cruisefoodie
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Posts posted by cruisefoodie
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I was looking at the Caribbean 2017 itineraries, and noticed that there are not many sailings that stop at Princess Cays. It looks like it has been replaced with Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic (whose reviews do not look good from what I have found).
My family loves Princess Cays! Does anyone know why they seem to be switching to Amber Cove? I sure hope they at least keep a few itineraries stopping at Princess Cays!
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We've loaded some food pictures from our Royal Princess cruise onto our album here:
http://www.cruisefoods.com/index.php?ship=royal_princess
The food was absolutely wonderful! I know some people have bashed on Princess food, but my family loved most everything on the Royal. A few favorites - the Pastry Shop (the largest pastry shop at sea I think) is incredible, it is a dessert-lovers heaven! I was also impressed with Alfredo's and their Pizza Royal Princess. From the pictures alone you will see it is to die for.
And, it is a stunning ship, it did NOT disappoint. Hope you enjoy the pictures!
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Thanks for this great review - i think i gained a few pounds just looking at those wonderful pictures. We loved the Royal, sailed on her last summer in Europe and looking forward to the Regal in January.
Did you ever have a fresh grilled egg sandwich at the IC, they are wonderful. I'm going to try one of those cronuts - they look bad...
I had no idea they had a fresh grilled egg sandwich at the IC - that sounds AMAZING! Will look for it next time!
I am glad everyone is enjoying the review. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!
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I posted the Chef's Table Lumiere menu along with other docs at:
Thank you so much for sharing this!
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If not asked already, how did you not do the Chef's table with us?
We have not yet done the Chef's table, but have always wanted to.
How did you enjoy it? How much did it cost? It is absolutely on our to-do list!
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By any chance do you recall seeing this bar waiter on the Royal?
No, I don't remember him particularly. What part of the ship was he in? I do, however, remember the awesome super happy guy at the IC, he made my day every time I saw him :)
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Thank you so much for sharing. We appreciate the trouble you've taken.
Do you recall who the Maitre D' was on your cruise please? We also always attend the Culinary Demo with the Executive Chef & Maitre D' - often they're better entertainers than the real ones! Must away - time for a meal, which I have to prepare! Then must book on Royal - you've whet our apetites. Bon Apetite! Rose & Mario
Rose & Mario,
I do not remember the name of the Maitre D', perhaps I can look back on the Patter and find out. They were absolutely wonderful!
Glad you are enjoying the review!
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Food Conclusion
The Royal Princess is a food-lover’s dream! If I could only go on one ship for the rest of my life, I think it would be the Royal Princess. I hope you have enjoyed my food review!
Again, sorry I could not put too many pictures on the posts, but to see lots more you can visit our album:
http://www.cruisefoods.com/index.php?ship=royal_princess
Some Non-Food Info!
Fitness center
The gym on the Royal is great! It was not quite as nice as the one on Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas, but great nonetheless. There were plenty of treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, and lots of other pieces of equipment. Very clean, with nice views of the ocean.
We also participated in the Zumba Fitness classes they held on the basketball court area. If you’re looking for a fun way to exercise, this is it! We were all fairly new to Zumba, but had an absolute blast! The instructor was fun and had lots of fun but challenging routines. You can just follow along if you are a beginner and will have an awesome time!
Seminars
Who wants to go to a seminar on vacation, right? They actually offered some really interesting topics, like Acupuncture, the importance of posture, and many more.
Shows
We only made it to a small handful of shows in the big Princess theater, but they were quite good. I have heard that the dating game show is fabulous and a can't miss.
They also show movies in the theater (we watched Hunger Games), as well as out on deck for Movies Under the Stars. They show really good movies too! And out under the stars is so relaxing, where you can grab some hot cocoa from the buffet, or a burger and fries as you eat. It is the perfect experience.
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Day 7:
Trio of Seafood, Citrus and Avocado - lobster, shrimp and squid with orange filets and lime-cilantro vinaigrette
Grilled New York Cut Strip Steak with Green Peppercorn Sauce - tomato provencale, sauteed zucchini and lyonnaise potatoes
Baked Alaska on Parade - chocolate sauce
Seafood Trio
New York Strip
Baked Alaska
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Day 6:
To me, this is the most delicious day of them all! I LOVE the escargots, they are so scrumptious, as is everything else on the menu!
Escargots Bourguignon - glazed with shallots, parsley and garlic butter
Filet of Beef Wellington and Truffle-Madeira Demi-Glace - spinach flat, glazed carrots and duchesse potatoes
Broiled Lobster Tail and King Prawns with Lemon Butter Fondue - paired with a side of grilled asparagus and rice pilaf
Floating Islands in Vanilla Sauce - caramel drizzle
Escargots
Beef Wellington
Lobster and Shrimp
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Day 4:
Herb & Sea Salt Marinated Seafood Antipasto - shrimp, squid and black mussels with creamy lemon emulsion
Filetto di Mahi Mahi alla Griglia - grilled mahi mahi filet with herb butter, garlic-sauteed Swiss chard and caponata of bell pepper, onion & eggplant, saffron infused potatoes
French Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee - sugar cane crust, lemon madeleines (Always available)
For more pictures, please take a look at our album here:
http://www.cruisefoods.com/index.php?ship=royal_princess
Antipasto
Mahi Mahi
French Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee
Day 5 (Chef’s Dinner):
Twice Baked Goat's Cheese Souffle - garlic sabayon (I don't usually like goat cheese, but this is totally worth a try, I LOVED it)
Trilogy of Lamb Loin Chop, Braised Veal Breast & Chicken Kebob - with piquant sauce, garlic sauteed spinach, cherry tomatoes and croquette potatoes
Chocolate Lovers Delight - dark chocolate truffle mousse, tiny gateau opera, velvet chocolate brownie
Goat cheese souffle
Trilogy of Lamb, Veal, and Chicken
Chocolate Lover's Delight!
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Day 2:
Warm Crab & Artichoke Dip with Baguette Chips - seasoned with old bay spice and Dijon mustard
Grilled Seafood Skewer with Mango & Lime Salsa - a combination of salmon, red snapper, shrimp and sea scallops with bok choy and jasmine rice
Warm Crab & Artichoke Dip
Seafood Skewer
Day 3:
Applewood Smoked Duck Breast - with a zesty cranberry-blackberry relish and baby green salad
Roasted Cornish Game Hen with Pan Jus - on a bed of potato & mushroom ragout with pea pods
Fettuccine Alfredo in Crisp Parmesan Basket, An All-Time Princess Favorite - rich, comforting and entirely satisfying) The best I have ever had, and make sure you get the entree portion which comes with the CHEESE BASKET!!!!)
Bananas Foster Flambe - vanilla ice cream
Smoked Duck Breast
Cornish Game Hen
Fettuccine Alfredo
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Dining Room
The Main Dining Room with Princess is always exquisite.
Breakfast
Service was typically a little bit slow, but still good. Although not always on the menu, you can ask for Eggs Benedict. It is cooked to delicious perfection. They also have a wide array of other foods, like pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon, hash browns, ham, and lots and lots of fruit. The Lumberjack, which came with a steak, fried eggs, mushrooms, and hash browns was quite a winner.
Dinner
There is so much greatness in the MDR menu, so I will just share some favorites from each night.
For complete pictures and more complete menus, see our foodie album. http://www.cruisefoods.com/index.php?ship=royal_princess
General notes:
Princess does red meat really really well! They also are phenomenal at cold soups, souffles, and sorbets! The Captain’s Dinner and the Chef’s Dinner are incredible – if you only want to eat at the MDR occasionally, pick these days! And lastly but most important, if you are trying to choose between menu items, get BOTH.
Day 1:
Red Snapper Mojito - Ceviche with mint, mango, avocado and a splash of Bacardi Superior rum. Winning dish of the 6th annual Bacardi bartender & chef cruise competition awarded to Princess Cruises
Slow-Roasted Corn-Fed Prime Rib with Natural Rosemary Jus and Horseradish Cream - carved to order with corn-on-the-cob, char-grilled tomato and baked Idaho potato
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Double Cream - with steeped berries (This is PERFECT for a chocolate lover, it is so rich!!)
Princess Love Boat Dream - rich chocolate mousse on brownie (always available)
Red Snapper Mojito
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Princess love boat dream (You must try this at least once!)
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Buffet
Royal Princess figured out how to do the buffet right. It is HUGE! And you never really have to wait in line because it is so big! Tip to the wise, don’t get caught up at the front, I would advise going to the back. The front of the buffet is more of the cold stuff, then you get to more hot food, then you get to special types of cuisine. Yes, you should walk through the entire buffet or you might miss something! (but maybe on separate trips, it is so big your food may get cold before you get through the whole thing).
We were quite impressed with the Asian food that was served, everything from rice congee for breakfast to special soups and vegetables. I highly recommend the calamari steak. It looks a little funny, but is quite scrumptious and well cooked. They also have a large selection of salads in the middle of the buffet.
The pastry shop is AMAZING AWESOMENESS! For any future cruises, I know that I will dearly miss the Royal’s pastry shop. The selection of sweets is unmatched. Some of the pastries you will find at the IC, but there is SO much more in the pastry shop. They are divine. I even watched as they rolled handmade chocolate truffles, and I was in heaven as I ate one. They always have a counter full of yummy cookies too. Note, they also have lots of sugar free and gluten free choices, so it is a win for everyone! YOU. WILL. LOVE. IT!!!!
Sorry we can’t fit all the pictures, but we have lots more here:
http://www.cruisefoods.com/index.php?ship=royal_princess
Buffet breakfast with Eggs Benedict (except it had smoked salmon in it today), egg and cheese quesadilla, hash browns, bacon, grilled potatoes, and fruit
Buffet lunch
Key lie cheesecake, tapioca pudding, fruit tart, creme brulee
Coffee and chocolate fudge log, fresh fruit basket
Citrus cake with chocolate coffee cream, Toffee crunch cupcakes
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On the Lido deck
Princess has the best ice cream of any cruise line. We were actually very disappointed that the Royal Princess only had Swirls (soft serve, no scoop ice cream), because the scoop ice cream is soooo good. The disappointment did not last too long, because we soon found that their soft serve is the creamiest ice cream in the world! Don’t forget to ask for sprinkles. :)
The pizza on the deck is also the best pizza of any cruise line. (Carnival’s we found to be tasteless, and Royal Caribbean’s tasted like frozen pizza). Princess’ is large slices of thin crust pizza. It is very different from Alfredo’s, totally different style of pizza, but is super tasty in itself.
The grill is great. They have of course burgers, hot dogs, fries – all of which are very good. At night they switch over to barbecue. I only made it there once, but the barbecue pork sandwich was better than I expected.
Soft serve vanilla with sprinkles
Pizza (sorry, I had to take a bite!)
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Cooking Show and Galley Tour
So Princess offers a slew of live cooking demos throughout the cruise. Each is geared towards a style of cooking, like Indian cuisine, Asian fusion, etc. They are located in the Princess Live TV theater, and they are fun to attend.
However, the best of ALL of them is the final cooking demo in the big Princess Theater and is followed by the Galley Tour.
The show if hilarious – if you’ve been to one of these before, you know it is one of the best shows on the ship. It features the Maitre D’ and the Executive Chef, with the cruise director helping them out occasionally. They make the entire theater smell amazing. Then you get to walk through the galley and see the prep areas (including a shelf FULL of the parmesan baskets for the incredible fettuccine alfredo). The entire family loves this event.
Lots of creme brulees waiting for dinner!
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Afternoon Tea
I have found a lot of people don’t try afternoon tea. It too is complimentary, and definitely worth a try. I believe the Royal has it every sea day (perhaps some port days too). You can find when it is available on the Princess Patter.
Afternoon tea is luxurious white glove service. Servers come around with trays loaded with tea sandwiches, pastries, and scones with cream and jam, after having served you tea, cream, and sugar. You will feel so spoiled! If you like scones, you will love this. I particularly enjoyed the pastries, they have some sweets that I had not found anywhere else, like vanilla eclairs and the banana cream cake.
Afternoon tea finger sandwiches and sweets.
Vanilla eclair, cherry cake, tomato finger sandwich
Fruit tart, Chocolate brownie, Scone with jam and cream
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Alfredo’s
We boarded the ship around 1pm, and when we entered, we walked right past Alfredo’s. It was very quiet and only one couple was eating there. Hint hint, this may be the perfect time to try it! Alfredo’s is an Italian eatery, and complimentary (although we hear Princess may add a fee soon).
We went for lunch twice, yes, it was so good we had to go back. The first thing to know is that there may be a wait to get a table, especially on sea days. So plan accordingly. The second thing is that the food is phenomenal.
P.S. Our album here has tons more food pictures! http://www.cruisefoods.com/index.php?ship=royal_princess
The Antipasto di Magro is so fresh and delicious, it being mostly grilled vegetables it is very light too. If you want something heavier and cheesier, you must try the Agnolatti Gratinati alla Piemontese (veal agnolatti covered in cheese!). It is as delicious and cheesy at it looks.
The pizzas are great! I had the Pizza Royal Princess twice, and the crust is crispy, it is covered in delicious toppings, and the parma ham is to die for. It is a perfect combination.
Honestly, our least favorite part of the meals were the desserts. They were good but not spectacular.
Antipasto assortito di Magro
Agnolatti Gratinati alla Piemontese (Veal agnolatti)
Pizza Royal Princess (AMAZING)
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(Still the International Cafe)
Of course, most everything is delicious, but our favorite desserts are the Tiramisu, White and Dark Chocolate Mousse, Peanut Butter Chocolate Cup, Fruit tarts, Mille Fueilles (of any flavor), Pavlovas. The tiramisu at the IC is creamer (more custard, less cake) than at Alfredo’s and the dining room. We heard the Oreo pie was really good, but it was too much crust, not enough filling for us.
Every sandwich we tried was a winner, though my particular favorite was the Roasted Pork and Avocado with spicy cilantro sauce. Make sure to get them toasted, it makes them absolutely perfect.
The salads were good, but more hit and miss. A surefire winner is the classic Princess chicken salad; with cashews, apples, celery, and big chunks of chicken, it is so delicious. I highly recommend the curry chicken salad too. It is not too spicy with just a touch of curry. My family loved the shrimp salad (the shrimp are HUGE). The Thai chicken peanut salad was a big oily for me.
Sweet selections
Butterscotch tartlet, dark and white chocolate mousse
Specialty Coffee!!
Shrimp salad, Cheesecake, Peanut butter chocolate cup
Chicken Salad
There is so much more seating at the International Café too, on previous ships we found it difficult to find a seat, but this was never the case. There is lots of cozy seating around the huge atrium, which is exquisite, by the way.
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The food:
International Café
Yes, the IC on Royal is better than EVER. It is larger, with one whole counter dedicated to desserts, another to salads, and another to sandwiches. It still has those nice glass counters for special desserts too, like the Tiramisu (heavenly!!). And, all the food at the IC is complimentary, you just pay for coffee or drinks if you want them.
If you want hundreds more FOOD PICTURES, take a look at our album here:
http://www.cruisefoods.com/index.php?ship=royal_princess
Breakfast – DO NOT MISS THE CROISSANT DONUT! I guess another name for this is the “cronut”, and whatever you do, you must try it at least once. It is super crispy on the outside, flaky on the inside, and covered with cinnamon and sugar – yum!!! All the breakfast croissants are fresh baked and warm and flaky. We also really enjoyed the donuts, they were the perfect texture with a good amount of filling or frosting.
The Croissant Donut
One of the 3 Breakfast Counters
Chocolate Croissant, Hazelnut Roll, Croissant Donut
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The ship:
After reading reviews for the Royal Princess, I was a tiny bit nervous that so many people were unhappy with the ship. We had read complaints about the lack of swimming pools, the lack of a central stair, the lack of the promenade level wrapping around the front of the ship.
I am here to say that the Royal Princess is AMAZING! Don’t hesitate to book the Royal; some people will always be negative.
It is a BEAUTIFUL ship, there is tons to do, so many great indoor and outdoor spaces to relax or have fun. You will feel like you’re cruising in the lap of luxury. If you accidentally forget the central stair doesn’t go all the way up, then oh well, take a short walk to another stair. Our stomachs could use the exercise.
(Also, I apologize that I have to break this into a bunch of posts to get the pictures in.)
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Here are a few pics:
http://www.cruisefoods.com/index.php?ship=carnival_triumph&cat1=3&cat2=5
Didn't try them but they looked delicious. :)
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My personal opinion is that Princess has the best food of the lines we've tried. They do red-meat really delicious. Here is a link to some pictures from the Crown:
http://www.cruisefoods.com/index.php?ship=crown_princess
Here are my faves:
Prime rib
Goat cheese souffle
Fettuccine alfredo (make sure you get the meal size with the cheese nest!)
Flourless chocolate cake (don't know if they still have it)
Floating islands in vanilla sauce
Tiramisu
Pistachio cream
Escargots
Cold fruit soups
Their pizza is delicious
Princess love boat dream
Have a great cruise!
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A friend gave us pictures from her Disney Dream cruise - Looks fabulous, especially the Apple Cinnamon Ice Cream Sundae!
Enjoy! Can't wait to go on a Disney cruise!
Switching from Princess Cays to Amber Cove?
in Princess Cruises
Posted
I love St. Maarten but have heard great things about St. Kitts and Nevis too, and am excited that there are more opportunities to go there.
I am just wary of Amber Cove over Princess Cays - have read that Amber Cove is nothing special and that the area around it feels unsafe (I know, a lot of places may feel this way). I hope that what I have read is incorrect, or that at least they will smooth things out soon. Princess' website doesn't even have any info on Amber Cove!