New Princess Lunch Menus

[Wishing on a star]

The Sun Princess will have more dining venues in addition to the buffet.  Both counter service, and their 'casual' which can have an uncharge if you do not have the Plus Package or Premier Package.  With the increased options onboard, I would not count on the MDR being open for lunch when the ship is in port.

 

Lunch on Port days might be a good time to dine at Alfredo's..  always one of the best options and pizza onboard.  And, is a full table-service restaurant.

As well as the other varied options that the Sun Princess will have to offer.

No worries!

Edited January 16 by Wishing on a star

[Wishing on a star]

About the day at sea/missed port...  I think that perhaps Princess knew about the possibility of missing that port before everyone else was notified.   They were probably prepared to offer lunch in the MDR if needed???

[sunviking90]

I actually like the idea of a set menu for lunch (as long as they don’t change my embarkation lunch!). We recently took a couple of HAL cruises and they have a set menu for lunch. I like that I won’t “miss” a certain item if I don’t go on a certain day. Interestingly a few of the menu options are directly from HAL.

 

Edited January 16 by sunviking90

[Thrak]

2 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Why do they bother?  And what kind of person actually eats this?  How can anyone find that palatable?  

 

I "think" the Fish and Chips was billed as something like "Ultimate Ozzie Fish & Chips". I saw one Australian order it and he had the same disgusted reaction as I had. He ate one piece of the fish and left the rest of the meal on the plate.

[MissP22]

2 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

The pub lunch was only offered in the buffet and was horrible. The coating was thick and rubbery.  The fish was over cooked and dry. This was what I experienced on my 19 day Emerald sailing Aug/Sept 2023 and my 34 day Sapphire sailing Dec 2023/ Jan 2024. Really disgusting.  Why do they bother?  And what kind of person actually eats this?  How can anyone find that palatable?  
 

 

Maybe it's typically English. I've tried a few different English dishes over the years and wasn't at all impressed.(especially desserts)

[Thrak]

2 hours ago, MissP22 said:

Maybe it's typically English. I've tried a few different English dishes over the years and wasn't at all impressed.(especially desserts)

 

We had Fish and Chips at the Duke of Wellington in Southampton. Huge and fantastic. Best we have ever had bar none.

[ChristopherTracy]

14 hours ago, MissP22 said:

Maybe it's typically English. I've tried a few different English dishes over the years and wasn't at all impressed.(especially desserts)

I have no words for this. P&O have a quick service speciality that just does fish and chips on their new megaships and its very good and very popular. So Carnival can do it when they need to! 

[MissP22]

Just now, ChristopherTracy said:

 

 

1 minute ago, ChristopherTracy said:

I have no words for this. P&O have a quick service speciality that just does fish and chips on their new megaships and its very good and very popular. So Carnival can do it when they need to! 

I suppose they could but at the same time there are some items that Princess had served for years now that should be improved upon, but never change.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

16 hours ago, MissP22 said:

Maybe it's typically English. I've tried a few different English dishes over the years and wasn't at all impressed.(especially desserts)

The English take their fish and chips quite seriously. The best I’ve ever had was on the QM2 light fluffy chips and delicate, crispy perfect fish. The Brits on board said it was “OK”. I can’t imagine how it could have been improved on. 
While Princess never had fish & chips that good, they at least did a decent job when they had pub day in Wheelhouse. Those were the days!

 

One of the rotating items on the new menu is chicken enchiladas (on sapphire anyway).  They were pretty good. 

Edited January 17 by HaveDogWillTravel

[JF - retired RRT]

3 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

One of the rotating items on the new menu is chicken enchiladas (on sapphire anyway).  They were pretty good. 

It's interesting how many "rotators" there are on the new menu. Lots of good ol' standbys and plenty of rotating in and out "specials". It's starting to sound (at least a little) OK.

[Thrak]

The "New and Improved!" Princess "American Fish and Chips":

 

[mali06]

Do they have lunch in the main dining room on embarkation day on the Enchanted?

[MissP22]

13 hours ago, mali06 said:

Do they have lunch in the main dining room on embarkation day on the Enchanted?

Yes

[rj59]

That's disappointing, another advantage over other lines gone. I hated being on HAL a few weeks ago with the same limited lunch menu every day, and like the Princess ones, they have brunch items like French toast or eggs benedict--for all the hundreds of late-night partiers on HAL/Princess who sleep in until noon? It seems obviously a move to cut costs and labor for lunch MDR and the kitchen, making it better for the crew and worse for the passengers. The buffets on ships are already nightmares at lunch time with full ships, so cutting out the option of a varied lunch menu every day isn't a good move, especially with the free Alfredo's option gone. So that puts HAL on top for breakfast, and now Celebrity for lunch, since they have a varied menu with lots of dinner-quality options. I had Princess as tops for dinner, but on HAL they included a lot of Mexican options, as well as in the buffet, so I'll have to compare it with Crown next month to see who's on top for me. 

[Thrak]

15 minutes ago, rj59 said:

I had Princess as tops for dinner, but on HAL they included a lot of Mexican options, as well as in the buffet, so I'll have to compare it with Crown next month to see who's on top for me. 

 

We recently did 63 days on Grand Princess. Ohhhhhhhhhhhh...... how we missed Mexican food! Living in California we eat Mexican food regularly. When we travel its usually impossible to find Mexican food at all - let alone good Mexican food. (No, Taco Bell and Del Taco are not Mexican food!) Hmmm... I don't have much on hand. Maybe we will go out for Mexican food tonight...😁

[Cruise Raider]

26 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

We recently did 63 days on Grand Princess. Ohhhhhhhhhhhh...... how we missed Mexican food! Living in California we eat Mexican food regularly. When we travel its usually impossible to find Mexican food at all - let alone good Mexican food. (No, Taco Bell and Del Taco are not Mexican food!) Hmmm... I don't have much on hand. Maybe we will go out for Mexican food tonight...😁

I always miss great Thai or Chinese food while onboard, although I think the Majestic does a decent job with their pan Asian food.  I really loved the Indian food on the Royal and the Discovery last year.  I like spicy food and it fit the bill.  

We were just in Mexico on the Discovery a bit over a week ago and although I really have no complaints about anything onboard, I couldn’t agree that churros, salsa and guacamole were a spread of Mexican food.  I won’t eat churros (just deep fried dough with sugar) but, I must say, the guacamole and salsa were pretty good.  Both seemed to be handmade from fresh ingredients. 
BTW, I make some killer Mexican food at home that is hard to beat, if I do say so myself.  

Edited January 21 by Cruise Raider

[Thrak]

Ahhh... Burp! Just got home. My wife had some excellent Burritos de Mariscos and I had Chile Relleno. It's good to be able to get Mexican food. 🥰  My wife is weird and gets Frijoles Negros but I always stick with traditional Frijoles Refritos. Traditional Arroz Rojo rounded out the plates and we each had a Negra Modelo.

[MissP22]

14 hours ago, rj59 said:

The buffets on ships are already nightmares at lunch time with full ships, so cutting out the option of a varied lunch menu every day isn't a good move

You must be referring to the older class ships buffets. We just spent Christmas & New Years on the Enchanted & ate lunch in the buffet every day without encountering any real crowds. The ship was over 100% capacity and we breezed through the buffet every day without any problems. 

Even on sea days when everyone was aboard there wasn't any real delay being served except on the last day when all the cakes were being served in the buffet area was there a backup. (but not in the regular food area at all)

[bnickle]

On 1/6/2024 at 1:19 PM, Kamfish642 said:

As long as I don't have to make lunch, I'm good!

That reminded me of our BI cruise in 2018. There had been several complaints on here about the quality of the coffee onboard. I was outside, sitting on a deck outside the buffet, about 7:00 in the morning, sipping coffee and enjoying some calm and quiet. One of the crew members wandered by and paused to say good morning and to ask me how the coffee was. Honestly, in that moment, all I could think was that I was on a cruise with my Handsome Boyfriend (aka my delightful husband), the weather was perfect, the waters danced slightly in a mesmerizing ballet, and my heart was full of contentment. It was the best coffee I have ever had, and that had nothing to do with the coffee. Perspective.

[cnice515]

On 1/6/2024 at 2:19 PM, Kamfish642 said:

As long as I don't have to make lunch, I'm good!

Amen my friend!!

[cnice515]

On 1/21/2024 at 10:20 AM, bnickle said:

That reminded me of our BI cruise in 2018. There had been several complaints on here about the quality of the coffee onboard. I was outside, sitting on a deck outside the buffet, about 7:00 in the morning, sipping coffee and enjoying some calm and quiet. One of the crew members wandered by and paused to say good morning and to ask me how the coffee was. Honestly, in that moment, all I could think was that I was on a cruise with my Handsome Boyfriend (aka my delightful husband), the weather was perfect, the waters danced slightly in a mesmerizing ballet, and my heart was full of contentment. It was the best coffee I have ever had, and that had nothing to do with the coffee. Perspective.

 

I LOVE this post, so positive and optimistic, thanks for such a sweet and wonderful post @bnickle

[In Toronto]

Thank you Wishing On A Star.  Wonderful video of the lunch menu with your critique. 

[artvlay]

On 1/2/2024 at 9:16 PM, tjcletzgo said:

Someone posted a set lunch menu that doesn’t change. It looks great with a lot of great choices. My favorite menu on Princess is the embarkation lunch, shrimp and avacado, lemon butter dill salmon and orange soufflé. Will they still serve that on embarkation???

We haven't been on Princess for a few years. Is the embarkation lunch available for all passengers? Is there a long wait to be seated?

[HotRoot]

7 minutes ago, artvlay said:

We haven't been on Princess for a few years. Is the embarkation lunch available for all passengers? Is there a long wait to be seated?

Yes.  The crew will push you to the buffet.  Just ask which MDR is open.  If you share a table, the line usually moves fast.

[MissP22]

41 minutes ago, HotRoot said:

Yes.  The crew will push you to the buffet.  Just ask which MDR is open.  If you share a table, the line usually moves fast.

Why even bother to ask when you know the DR is open at lunch?