First and probably last cruise with Princess

[SOLIVITA LADY]

I suggest you try the Crown. We just did 2 weeks on her in Feb in South America and had a wonderful cruise. I did not see the flaws about which I had been reading. I did not think the dining room food was up to the standards of previous princess cruises but found we like dining in the buffet which surprised us as we usually prefer the dining room. We did the Carnival Horizon TA and vowed it was our last Carnival cruise. We are Platinum on both lines. We enjoyed our 2 weeks on the Crown so much more than the 13 nights on the Horizon. As others have said, both lines have cutbacks.

 

 

 

I think you meant to say Carnival Vista since the Horizon doesn't debut till April 2, 2018.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Stumptowngal]

Credit 00; I make French press coffee for myself every morning; so I'm interested in where you get really hot water when you make it on board. Also, do you bring your own liter of milk on the ship or what is your source on the ship. Thanks so much.

[Loreni]

We think the food is just OK. We wish Princess would use butter in their croissants and provide 100% butter with the bread... even modest restaurants and bakeries in our neighborhood do so. Most people realize now that margarine and Crisco are not healthy. Also, butter tastes better and is not THAT expensive.

 

We also thought the pub lunch was terrible. The batter on my fish and chips was greasy, but there was plenty of it. When I peeled it off to eat just the fish, I found less than one ounce of fish on my plate. There were no gluten free options for DH not even a simple salad.

 

The green salads in MDR are good. Most desserts are overly sweet for us or seem to rely on sponge cake rather than a cake that includes butter. We used to order ice cream or sorbet, it is still OK but not as good as we remember, so now we usually just ask for fruit. This usually ends up being mostly melon, that's OK but more variety would be nice.

 

We originally started cruising with Princess many years ago because DH has Celiac disease and land-based restaurants just didn't handle it well. All that has changed. In fact, Princess has been much less accommodating lately, while land-based restaurants have become more accommodating. For example, the International Cafe used to offer one gluten free dessert per day, now it is one different GF dessert every three days...this at a time when more and more people are deciding to eat GF?

 

There are so many vacation options now. Food is not a selling point for Princess, but we do like the idea of being able to walk from our accommodations to dinner in a car-free environment, so we still like cruising. Might try a different line.

 

Princess does offer fantastic pizza by the slice. No complaints there!

Edited April 10, 2017 by Loreni

[floridalover5623]

Credit 00; I make French press coffee for myself every morning; so I'm interested in where you get really hot water when you make it on board. Also, do you bring your own liter of milk on the ship or what is your source on the ship. Thanks so much.

If your on a ship with an IC they have the capability of providing hot water from their Cappuccino machines that's they'll give you in a paper cup. You can also bring a small container with you to store milk in your refrig. to use when you want it.

[keithm]

Cappriccio - I did see that thread, and I recognize how subjective it all is.

 

We sat at a table of 8, we didn't know the other people at the start of the cruise only one of the couple's at our table was happy with the food every night. On each of the nights, food was sent back by at least one person at the table.

 

Not all of the food was bad all of the time, but overall it was disappointing. Again, maybe it was because I had high expectations from some of the reviews I had read.

 

We are fortunate to live in city with lots of good/great restaurants - it's all relative and subjective.

 

I am not trying to offend or upset anyone, if someone else enjoyed the food - that's great!! Couldn;t be happier for that person. I am not here to tell them they are wrong.

We're "foodies". We're also both in the food industry. I normally don't expect to get "wowed" on a ship. The specialty rest. were generally a step or 2 above the MDR. We find this especially true on Celebrity. The cost was quite a bit higher in the Eclipse specialty rest. The MDR food on the Eclipse(2014-2015) was quite a bit better than the Regal(2016)...At least until this year. The food was quite a bit better on the Regal than on our Jan.2017 Eclipse trip. The Eclipse specialty rest. were still fine. We're booked in 2018 again on the Eclipse(we like the 14 day trips)If the food quality is still the same, we'll seriously consider Princess again. For over the top cuisine, we found the Cunard Grills to be by far the best dining we've ever had at sea. Considering the cost, I would hope so!

[keithm]

We think the food is just OK. We wish Princess would use butter in their croissants and provide 100% butter with the bread... even modest restaurants and bakeries in our neighborhood do so. Most people realize now that margarine and Crisco are not healthy. Also, butter tastes better and is not THAT expensive.

 

We also thought the pub lunch was terrible. The batter on my fish and chips was greasy, but there was plenty of it. When I peeled it off to eat just the fish, I found less than one ounce of fish on my plate. There were no gluten free options for DH not even a simple salad.

 

The green salads in MDR are good. Most desserts are overly sweet for us or seem to rely on sponge cake rather than a cake that includes butter. We used to order ice cream or sorbet, it is still OK but not as good as we remember, so now we usually just ask for fruit. This usually ends up being mostly melon, that's OK but more variety would be nice.

 

We originally started cruising with Princess many years ago because DH has Celiac disease and land-based restaurants just didn't handle it well. All that has changed. In fact, Princess has been much less accommodating lately, while land-based restaurants have become more accommodating. For example, the International Cafe used to offer one gluten free dessert per day, now it is one different GF dessert every three days...this at a time when more and more people are deciding to eat GF?

 

There are so many vacation options now. Food is not a selling point for Princess, but we do like the idea of being able to walk from our accommodations to dinner in a car-free environment, so we still like cruising. Might try a different line.

 

Princess does offer fantastic pizza by the slice. No complaints there!

On the Regal(2016) we had butter with our meals. Hopefully they haven't scrapped that for margarine! The pub lunch we had in the Wheelhouse bar was very good. The fish & chips were excellent. The steaks on Princess, incl. the specialty rest. were only select quality at best. I buy well over a million $$ of beef a year, so I think I have some clue as to beef quality. We did find the fish on the Regal to be very good overall, better in general, than any time we were on the Eclipse, with the exception of their specialty rest. I love Dover Sole & don't see it on Princess. I never understood the great reviews of Alfredo's Pizza. We have our own pizza rest. so I guess I'm spoiled.

[Reader0108598]

Royal is my least favorite ship after 26 cruises! Royal is the crews least favorite ship also ...gets the worst reviews from cruisers.

[floridalover5623]

Royal is my least favorite ship after 26 cruises! Royal is the crews least favorite ship also ...gets the worst reviews from cruisers.

Why? Please explain with a few reasons.

[Times Prince]

Royal is my least favorite ship after 26 cruises! Royal is the crews least favorite ship also ...gets the worst reviews from cruisers.

Odd. The Royal Princess just became one of our favorite ships (28 cruises).

 

Many people just don't like change, and yes some features are different. But the overall experience for us was very positive, and looking at future cruises, my wife's eyes brighten when the Royal Princess is one of the possibilities. I'm pretty sure we'll be back on her again.

[Skai]

People that cruise for the food befuddle me.

 

Keeping in mind that the bulk of one's cruise fare pays for real estate first(cabin class), shipboard amenities(provided for all passengers) are broken down at a pp rate...

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the allotted food budget for mainstream lines(ingredients only) is somewhere in the range of $20 per day pp. To expect gourmet quality food at that price point is obviously unrealistic.

 

One ought to be content that the level of included fare on board may be above that from what one can reasonably expect at onshore venues such as: Applebee's, Marie Callender's, Sizzler, Olive Garden, Golden Corral et. al.

 

Wanting higher end fare? Seabourn is that way ------->

[floridalover5623]

Odd. The Royal Princess just became one of our favorite ships (28 cruises).

 

Many people just don't like change, and yes some features are different. But the overall experience for us was very positive, and looking at future cruises, my wife's eyes brighten when the Royal Princess is one of the possibilities. I'm pretty sure we'll be back on her again.

We've discovered that all the reasons why we didn't like the Royal first have since been minimized for our standards after returning back to the older ships with their growing problems. Plumbing, food quality/prep., AC, water temp. etc.

[mek]

I think this is an interesting comment. I don't expect "blown-away", but I do expect good quality on a cruise. Some "mid-range" restaurants can be very good if their food is properly prepared and some are terrible if the management is poor. Some of my favorite restaurants have been "low end" and inexpensive ones that had passionate cooks. I was a Navy cook and can tell you that mass produced food doesn't have to be mediocre. It's all about attention to detail and good management. I was perplexed on our recent (and first) Island Princess cruise because I didn't know if the level of food and service in the MDR was standard for Princess or it just an off time/ship/cruise. I won't choose a ship based on its food alone, but with so many options, I might not choose a ship/cruiseline if the quality of food isn't important.

 

As for the Princess standards, I finally ordered the Fettucine Alfredo and Creme Brulee as I had heard so much about them. They were blah at best. And the Creme Brulee had a burnt topping. Yes, to previous poster...you can burn sugar and it's not tasty.

 

Now I will say that whoever was in charge of pastries on our cruise did a fantastic job! On both sweets and savories. The crusts for the quiches and Steak and Kidney pie were really the best parts. I made a point of ordering anything in a "pie" format. And the sweet pastries were always spot on.

 

So as for "mass" market ships, does that include Celebrity? That was our last cruise before this one and the food preparation and service was spot on. The execution was flawless and the choices were truly interesting.

 

I also noticed that quality improved as the cruise went on. So maybe there were some new cooks and it took awhile to get it together.

 

Yes, Celebrity is a mass market cruise line and IMHO, their food is just about the same as rest of mass market lines. Don't get me wrong, I've had some very nice cruise meals over the years and I've had my share of duds. Tasty food that I eat at mid tier chains is not the same as what I would get at a very upscale restaurant,( and occasionally, I've had a few dud's at those as well.) Again, it's all about expectations and many times, what you are used to eating at home.

[Credit 00]

Credit 00; I make French press coffee for myself every morning; so I'm interested in where you get really hot water when you make it on board. Also, do you bring your own liter of milk on the ship or what is your source on the ship. Thanks so much.

 

Hello Stumptowngirl, There's the "hot" water in the buffet that I sometimes use though it's not boiling hot, you can also ask the staff who I think get it from the espresso machine. And yes I buy my own milk before getting on, the amount depends on the destinations we're going to. In my opinion it's worth the extra luggage.

[Robinsoncruiseso]

The Regal is my favorite ship. I cruise for the water...the feeling of being at sea. The food, entertainment, etc are all secondary. Because of this, I am never disappointed. I have yet to be on a cruise that has run ashore. Give me a salad bar and the Trident Grill and I am in heaven. I little bit of trivia and some singing and dancing...I'm good to go.

[Selion]

One ought to be content that the level of included fare on board may be above that from what one can reasonably expect at onshore venues such as: Applebee's, Marie Callender's, Sizzler, Olive Garden, Golden Corral et. al.

On the grand total of 2 cruises we had been on (NCL Sky & Regal), the quality of food we received were a few tiers above what we would get in those chain restaurants. Applebee's, Olive Garden, and any of those low-tier family restaurants in our area all taste the same: bland. We'd rather go to Five Guys or Red Robin than Applebee's or Olive Garden.

 

NCL Sky isn't known for its food, and yet we found its MDR offering to be better than most on shore chain restaurants. The Regal's food quality was equivalent to the finer establishments in our area. It will cost us around $200 per meal if we were to have the same quality of service and food as the levels as we had on the Regal. Funnily enough, we went to Bone Fish a few weeks before the Regal cruise. After the first two days on Regal, we decided never to go back to Bone Fish again. Why? It's not worth the asking price.

 

So if you are saying mass market ships' food is the same quality as Applebee's, then my question is: Why is that cook still working at Applebee's?

[Sasksilver]

The Regal is my favorite ship. I cruise for the water...the feeling of being at sea. The food, entertainment, etc are all secondary. Because of this, I am never disappointed. I have yet to be on a cruise that has run ashore. Give me a salad bar and the Trident Grill and I am in heaven. I little bit of trivia and some singing and dancing...I'm good to go.

 

I haven't found my favorite ship yet...but totally agree with the rest of your post. :)

[Skai]

So if you are saying mass market ships' food is the same quality as Applebee's...

 

I would have added Red Robin, but for the sake of space...

 

No. What I stated is (essentially): One ought to be pleased to be getting fare that may be considered a step-up from those mainstream onshore chain restaurants, taking into consideration the daily food budget amount that the ship allots per person.

 

Point is...It's nearly impossible to starve on a mainstream cruise ship, however, despite the implied presentation and/or service, 5-star fare it is not. Those with expectations of a (near)perfect dining experience, (in what at best could be considered banquet dining) shouldn't have a hard time finding things to be critical about.

 

Hence, (refer again to my above statement) People that cruise for the food befuddle me.

[keithm]

People that cruise for the food befuddle me.

 

Keeping in mind that the bulk of one's cruise fare pays for real estate first(cabin class), shipboard amenities(provided for all passengers) are broken down at a pp rate...

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the allotted food budget for mainstream lines(ingredients only) is somewhere in the range of $20 per day pp. To expect gourmet quality food at that price point is obviously unrealistic.

 

One ought to be content that the level of included fare on board may be above that from what one can reasonably expect at onshore venues such as: Applebee's, Marie Callender's, Sizzler, Olive Garden, Golden Corral et. al.

 

Wanting higher end fare? Seabourn is that way ------->

Seaborne has dropped greatly in quality the past few years. The rest. you mentioned are barely a step over M/D & other fast food joints. I generally find cruise ship food quite a bit better. Princess Italian food quality is about equal to Bertucci's in our area. that price range is similar to the rest. you mentioned, but with much better quality control & made in house & not "prepackaged" food as in the other places. Most of the cruise lines get their food from Sysco/US Food type vendors. the food budget determines the quality. That being said, good chefs/cooks can do more with limited resources than poor chefs/cooks can with top line resources.

[susancruzs]

I know what I'm going to say has been said many times over but I'm going to take a stab at it because I'm going on the Royal in October and was on the Regal for 25 days last Spring. I've cruised 28 times, 6 different lines, Princess and Royal being my usual choice. At my age I'm sailing for the itinerary, getting to places I haven't seen.

 

My 1st Celebrity cruise I was rather disappointed in the cruise. The Summit was a fairly new ship and for all the things I read, expected over the top food and service. The crew was too stiff, reserved, servers were robots, whole thing very robotic. I tried a 2nd cruise on Celebrity and discovered it isn't for me. When people ask me, I don't discourage them from Celebrity, I say try it, you might like it. It does not fit my personality, Princess suits me best.

 

On my Regal cruise last year, I sat at a table for 10, most of us were there every evening for 25 days, a good mix, 3 couples, and 4 singles. A few times, a couple of entrees were changed but overall everyone thought the food was good to above average. I look at the big picture, the dining room can't be judged too harshly when you are serving so many people. If you want it perfect go to the specialty restaurants.

[ccruzer123]

I'm sure a lot of you who have sailed a variety of itineraries around the world have noticed the difference in the menus and food on the ships according to the region sailed. The ships tend to give passengers a taste of the area they are visiting and clientele. The two cruises which we had a difficult time finding food we liked and with different menus were the British Isles and Australia/New Zealand cruises. Menus on Alaska, Mediterranean, Hawaii, and South America were enjoyable. We are during Iceland to Dover coming up in June so that could be a challenge for my palate, but again I'm taking that cruise for the itinerary not the food. Maybe if a cruiser is not enjoying food on their particular cruise it might have to do with the region they are cruising. Just a thought...

[Times Prince]

...with much better quality control & made in house & not "prepackaged" food as in the other places. Most of the cruise lines get their food from Sysco/US Food type vendors. the food budget determines the quality. That being said, good chefs/cooks can do more with limited resources than poor chefs/cooks can with top line resources.

We took a cruise on Pacific Princess II as it left P&O service in Australia to rejoin Princess Cruises control for south seas and Hawaii cruises. Talking with the Cruise Director, we learned that, while normally the head chef will order the ingredients to match his take on the recipes, on our cruise the food ingredients were ordered by a P&O chef and then the Princess chef needed to create recipes using those basics (including plenty of fresh fruits and veggies). The food on that cruise was absolutely incredibly good !!! There were dishes to make your mouth water, and our taste buds were in heaven. We learned the head chef was German, and his talents were amazing.

 

Several cruises later, with "normal" really good Princess food, we again had a cruise with outstanding food, and wondered what made the difference. The chef: German. Yes, it was the same chef, whose recipes could take the standard offerings and make them superior meals, worthy of the best restaurants.

 

Moral of the story: The head chef can make all the difference in the world on the cuisine. 2nd moral: Chefs move around the fleet, so no two cruises may be alike.

[Credit 00]

^^ For the last post and the one from KeithM. I believe you are both on the money with your comments and thoughts, the head chef makes the difference and princess doesn't hire duds. My last trip was a 25 night trip with an Italian head chef, what ever the budget was, the staff made up for it with culinary skills and every night was a surprise. My next trip is in 9 days, my mouth is watering already. I don't go on cruises just for the food for those that are "Befuddled", But this is a common topic we can all share here and have all experienced.

[Reader0108598]

Why? Please explain with a few reasons.

 

 

Hi ...sorry late in responding ! Working third shifts ,life

is up side down! :)

 

Staff were okay, some great! Ship just felt off! Hard to explain... after 26 cruises I could not wait to get off her! Bartender told me this ship gets the worst reviews ..he was waiting to get back on the Coral! Something really off on this ship?

 

 

Minor requests were met with a polite sorry we cannot do that...............I have never heard so many sorry we cannot do that'

s before....:( Not a demanding person at all...... Working stiff obviously.. :)

 

 

Example: I asked for a bloody Mary one day and was told they can only make it with the mix.......really!!! Yuck! Of course that is not true, but do I want to spend my vacation arguing with bartenders? Not!

 

 

Different day and bartender ,was told no sorry, we have no olives or celery for a Bloody Mary! NEVER in all my cruises has that happened!

 

 

 

Could I have made an issue of it ? Of course I could but I am on Vacation! Do not want to deal with this garbage!

Edited April 12, 2017 by Reader0108598

[floridalover5623]

Hi ...sorry late in responding ! Working third shifts ,life

is up side down! :)

 

Staff were okay, some great! Ship just felt off! Hard to explain... after 26 cruises I could not wait to get off her! Bartender told me this ship gets the worst reviews ..he was waiting to get back on the Coral! Something really off on this ship?

 

 

Minor requests were met with a polite sorry we cannot do that...............I have never heard so many sorry we cannot do that'

s before....:( Not a demanding person at all...... Working stiff obviously.. :)

 

 

Example: I asked for a bloody Mary one day and was told they can only make it with the mix.......really!!! Yuck! Of course that is not true, but do I want to spend my vacation arguing with bartenders? Not!

 

 

Different day and bartender ,was told no sorry, we have no olives or celery for a Bloody Mary! NEVER in all my cruises has that happened!

I am on Vacation give me a break!

Wow. You ran across some strange bartenders. The one's I knew would prepare it anyway your requested although the olives or celery shortage does seem strange.

[Reader0108598]

Wow. You ran across some strange bartenders. The one's I knew would prepare it anyway your requested although the olives or celery shortage does seem strange.

 

 

I totally agree ! I have NEVER had that happen before! Coming back to me now...Crew member very rude to us when I asked to have our cruise card replaced..(it was deactivated). We were on a back to back and had already done the first muster drill.

Instead of the guest service fellow explaining himself,he stated..... MAAM you need to go to your muster station WE are NOT open now!!! My first back to back ..did not know that all services were shut down. I am not a child and did not appreciate that attitude! I have worked security for 22 years I understand the importance of safety drills and tact

ful interaction with the public.

Edited April 12, 2017 by Reader0108598