Sabatini's

[shofer]

We tried Sabatini's back in 2007 and at that time it was the tasting menu with several courses plus your entree. I didn't really care for it at the time as I felt not all the courses were that good and it was way too much food.

 

Having looked at the menu online, it does look as if the presentation has changed. I would like to treat my travel partner to Sabatini's on Embarkation Day when we could probably get in easily.

 

How is the menu presented now? Do you choose your courses? That would be my preference.

 

Thanks for your input.

 

Sue

[scanditaly]

yes, you are correct;

 

there is a menu with a full range of salads, soups, appetizers, main course, etc.....

 

we were a group of six and between all of us, we had a very large variety to choose from.

 

fresh, well prepared, and very flavorful.

 

lisa

[MsSoCalCruiser]

On my cruise I wanted to go to Sabatini's the first night and there were no reservations available. I think you are able to dine the first night if you are in a suite. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

 

I thought the food was very good and we did get to choose our courses. I would go again.

 

Someone posted a link a few months ago that had several pictures of the items available. I will try and find the link for you.

 

Enjoy!

[MsSoCalCruiser]

Found it! This link is from IECALCRUISER so we need to give credit where credit is due.

 

[caribill]

On my cruise I wanted to go to Sabatini's the first night and there were no reservations available. I think you are able to dine the first night if you are in a suite. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

 

 

Those in a full suite have a perk of a free specialty restaurant meal on the first evening, but the restaurants are not limited to suite passengers that night.

 

Just make your reservation ASAP upon boarding.

 

I suspect that the reason the suite passengers' "free" meal is limited to that night is because it would otherwise be a slow night in those restaurants.

[kuldalai]

On our last cruise on OCEAN PRINCESS we were very dissapointed with the new a la carte set up on Sabatinis .

 

The menu lacked traditional Italian dishes like veal cotoletto, saltimboca etc, and the pastas were limited and a real let down . Also missing traditional Italian deserts like Tiramisu and Cassata .

 

We found the Sterling steakhouse much better .

[dcruisers]

On our recent Sapphire cruise, there was no problem getting a reservation at Sabitini's. We didn't go the first night. However, I didn't think the food was any better than what we had in the main dining room. Actually, the lobster in the main dining room was much better!

Personally, as much as we enjoy trying specialty restaurants on our cruises (on all the cruiselines), I wouldn't go back to Sabitini's.

[iwantsomesun]

On our recent Sapphire cruise, there was no problem getting a reservation at Sabitini's. We didn't go the first night. However, I didn't think the food was any better than what we had in the main dining room. Actually, the lobster in the main dining room was much better!

Personally, as much as we enjoy trying specialty restaurants on our cruises (on all the cruiselines), I wouldn't go back to Sabitini's.

 

Agreed. I didn't find the service or the meal to be worth the upgrade. Myself and my Wife went to both Sabatini's and the Crown Grill on the Ruby a couple weeks ago and were left wishing we'd saved the $50 (for the two of us) and went with our great server and food in the MDR.

[dmwnc1959]

My meal at Sabatini's on Ruby Princess was the best meal I had on the ship and one of the few highlights of the cruise. Service was impeccable, and the food simply delicious. I left the restaurant full and very satisfied with the entire evening. On the other hand the Crown Grill was a dismal experience compared to my meal a week before at Chops on Allure of the Seas. I look forward to dining at Sabatini's again on the new Royal Princess. :D

[worldtraveller]

We will be on the Pacific Princess later this year. Since it is a "small" ship (we really love them by the way) only one of the specialty restaurants is open each night. Any idea how to find out what is open embarkation night?

[bphman]

I was disappointed with Sabatini's as well. Although I did not like the "slopping the hogs" approach we had previously experienced with plates piled high with antipasto, the new approach was too limited. There was only one pasta available and it was with a seafood pasta not to my liking (allergies). It was a big deal to get just pasta with oil and garlic. Also, the food was not that good. My veal was like leather and my wife's langoustines came fully in the shells. We had a second reservation and canceled it.

[NewPennCruiser]

You will get a lot of opinions on Sabatini's in either direction so my only suggestion would be to try it. Another thing to consider is that the quality and service may vary by ship although they certainly strive for consistency. Dinner in Sabatini's on the Sapphire cruise that we just finished was one of the finest we have ever had for both food and service. We have eaten there on other ships and thought it was average. On this particular cruise we always had 3 options for the pasta course that evening and while we did not plan to do this, we ended up eating in Sabatini's on all the formal nights because we did not bring formal wear for the main dining room. Every meal was excellent.

 

Regarding reservations, they will typically hold back some space for suite passengers but they often do not end up full. You can always add your name to a waiting list and frequently they will call you mid afternoon and get you in once they have an idea of how reservations are playing out for the evening.

 

And if it is a slow night you may not even need a reservation, just stop by and ask. Dave

[LoriPhil]

We treated ourselves and traveling pals the first night of the cruise and decided it would become a new tradition for us. Food was good, service excellent and we enjoyed the unrushed, quiet atmosphere. I don't eat mushrooms which was the specialty pasta dish that night, so they brought a lovely oil/garlic/chili flake pasta that was terrific and everyone was mooching off my plate - yum! A happy way to begin our holiday!

[beltane]

Hubs and I had dinner there on the first night of our cruise on the Ruby just this past week... And we were Princess Newbies. I made all our reservations at 12:20 p.m. as soon as we were in our cabin and had no problems.

[Ronnieslady]

On our recent Sapphire cruise, there was no problem getting a reservation at Sabitini's. We didn't go the first night. However, I didn't think the food was any better than what we had in the main dining room. Actually, the lobster in the main dining room was much better!

Personally, as much as we enjoy trying specialty restaurants on our cruises (on all the cruiselines), I wouldn't go back to Sabitini's.

We totally agree with above post regarding the food @ dinner, especially the lobster. We found on that ship the only difference was the atmosphere.

Although, the breakfast in Sabitini's is the greatest. (We had a full suite.)