Regal Question - Chef's Table vs. Wine Makers vs. UBD

[YehWe'reCruising]

Hi all!

Could not find the answer to my question in previous threads.

I will be on Regal next week and would LOVE to try for the Chef's Table but my dilemma is that while my husband indulges in all things food, I do not eat meat. I love and enjoy seafood but no other type. I know there are no accommodations made for dietary needs and I am willing to forgo several courses for my husband to have this experience...is this possible?? If not, would the Wine Makers dinner be any more accommodating? I know I can customize the menu for UBD but at this point I think that is my third choice. I really want it to be special, we have done the Ultimate Ship Tour and balcony breakfast in cruises past.

 

Thank you!

[decamp303]

Wish I could help, but I am sorry. I too am sailing the Regal soon and am interested in the rank order experience people have of each of these as well.

[Colo Cruiser]

We have done the Chefs Table Luminaire which is exclusive to the Regal/Royal Just the Chefs Tables on other ships. It is usually 1 of 3 menus that rotate. There have been posts/reviews from some that have been able to change some offerings due to dietary issues but it kind of defeats the purpose of the entire dinner and its pricey at $115 PP versus $95PP for the regular Chefs Table on other ships.

You may have better luck with the Wine Makers Dinner.

I have seen reviews on these. If you do a search on the main Princess page they should come up.

 

 

Description.....

 

The Chef’s Table is designed as a special treat for dining enthusiasts, and offers the rare opportunity to be welcomed into the inner sanctum of the ship's galley to enjoy a full evening of memorable sights, tastes and conversation hosted by the executive chef.

 

While many passengers are able to enjoy galley tours during the quiet off-hours, the Chef's Table experience takes interested diners behind the scenes during the height of dinner preparation where they'll also enjoy Champagne and hors d'oeuvres, followed by a special multi-course tasting dinner paired with selected wines in the dining room.

 

The Chef's Table begins when the Maitre d' personally escorts the passengers to the galley where they can observe the bustle of dinner-hour preparations and meet the executive chef, plus enjoy Champagne with appetizers. The chef previews the details of the menu he created for that evening, and the group is welcomed to their special table in the dining room.

 

The multi-course menu is specially created by the chef, and is not offered anywhere else on the ship. The fare might include anything from a focus on regional cuisine to a showcase of indigenous ingredients from a recent port. Each course is accompanied by a detailed explanation of special features, preparation methods, and tasting suggestions. Specially selected wines complement the meal. During the dessert course, the chef rejoins the group at their private table to participate in a discussion about the evening's meal, answer questions, and share culinary secrets perfected during many years of experience at sea and on land.

 

Additionally, each couple at the Chef's Table will receive a personalized, autographed copy of Princess' best-selling cookbook, Courses, A Culinary Journey, which has sold more than 100,000 copies worldwide and is available on amazon.com. Passengers will also enjoy a complimentary photo taken at the private table with the chef.

 

The Chef's Table* experience can be reserved by up to 10 passengers per night, at an additional cost. Reservations are made onboard through the ship's DINE telephone line or in person at the dining reservations table set up on the first day of the cruise.

 

*Not available on Sun, Dawn and Sea Princess while in Australia.

 

 

Wine Makers Dinner......

 

Princess Cruises has teamed up with some of the finest wine makers around the globe to offer Regal Princess passengers the Wine Maker's Dinner. Passengers will enjoy flavorful pairings of food and wine chosen by expert wine makers and Princess' executive chefs.

Edited December 22, 2015 by Colo Cruiser

[olvrxyzh]

I did the Chef's table in Sept. on the Coral Princess. We started out with 3 appetizers, the only thing you wouldn't have been able to eat was the steak tartar. The next course was risotto with 2 large prawns on top. Next was a strawberry & cracked pepper sorbet with grey goose poured over the top. The main course was a huge lobster tail & venison with a vegetable & starch. The final course was a wonderful Norman Love dessert & cookies. Our meal also included champagne, several types of wine, and limoncello. There was so much lobster, I was only able to take a couple of bites of the venison. Go ahead and do the Chef's Table with your husband; you won't be disappointed.

[Astro Flyer]

The Winemakers Dinner has 3 different menus but for us all 3 times it's been the Mondavi menu with a filet mignon entree. On a 17 day Regal cruise we considered doing the WM Dinner again if it was one of the other 2 menus. They said no because the Mondavi menu was the most popular one so we didn't go again.

 

http://www.beyondships2.com/uploads/8/2/4/5/8245255/wine_makers_menu_2-oct-13_without_price.pdf

 

To me the best option to adjust the menu would be the great UBD meal on our balcony. :)

Edited December 22, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[YehWe'reCruising]

I am still torn.

I have a very forward balcony on the Regal Princess (M104), would they even allow us to have an UBD on this balcony or would we have to do it inside?

 

Thanks again!

[YehWe'reCruising]

The Chefs Table Lumiere was beyond amazing. Would be happy to answer questions!

[Steelers36]

We both enjoyed the WM Dinner on Regal in November. IDK if they would accept food change according to dietary needs such as vegetarian.

 

We had steak of course. Service was outstanding.

 

At $40pp, I consider it a better deal than Crown Grill (CG) because it includes wines at a price point only $15pp above CG fee. Steaks were obviously of the same premium quality as served in CG.

 

 

Most unusual thing happened - 4 of 8 steaks (2 men, 2 women) were not cooked correctly and had to be sent back for a do-over. I don't mention this to complain because our HW host was mortified and certainly apologized and so forth. We all took it in stride however, so I mention it because of how it was handled and they made sure everyone was happy. Never seen that happen before - 50% of orders off.

 

I'd do WM Dinner again for sure.

[Colo Cruiser]

I think they are 2 totally different experience's.

 

Good question about the UBD on a forward facing balcony, don't think I would take a chance unless it was during an overnight or very late departure. ;)

[timetravler]

I have done both the Chefs table on the Royal and the wine makers dinner. With the Chefs table, you have no choice as to the menu and can only not eat what you don't want. But that totally defeats the purpose which is the Chef decides what to serve. So If I have dinning restrictions, I would not do the Chefs table as it would be a waste of money for you. Now for the wine makers dinner, usually the entrée is with some sort of meat plus fish. You might get both. So after you board, go to one of the restaurants and ask a head waiter what the wine makers dinner will include. Hopefully they can answer your questions. But I would try the wine makers dinner before I would do the Chefs table if you are pretty much a vegetarian.

BTW, I have done the Chefs table 4 times, but only once on the Royal. It's a beautiful dinning experience and includes a picture and a cook book as well. The wine makers dinner is much more conservatively priced and is still a wonderful experience.

Not sure about the Ultimate Balcony dinning for your cabin, but ask first and then decide.

[Colo Cruiser]

I have done both the Chefs table on the Royal and the wine makers dinner. With the Chefs table, you have no choice as to the menu and can only not eat what you don't want. But that totally defeats the purpose which is the Chef decides what to serve. So If I have dinning restrictions, I would not do the Chefs table as it would be a waste of money for you. Now for the wine makers dinner, usually the entrée is with some sort of meat plus fish. You might get both. So after you board, go to one of the restaurants and ask a head waiter what the wine makers dinner will include. Hopefully they can answer your questions. But I would try the wine makers dinner before I would do the Chefs table if you are pretty much a vegetarian.

BTW, I have done the Chefs table 4 times, but only once on the Royal. It's a beautiful dinning experience and includes a picture and a cook book as well. The wine makers dinner is much more conservatively priced and is still a wonderful experience.

Not sure about the Ultimate Balcony dinning for your cabin, but ask first and then decide.

 

 

And we would rather do the CT versus the WMD. :)

[Astro Flyer]

And we would rather do the CT versus the WMD. :)

 

It's good to have both options but sadly the WMD is only an option on Royal-class ships in the "wine cellar". The CT was successful in the MDR long before having the Lumiere area on the Royal & Regal so I don't understand why Princess does not expand the WMD to all of their ships. :confused:

 

Both are great but the WMD is about a third of the price of the CT Lumiere & is only $15 more than the Crown Grill & $1 more than Share.

[Colo Cruiser]

It's good to have both options but sadly the WMD is only an option on Royal-class ships in the "wine cellar". The CT was successful in the MDR long before having the Lumiere area on the Royal & Regal so I don't understand why Princess does not expand the WMD to all of their ships. :confused:

 

Both are great but the WMD is about a third of the price of the CT Lumiere & is only $15 more than the Crown Grill & $1 more than Share.

 

 

I agree, the WMD should be available on all ships.

[yoyosma]

I am still torn.

I have a very forward balcony on the Regal Princess (M104)' date=' would they even allow us to have an UBD on this balcony or would we have to do it inside?

 

Thanks again![/quote']

We did an UBD while in L107 - a forward facing Premium Mini suite. Your coordinator/server for the dinner will come and talk to you about the possibility of doing it and help you decide when/where to have it. We were scheduled to have our dinner outside leaving St. Thomas but switched to inside by my request. I really don't like to have my hair blow around a lot. Of course there is a lot of space in that room and a forward facing picture window where we had the table set up. It was great. I think there is room in the balcony rooms to set up a table inside in front of the sliding balcony doors, but not 100% sure. You won't really know until you get onboard. By the way, I have sailed in the L101, L103, L102 forward facing balconies as well and we were able to use them most of the time while at sea. The wind is broken a lot by the solid railing. The views are great. Love those cabins. I would think the Marina deck equivalents would be about the same.

[geoherb]

Our favorite way to celebrate an occasion is with the UBD. I've done three Chef's Tables on Princess ships. I know that at least of them had passengers who did not eat every course. For one of them, the chef prepared special appetizers for her. I'm not sure what she could not eat.

[YehWe'reCruising]

Thank you to all who answered, it greatly influenced my decision.

We opted for the Chef's Table and are so glad we did!!

Out of all of the hors d'oeuvres and courses, there was only one scheduled dish I could not eat. I let them know ahead of time that I ate seafood but not meat and they had an alternate served to me.

 

Again, so glad we did it! The experience, company and food was well worth the price tag.