Food on princess

What is going on with the food? The last 3 cruises since February of 2015 it has really gone downhill. Very disappointed. Thinking about trying other lines.

That's a big question. What was bad, specifically?

I'm glad to hear that it isn't just me. I'd read really good things about the food on Princess. We've done 3 cruises since November 2015 and I've found it to be OK but nothing great.

Celebrity had much better food when we last cruise them, but I've read that they are placing way too much emphasis on their "Blu" (concierge level) restaurant and allowing the MDRs to suffer. DCL has certainly gone downhill in recent years.

That's a big question. What was bad, specifically?

Selection was more limited, the quality was not the same. Used to have different pates for appetizers and it was hard to make a choice. Used to love the fish but now not edible. We used to give the food high marks but no longer. Friends agree

Selection was more limited, the quality was not the same. Used to have different pates for appetizers and it was hard to make a choice. Used to love the fish but now not edible. We used to give the food high marks but no longer. Friends agree

I have to agree. We had very good food on the Royal in 2014 but the two cruises since then (Island and Grand) have not been up to standards, in fact, I would go so far as to say that the food on the Grand was bad.

On a recent Caribbean Princess cruise I though the food was some of the best we have had on any cruise. Do not understand why anyone would be disappointed with the offerings in the MDR. Having two or three pates is probably not on most peoples requirements. Specifically the prime rib, filet mignon, shrimp dishes, the fish, several chicken dishes, strip steak and short ribs were all very good to excellent. And the Norman Love desserts are outstanding. The service was excellent.

Unfortunately the Curtis Stone entrees were not well received.

The salmon, chicken breast and shrimp cocktail on the always available were very good.

I am sorry for your disappointment in your recent cruises. Perhaps we just got lucky and the chef on board was taking care of business.

On a recent Caribbean Princess cruise I though the food was some of the best we have had on any cruise. Do not understand why anyone would be disappointed with the offerings in the MDR. Having two or three pates is probably not on most peoples requirements. Specifically the prime rib, filet mignon, shrimp dishes, the fish, several chicken dishes, strip steak and short ribs were all very good to excellent. And the Norman Love desserts are outstanding. The service was excellent.

 

Unfortunately the Curtis Stone entrees were not well received.

 

The salmon, chicken breast and shrimp cocktail on the always available were very good.

 

I am sorry for your disappointment in your recent cruises. Perhaps we just got lucky and the chef on board was taking care of business.

I am glad to hear your experience. Sounds like it is uneven. We did a TA in April on the Royal and our friends did an Alaskan on the Island Princess.

Neither good experiences. 2015 TA on Royal was great. It seem to have gone down since the Curtis Stone

I would go so far as to say that the food on the Grand was bad.

Ah shoot that's not good to hear..

Although conversely, the food we had on our recent Regal Baltic Cruise was the best we'd had, but then again we tend to treat a cruise as a floating hotel with free food and entertainment...

As we so often hear (and say) around here, taste is subjective.

I've only been on three Princess cruises so far, each on a different ship. I noticed distinct differences between all three.

Our first cruise was on Sun Princess, Dec 2014, and I was amazed at how good the food was. Far better than I expected. Of course, part of this may have been the "seasoning of magic" of being on our very first ocean cruise but still, it was pretty good.

Next cruise was on Dawn. What a disappointment. Most of the meals ranged from just OK to terrible. Many of the soups were so salty they were inedible. Presentation was non-existent, the food just seemed to have been slopped on the plates. I'm hopeless at food presentation myself but I could have done better.

Our last cruise was on Golden and things were much better. Not quite as good as on Sun but very nice indeed, apart from the Crab Shack which was dreadful.

We set sail on Sun again next week. That will be the real test. :D

A coworker of mine, with his wife and another couple, sailed on the Ruby recently. All were new Princess cruisers. I said nothing (pro or con) in advance of their sailing. Coworker returned with really poor reviews of the food onboard, feeling the Buffett and MDR was just marginal at best.

As a Princess loyal, I felt helpless on how to persuade them to try Princess more than once.

In all my cruises on Princess, I've had two very memorable trips that make me believe there are big consistency issues. A Star to Hawaii and the Grand to Mexico, stand out as truly missing "big" in the food category. Without going into details, nobody on board would support a land based restaurant serving what I was, on those two cruises.

I am glad to hear your experience. Sounds like it is uneven. We did a TA in April on the Royal and our friends did an Alaskan on the Island Princess.

Neither good experiences. 2015 TA on Royal was great. It seem to have gone down since the Curtis Stone

I do agree about the Curtis Stone items but it's hard to believe the Royal food has degraded to that extent. We've been on the ship a number of times & couldn't have been more pleased. Was there anything specific that stood out as being bad?

I'll have to judge for myself next boarding this fall.

I recently traveled to Alaska on the Grand with three newbies. Everyone agreed that the food was very good. There were some misses (rockfish), but everyone enjoyed their meals.

I have been on five different Princess ships over the past ten years, many more than once, and have never had "inedible" food. Some I did not like as wells as others. Some were excellent. My main complaint is in regards to the meat in the MDR. I like my beef just beyond mooing and the meat always seems to be more towards the medium temperature. So, I try to only order beef when it can be prepared to order. Have only ever ate in specialty dining twice (fondue on Regal, Crown Grill on Crown). Both times the dining there was excellent. Note, I am a very picky eater (limited palate), and I am very satisfied with many land based chain restaurants. I never go on a cruise expecting the food in the MDR to be on the same level as a five star steakhouse. Now, I will say the buffet on the Regal was the absolute best buffet I have ever had in my entire life!

There are 3 factors to food on any given cruise. Sourcing, Kitchen, Dining Staff. Because those three vary, you will always get variance.

Best example I can give, and have before. We did 2 cruises not that far apart on the Coral and Island. Galley wise, these are the same ships, and the cruises were close enough that the menus were most likely very similar, if not exactly the same. Both departed from US ports, so the majority of ingredients would come from same supplier.

The food was very different and the reason was easy to spot, if you did a UST or Chef's Table. The Exec Chef on the Coral ran his kitchen like a military facility, barking orders at his crew and generally being unpleasant. Never saw the MD, couldn't even say who it was without looking at the paperwork. Dining staff were ok, but nothing special.

On the Island, we had Chef Bolis, and MD Ghennai. Note that I remember their names well. Why? Because the food on that cruise was some of the best we've had at sea, and the reason was obvious. Chef Remo very clearly ran his kitchen like a team, encouraging and joking. MD Ghennai was very visible, even in Anytime dining and was never adverse to helping his wait staff clear a table, or deliver a drink, or whatever was needed to make things go smoothly. We even saw him in the buffet at lunch, checking operations there - and bussing tables (something we have never seen again on any ship or line) Accordingly, both staffs were more attentive to details and THAT was what makes the difference.

It's no secret that Princess (and pretty much every other cruise line), in the face of a certain amount of overcapacity and the corresponding price inelasticity, is cutting back on dining staffing and probably some food quality, but the single biggest factor in what they can do with that comes from foodservice leadership, which is something you can't really control when you book a cruise, so acceptance of some variance is required.

Our next cruise after those two was on the Royal, which I would class as ok, not bad, nothing special either.

What is going on with the food? The last 3 cruises since February of 2015 it has really gone downhill. Very disappointed. Thinking about trying other lines.

Hubby and I did a B2B on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas in early 2014 and the food was BEYOND awful (in both the MDR and buffet) as was the service. Several people onboard had the same complaints. A friend of ours sailed the same ship a year later and said the food was horrible them also.

So if you switch cruise lines and are thinking about trying Royal Caribbean....stay away from the Independence of the Seas ;)

I think the food is just OK it's just not as good as it once was.

Thank you Mr. Curtis Stone.

Tony

Hubby and I did a B2B on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas in early 2014 and the food was BEYOND awful (in both the MDR and buffet) as was the service. Several people onboard had the same complaints. A friend of ours sailed the same ship a year later and said the food was horrible them also.

 

So if you switch cruise lines and are thinking about trying Royal Caribbean....stay away from the Independence of the Seas ;)

Having read reviews on the independance this past moth, everything about the ship is terrible, food, entertainment, the worst is teenagers roaming the ship in packs

One thing we noticed on the Diamond last month. For the vast majority of the B2B, the cookies were great. There were choc. chip and double chocolate on the buffet line about 3-4 each afternoon. Same was in the lobby lounge. About 5 nights before the end of the second leg, the cookies changed. The double chocolate became much lighter in color and were quite dry and "yuk." The chocolate chip looked about the same as always, but didn't taste the same. I theorized that there was something different about the ingredients they were able to purchase. Whatever it was, they cookies went from wonderful to "no need to get those."

One thing we noticed on the Diamond last month. For the vast majority of the B2B' date=' the cookies were great. There were choc. chip and double chocolate on the buffet line about 3-4 each afternoon. Same was in the lobby lounge. About 5 nights before the end of the second leg, the cookies changed. The double chocolate became much lighter in color and were quite dry and "yuk." The chocolate chip looked about the same as always, but didn't taste the same. I theorized that there was something different about the ingredients they were able to purchase. Whatever it was, they cookies went from wonderful to "no need to get those."[/quote']

 

Did you say anything to the people that put the cookies out? Or ask why they taste like ........ 'Yuk" :eek:

Tony

There are 3 factors to food on any given cruise. Sourcing, Kitchen, Dining Staff. Because those three vary, you will always get variance.

 

Best example I can give, and have before. We did 2 cruises not that far apart on the Coral and Island. Galley wise, these are the same ships, and the cruises were close enough that the menus were most likely very similar, if not exactly the same. Both departed from US ports, so the majority of ingredients would come from same supplier.

 

The food was very different and the reason was easy to spot, if you did a UST or Chef's Table. The Exec Chef on the Coral ran his kitchen like a military facility, barking orders at his crew and generally being unpleasant. Never saw the MD, couldn't even say who it was without looking at the paperwork. Dining staff were ok, but nothing special.

 

On the Island, we had Chef Bolis, and MD Ghennai. Note that I remember their names well. Why? Because the food on that cruise was some of the best we've had at sea, and the reason was obvious. Chef Remo very clearly ran his kitchen like a team, encouraging and joking. MD Ghennai was very visible, even in Anytime dining and was never adverse to helping his wait staff clear a table, or deliver a drink, or whatever was needed to make things go smoothly. We even saw him in the buffet at lunch, checking operations there - and bussing tables (something we have never seen again on any ship or line) Accordingly, both staffs were more attentive to details and THAT was what makes the difference.

 

It's no secret that Princess (and pretty much every other cruise line), in the face of a certain amount of overcapacity and the corresponding price inelasticity, is cutting back on dining staffing and probably some food quality, but the single biggest factor in what they can do with that comes from foodservice leadership, which is something you can't really control when you book a cruise, so acceptance of some variance is required.

 

Our next cruise after those two was on the Royal, which I would class as ok, not bad, nothing special either.

 

 

 

Ahh the voice of reason(the power of the mind to think,understand,and form judgements logically)

Don't expect to many accolades, you forgot to give C.S a shunt.:)

Did you say anything to the people that put the cookies out? Or ask why they taste like ........ 'Yuk" :eek:

Tony

No, I didn't approach anyone about the cookies. We were near the end of our 20 nights and I had already consumed way more than I needed. I did check that the ones at the lobby bar were the same as those at the buffet (which I could tell just by looking at them).

When we were on the Star in May 2016 it was the 1st time in 18 cruises I'd found the food in Horizon Ct better than then the MDR. Service in the MDR was slowwww. One night I did the barbeque at the hotdog stand, pulled beef, WOW!!!

After the 1st two nights in the MDR I went upstairs and never looked back.

Don't over look a Princess secret, room service. Best for lunch on your balcony. Works on port days.

framer

Generally the food on Princess is very good. There always is something to suit everyone's taste but as always if you don't like a dish or the way it was cooked you can always order something else.

On our TA last spring on the Regal everyone in our party agreed that the food whether in the MDR or the Horizon Court was the best they had ever had and some of our friends have cruised a lot and on various lines!