Giovanni’s Table, Rhapsody of the Seas

As mentioned in my review of my South Pacific cruise on the Rhapsody of the Seas, my boyfriend and I took advantage of a pre-paid dining package which allowed us to eat at all of the specialty restaurants on board for USD55. A couple of days after dining at Chops Grille, we went slightly more casual at Giovanni’s Table, an Italian trattoria.

There were a few items that I had in mind for my appetiser, but I eventually went for the almond crusted scallops which I may say, proved to be a good choice despite the dull presentation. The scallops were cooked perfectly and the pesto almond topping was well seasoned and delicious. My only complaint was that there were only two of them – I wanted more!

Capesante al Forno –
Oven baked, almond crusted scallops with red bell pepper pesto

Chops Grille, Rhapsody of the Seas

While you can go an entire cruise without having to swipe your SeaPass card for food, Royal Caribbean offers a number of ‘extra special’ dining options where you pay a cover charge and order whatever you want off the menu, or in certain restaurants, you are also charged the a la carte prices. On our South Pacific cruise, we took advantage of a dining deal which, for US$55, allowed us to eat dinner in all three of the specialty restaurants featured on the Rhapsody of the Seas – Chops Grille, Giovanni’s Table and Izumi. It also included $30 of credit at Izumi ($5 dining fee), which is the only restaurant on board that also charges for menu items individually; both Chops Grille (US$30) and Giovanni’s Table ($20) have a flat dining fee.

Chops Grille is described as Royal Caribbean’s signature steakhouse and certainly, the interior does evoke the atmosphere of a traditional steakhouse with its dark wooden tables and leather seats. Of course, there are not many restaurants that could compete with the stunning views from the window table that we were fortunate enough to sit at in this venue.

Window table with a view!