Thanksgiving on a ship.

We are going to be on Princess this Thanksgiving. Anything special to look forward to?

Thanksgiving meal on Thanksgiving night. They will always have turkey and the fixings that night.

Ham and Turkey on the menu, a big display in the atrium area, and lots of "Happy Thanksgiving! " greetings.

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We are going to be on Princess this Thanksgiving. Anything special to look forward to?

I'll just say it didn't impress me at all.

We were on royal over thanksgiving.

I did see some turkey being served and maybe pumpkin pie.

we figured the real thanksgiving meal must be at the buffet, because the dinner menu didn't say thanksgiving celebration at all. There was one turkey item, but really lame.

I thought to myself why does everyone rave about thanksgiving on board...

Obviously the food they are getting at home is not very good.

I ended up having a couple pieces of fried chicken and some mashed potatoes that made me long for being home on that day.

As for decorations, I didn't see any until the day after thanksgiving. The had a small display on one edge of the piazza. Is was a morbid display, they dressed real plucked ready to cook raw turkeys and added arms,legs and such from other real animals. All in kind of a big cornucopia. I should have taken a picture... I'll have to see if my wife did.

I thought it better than spending all the time cooking for 2 days precious and just let someone else do it for us.

We enjoyed to cruise very much except for thanksgiving dinner.

Sorry

Oh and I have to add, the offerings were worse than the time I made prime rib for Christmas dinner and when adding water to the Pyrex baking pan like I always had in the past, the pan shattered and made a big mess. Shut off the oven and drove to the local truck stop for dinner:)

I used to like to cruise during this time as I could take less time off of work to go.

The meal really isn't any different than the turkey they have during a normal sailing. They will have a pumpkin dessert. I have had pie and a pumpkin soufflé. A few years way back when they did pumpkin everything and I don't think it went over well:

https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2003/10/03/301284/46031/en/Giving-Thanks-Aboard-Princess-Ships.html

Princess' culinary team has designed this special theme menu that uses a Thanksgiving favorite in an entirely new way. Each dish features the traditional pumpkin -- but the style of presentation and preparation varies with each menu item. Main courses include the traditional slow-roasted Vermont turkey, served with pumpkin polenta; broiled filet of orange roughy with pumpkin risotto; center cut pork loin chop with pumpkin spaetzle; and grilled medallions of aged beef tenderloin with sauteed pumpkin rosti. In addition, appetizer, salad and dessert selections all feature pumpkin dishes, and "healthy choice" and vegetarian items are available as well.

The Thanksgiving display in the atrium is usually nicely done.

Let's take a closer look at this:

 

You decide to spend American Thanksgiving on a cruise ship flagged in a country that does not celebrate this uniquely and very American holiday.

 

The cruise line's Austrian Corporate V.P. Of Food and Beverage is asked to design a classic American Thanksgiving menu.

 

The ship's Croatian Director of Food And Beverage is told to make it nice.

 

The ship's German Executive Chef is assigned to supervise his Filipino Galley Brigade to prepare it.

 

Your Indonesian Dining Room waiter serves it to you in the dining room, on a cruise ship, in the middle of the sea somewhere in the tropics, next to a few thousand strangers from around the world.

 

I can't imagine why this special meal should feel, look, or taste any different than if it was being prepared by Aunt Mary, back on the farm in Ohio....................

Ya know what?

I enjoy the diverse people we meet at dinner and with the crew and those on land, I'm a believer that all men are created equal:)

It wasn't the crew, other guests or lack of family; they just plain don't know what's in a traditional thanksgiving meal I suppose. Like I said I enjoyed the cruise and if it had been a normal day the menu would be fine.

The turkey they serve for Thanksgiving is the same as normally offered one night on most Princess cruises ... but it was good and fun to have for Thanksgiving. :D:)

We've done several Thanksgiving cruises and were also on the Royal last year. We didn't bother with the turkey dinner as it never did much for us. We were on for the itinerary offered which happened to fall over the holiday period. I don't remember much of a big deal being made out of the holiday but we may have just been oblivious. Christmas/New Year's seem to be a much bigger deal.

Princess always has Turkey on the menu for Thanksgiving. If you could talk to a turkey he would tell you the Ham is way better!!! :):):)

The Captain of The Rowboat,

Tony

I can't imagine getting excited about Thanksgiving on a ship. You would likely get just as good a Thanksgiving dinner at the local old folks diner. I would order something other than turkey and I would bet the pumpkin pie is poor. No biggie. We have returned home from cruises a couple of days before thanksgiving twice now and enjoyed the full spread with family. The only down side to that is coming home from somewhere like Hawaii, or Mexico, or Bora Bora and then discovering that it's winter at home. GAH!!!

I did it a couple of years ago because I thought it would be a good idea. If you are a lover of Thanksgiving, it will be a letdown. There is no real big special feast or much special decor. There is football on the MUTS if that entices you at all.

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We did a r/t Hawaii cruise for Thanksgiving last year. You have turkey, pumpkin pie, booze and football served to you and then you sleep it off.

Life is what you make it.:beer-toast:

Thanks for all your responses. I don't really care what we have to eat. The best part is I don't have to cook , clean up or deal with family drama . ;)

Thanks for all your responses. I don't really care what we have to eat. The best part is I don't have to cook , clean up or deal with family drama . ;)

Amen! We have done several Thanksgiving cruises on other lines and will be on Princess for the holiday this year. I don't eat turkey, so that doesn't matter to me. My husband only had the turkey dinner on our first Thanksgiving cruise (Holland America, not impressed). Now, we tend to book a specialty restaurant for that day. For us, it is a very relaxing way to spend the holiday!

Thanks for all your responses. I don't really care what we have to eat. The best part is I don't have to cook , clean up or deal with family drama . ;)

+1

Sounds like a good plan to me. We're even doing x-mas and new years this year.

Thanks for all your responses. I don't really care what we have to eat. The best part is I don't have to cook , clean up or deal with family drama . ;)

We took the Emerald RT to Cabo last thanksgiving. We had a great time but would never do it again. I knew there would be a lot of children but was unpleasantly surprised by ....just.....how.....many....and what that meant.

We were able to get Sanctuary passes for the sea days and the adult pool did stay adult only so it all worked out. But anywhere else on the ship was simply not for us.

If you are one who enjoys the boundless and mostly unparented energy of 700 children then a short holiday cruise is ideal.

Thanks for all your responses. I don't really care what we have to eat. The best part is I don't have to cook , clean up or deal with family drama . ;)

Totally agree!!!!!!!!!

We took the Emerald RT to Cabo last thanksgiving. We had a great time but would never do it again. I knew there would be a lot of children but was unpleasantly surprised by ....just.....how.....many....and what that meant.

We were able to get Sanctuary passes for the sea days and the adult pool did stay adult only so it all worked out. But anywhere else on the ship was simply not for us.

 

If you are one who enjoys the boundless and mostly unparented energy of 700 children then a short holiday cruise is ideal.

It must have been a short cruise. We always do 10 days & never encountered anywhere near that many.

Our first Thanksgiving on a cruise was in 2004 on the Sapphire Princess and it was out of this world, but the food budget has obviously been significantly shrunk since then. Still, most of our Thanksgivings have been nice but not over the top, and we’ve spent them on Princess ships in the Caribbean, French Polynesia, and Europe.

However, last year, we were on the Golden Princess in New Zealand with a very small American population. I did not expect nor did I see much acknowledgement of the holiday at all, though turkey was a menu item and there was a small decoration in each dining room.

Lots of photos and menus here:

http://pescadoamarillo.blogspot.com/search/label/Thanksgiving

We are going to be on Princess this Thanksgiving. Anything special to look forward to?

I have to base it on 2 trips we did on Cunard at that time. I think Princess will offer Turkey & the trimmings. It will be good..but not as good as when you do it at home. Remember, you're doing it for your family & not several hundred, well, unless you've really got a large family!

I have to base it on 2 trips we did on Cunard at that time. I think Princess will offer Turkey & the trimmings. It will be good..but not as good as when you do it at home. Remember, you're doing it for your family & not several hundred, well, unless you've really got a large family!

They do a breast vs a whole turkey. Sometime the buffet will have a whole turkey.

I am one that will do anything to get out of cooking Thanksgiving meal so I didn't complain. Though one night it was on formal night and we all ordered beef or lobster instead.

They do a breast vs a whole turkey. Sometime the buffet will have a whole turkey.

 

I am one that will do anything to get out of cooking Thanksgiving meal so I didn't complain. Though one night it was on formal night and we all ordered beef or lobster instead.

On the Royal they recently had whole turkeys at least once each 10 days at the buffet. The DR also served turkey but I believe you were limited to only turkey breast.

Oh- BTW.... the pumpkin pie was once again absolutely terrible as usual. You would think they would learn after all these years. :(

On the Royal they recently had whole turkeys at least once each 10 days at the buffet. The DR also served turkey but I believe you were limited to only turkey breast.

Oh- BTW.... the pumpkin pie was once again absolutely terrible as usual. You would think they would learn after all these years. :(

Though I have liked their pumpkin creme brûlée. I don't know if they still serve that on Thanksgiving. We did 3 Thanksgiving cruises years ago.

I had Pumpkin Pie in the dining room for lunch in Alaska one year and I agree, it is not worth writing home about. I love everything pumpkin and was disappointed.

We are booked on a Thanksgiving cruise this year, and I am really looking forward to spending the time with family members. Our destination is a "bucket list" item, and we are all thrilled that we don't have to: stand in line at the supermarket to buy the food, haul it in the house, cook all the food, serve it, then do all the dishes afterwards. If they are offering turkey, or ham, or prime rib, we will be happy campers - or cruisers. Thanks, Princess ! :D