Bayou Cafe replaces Crabs Shack on Coral Princess?

[Kingofcool1947]

I will be doing the 15 day Ocean to Ocean Panama Canal Cruise in October on Coral. Solo traveler.

I noticed specialty dining reservations can be pre-booked before sailing,

Does Bayou Cafe replace Crabs Shack on the Coral. Or in addition to?

Is the Bayou Cafe prix fix menu all you can eat? Can I have 2nd's and beyond? ;) I know food review is subjective, but in your opinion, how is the quality and quantity offered at Bayou Cafe? Better, good as, or worse than Crabs Shack. I have not eaten at either.

Do I need to make a reservation, or can I simply walk in?

Is there a dress code for Bayou Cafe? Can I wear jeans,( are shorts OK?) and short sleeve collared shirt, and sandals?

Thanks.

Edited July 3, 2017 by Kingofcool1947

[Astro Flyer]

Bayou Cafe is the Coral/Island steakhouse replacement for the Crown Grill. The menu is New Orleans inspired & all of the Crab Shack dinners I've seen were in a separated section of the buffet.

 

Here's Bayou Cafe's menu:

 

http://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/Onboard_Experience/Bayou-Cafe-Menu-Sample.pdf

 

If you've been to the Crown Grill, the Bayou Cafe is the same type of dining experience & I much prefer the Bayou Cafe's menu & ambiance to the Crab Shack. Now that the Crab Shack has increased from $19 to $29, I'd much prefer going to Bayou Cafe.

 

My experiences have been that at the CS passengers dress more casually than at the BC. You may be able to wear shorts at the CS in the buffet area but probably not at the BC; jeans in good condition would be acceptable at both just like at the MDR on non-formal nights.

 

On some ships Princess is moving away from having multiple entrees (such as surf n turf) at specialty restaurants without paying an additional fee. Although Bayou Cafe has always charged extra for lobster & it's currently $5 more for an 8 oz lobster tail.

Edited July 3, 2017 by Astro Flyer

[jpom18]

As far as I know the Bayou Cafe replaces the Crown Grill on the Coral. I believe they still have the crab shack, that it is offered on select nights and is $29/person.

[OCruisers]

Bayou Cafe has always been the steakhouse on Coral.

Sometimes the Crab Shack is offered in the buffet area.

[partybarbie]

I don't think I would wear shorts. My husband normally wears slacks and an open collared shirt when we dine there. I like the crab shack, but I love the Bayou Cafe.

 

I almost forgot! They make the best mint juleps there and they have either a piano player, or once in awhile, the Princess Orchestra, playing jazz music. There are all kinds of cute little tables and you can go early and enjoy the music or dance.

[Kingofcool1947]

Thank you to all who chimed in. And the menu looks good. :) I'm going to give Bayou Cafe a try. Is it "all you can eat"? Double appetizers, double,entrees, etc.

Never been to Crown Grill, but years ago did go to Sabatinnis.

I will wear casual pants, like khaki's and a dress shirt, and sandals,

Maybe if Crabs Shack is offered, I'll give it a try too!

[Astro Flyer]

Here's a link to the Crab Shack's menu which appears to be what we had in October 2015. That was when it cost $19 but don't know if the menu changed after the price increased to $29.

 

http://www.beyondships2.com/uploads/8/2/4/5/8245255/crab_shack-fleet-29-apr-14.pdf

 

Neither of us are light eaters & we were so full we skipped dessert but reading posts it's sometimes possible to get more food...sometimes not.

 

Unfortunately sometimes that happens due to a lack of standardization on Princess.

[Astro Flyer]

Thank you to all who chimed in. And the menu looks good. :) I'm going to give Bayou Cafe a try. Is it "all you can eat"? Double appetizers, double,entrees, etc.

Never been to Crown Grill, but years ago did go to Sabatinnis.

I will wear casual pants, like khaki's and a dress shirt, and sandals,

Maybe if Crabs Shack is offered, I'll give it a try too!

I haven't read about the Bayou Cafe limiting it to one entrée like I have on some ships at the Crown Grill & Sabatini's without paying $10 for an extra entrée or pasta course. So you should be able to have "all you can eat" but a lobster tail costs an extra $5.

 

The Crab Shack was offered once or twice during weeklong cruises. It's promoted quite a bit in the Patters, at tables set up around the ship or even with a roaming waitress in a lobster outfit. ;) You could also call the DINE line to learn when it's available & to make a reservation.

 

We enjoyed both meals & maybe so would you.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Yes, you can order as many entrees, appetizers, etc. as you want. Enjoy!

[easyboy]

Here's a link to the Crab Shack's menu which appears to be what we had in October 2015. That was when it cost $19 but don't know if the menu changed after the price increased to $29.

 

http://www.beyondships2.com/uploads/8/2/4/5/8245255/crab_shack-fleet-29-apr-14.pdf

 

 

 

Still the same with our $29 menu last April on the Crown.

 

 

 

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[taxatty]

We've eaten at the Bayou Cafe several times and the food is universally very good, except what we thought were awful gator ribs (if gator's your thing, the tail is what you want to eat--lots of it here in South Florida). The steaks are the same you get in the other Princess steakhouses except for the seasoning. Be prepared for a lot of food, especially if you choose to try all of the side dishes. Don't miss the excellent Norman Love chocolate dessert. It's generally not crowded at all and khakis should be fine.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Hands down we had the best filet in years at the Bayou cafe on the Coral.

 

 

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[OCruisers]

Hands down we had the best filet in years at the Bayou cafe on the Coral.

 

 

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Have to agree: The filet at Bayou is VERY Good! (y)

[Eagle_and_hawk]

We really like the Bayou Cafe on the Coral, and eat there at least once during the cruise. We have always found the food and service to be very good. The 1-2 times they offered the Crab Shack, it was set up in a corner of the Horizion Court and was $29.

 

 

A few food pictures from the Bayou Cafe:

 

 

A27 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr

 

 

A28 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr

 

 

A26 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr

 

 

A25 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr

 

 

A21 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr

 

 

A20 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr