Well, I think SHARE is Great

[Skai]

I think the food looks amazing. There are a couple of things I don't like. Beets (as previously stated) and mushrooms, but it doesn't look like I'd go hungry. My mouth was watering looking at those pictures. Hopefully, the food tastes as good as it looks.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

FWIW the Au Gratin was actually pretty tasty, but the description of a 6" dia. skillet is a rather generous estimation, as the actual dia was barely 4".

 

The Tagliatelle was not good. It was served to me as best could be described as tepid and mushy. There were a couple flecks of crab, and the entire dish consisted of about 3 or 4 bites.

 

DW ordered the Cavatelli. When asked how it was, I got the simple "OK, I guess" look.

 

I had the butter poached lobster. Again, it was about 3 or 4 bites. It was not the best lobster I've ever had, but that's to be understood and expected from typical cruise fare. They're not cold water lobsters. The funny thing is that while dining in the Crown Grill a few nights later, I inquired about adding a lobster to my steak order(a la surf-n'-turf). The waiter suggested that he would bring 5 for me. The quality of the lobster served in the CG was on par with that served to me in 'Share', albeit the lobster came out served warm in the CG, while the single tail in 'Share' was rivaling the Tagliatelle for who could be more cool.:cool:

 

The DW is a big fan of pan-crusted Halibut and will usually order it where it is offered when we dine out. As such, she went with the Roasted Turbot. The portion was hardly generous. When asked, she replied that it was a rather dry and underwhelming piece of fish.

 

In addition to the Kale as a side - again unremarkable, we were comped an order of the melted leeks. DW wanted nothing to do with the egg yolk, so I ended up with it.

 

The cheese plates were small, but a brie/honey/baguette combo is tradionally a nice blend and we were content to both order it. HC often has a varietal cheese assortment provided, so I'm not sure if the 'Share' offerings could be considered 'select' or not.

 

I had the fritters - which was ok. I'd put the dish along with many of the typical desserts offered in the MDR. DW had the tarte. I can't remember her response to it.

 

When all was said and done. I left hungry and was feeling rather "meh" at the experience. We both decided 'Share' isn't for us and it didn't really feel that special. At all. To us, we felt like we paid $80 extra for a meal that we could have experienced in the MDR on an average night (minus the hustle and bustle).

 

Some may find that they don't mind paying extra for MDR quality food. To each their own.

[OCruisers]

We were very excited about trying SHARE on Emerald in January.

Unfortunately, the food did not taste as good as described.

Ours was served on the cool side of lukewarm. When brought to the attention of our waiter, we were told it was served at the temperature at which the chef wanted it to be served. :rolleyes:

The atmosphere was so hard -- like eating in an almost empty public library -- wood tables & chairs and BRIGHT lights.

We have no desire to go back to SHARE even if free. :(

Edited November 1, 2016 by OCruisers

[westendgirl]

XBGuy - Thank you for your thoughtful and thorough review and comments. I especially appreciated how respectful you were of others' comments and opinions. We can use more of that on CC.

 

I 'm one of those who turned my nose up at Share (due to negative comments and reviews) and still am trying to get my head around the $39 pp charge, when the cost of a perfectly acceptable dinner has already been factored into the price of our cruise. But you have made me go 'hmmm'.

[XBGuy]

I still haven't scanned the wine list, but my goal is to get to that, today.

 

As I was driving to my coffee shop, this morning, I was thinking about this conversation, and I decided that I should modify my comments on the portion sizes at SHARE. I still am comfortable with the portion size. I am comfortable with the price for the portion sizes. However, anybody who disagrees with that view is also correct. If the portion size seems small, to you, then it is small. If the portion size is inadequate for the cost, that is also correct.

 

If, after visiting SHARE, anybody decides that it is not "worth it" (one of my least favoite expressions), then your opinion is well-founded and correct.

 

I also want to express appreciation to the posters who have visited SHARE and have detailed very specific complaints and shortcomings in this conversation. I, pretty much, agree that your comments are valid. I truly hope that you detailed your views on the Princess satisfaction survey. I learned long ago that we learn from our mistakes. It sounds silly, but if we never make mistakes, it is difficult to improve or move forward. As an example, there was a recent comment about the "bright lights." I recall one of the first threads regarding SHARE, last winter, the same comment was made. However, that same poster made a subsequent visit and reported that the lights had been dimmed. They made a mistake and they addressed it. In my original post I commented that the lighting was very dim on our first visit (and subsequent visits).

 

Also, for what it's worth, I thought the Taglietelle was the weakest of the Appetizers.

[Cruiserkenn]

I definitely agree concerning the tagliatelle.

[Astro Flyer]

XBGuy...after reading the first line of your thread saying "I don’t mind stirring up the pot, a bit" I was skeptical.

 

However kudos to you for your objective posts acknowledging that different opinions are also valid. Too often on CC differing opinions are attacked & result in snarky discussions.

 

Thanks again for keeping this discussion civil which has resulted in me learning more about SHARE without you telling anyone what they should do. It's good to have choices on a cruise so each passenger can have their best cruise experience. :)

Edited November 1, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[XBGuy]

Winelist

 

The Share winelist is on a sheet that is larger than the 8-1/2 X 11 that my scanner can accommodate. So, I have had to break it up into 4 files.

 

Now, I agree that you have to be a real wine geek to squint hard enough to read the print on thise itty bitty files that Cruise Critic is allowing me to post. If anybody knows how I can attach files that come out full sized, I'm all ears.:confused:

[Host Jazzbeau]

Winelist

 

The Share winelist is on a sheet that is larger than the 8-1/2 X 11 that my scanner can accommodate. So, I have had to break it up into 4 files.

 

Now, I agree that you have to be a real wine geek to squint hard enough to read the print on thise itty bitty files that Cruise Critic is allowing me to post. If anybody knows how I can attach files that come out full sized, I'm all ears.:confused:

 

Upload them as JPEGs to a free photo site like Shutterfly, then link to your CC post via the yellow square with the mountain image in the line at the top of the Reply -- Message box.

[IECalCruiser]

Upload them as JPEGs to a free photo site like Shutterfly, then link to your CC post via the yellow square with the mountain image in the line at the top of the Reply -- Message box.

I upload my photos to Google Photos. In Photos, I view the photo, copy the photo and then paste the photo into my post. The photos need to be marked to be shared publicly.

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Edited November 2, 2016 by IECalCruiser

[Cruiserkenn]

I have eaten at Share.

 

I prefer Sabatini's.

 

I even prefer the buffet. The buffet has a nice variety of fruits and vegetables, breads, cheeses, and desserts. The pastas are better than the tagliatelle. You can even have seconds! The chairs are more comfortable, too.

[XBGuy]

Y'now, folks, I like Sabatini's a lot, also. I love the different flavors and textures of their menu.

 

On this last trip we dined at the Crown Grill one evening and it was also excellent. Again, I congratulate the headwaiter (Jose Luis) for training his staff and for, actually, doing his job and supervising the floor.

 

I know I am repeating, but I really wish that Crown Grill and Sabatini's would update their menus ocassionally.

 

This morning my coffee shop buddy told me that a couple Michelin star restaurateurs are developing new concepts--one French and the other Cantonese--for the Majestic Princess. Since it appears that the Majestic Princess will be cruising in Asia, I will probably have to rely on Cruise Critic for opinions on these two new options.

[XBGuy]

OK, second attempt at the wine list.

 

 

 

 

Oh well, I tried the Shutterfly thing with the Yellow Mountain button and that did not seem to work.

 

Operator error, I'm sure.

Edited November 2, 2016 by XBGuy

[IECalCruiser]

OK, second attempt at the wine list.

 

 

Oh well, I tried the Shutterfly thing with the Yellow Mountain button and that did not seem to work.

 

Operator error, I'm sure.

I don't use Shutterfly but if it is similar to Google photos you need to select to share the photos publicly.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Gazroberts80]

I think my issue with Share is not that it is poor but the menu was rather homely/gastropub! In comparison with the offerings in similarly priced Speciality restaurants on Cunard and P&O, I felt the experience lacked a wow factor. They both had that Michelin starred feel and easily justified a $39 premium. They had much more challenging and inventive dishes, with sophisticated presentation. The vast majority of the dishes being extremely good, with the very occasional disappointment.

 

I was very impressed by the food in the MDR on Princess and have booked a cruise on the Royal in the Summer as a result of a fantastic experience on Emerald (My first time on Princesss). I just felt that "Share" didn't offer a reason to spend such a premium over the excellent MDR. The "Share" dishes offered on the menu in the MDR were extremely disappointing, and didn't represent the quality in the restaurant. With the dishes on offer being seemingly comparable with those on the actual Share menu e.g. the MDR "Share" offering had a Pie as did the actual menu. The Chicken pie on the MDR menu was extremely disappointing and it really must have made many wonder why they should spend $39 to get an equivalent Beef pie as a main. Of course, they weren't comparable in reality, but as an exercise in getting people to book Share I felt it was a marketing disaster as the product didn't represent the quality and was actually the poorest offering I had in the MDR.

 

I actually really liked the design of the dining room and it provided what a speciality restaurant should, a contrasting experience from the main ship offerings, in this case, a much more modern and contemporary decor.

 

As someone pointed out before, the "Share" experience never materialised as a result of Health and Safety regulations. The menu, therefore, doesn't encourage sharing, as this is a perfect way to spread infection and has left the restaurant lacking a true identity.

 

You could see that some dishes could potentially lend themselves effectively to sharing if they were on a larger scale. E.g. a large family size pie or big bowls of pasta but in reality, everything got miniaturised to be individual portions and as a result, the dishes and the concept lost their charm.

[RocketMan275]

We've examined the SHARE menu and find it unattractive compared to Sabatini's. Sabatini's is the wife's favorite seaborne restaurant. She would be very upset if I booked a cruise on a Princess ship that had converted Sabatini's to SHARE. That's good enough for me since I do not wish to sleep in the Piazza.

[windsor26]

Having read loads of the anti share posts I do feel thatm lots of them (mine included) have been about the share items on the MDR menu - most of these we tried have been inedible and that is what put us off trying the share restuarant.

[rbt001]

This will, undoubtedly, bring out a lot of naysayers, and, who am I trying to kid, I don’t mind stirring up the pot, a bit.

 

It was amazing.

 

We went back two more times during the cruise. All have multiple dimensions of flavors, .

 

I've dined in SHARE four or five times on three cruises over the past year.

 

Your comment about "multiple dimensions of flavors" really resonates with me. Some of the dishes are so well thought out with diverse food elements that eating is almost an explosion of complimentary flavors with every bite.

 

To me, that's a sign of great creativity, which credit goes to Curtis Stone.

 

I know that kind of meal is not for everyone. I have a friend who bristles if he bites into a bit of onion in his meatloaf, and those little meatballs in his Spagettio-O's are as daring as he gets. He's been on Princess and prefers the price of the cover charge in the Horizon Court, where he can get all the mashed potatoes and gravy he desires!

[rbt001]

This will, undoubtedly, bring out a lot of naysayers, and, who am I trying to kid, I don’t mind stirring up the pot, a bit. On our recent California Coastal Cruise,

 

my wife and I looked forward to trying SHARE. We made a reservation for embarkation evening.

 

It was amazing.

 

We went back two more times during the cruise.

 

I'm glad you both actually took the time to try something new... and ended up enjoying it!

 

Decades ago my Godparents had an influence in how I was raised, and IF the term "foodie" existed then, I think my Godmother would have been labeled as such. Julia Child and "The Galloping Gourmet" were must watch shows for her.

 

From her I learned that one can never truly decide if they like a new food item until they've actually eaten it three times.

 

One other pertinent to this discussion memory is a lesson at the dinner table from my Godfather. Peas, at that time in my young life, were a vegetable I really didn't like, but I knew I had to put some on my plate, so i placed a very small portion. My mistake came when my Godfather offered seconds and I made a face of dislike as I declined. I had to take seconds and clear my plate.

 

So, Thank you, Aunt Jessie, for culturing me to present an open mind towards new culinary experiences. I think of you when I dine in SHARE.

[rbt001]

Having read loads of the anti share posts I do feel thatm lots of them (mine included) have been about the share items on the MDR menu - most of these we tried have been inedible and that is what put us off trying the share restuarant.

 

I hear what you're saying, and I think Princess REALLY BUNGLED a great opportunity.

 

First, the decision to eliminate some of the "comfort items" on the MDR dinner menu to make room for the Curtis Stone items angered some who looked forward to those items they could fall back on since they were always on the menu. Stone's items took them away.

 

Even though guests do not receive a check or bill at the end of the meal, Princess does have a modified POS (Point of Sale) System that servers use to order food items for guests. The PRIMARY purpose is for control and tracking: so Princess already has in place a system which can produce reports showing how many of each item was actually ordered, helping them determine popularity and identifying those items that just aren't resonating with passengers.

 

Nightly, as the menus change, ONE Curtis Stone dish could have been "Featured" as one of the five rotating main entree choices.

 

Keep it at just five Stone items so that longer cruises would see a Stone dishes repeat periodically. Longer cruises have formal nights where it's hard for any new dish to compete against "surf & turf" or "Lobster Tails" since a disproportionate number are blind to other choices no matter how good they sound if they were on their own because it's "Lobster Night"

 

Several months of tracking would have provided a wide sampling to spot passenger trends, giving Princess a good idea of what passengers like and want.

[RocketMan275]

I'm glad you both actually took the time to try something new... and ended up enjoying it!

 

Decades ago my Godparents had an influence in how I was raised, and IF the term "foodie" existed then, I think my Godmother would have been labeled as such. Julia Child and "The Galloping Gourmet" were must watch shows for her.

 

From her I learned that one can never truly decide if they like a new food item until they've actually eaten it three times.

 

One other pertinent to this discussion memory is a lesson at the dinner table from my Godfather. Peas, at that time in my young life, were a vegetable I really didn't like, but I knew I had to put some on my plate, so i placed a very small portion. My mistake came when my Godfather offered seconds and I made a face of dislike as I declined. I had to take seconds and clear my plate.

 

So, Thank you, Aunt Jessie, for culturing me to present an open mind towards new culinary experiences. I think of you when I dine in SHARE.

 

With all respect to your grandparents and Aunt Jessie, I'm not a child and I will not try something a second time that I did not like the first time. There are too many items on the SHARE menu that I simply do not wish to try, let alone try again. Does this mean that I might give up some marginally enjoyable items? Yes, but it also means that I will avoid some completely un-enjoyable ones as well.

 

We will not cruise on a ship that has SHARE. We normally visit Sabatini's at least twice. Exchanging Sabatini's for SHARE is a deal killer.

[rbt001]

With all respect to your grandparents and Aunt Jessie, I'm not a child and I will not try something a second time that I did not like the first time. There are too many items on the SHARE menu that I simply do not wish to try, let alone try again. Does this mean that I might give up some marginally enjoyable items? Yes, but it also means that I will avoid some completely un-enjoyable ones as well.

 

We will not cruise on a ship that has SHARE. We normally visit Sabatini's at least twice. Exchanging Sabatini's for SHARE is a deal killer.

 

Aunt Jessie was my Godmother and I was referring to my godparents, NOT my grandparents.

 

 

 

AND I think my ATTENTION TO DETAIL allows me to fully appreciate all the nuances and creativity Curtis Stone imparts upon his menu selections in SHARE.

 

EPILOGUE: Today I DO eat peas. In particular, I find the pea mash that accompanies the fish & chips for pub lunches in Wheelhouse to be delicious!

 

(I'm just glad that even as a child I could approach things with an open mind to expand my experiences on this joyous Earth. Today as I live in my last decade before retirement, I pray every day as I age that I NEVER lose my objectivity; I NEVER want to become old and "set in my ways" as the expression goes. To do so means I might miss out on the next concept that compliments SHARE.)

[land lover]

Mark....L:)ri, Landlover here......it seems to me the enjoyment of your meals were greatly influence by your excellent service, attention from the MD and some acceptable wine choices which were priced right.

 

After reading so many posts you might have forgotten that I mentioned for me service is number one at any land or sea restaurant. Simply, the food and drink taste much better, when I have competent and knowledgeable servers who make me feel welcome.

 

As, I mentioned just briefly on another post we were on the sailing prior to yours and our service was below average. Almost the worst we have ever had at a specialty restaurant, I have already addressed this with Princess. I choose not to do it the night of our meal as we were sharing our evening with another CC couple and it certainly was not appropriate to voice our concerns in their presence.

 

I am happy that your evenings were enjoyable...I only wish I could say the same for ours. BTW the MD only showed us to our table and only came by once and never engaged us in conversation. Unfortunately our sever explained little and was not refined. We had already met him at Crown Grill a few nights prior when I spilled my wine, as he was acting as a "busboy."

 

I believe your experience was more the exception than the rule at Share on Ruby.

 

BTW within the last year we have been on 8 cruises I just counted, 4 Royal Caribbean, 4 Princess, 2 Europe, 1 B.C., 1 Caribbean, 2 Mexico and 2 Pac. Coastal. Went to specialty restaurants probably 16 times...so I feel justified in my assessment, I did not continue my one post on this board about the food, because I do think everyone should try it once and I do not want to discourage anyone from trying it. However, I absolutely, think they need a reboot on the menu...

Edited November 3, 2016 by land lover

[dtb55]

Having read loads of the anti share posts I do feel thatm lots of them (mine included) have been about the share items on the MDR menu - most of these we tried have been inedible and that is what put us off trying the share restuarant.

 

 

 

I tried the Chicken and Leek Pot Pie in the MDR and thought it was tasty, but I did miss having vegetables. Also, cutting into the pastry and finding less filling than I'd imagined was disappointing. Still, I would love to try SHARE someday.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Edited November 3, 2016 by dtb55

[XBGuy]

Let's try this.

 

 

Hey, it's there.

 

Obviously, that is the Sparkling Wines section of the list. Some pretty good labels, there. I am not expert in sparklers. So, I really don't know how these prices compare to retail. My guess is that they are pretty fair. Since the Les Clans Rose down on the lower left is somewhat segregated from the others, I suspect that it might be a still wine. Does anybody know it?

 

Whites

 

 

On our first visit my wife was tempted by the P-M. I encouraged her to go for it, but she had more confidence in the P&H Chardonnay. That was a winner for her. We drank half the bottle on the first visit and polished the rest off on our second visit. We also bought a bottle of Flowers Chardonnay on our second visit and I was easily able to order a meal that worked with white wines.

 

I don't know if anybody is familiar with the Donnafugata Lighea. We had it with our Chef's Table meal on our last cruise in April. It is darned good. I found it to be typical, of Italian whites--a fair amount of fruit and lots of acid. Definitely not for lovers of heavily oaked California Chardonnays.

 

Reds:

 

 

This might be the section of the list where vintage dates would be helpful. The Tignanello that I ordered on our first visit was 2012. Similarly, the Lytton Springs that I ordered on our third visit was vintage 2012. Interestingly enough, in the foyer of the restaurant there is a display of some of wines on their list. In that display there is a bottle of 2013 Lytton Springs. So, when I ordered on Friday, I was a bit surprised that the waiter presented the 2012 bottle. I am very familiar with the 2012 bottling and was not disappointed in the least.

 

If the vintage year is really important, there is no problem asking the server the vintage of any wine on the list before ordering.

 

There is mistake on this list. Do the wine geeks see it?

 

Dessert wines:

 

 

I still don't understand everything I know about Shutterfly, and, so, I don't know why the image of the Dessert Wines portion overflows. The Port was offered only by the glass (?) for $9.

 

I'm not really a Port guy, but I wish they offered the Tokaji Azsu by the glass.

[XBGuy]

Mark....L:)ri, Landlover here......it seems to me the enjoyment of your meals were greatly influence by your excellent service, attention from the MD and some acceptable wine choices which were priced right.

 

After reading so many posts you might have forgotten that I mentioned for me service is number one at any land or sea restaurant. Simply, the food and drink taste much better, when I have competent and knowledgeable servers who make me feel welcome.

 

As, I mentioned just briefly on another post we were on the sailing prior to yours and our service was below average. Almost the worst we have ever had at a specialty restaurant, I have already addressed this with Princess. I choose not to do it the night of our meal as we were sharing our evening with another CC couple and it certainly was not appropriate to voice our concerns in their presence.

 

I am happy that your evenings were enjoyable...I only wish I could say the same for ours. BTW the MD only showed us to our table and only came by once and never engaged us in conversation. Unfortunately our sever explained little and was not refined. We had already met him at Crown Grill a few nights prior when I spilled my wine, as he was acting as a "busboy."

 

I believe your experience was more the exception than the rule at Share on Ruby.

 

BTW within the last year we have been on 8 cruises I just counted, 4 Royal Caribbean, 4 Princess, 2 Europe, 1 B.C., 1 Caribbean, 2 Mexico and 2 Pac. Coastal. Went to specialty restaurants probably 16 times...so I feel justified in my assessment, I did not continue my one post on this board about the food, because I do think everyone should try it once and I do not want to discourage anyone from trying it. However, I absolutely, think they need a reboot on the menu...

 

Lori, yes, thank you. Your husband (wavy blond hair on top of six feet four inches of strapping musculature) is Paul, isn't it.

 

Again, I feel bad that your visit to SHARE was unacceptable. I am in complete agreement with your decision to save your complaints for the Princess satisfaction survey. I do the same.

 

It sure seems like your server was not very well trained. That is disappointing. Both the servers we had were knowledgeable and able to answer any of our questions.

 

Lori, can you shoot me an e-mail at eDOTmarkDotlarsonATgmailDOTcom? I'll send you something that you might find interesting.:D

Edited November 3, 2016 by XBGuy