mrmarklin

I will add this:  I don’t know how Princess will eventually monetize this event, but if you think paying $150 for the experience is too expensive, you don’t get out much. 

Just completed the recent cruise on Discovery. 360 a unique and wonderful experience. All food cooked to perfection. 
 

Countries were Greece, Italy and Spain. Seven courses of delight. My dil was invited with her husband and since she was traveling with my wife and I, she wangled an invitation for us as well. We all had full suite accommodations. 

I’m on exact same cruise now. Everything is fine and I would rate the food excellent. 

Regarding Princess and full British breakfast, you are likely to be able to put this together in the buffet.  I did not notice it on any menus. I don’t spend much time in the buffet. 
 

Chicken Tikka Masala is available on Cunard lines if you dine in the Grills section. It’s not on the menu, but can be requested a day ahead. 

9 minutes ago, mrmarklin said:

It was invented by British troops when India was a colony. It’s very good, but a hybrid. 

I’ll quote myself. Indian curries are endless in variety, so the reality is that It could have been invented by Indians, but wasn’t. 😉

On 11/14/2022 at 12:26 AM, wowzz said:

Not sure about being invented in pubs, but certainly not an authentic Indian dish. 

 

It was invented by British troops when India was a colony. It’s very good, but a hybrid. 

Food is very subjective.  But I find it universally good on the Cunard ships I have been on.  Sometimes a dish is a "miss" and sometimes unexpectedly good.  If you get a "miss" one can always ask for something else.

I'm American, so some of the dishes on Cunard I am not even familiar with as the names are unrecognizable.  But upon trying some, they have always been appetizing.  I'm fairly adventurous when eating and I like all types of cuisine.

I'm fortunate enough to live in a part of the US where there is a large variety of ethnic foods and excellent restaurants of all types.  I eat out a lot and have an expense account budget so I really understand what is well prepared food and good service.

Many people complaining about tough beef order it well done.

IMHO one cannot live one's life catering to other's fears.  The Coronavirus is generally not fatal.  I  personally would go.

Princess tends to have large numbers of Americans on board, hence the coverage by US based media. 

This is happening all over the world.

11 hours ago, satxdiver said:

All the Princess excursions that I have been on that included lunch it was a buffet or fixed meal with no other choices available.  They have been in a separate area from any restaurant similar to a meeting room etc.   I seriously doubt that you would be able to order anything else.

I had this two days in a row in St Petersburg. The lunches were set meals and were terrible. 

4 hours ago, voljeep said:

if I want "just a steak", I go to our 'local' … Publix … and get a nice bone-in ribeye for the grill at home

 

if I want a "really good steak" , I take the 15 minute or so drive to the Specialty Meat Market and see what they recommend based on what they have on hand - usually 3 times the price of 'just a steak'

 

and we also have an Outback, Ruth Chris, and a Shula's within easy driving distance … so we got that going for us as well

If one wants a really, really good steak, one goes to our local Costco and buys USDA Prime beef for the Barbie.  But that's another topic altogether.  No true BBQ on Princess I believe.

1 hour ago, Casey12 said:

You haven't sailed Princess in 5 years and you are defending the quality of steak in CG? I can tell you it has gone down quite a bit in 5 years. My last 2x made Outback look good. We no longer go to Crown Grill. The sides were pretty good but the steak was awful quality on our last 2 visits. It wasn't a one-off. We still go to Sabatini's.

Better than Outback IMHO, but there are other options besides steak.  I like lamb, for example.  Don't forget the excellent sides, as well.

At some level, the personal service and quieter location are worth something as well as the supposed better food.

I've had some decent meals in Crown Grill.  But a few years ago on the Pacific Princess I had the Ribeye.  I thought it looked a little thin, but it was tasty.  Next night in the MDR Ribeye was on the menu.  My wife ordered it.  It was the exact same cut!  I felt a little ripped off.

CG can be hit and miss. 

BTW to some of you:  One does not want fresh cut beef.  One wants properly aged beef.  This is where the great restaurants excel.

4 hours ago, snoozecrooze said:

Wow, that's a far cry from the 100 it received two years ago 😥😥 when will Princess catch a break 

 

FYI for anyone interested, the link to the CDC report is here: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/InspectionQueryTool/InspectionDetailReport.aspx?ColI=MjEyNjAyNTU%3d-TVijKssWTGY%3d

Any score 85 or below is considered a fail on the grade scale

 

Not too terrible, really.  It's a working ship and people get busy.  More training and supervision seems indicated.

I’ve recently been on both lines. Cunard QG and Regal Princess Suite level. I would rate the food comparable at these levels. 
Considering the limitations of mass dining, the overall experience is very nice. 
I don’t do buffets and have no comment on those. Tea on Cunard is more authentic than on Princess, naturally. 

On ‎10‎/‎2‎/‎2019 at 5:04 AM, Yoshikitty said:

That is not correct.

 

We and most of other germans are tipping between 5% -10% of the restaurant check on top - though exceptions happen every day.

I was in Germany a week ago, and this is not my observable experience.  I was not near Hamburg, however.:-)

In Germany tipping in restaurants is not normally done, other than a small check rounding-up.  Germans are not used to tipping, and likely are unwilling to do so on a cruise.  This is probably the reason for the German tip policy.  It's probably built into the German price, just like "back home".

1 hour ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Curious....what do you think it should have?

Germans eat a lot of charcuterie for breakfast together with Brotchen.  Asians will have rice with whatever.  Mexicans will certainly have tortillas and chilaquiles.  I could go on, but it's different depending on culture. 

I noticed the buffet had dishes catering to other cultures on the Regal Princess last summer.

34 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

 

The menu itself is limited but we asked for other items a few times and they were happy to provide, I think the Sabatini's breakfast is one of the best suite perks.

 

I agree, a great perk.  I don't get the limited menu.  It seems to have all breakfast items, unless of course one is not from an English speaking country.

9 hours ago, exlondoner said:

 

Outrageous, but, even if tips are included in the cost of the cruise, there is nothing to stop staff trying to make you feel uncomfortable by soliciting more. Leave the autotip on next time, and don't feel embarrassed. You have nothing to feel embarrassed for. Those trying to suborn you are the ones who should feel embarrassed.

QG already pay more in tips that others.  I agree, outrageous.

On 8/24/2019 at 4:11 AM, Gracie115 said:

I find this interesting.  We were in a suite, in Club Class last November on the Regal for 10 nights and we never had additional items offered or anything done table side for any of the nights.  We enjoyed Club Class very much but this "added extra" to the menus seem to be absent from the Regal.

We were on the Regal this July in a Suite and the CC had plenty of dining extras.  Particularly lobster and shrimp.  And tableside pasta among other options. 

For me, tableside preparation is a big perk. Here in the US it has largely disappeared as an option in fine dining. If you want to know why I’ll tell you.  It’s a big money loser. Only on cruise ships where labor cost is much lower than here is it at all feasible. 

6 hours ago, mrmarklin said:

I have just completed a cruise on Regal Princess and would rate the food as excellent. My granddaughter, who had never eaten at a buffet before loved it. We ate there every day for lunch. It was above average as far as buffets go. MDR Club class was excellent. As was breakfast in Sabatinis every morning. We had a Suite to get this benefit. 

 

I have  only ever ever done Queens Grill on Cunard. But the food is as one would expect, excellent. The Queens Grill menu is essentially the same as MDR but a few higher end dishes are on offering as extras. Did not eat buffet on Cunard, since QG offers all three meals with never a wait. Almost like a private dining room. One gets to know the staff really well. 

 

The above being said, I wouldn’t say that there is a big leap from Regal Princess food to QG as far as quality or presentation.  With QG one can pretty much order what one wants with advanced notice and if they have the ingredients you can have it. 

I’ll quote myself so I can edit. 

I’ve been on four Princess ships, and each one had different chefs.  And the quality of preparation also differed.  Regal Princess last July was best.  The other ships were a step down, a large one in one case. I’m not naming names because for all I know, the chefs have moved on elsewhere for whatever reason. My point is that while none of the food was bad, the Regal was certainly a cut above the others. We must remember that the menus are dictated in large part from a corporate HQ.  But QC and the skill of the chef and his management can be the difference between good and excellence. 

It’s likely Cunard is the same variation in quality among ships, albeit there are only three ships. Im going on a Cunard cruise this October and will update then. QG again. So probably won’t do buffet. 

I have just completed a cruise on Regal Princess and would rate the food as excellent. My granddaughter, who had never eaten at a buffet before loved it. We ate there every day for lunch. It was above average as far as buffets go. MDR Club class was excellent. As was breakfast in Sabatinis every morning. We had a Suite to get this benefit. 

I have  only ever ever done Queens Grill on Cunard. But the food is as one would expect, excellent. The Queens Grill menu is essentially the same as MDR but a few higher end dishes are on offering as extras. Did not eat buffet on Cunard, since QG offers all three meals with never a wait. Almost like a private dining room. One gets to know the staff really well. 

The above being said, I wouldn’t say that there is a big leap from Regal Princess food to QG as far as quality or presentation.  With QG one can pretty much order what one wants with advanced notice and if they have the ingredients you can have it. 

Maybe we don't eat at popular times:-)

20 hours ago, Triptkr said:

I would love to hear from those of you who know from your personal experience what the benefits are for having a full suite when sailing with Princess?  I'm not talking about having more space, I'm asking about things like having the upgraded bathrobes, one complimentary mini-bar set up...stuff like that.  I already know about the pdf file on the Princess web site that lists all the benefits but I swear when reading here on CC, a lot of people have listed things that were not on that list.    

 

Thanks in advance!

Club class dining means one never has to wait for a table or even make a dinner reservation.  Suite Class eats breakfast separate from all other diners, as well.  On the Regal Princess this was Sabatini's restaurant.  Suite passengers are the only ones there.  No waiting for a table and superlative service.

Special lines at pursers for service and special lines for boarding.

I think all this is on the list, but not waiting for anything is a real bonus.

There's also the Concierge Lounge, which is more than just getting an extra canape.  On my last voyage it was directly across from our suite.