Royal Caribbean International Freedom of the Seas

Page 19

Dining

Freedom of the Seas has several restaurants on board, with the largest being the main dining room, which is spread over three levels. There are two fixed seating times at the main dining room (6 pm and 8:30 pm), or passengers can sign up for the more flexible “My Time Dining” program, which allows dining any time between 5:30 and 9:30 pm. On sea days the main dining room also offers lunch, and every day you can get a nice and relaxed breakfast with an a la carte menu or buffet. All of the food is complimentary, but fresh orange juice in the morning does cost $2.50.

On deck 11 you’ll find the Portofino, Chops Grille, Jade, and Windjammer restaurants. Portofino is Freedom’s Italian restaurant and the cover charge is $20. It offers pasta, risotto, Italian meat dishes, and salads. If you like Italian food, you should definitely go there, as the $20 cover charge is reasonable for what you get. Portofino has an extensive wine list, with wines from all over the world, starting at $7 a glass.

Chops Grille, a steakhouse, has a cover charge of $30, and offers the likes of filet mignon, New York strip, and T-Bone steak—everything for the meat fan. Regular starters like salads are offered, but also items like Asian inspired spicy tuna are available. Although the price is a little high, the food here is great, and it is the perfect spot for a romantic dinner or special occasion.

Windjammer and Jade are both buffets. Jade appears as the more sophisticated option with its smaller buffet, and it offers Asian food and sushi for dinner. Windjammer is larger and serves burgers, hot dogs, pasta, meat with gravy, and a lot of desserts. At the juice stations, diners can get apple, grape, and orange juice, as well as coffee and iced tea. Right at the entrance of the buffet restaurants is a small café, which belongs to Jade and provides Chops Grille and Portofino with drinks. The bar offers specialty coffees and mixed drinks.

For a good burger you can head down to Johnny Rockets, a ’50s style diner that also offers sandwiches and milk shakes. Every table includes its own jukebox, and everyone gets three quarters to put into it. As a special surprise, every time the jukebox plays “Staying Alive”, all the waiters start dancing. All the food at Johnny Rockets costs $4.95, with milk shakes and soft drinks costing extra (a milk shake is about $5).

Sorrento’s Pizzeria is complimentary, and offers a variety of pizzas and antipasti. It opens in the early afternoon and stays open until late at night. Pizza options include: Hawaiian-style, vegetarian, margherita, and pepperoni.

For the sweet tooth, Freedom of the Seas features a cupcake store and a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop. There’s also a Seattle-style coffeehouse where you can get cappuccinos, espressos, or lattes, as well as muffins, cookies, donuts, croissants, and small sandwiches.