Share and Salty Dog are a bust!

[floridalover5623]

I just got off the Royal yesterday and it's a good thing I no longer cruise for the food, entertainment etc - it's transportation back from Europe.

The quality of the food I had for two weeks was quite poor in both the MDR & HC. Alfredo's was great. Curtis Stone although still on the menu, same entree every night - chicken and leek pot pie AND sea food stew on a few nights. There were many nights in the MDR when I filled up on rolls and soup as menu choices are just not there for me (and this was my 50th Princess cruise).

And yet I just read from another poster that the food was just great. If I had to eat in the DR and just eat soup & rolls I think I'd be looking for another cruise line next time.

I do realizes that food is very opinionated and without knowing either of you personally I'll just have to judge for myself.

[VioletHorse]

Another wonder though up by management that didn't quite fly.

It make me wonder why Celebrity can charge even more for their Specialty restaurants & have people beating down the doors to get in.

Their meals must be something to behold.

 

We've cruised on Celebrity 3x and it's been my observation that only the uninformed passengers pay full price for specialty dining. Celebrity offers specialty dining packages at reduced rates, and if that doesn't suit you, negotiating discounts for a specialty dining venue is very much an accepted practice.

 

On our last Celebrity cruise, our party of 6 dined in Qsine with a 30% discount. Celebrity does a pretty good job of filling those specialty restaurants by using those pricing schemes.

[Woobstr112G]

I just got off the Royal yesterday and it's a good thing I no longer cruise for the food, entertainment etc - it's transportation back from Europe.

The quality of the food I had for two weeks was quite poor in both the MDR & HC. Alfredo's was great. Curtis Stone although still on the menu, same entree every night - chicken and leek pot pie AND sea food stew on a few nights. There were many nights in the MDR when I filled up on rolls and soup as menu choices are just not there for me (and this was my 50th Princess cruise).

 

Sorry to hear that.....:(:(:(

 

Bob

[Pamster]

Salty dog tables and chairs are too hard to get into. I don't know why they thought high stools and tables worked especially with an older clientele

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Forums

 

You can also eat at the other couches/chairs and tables, however, they're not very comfortable for eating either. The nature of the small plate means that there are lots of plates and not much room for them on the small tables with the couches. We managed though. And everything we had was really good.

[floridalover5623]

Sorry to hear that.....:(:(:(

 

Bob

 

I suppose some people just hold them to higher standards.

Seeing that I do the cooking in my house (if you can call it that) I'm usually satisfied with any meals that someone else prepares. :p

[Yehootu]

You can also eat at the other couches/chairs and tables, however, they're not very comfortable for eating either. The nature of the small plate means that there are lots of plates and not much room for them on the small tables with the couches. We managed though. And everything we had was really good.

Burger

We were just recently on the Crown. Mom is 92 and she was the one that wanted to try the Salty Dog ( just happens to be one of her favorite drinks). She had no problem getting on the high barstool. Burger was awesome, other sides, so-so. Was it worth $19 a person? Is a balcony room worth more than an inside?. Where do you draw the line on how much you are comfortable to spend? Princess MDR food is going down in quality. We wanted to try something new. I have 6 or so yrs left to retirement after 36yrs so far in the airlines. We plan on a lot of long cruises once I retire and my wife is questioning if she could handle the food for more than a 10 day cruise. We thought Princess would be our go to line, but are planning on trying Celebrity and possibly Oceana. Crown Grill is always spectacular, but I don't want to have to pay every other night. I'll only be 65 when I retire, so still to young for Holland.

[Hlitner]

A word about Celebrity. Their alternative restaurants do not try to parlay a Chef's name into a venue. They do their own thing and do it quite well. Murano (on the S-Class ships) is among the best food we have had on any line (and we have been on 14 lines). I think the cost of that venue is now up to $59...but there are opportunities to pay a lesser amount. Their Qsine concept (kind of an upscale tapas place) is really interesting (folks love it or hate it) and it can often be hard to even get a reservation at about $50 per person. Even there more ordinary Tuscan Grill...is at least as good as the CG....and often better (although we have found the Tuscan a bit inconsistent). We like Celebrity and we also like Princess...and each line has their pros and cons. But for alternative restaurants, Celebrity runs rings around Princess or HAL. Perhaps Celebrity needs to stop focusing on using named chefs....and work more at producing decent food.

 

Hank

[Coral]

I'll only be 65 when I retire, so still to young for Holland.

 

My demographics on my one HAL cruise was identical to Princess. Bruce Muzz who posts here has indicated that Princess has older passengers...... I wouldn't rule HAL out.

[Pamster]

Another wonder though up by management that didn't quite fly.

It make me wonder why Celebrity can charge even more for their Specialty restaurants & have people beating down the doors to get in.

Their meals must be something to behold.

 

I think that Murano on the Celebrity was some of the best food I've ever eaten on a cruise ship. It was really, really good.

[Astro Flyer]

And yet I just read from another poster that the food was just great. If I had to eat in the DR and just eat soup & rolls I think I'd be looking for another cruise line next time.

I do realizes that food is very opinionated and without knowing either of you personally I'll just have to judge for myself.

It's just the latest example of why I take subjective reviews of things such as food, entertainment & service with a grain of salt. ;)

 

Not being there it's impossible for me to decide which is accurate but we haven't had food or entertainment that overall we'd call poor on any of our cruises. With so many food options there are more than enough options for me that I wouldn't fill up on rolls & soup.

 

I've had great cruises where another passenger reviewed it as having terrible food, entertainment or service. I can understand them having a few negative experiences but not blanket statements about something being bad or terrible. I regularly participate on CC but those who don't regularly participate read negative posts & are panicked that they have made a horrible mistake by booking their cruise.

 

In dozens of cruises I've only had good cruises even when a few things were disappointing. If I solely based my cruise decisions on CC reviews (particularly the ship reviews not on this forum) then I'd wouldn't have enjoyed dozens of cruises. :)

Edited October 23, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[Pamster]

Food actually prepared by Curtis Stone might be fantastic (don't know, never tried it), but food prepared on a cruise ship thousands of miles away from Curtis Stone's supervision will likely not be the same quality.

 

This is an excellent point. I have tried his restaurant in LA, and it was excellent. Although not prepared by Curtis Stone, he was not in-house the night we were there, the quality control in a single land-based restaurant is bound to be better than in several kitchens scattered around the world. I've wondered if this might really affect the quality of the MDR offerings. We ate at SHARE on our last cruise on the Ruby and we really liked most of the dishes that we had. We did find out that a chef from Curtis Stone's restaurant group was on-board just the week before, and they send one once a month for QA. They also said that there were going to be menu changes the beginning of the year.

[Pamster]

Well, probably me too! I have only been in Beverly Hills once in my life and that was on a tour bus! Some of the prices are $140 or so but I probably couldn't afford parking :).

 

Some of the menus look amazing and others do not. I guess it depends on the "ingredient".

 

Definitely depends on the "ingredient". We were able to score a reservation for Potato Month, and it was amazing. You wouldn't think that potatoes could be interesting for 10 courses - but it really was. Other month ingredients didn't look near as interesting to me - other more so. Really want to try Gwen.

[spyro1952]

It's just the latest example of why I take subjective reviews of things such as food, entertainment & service with a grain of salt. ;)

 

Not being there it's impossible for me to decide which is accurate but we haven't had food or entertainment that overall we'd call poor on any of our cruises. With so many food options there are more than enough options for me that I wouldn't fill up on rolls & soup.

 

I've had great cruises where another passenger reviewed it as having terrible food, entertainment or service. I can understand them having a few negative experiences but not blanket statements about something being bad or terrible. I regularly participate on CC but those who don't regularly participate read negative posts & are panicked that they have made a horrible mistake by booking their cruise.

 

In dozens of cruises I've only had good cruises even when a few things were disappointing. If I solely based my cruise decisions on CC reviews (particularly the ship reviews not on this forum) then I'd wouldn't have enjoyed dozens of cruises. :)

 

 

 

In fact I just received my certificate for 50 cruises on Princess so I not a novice cruiser nor a novice to CC. There are many who probably liked the food but I cook at home things like short ribs, pot roast, and chicken so having them on a cruise ship is nothing out of the ordinary. I don't like eating at the HC as if I want to serve myself, I can stay home.

Like I said, I am cruising now mainly for transportation back to the states and not for the cruise experience I had when I initially started cruising with Princess back in 1997.

I had a great time but it certainly had nothing to do with the food or entertainment.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[chloe45]

I would never try SHARE. I don't like the menu. May consider Salty Dog on our Crown cruise next year.

[Skai]

I'll only be 65 when I retire, so still to young for Holland.

 

You have a couple of decades on us...

 

We recently returned from our 1st sailing with HAL. Other than perhaps less young children onboard(which is fine with us), among the adult age passengers, we didn't notice that much of a discernable avg. age difference onboard between HAL and our handful of recent Princess cruises.

 

As for my opinion of the food...I will state that the lines are pretty on par with each other. Princess has a slight edge in some areas, while HAL excels in others in comparison.

 

My point here is that both Princess and HAL are fine options as mainstream lines that cater well for mature adults. HAL offers a lot of unique itineraries, and this misnomer that it's a floating 'hospice-care' facility is unfounded. -- at least based on our recent personal experience.

[Coral]

As for my opinion of the food...I will state that the lines are pretty on par with each other. Princess has a slight edge in some areas, while HAL excels in others in comparison.

 

My point here is that both Princess and HAL are fine options as mainstream lines that cater well for mature adults. HAL offers a lot of unique itineraries, and this misnomer that it's a floating 'hospice-care' facility is unfounded. -- at least based on our recent personal experience.

 

It has been a number of years since I did HAL but I would agree with you. There are things I liked better than Princess and vice versa. I was also on the Oosterdam.

[Astro Flyer]

In fact I just received my certificate for 50 cruises on Princess so I not a novice cruiser nor a novice to CC. There are many who probably liked the food but I cook at home things like short ribs, pot roast, and chicken so having them on a cruise ship is nothing out of the ordinary. I don't like eating at the HC as if I want to serve myself, I can stay home.

Like I said, I am cruising now mainly for transportation back to the states and not for the cruise experience I had when I initially started cruising with Princess back in 1997.

I had a great time but it certainly had nothing to do with the food or entertainment.

Congratulations on your 50 cruises certificate on Princess but with 35 cruises (400 days) on Princess I have enough cruise experiences since first sailing them in 1988 to form my own opinions. Although for me the cruise experience is my primary reason to sail & not merely transportation. Things have changed but with much more affordable prices I get to enjoy many more days on a cruise ship. ;)

 

Everyone is entitled to their opinions & while I respect your opinions my experience & other posts lead me to feel differently. All of us post our opinions & experiences but each of us decides whether we feel the same way or not.

 

But it's good the be able to disagree without being disagreeable & happy that you had a great time. :)

[shredie]

When did this turn into a thread about Celebrity?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited October 23, 2016 by shredie

[Pamster]

When did this turn into a thread about Celebrity?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

In a thread with over 100 posts, I don't think that 2 or 3 posts about Celebrity makes it a thread about Celebrity any more than 2 or 3 posts that mention HAL make it a thread about HAL

[shredie]

In a thread with over 100 posts, I don't think that 2 or 3 posts about Celebrity makes it a thread about Celebrity any more than 2 or 3 posts that mention HAL make it a thread about HAL

 

And now it's a thread about HAL. :p

[Pamster]

And now it's a thread about HAL. :p

 

Well you know how these threads have a life of their own. They're sorta like little kids - you can start them in one direction, but they tend to lose focus and wonder off to other things.

[Micahs Grandad]

Saw the menu at share and we immediately said now way no how

[SheriffJoe]

Share was doomed from the beginning. Even if the Curtis Stone selections in the MDR were good, Why would anyone pay a $40 p.p. up charge in the restaurant when they can get the food in the MDR? The fact that the Curtis Stone food in the MDR has had bad reviews has only added to the problem. Unfortunately common sense isn't a flower that grows in everybody's garden.

 

Your price point issue holds no water...X charges $50 pp in its Murano restaurant and is FULL nightly and has NO celebrity Chef attachment...its the PRODUCT that's the issue, its NOT Curtis Stone either, Celebrity Chef restaurants are so common now they are tiring.....ITS THE FOOD and ATMOSPHERE, period...offer fine dining options in a refined setting and people WILL use it......

[Woobstr112G]

In a thread with over 100 posts, I don't think that 2 or 3 posts about Celebrity makes it a thread about Celebrity any more than 2 or 3 posts that mention HAL make it a thread about HAL

 

Agreed.....:D:D:D

 

Bob

[shredie]

Well you know how these threads have a life of their own. They're sorta like little kids - you can start them in one direction, but they tend to lose focus and wonder off to other things.

 

So true.