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Considering Princess cruise, but concerned about negative food reviews


Leejnd4
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Hi,

 

I'm a previous cruiser of RCI and Celebrity, and I'm now considering doing the 7-day Mexico cruise on Diamond Princess. I tend to research my vacations to death (my husband insists I spend twice as much time in research than I do on the trips!), so naturally I've been reading every review I can find on Princess, the itinerary and the ship, not just here but all over the web. Everything sounds wonderful so far, even taking into account the occasional grouchy reviewer who can't seem to find anything nice to say about anything.

 

One topic I can't help but be a bit concerned with, however, is the food. Yes, I am a foodie -- well, when I'm on vacation anyway! See, that's the thing: I watch my calories every other day of the year, so when I go on vacation I just let go and eat whatever I want. So it's important to me to have really awesome culinary experiences at these rare times when I allow myself to indulge. On top of that, this cruise will be for our 20th wedding anniversary (and how many of those do you get in life?) so I'm hoping for a very memorable vacation in all respects.

 

My concern is that I did read a number of reviewers who weren't at all impressed with the food on Diamond. It's hard to know if these were people who think anything less than Emeril is garbage, but then, some of them had only great things to say about everything except the food.

 

For point of reference, I found the food on RCI to be okay with occasional items really good, and on Celebrity to be mostly excellent with occasional disappointments. I was happy food-wise on Celebrity, and would be quite satisfied if Princess food is in the same realm. But if it's much of a step down, I may want to re-evaluate my vacation plans.

 

So I thought I'd take this question to the best source -- you! I'd really appreciate any candid and honest feedback on your dining experiences. In addition, if there is a restaurant at any of the ports (Puerto Vallarta, Cabo, Mazatlan) that you would recommend as an A++ super-duper gastronomical experience, I'd love to hear about it.

 

I also posted this on the Princess board to see what the regular Princess cruisers have to say, but I'm also particularly interested in comments from those of you who, like me, consider food to be a critical part of the journey.

 

Thanks so much!

 

LeeAnne

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If you were satisfied with the food on Royal Caribbean, then you will probably be satisfied with the food on Princess. Taste runs different from one person to the next, but personally, I didn't much care for the food on either line.

 

Pam : )

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We have cruised with Golden Princess (twice) and Coral Princess (once) and always found the food to be wonderful. We have had Personal Choice all three times and enjoyed it too. Try Sabatini's it is a foodies dream. All you do is pick out your entree, they bring the rest. It is a 2 1/2 hour extravaganza! Truly worth the extra cost. The Horizon Court is lovely for breakfast and lunch if you do not wish to go to the dining room. The selections are great for lunch.

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  • 2 weeks later...

We sailed the Grand Princess and I thought the food in the dining room and premium restaurants was very good. I'm not a real fan of any buffets. I've never see one that wasn't hit or miss, item to item so I tend to stick with dining room service or the pizza parlor or grill out by the pool. We really enjoyed our Princess trip the cruise director and staff were English and they have such a wonderful sense of humor. Anyway, the food may not be as good as Celebrity but it we enjoyed it.

 

Melissa

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I've never lost weight on a cruise. To me, the food on Princess is better than RCI but not as good as Celebrity. (It's also a lot better than Carnival or NCL.) The best thing about Princess is being able to have a shrimp cocktail every night. The desserts are also very good--better than the ones on Celebrity.

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Hi to All...

As a chef, I understand your problem. Each line has a style and budget, RCI has a french tone with a LOW budget for dessert. Princess has an Italian flair with a higher budget. I have enjoyed both. Princess is better then RCI, but I have yet to try Celebrity.

On Princess, each ship was different, even though it was to be the same recipes. The Grand Class in point, the Grand was far better then the sister ship, Star.IMHO.....Dennis

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Chefajax,

 

Thanks for the thumbs-up for the cuisine on the Grand Princess.

We're going on our first Princess cruise in 3 weeks and it was nice to read your review of the Grand.

 

Thanks.

Jane

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  • 3 weeks later...

Our very favorite cruise line for food - is Princess, hands down. RCCL was the worst. Princess offers lots of gourmet appetizers and meals that other cruise lines don't offer. I bet you'll love it. I never had one thing I didn't like on Princess.

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We are long time Princess cruisers and honestly, have never been disappointed by the food on Princess. Of course, everyone has their own idea of what is good. I haven't been on the Diamond yet so I can't comment one way or another. However, perhaps I can ease your mind by telling you some the restaurants I consider "good" and perhaps that will aid in your decision. While I am a New Yorker, I am familiar with your area so I will include restaurants in the LA area I have enjoyed.

I have eaten at Piatti in Thousand Oaks which I would rate "ok" (keep in mind I'm an Italian/American from NY) - finding "good" Italian food in CA can be hard. icon_wink.gif

 

Piatti is certainly better than Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill, at least to my taste buds. I have dined at the Maple Drive Restaurant in Beverly Hills and found the menu very appealing and the food to be good quality - however, this restaurant is high end, and, I can say I feel like I got my money's worth.

 

I'm not sure if you ever get up to the Napa area but, there I particularly enjoy the restaurant French Laundry - one word - outstanding.

 

Now, I don't pretend to be a food expert nor a food critic, all I am saying, these are the restaurants I've enjoyed in California and perhaps based upon my reviews you might find you like the food on Princess. Hope this helps a bit.

 

Joe

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  • 6 years later...

I have cruised on the Diamond and about 6 other Princess ships and have never been dissapointed. Even after they made some cutbacks to the food about 2 years ago, I still did not have a problem. One of the cutbacks was smoked salmon(loxs) are not available all the time in the buffet. But they are in the dinning room. I highly suggest you eat most of your meals in the dinning room instead of the crowded, noisy buffet. Also, if you want one of the best meals in your life, sign up for the chefs table. Yes it costs an extra $75 per person, but as a foodie, this is the absolute best meal ever on a cruise. In fact, it is close to one of the top restaurants in the world, The French Laundry in Napa Valley. Here is a menu from one of the chefs table: Alaskan snow crab margarita with avocado & mango

salmon tartar wuth traditional condiments

bistro mini quiche with truffle and cherry tomsatoes

potato crepes with sour cream and caviar

 

Italian risotto with tiget prawns, crisp mushroom and lemon foam

 

bloddy mary granite

 

Lobster tail therminidor & roasted beef tenderloin with morrel dust

creamy lobster broth, chill sambal, hollandaise sauce & peppercorn sauce.

grilled asparagus, market vegetable & scalloped potatoes

 

whipped brie de meaux feuillete, reisling soaked green raisin drippings walnut brioche

Brazillian pineapple delight with fresh summer berries

 

This all comes with several pourings of wine(no extra charge) and champagne(heidsick).

 

Now has this wet your appatite yet!

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Of the cruise lines I have been on, Princess was disappointing in variety and quality of the dishes served in the main dining room. Joe,the French Laundry it is NOT!

Edited by ECV
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  • 4 weeks later...

We thought the food on the Emerald Princess was very bland--to the point that not once in 10 days did either of us say "you have to try this" and many days I didn't bother with dessert cuz I don't think they had sugar on board! We ate a lot of pizza cuz it was pretty good. The Island Princess food was much better. If you sail Princess definately make time for Sabatini's--it's probably the best meal we have ever eaten (if you can track down a menu, you get ALL those appetizers, then you choose a main course and a dessert!). It was WELL worth every penny of the upcharge.

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first time cruiser my wife and i will be celebrating our anniversary this week on the crown princess western caribbean we would like to do the balcony dinning breakfast or dinner anyone with past experience appreciate your input $$$ ted and elaine

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Can anyone tell me the recent cost of these specialty restaurants on the Island Princess? In addition, what did you think of the menu's. Italian food is okay but I'm not into spicy and wonder if everything is cajun at the Bayou or can I order a steak plain? Bottom line are they worth paying extra money for? We did one on our Carnival cruise to Alaska and loved the time spent, excellent service and that food was out of this world for this non-gourmet. Will I have the same luck at one of these restaurants? Waiting for your responses and please be kind :D.

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We have been on Princess, Carnival, NCL, and Royal Caribbean. We find the food on Princess to be far superior to the other lines. There have been many times when we have said you've got to try this. Their desserts are fabulous! Their dessert souffles are to die for! I am posting pictures of some of our favorites. The chocolate souffle, fettecuni alfredo and beef wellington, all were taken on the Sapphire Princess.

Kayla

1860261056_ChristmasPrincessCruisetoMexico2008145.jpg.ea3f07049ae393a3d803b9bc9819111d.jpg

966802266_ChristmasPrincessCruisetoMexico2008225.jpg.87892eed4ad404a433ca4da4180b8f49.jpg

549989084_ChristmasPrincessCruisetoMexico2008361.jpg.857b5a45ba5326e5460efa4c424358f6.jpg

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Can anyone tell me the recent cost of these specialty restaurants on the Island Princess? In addition, what did you think of the menu's. Italian food is okay but I'm not into spicy and wonder if everything is cajun at the Bayou or can I order a steak plain? Bottom line are they worth paying extra money for? We did one on our Carnival cruise to Alaska and loved the time spent, excellent service and that food was out of this world for this non-gourmet. Will I have the same luck at one of these restaurants? Waiting for your responses and please be kind :D.

 

Sabatini's ($20) was the best meal we have had anywhere, ever! Well worth every penny.

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I would say that Princess food is better than NCL and Royal Caribbean, but not as good as Holland America, and has a long way to go to match Celebrity.

I thought the alternative restaurants on Princess were very, very mediocre; even the coastal Italian cuisine of Sabatini's emphasizes volume over quality.

 

If you want great food on a cruise, start with Celebrity's Solstice Class ships.

Azamara is excellent and the best I've cruised is Oceania. Still, Celebrity wins in the alternative restaurant category -- even Frommers rates these restaurants as the "best at sea" and that even includes the luxury lines.

 

If you want luxury cuisine at mass market prices, try this:

 

Book a Celebrity cruise on a Solstice class ship (Solstice, Equinox, Eclipse...,) in Aqua Class; dine in Blu and visit the alternative restaurants two or three times during the cruise. Blu offers upscale, healthy cuisine in smaller portions.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

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The only cruise line I've sailed with is Princess, but I find the food to be very good. The specialty restaurants are worth a look. Sabatini's is definitely good, but go hungry. And the Chef's Table is excellent and worth the money.

 

btw, it's always interesting to me how threads get resurrected... this one began in 2004. :eek: I guess it shows that the search function is working...

 

Oh, and here is link to pictures of the food on my recent Sea Princess voyage to Alaska.

 

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Of the cruise lines I have been on, Princess was disappointing in variety and quality of the dishes served in the main dining room. Joe,the French Laundry it is NOT!

 

I think he was comparing the Chef's Table with the the French Laundry... Actually, I really liked Princess's food compared with Carnival's... Much more choice in the buffet. Also, you may want to try Sterling's... They have awesome steaks!

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...

On Ruby TA this Spring; just back from 14N Constellation. I agree with OP that if this is a special trip go with one of Celebritys S class ships, esp. alternative dining rooms. My opinion is Princess is trying to be everymans cruiseline. I found nitely offerings in MDR boring and repeatative. Food on X is just more sophisticated.

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