Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas is now the largest cruise ship in the world. Given its size, this vessel is home to several dining options. Among them is the signature sushi restaurant, Izumi. Even though we sail quite often with this cruise line, we have never dined at this restaurant. So, on the Wonder of the Seas inaugural cruise, we made it a point to rectify this glaring omission. Would we return for another round? Grab your chopsticks and prepare to find out in our brand-new Wonder of the Seas Izumi restaurant review.
Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas Izumi Restaurant Review
To date, we have sailed on over 20 Royal Caribbean cruises. So, we have dined at almost all of the cruise line’s complimentary and specialty restaurants. Yet, one restaurant we have avoided is Izumi Sushi.
We have tried the Hibachi experience a few times, but we usually skip Izumi as the wife does not like sushi. Although, the restaurant’s menu has certainly changed over the years offering more options now.
So, on our recent Wonder of the Seas cruise, we finally decided to give it a try and reserved a table for Night 4 of the cruise.
This was a late day stop in Puerto Rico, thus the restaurant was relatively empty when we arrived. In fact, the crowds did not increase much during our 75 minutes here.
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Inside Izumi on Wonder of the Seas
Like other Oasis Class ships, Izumi on Wonder of the Seas is located Deck 4 aft. The restaurant is on the portside of the ship, right before the main dining room. The brightly decorated entrance with pops of red and large art pieces welcomes you to this distinct dining venue.
Upon entering, there is the hibachi experience off to the right. This popular option sells out quickly. With only a few grills, it is rather small for a cruise ship of this magnitude.
To the left of the entrance is the sushi restaurant. A large sushi bar lines the interior wall, with additional tables throughout the long and narrow restaurant. The black and red minimalistic décor provides an authentic Asian feel without seeming too gaudy.
Windows line one side of the restaurant, offering nice views of the sunset during evening hours.
Getting Ready for Our First Dinner at Izumi
Upon being seated, it didn’t take long for our waiter, Muhammad, to arrive and introduce himself.
Reviewing the menu, he suggested we go with the pre-fixe dining option. This option includes the choice of one small plate, two large plates, and one dessert. Given we had a rather massive brunch at the Mason Jar earlier in the day, we opted to order items a la carte instead.
To get started, we ordered a round of drinks. Given we are Diamond cruisers in Royal Caribbean’s Crown and Anchor Society, we used our vouchers for these signature cocktails. The Princess went with the She’s a Geisha, and I did the Spicy Okinawa.
Both drinks met our expectations, as the wife’s was sweet and mine had some kick to it.
Reviewing the options, we decided to each order a small plate first. Then, I opted for two signature rolls, while the Princess did the udon noodles with chicken as a meal.
After placing our order, Muhammad delivered a small dish of the restaurant’s signature edamame beans as a complimentary starter. This was a nice salty snack while sipping our drinks.
Muhammad was an attentive waiter throughout the course of our meal, getting us in and out within 75 minutes.
Our First Test of Izumi
Even though the restaurant was empty, it did feel like it took a while for our appetizers to arrive. Muhammad must have recognized this as well, as he offered us a complimentary miso soup while waiting. Neither of us are big fans, so we politely declined.
My dumplings and the wife’s fried rice eventually arrived.
The dumplings were crispy with a sweet pork filling. The gyoza sauce offered a zesty addition to this classic Chinese style app. The wife’s fried rice is advertised as the same rice from the hibachi. Although, we both agreed that it was not as flavorful as the freshly made version from the grills right behind us.
Our next round came more quickly. The wife’s Yaki udon noodles came with a well-seasoned sauce, crisp vegetables, and large udon noodles. She was pleasantly surprised with her entrée.
Based on our waiter’s recommendation, I did two rolls. First was the snow crab California roll. Sweet crab was mixed with avocado for a light and satisfying option. While good, my second option was the clear favorite.
The seared tuna tataki roll was a hefty plate. Topped with fresh tuna, stuffed with crunchy shrimp tempura, and served with a garlic infused sauce, it was well-balanced and delicious.
Both plates came with 8 well-crafted rolls. While it seemed like a lot of food, I somehow found the room to finish both plates. The exotic flavors and combination of textures made for the perfect test of this popular Royal Caribbean restaurant.
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A Second Round at Izumi
As if by fate, we were invited to join some friends for dinner at Izumi on the last night of the cruise. So, why not give the restaurant a second try?
This time, we were at a larger table, so the service was slower and more unevenly paced. The restaurant was also much busier this evening.
Similar to our first dinner at Wonder of the Seas Izumi, we skipped the pre-fixe menu and went with a la carte selections.
The Princess went with the fried rice again as her appetizer but tried the chicken teriyaki as her entrée. As the chicken was not all white meat, she ended up liking her dish from the first visit better.
Being the more adventurous eater, I opted for all new options tonight. I did leave the last session a bit full, so I ordered just one starter and one roll. I did the shrimp tempura as my appetizer. With large shrimp and several vegetables, this crunchy starter was just the right consistency and serving size.
For my large plate, I tried another crab option, the spider roll. I liked this roll more than the previous crab option. It was a meatier selection with asparagus giving the rolls a crisp finish and distinct flavor.
Since we did not try dessert last time, we decided to split the assorted mochi ice cream. This creamy, sweet ice cream is encapsulated in a chewy cover. The three petite scoops gave us the opportunity to each sample the distinct flavors.
Recap of Our Wonder of the Seas Izumi Review
After several cruises with Royal Caribbean, we finally tested out Izumi on Wonder of the Seas. Ironically, this taste test included two meals at the restaurant.
Across both visits, we found the food to be flavorful and satisfying. The options we sampled were similar to what you would expect to find from Asian restaurants on land.
We enjoyed the small plates and the udon noodles, while the rolls were a bit more hit or miss for me. During our second dinner with friends, I was able to scope out some of the other menu items. It was like doing research for our next visit.
With the items at Izumi Sushi modestly priced, the a la carte option made more sense for us. For big sushi fans, it will probably save you money by opting for the pre-fixe menu at $34.99.
Even though it took us this long to try the restaurant, we would certainly give Izumi another test on a future Royal Caribbean cruise.
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