Chef's Table on Sapphire 2/03 (Long)

[FritzG]

If you get any kind of an explanation from Princess please post it here. I'd love to know what the problem was.

[woody73]

How disappointing.

 

Woody

[Seal]

Sorry you were disappoionted by your evening--we've done the chef's table 3 times all were great fun--we have been in the galley with waiters with full trays dodging us and visa versa--this last one on the Crown a few weeks ago was in the Anytime dining Room--so there was a reasonable amount of activity at 7:30 pm. This is not a gourmet--haute cuisine meal--it is great fun and I would do it every cruise if I could talk DH into it--Our food has ALWAYS been great--Have had the galley appetizers and champagne several times --also on the UST--

 

Please try it again--our last was great--they had a new item for the center of the table--it was like 3 trees with spears--on each spear was a fillet of beef on one tree--pork and veal on the other two trees--we were given one of each--even though just one rather than three would have been enough--that's the first time I've seen that presented.

 

Oh--I fell for the shoe story on the Star and bought a pair of closed toe shoes in Aruba that I threw away later--Inow pack black close toe shoes with open strappy heals--never said anything about closed heals--

 

On the UST there is not a prescribed shoe type--since they assume you'll wear closed shoes for whatever reason.

 

Nancy:D

[rdsqrl]

I'm sorry your experience was so underwhelming. I'll add to the general chorus here that my experience was nothing like yours and I think you definitely got a raw deal. I agree with those who've suggested a letter (with a copy of the photographs) be sent to Princess.

This is a reminder that the key to good customer service is communication. It does sound like there was some crisis unfolding in the galley but I think it would have behooved the chef or maitre d' to come clean and apologize. People are willing to forgive and forget mishaps and so forth if they're not deceived. "Ladies and gentlemen, the chef and his lover just had a fist-fight so he's sulking, the stove has exploded, and a rogue wave just took out our pastry chef. But we'll do the best we can in feeding you and here, let me fill your wine glass." See, how hard is that?

It's really easy for us Monday-morning quarterbacks to nod our heads sagely and say this should have been addressed on the ship, but to whom? If the maitre d' is the one to whom we appeal when dining goes awry, and in this case he seems to be part of the problem, it really is kind of a sticky situation. There are some things that talking about at the time can't really fix, and I think this is one of them. So, OP, I hope you do write that letter and do let us know what develops.

[bigjer]

It's really easy for us Monday-morning quarterbacks to nod our heads sagely and say this should have been addressed on the ship, but to whom? If the maitre d' is the one to whom we appeal when dining goes awry, and in this case he seems to be part of the problem, it really is kind of a sticky situation. There are some things that talking about at the time can't really fix, and I think this is one of them. So, OP, I hope you do write that letter and do let us know what develops.

 

We had a similar experience on the Royal Princess. We did a back to back cruise so we did the CT on each leg. The first one was outstanding. The second one was less than mediocre. I couldn't believe that this was on the same ship and the same chef and the same maitre d'. The next night our waiter asked us how the Chef's Table was and we told him how diappointed we were. It took all of 5 seconds for the Head Waiter to come over and ask what the problem was with the CT. We told him how ordinary it was and that we could have gotten the same food in the MDR. He came back a while later and said they would refund one of the surcharges. With all the wine and the cookbook, we thought that was acceptable. As we left the dining room the Maitre d' blamed the chef for his menu, but the service was lacking also, which was under the Maitre d's control. After we left the dining room, the chef caught up with us and apologized and invited us to the Sterling Steakhouse and said he would cook for us. We declined as we felt that everything was taken care of. I know this was a small ship so don't think the same outcome would happen on one of the big ships. This was our 5th CT, so we did know what to expect.

 

It would have been best to address the situation on the ship, not after you get off. As we found out, situations can be resolved when one is dissastified for a good reason.

 

There is no excuse for a less that exceptional Chef's Table. Our Chef knew it was less than stellar.

[Aqua's Mom]

I'll let you know if and what I hear from Princess.

 

A little hard to handle at the time when the waiter, Mater d' and Chef are all part of the issue. Especially after the closing mini-lecture on how anything less than an "excellent" rating for food and beverage was unacceptable. We did mention to our MDR waiter the next evening that the CT was just OK. No reaction from him.

 

I don't want or expect any compensation. I just wanted to let other folks for whom $150 is a big chunk of change know that all Chef Table experiences are not the same.

 

As a closing comment, any cruise with my love of 40 years is a wonderful experience. One meal can't change that.

[Colo Cruiser]

I'll let you know if and what I hear from Princess.

 

A little hard to handle at the time when the waiter' date=' Mater d' and Chef are all part of the issue. Especially after the closing mini-lecture on how anything less than an "excellent" rating for food and beverage was unacceptable. We did mention to our MDR waiter the next evening that the CT was just OK. No reaction from him.

 

I don't want or expect any compensation. I just wanted to let other folks for whom $150 is a big chunk of change know that all Chef Table experiences are not the same.

 

As a closing comment, any cruise with my love of 40 years is a wonderful experience. One meal can't change that.[/quote']

 

They need to hear about the experience while onboard not weeks later.

How else will they fix things if they have to wait for the watered down memo from Corporate well after several more cruises have been completed?

[Av8tor]

We were at the CT with Aqua'sMom on the Sapphire and agree with her description. It was NO WAY near as good as the first one we attended on Ruby a year ago. The food was only OK and the Maitre'd and Chef were not as personable as Ruby's Generoso and her Chef. AM's tale of the "disappearing" Chef was accurate, but not complete...the Maitre'd and the Sommelier also disappeared and never returned to the table. We were also disappointed and will definately check with CCers about ship specific CTs before we pay to attend another one. I guess some Maitre'd Hotels and Chefs just have different ideas about the quality and quantity of food to showcase as well as the ambience and level of service for the event.

 

I, too, was put off by the CT waiter's comment telling us that on the survey nothing less than excellent was acceptable. We heard the same comment from our MDR waiter. Trust me, they didn't earn an excellent and they weren't rated as such!

[Working 2 Cruise]

We were at the CT with Aqua'sMom on the Sapphire and agree with her description. It was NO WAY near as good as the first one we attended on Ruby a year ago. The food was only OK and the Maitre'd and Chef were not as personable as Ruby's Generoso and her Chef. AM's tale of the "disappearing" Chef was accurate, but not complete...the Maitre'd and the Sommelier also disappeared and never returned to the table. We were also disappointed and will definately check with CCers about ship specific CTs before we pay to attend another one. I guess some Maitre'd Hotels and Chefs just have different ideas about the quality and quantity of food to showcase as well as the ambience and level of service for the event.

 

I, too, was put off by the CT waiter's comment telling us that on the survey nothing less than excellent was acceptable. We heard the same comment from our MDR waiter. Trust me, they didn't earn an excellent and they weren't rated as such!

 

I have a choice between the chef's table and the ultimate balcony dinner... Since I am sailing in about two months, I guess I'd better do the ultimate balcony dinner! Thanks for letting everyone know! That is too bad! :mad:

[CaliPhil]

Any updates? My Wife and I were really looking forward to doing the Chef's Table on our upcoming Sapphire Cruise the week of 3/27. Hoping the problem may have been resolved and/or you received a response. Any more recent Chef's Table experiences on the Sapphire?

 

Thanks!

[Aqua's Mom]

Didn't expect to hear this quick. Unless you hear from someone who has a great meal, or the chef changes, just know what you are/aren't getting.

[kymbakitty]

It would have been downhill for us from the moment they brought out the Tartar. Yuck! I don't understand why they'd be serving raw meat. Guess we're not as much into fancy fare as some. My husband just muttered something about being too busy to cook the meat. For me, any red and I lose the appetite. I probably sound like a real hick from Texas, but I mentioning this to determine if this is the norm at the Chef's table.

 

Sorry, to hear about the disappointment. I suspect the Chef had something unfortunate happen in the Galley, but that doesn't excuse them. Sounds like you can get four dinners in cover charge heaven for the price of one in the Chef's table.

 

Interesting picture of the plate racks in the Galley. Looks to me like there's no room to put the covers on the plates. They must do that right before they're hauled off to the MDR.

 

Your Chef Table Experience is definitely worth a letter to headquarters.

 

We are from California and my husband likes everything well done. In nearly 20 years together, there has been MAYBE a dozen times he hasn't overcooked pork/turkey loin/chicken and the ocassional steak--to death. That's just how he is....so this would be a real issue for him. He is also allergic to shellfish...so add that to him enjoying everything well done.

 

I'm thinking that we may skip this....there are so many things that a chef would consider a ruined entree if it were cooked the way my husband enjoys his protein...

 

I think we'll have to talk to someone once onboard to see if there will be an issue with anything "raw" or how difficult it will be to serve him an entire "x" course meal with no shellfish.

 

I'm afraid to even look at the pictures of the OP's dinner experience.

 

Dawn

[Northender]

Dawn, if you get picked for the CT, they will "interview" you beforehand. Perhaps you could bring up DH's well done appetite.:)

 

Personally, if we make it on our next cruise, I won't be eating the tartare either, but plenty of other stuff to go around.:)

 

Maybe at the interview, you could ask what the menu will be and can then opt out if not to your liking.;)

[abqmommyof4]

they do ask about allergies as well during the interview. I have a n allergy to tomatoes and was afraid it would count us out. (its not life threatening, just makes me \very itchy if i eat them)

[Chesie]

Sorry you had a bad experience. What a let down. Your pics show average looking food and presentation. Obviously, the chef and his staff did not take pride in their work. I have heard nothing but rave reviews on cc about the CT and was thinking of surprising my DH for his BD on board in May. Guess I'll need to spend the $150 somewhere else!

[abbydancer2003]

We just got off the Star, and did the chef's table there. We enjoyed it.

 

Some comments on the various posts.

 

Our veal plate looked somewhat like yours. It was very good, and the chef was there flaming the jus or something.

 

For dessert, we got an almond parfait - it was served in the same free form sugar bowl that others had. It was wonderful.

 

Our first course was a seafood risotto. One of our table mates is allergic to shrimp, so she had a starter from the regular menu. It was actually very good.

 

The cheese course was a Camembert with a marmalade I think (I don't remember exactly), but it was really good - not simply a cheese course.

 

We didn't have an interview. When we added our name to the list they asked about allergies, but there was never an interview with the maitre'd.

 

When we were in the kitchen it was a little busy. Since the kitchen goes with the anytime dining room, maybe what you see depends. They were serving Yorkshire pudding on the regular menu, and since it's one of my favorite things, I asked if they would add that to my meal. And they did. Somebody walking by might think it's just that the chef's table is serving the regular menu, but that's not the case.

 

Finally, beef tartare is seasoned raw ground beef. Some people like that. Our table featured that as an appetizer and I had it. It was good.

[Ando]

So sorry to hear of your experience. The entree looked terrible and the desert average compared to our experiences with CT. If you sail on a different ship I would recommend giving it another try :)

[knittinggirl]

I, too, was put off by the CT waiter's comment telling us that on the survey nothing less than excellent was acceptable. We heard the same comment from our MDR waiter. Trust me, they didn't earn an excellent and they weren't rated as such!

 

I don't think the waiters should be telling you that less than excellent is unacceptable. It's an invitation to grade lower, especially with his non-help regarding the Chef's Table experience. But it's a good idea to chase down the Head Waiter to make sure they get the word. I wouldn't have thought of that. I'm unclear on the job description of the head waiter, but I suspect one of their duties is to fix problems.

 

This should have been taken care of on board.

 

Sometimes it's really hard to get satisfaction. On RCI, I've found the guest relations desk very inconsistent. On our next cruise, I'm making sure I take along something to take notes and get their names.

[Shogun]

Hi There,

 

Having been lucky to do three tables two on the same ship,

 

my view is everything depends on the relationship between MD and the chef,

 

I have had an excellant evening where the MD took the time to find out what we liked what we did not, every course the chef had an extra for those who said they did not like some thing, on the menu.

 

The things we said we liked had extra helpings, on stand by.

 

They both spent a lot of time chatting to us because they had done these extras, they asked if we liked the extra lobster, or the none cheese dish etc.

 

Another table the meal came some things we passsed on some things

we realy liked , never saw much of the chef.

 

Another went on for about 4 hours we chatted for ages in the kitchens,

 

how both MD and chef got into there line of work, what dishes they liked etc, we were taken to the different food stations to see how they work,

 

how the waiters organise there note taking etc.

 

Would I do a table again yes, but I now know what to ask for.

 

 

 

yours Shogun

[Aqua's Mom]

I hate to mention it, but we didn't have an interview, either. Just a phone call telling us the date and time and asking if there were any food allergies.

[cruz chic]

I too did the master chefs dinner on the Sapphire on Feb.17,2010. I was underwhelmed by it. My experience was very similiar to the OP. We didn't even see any seafood in our dinner. The risotto was mushroom and was ok...but no lobster. Some of the meat I had was overcooked. I was really excited to do this and didn't feel it was worth the $75. I've eaten at Sabitini's before and was way more impressed with that. I did note it on my comment card but didn't say anything other then that. I thought that it was just me because everyone else seemed to be fine with it. Glad the OP felt the same way.

[cruz chic]

I hate to mention it' date=' but we didn't have an interview, either. Just a phone call telling us the date and time and asking if there were any food allergies.[/quote']

You are lucky. I was beginning to think I was trying to get a job rather then trying to get to a dinner. It was a bit much IMO.

[Av8tor]

I don't think the waiters should be telling you that less than excellent is unacceptable. It's an invitation to grade lower, especially with his non-help regarding the Chef's Table experience. But it's a good idea to chase down the Head Waiter to make sure they get the word. I wouldn't have thought of that. I'm unclear on the job description of the head waiter, but I suspect one of their duties is to fix problems.

 

Just the fact that both the CT waiter and our MDR waiter used the same terminology verbatum ("nothing less than an Excellent is acceptable") made me think that they were told that same thing by their head waiters so what good would it do to speak to those same head waiters?

 

I think it's just an example of onboard "managers" trying to get/keep their survey ratings up.

[yellow vw]

In Jan we sailed 11 days on the Grand (Southern Caribbean), 7 days on the Oasis and 7 on the Crown. I heard about the Chef's table on CC. We signed up for it on each of the 3 cruises. We loved all of them. Rating them we thought the Grand was best, the Crown was next and the Oasis came in last. Now we really loved the cruise on the Oasis (we are Elite on Princess) but they didn't make us feel it was as special an event as Princess did. However, I can't wait to do it again on any ship. However, I won't pay $20 or $25 to eat in a special restaurant. I have done that and didn't feel it was worth it.

Sandy

[critterchick]

We did the Chef's table in December and I thought that they went for quantity over quality. We had a mushroom risotto that was easily 4 servings on each plate. We also had the sorbet with cracked pepper, then an ordinary salad. The entree was veal and beef - by then I was too full to take more than a couple of bites of each, and I wasn't impressed - the beef was overcooked (unless you're a Texas hick;)) and I thought that veal was a bad choice just considering how many people don't eat it. I thought the gorgonzola on toast was far too complicated - it also had a balsamic vinegar, as I recall. Oddly enough, DH, who doesn't even like cheese, enjoyed it more than I did. I don't even remember what the dessert was.

 

I was more disappointed in the wines than in the food. The champagne in the galley was nice, but the wines at the table were just of middling quality (I can't remember what they were but they weren't at all special). There was no sign of the sommelier, either. The "we had a hard time picking wines because the menu is a surprise" was a stupid thing to say - the menu was on the table when we got there, and if it had really been a surprise they could have gotten something else.

 

I thought the service was very good, though. Both the Maitre d' and chef were in the serving area for most of the dinner. We had an interview, which was ridiculous - everybody for both tables was told to report to the dining room where the Maitre d' was mostly concerned about writing down our card numbers than anything else. Whoever was at the end of the process had to wait an hour.

 

If I had to choose I would pick the balcony dinner over the CT. The service was impeccable, the wine was our own and the food was delicious.