Royal Caribbean quietly stops charging at one restaurant
There are plenty of free dining options on Royal Caribbean ships, and now there is one more.
When you take a Royal Caribbean cruise – especially on a newer, larger ship – you’ll find more than a dozen dining options.
Some of these are specialty dining venues, which means that they aren’t included in your cruise fare and come with an extra cost. But on most ships, there are several places you can have a meal or a quick bite to eat without paying anything additional.
Related: Royal Caribbean makes it easier to earn free cruises on new ships
On all ships, there is the main dining room where you can eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a sit-down, table service atmosphere. And there’s the Windjammer Marketplace, which is a massive buffet with more choices than most people could possibly try in a single meal (or even a single cruise). There are also several quick service options where you can grab a quick bite to eat.
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There are also some venues that take a somewhat hybrid approach, meaning that only certain items have a charge. For example, in the Café Promenade venue on most ships, you can find complimentary grab-and-go sandwiches and desserts but can also order specialty coffee drinks for an additional charge.
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Icon of the Seas has many free dining options
The massive Icon of the Seas cruise ship has about two dozen dining venues, more than half of which are included in your cruise fare.
The main dining room and Windjammer Marketplace buffet venue are included with every fare. You’ll also find Royal Caribbean favorites such as Sorrento’s pizza, El Loco Fresh (Mexican), and Park Café. There’s also Sprinkles ice cream, where cruisers can enjoy all the soft-serve ice cream they want.
There are a few complimentary dining venues that are new to the Icon class, including Surfside Bites & Eatery, Pearl Café, and the popular AquaDome Market. And finally, there are a couple of venues – Coastal Kitchen and The Grove – that are complimentary but are exclusive to suite guests.
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Of course, there are some excellent specialty (read: additional charge) dining venues, such as Chops Grille, Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen, and Izumi Hibachi and Sushi. But it’s important to know that you can eat at several different venues throughout your entire cruise, without paying an extra penny for food.
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Royal Caribbean makes an Icon-class dining option free
According to several social media reports, Royal Caribbean has stopped charging for food at its Basecamp quick-service dining venue. And as of this writing, it is officially listed as an included dining option on Royal Caribbean’s website.
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This dining option can currently be found only on the flagship Icon of the Seas cruise ship, on deck 16 in the Thrill Island area. However, it set to be included on Star of the Seas when it launches later this year. If it’s popular enough, it’s entirely possible it could be added to other ships as they enter dry dock, but there’s no announced plans to do that.
Basecamp offers five different quick-service snack items: warm pretzel bites, ‘tato tots, hot dogs, chicken fingers, and a smash burger.
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The original Basecamp menu had more options, such as Wisconsin cheese curds and a crispy shrimp bao bun. And a few of the items were already free, such as the hot dog and pretzel. But most of the menu items previously came at an additional cost. For example, a version of the menu posted online in November 2024 shows a $11 charge for the smash burger.
As I discussed earlier, Icon of the Seas already had a bunch of free dining options, but this will likely be welcome news to cruisers – especially those who spend lots of time in the Thrill Island area.
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