Is Sterling's Steak House Worth It?

[Terre]

DH and I will be on the Star in a few weeks and have talked about going to Sterling's Steak House one night. What can you tell me about it? Is it worth the money? Is any one night better than another? How is tipping handled?:D

[mhcruisers]

It is absolutely worth it! We went on the Caribbean Princess in February and thought it was better than Manny's! It is "all inclusive", so for $15 cover charge, you order as much as you'd like from the menu (I believe alcoholic beverages were not included). I suggest you reserve your night and table as soon as you board the ship. Tried to go a second night, but they were all booked up.

 

Pat

[new18]

My boyfriend and i just went to sterlings this past week on the caribbean princess and lOVED it. We both thought the menu was incredible. We live in nyc so are used to pricey dinners, but we considered this a deal! Just be prepared to walk out stuffed!

 

P.S. we made reservations the second day of our cruise for the following Wednesday.

[ripleysmom]

Just got back from the Diamond Princess and I do not think that the Sterling was worth it. The steak that I ordered in the dining room was better than the one I received in the Sterling.

 

 

I am a NY strip girl so that is what I ordered and what they serve in the dining rooms. If you like Ribeye, Filet or Porterhouse you may feel differently but if you like NY strip and that is what you are going to order then don't bother with the Sterling.

[DeltaOne]

DH and I will be on the Star in a few weeks and have talked about going to Sterling's Steak House one night. What can you tell me about it? Is it worth the money? Is any one night better than another? How is tipping handled?:D

It's definitely worth the money. Get the filet migon, of all the cuts ordered at our table it was absolutely the best.

[Terre]

Thanks, everyone!:D

[Druke I]

We went to Sterling Steakhouse, on Pacific Princess (new), 11-03, and thought it very good.

 

I had a petite filet, it was cooked to my specs, and was delicious. My wife had prime rib, carved at a trolley at the table, and it also was very good.

[Coolmama_1]

Good to know that it is worth it. I am traveling with 2 other couples that have the mindset that dinner in the dining room is already paid for, so why shell out for dinner. However.... they all love a good steak!

[MikeinSA]

We had dinner at Sterlings on the Grand Princess last December and agree with most here that it was very very good, especially the fillet. Our steak was nearly as good as Ruth Chris or Morten's. Well worth the surcharge.

[sunluva7]

We did Sterlings on the 8/6/05 CB and to be perfectly honest, no, I don't think it was worth the extra $15.00. The food and steak were great, but the ambiance and decor of the restaurant was nothing special. Next time, I will try Sabatini's.

[Coral]

I have been 2x - once on the Star and the other time on the Sun Princess (cost was $8 back then on the Sun).

 

I am from beef country (Nebraska) and am pretty picky about beef. On both cruises - the beef was very good. We ordered the filet and the rib steak on both and both were excellent. I was not too thrilled with the rest of the menu or the decor (prefer decor on Chops on RCCL) but our service was excellent on both and the food was much better then the beef in the dining room.

 

I did have a somewhat issue when the price was raised to $15. I could easily justify $8 but had issues with $15 but am glad I went.

[Lillykat]

The decor is eh - ok - but the fillet mignon that I had was excellent. Much better than the meat I ate in the dining room. It was certainly as good as some I have had in some of the better restaurants in NYC. Now whether it is worth it depends on a few things. I think a lot has to do with what you order. I agree if you want a NY strip I wouldn't bother - but if you want say a fillet or porterhouse it is probably worth trying once.

 

We liked enjoyed out meal because we were given a nice corner table with no one right around us. So it was a much more quiet and relaxing meal than we had in the dining room (keep in mind we enjoyed the Palm - but nothing beats a quiet peaceful dinner).

 

I would say give it a one time try - just be mindful of what you order.

[cruzinchris]

DH and I generally go to an alternative restaurant on "opening night" because the sailaway menu is lackluster. Also, we can usually walk right into Sterling's, Sabatini's, etc. because most passengers tend to go to the dining rooms on the first night.

 

The quality of the filet mignon was every bit as good as Ruth's Chris, but we thought the rest of the meal was nothing special. The service was very attentive and personable; actually, we were quite pampered as the only diners for the first hour that we were there (6:00).

Bon Appetit!

Chris

[Pam in CA]

We went to the Sterling Steakhouse on the Royal Princess and I thought it was great. The service was excellent -- very personal and attentive, kind of like what all dining used to be on Princess; the onion soup was to die for -- almost a meal in itself, served in scooped-out bread; and the petit filet was so tender I could cut it with my fork. It really made me a fan of the Sterling Steakhouse and I plan to go again on every Princess cruise.

[Terre]

Thanks everyone for the great input!

 

Question for Chris: you said

DH and I generally go to an alternative restaurant on "opening night" because the sailaway menu is lackluster. Also, we can usually walk right into Sterling's, Sabatini's, etc. because most passengers tend to go to the dining rooms on the first night.

 

So, you didn't make reservations for the first night...just walked in and got a table? This is a great tip, I didn't even consider that most people wouldn't eat there on the first night! Thanks again for the info.

 

One question -- how is tipping handled there? Is it put automatically on your card?

[Froggy615]

I just printed out the dining options for the Sapphire Princess and it is showing this restaurant as a free charge restaurant....does it vary from ship to ship??? Thanks

[emmysmom]

You now have to pay for Sterling on the Diamond and the Sapphire. The old Sterlings has been changed to the Savoy Dining room. The new Sterling on these two ships is now at the back of the Horizon Court.

We ate at the Sterling on the Diamond - it was okay - don't think it was worth the extra money. The filet mignon (had a fancy name that I can't remember) that I had in the Savoy was much better than in the Sterling. Our waiter, Jacob, in the Sterling was excellent though! :)

[serene56]

Good to know that it is worth it. I am traveling with 2 other couples that have the mindset that dinner in the dining room is already paid for, so why shell out for dinner.!

 

thats exactly what the SO said every cruise. I was able to talk him into it on our last carnival cruise because I prepaid it by buying gift certificates which I gave to him stating that it was for the supper club., Now he kicks himself for wasting the other cruises. Sure the food in the dining room is paid for but the ambiance is a lot nice in the specialty places. I can not wait to try the one on the Caribbean Princess.

[mikey1958]

Are you sailing on the Transatlantic Star sailing in a couple of weeks? If so we'll be aboard that sailing as well, and we'd hoped to eat dinner at Sterling from all the good reviews we've read on cruise critic.

[sunprincess]

Terre,

 

On the Star Tequilas is the Sterling Steak House. I just returned from an awesome Baltic cruise on the Star. Had 5 meals in Tequilas. The steaks are excellent. The rib eye was my favorite. The filet is also quite good.

Say hello to Douw if you go. He is a very dear friend. He'll be at the door to greet you.

 

Enjoy your cruise :)

 

Cathy

[cruiserforlife]

I hate to disagree but I found Sterling's not worth the extra money.Sabatini's may be a better choice IMHO.

[cactusrose]

Are you sailing on the Transatlantic Star sailing in a couple of weeks? If so we'll be aboard that sailing as well, and we'd hoped to eat dinner at Sterling from all the good reviews we've read on cruise critic.

 

Hey Mickey1958, you should join our roll call for this cruise. Just click on the red Roll Call link next to the cruise in my signature line. If nothing else, take a look at some of the postings.

[Coral]

I hate to disagree but I found Sterling's not worth the extra money.Sabatini's may be a better choice IMHO.

 

It may be one of those times in which you visited during a bad night or the ship received lesser quality beef that week. Like any restaurant, you can go to the same restaurant and order the same thing and one time may be much better then another time.

 

We receive excellent steak where I live (butchered miles from my house) - and I thought the 2 nights I went to Sterlings (2 years apart from each other) the steak was very good.

[CruiseFever]

We too have had excellent meals at Sterlings. I've heard others compare it to Ruth Chris steakhouse. I've not been there but I know I'd sure go back to Sterlings again...and we used to live in a neighboring state to Corals so we know beef! :)

[SPI_Rick]

We've eaten on the Tequila's/Sterling's Steakhouse on the Star and thought it was very nice. If you plan to try it, you may want to call and make your reservations for your preferred night on your first day on the ship. It sometimes fills up later in the cruise as word gets out to the rest of the passengers.

 

Mikey1958, as CactusRose said, please join us on the Star Princess Transatlantic Roll Call at:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=58998

 

....you too Terre, if that will be your cruise.