New Menus Debut on Coral Princess?

[Infi]

The problem I have is with the dumbing down/blatant cheapening of the menu. For those saying I don't have to order the burger, you're absolutely right - I don't. I see a lot of people are happy about the option, and say that there are some nights that they'd rather order a burger instead of a big meal. There's nothing wrong with that, and it's their choice.

 

Offering a burger on the main menu says to me, "we want you to order this cheaper meal instead of the more expensive options so we can improve our bottom line." Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you wanted a burger for dinner in the MDR, you could get it. So, they're taking something that is technically off menu and maybe only ordered by a handful of people each night and making it a focal point of the menu. If it's right in front of them, more people will order it, thus requiring less ordering of the pricier food items. Win for Princess, loss for those who like the slightly fancier entrees.

I think if the new items are a hit (and they probably will be, unfortunately), we'll be seeing less of costlier items and more homestyle food. If you're happy with the burger now, would you still be happy if a similar homestyle item replaced your lobster, or your favorite entree? It's a slippery slope.

 

I understand cruiselines have to cut costs to stay competitive. But, there are ways to subtly cut costs and there are ways to noticeably cut costs. This is one of the latter, IMHO, and it looks pretty bad on Princess' part. As for me, I'd happily pay extra for my cruise fare if it meant that there would be better quality items on the menu. But, it looks like this won't be the direction Princess is heading.

[Pam in CA]

If they are on the always available menu, it should be. I've never seen where the always available menu changes for formal nights.

There's at least one night with a special menu, I think it's the Captain's menu, that doesn't include the always available options. However, you can always order them, even if not on the menu.

 

As for the hamburger, I enjoy a nice, juicy, medium rare burger but you cannot get anything like that in the dining room. It must be well done, and sometimes is very, very well done, which isn't appealing to me. So if anyone is expecting or enjoys anything other than a very well done burger, you'll be disappointed.

[IECalCruiser]

There's at least one night with a special menu, I think it's the Captain's menu, that doesn't include the always available options. However, you can always order them, even if not on the menu.

Pam, I believe that is the night of the Chef's Dinner.

[coo359a2]

There's at least one night with a special menu, I think it's the Captain's menu, that doesn't include the always available options. However, you can always order them, even if not on the menu.

 

As for the hamburger, I enjoy a nice, juicy, medium rare burger but you cannot get anything like that in the dining room. It must be well done, and sometimes is very, very well done, which isn't appealing to me. So if anyone is expecting or enjoys anything other than a very well done burger, you'll be disappointed.

 

On that night when the waiters have passed out the menus, they have so far always told us we have the option of using the always available menu. Most of the time they look surprised when I ask for the kiddie menu. It makes for a nice change on loger cruises.

[Pam in CA]

On that night when the waiters have passed out the menus, they have so far always told us we have the option of using the always available menu. Most of the time they look surprised when I ask for the kiddie menu. It makes for a nice change on loger cruises.

On a longer cruise, I get very tired of the meat and sauces dishes so I pre-order a chef's salad or something like that. If I see an appetizer I really like, I'll order it in entree size.

[Astro Flyer]

When DH ordered the Fettuccine as the main course, it always had the permesan basket. If he ordered it as an appetizer, it didn't have the parmesan basket. When a shrimp dish is on the menu, he likes to order the Fettuccine (main course size) and have shrimp added. I like to have grilled chicken strips added to mine.

Thanks & having only ordered an appetizer sized portion I wasn't aware that as a main course it automatically comes in a Parmesan basket. Ever since enjoying a pasta course on Sitmar, I get an appetizer sized portion of pasta nightly on Princess.

[caribill]

Sorry for the delay in responding

On our seven nighter, no other varieties were offered.

 

And there were several evenings with a different flavor one on the menu on our recent cruise.

 

Looks like another cutback in variety.

[rcacace]

It's not just the main entrees that have been suffering. Other items have been downgraded over the years, bit by bit.

 

Examples:

 

Breaksticks used to have seseme seeds on them. No longer.

 

Rolls used to include a selection of dark rolls. Now they rarely do.

 

The Love Boat Dream has deteriorated from a glorious experience to one that is hardly worth ordering anymore.

o It used to have a crunchy bottom, they switched to a soft cake bottom several years ago.

o It used to have a Lady Godiva chocolate with the Sea Witch emblem on it. They then switched to a hollow stick of chocolate and on my most recent cruise had eliminated even that.

o The chocolate filling used to be a heavenly rich mousse. It is now little more than chocolate pudding.

 

The baked Alaska used to be a hemisphere of delight with a thick meringue and various thicknesses of the three different flavors of ice cream, and you were served a nice sized piece of it. It is now looks like a sheet cake and the small portion has a very thin meringue and very uniform layers of the ice cream flavors.

 

What has been unique and fine dining is slowing becoming just a nice restaurant.

 

Also add to your list that there's no more rose included with the birthday cake.

[caribill]

Also add to your list that there's no more rose included with the birthday cake.

 

On one cruise last year, the used the same candle at least three times.

 

It had already been used at least once when it was on the cake for our table and they quickly whisked it away away and I saw them put in on another cake for another table.

[coo359a2]

On a longer cruise, I get very tired of the meat and sauces dishes so I pre-order a chef's salad or something like that. If I see an appetizer I really like, I'll order it in entree size.

 

I do this also with a salad but order the chicken strips or 3 meat balls and cut them up on the salad. With the beef, it's my version of a taco salad minus chips, cheese and salsa. Might try asking for grated cheese one time. Will also give the sirloin burger patty a try in the salad.

[Jasperdo]

A few random thoughts on the new menu:

- I like how the fettuccine alfredo now says it comes in a parmesan basket. The old menu didn't mention that.

- I think incorporating the Always Available menu into the main menu is a good idea. You don't have to bounce back and forth between pages to decide what you want.

- I'm very happy to see creme brulee on the menu every night. It's one of my favorite desserts.

- My wife is a fussy eater, and many times the beef medallions were the only menu item that appealed to her. She might like the Tri-Tip Roast, though. And she definitely likes steak fries.

- I have mixed feelings about the hamburger being added. It is a popular menu item in many land restaurants now. But, personally, I've never seen the appeal of chains like Red Robin that offer "gourmet" burgers for $11 and $12. At a sit down restaurant, I prefer a meal, rather then a burger. That said, gourmet burgers are "in" right now. And the half pound one Princess is offering is probably as good as you'll get in any land restaurant.

[monakayk]

We just got back from Alaska on the Island Princess on 9/12. We found the food in the MDR "OK" for the most part, with a few standouts (Fettucine Alfredo with Parmesan bowl, Love Boat Dream dessert, to name a couple).

I think the most difficult thing to accept is the dichotomy between the ambience in the MDR and the food quality. The atmosphere in the MDR is like a 5-star restaurant. You are attended to by a pair of waitpersons who are always smiling and ready to enhance your experience. Linen and china instead of vinyl placemats and paper plates. Two nights of formal dress where you all look like you are putting on the Ritz.

 

The look and feel of the MDR are what make the presence of "just OK" food hard to accept. Your eyes and ears are being fed a 5-star experience, but your palate is disappointed when it is not. Maybe if we were all eating in an MDR that reminded us of a land-based chain restaurant, the food would seem to taste better.

And I realize mine is a horrendously small and subjective sample size, but on our only other cruise (Celebrity Constellation, Panama Canal, 2010), we were very pleased by the quality of the food every night in the MDR with maybe only 1 or 2 items which turned out "just OK".

 

Cheers,

Paul

ITA with the post above. If the DH and I wanted burgers, mac & cheese we could go down the street to a Blackeyed Pea or other homestyle-food restaurants. But what we want from a cruise is food that is special and out of the ordinary and with some type of gourmet taste when we cruise. These menu changes are offering food that is getting more and more simple entrees that a 12-14 year old can prepare at home! Will the next step be for PCL or other cruise lines just to do away with the MDR experience and feed us only at the buffet like cattle? I sure hope this never happens. What a nightmare that would be.

[srpilo]

Oh, well... sirloin. :) Now, if it were an In-N-Out burger, that would be different.

 

Heck, I'd probably pass on the Lobster for an In-N-Out Burger :)

 

 

 

Go Double Double !!!

Srpilo

[shredie]

- I think incorporating the Always Available menu into the main menu is a good idea. You don't have to bounce back and forth between pages to decide what you want.

I agree. It was sometimes confusing trying to pick and choose from AA items and whatever else was on the menu for that night. It also just looks "tidier."

[Pam in CA]

Heck, I'd probably pass on the Lobster for an In-N-Out Burger :)

I always pass on the lobster. :) I'm a lobster "snob" in that if its been frozen or is old, it's yucky. Plus they don't give you real, clarified unsweetened butter.

[truffles68]

We also had the new menu on the Golden Princess. However the dessert menu was the same. For once it took me longer than 30 seconds to decide what to have for dinner. I actually had to read the menu ! Lol !

 

I tried the chilled sweet corn & potato vichyssoise soup & thought it just tasted like a regular cold potato soup. The clam chowder with clamato juice tasted like regular clam chowder. I quite enjoyed the grilled Thai beef salad. Mind you there were many thin slices of beef but very little salad. The warm oysters over wilted spinach in the half were very good. I wanted to try the deep fried sushi with bacardi wasabi emulsion & kimchi but I had already ordered too many appetizers. I must try that next time. I was disappointed with the grilled medallions of beef tenderloin with madeira-truffle demi glace. It did not look too appetizing.. appeared to be baked (color wise)....perhaps they were placed at the edge of the grill. I asked for medium rare but got well done ones. The sauteed garlic shrimp with sesame-soy glaze was good.

 

By the way the shows in the Princess theatre were 50 min long - 2 shows/night (unlike the three 30 min shows I saw on the Diamond & Sapphire this summer). Also there were professional entertainers performing in the Vista Lounge eg. Jay Moore-comedian. The game shows were in the Explorer Lounge eg.marriage show - newly wed etc.

[caribill]

- I'm very happy to see creme brulee on the menu every night. It's one of my favorite desserts.

 

On my recent Princess cruise with the "old" menus, there was creme brulee on the dessert menu almost every evening, but it was a different flavor each time, not just vanilla for the entire trip.

 

I am disappointed that such a great dessert has been reduced to just one repeated flavor.

[VibeGuy]

I just got off the Coral 3NT...

 

I am confused by some of the comments regarding the chili and meatloaf - they have been part of the various menus since the last refresh, as has the tricolor melon with lime zest and port. We usually found two kinds of rolls per dinner, plus fresh breadsticks, including the wholemeal ones with sunflower seeds that we all love. Per a sheet that I happened to glance during the galley tour, dinner food costs averaged over a week are around $13.50 per guest, which in a land restaurant would translate to a retail price before tax and service of approximately $40...and that's consistent with what we experienced.

 

I was travelling with a group of eight including several serious foodies. While none of us work in foodservice, all of us are pretty adventurous and regularly dine in Seattle's "destination" restaurants (ie, you've read reviews in the NYT, Sunset or Bon Appetit well after we've discovered it). Six of the eight were Platinum or better Princess cruisers, so we knew the old menus pretty well. My friends have a terribly non-amusing story about me and my love of "the feesh course", which is best left for another time. One couple had never sailed with Princess before.

 

First, the menu readability/legibility is an order of magnitude better than before. There are some glitches - a dish with seafood was marked vegetarian, for example, and some of the descriptions have misspellings or misuses of words. No big. Moving the Anytime items into the flow of the menu makes much, much, much more sense.

 

Speaking of Anytime Items. Yes, there's a burger. It's identical to the one at lunch in the MDR, and is *NOTHING* like the one at the Pool Grill. It's thick, tavern-style, and would easily be a $12-20 burger on land.

 

The Grilled Spice-Rubbed Tri-Tip Roast is moderately successful, especially for people who prefer their meat closer to medium/medium-well. Julia Child even praised tri-tip upon her move west, so don't get snippy about it being a sirloin cut - I think the old medallions were flavorless, and these were tasty. The barbecue sauce is thin (more like a steak sauce) and bog-standard. The chimichurri could stand to be a bit wetter (it's a bit like a gremolata in current form) but was fresh and bright. I chose this over the Prime Rib on the first night, as it's one of my favorite cuts of beef.

 

The creme brulee could have a crisper crust, and the madeleine it's served with is about the size of my thumbnail. It was, however, rich and creamy and thoroughly worth ordering. Better than the cheesecake as Anytime options go.

 

The appetizer-portion Alfredo definitely comes in the crisp frigo shell now. I think it's smart that they've called out an app-portion on the menu - I think many people before didn't see it as a case of primi/secondi - they assumed the pasta was only available as an entree in the more Americanized style.

 

I didn't see any change with the chicken, salmon, shrimp cocktail or caesar salad, other than perhaps a direct mention that anchovies were available.

 

 

The new items: we took the bullet so you don't have to.

 

Red Snapper Mojito: A very tasty ceviche with a touch of mint. The mango could have been a bit riper. The presence of rum would best be described as homeopathic. It's presented in a cocktail glass, and is a definite upgrade from the former Lobster & Seafood Pate, which was both cheap and tired.

 

Seared Bassa (sic) Filet with Pineapple-Papaya Salsa: Basa can be a little mushy, and this was no exception. This appears to replace the barramundi, which was really straightforward. The dish was plated very attractively, and the flavors were fresh and bright. The potato cake could have been crisper.

 

Leek & Ricotta Cheese Tart: Deja vu all over again. I've definitely had this in the IC on other ships as a quiche. It was beautifully presented with ratatouille and basil-infused oil. A nice upgrade from the former Moroccan-spiced vegetable ragout from the sailaway dinner. This truly looked like something you'd expect from the Aqua Class Blu menu on Celebrity.

 

Mac and Cheese With Bay Shrimp And Baby Scallops: I suppose we could call it macaroni veloute con gamberetto y pancetta if it would make you feel better about it. The pasta was *slightly* overcooked, but there was lots of seafood, if not a strong lobster note per se. Recommended.

 

The crayfish-and-mussels hot pot does not appear to have been replaced.

 

Next up, the Captain's Welcome dinner....

 

Deep-Fried Sushi With Bacardi Wasabi Emulsion and Kimchi: This replaces the grapefruit and kiwi from the previous menu. What an upgrade. These were tasty vegetable-only rolls, sliced about 1/2" thick and tempura-fried. Four slices are served with a pile of VERY bright kimchi (clearly not naturally-fermented - I think it's rice wine vinegar). All of us at the table were surprised at the vibrance and contemporary nature of the dish. Strong recommend.

 

French Onion Soup replaces the Wonton Soup of yore. This is not to be missed. Not overly salty, deeply beefy, loads of onion, great crouton, lots of cheese. Wish I'd ordered it.

 

The loathesome yogurt-and-tamarind soup has been eclipsed by the new and improved Chilled Sweet Corn and Potato Vichyssoise. Personally, I picked up a lot of sweet corn flavor in there, and enjoyed it more than any chilled soup I've had on Princess save maybe the gazpacho at luncheon. I am not sure I tasted any jalapeno as claimed by the menu, but I would have had seconds.

 

In what *does* appear to be cost-cutting, the Halibut with Swiss Chard goes away and is replaced by Barramundi With Chive & Mustard Seed Butter Sauce - my guess is the wholesale cost is around $15/lb less for barramundi, and though I *really* loved the old dish, I thought this was fantastic. The "melted" leeks are a nice foil for the very mild fish, and I always prefer asparagus to green beans.

 

Shrimp Daniele: I thought the old preparation of Shrimp Newburg was actually very clever - the shrimp were sauteed and the shellfish cream sauce was on the side. They've gone more contemporary with the Daniele, with a similar effect. The vegetable fried rice was a nice accompaniment, and the plating was attractive. There were five shrimp in the order, each about 3X the size of the shrimp cocktail shrimp.

 

The Game Hen benefits from a new white bean ragout underneath.

 

The vegetable fritters are gone, replaced by Crustless Potato & Spinach Flans These were bursting with spinach flavor, and I wish we were the sort who took pictures of our food (we're much more into talking about it and eating it). This was one of the big hits - again, spa cuisine done right (although I suspect it's not exactly cuisine minceur - those flans were rich).

 

We didn't notice any other differences from the previous Captain's Dinner menu.

 

Finally, Landfall Dinner...

 

I'm going from memory on this one, as the menu pics didn't turn out, so please be kind.

 

The Sweetbreads A La Reine / Vol Au Vent / Creamed Chicken, Sweetbreads and Mushrooms In Puff Pastry Case are gone, which is a serious disappointment. I loved that retrotastic gem. I was alone in that, though, I think. In its place? Chicken Wings in a Bacardi-spiked glaze. Tasty enough, but they're just wings. Definitely baked rather than fried.

 

The soups were all the same, but the description induced me to try the chilled curried pumpkin cream soup for the first time, and I'm glad I did.

 

The former curry-sauced barramundi has also been replaced with kingklip, prepared in an identical style. I'm assured kingklip is a delicacy, and it is much like other fish that have needed a name upgrade to become marketable. Patagonian Toothfish became Chilean Sea Bass. Slimehead became Orange Roughy. Thus, Cusk Eel can become Kingklip. Honestly, not a bad change - they're both mild large-flake-forming whitefish.

 

The remainder of the savories on the Landfall menu remain the same.

 

Desserts: The loss of the Zuppa Inglese ice cream on the Sailaway menu was duly noted, but otherwise we didn't think there were many visible changes. Mignardise were available after the Captain's Welcome Dinner. I don't think there's much else of note, and souffle was definitely available on one of the three nights.

 

The wine list has *definitely* been freshened as well, and there are some really good values on there. I like unoaked high-acid whites, and found a few that were pleasant surprises and pretty good value. There are more tasting notes than before, and better descriptions of the varietals.

 

Overall, I'd be completely happy to see these new menu items persist.

[Grammyluvs]

Wow, Vibeguy great food review. Thanks

[AKman2495]

I've been on the Coral since we left Vancouver. I saw this thread today and my thoughts are these-yes, they have reformatted the menus and have changed around the "anytime" category. But I can tell you evertything I've had so far has been more than delicious...Being diabetic, I tend to go for the "sugar free" stuff. A couple of nights ago, I opted for the "sugar free hazelnut pumpkin pudding with 5 spice sauce" I took one bight and thought I had died and gone to heaven. It was the single best bite I've had of anything as long as I can remember.

 

For now, I will have fun EATING the stuff on the menu while you can go on dicussing it.:D:D

[Pia1913]

I just got off the Coral 3NT...

 

I am confused by some of the comments regarding the chili and meatloaf - they have been part of the various menus since the last refresh, as has the tricolor melon with lime zest and port. We usually found two kinds of rolls per dinner, plus fresh breadsticks, including the wholemeal ones with sunflower seeds that we all love. Per a sheet that I happened to glance during the galley tour, dinner food costs averaged over a week are around $13.50 per guest, which in a land restaurant would translate to a retail price before tax and service of approximately $40...and that's consistent with what we experienced.

 

I was travelling with a group of eight including several serious foodies. While none of us work in foodservice, all of us are pretty adventurous and regularly dine in Seattle's "destination" restaurants (ie, you've read reviews in the NYT, Sunset or Bon Appetit well after we've discovered it). Six of the eight were Platinum or better Princess cruisers, so we knew the old menus pretty well. My friends have a terribly non-amusing story about me and my love of "the feesh course", which is best left for another time. One couple had never sailed with Princess before.

 

First, the menu readability/legibility is an order of magnitude better than before. There are some glitches - a dish with seafood was marked vegetarian, for example, and some of the descriptions have misspellings or misuses of words. No big. Moving the Anytime items into the flow of the menu makes much, much, much more sense.

 

Speaking of Anytime Items. Yes, there's a burger. It's identical to the one at lunch in the MDR, and is *NOTHING* like the one at the Pool Grill. It's thick, tavern-style, and would easily be a $12-20 burger on land.

 

The Grilled Spice-Rubbed Tri-Tip Roast is moderately successful, especially for people who prefer their meat closer to medium/medium-well. Julia Child even praised tri-tip upon her move west, so don't get snippy about it being a sirloin cut - I think the old medallions were flavorless, and these were tasty. The barbecue sauce is thin (more like a steak sauce) and bog-standard. The chimichurri could stand to be a bit wetter (it's a bit like a gremolata in current form) but was fresh and bright. I chose this over the Prime Rib on the first night, as it's one of my favorite cuts of beef.

 

The creme brulee could have a crisper crust, and the madeleine it's served with is about the size of my thumbnail. It was, however, rich and creamy and thoroughly worth ordering. Better than the cheesecake as Anytime options go.

 

The appetizer-portion Alfredo definitely comes in the crisp frigo shell now. I think it's smart that they've called out an app-portion on the menu - I think many people before didn't see it as a case of primi/secondi - they assumed the pasta was only available as an entree in the more Americanized style.

 

I didn't see any change with the chicken, salmon, shrimp cocktail or caesar salad, other than perhaps a direct mention that anchovies were available.

 

 

The new items: we took the bullet so you don't have to.

 

Red Snapper Mojito: A very tasty ceviche with a touch of mint. The mango could have been a bit riper. The presence of rum would best be described as homeopathic. It's presented in a cocktail glass, and is a definite upgrade from the former Lobster & Seafood Pate, which was both cheap and tired.

 

Seared Bassa (sic) Filet with Pineapple-Papaya Salsa: Basa can be a little mushy, and this was no exception. This appears to replace the barramundi, which was really straightforward. The dish was plated very attractively, and the flavors were fresh and bright. The potato cake could have been crisper.

 

Leek & Ricotta Cheese Tart: Deja vu all over again. I've definitely had this in the IC on other ships as a quiche. It was beautifully presented with ratatouille and basil-infused oil. A nice upgrade from the former Moroccan-spiced vegetable ragout from the sailaway dinner. This truly looked like something you'd expect from the Aqua Class Blu menu on Celebrity.

 

Mac and Cheese With Bay Shrimp And Baby Scallops: I suppose we could call it macaroni veloute con gamberetto y pancetta if it would make you feel better about it. The pasta was *slightly* overcooked, but there was lots of seafood, if not a strong lobster note per se. Recommended.

 

The crayfish-and-mussels hot pot does not appear to have been replaced.

 

Next up, the Captain's Welcome dinner....

 

Deep-Fried Sushi With Bacardi Wasabi Emulsion and Kimchi: This replaces the grapefruit and kiwi from the previous menu. What an upgrade. These were tasty vegetable-only rolls, sliced about 1/2" thick and tempura-fried. Four slices are served with a pile of VERY bright kimchi (clearly not naturally-fermented - I think it's rice wine vinegar). All of us at the table were surprised at the vibrance and contemporary nature of the dish. Strong recommend.

 

French Onion Soup replaces the Wonton Soup of yore. This is not to be missed. Not overly salty, deeply beefy, loads of onion, great crouton, lots of cheese. Wish I'd ordered it.

 

The loathesome yogurt-and-tamarind soup has been eclipsed by the new and improved Chilled Sweet Corn and Potato Vichyssoise. Personally, I picked up a lot of sweet corn flavor in there, and enjoyed it more than any chilled soup I've had on Princess save maybe the gazpacho at luncheon. I am not sure I tasted any jalapeno as claimed by the menu, but I would have had seconds.

 

In what *does* appear to be cost-cutting, the Halibut with Swiss Chard goes away and is replaced by Barramundi With Chive & Mustard Seed Butter Sauce - my guess is the wholesale cost is around $15/lb less for barramundi, and though I *really* loved the old dish, I thought this was fantastic. The "melted" leeks are a nice foil for the very mild fish, and I always prefer asparagus to green beans.

 

Shrimp Daniele: I thought the old preparation of Shrimp Newburg was actually very clever - the shrimp were sauteed and the shellfish cream sauce was on the side. They've gone more contemporary with the Daniele, with a similar effect. The vegetable fried rice was a nice accompaniment, and the plating was attractive. There were five shrimp in the order, each about 3X the size of the shrimp cocktail shrimp.

 

The Game Hen benefits from a new white bean ragout underneath.

 

The vegetable fritters are gone, replaced by Crustless Potato & Spinach Flans These were bursting with spinach flavor, and I wish we were the sort who took pictures of our food (we're much more into talking about it and eating it). This was one of the big hits - again, spa cuisine done right (although I suspect it's not exactly cuisine minceur - those flans were rich).

 

We didn't notice any other differences from the previous Captain's Dinner menu.

 

Finally, Landfall Dinner...

 

I'm going from memory on this one, as the menu pics didn't turn out, so please be kind.

 

The Sweetbreads A La Reine / Vol Au Vent / Creamed Chicken, Sweetbreads and Mushrooms In Puff Pastry Case are gone, which is a serious disappointment. I loved that retrotastic gem. I was alone in that, though, I think. In its place? Chicken Wings in a Bacardi-spiked glaze. Tasty enough, but they're just wings. Definitely baked rather than fried.

 

The soups were all the same, but the description induced me to try the chilled curried pumpkin cream soup for the first time, and I'm glad I did.

 

The former curry-sauced barramundi has also been replaced with kingklip, prepared in an identical style. I'm assured kingklip is a delicacy, and it is much like other fish that have needed a name upgrade to become marketable. Patagonian Toothfish became Chilean Sea Bass. Slimehead became Orange Roughy. Thus, Cusk Eel can become Kingklip. Honestly, not a bad change - they're both mild large-flake-forming whitefish.

 

The remainder of the savories on the Landfall menu remain the same.

 

Desserts: The loss of the Zuppa Inglese ice cream on the Sailaway menu was duly noted, but otherwise we didn't think there were many visible changes. Mignardise were available after the Captain's Welcome Dinner. I don't think there's much else of note, and souffle was definitely available on one of the three nights.

 

The wine list has *definitely* been freshened as well, and there are some really good values on there. I like unoaked high-acid whites, and found a few that were pleasant surprises and pretty good value. There are more tasting notes than before, and better descriptions of the varietals.

 

Overall, I'd be completely happy to see these new menu items persist.

 

Vibe Guy: Thank you. Most appreciative. One of my friends emailed me this specific link because she thought I had to see it. I am known for my picky eating; a/k/a I don't eat most foods. I loved reading this menu and even found a few new items I'd be willing to try. We're boarding the Star on the 6th, followed by the Coral on the 28th. I am now looking forward to having a Burger (yes, folks, a burger) for dinner and mac and cheese; with the shellfish, since I don't eat fish fish. Thanks again. :D

[coo359a2]

Vibe Guy: Thank you. Most appreciative. One of my friends emailed me this specific link because she thought I had to see it. I am known for my picky eating; a/k/a I don't eat most foods. I loved reading this menu and even found a few new items I'd be willing to try. We're boarding the Star on the 6th, followed by the Coral on the 28th. I am now looking forward to having a Burger (yes, folks, a burger) for dinner and mac and cheese; with the shellfish, since I don't eat fish fish. Thanks again. :D

Plus, she's suppose to give us the new items on the Coral and Star menus. So watch for her "live" reports. I also like some of the new items VibeGuy mentioned and hope they are on the menus for the Ruby and Grand.

[chrysalis]

Glad that the KingKlip is back on the menu....it disappeared about 10 years ago or so. Very nice fish.

[juniper berries]

People are never going to be happy when something changes especaily with the food in the mdr. I have tried some of the thing that were on the alternate side of the menu and found them really good. I really like the chicken nugget.:) I find that i canot eat 2 large meals in one day. My dh and i tend to go on all day shore excursions and those for the most part especailly in europe have a supper like like meal at lunch time which is excellent so it is heard to be hungery when supper time rolls around so it will be nice to have the choice of something lighter to eat. My dh likes to eat fancy and i perfer the comfort food that people are objecting too. I hope they keep the crembrule and the soufflas they are ecellent. Maybe it is cost cutting by changeing the items on the menu or maybe it is in responce to what people are asking for on the surveys that they do. I guess time will tell if these changes stay or if they will get changed again. there are alot of people who cruise alot and would like to have different menu items so they donot eat the same thing all the time.

[Astro Flyer]

VibeGuy...thanks for taking the time to post such a comprehensive review of the new menu! :D. While taste is subjective, I believe that you were very objective in your review of the new menu which was very informative & helpful to me.

 

Some people scream for new menus and when they get them they scream about the changes...there's just no pleasing everyone! :eek:

 

Maybe your Italian name for the mac & cheese with seafood would make it more pleasing to those so upset about seeing it on the menu. And having a quality burger for those who may desire it at dinner in no way diminishes the ambience of a meal for me...why should I care about what others want to eat. Barbecued tri-tip is one of my favorite beef dishes & looking forward to trying it to see if it's as good as the Santa Maria-style tri-tip so popular here.

 

Thanks again...excellent review and hoping to try these new items on our cruises later this year. :D