Food can it get any more boring?

[lahore]

It is impossible to pay Princess' prices and get Oceania's or Crystal's food. .

 

Unfortunately that's the case and we needed to adjust our expectations in a huge way recently. We just came back from our first Princess cruise after several on Oceania and Seabourne and we were horrified at the food, I just don't have words for how truly awful we thought it was.

 

I'm surprised people say they never had a bad meal on Princess because in 12 days on Dawn Princess we didn't have one good one. it was disgusting food. Depressingly bad, and we had 6 sea days so we had to put up with it. We have another cruise on Princess coming up but it's port-intensive and in Northern Japan so thank heavens we can eat ashore and bring decent food back on board.

Edited June 17, 2015 by lahore

[lahore]

I really don't understand how the menu is boring. There are SO MANY options...homestyle comfort foods, ethnic dishes from everywhere, vegetarian, etc. How...can...the..food...be boring...

 

I don't get it.

 

The 'ethnic' dishes are diabolical. The 'curry' I had recently on Dawn Princess consisted of unidentifiable vegetables, overcooked, diced, and NO spice whatsoever. It look like someone had eaten it before. :mad:

Edited June 17, 2015 by lahore

[GUT2407]

1. Food is subjective

 

2. Anyone who expects gourmet food on a ship that has to carry every ingredient with them and feed 3,500+ people 3 times a day plus snacks is deluding themselves.

[lahore]

It's much better than Denny's.

 

That's NOT a good recommendation. I don't know, I've never been to a Denny's but they look like McDonalds.

[lahore]

1. Food is subjective

 

2. Anyone who expects gourmet food on a ship that has to carry every ingredient with them and feed 3,500+ people 3 times a day plus snacks is deluding themselves.

 

1. Yes, it clearly is subjective. That doesn't mean that people can't have an opinion though - in fact it means that they can, but should not try to convince others that they are 'right'. I know others loved the food on Dawn Princess, I despised it. That is what it is.

 

2. Yes, I have now readjusted my expectations. I recognise that my expectations of Princess were unrealistic. Consequently our upcoming cruise will see me eating ashore and bringing food onboard.

[GUT2407]

That's NOT a good recommendation. I don't know, I've never been to a Denny's but they look like McDonalds.

 

 

Sometimes I think it would be a good idea if some ships added a McDonalds or Burger King or KFC.

 

It must be so difficult to produce meals that will suit everyone on the ship.

 

Some like it spicy some not so. To me a curry that doesn't have tears running down my face isn't a real curry, others would hate it like that.

 

I'd love a good roast and three veg others find that boring.

 

Many love Escargot I say yuck.

[Working 2 Cruise]

Lehore, you must be a five star Michelin chef? Try cooking for 3,000 people, 3 times a day.

 

I sincerely hope that you have an extra large bank account because you won't be happy on any of the mainstream lines.

 

In the meantime, us peons, will continue to enjoy sailing with Princess and, yes, I do enjoy it's food, it's sometimes great but generally good to great, depending on the chef.

[shredie]

Lehore, you must be a five star Michelin chef? Try cooking for 3,000 people, 3 times a day.

 

 

I think the name is La Hore, and I think she is just stirring up controversy for the LOLZ of it. There's a word for that, I think. ;)

[Colo Cruiser]

Unfortunately that's the case and we needed to adjust our expectations in a huge way recently. We just came back from our first Princess cruise after several on Oceania and Seabourne and we were horrified at the food, I just don't have words for how truly awful we thought it was.

 

I'm surprised people say they never had a bad meal on Princess because in 12 days on Dawn Princess we didn't have one good one. it was disgusting food. Depressingly bad, and we had 6 sea days so we had to put up with it. We have another cruise on Princess coming up but it's port-intensive and in Northern Japan so thank heavens we can eat ashore and bring decent food back on board.

 

 

 

Horrified??? Really???

[lahore]

I think the name is La Hore, and I think she is just stirring up controversy for the LOLZ of it. There's a word for that, I think. ;)

 

It's Lahore, clearly. And if having a different opinion to the majority is 'stirring up controversy' then I don't understand. Are we all sheep that we must agree on everything?

[lahore]

Lehore, you must be a five star Michelin chef? Try cooking for 3,000 people, 3 times a day.

 

I sincerely hope that you have an extra large bank account because you won't be happy on any of the mainstream lines.

 

In the meantime, us peons, will continue to enjoy sailing with Princess and, yes, I do enjoy it's food, it's sometimes great but generally good to great, depending on the chef.

 

1. Clearly not, they only go up to three. But I do appreciate good food. it doesn't even have to be in posh surroundings. It just has to be tasty and well cooked. A $2 street cart in Asia can be good food (and usually is).

 

2. I don't get paid to cook for thousands of people a day, the 'executive chef' on a cruise ship does. Read my post above though about adjusted expectations

 

Clearly I won't be happy on any of the mainstream lines if that is what they think is passable food. Also as I said above - as I have to go on at least one more Princess in future I'll eat ashore and bring food aboard.

Edited June 17, 2015 by lahore

[kruisey]

Unfortunately that's the case and we needed to adjust our expectations in a huge way recently. We just came back from our first Princess cruise after several on Oceania and Seabourne and we were horrified at the food, I just don't have words for how truly awful we thought it was.

 

I'm surprised people say they never had a bad meal on Princess because in 12 days on Dawn Princess we didn't have one good one. it was disgusting food. Depressingly bad, and we had 6 sea days so we had to put up with it. We have another cruise on Princess coming up but it's port-intensive and in Northern Japan so thank heavens we can eat ashore and bring decent food back on board.

You are comparing Princess with Luxury Cruises liners now when you talk about food...That is most unfair of you:(

[lahore]

You are comparing Princess with Luxury Cruises liners now when you talk about food...That is most unfair of you:(

 

Yes, you're right. I just didn't realise how far below those lines the standard on Princess is. Now, having had my induction into Princess, I do and I'll adjust my expectations accordingly.

Edited June 17, 2015 by lahore

[Working 2 Cruise]

I think the name is La Hore, and I think she is just stirring up controversy for the LOLZ of it. There's a word for that, I think. ;)

 

No, I think she's serious. She couldn't find one decent thing to eat three the whole cruise!

[lahore]

No, I think she's serious. She couldn't find one decent thing to eat three the whole cruise!

 

I am serious, and that's not true. The bread rolls were crusty on the outside and soft on the inside, quite nice. And the Idaho potatoes that ran out on the second day were good.

 

Apart from that....no, didn't really find anything that I'd voluntarily go back for.

[lahore]

I recognise that, in the main, I'm dealing with Princess fans here - but is it really necessary to agree with you? Why is it such a problem that I have a different opinion to the majority (but clearly am not alone)? I find it ironic that critique appears to be verboten on a website called 'Cruise CRITIC'.

[Skai]

1. Yes, it clearly is subjective. That doesn't mean that people can't have an opinion though - in fact it means that they can, but should not try to convince others that they are 'right'. I know others loved the food on Dawn Princess, I despised it. That is what it is.

 

2. Yes, I have now readjusted my expectations. I recognise that my expectations of Princess were unrealistic. Consequently our upcoming cruise will see me eating ashore and bringing food onboard.

 

With all due respect.....What were your expectations? A dinner meal for two comparable to a $100-$150 USD($130-$195 AUD) meal in a restaurant where you live?

 

You chose to sail on a mainstream line, where the meals are more of the Applebees, Olive Garden, Bennigans, Marie Callendars, Golden Corral etc. variety or akin to a $30-$50 USD($40-65 AUD) meal.

 

I've had some good meals on Princess, and I've also had some so-so ones as well. It can be hit-or-miss in the MDR. It certainly isn't inedible(well except for the hockey-puck hashbrowns served in the Horizon Court for breakfast), but it's also not akin to eating in a fine dining restaurant either.

 

I don't really cruise for the food though. If I did, I would probably select a 'luxury' line to sail on, however, I wouldn't be able to get to cruise as often.

 

I suppose having sailed on Oceania and Seabourn -- where more attention is directed towards the quality of food provided -- sailing on a more mainstream line might be considered a bit of a shock from what one may be familiar with.

 

May I ask you how much you paid for your fare compared to the fares charged by those other 'luxury' lines for similar cabin accomodations and itineraries?

[lahore]

With all due respect.....What were your expectations? A dinner meal for two comparable to a $100-$150 USD($130-$195 AUD) meal in a restaurant where you live?

 

You chose to sail on a mainstream line, where the meals are more of the Applebees, Olive Garden, Bennigans, Marie Callendars, Golden Corral etc. variety or akin to a $30-$50 USD($40-65 AUD) meal.

 

I've had some good meals on Princess, and I've also had some so-so ones as well. It can be hit-or-miss in the MDR. It certainly isn't inedible(well except for the hockey-puck hashbrowns served in the Horizon Court for breakfast), but it's also not akin to eating in a fine dining restaurant either.

 

I don't really cruise for the food though. If I did, I would probably select a 'luxury' line to sail on, however, I wouldn't be able to get to cruise as often.

 

I suppose having sailed on Oceania and Seabourn -- where more attention is directed towards the quality of food provided -- sailing on a more mainstream line might be considered a bit of a shock from what one may be familiar with.

 

May I ask you how much you paid for your fare compared to the fares charged by those other 'luxury' lines for similar cabin accomodations and itineraries?

 

Hi Skai

 

As I have repeatedly said in this discussion this afternoon, some of you have a valid argument - in fact my first post said that I now recognise that my expectations of Princess were too high (way too high).

 

As i also said above, I am in sublime happiness eating a $2 meal from a street cart in the gutter in Penang when the food is tasty, fresh and well cooked. I am no snob in terms of surroundings - but bad food served in a 'formal' dining room doesn't make it good food...it actually makes it a joke IMO.

 

Ultimately you get what you pay for. I re-learned that recently on my first Princess cruise. My partner and I reflected then that with 20/20 hindsight we'd rather go on (e.g.) Oceania for our cruise experience once every couple of years than Princess twice a year. That's what we'll do in future.

 

Notwithstanding that, I still agree with some others on this thread that Princess food leaves a huge amount to be desired. There may be reasons (e.g., cost) but that still doesn't mean that I liked it or would ever like it.

Edited June 17, 2015 by lahore

[Colo Cruiser]

I recognise that, in the main, I'm dealing with Princess fans here - but is it really necessary to agree with you? Why is it such a problem that I have a different opinion to the majority (but clearly am not alone)? I find it ironic that critique appears to be verboten on a website called 'Cruise CRITIC'.

 

 

 

The last thing I would do is ask you to agree with me when you hated the food on your cruise........but horrifying??

[lahore]

The last thing I would do is ask you to agree with me when you hated the food on your cruise........but horrifying??

 

Well choice of words is always a bit subjective too, but yes I was horrified that so MUCH of it was, shall we say, not to my taste.

[Skai]

Hi Skai

 

As I have repeatedly said in this discussion this afternoon, some of you have a valid argument - in fact my first post said that I now recognise that my expectations of Princess were too high (way too high).

 

As i also said above, I am in sublime happiness eating a $2 meal from a street cart in the gutter in Penang when the food is tasty, fresh and well cooked. I am no snob in terms of surroundings - but bad food served in a 'formal' dining room doesn't make it good food...it actually makes it a joke IMO.

 

Ultimately you get what you pay for. I lre-earned that recently on my first Princess cruise. My partner and I said then that we'd rather go on Oceania once every couple of years than Princess twice a year. That's what we'll do in future.

 

Notwithstanding that, I still agree with some others on this thread that Princess food leaves a huge amount to be desired. There may be reasons (e.g., cost) but that still doesn't mean that I liked it or would ever like it.

 

Oh, I get your point here.

 

The absolute reality is that as the mainstream lines have been building bigger boats designed to squeeze as many pax as possible, the attention to quality has gradually gone to the wayside.

 

It's just not really possible to serve better than 'banquet style' food for the masses on ships carrying 3000+ pax. Now, I'm younger and fairly new to cruising (relatively to some on here,) but I'm well aware that the days of the 'White Star' lines style of cruising on mainstream lines are long past.

 

With that stated, some of my best meals sailing on Princess were on the 650 pax Royal Princess(R-Class) - which is no longer in the Princess fleet.

 

I've just accepted that while the presentation is set up to give the appearance of fine dining, it certainly is not. However, I do feel that the service is generally pretty good on Princess. It's timely, efficient and friendly.

 

After a few sailings on Princess (where the dining experience on some ships were better than others), I've learned a few things.

 

I know not to order a steak from the MDR, because chances are it will usually be rather tough and kind of gamey. If I want a decent steak, I'll opt for the Sterling Steakhouse or Crown Grill specialty restaurant.

 

I also find the baked desserts in the MDR to be a little bleh, but the ice cream and sorbets can be nice.

 

Without going into too much detail, I guess my point is that there is plenty of variety on board to find something decent to eat. I often make myself a nice salad from the bar in the buffet for example. The pizza (either Prego or Alfredo's) isn't that bad either.

 

I haven't sailed on the Dawn Princess, so I'm unable to compare experiences. So, with the understanding that Princess is fairly consistent across ships, it's unfortunate that you had such a negative experience. But as you stated, now you know what to expect, so you'll be better prepared for your upcoming Princess sailing.

[lahore]

Oh, I get your point here.

 

The absolute reality is that as the mainstream lines have been building bigger boats designed to squeeze as many pax as possible, the attention to quality has gradually gone to the wayside.

 

It's just not really possible to serve better than 'banquet style' food for the masses on ships carrying 3000+ pax. Now, I'm younger and fairly new to cruising (relatively to some on here,) but I'm well aware that the days of the 'White Star' lines style of cruising on mainstream lines are long past.

 

With that stated, some of my best meals sailing on Princess were on the 650 pax Royal Princess(R-Class) - which is no longer in the Princess fleet.

 

I've just accepted that while the presentation is set up to give the appearance of fine dining, it certainly is not. However, I do feel that the service is generally pretty good on Princess. It's timely, efficient and friendly.

 

After a few sailings on Princess (where the dining experience on some ships were better than others), I've learned a few things.

 

I know not to order a steak from the MDR, because chances are it will usually be rather tough and kind of gamey. If I want a decent steak, I'll opt for the Sterling Steakhouse or Crown Grill specialty restaurant.

 

I also find the baked desserts in the MDR to be a little bleh, but the ice cream and sorbets can be nice.

 

Without going into too much detail, I guess my point is that there is plenty of variety on board to find something decent to eat. I often make myself a nice salad from the bar in the buffet for example. The pizza (either Prego or Alfredo's) isn't that bad either.

 

I haven't sailed on the Dawn Princess, so I'm unable to compare experiences. So, with the understanding that Princess is fairly consistent across ships, it's unfortunate that you had such a negative experience. But as you stated, now you know what to expect, so you'll be better prepared for your upcoming Princess sailing.

 

Yay, we've found points of agreement. Lots of them: service was fine, agree about the steaks completely and the mignon I had in the speciality was fine, unfortunately my partner's T bone was very fatty. Yes I forgot about the sorbets which were good. In fact, hehe, there was one night where I was tempted to go to the MDR just to have the Limoncello sorbet as it was the only thing that appealed to me, but I just couldn't be bothered in the end (sad but true). And like you, I often just had a salad and bread roll in Horizons as it was the best option for me. And yes again, the pizza was OK and we had that three times, but you know, we didn't want to come back and have a heart attack :D

 

Ah well, we live and learn. I'm still looking forward to Japan with my freshly adjusted expectations.

[GUT2407]

Oh, I get your point here.

 

The absolute reality is that as the mainstream lines have been building bigger boats designed to squeeze as many pax as possible, the attention to quality has gradually gone to the wayside.

 

It's just not really possible to serve better than 'banquet style' food for the masses on ships carrying 3000+ pax. Now, I'm younger and fairly new to cruising (relatively to some on here,) but I'm well aware that the days of the 'White Star' lines style of cruising on mainstream lines are long past.

 

With that stated, some of my best meals sailing on Princess were on the 650 pax Royal Princess(R-Class) - which is no longer in the Princess fleet.

 

I've just accepted that while the presentation is set up to give the appearance of fine dining, it certainly is not. However, I do feel that the service is generally pretty good on Princess. It's timely, efficient and friendly.

 

After a few sailings on Princess (where the dining experience on some ships were better than others), I've learned a few things.

 

I know not to order a steak from the MDR, because chances are it will usually be rather tough and kind of gamey. If I want a decent steak, I'll opt for the Sterling Steakhouse or Crown Grill specialty restaurant.

 

I also find the baked desserts in the MDR to be a little bleh, but the ice cream and sorbets can be nice.

 

Without going into too much detail, I guess my point is that there is plenty of variety on board to find something decent to eat. I often make myself a nice salad from the bar in the buffet for example. The pizza (either Prego or Alfredo's) isn't that bad either.

 

I haven't sailed on the Dawn Princess, so I'm unable to compare experiences. So, with the understanding that Princess is fairly consistent across ships, it's unfortunate that you had such a negative experience. But as you stated, now you know what to expect, so you'll be better prepared for your upcoming Princess sailing.

 

 

Have to agree Pacific Princess HAD great food, haven't been on her for a few years but it was good.

[GUT2407]

I'm not sure what peope expect about food on a cruise.

 

But at home if I go to a GOOD buffet I pay about $40 or $50 a head for diner, $25 for breakfast and about $35 for lunch. That's $100 a day.

 

Many look to cruise including all meals for between $100 and $200 pp per day.

 

My friends recently got married it cost nearly $150 pp for the reception food and honestly it wasn't much better than I get on a cruise.

[lahore]

I'm not sure what peope expect about food on a cruise.

 

But at home if I go to a GOOD buffet I pay about $40 or $50 a head for diner, $25 for breakfast and about $35 for lunch. That's $100 a day.

 

Many look to cruise including all meals for between $100 and $200 pp per day.

 

My friends recently got married it cost nearly $150 pp for the reception food and honestly it wasn't much better than I get on a cruise.

 

Perhaps something that we can distill from this discussion is that people's ideas about what makes good food on a holiday are, naturally, based on their experiences at home and on other holidays.

 

As I said above, to me a highlight of travel is great food and often that great food is street food. To use an old adage "I live to eat, I don't eat to live" (recognising that that is a major privilege compared to many in our world).

 

I usually don't like wedding/conference food either and we very rarely go for a buffet. If we do it would be because of a particular specialisation of the buffet (for example the famous Peranakan buffet at the Stamford in Singapore which is about $60 ppax). Perhaps also though, for us, a buffet is wandering the streets of Penang, spending $2 here and $2 there 'grazing' from the different carts. Where I often live $100 could very easily feed me for a week. At home we cook, and we love to cook. Last night we had cajun-inspired chicken and a Sicilian veg dish (weird combo but it worked). Tonight we are having Burmese Chicken curry with a bean and onion stir-fry. I love food.

Edited June 17, 2015 by lahore