Circle (Curtis Stone) magazine

[Woobstr112G]

[quote name='Host Jazzbeau']A predominant theme of Cruise Critic forums over the last few years has been the reduction in quality in Main Dining Room food and service on all non-luxury cruise lines. I'm not disagreeing: the economic downturn + keeping cabin fares low required cost cuts somewhere, and foodstuffs and labor are the biggest variables available. So now the cruise lines want to rebut this perception -- what can they do? Announce "our Main Dining Room doesn't suck any more"? -- wouldn't work. So they are all signing up "celebrity chefs" to give them some cachet. There aren't that many to go around. I don't know who Curtis Stone is, but he is what Princess got. [B][I][SIZE="3"][COLOR="Red"]Complaining won't do any good[/COLOR][/SIZE][/I][/B], until his contract is over.[/QUOTE]

[I][SIZE="4"]Why is voicing one's opinion always considered, by some, to be complaining?

Bob [/SIZE][/I]

[RocketMan275]

[quote name='dtb55']Bring in Paula Deen I'd probably switch cruise lines.[/QUOTE]

I doubt they would have to discount her restaurant.

[shredie]

[quote name='dtb55']Let me correct my statement for the, let's say picky. I should have said: I've read a few good reviews regarding Share, but it seems the majority of the remarks in this thread are from people that have no intention of trying it. Feel better?[/QUOTE]
Yes, I do. Thanks for clarifying that.
[quote name='elliair']Bring in Paula Deen - now we're talking about good food! She cooks with lots of butter![/QUOTE]
Good idea, but would Princess let her use as much as she wants? :)

[shredie]

[quote name='RocketMan275']I doubt they would have to discount her restaurant.[/QUOTE]

I think you are probably right. Good old down home cuisine would be more attractive (to a lot of Princess cruisers I know) than fussy, pretentious "small plates." As with so many of the latest Princess "improvements," they are catering to the clientele they wish they had rather than the clientele they already have. (Yes, I know, new customers are good and old ones are bad and need to get lost, according to the latest cutting-edge business theory some expert is about to explain to us. :rolleyes:)

[Host Jazzbeau]

[quote name='elliair']Bring in Paula Deen - now we're talking about good food! She cooks with lots of butter![/QUOTE]

I'd go for that! Especially now that fat, and particularly butter, has been declared healthy. [This week's medical news -- bringing to mind Woody Allen's predicament in [I]Sleeper[/I]: "you were dying from a cholesterol deficiency"]

[Working 2 Cruise]

[quote name='elliair']So is that chocolate melting cake! :p Did you know that lobster and shrimp is very high in cholesterol? :p That Alfredo in the Parmesan basket is unhealthy but I still order it. I'm on vacation!:p[/QUOTE]

I'll occasionally splurge on a Norman Love dessert, however, since I will never sail Carnival, no chocolate melting cake for me. I eat the Alfredo's maybe once. I'd hate to see Paula Deen on Princess_

[PescadoAmarillo]

[quote name='shredie']I think you are probably right. Good old down home cuisine would be more attractive (to a lot of Princess cruisers I know) than fussy, pretentious "small plates." As with so many of the latest Princess "improvements," they are catering to the clientele they wish they had rather than the clientele they already have. (Yes, I know, new customers are good and old ones are bad and need to get lost, according to the latest cutting-edge business theory some expert is about to explain to us. :rolleyes:)[/QUOTE]
OMG you've been hiding in a closet in our cabin and at our house. This has been much cussed and discussed since we joined the Emerald Princess in January. Then the latest Captains Circle magazine raised the topic again (and I agree...loved the articles on Venice and Dubrovnik and wish the whole magazine featured more of that and less of Curtis and the Rusty Dog guy). The new class of ships, the new chef relationships, the small but numerous cutbacks that wouldn't even be noticed by new cruisers...it's obvious that the passengers Princess is most valuing are not the ones that have contentedly cruised with them for years/decades. Edited April 17, 2016 by PescadoAmarillo

[westendgirl]

There are three posters on the Princess boards whose opinions I greatly respect and agree with 99% of the time: Pescado, Pam and Pia.

We had paid a visit to Share for a walk-thru during embarkation day on the Emerald in January. Not caring for the menu selections, seating arrangements or décor, we decided to give it a pass. We will continue to do so, especially after reading Pescado Amarillo's comments. We know the type of food and dining experience we prefer and Share isn't it.

[Kinkacruiser]

Next month, I will post a review of 'Share' , as it's now installed on 'Sun Princess'. Her Singapore - Fremantle cruisers (boarding today) will be the first to experience it, so I will be keen to learn what the comments there are.

[MrMan]

[quote name='PescadoAmarillo']OMG you've been hiding in a closet in our cabin and at our house. This has been much cussed and discussed since we joined the Emerald Princess in January. Then the latest Captains Circle magazine raised the topic again (and I agree...loved the articles on Venice and Dubrovnik and wish the whole magazine featured more of that and less of Curtis and the Rusty Dog guy). The new class of ships, the new chef relationships, the small but numerous cutbacks that wouldn't even be noticed by new cruisers...it's obvious that the passengers Princess is most valuing is not the ones that have contentedly cruised with them for years/decades.[/QUOTE]


So what line would you move to at same price? I think it's more that they know you won't move on to another another line, so they get a younger demographic with innovation and keep the same passengers that will be complaining on this board of Share a year from now. It's a win-win for Princess. An organization that does not update and change with the times dies..

[SeaTheWorldBySea]

[quote name='PescadoAmarillo']OMG you've been hiding in a closet in our cabin and at our house. This has been much cussed and discussed since we joined the Emerald Princess in January. Then the latest Captains Circle magazine raised the topic again (and I agree...loved the articles on Venice and Dubrovnik and wish the whole magazine featured more of that and less of Curtis and the Rusty Dog guy). The new class of ships, the new chef relationships, the small but numerous cutbacks that wouldn't even be noticed by new cruisers...it's obvious that the passengers Princess is most valuing are not the ones that have contentedly cruised with them for years/decades.[/QUOTE]

I am trending toward agreement with this thinking but having a hard time discovering the WHY of it. Why in the world would Princess give a contract to a chef who offers these uncommon menus at the same time that their service is slipping and IMHO their entertainment quality is decreasing? Do they want to run off their "common" passengers? Food is at the bottom of our reasons to cruise. Most of the time we eat in the buffet now and it seems there are more up there than there used to be. There are surely those for whom food is a very important part of cruising but these menus don't seem to appeal to many of them either.

[OCruisers]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"]We're also sick & tired of hearing about Curtis Stone! :(
On Emerald in January we tried SHARE and really hoped to like it.
Unfortunately, we did NOT!
The food was only so-so and the atmosphere left much to be desired!
Bright lighting and bare wood tables! It was as if we were being interrogated in a public library! :eek:
LuLu [/SIZE][/FONT]

[zahav1]

[quote name='Working 2 Cruise']Well, just a thought... I will be happy then try it at least once.

Don't forget that Sabatini's and Crown Grill costs have just gone up.

Everyone has a choice, you can partake or not... but to keep complaining ad nauseam about SHARE, the Royal, the Regal, etc. Is nonsense. If you can't deal with it, there may or not be another cruise line in your future, but then again, you'd find something to complain about...

[/QUOTE]

I love it, so true !!

[Thrak]

I looked at the magazine. My wife passed on it. Curtis Stone... Bleh. Not interested in him.

[dtb55]

[quote name='OCruisers'][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"]We're also sick & tired of hearing about Curtis Stone! :(

On Emerald in January we tried SHARE and really hoped to like it.

Unfortunately, we did NOT!

The food was only so-so and the atmosphere left much to be desired!

Bright lighting and bare wood tables! It was as if we were being interrogated in a public library! :eek:

LuLu [/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]


At least you tried it before giving it a negative review.

[shredie]

[quote name='dtb55']At least you tried it before giving it a negative review.[/QUOTE]

Didn't we establish that giving a restaurant a review requires that one first visit the restaurant? No one here has given SHARE a negative review unless he or she has first visited the restaurant. Again, you seem to be confusing people who express a desire to avoid the place with people who didn't avoid it and are sorry they didn't.

[shredie]

[quote name='PescadoAmarillo']OMG you've been hiding in a closet in our cabin and at our house.[/QUOTE]

Yes, and I've been wishing you'd invite me out for a drink. ;)

[JudithLynne]

I still miss the Sterling Steak House!

[PescadoAmarillo]

[quote name='shredie']Yes, and I've been wishing you'd invite me out for a drink. ;)[/QUOTE]
Come on out! (Bring a snow shovel).

[OCruisers]

[B]QUOTE=dtb55 At least you tried it before giving it a negative review. QUOTE[/B]

-----------------------------------------------------

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"]Thank you for understanding we had looked at the menu selections in advance and were really looking forward to giving SHARE a try.
We wanted to like SHARE and were disappointed we didn't.
Our main courses and sides were served on the cooler side of "lukewarm".
When mentioned to the waiter, his reply was ... "They are the temperature at which the chief feels they should be served." :rolleyes:
At this point we were very ready to get away from the bright lighting so just let it go.
No way it was because they were busy. At 7:30 there were only three other tables being served.
LuLu [/SIZE][/FONT]

[elliair]

[quote name='shredie']

Good idea, but would Princess let her use as much as she wants? :)[/quote]

Yeah, Paula Deen does pose a big problem for Princess in the butter department. But I think she'd be a hoot and her food more comforting than Curtis Stone.

[pris993]

[quote name='smellycruzer']I've just about had it with Curtis Stone. I used to enjoy receiving and reading the Captain's Circle magazine but the latest editions have essentially been promotional material for Curtis. It is not doing anything to persuade me to book yet another cruise (although needless to say I will!). There are so many other interesting topics that could be covered in that magazine. Is anyone else tired of hearing about Curtis or is it just me?[/QUOTE]

Curtis Stone and Share don't do any for me either... I am very happy with the Crown Grill...

[dtb55]

[quote name='westendgirl']There are three posters on the Princess boards whose opinions I greatly respect and agree with 99% of the time: Pescado, Pam and Pia.



We had paid a visit to Share for a walk-thru during embarkation day on the Emerald in January. Not caring for the menu selections, seating arrangements or décor, we decided to give it a pass. We will continue to do so, especially after reading Pescado Amarillo's comments. We know the type of food and dining experience we prefer and Share isn't it.[/QUOTE]



At least one of those three have also said that food is subjective. Why would I take someone's word for it, however respected, without trying it for myself.

[dtb55]

[quote name='elliair']Yeah, Paula Deen does pose a big problem for Princess in the butter department. But I think she'd be a hoot and her food more comforting than Curtis Stone.[/QUOTE]



I think she poses more of a problem than butter. That aside, I've tried a few of her recipes and they were crap. It could just be that I'm a lousy cook, but I've also tried Bobby Flay's recipes and they were very good.

[elliair]

[quote name='dtb55']I think she poses more of a problem than butter. That aside, I've tried a few of her recipes and they were crap. It could just be that I'm a lousy cook, but I've also tried Bobby Flay's recipes and they were very good.[/quote]

I enjoy cooking and consider myself a good cook. No one has died yet who has eaten at my house. Paula Deen has some pretty good recipes which are high in carbs. That's probably why she has diabetes. Princess or any other cruise ship I've been on does not cater to diabetics, but IMHO I think I could tolerate her food more than I could Curtis Stone. I'll stick to the buffet or steakhouse where I can order steak, lobster and know what I'm getting. I hate laying out money at a restaurant and the food isn't what I expected. The Paul Deen suggestion was more of an entertaining joke, I wasn't that serious.:D