CLOWN Grill on Crown Princess

[yags]

We just got back from the 3-25-17 sailing of the Crown Princess to the Eastern Caribbean. We had a marvelous time. The MDR was amazing, ports of call were beautiful and almost all staff were really nice. We loved the ship and feel Princess did a good job. EXCEPT FOR the Clown (Crown) Grill. What a disappointment! After all the positive input on the Crown grill on this site, You Tube, and other sites we were most excited about going. We went early in the cruise and early in the evening (6:30 PM) so they were only about 1/3 full. It was a terrible experience. The waiter almost demanded that we order certain dishes. We ordered what we wanted. The food was overcooked, the service was non existent, and when we did encounter our waiter he was rude. We feel it began when (since we do not drink wine, only Ice tea) we did not order wine or designer water for the table. The waiter was pushy and since he was not going to make anything from additional purchases rude and non responsive. We had to wait 30 minutes for our table to be cleared of dinner dishes. Once we ordered coffee we had to wait for it. Our Waiter demanded we ordered desserts and had a verbal altercation with a member of our group because he wanted something different. We sat and watched our desserts on a table by the kitchen for 15 minutes while we waited for a coffee refill. I asked to see the Maitre D' of the dining room and the minute I told the waiter I wanted to see the Maitre D' our desserts were practically thrown on our table. The Maitre D' was very apologetic. I told him we were not looking for a refund. You don't go on a cruise and worry about $29. I told him I wanted changes so the next guest would not be treated like crap. I did not tell him but I expected maybe a hand written note later in the cruise no notes came. We all felt we were just handled and nothing would happen so at the end of the cruise I sought out Neville Saldanha, Head Maitre D' for the Ship and told him what had happened. He sent a bottle of wine to our cabin. I don't think he was listening because I told him that we don't drink wine and we felt that was the basis for the whole problem.

 

This was my first time on Princess and I will go on Princess again. I will NEVER eat at their upscale dining venues and I will always tell this story. If I failed to answer any questions let me know I will be glad to fill in the blanks. In the questionnaire received from Princess on my return I told them I was going to post this on Cruise Critic. I mentioned Cruise critic in all my discussions. Believe me they have all heard of this great site.

[skynight]

Sorry you had this experience. We ate in the Crown Grill on the Crown in March and did not have the same experience. Food and service was fine. Maybe the staff that was in the Crown Grill during the South America season were rotated out when they reached Ft. Lauderdale. I never had an issue at the Crown Grill on other Princess ships, nor at any other upcharge restaurant. We always enjoy them. By the way we did not have any wine or drinks.

[chicopaige]

We would always make sure to visit the Crown Grill on every Princess Cruise we took. Last two visits were very disappointing. Thought maybe the first lackluster experience was a fluke, sadly the last visit was just as bad. Both service and food just ok.

[SwissDave]

Thats exactly why I won't do Crown Grill again after many years of enjoying it, last year it nosedived. Gave it another chance a few months later but no change. Seems the 'downgrade' is over more than one ship as I was on Emerald. Had been completely spoiled by the fantastic food and service in Share, crown grill was a massive let down after that, and was nowhere near what it had been a year before.

 

 

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[RNGALNG]

To the OP- Don't let one experience keep you from trying again. That waiter must have been a fluke. Yes, sometimes the food is hit or miss, but we've never had an issue with the staff! If the food is not cooked to your liking, send it back to be done correctly. A good piece of beef cooked not to your liking can ruin a meal.

[Astro Flyer]

yags...sorry to read about your bad CG experience however you might want to consider the CG or other specialty restaurants on another Princess cruise. The situation you described would be unacceptable to me but our specialty restaurant dining has never been like your bad experience.

 

The poor service is not routine & we've never had such a rude waiter in dozens of dinners at the CG, Bayou, Sterlings & Sabatini's. Sometimes with the lack of sufficient staffing levels service has been slow but that's a management cost cutting problem.

 

Recently the steak's quality seems to have declined & is not as tender & tasty. However they've been cooked correctly unlike in your experience.

 

Obviously it's your decision whether to go to another Princess specialty restaurant however I've never had such an experience & feel that you were unlucky to have such a poor CG dining experience.

[DrivesLikeMario]

I agree - try it again on another ship with different wait staff. I even get those looks from waiters in the main dining room sometimes because I don't like wine and I won't order it just to please them. :rolleyes:

 

If after another time you experience the same thing, then I'd say skip it in the future. For us, a few times in each venue was enough. My DH barbecues much better steaks than the Crown Grill offers and we can find better Italian food at home, but it's good to give the venues a fair chance.

[Kamloops50]

We did the Crown Grill in Dec 2016 on the Ruby . It was a great experience . Reserved for our April 2017 cruise on the Ruby as well.

[yags]

yags...sorry to read about your bad CG experience however you might want to consider the CG or other specialty restaurants on another Princess cruise. The situation you described would be unacceptable to me but our specialty restaurant dining has never been like your bad experience.

 

The poor service is not routine & we've never had such a rude waiter in dozens of dinners at the CG, Bayou, Sterlings & Sabatini's. Sometimes with the lack of sufficient staffing levels service has been slow but that's a management cost cutting problem.

 

Recently the steak's quality seems to have declined & is not as tender & tasty. However they've been cooked correctly unlike in your experience.

 

Obviously it's your decision whether to go to another Princess specialty restaurant however I've never had such an experience & feel that you were unlucky to have such a poor CG dining experience.

I know that good dining experiences exist out there. We were on the Carnival Spirit a couple of years ago and still talk about the upscale dining venue on that ship it was so good. One experience in a week full of excellent meals did not spoil my vacation. We did not send the food back because we were worried about how the staff would treat the food once sent back. The lack of service and concern kind of bothered me but only for the next guest who was looking for a real nice dinner.

[victory2020]

We were not impressed with the Crown Grill either. Would not go back.

[Thrak]

I hope you detailed this experience and mentioned the waiter by name on the post-cruise survey. I would also send a separate letter my mail and one by email detailing my issues and concerns. Again, I would mention the waiter by name. There is no excuse for this type of attitude and no place for staff of this sort on a Princess ship. Period.

 

I have asked for management in order to praise employees or service and have also written letters to do the same thing - not only for cruise employees but for other outstanding employees or services. I have no problem giving praise where it is due but I also have no problem detailing poor service or poor employees. A person who treats passengers in that manner should not be on the staff.

[Orlando Vic]

CLOWN Grill?

Did your food taste funny? 🤡

 

 

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[Jimmy Geegitz]

I know that good dining experiences exist out there. We were on the Carnival Spirit a couple of years ago and still talk about the upscale dining venue on that ship it was so good. One experience in a week full of excellent meals did not spoil my vacation. We did not send the food back because we were worried about how the staff would treat the food once sent back. The lack of service and concern kind of bothered me but only for the next guest who was looking for a real nice dinner.

 

I will say that while we did enjoy our Crown Grill experience. The steakhouses on Carnival blow the Crown Grill away.

[grouchomarx]

That's really a shame but don't let one bad apple spoil the bunch. We've eaten at Crown Grill so many times and each time we've been waited on so nicely and catered to, it's always been such a pleasure. That's why we continue to go back multiple times on every Princess cruise. I think you got a bad guy in a lousy mood. Glad you complained at least, and you got that information out there. I'm sure he was reprimanded, that's certainly not what customers expect in the Crown Grill, or anywhere for that matter.

[floridalover5623]

We haven't eaten there in a while & it wasn't that bad a few years ago.

I'm hesitant to try it again because if all the poor reports I read about in the last year.

[Kingofcool1947]

We just got back from the 3-25-17 sailing of the Crown Princess to the Eastern Caribbean. We had a marvelous time. The MDR was amazing, ports of call were beautiful and almost all staff were really nice. We loved the ship and feel Princess did a good job. EXCEPT FOR the Clown (Crown) Grill. What a disappointment! After all the positive input on the Crown grill on this site, You Tube, and other sites we were most excited about going. We went early in the cruise and early in the evening (6:30 PM) so they were only about 1/3 full. It was a terrible experience. The waiter almost demanded that we order certain dishes. We ordered what we wanted. The food was overcooked, the service was non existent, and when we did encounter our waiter he was rude. We feel it began when (since we do not drink wine, only Ice tea) we did not order wine or designer water for the table. The waiter was pushy and since he was not going to make anything from additional purchases rude and non responsive. We had to wait 30 minutes for our table to be cleared of dinner dishes. Once we ordered coffee we had to wait for it. Our Waiter demanded we ordered desserts and had a verbal altercation with a member of our group because he wanted something different. We sat and watched our desserts on a table by the kitchen for 15 minutes while we waited for a coffee refill. I asked to see the Maitre D' of the dining room and the minute I told the waiter I wanted to see the Maitre D' our desserts were practically thrown on our table. The Maitre D' was very apologetic. I told him we were not looking for a refund. You don't go on a cruise and worry about $29. I told him I wanted changes so the next guest would not be treated like crap. I did not tell him but I expected maybe a hand written note later in the cruise no notes came. We all felt we were just handled and nothing would happen so at the end of the cruise I sought out Neville Saldanha, Head Maitre D' for the Ship and told him what had happened. He sent a bottle of wine to our cabin. I don't think he was listening because I told him that we don't drink wine and we felt that was the basis for the whole problem.

 

This was my first time on Princess and I will go on Princess again. I will NEVER eat at their upscale dining venues and I will always tell this story. If I failed to answer any questions let me know I will be glad to fill in the blanks. In the questionnaire received from Princess on my return I told them I was going to post this on Cruise Critic. I mentioned Cruise critic in all my discussions. Believe me they have all heard of this great site.

 

 

Sorry you had a bad dining experience.

Just curious, what was the ethnicity of you waiter? I ask because it's been our experience, that some service/waiters seem gruff, pushy, and rude, when it is in fact, it's only a cultural thing.

Better luck on your next cruise, and don't let one bad experience turn you off on all the upscale Princess specialty dining venues.

 

Enjoy your cruise, and if God wills, grant you good health, to live and not die, before your next cruise.

 

 

 

 

"I cruise to eat healthy, and eat my slice of apple pie everyday before I die"

[easyboy]

OP, we had a similar poor service from our waiter from Romania and his assistant at the CG on your cruise. We were seated at fhe left side after the entrance. We arrived at 6:30pm and didn't take long to give our order knowing what we wanted. Our dessert were served at 9:10pm.

 

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[Kingofcool1947]

OP, we had a similar poor service from our waiter from Romania and his assistant at the CG on your cruise. We were seated at fhe left side after the entrance. We arrived at 6:30pm and didn't take long to give our order knowing what we wanted. Our dessert were served at 9:10pm.

 

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Interesting comment. So different than ours.

 

DW and I enjoy an unrushed and relaxed dining experience, especially in good restaurants, whether it's on a ship specialty restaurant or on land.

 

So, just wondering, what was your expectation regarding allowing time to enjoy your dinning experience? And specifically, why was your poor experience considered to be poor?

[myfuzzy]

We were also on this cruise and found the same at the Crown Grill....only our server, a woman, told my DH he could only have one entree, so to compensate for surf and turf, I ordered the filet, which was overdone, and his lobster you could have bounced off the floor

 

I sent an email to Princess, still waiting to hear back

[cr8tiv1]

It has been way too long since I've been on a cruise. Generally, only the very best wait staff is assigned the specialty restaurants. I am surprised that your service was so terrible. Neville Saldanha is a very personable Maitre D'. He did make an offering (basic response). Not sure you could not have taken the bottle of wine to Customer Service/Room Service and explain that you are not drinkers. They might have exchanged it out for some canned soda.

[Selion]

He did make an offering (basic response). Not sure you could not have taken the bottle of wine to Customer Service/Room Service and explain that you are not drinkers. They might have exchanged it out for some canned soda.

But to me that felt like a knee-jerk reaction - automatic and without thought. The Maitre D' did what he is trained to do, but while doing so didn't listen to the customer. The later is the issue here.

[Kingofcool1947]

I agree - try it again on another ship with different wait staff. I even get those looks from waiters in the main dining room sometimes because I don't like wine and I won't order it just to please them. :rolleyes:

 

If after another time you experience the same thing, then I'd say skip it in the future. For us, a few times in each venue was enough. My DH barbecues much better steaks than the Crown Grill offers and we can find better Italian food at home, but it's good to give the venues a fair chance.

 

On a recent Princess cruise, Crown Grill cooked my 32 oz. porterhouse steak perfectly Black and Blue. DW ordered double lobster tails. They were very good. And, we had a wonderful three hour dining experience. Waiter was great, giving excellent and unrushed service. :)

Too bad the Crown Grill steaks are not USDA Prime quality. But, the beef was still full of flavor, if not ordered well done, and not bad for cruise food. ;)

 

 

 

"I cruise to eat healthy, and to have a slice of apple pie everyday before I die."

Edited April 5, 2017 by Kingofcool1947

[Beach710]

I'm surprised by all the comments suggesting to try it again. Even if the OP is not complaining specifically about the wasted money why would anyone want to throw away their money hoping for better results. Personally I would feel foolish if I took that advice and the next time the experience was (also) poor.

[Kingofcool1947]

I'm surprised by all the comments suggesting to try it again. Even if the OP is not complaining specifically about the wasted money why would anyone want to throw away their money hoping for better results. Personally I would feel foolish if I took that advice and the next time the experience was (also) poor.

 

Because the first time could have been an exception. An anomaly. So, I'm willing to give the dining venue a second chance. Give them the benefit of doubt. Not you?

 

On the other hand, if the second time is just as bad then don't go again. $29 is not expensive. YMMV. ;)

 

 

 

"I cruise to eat healthy, and to eat a slice of pie every day before I die."

[IdleChill]

I'm surprised by all the comments suggesting to try it again. Even if the OP is not complaining specifically about the wasted money why would anyone want to throw away their money hoping for better results. Personally I would feel foolish if I took that advice and the next time the experience was (also) poor.

 

Well, this is a very YMMV situation - so it's reasonably safe to assume a different waiter/chef/ship/piece of meat would yield a different experience. Quite possibly a good one. $29 is worth it for me for another shot.