Food in Princess v. Queens Grills

is there a noticeable difference between the menus, quality of food and quality of cooking between the Princess and Queens grills. From the deck plans of the QE they seem to share the same kitchen.

is there a noticeable difference between the menus, quality of food and quality of cooking between the Princess and Queens grills. From the deck plans of the QE they seem to share the same kitchen.

Both have very high standards and normal orders from the everyday menu are identical.

Where they differ concerns the a la carte menu, which is larger in QG than PG. You are also encouraged to go off menu in QG more than PG.

There were some threads about "enhancements" to the Grills last year you might find helpful. We've found off menu requests are encouraged in both PG and QG and have been hugely happy with service and quality of the food in both. For balance I should say that others have had more disappointing experiences and reported some real menu limitations in PG as of last year.

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Princess is wonderful. The difference we found was that our favorite Beef Wellington is not on the menu other than the night it is offered. In the Queens you could special order any evening. Also Queens offers Caviar, Princess does not.

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Princess is wonderful. The difference we found was that our favorite Beef Wellington is not on the menu other than the night it is offered. In the Queens you could special order any evening. Also Queens offers Caviar, Princess does not.

 

 

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The last time I was in Queens Grill (QV) 18 months ago, I fancied some caviar and asked the waiter for a portion. He told me he would have to ask the Matire'D first if it would be OK? I was surprised as previously it had never been an issue. Anyway the Maitre'D arrived, asked me if I wanted caviar, I said yes, so he authorised my waiter to bring some for me. The worse thing was that later night, I started to feel awful, my stomach actually felt like it was going to explode and I spent a good while in the loo sorting myself out....after expelling what I am sure was the caviar along with everything else eaten that night, I felt fine almost straight away! I am convinced that the caviar was the culprit and wonder if, because they seemed reluctant to offer it, they knew it could be past it's 'eat by date'. I did complain to the Maitre'D the next night and told him my thoughts about the caviar; he just shrugged and said strange.....!!

The last time I was in Queens Grill (QV) 18 months ago, I fancied some caviar and asked the waiter for a portion. He told me he would have to ask the Matire'D first if it would be OK? I was surprised as previously it had never been an issue. Anyway the Maitre'D arrived, asked me if I wanted caviar, I said yes, so he authorised my waiter to bring some for me. The worse thing was that later night, I started to feel awful, my stomach actually felt like it was going to explode and I spent a good while in the loo sorting myself out....after expelling what I am sure was the caviar along with everything else eaten that night, I felt fine almost straight away! I am convinced that the caviar was the culprit and wonder if, because they seemed reluctant to offer it, they knew it could be past it's 'eat by date'. I did complain to the Maitre'D the next night and told him my thoughts about the caviar; he just shrugged and said strange.....!!

Had copious amounts of caviar every day on QV this summer in suite and in restaurant, never had a problem with either getting it or illness from it.

We were never refused anything we wanted in QG, on or off menu, at lunch or dinner. However, with regards to PG, menu is more restrictive and less a la carte, off menu isnt encouraged either. There is a difference between the two, there is a reason why the cost is more. If you can afford it go QG.

Had copious amounts of caviar every day on QV this summer in suite and in restaurant, never had a problem with either getting it or illness from it.

I'm not a caviar expert, but I do try and eat the QG galley out of their supply on every cruise. It's always been available, no questions asked and if you get on with your wait staff, the serving can be quite large.

Yum yum and no, I've never had a problem with it either.

Thanks to all. We are less into caviar these days but very much into pate de foie gras. What is the situation regarding this in the grills.

Thanks to all. We are less into caviar these days but very much into pate de foie gras. What is the situation regarding this in the grills.

Far less of it in PG, if at all. Was on the menu in QG this summer.

We have never been refused anything in QG and this year our section Head Waiter Eduardo and Sandro the Maitre d' were positively bereft if we didn't choose something special most days.

While the food is exdellent in PG, the difference we have found, is definitely obvious.

We've traveled in both (most recently Princess) and I must say I found that they were both wonderful. In Princess Grill, we were encouraged to order anything we wanted, and we found the a la carte menu to be extremely good. It is basically splitting hairs at a certain point. The main difference to me was the cabin: in Queens Grill cabins are much bigger and luxurious- the fact that you can order off the Queen's Grill menu for room service (it was regular room service for Princess Grill), the lack of butler service and priority when disembarking at ports- which we didn't get in Princess to the extent I would have expected- and having a bottle of wine/spirits was nice- along with better champagne, but not a deal breaker to us. I have to say that we absolutely LOVED our Princess Grill dining experience on the QE which pretty much made the trip special for us. The other features were very nice, but it's a matter of weighing the cost and how important some of these other items are for your overall experience. We are booked on an upcoming voyage on the Queen Victoria in Princess with a group of friends, and feel it is a great way to travel and are very excited!

We've traveled both on the QM2. We were told by the maitre'd in PG that it is not allowed to order off-menu in PG, and that is the general rule. While one can order off the menu in Queen's, there are limits, as we found several times. Ordering off-menu in Queens generally means selecting one of several additional main course items when the maitre'd occasionally comes around at lunch time to ask if someone wants a special dinner that night. The special main course items are prepared in the kitchen and then finished at the table with great flare, kind of fun, but maybe not the best in cooking expertise, such as the Dover sole cooked twice, and thus over-cooked. IHMO Queens Gill is a bit over-sold and too lah-dee-dah. And IMHO, the extra fare for Queens Grill covers the much larger stateroom size and not any improvement in cuisine or menu in the restaurant. Note that the lunch and breakfast menus in both grills are pretty much the same as Britannia. I close by saying that the service and food in both grills are quite good, but not fabulous. And we are returning to the Princess Grill in just 2 weeks, and looking forward to it!

We've traveled both on the QM2. We were told by the maitre'd in PG that it is not allowed to order off-menu in PG, and that is the general rule. While one can order off the menu in Queen's, there are limits, as we found several times. Ordering off-menu in Queens generally means selecting one of several additional main course items when the maitre'd occasionally comes around at lunch time to ask if someone wants a special dinner that night. The special main course items are prepared in the kitchen and then finished at the table with great flare, kind of fun, but maybe not the best in cooking expertise, such as the Dover sole cooked twice, and thus over-cooked. IHMO Queens Gill is a bit over-sold and too lah-dee-dah. And IMHO, the extra fare for Queens Grill covers the much larger stateroom size and not any improvement in cuisine or menu in the restaurant. Note that the lunch and breakfast menus in both grills are pretty much the same as Britannia. I close by saying that the service and food in both grills are quite good, but not fabulous. And we are returning to the Princess Grill in just 2 weeks, and looking forward to it!

You're quite right. There are limitations. If the ingredients aren't on-board, then you can't have it. Other than that, order what you want. If it's an unusual request, the head waiter might ask for some guidance re the recipe but the chef will do his/her best to comply. Not all dishes are cooked/finished table side. Most are cooked in the small section of the Grill's galley which is reserved for special diet dishes and off menu requests.

You can't order off menu in PG, and the a la carte menu in PG is very different to QG. There is lamb and dover sole in PG, but no lobster thermidor or chateaubriand etc. The a la carte menu is half the size. Obviously, the food offerings are going to be cheaper items in PG. IMHo, you get what you pay for.

You can't order off menu in PG, and the a la carte menu in PG is very different to QG. There is lamb and dover sole in PG, but no lobster thermidor or chateaubriand etc. The a la carte menu is half the size. Obviously, the food offerings are going to be cheaper items in PG. IMHo, you get what you pay for.

This is generally correct, however this summer in PG we asked for - and were served - chateaubriand.

So if you want something, just ask. You may be pleasantly surprised.

This is generally correct, however this summer in PG we asked for - and were served - chateaubriand.

So if you want something, just ask. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Yes, but this is an exception. It is generally not encouraged in PG like it is in QG and certainly not on the menu.

This is generally correct, however this summer in PG we asked for - and were served - chateaubriand.

So if you want something, just ask. You may be pleasantly surprised.

I have only asked once in PG (for Beef Wellington which had appeared on the Britannia formal night menu but not ours). We were served the QG version, lovely !

Generally if you are expecting to make a lot of "off menu" requests you need to be in QG.

Widening the discussion. Do those in Grill restaurants eat elsewhere on the ship as well.

Widening the discussion. Do those in Grill restaurants eat elsewhere on the ship as well.

No, I thought I would want to, but we had the best suite, fabulous for dining in, and the best table in QG with fabulous views, so we asked ourselves why eat elswhere on the ship. We knew we weren't going to get better food or service elsewhere.

In all seriousness, looking at your previous cruises. You should go for QG, you won't be disappointed.

Widening the discussion. Do those in Grill restaurants eat elsewhere on the ship as well.

Only room service on the balcony !

But then I usually eat in the Britannia restaurant for breakfast and lunch when I'm in Britannia.

We have the pub lunch occasionally as the pub has longer opening hours at lunchtime.

Yes, but this is an exception. It is generally not encouraged in PG like it is in QG and certainly not on the menu.

Actually this is incorrect. I am sure there are differences in the menu offerings but on QM2 PG a couple of weeks ago, Chateaubriand was most definitely on the a la carte menu.

Actually this is incorrect. I am sure there are differences in the menu offerings but on QM2 PG a couple of weeks ago, Chateaubriand was most definitely on the a la carte menu.

It wasnt on QV two weeks ago.

It wasnt on QV two weeks ago.

Well that's something for me to bear in mind for future trips - not only is PG different to QG, but the menus differ from ship to ship. I haven't experienced this before although I remember last year after QM2 had her refit, there was a significant change in the a la Carte menus. Some (but by no means all) of these changes seem to have now been rectified.

I guess they have to claw back some of the money they've spent somehow :rolleyes:

Well that's something for me to bear in mind for future trips - not only is PG different to QG, but the menus differ from ship to ship. I haven't experienced this before although I remember last year after QM2 had her refit, there was a significant change in the a la Carte menus. Some (but by no means all) of these changes seem to have now been rectified.

 

I guess they have to claw back some of the money they've spent somehow :rolleyes:

Meredith, I would say Chateaubriand has been on and off the menu in PG a few times in the last year, so it may well have changed again. I know there is definitely no lobster etc. Like you say, I know they were experimenting with changing the PG menu, trying to downgrade it, but this met some stiff criticism,so who knows,it will be a surprise for you! I know that there are far fewer choices now in a la carte than in QG, and it used to be more similar.

We use the Lido quite a bit even though we were QG. If we were in a hurry, it was quick and easy. Much of the food was simple and less rich than the QG offerings. How many different ways can you do eggs? We could get pasta, sandwiches and soups for lunch. If it's a sea day, we probably will eat in the QG dining room. If it's a port day, we would slip past the Lido on our way out. We did see dishes that were on the menu upstairs being offered in the Lido on the buffet. That was pretty common.

My DH has some dietary issues. We found it easier to hunt a peck a bit at the Lido because it was less stressful than trying to modify the menu while in the QG dining room. You can control portion size, too. The QG wanted to accommodate us, but they needed to know in advance. They would provide the menus the day in advance, but it's hard to make a decision on what you want to eat hours in advance. Plus, if you were busy with something else and you ordered something special, you felt obligated to show up. After all, they were going to some trouble to accommodate you.

QG is deserted at breakfast. My DH is usually one of a dozen regulars. I can't get ready in time. I just have a croissant and tea in the stateroom. Having said that, we never missed dinner in QG. It's quite the event. Lovely food, service and ambiance.