Food can it get any more boring?

I love princess cruises but not the food . The chefs on board have years of experience and I know they can put food out that has some love in it. Is this a ploy so they do not compete with the premium restaurants?

Well, they had something new on our Crown Princess cruise. Something I've never seen before. It was clever though how they reinvented the meatloaf. In the buffet, they had loaves of meatloaf with a hot dog stuck in the middle of it. I figured that what they didn't get rid of out in the grill by the pool, landed in the meat loaf. The next day, there appeared in the cold lunch meat section none other than MEAT LOAF cold with a hot dog stuck in the middle of it. Yes, the chefs are clever in extending and reinventing leftovers. As a cook, I have an eye for this kind of stuff.:cool:

Been cruising with Princess for 23 years and I have seen a definite decrease in quality and variety of food...

I agree but, unfortunately, it is not just Princess. I have noticed a decrease in food quality on competing lines, such as HAL and Celebrity, over the years as well :(.

...In the buffet, they had loaves of meatloaf with a hot dog stuck in the middle of it...

:eek: I think I saw this done in an infomercial the other night when I couldn't sleep. Yuck.

Well, they had something new on our Crown Princess cruise. Something I've never seen before. It was clever though how they reinvented the meatloaf. In the buffet, they had loaves of meatloaf with a hot dog stuck in the middle of it. I figured that what they didn't get rid of out in the grill by the pool, landed in the meat loaf. The next day, there appeared in the cold lunch meat section none other than MEAT LOAF cold with a hot dog stuck in the middle of it. Yes, the chefs are clever in extending and reinventing leftovers. As a cook, I have an eye for this kind of stuff.:cool:

I used to work in hospitality management and can assure you that pretty much anywhere with a buffet will do exactly this. Also if today's roast is lamb, but your bottom dollar that either tonight or tomorrow one of the casserole type dishes will be lamb. They don't waste food, on a ship they will also allocate it too crew meals.

But hey I do it at home too.

Cooking a leg of lamb at the moment, already thinking about what the left overs will go to for tomorrow.

I just love one of the responses to the OP's comments.

Without stating my credentials, average, mediocre and fair banquet quantity food costs just as much to make as really great tasting food. Stating "you are not paying for gourmet" is just being silly. Princess's menu is the product of a committee of Chefs and it is typically pretty good however, like any place on earth, you can loose your way and quality slips. After 8 cruises on Princess I can testify, I have experienced that myself. My first Star cruise the dining room food was abnormally off tasting, cold and sloppy on the plate. My most recent Star cruise, the complete opposite. Food was good.

I will add that an engineering co worker of mine took his new wife on a Ruby caribbean cruise and returned stating they both thought the food was very mediocre to poor. I never mentioned I had sailed princess, just that I cruised before.

The Horizon court is another discussion for another day.

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Was that Regatta?

Yes - Regatta from Vancouver to Seattle

Well, see, this is why we'll never have consensus on a qualitative appraisal of Princess's food. I do not like "down home southern cooking," which all involves large amounts of lard, pork, and frying. I prefer my rolls unheated. I do not think the desserts are too rich, and I positively hate fruit pies of all kinds.

 

You know, people always post this, and I always dutifully trot to over to Oceania and price a cruise, and no matter how I crunch/jiggle/massage/downright fudge the numbers, it still proves to be four times the price of a comparable Princess cruise. Why don't you Oceania people just man-up and admit that you're buying a Mercedes? We promise not to think less of you. But this false populism ("Oh, it's just the same cost as a mass-market cruise, really, I promise. Just the same as Princess, once you adjust for the price of gold in the Far East markets, yadda yadda.") is so tiresome.

Daily rate comparison - not cabin price.

Look at the O cabin price. Depending on where you come from, figure about $800 to $1000 air credit per person. Subtract the cost of Princess non-alcohol beverage package and four nights of specialty restaurants per person. If you find a O top-producing TA, pick an itinerary when they occasionally partner with O to provide an approx. 10% credit/refund for first time O cruiser (about $800-$1000 per balcony cabin on a 10 day Alaska). If it's the right dates (Your World On Sale), subtract gratuities and internet. Then drop another approx 8-10% in TA OBC (maybe $700-$800 on that balcony cabin). Then there's the qualitative things: only 700 passengers, better food, etc.

I bake at an advanced hobbyist level - state fair ribbons, reality shows, that kind of thing. There are currently 16 different kinds of flour and flaked/cracked grains in my freezer along with seven different yeasts. I know bread and baking, and next Saturday is my 30th Princess cruise since 2009.

How *anyone* can fault the dinner rolls on Princess is absolutely beyond me. They are some of the finest dinner rolls out there - I know serious restaurants with far less accomplished bread programs. To think that they're baking them fresh daily in the thousands is absolutely astonishing. Crackling crust, tender crumb, consistent shaping - I'm pretty sure I couldn't buy better in Seattle and I'd be hard-pressed to make them as good from scratch.

As for those who want warm bread - have you asked if they'd warm your rolls? Or bring some of the soft brioche ones? I had a really excellent soft brioche-type roll on Tuesday on the Ruby in the IC.

I also don't find the desserts too rich, nor oversweet. I find their interpretations of "American" desserts somewhat less successful - I'm not a fan of the apple pie nor the carrot cake. I'm pretty impressed with the Norman Love stuff I've had so far, and I have a number of favorites that are on regular menu rotation like the Black Forest Cake, the "peach crisp" (which is more like an almond macaroon filling) and the soufflés.

I'd also like to make a shout out on the breakfast breads. The pains au chocolat and the braided breads are incredibly good to my taste, and I think their cronut is better than the original (less sweet, better with coffee).

"How *anyone* can fault the dinner rolls on Princess is absolutely beyond me. They are some of the finest dinner rolls out there - I know serious restaurants with far less accomplished bread programs. To think that they're baking them fresh daily in the thousands is absolutely astonishing. Crackling crust, tender crumb, consistent shaping - I'm pretty sure I couldn't buy better in Seattle and I'd be hard-pressed to make them as good from scratch."

My husband does a lot of baking at home--just a hobby--and, like you, has a stash of varieties of flours. But one true way to ruin a good experience with a roll is to not get a nice brown crust on it. And this is exactly what happened on one of our cruises on the Sea Princess. It was a major disappointment each and every evening. The rolls were only lightly blonde and because of this, they lacked flavor. This was the only time on any Princess cruise that the rolls were, by our standards, under baked. It was a 10-day cruise. We've never experienced this again. Yes, food can be subjective but it also is dependent on the Chef in Charge of the kitchen. He is in charge of the quality and control of what goes out to the dining rooms. He sets the standards.

...I find their interpretations of "American" desserts somewhat less successful...I think their cronut is better than the original (less sweet, better with coffee).

I agree on both counts. I am a big fan of key lime pie, and Princess' key lime tarts in the IC on the Golden were mediocre at best. The filling and pastry (not graham cracker) crusts were both flavorless. The cronuts, however, were outstanding.

But one true way to ruin a good experience with a roll is to not get a nice brown crust on it. And this is exactly what happened on one of our cruises on the Sea Princess. It was a major disappointment each and every evening. The rolls were only lightly blonde and because of this, they lacked flavor. This was the only time on any Princess cruise that the rolls were, by our standards, under baked. It was a 10-day cruise. We've never experienced this again.

Ugh, the dreaded paleface problem. This would drive me insane. I'm all about the bien cuit baked good - tawny, bronzed, downright brown. Pale wan baked goods are revolting.

I just got off the Ruby Princess, me an my girlfriend thought the food was a huge letdown. We took a carnival cruise 7 months ago an the food was so good along with the cruise we couldn't wait to go back. We were disappointed with the taste an options on the Ruby princess. The food was so bad we most likely will not cruise with Princess cruises again. The first time in my life l did not like or finish my prime rib. They served prime rib with some kind of mashed potato type thick gravy, when l asked for au jus they had no clue what l was asking for. Forget late night eating the only option on Ruby Princess was a ham an cheese croissant or bagel with cheese lol. Carnival had made to order Pizza, Sandwiches, Hot dogs, all types of bread, free hot cocoa lemonade, even ice cream available alnight.

Food on Princess is generally good to great. If you need more exciting food, I suggest the high end luxury lines. Princess food is better or equal to many mass market cruise lines.

I agree. Shipboard food is basically banquet food and not like food from a smaller luxury line (i.e. Seabourn, Silversea, etc).

Bob

I just love one of the responses to the OP's comments.

 

Without stating my credentials, average, mediocre and fair banquet quantity food costs just as much to make as really great tasting food. Stating "you are not paying for gourmet" is just being silly. Princess's menu is the product of a committee of Chefs and it is typically pretty good however, like any place on earth, you can loose your way and quality slips. After 8 cruises on Princess I can testify, I have experienced that myself. My first Star cruise the dining room food was abnormally off tasting, cold and sloppy on the plate. My most recent Star cruise, the complete opposite. Food was good.

 

I will add that an engineering co worker of mine took his new wife on a Ruby caribbean cruise and returned stating they both thought the food was very mediocre to poor. I never mentioned I had sailed princess, just that I cruised before.

 

The Horizon court is another discussion for another day..

Oh yeah.....:D:D:D

Bob

Also, sailing on one line exclusively, I'm sure it can get repetitive, however, there are so many options available that it would take me at least another 30 cruises with Princess to get bored.

 

What's the solution for the OP? Try other cruise lines, see what's out there...

That's one of the main reasons we switch around and sail on different lines. Even the best becomes same old, same old if done too many times.

 

Cooking a leg of lamb at the moment, already thinking about what the left overs will go to for tomorrow.

My roast lamb becomes lamb sandwiches, maybe shepherds pie, and eventually the bone and remaining meat becomes the base for a hearty lamb and barley soup.

I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of food on our Princess Cruise, and I got to try guinea fowl for the first time. Very nice indeed!

 

I also don't find the desserts too rich, nor oversweet. I find their interpretations of "American" desserts somewhat less successful

Their interpretation of a classic Aus/NZ dessert is also wrong. They serve meringue not pavlova. Just putting some cream on a meringue nest doesn't turn it into pavlova. Pavlova must have a marshmallow-like interior and a crisp meringue crust.

Food is good. But I get tired of rich gourmet meals. Sometimes I just want some down home southern cooking. The bread is awful. Hard rolls that are cold. Some hot bread would be nice. Desserts are too rich. I just want a good ole Apple Pie sometimes.

I really agree with the hard hard dinner rolls.....it seems like I am eating old dried out bread because the rolls are so hard and flavorless not to mention the butter is always frozen too....I like the food but find it and Carnival's almost a tie with maybe the edge going to Carnival dining for quality, flavor and variety.....:D

I just love one of the responses to the OP's comments.

 

Without stating my credentials, average, mediocre and fair banquet quantity food costs just as much to make as really great tasting food. Stating "you are not paying for gourmet" is just being silly.

While there is some truth to this, the concept does have its limits. Ribeye costs more than Tri-Tip and tastes better too. The latter is on the everyday menu while the former is not. A tank of live 2 pound lobsters costs more to keep and maintain than a freezer full of frozen "chick" lobster tails and the live lobsters would taste better when cooked immediately prior to service. The latter are what you get on board. Real maple syrup costs much, much more than "table syrup". You can't find the latter in the MDRs or buffet. (Don't know about Sabatini's for suite breakfasts). Now, I'm not suggesting that each ship install 5,000 gallon tanks to keep live lobsters, but to suggest that one can prepare banquet style lobster meals for 3,000 people using frozen tails that are just as tasty as if live lobsters had been used is a stretch. Preparation is one thing. And you are right that quality doesn't necessarily have to suffer when volume meals are being made. But ingredients are another matter. Mass produced food typically means cost cutting on ingredients. That results in a decline in taste and overall quality.

While there is some truth to this, the concept does have its limits. Ribeye costs more than Tri-Tip and tastes better too. The latter is on the everyday menu while the former is not. A tank of live 2 pound lobsters costs more to keep and maintain than a freezer full of frozen "chick" lobster tails and the live lobsters would taste better when cooked immediately prior to service. The latter are what you get on board. Real maple syrup costs much, much more than "table syrup". You can't find the latter in the MDRs or buffet. (Don't know about Sabatini's for suite breakfasts). Now, I'm not suggesting that each ship install 5,000 gallon tanks to keep live lobsters, but to suggest that one can prepare banquet style lobster meals for 3,000 people using frozen tails that are just as tasty as if live lobsters had been used is a stretch. Preparation is one thing. And you are right that quality doesn't necessarily have to suffer when volume meals are being made. But ingredients are another matter. Mass produced food typically means cost cutting on ingredients. That results in a decline in taste and overall quality.

It depends also on the head chef some of them are miracle workers.

Personally over the years I have eaten delicious tasting lobster ,then the reverse on another.

No one would expect to ever have had fresh lobster served for a mass market cruise .It boils:D down to the head chef to work their magic again in my personal experience on board.

I love princess cruises but not the food .

Totally agree. Even the tiramasu in the International Cafe isn't as good as it used to be.

Well, they had something new on our Crown Princess cruise. Something I've never seen before. It was clever though how they reinvented the meatloaf. In the buffet, they had loaves of meatloaf with a hot dog stuck in the middle of it. I figured that what they didn't get rid of out in the grill by the pool, landed in the meat loaf. The next day, there appeared in the cold lunch meat section none other than MEAT LOAF cold with a hot dog stuck in the middle of it. Yes, the chefs are clever in extending and reinventing leftovers. As a cook, I have an eye for this kind of stuff.:cool:

Yes, you will see items from a previous dinner menu served in the buffet, sometimes disguised, sometimes just served cold. We usually take longer transatlantic or round trip Hawaii cruises, and we watch the bananas as the cruise goes on. They start out green, turn yellow, and by the end of the cruise there's lots of banana bread at breakfast. Nothing wasted!

While there is some truth to this, the concept does have its limits. Ribeye costs more than Tri-Tip and tastes better too. The latter is on the everyday menu while the former is not. A tank of live 2 pound lobsters costs more to keep and maintain than a freezer full of frozen "chick" lobster tails and the live lobsters would taste better when cooked immediately prior to service. The latter are what you get on board. Real maple syrup costs much, much more than "table syrup". You can't find the latter in the MDRs or buffet. (Don't know about Sabatini's for suite breakfasts). Now, I'm not suggesting that each ship install 5,000 gallon tanks to keep live lobsters, but to suggest that one can prepare banquet style lobster meals for 3,000 people using frozen tails that are just as tasty as if live lobsters had been used is a stretch. Preparation is one thing. And you are right that quality doesn't necessarily have to suffer when volume meals are being made. But ingredients are another matter. Mass produced food typically means cost cutting on ingredients. That results in a decline in taste and overall quality.

I agree totally......I underlined "Banquet Quality" for that very reason. I could make a hot dog taste really really good or just average and warm it in the microwave. I know Princess could too, if they got travel market pressure to do so.

Right now Princess is promoting gourmet deserts with the "Chocolate Journey" program, which is a focus on excellence. Princess could expand that philosophy to main-course entries!

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I agree with you....we were on the Coral about a month ago and I would rate the food at a 3 on a 1 to 5. Breakfast was the best meal of the day (how sad). It's not that the food is bad it's just nothing special. Quantity does not make up for quality. I think they are looking to cut costs and this is one way to do it.

I just got off the Ruby Princess, me an my girlfriend thought the food was a huge letdown. ...........

 

We were disappointed with the taste an options on the Ruby princess. The food was so bad we most likely will not cruise with Princess cruises again. ...............

 

We would agree that the food on the Ruby last week was not nearly as good as what we had on her a year ago. However, having experienced both really good and (rarely) not such good food, we would not be so short sighted as to say that we would never cruise on Princess again. But, that's just us. :cool:

YMMV