Royal Caribbean Restaurant: Chops Grille on Oasis

Royal Caribbean Restaurant: Chops Grille on Oasis

Chops Grille – an Oasis Dinner Review

Nestled in Central Park on deck 8 of Oasis of the Seas, Chops Grille, a Royal Caribbean signature restaurant, has been serving up steakhouse specialties for over ten years.

We sailed on Oasis in January and June of 2017 and had the good fortune of dining at Chops Grille on both sailings.

Chops Grille is located in Central Park on the Oasis with Royal Caribbean

Chops Grille is located in Central Park on the Oasis.

Chops Grille in Central Park aboard Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas.

A beautiful Central Park location.

As a hallmark restaurant aboard Royal Caribbean ships, Chops impresses diners with a menu featuring hand cut steaks and other entrees with a contemporary flair. In fact, from the appetizers to the desserts, Chops Grille will surprise guests with a mix of traditional and non-traditional fare. There are also some unexpected items — um, tater tots, anyone?!

Entrance to Chops Grille

Entrance to Chops Grille.

Chops Grille on Oasis

Make a reservation for Chops Grille.

With its prime location in Central Park, diners can select from indoor or outdoor seating.

Outdoor seating at Chops Grille.

Outdoor seating.

We had a voucher for a complimentary meal that required us to reserve a seating with the restaurant after embarkation. So, we stopped by Chops Grille after having lunch in the Windjammer and were still able to secure an early reservation for Tuesday evening — my birthday. Yay!

Celebrate a special occasion at Chops Grille.

Celebrating birthday at Chops Grille.

Restaurant Ambiance

Once inside the restaurant, the rich dark wood is complimented with jeweled tones in red and gold. Luxurious velvet padded chairs as well as banquettes encourage diners to sit and savor the ambiance during their multi-course meal.

Chops Grille has luxurious seating.

Luxurious seating.

Jewel tones add to the upscale feel at Chops Grille.

Jewel tones add to the upscale feel at Chops Grille.

Upon arrival, we were quickly seated at a lovely table. The restaurant was empty, however it quickly filled up as our meal progressed through its decadent stages. Of note, service was impeccable on both of our recent visits. We enjoyed that our selections were served as requested (well-done steak for my mom; vanilla ice cream instead of coconut for me) and that our beverages were quickly filled upon ordering.

Plush seating in Chops Grille

Our table.

A welcoming table setting awaits Royal Caribbean diners when entering the restaurant.

Chops Grille welcomes diners with a gorgeous table setting.

Welcoming table setting.

White table setting at Chops Grille.

White table setting.

The tablescape at Chops Grille.

Pretty tablescape.

Chops Grille Plate.

Chops Grille Plate.

Dinner Menu

As the signature steakhouse aboard the Oasis of the Seas, this Royal Caribbean restaurant specializes in the usual fare of beef, seafood, and chicken, as well as dry-aged steaks and Maine lobster for an additional up-charge. Seriously, you’ll do just as well sticking with the Filet Mignon or other dishes included with the cover charge.

Chops Grille Menu cover.

Menu Cover.

Soups, Salads, and Appetizers at Chops Grille.

Soups, Salads, and Appetizers.

Chops Grille Menu Items.

Chops Grille Menu Items.

We utilized our beverage packages to order drinks, and then our waiter began the meal with freshly baked bread and delicious whipped butter. A great meal always starts with memorable bread service!

Bread service at Chops Grille.

Bread service

For appetizers, three of us went with the Three Cheese Roasted Onion Soup blended with Melted Gruyere, Asiago, and Parmesan cheeses. My husband once again ordered the King Caesar. The soup was on point and the Caesar salad was “to die for”. Sorry, on both occasions, we dug in without taking pictures of our apps. 😉

My husband and son ordered the Filet Mignon, cooked to order — medium, for both of them. Both were extremely happy with their perfectly grilled, seasoned steaks. Both rated it as highly as the memorable filet mignon at Narcoossee’s at the Grand Floridian in Walt Disney World. For them, that’s saying this entree was exceptional.

Filet Mignon at Chops Grille.

Filet Mignon.

My mom likes her steak well-done and as you know chefs are usually appalled by this request. Still, the waiter suggested that her filet be butterflied and thus, it was presented as ordered. She also enjoyed her meal with her steak cooked as she prefers it. Kudos to Chops for their accommodating nature.

Butterflied Filet Mignon, well done at Chops Grille.

Butterflied Filet Mignon, well done.

I’m the picky eater of the group, thus I once again ordered the Roasted Organic Chicken Breast. Tender, moist, and flavorful (that truffled chicken jus is scrumptious!), this entree wasn’t at all boring to my finicky palate.

Roasted Organic Chicken Breast at Chops Grille.

Roasted Organic Chicken Breast.

Roasted Organic Chicken Breast at Chops Grille on Oasis.

Roasted Organic Chicken Breast.

Sides are served family style so we suggest discussing selections prior to ordering. We had Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Tater Tots, Salt Baked Potato, and Creamed Corn. We were pleased with all of these items. The Baked Potato was exceptionally good — probably because the waiter poured melted butter all over it right at the table!

Baked Potato at Chops Grille.

Baked Potato.

And with a dollop of sour cream!

Baked Potato with Sour Cream at Chops Grille.

Baked Potato with Sour Cream.

Everyone at our table raved about this baked potato. We decided that we’d have to try adding melted butter to our at-home versions. 😉

Salted Baked Potato at Chops Grille.

Salted Baked Potato.

Sides at Chops Grille.

Sharing the sides was fun!

Yes, we did get two mashed potatoes!

Tater Tots, mashed potatoes, and cream corn at Chops Grille.

Tater Tots, mashed potatoes, and cream corn.

Desserts

I subbed vanilla ice cream in place of the coconut flavor with my Liquid Center Chocolate Cake. This dessert made me want to lick the plate. Every bite of caramelized banana and chocolate-y cake was amazing.

Liquid Center Chocolate Cake at Chops Grille.

Liquid Center Chocolate Cake .

My husband and son opted for the Red Velvet Cake. With moist cake and hefty helping of rich cheese frosting, this choice is a sweet finish to your meal. My 17-year old son rated it a 9 out of 10.

Red Velvet Cake at Chops Grille.

Red Velvet Cake.

The grand finale was a cheesecake dessert served for the occasion — my birthday — complete with singing waiters.

Huckleberry Cheesecake at Chops Grille.

Huckleberry Cheesecake.

Chops Grille Facts

  • Reservations are recommended for Chops Grille.
  • Dress is smart casual.
  • Cover charge (currently $42 on Oasis) includes gratuities.
  • Open for lunch on sea days.
  • Consider purchasing a specialty dining package.
  • Suite guests can look at menus while relaxing in the Suite Lounge.
Suite guests can peruse menus in the Lounge.

Menus are available for Suite guests in the lounge.

To make reservations, call your travel professional or use the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbean’s website as this restaurant books up quickly.

Chops Grille, Royal Caribbean.

While the coverage charge has seen several increases in recent years, Chops Grille is certainly a voucher or dining package worthy pick. Even if we weren’t celebrating a special occasion, I’d pay out of pocket for this delightful and attentive meal.

Have you dined at Chops Grille on one of the Royal Caribbean ships? Share your favorite Chops Grille tips.

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Reasons to Splurge on a Royal Caribbean Cruise Balcony Stateroom

Reasons to Splurge on a Royal Caribbean Cruise Balcony Stateroom

A Balcony Stateroom on Royal Caribbean

There are countless reasons to splurge on a Royal Caribbean Cruise. While a balcony stateroom is an added cost, having a private, outdoor ocean view may be worth busting the budget.

Balcony Stateroom with Royal Caribbean

It’s true that you can enjoy the ocean air and beautiful vistas from public decks on the ship. And if your main goal is a cost-effective vacation, then that’s definitely how you should cruise. Plus, there are times that your stateroom accommodations won’t seem as important. For instance, when we sailed the Mediterranean, we were away from the ship for many hours on once-in-a-lifetime visits to exotic locales. When we returned to the ship, we were too darn tired to care that our ocean view was courtesy of a simple window.

If you plan to spend a lot of time on the ship and have some extra funds, I recommend trying a balcony stateroom. Let’s take a look at some of our balcony experiences aboard Royal Caribbean ships!

Afternoon Nap

Take an afternoon nap while listening to the ocean.

Royal Caribbean Balcony Stateroom. Fresh ocean air.

The sound of the ocean is conducive to afternoon naps.

Connecting Balconies

When traveling with extended family, we always have our cabin steward open the partition between our balconies. This gives us extra room to visit. When arriving or leaving a port, you’ll find us out here enjoying the view.

Stateroom balcony partitions can be opened to allow families to enjoy a larger balcony.

Connecting balconies are great for families!

Embarkation

It’s always interesting to watch the goings-on at a port while a ship is preparing to depart. We love to watch the late arrivals running to the ship. The last minute mad dashers always make us laugh.

Watching people return to Royal Caribbean ship.

Watching people return to the ship.

Enjoying Coffee While Docking

There’s something wonderful about watching the ship dock in a new port while drinking coffee from a stateroom balcony.

Morning coffee on stateroom's balcony on Royal Caribbean cruise.

Enjoy your coffee looking at the sea!

Passenger on Royal Caribbean enjoys coffee on outdoor balcony while heading into a new port.

More coffee time while heading into port.

Morning Sunrise

Watching the sun rise with an entire day of vacation ahead is exhilarating.

A morning sunrise while cruising into port.

Good morning!

Read a Book

Retreat to your balcony and read a book. This is a lovely pastime before heading to dinner at Windjammer or Chops Grille!

There's plenty of time to read a book while cruising at sea.

Read a book

Ships

Yes, occasionally you’ll see other ships in the distance.

Watch for other ships from the comfort of our balcony on a Royal Caribbean ship.

A ship in the distance

Take Pictures

From the comfort of your private balcony, take beautiful photos of your Ports of Call.

From the Royal Caribbean's Jewel, a passenger enjoys the beautiful Mexican port view.

Enjoy a beautiful view while in port

Waving to Other Cruisers

Go ahead and wave! It’s fun to wave hello (and goodbye) to passengers on other ships. It’s as if you haven’t seen civilization in oh, a day or so.

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity ships docking next to each other. Passengers waving hello.

Waving to passengers on a Celebrity ship.

We really make use of our balcony and find the added expense worth it for us. Morning, afternoon, and evening — the ambiance is truly special. It’s the first place I venture to in the morning and the last in the evening. Watching the moonlight dance across the ocean just before going to bed is quite magical. And then there’s the ocean air that revives the soul. Priceless.

These are just some of the reasons that we love to splurge on a balcony. We’ve sailed on Independence, Freedom, and Jewel. In January 2017, we spent our 25th anniversary aboard Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas in a Grand Suite. We loved it so much, we returned with family in June 2017!

Have you sailed on Royal Caribbean? What’s your cruise line and stateroom of choice?