First and probably last cruise with Princess

[jdshaw1000]

Last month we took our first Princess cruise, on Regal, after three with Royal Caribbean. From our perspective (late 60s), the food was outstanding. Much better than RCL.

Some other comparisons were not as positive: Balcony cabin size, enrichment, activities.

Entertainment, staff, and ship cleanliness were equally excellent.

[Diver2014]

We almost never eat breakfast in MDR as we tend to sleep in when on vacation. :) When we have eaten breakfast there we learned that the Eggs Benedict is incredibly bad. Very disappointing to say the least. As for deserts... I eat a lot of creme brulee when sailing. Love it and Princess does it well. I also eat other deserts - the chocolate journeys stuff is great - but the creme brulee is my go to desert. Despite the fact that other people rave about them I I have always found the souffle deserts to be mostly tasteless.

 

Me again....a few more comments, then I'll shut up. We had incredibly good Eggs Benedict last week both in the MDR and the Horizon Buffet. Someone must have gotten the message. Second, oh yes, the Creme Brulee - the best I have ever had. I always thought Flemings Restaurant in Miami had the best Creme Brulee but Royal Princess beat them out. I must have had Creme Brulee 8 times during the last two weeks....it was that good although it was only offered in the MDR. I agree that many desserts had something to be desired but the Creme Brulee was outstanding.

[lolane1]

One of the joys of cruising is that if a dish is not to your satisfaction, or taste, then another may be requested. We have found that the wait staff are a great source of advice about dishes they think we would enjoy.

 

Very true! In the past I have asked the wait staff between 2 or 3 dishes and they are quite honest. They do know.

[Selion]

Very true! In the past I have asked the wait staff between 2 or 3 dishes and they are quite honest. They do know.

Yes, they do! For our first dinner they brought 3 appetizers, 3 mains, and 3 desserts just so we can try them all. Food coma ensued for the following 7 days...

[Sackat60]

Ok, for my 2 cents. I'm not a big time cruiser, but am definitely into food and wine and have some professional training and experience. Our last cruise, on Celebrity in 2010, had wonderful food in the MDR. And their wine program really surprised me. I learned so much with their wine seminars.

 

Not so on our just-returned sailing on the Island (3/15-30 Panama Canal). So many things on that cruise were wonderful, but the MDR was not one. It wasn't a matter of returning something you didn't like or ordering more (several in our group of 10 knew the hacks...ordered bowls of extra blue cheese, shrimp cocktail with red sauce, etc). I think it was clearly a problem with execution. My DH's nightly caesar salads were lifeless and bland. Most of the food was plain and just boring. Most of our group were non-foodies (meat and potatoes kind of people) and thought it was "ok", but they also returned the ceviche untasted after realizing the seafood wasn't "cooked" and thought the Dom Perignon in the separate "champagne" tasting event was awful, but that the Asti Spumante was awesome (different tastes, right?). But dried out or tough meat is not personal preference; neither is plain undressed veggies, lack of attention to plating and so on. I also agree with OP about the desserts. I love souffles, but some of those did taste like scrambled eggs.

 

If you know about food and how it should be prepared, it really isn't strictly an issue of personal tastes, but of quality. I think several of you are spot on about the Executive chef being the problem. I wanted to go back into the kitchen and start yelling at the staff to pay attention. I was surprised to discover that the Horizon buffet was mostly wonderful! Same galley preparing for both dining areas (per the tour we took) so I blame execution. Something wasn't right in the back of the house.

 

This too makes Princess a tough choice for a return visit. There was so much we loved, but I'd be worried about not enjoying something that is important to me; the food. Maybe it's a result of modern cruising. I understood after this cruise, why so many people don't dress for dinner or even bother with the MDR (unheard of in my long departed dear mother's cruising experiences, which were all about the formal dining and table side presentations!).

[cruzsnooze]

I have sailed with Princess many many times and do NOT like the Royal Princess. I have found in general the food is not to my liking. The choices are very few and the desserts look better then they taste. I still have a few cruises booked with Princess but am looking at smaller, more inclusive lines to add to the mix.

[perditax]

Ok, for my 2 cents. I'm not a big time cruiser, but am definitely into food and wine and have some professional training and experience. Our last cruise, on Celebrity in 2010, had wonderful food in the MDR. And their wine program really surprised me. I learned so much with their wine seminars.

 

Not so on our just-returned sailing on the Island (3/15-30 Panama Canal). So many things on that cruise were wonderful, but the MDR was not one. It wasn't a matter of returning something you didn't like or ordering more (several in our group of 10 knew the hacks...ordered bowls of extra blue cheese, shrimp cocktail with red sauce, etc). I think it was clearly a problem with execution. My DH's nightly caesar salads were lifeless and bland. Most of the food was plain and just boring. Most of our group were non-foodies (meat and potatoes kind of people) and thought it was "ok", but they also returned the ceviche untasted after realizing the seafood wasn't "cooked" and thought the Dom Perignon in the separate "champagne" tasting event was awful, but that the Asti Spumante was awesome (different tastes, right?). But dried out or tough meat is not personal preference; neither is plain undressed veggies, lack of attention to plating and so on. I also agree with OP about the desserts. I love souffles, but some of those did taste like scrambled eggs.

 

If you know about food and how it should be prepared, it really isn't strictly an issue of personal tastes, but of quality. I think several of you are spot on about the Executive chef being the problem. I wanted to go back into the kitchen and start yelling at the staff to pay attention. I was surprised to discover that the Horizon buffet was mostly wonderful! Same galley preparing for both dining areas (per the tour we took) so I blame execution. Something wasn't right in the back of the house.

 

This too makes Princess a tough choice for a return visit. There was so much we loved, but I'd be worried about not enjoying something that is important to me; the food. Maybe it's a result of modern cruising. I understood after this cruise, why so many people don't dress for dinner or even bother with the MDR (unheard of in my long departed dear mother's cruising experiences, which were all about the formal dining and table side presentations!).

 

I appreciate you making these points, because the "food is subjective" meme drives me bananas. There *are* objective metrics for good/bad food, such as quality of ingredients (was your steak tough and gristly?), preparation (was it over/undercooked?), presentation (was it cold when it was supposed to be hot?).

 

It's fine that some people can't tell the difference, but "food is subjective" shouldn't excuse everything.

[Lucky TGO]

I have sailed with Princess many many times and do NOT like the Royal Princess. I have found in general the food is not to my liking. The choices are very few and the desserts look better then they taste. I still have a few cruises booked with Princess but am looking at smaller, more inclusive lines to add to the mix.

 

I hope you find a cruise line that you like. I agree with you about the food choices. They don't have as many choices as they had just a few years ago.

Tony

[PescadoAmarillo]

I appreciate you making these points, because the "food is subjective" meme drives me bananas. There *are* objective metrics for good/bad food, such as quality of ingredients (was your steak tough and gristly?), preparation (was it over/undercooked?), presentation (was it cold when it was supposed to be hot?).

 

It's fine that some people can't tell the difference, but "food is subjective" shouldn't excuse everything.

 

Your point is very well made. I, too, don't believe food is completely subjective. In fact, I think food is like mattresses. We may not agree on what makes it good, but we can generally agree that certain attributes make it bad.

[pshaze]

We sailed on the Royal last year, then again just a few weeks ago. Thought the food and choices were much better last year.

Was courious if the Chef was the same so I checked my Patters and it was. Seemed to have fewer options on the menu in the MDR. Several nights we ate at the buffet because there wasn't anything on the menu we would eat. Unusual for us.

We found the buffet on the Royal far superior to the 3 voyages we did with RC. Felt the MDR to be about the same.

[tere247]

I have sailed with Princess many many times and do NOT like the Royal Princess. I have found in general the food is not to my liking. The choices are very few and the desserts look better then they taste. I still have a few cruises booked with Princess but am looking at smaller, more inclusive lines to add to the mix.

We were on the Royal last November(great itinerary) and on the Regal a month later (so so itinetary). The Regal was so much better. Food as well as entertainment. We were also on the Caribbean Princess in February. Again, not so great. Probably worst than the Royal. Entertainment on both was very poor. But still enjoyed both. Since we're more comfortable with Princess, we booked the Royal and the Caribbean Princess again for next year, with hopes of a better experience.

[KiwiFunCruiser]

One does wonder why a cruise ship as beautiful and popular as the Royal, would fail baldly in dining, the most important department you can get on a ship. I find it very hard to believe but if this is true, then maybe heads should roll. I remember a CC member recently saying the food was bad for half the cruise, then they changed the head chef.

[Sasksilver]

I'll readily admit I am not a foodie....so I don't tend to cruise for the menu but rather the experience of visiting different countries and cultures, and for rest and relaxation. I do, however, appreciate good service. My last cruise was with friends on the Regal Princess, and we found the service in the MDR sadly lacking. By the end of the 10 day cruise neither of the wait staff assigned to our table had learned the preferences of our table (a group of 8). These were simple things, like lemon for our water and decaf coffee for one of the ladies after dinner. I realize they had a number of tables to attend to but the end of the week most were empty. I think we weren't the only ones disappointed.

[ccruzer123]

" I eat a lot of creme brulee when sailing. Love it and Princess does it well. I also eat other deserts - the chocolate journeys stuff is great - but the creme brulee is my go to desert."

 

We also like the Creme Brûlée, one of our favorites on Princess. Unfortunately on our February 2017 cruise, Australia/New Zealand, they did not have Creme Brûlée on the menu the whole cruise. Several other staple items we have found on previous cruises where also missing... disappointing. We sail again this May 2017 so I'm hoping it will be back on the menu.

[floridalover5623]

" I eat a lot of creme brulee when sailing. Love it and Princess does it well. I also eat other deserts - the chocolate journeys stuff is great - but the creme brulee is my go to desert."

 

We also like the Creme Brûlée, one of our favorites on Princess. Unfortunately on our February 2017 cruise, Australia/New Zealand, they did not have Creme Brûlée on the menu the whole cruise. Several other staple items we have found on previous cruises where also missing... disappointing. We sail again this May 2017 so I'm hoping it will be back on the menu.

We like the Creme Brûlée also & the Royal had it the best on out last cruise.

On our recent trip on the CB the guy who made it in the DR kept burning the sugar glaze in top with his torch. It really gave it a funny taste. Maybe it was over heated? Strange.

[mek]

Your point is very well made. I, too, don't believe food is completely subjective. In fact, I think food is like mattresses. We may not agree on what makes it good, but we can generally agree that certain attributes make it bad.

 

I think anyone who sails on mass cruise lines and expects to be blown away is leaving themselves wide open for a big let down. We have friends that are very happy and think food is great as long as it's hot and the portions are large and then I have a few true foodie friends who would consider just about anything served on a cruise ship to be their worst nightmare. We're somewhere in the middle and are realistic in our expectations - if it turns out to be as good as most middle of the road chain restaurants, then it works for us. We don't cruise for the food.

[Cahpek]

thanks - hope so.

 

To be honest, I had heard that Princess was a step up from Royal Caribbean (as someone else mentioned in this thread), I think that is why my expectations were so high.

 

I don't think that one is higher than the other, just different.

 

HAL's food was better than either Princess or Royal Caribbean, but HAL lost in other areas (for us).

 

I am sure that there is good and not so good with each line, some people love Carnival, but it isn't a cruiseline I am interested in trying.

 

I do want to stress again, the crew were lovely.

 

Thank for your honest opinion of your experience on the Royal Princess.

 

We are interested that you did not find the food to be too good. We have not been on the Royal Princess, but we cruised with the Regal Princess last year.

 

Initially, we were disappointed because their food was pretty poor. But surprisingly, after a few days, the standard improved . And then, it got better and better. It was quite amazing. The buffet started with "uninspiring" offerings, but it got better later on, and towards the last few days, we felt as if they have pushed the boat out! Think huge prawns, smoked salmon, loads of meat, and great tastes too. We joked that perhaps the chefs knew that a questionaire would be coming along towards the end of the cruise and they did not want passengers give their cooking negative comments!

 

However, what was consistently poor was their pastry - its taste reminded us of card-board ! We even mentioned that to a chef on board, but to no effect. The trouble was , their pastry for both savoury and sweet dishes were similarly poor. So , you could imagine any dish with pastry, whether sweet or savoury, would have been affected by their "terrible" pastry. Their desserts were a bit of touch and go, and often, they were rather "samey" (same varieties come out time after time). Their American cookies were crunchy, not chewy.

 

What was surprising when we read your comments was, in the past, when we complained about the desserts and pastry on the Regal, someone indicated that the desserts on the Royal Princess were different and that it was better than on the Regal Princess. Apparently, the Executive Chef on the Royal, we were told , was very good and the pastries and desserts that came out were excellent. Wonder what happened?

 

Lately, we saw on British TV a documentary about the Royal Princess. And there was a scene when the Executive Chef told off his pastry chefs for the poor quality of the desserts/pastries(?). And he told them to pull up their socks. Looks like they have yet to pull up their socks, or if they had, they had let them down again!

 

We have one question for you. You indicated that on HAL, the food is better but it is lost in other ways. How was the food better. And what were the other ways which HAL was "lost"? You see, we will be sailing on the Koningsdam in a couple of months, and it will be our first time on HAL. It would be great to know beforehand so we would not be sprung with any unexpected surprise!

 

Thanks again for your review above. We would now think twice about going on the Royal Princess . Before, it was one of those ships we were looking forward to cruise with, after having been on the Regal.

Edited April 9, 2017 by Cahpek

[Colo Cruiser]

 

Lately, we saw on British TV a documentary about the Royal Princess. And there was a scene when the Executive Chef told off his chefs for the poor quality of the desserts/pastries(?). And he told them to pull up their socks. Looks like they have yet to pull up their socks, or if they had, they had let them down again!

 

 

A documentary?? (n) More like a badly written soap opera. :(

[Cahpek]

A documentary?? (n) More like a badly written soap opera. :(

 

 

OK, OK. I was trying to be diplomatic!!!!

[Cahpek]

Thank you for your honest review! Our first cruise on Royal was great! Our last cruise on Royal was not! Kind of turned me off cruising for awhile after 27 cruises.

 

Just did a land based Vaca It was great! :)

 

 

Reader

 

That's interesting. One ship, getting two opposite experience! Shows perhaps the Princess ought to look at the issue of quality control for their ships.

 

We agree with you that after doing a number of cruises, doing a land vacation can be quite enjoyable. At least, for the latter, you get to enjoy the place you visit for more than a few hours, and you won't get to have to rush back to the ship in a hurry!!! For us, we now take a mixture of cruises and land based vacations. We also try different cruise lines and are not "stuck" to just one.

[Colo Cruiser]

That's interesting. One ship, getting two opposite experience! Shows perhaps the Princess ought to look at the issue of quality control for their ships.

 

I was going to mention this earlier.

Its human nature. I see it here on CC all the time. It's actually very common.

There are always views from both ends of the spectrum on food/experience/entertainment etc on Princess cruises.

[Cahpek]

I was going to mention this earlier.

Its human nature. I see it here on CC all the time. It's actually very common.

There are always views from both ends of the spectrum on food/experience/entertainment etc on Princess cruises.

 

Yes, but usually, it would be two different persons with opposite views. But this time, it was from the SAME person

who travelled on the same ship on two cruises and he had opposite opinions of the food. You could not even say that taste for food is "subjective", because it was the same person tasting the food on both occasions.

[Sackat60]

I think anyone who sails on mass cruise lines and expects to be blown away is leaving themselves wide open for a big let down. We have friends that are very happy and think food is great as long as it's hot and the portions are large and then I have a few true foodie friends who would consider just about anything served on a cruise ship to be their worst nightmare. We're somewhere in the middle and are realistic in our expectations - if it turns out to be as good as most middle of the road chain restaurants, then it works for us. We don't cruise for the food.

 

I think this is an interesting comment. I don't expect "blown-away", but I do expect good quality on a cruise. Some "mid-range" restaurants can be very good if their food is properly prepared and some are terrible if the management is poor. Some of my favorite restaurants have been "low end" and inexpensive ones that had passionate cooks. I was a Navy cook and can tell you that mass produced food doesn't have to be mediocre. It's all about attention to detail and good management. I was perplexed on our recent (and first) Island Princess cruise because I didn't know if the level of food and service in the MDR was standard for Princess or it just an off time/ship/cruise. I won't choose a ship based on its food alone, but with so many options, I might not choose a ship/cruiseline if the quality of food isn't important.

 

As for the Princess standards, I finally ordered the Fettucine Alfredo and Creme Brulee as I had heard so much about them. They were blah at best. And the Creme Brulee had a burnt topping. Yes, to previous poster...you can burn sugar and it's not tasty.

 

Now I will say that whoever was in charge of pastries on our cruise did a fantastic job! On both sweets and savories. The crusts for the quiches and Steak and Kidney pie were really the best parts. I made a point of ordering anything in a "pie" format. And the sweet pastries were always spot on.

 

So as for "mass" market ships, does that include Celebrity? That was our last cruise before this one and the food preparation and service was spot on. The execution was flawless and the choices were truly interesting.

 

I also noticed that quality improved as the cruise went on. So maybe there were some new cooks and it took awhile to get it together.

[stargazers]

We were on the Royal in the fall, and I agree with the OP. We often cruise Princess and I think this was our least favorite ship. The food was 'fine', but not great. Our servers were wonderful, we were with them for 20 days, and appreciated their service and care. During dinner one of our table mates ordered something and our waiter guided them away from their choice. We trusted his recommendations and he'd say something or make a face if our choice may not be a good one.

 

We found that we missed the promenade and a good inside place/bar to sit and look out to sea. We'd take her again if we really wanted the itinerary but wouldn't seek out a cruise just to experience her again.

[Credit 00]

I have less experience than most as I've only been on princess 3 times. The one thing that remains consistent is the quality of the food in the mdr for Traditional Dining. The deserts have never been great for me but the 3 courses prior have always been fantastic. The buffet area on one trip was consistently bad though fantastic on the other 2. I love my coffee though I can't recommend princess coffee to anyone ;) even the coffee you pay for I find ordinary at best. The reason being that they never have actual full cream milk, it's long life milk with a weak hint of coffee and extra sweetness with no sugar? The regular coffee feels like it's been filtered 800 times through a handkerchief :) Different countries have different traditions though, In Australia we don't regularly have weak sweet coffee and we don't use powdered creamer or long life milk, ie camping milk.

 

My 4th princess cruise starts in a fortnight and I'm extra excited about it, With my own coffee and plunger and a liter of real milk my somewhat weak complaints mean nothing. I look forward to having a beer at the wheelhouse bar and sitting down to meet out waiter staff as much as the first meal. Not every cruise can be the same as the last and Princess as a brand is consistently fantastic quality. However OP I can understand you've had one not so great experience and it was your first. I'd recommend trying again tbh, I'd recommend princess to anyone.