubby Bar*
  • * May require additional fees

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