Come along and enjoy a photographic journey of 7 scrumptious dinners aboard Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas!
This July we treated ourselves to an amazing 7 night cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s famous Oasis of the Seas ship! This was our first time cruising with Royal Caribbean and our 4th cruise as a family. We were all excited for a week of fun, food, entertainment and relaxation! With stops at 3 ports, including St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, and their private property in Labadee, Haiti, this vacation did not disappoint! We made lots of great memories and, of course, ate lots of great food!
When I travel I like to take lots of pictures, including what I ate. Food is a huge part of the experience and I want to be able to remember it! It’s fun to look at later, especially when the chefs make it look so pretty! So, I thought for todays post I would share my “food photos” with you so you can get a little “taste” of what I ate! Enjoy!
Dining Options on the Oasis of the Seas
As one would expect on a cruise, there is an overwhelming amount of FOOD! There are so many choices at lots of different places for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everything in between. Oasis of the Seas has 8 dining venues including full service dining, buffets and cafes for quick bites. There are also 8 Specialty Restaurants to enjoy if you’re willing to pay extra (about $25-$35 per person).
Our plan was to experience the buffets and other casual dining spots for breakfast and lunch. Although I’m not a huge fan of buffets, they were impressive and included a lot of variety. The crowds were never too bad.
For dinner, we chose to stick to our 5:30 p.m. seating in the Main Dining Room. We did miss one night because we were so full from lunch at one of the Specialty Dining restaurants, Giovanni’s Table. For a late night snack, we always hit up Sorrento’s for a slice of pizza!
Dinner In The Main Dining Room
We got dressed up every night (but one) and took full advantage of the amazing service and food offered in the Main Dining Room! We made lots of memories around the dinner table! Each evening the menu included about 3-4 new options for each course. There were an additional 4-6 options that were on the menu every night, such as shrimp cocktail, NY strip steak, and creme brûlée.
My plan was to focus on eating lots of veggies and seafood as well as cuts of meat that I don’t normally have. I didn’t hold back on dessert! I indulged in anything I desired with no thought about calories, sugar, or fat (annoyingly always in the back of your mind when you’re a “conscious eater”)! The photos below show the choices I made. I feel like I had a nice variety and balance of healthy to not so healthy! The portion sizes were perfect and everything was delicious!
Day 1
Appetizer: Chicken Waldorf Salad – red leaf lettuce, apples, grapes and walnuts. Sorry… I forgot to take a picture of this one!
Entree: Horseradish Crusted Salmon with celeriac mashed potato, snow peas, grape tomatoes and lemon beurre blanc sauce (which is a butter sauce)
Dessert: Warm Hazelnut Chocolate Cake with hot fudge and vanilla ice cream
Day 2 – Formal Night #1
Appetizer: Shrimp Cocktail. Sorry… I spaced on taking a picture of this one too! The shrimp was served on a small plate instead of a traditional cocktail glass.
Entree: Roasted Beef Tenderloin with mashed potato, asparagus and morel mushroom sauce
Dessert: Strawberry Shortcake. This was my favorite dessert because it was so light and not too sweet. Although, this is not what I think of when I think “Strawberry Shortcake”. They used a light sponge cake instead of traditional biscuits. Who cares what it was called… I could’ve eaten this every night!
Day 3
Unfortunately we missed this dinner. We had a 12:30 p.m. lunch at Giovanni’s Table which filled us up for hours. See pictures of our delicious Italian feast toward the bottom of this post!
Day 4
Appetizer: Arugula and Radicchio Salad with goat cheese, prosciutto and sherry-dijon vinaigrette
Entree: Tender Braised Short Rib with mashed potato, roasted root vegetables and cabernet sauce
Dessert: New York Cheesecake with strawberry sauce (always on the menu)
Day 5 – Formal Night #2
Appetizer: Chilled Strawberry Bisque with mint foam
Entree: Broiled Lobster Tail with lemon saffron rice, seasonal vegetables and drawn butter. My waiter kindly removed the lobster meat from the shell for me!
Dessert: Chocolate Molten Cake with caramel coulis and vanilla ice cream
Dessert: Baked Alaska with strawberry coulis. My husband and kids ordered this dessert. I had to show a photo because it is so beautiful!
Day 6
Appetizer: Iceberg Wedge with tomato, applewood-smoked bacon, hard-boiled egg, chives, and blue cheese dressing
Entree: Tiger Shrimp baked in garlic herb butter served with seasonal vegetables, rice and velour butter sauce
Dessert: Royal Chocolate Cake (always on the menu)
Bonus Dessert: Since my son’s Birthday was just a week away, the staff surprised him with a special slice of cheesecake and a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies for the table!
Day 7
Appetizer: Roasted Beets and Orange Salad with pistachios, ricotta and mint
Entree: Crispy Coconut Shrimp with pineapple cabbage slaw, red onion and sweet chili sauce. This was actually featured as an appetizer. However, I requested it as an entree and received triple the serving size!
Dessert: Artisan Cheese Plate with fig and date compote
Lunch at Giovanni’s Table
This lunch on Day 3 was a treat! Since we stayed in a balcony room overlooking Central Park (loved!) we received a voucher for lunch at a Central Park restaraunt. After looking at their menu, we chose Giovanni’s Table. We dined on Italian dishes that were beautifully presented. The table started with fresh bread as well as a small bowl of roasted garlic… yum! In the collage below you’ll see pictures of our appetizers, entrees and desserts.
My kids enjoyed an Italian Cheese & Cured Meat Plank with Pickled Vegetables for their appetizer. (No, they didn’t eat the veggies.) They each had the huge, homemade Meatball for an entree, followed by Cannoli (Alex) and Panna Cotta (Anna) for dessert. My husband dined on Ahi Tuna in a Citrus Oil, the huge Meatball, and Tiramisu. Here’s a closer look at what I ordered…
Appetizer: Insalata Di Rucola – arugula, Italian parsley, shaved Parmesan, walnuts, and lemon vinaigrette
Entree: Roasted Chicken with root vegetables
Dessert: Tiramisu
After 7 days of “food bliss” we were all ready to get back to reality and our regular eating habits!
That was a lot of photos to scroll through! I hope you enjoyed! Maybe you’ll be inspired to re-create some of these dishes at home?! I know I could at least handle the salads and Artisan Cheese Plate! Or, maybe you’re inspired to make a reservation…
PIN ME!!
