Johnny Rockets

[kittyg]

We just returned from Mariner today, and ate at JR once.

 

The lines were usually long, about 30-40 minutes wait if you went at lunch or dinner.

 

The shakes were almost $4 each in addition to the $3.95 cover. However, they didn't charge the cover for our child (not sure if it was an oversight).

 

The sundae (included in the cover) was chocolate syrup, not hot fudge and not very good, imo.

 

It was a nice change from lunch at Windjammer every day.

[cruiseapril]

Enjoyed Johnny Rockets on the Sovereign. The singing and dancing were worth the cover charge! The food was good. We don't have a JR near us, so we liked the experience.

[herecomesthesun]

If you arrive at Johnny Rockets earlier during lunch time, like 11:30am, is there much of a line? Also, how late is it open at night?

 

We have a Johnny Rockets in our mall, too. There is almost always a wait, and on the weekends there can be lines out the door. The atmosphere is fun and kitschy (spelling?) - the stereotypical idea of a 50's diner - so it kind of has that tourist appeal. You get great service from upbeat waiters who do choreographed dances to 50's music a couple times an hour. I'm sure this level of service is even higher on a cruiseship. And the food is delicious.

[mrgabriel]

If you arrive at Johnny Rockets earlier during lunch time, like 11:30am, is there much of a line? Also, how late is it open at night?

 

 

Each ship appears to have different hours - both opening and closing. And the hours change from day to day. Closing times seem to range from 11 pm to 1 am. On Sea Days, JR opened earlier in the day, like around 11 am. On port days they might open at 1 or 3. I suspect it is probably related to how many people eat there on port days. So many people head onshore that they may not get much of a crowd.

 

We ate there twice - both on port days - and there was zero wait. The one day, in Cozumel, there were only about 4 tables of people when they opened. Now they didn't open til 3 pm that day, but we had late dinner seating so we didn't mind eating a late lunch. On the other port day (Ocho Rios), they opened at 1:30 and I was first in line, arriving at the restaurant at about 1:20. But the tables did not fill up in the time we were there.

 

Wish I could tell you what the lineups were like on sea days. I do recall reading a posting where someone said the lines were smaller since they instituted the $3.95 charge.

 

J.

[madelinerose]

Yes, there is a charge. It's a faux 50's diner burger joint chain.

 

Do you pay for food at Johnny Rockets Restaurant or is it included What kind of food do they have

[bguppies]

We love their burgers and fries. Live outside DC and dont have them Love to go to the west coast for In and out. Cant get enough!!

Used to be a Johnny Rockets in the Pentagon City Mall right as you got off the Metro.

My co-workers and I used to head over for lunch at least once a week.

I can't imagine it closing since I moved, as busy as it always was.

 

Bill

[PADutchman]

RCI must really need money to have a charge for glorified hambergers and fries.:rolleyes:

[Nliedel]

I'm not a huge fan, but for those that like it, it's a good value.

[superjerryw]

RCI must really need money to have a charge for glorified hambergers and fries.:rolleyes:

 

It's not really the money. When there was no cover charge kids took over the place and no one could get in since the kids would go and stay there for hours. The cover charge has eliminated this problem and made JR's more accessible for everyone.

[superjerryw]

We have a JR in one of our malls. I was very surprised to read that they're considered a type of "specialty" restaurant on RCCL. Forgive my ignorance, but what is the appeal? Do most places not have one? Just wondering. :)

 

Johnny Rockets are on all Voyager class ships. The appeal is the same as any other speciality restaurant on board. If you want a steak you can have one in the dining room. If you want a great steak you pay the extra charge and go to Chops. If you want a burger you can get one in the Windjammer or at the poolside grill. If you want a great burger you pay the extra charge and go to Johnny Rockets.

[PADutchman]

When will they start chargeing extra for the dineing room if you want steak or lobster ? (extra charge for Ice cream, Hambergers, other then normal coffee, soda) Whats next ?? Well maybe a chair next to the pool, so its yours for the day. With Newer ships the more we are being nickle and dimed for things that should be included with the price of the cruise. Thats what made cruiseing a great bargin, now its starting to go down hill.

[Cruising89143]

When will they start chargeing extra for the dineing room if you want steak or lobster ? (extra charge for Ice cream, Hambergers, other then normal coffee, soda) Whats next ?? Well maybe a chair next to the pool, so its yours for the day. With Newer ships the more we are being nickle and dimed for things that should be included with the price of the cruise. Thats what made cruiseing a great bargain, now its starting to go down hill.

 

Vote with your wallet. Don't cruise with the lines that have surcharges. I have no problem with paying the $3.95. The burgers are much better than what is served in the WJ and I don't have to wait. If it keeps the crowds and kids down then I'm all for it. Cruising is still a bargain compared to fifteen to twenty years ago.

[tarheelmjfan]

Johnny Rockets are on all Voyager class ships. The appeal is the same as any other speciality restaurant on board. If you want a steak you can have one in the dining room. If you want a great steak you pay the extra charge and go to Chops. If you want a burger you can get one in the Windjammer or at the poolside grill. If you want a great burger you pay the extra charge and go to Johnny Rockets.

 

I saw some mention that they didn't have a JR near them. I can see why they would enjoy the experience on the ship. Otherwise, I think calling a JR a specialty restaurant is a bit of a stretch. It's basically a Sonic with servers doing a silly singing & dancing skit. There's nothing wrong with that, but there's not really anything that "special" about it either. IMHO, even Steak & Shake has better food. I also think the fact that the burgers at WJ are supposedly inedible is an issue all it's own that needs to be addressed by the cruise line. Admittedly, I'm not the biggest burger fan. It won't ruin my day, if I can't get a decent burger at WJ. ;) My DH does like getting burgers & onion rings for lunch occasionally. We're used to them being grilled to order by the pool though. We have no problem paying for specialty restaurants. We will most likely eat at Portofino most, if not all evenings on our upcoming cruise. Paying $20 or $30(on Celebrity) each for a meal that would cost us close to $100 ea. at fine dining restaurants on land is a real bargain. Having to pay extra for a decent burger is something else all together. It just seems odd to me that a burger joint would be considered a specialty restaurant. I'm not saying we won't pay the surcharge, if we don't see anything elsewhere that looks appealing for lunch. I just wouldn't consider it a special treat. It would just be paying to get the caliber of lunch that should be available for free.

 

If you've read this far, I do have one question about the JR policy. :D I understand that you can't get shakes or special ice creams w/o paying the cover charge. Is there another place on Explorer for our DS to get these things other than JR? TIA :)

[superjerryw]

When will they start chargeing extra for the dineing room if you want steak or lobster ? (extra charge for Ice cream, Hambergers, other then normal coffee, soda) Whats next ?? Well maybe a chair next to the pool, so its yours for the day. With Newer ships the more we are being nickle and dimed for things that should be included with the price of the cruise. Thats what made cruiseing a great bargin, now its starting to go down hill.

 

Having cruised for a while I understand what you're saying, but not everyone shares your sentiment. Many people prefer things to be more a la carte where you pay for what you want and not for what you don't want. People that are light eaters can say that they should not have to pay for other people to overeat at every meal. People that will never use the rock climbing wall can easily say they should not have to pay for it to be part of the cruise fare. The real question is where do you draw the line as to what's included and what's not. As Gator said, cruising is still a bargain and cruise fares are much lower than they were years ago. You might have to pay for some things that used to be included, but you're probably paying less to get on board the ship.

[katiel53]

When will they start chargeing extra for the dineing room if you want steak or lobster ? (extra charge for Ice cream, Hambergers, other then normal coffee, soda) Whats next ?? Well maybe a chair next to the pool, so its yours for the day. With Newer ships the more we are being nickle and dimed for things that should be included with the price of the cruise. Thats what made cruiseing a great bargin, now its starting to go down hill.

 

When I first started cruising in the 1980's, we paid a fee to reserve deck chairs for the week. Now, that there isn't any fee, it's difficult to get a chair. I wish they would start charging again. I bet it would be a lot easier to find a chair. Also, I don't feel I am being nickled and dimed to death. Cruising is cheaper today than it was years ago. The problem is that the prices were made so low that everyone can now cruise and people want it to be like it was years ago when we paid more. You can't have it both ways.

 

You don't have to pay for the extras if you don't want them. No one is insisting you pay for ice cream etc. There is free ice cream available and steak etc. I like having the specialty restaurants as it is a far more relaxing atmosphere than in the dining room. To me it's worth paying extra.

 

Obviously we have different views on cruising and that's why there are so many choices. I do believe if you want to have almost an all-inclusive cruise, you can't sail on Carnival or RCCL. You get what you pay for. JMHO.

 

Katie

[superjerryw]

When I first started cruising in the 1980's, we paid a fee to reserve deck chairs for the week. Now, that there isn't any fee, it's difficult to get a chair. I wish they would start charging again. I bet it would be a lot easier to find a chair.

 

It worked for Johnny Rockets, I'm sure it would work here as well. Chair hogs would become extinct overnight.

[Autumnrose]

Perhaps I must have gone to JR on a bad day or something. I went after getting back on Voyager early in San Juan. We had a half hour wait and the service was awful. The food was not very good. Better than WJ but not much. Funny thing is that I love JR on land. I go there at least once a week for lunch. I am not much of a burger person but I love their hotdogs!! On Voyager at the JR the hotdogs were smaller and didn't taste the same. Also the chocolate shake was so watery it wasn't much like a shake at all. I would only go back with a C&A voucher, but not if I had to pay the cover charge. It just isn't worth it to me. I don't really like french fries, I hate onion rings and I only order what I know I can eat. Which would be one hotdog. So I ended up paying the same as I would on land. And why do that when I can go to the WJ for free?

[srlucado]

I had some sort of Johnny Rockets coupon on my last cruise (Sovereign, 10/05). Free cover, maybe? Free milkshake? Something like that.

 

It was an okay experience. Maybe we went there too late in the day (just prior to closing), but I thought the food was so-so, as was the service.

 

It beat a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, to be sure.

[Ericknow32]

 

It beat a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, to be sure.

Thats reassuring.:D

[herecomesthesun]

I just think it is kind of weird that basically the only included food you can get during the day on a Voyager class ship is the dining room, Windjammer and Promenade Cafe. Even then, Promenade Cafe is the only one open 24 hours. I feel like on such a big ship, putting in a poolside grill would be a no brainer!

[Ericknow32]

I just think it is kind of weird that basically the only included food you can get during the day on a Voyager class ship is the dining room, Windjammer and Promenade Cafe. Even then, Promenade Cafe is the only one open 24 hours. I feel like on such a big ship, putting in a poolside grill would be a no brainer!

The Promenade Café isn't open 24 hours a day.

[Nliedel]

I just think it is kind of weird that basically the only included food you can get during the day on a Voyager class ship is the dining room, Windjammer and Promenade Cafe. Even then, Promenade Cafe is the only one open 24 hours. I feel like on such a big ship, putting in a poolside grill would be a no brainer!

 

You know I would think this too, but I didn't miss it. I thought I would, but it was not a big deal for me to go to the Windjammer or the Promenade Cafe. I have to admit that I don't do a lot of hanging out by the pool all day though. If I didn't burn so badly it might bother me not to have snacks close by.

[PADutchman]

After all this most of you think the WJ food is low rate and you must pay in JR for a good hamberger that should be just as good in the WJ. Amazing

[Cruising89143]

After all this most of you think the WJ food is low rate and you must pay in JR for a good hamberger that should be just as good in the WJ. Amazing

 

I never said that the WJ food was not good. I do not care for the burgers there but I have no problem with the other food at all. The burgers in the WJ are about the same as the ones that I have had on Carnival. The burgers at JR are better.

[cmich068]

I actually prefer the burgers in the Windjammer.