Tell me about the Crown Grill

[fluffybunny22]

Yesterday I was trying to take advantage of an EZ Air glitch and Princess managed to royally screw up my air reservations. As an I'm sorry they gave me a $300 OBC and a free specialty dinner. They tried to push me towards Sabatini's but I had already look at the menus and knew it wouldn't work for us. I went for the Crown Grill. 2 of us are steak eaters and the other will go for the fish. Do they have any signature cocktails? We have the PBP. We are on the Sky if that matters. On an 11 night cruise. Which night is the best night to skip the MDR?

[JF - retired RRT]

1 hour ago, fluffybunny22 said:

Do they have any signature cocktails? We have the PBP. We are on the Sky if that matters. On an 11 night cruise. Which night is the best night to skip the MDR?

I don't drink, but never noticed any cocktails. They're not on the menu IIRC.

The best night depends on your desires: avoid formal night? skip the MDR when the night's menu doesn't appeal?

Someone can probably help you figure out when formal night is. If that's your reason.

or

once you're on the ship, ask the head waiter for the menus for the week and make your decision. If that's your reason.

or 

something else?

[Colo Cruiser]

Once onboard you could use that free dinner in any of the restaurants. The 3rd one....... La Mer would be a few more $$. Not sure of they would not charge you extra or not for that one.

The drinks are the same all over.

Since you have the PBP it won't matter as you can get anything you want.

[franktown]

Sabatini's has special cocktails Crown Grill doesn't.  

[paradiselivin1]

We sometimes skip formal night but agree that the best time to go is a night that nothing in MDR appeals to you. We happen to love the Crown Grill but to each their own.

[CineGraphic]

On our last 13 day cruise, we ate at the Crown Grill 4 times, and enjoyed it.

It's no Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, but it's certainly better than the MDR.

I usually order the lamb, and my wife sticks with the filet. If you're interested in something on the menu, it pays to ask your waiter/waitress. One night, our waiter tried to steer me away from ordering the Veal Chop, but I didn't pay attention, and regretted it. As for drinks, order whatever you want, they'll get it from the nearest bar.

[toescat]

Just thinking about the Crown Grill makes my mouth water.  We always go to the Crown Grill once or twice each cruise.  I love the Scallops, it is so gooooooood.  CineGraphic is correct you tell them what you want to drink and you will get what you want.  It does not have to be on the drink menu.  

 

 

[Sea Hag]

Lamb chops in the Crown Grill are great. 

[JimmyVWine]

1 hour ago, CineGraphic said:

It’s no Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, but it's certainly better than the MDR.

Can’t really say it any better than that. Whether it is worth a $29pp upcharge can be fairly debated. When offered to you as a freebie? No brainer. 

[Colo Cruiser]

1 hour ago, JimmyVWine said:

Can’t really say it any better than that. Whether it is worth a $29pp upcharge can be fairly debated. When offered to you as a freebie? No brainer. 

Free?   😂

[JimmyVWine]

6 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Free?   😂

Yes. The OP got OBC and a free dinner comped by customer service as a good will gesture. It wasn’t part of a promotion where they charge you more for the cruise and then tell you that you are getting something for free.  In this instance, their Specialty Dinner really is free. 

[Thrak]

We have had free specialty dining. Many get it free from a TA coupon book. We have a B2B2B booked next fall that shows a TA coupon book (not the one from Princess that is essentially worthless) for each of the 3 segments. We may well end up with coupons for 3 free specialty dinners. We may also give at least one of them away. We can't eat enough to justify paying for the specialty dinners and we got "snooted at" (I know, not a real term) the last time we went to Crown Grill because we ate until we were full and then stopped. They seemed genuinely annoyed we not only didn't finish dinner but also refused dessert. Sheesh... We were full and didn't want to eat any more.

 

Most folks love Crown Grill and, unlike us, can eat the dinner. When I first cruised in 2011 (yes, we are cruise n00bs) I was able to eat an entire specialty venue dinner and loved it. It's only now that we are older (dang it happens fast!) that I can't eat that much. What I do eat is good. I actually think I had better beef in Stirling Steakhouse on Sea Princess but it's hard to make a real judgement years later. (When I was younger we would go out and I would inhale a 22 oz. Porterhouse or Ribeye. No longer possible. Sad because I was thin then and fat now. Not fair at all!)

[Thrak]

CineGraphic: You changed your avatar from a young Johnny Depp to James Finlayson. You are getting more obscure but I'm onto you. 😎

 

[Knickearth]

8 hours ago, Thrak said:

We have had free specialty dining. Many get it free from a TA coupon book. We have a B2B2B booked next fall that shows a TA coupon book (not the one from Princess that is essentially worthless) for each of the 3 segments. We may well end up with coupons for 3 free specialty dinners. We may also give at least one of them away. We can't eat enough to justify paying for the specialty dinners and we got "snooted at" (I know, not a real term) the last time we went to Crown Grill because we ate until we were full and then stopped. They seemed genuinely annoyed we not only didn't finish dinner but also refused dessert. Sheesh... We were full and didn't want to eat any more.

 

Most folks love Crown Grill and, unlike us, can eat the dinner. When I first cruised in 2011 (yes, we are cruise n00bs) I was able to eat an entire specialty venue dinner and loved it. It's only now that we are older (dang it happens fast!) that I can't eat that much. What I do eat is good. I actually think I had better beef in Stirling Steakhouse on Sea Princess but it's hard to make a real judgement years later. (When I was younger we would go out and I would inhale a 22 oz. Porterhouse or Ribeye. No longer possible. Sad because I was thin then and fat now. Not fair at all!)

I too can no longer eat the entire dinner at the Crown Grill.  So here is what I do - order the scallops, share the soup, have the entre and no dessert.  It works for me and I end up not being stuffed.  I eat the green veggies and skip the potatoes etc.

[Steelers36]

8 hours ago, Thrak said:

We have had free specialty dining. Many get it free from a TA coupon book. We have a B2B2B booked next fall that shows a TA coupon book (not the one from Princess that is essentially worthless) for each of the 3 segments. We may well end up with coupons for 3 free specialty dinners.

You may have had free Specialty Dining as a Princess or TA perk, but the coupon book provides a BOGO offer for embarkation night only.

 

8 hours ago, Thrak said:

CineGraphic: You changed your avatar from a young Johnny Depp to James Finlayson. You are getting more obscure but I'm onto you.

If you use this format:  @CineGraphic, then he will know you mentioned him in a post (you receive a notice from CC - like I will do now for you, @Thrak).  😉

Edited October 12, 2019 by steelers36

[CineGraphic]

9 hours ago, Thrak said:

CineGraphic: You changed your avatar from a young Johnny Depp to James Finlayson. You are getting more obscure but I'm onto you. 😎

 

I went from "Mickey Katz" (Google him), to Johnny Depp in Cry Baby, then briefly to John Waters, and then to Jimmy. Yes, my interests are diverse. No crime in that, I hope 🙂

[Guest arowe6]

For the last 5-ish years my partner and I have made reservations for the entire week in the Crown Grill (due to poor service and food in the dining room) and we'll eat there almost every night. No signature cocktails, but you can order what you want from the bar. I think they might have a special wine list too (but don't remember for sure).

 

All around it's a much better experience than the dining room, IMO. We've had a few roblems in the CG over the years, but the overall service, food quality, and atmosphere far outweighs the dining room for us.

 

Some nights, we'll have a complete 5 course dinner. Other nights, we'll get an app and entree and skip the rest.

 

I've eaten my way around that menu many times. I have most of the food pictures in this album. https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewmrowe/albums/72157664438790304 

 

For what it's worth.... we've eaten in Sabatinis about 3 times and each time we were disappointed. When I think of Italian food, I think of chicken parm, meatballs, lasagne, etc. The current menus and even the old ones were never appealing for us. We would choose CG in a heart beat (others on this board will disagree.... different strokes for different folks).

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Andrew 🙂

 

[CineGraphic]

3 hours ago, Knickearth said:

I too can no longer eat the entire dinner at the Crown Grill.  So here is what I do - order the scallops, share the soup, have the entree and no dessert. 

 

Sometimes the staff make it very hard to say no to dessert.

 

 

[Azllama]

On our last cruise, just a few weeks ago, on the Star Princess. We even booked in advance, dinner at the Crow Grill.

It was not a great experience. Food was not great, food that was brought to the table, was cold, and even the side dishes,

were not even cook completely thru. The waiter had five tables by himself, with only one other person helping him.

I known everyone has a different view, on how food is prepared, and severed,, but Princess really dropped the ball here.

We were not the only ones disappointed with the Crown Grill on the Star Princess.

When we did complain about our dinner, they did offer to recook the meal, but we all know the chances of what might be returned to your table.....

Even a free dinner, I wont be back....

[CineGraphic]

18 minutes ago, Azllama said:

When we did complain about our dinner, they did offer to recook the meal, but we all know the chances of what might be returned to your table.....

Out of our most recent 4 visits, we had to send back my wife's filet only once.

She ordered it medium, and it came out beet red. Clearly, they had grabbed the wrong filet.

Mistakes like this happen every day somewhere in the world.

They were more than happy to replace it. No fuss, no worries.

We didn't make a stink about it, and they were practically overly apologetic.

Edited October 12, 2019 by CineGraphic

[jennybenny]

18 minutes ago, Azllama said:

On our last cruise, just a few weeks ago, on the Star Princess. We even booked in advance, dinner at the Crow Grill.

It was not a great experience. Food was not great, food that was brought to the table, was cold, and even the side dishes,

were not even cook completely thru. The waiter had five tables by himself, with only one other person helping him.

I known everyone has a different view, on how food is prepared, and severed,, but Princess really dropped the ball here.

We were not the only ones disappointed with the Crown Grill on the Star Princess.

When we did complain about our dinner, they did offer to recook the meal, but we all know the chances of what might be returned to your table.....

Even a free dinner, I wont be back....

I’m not eating cold food

I’d send it back 

[Thrak]

4 hours ago, CineGraphic said:

I went from "Mickey Katz" (Google him), to Johnny Depp in Cry Baby, then briefly to John Waters, and then to Jimmy. Yes, my interests are diverse. No crime in that, I hope 🙂

 

It's just interesting to see the different avatars. I like it.

[XBGuy]

OP, a couple things.  For those in your party that are looking for seafood, I ordered the Lobster Tails once and was not impressed.  On the other hand I think the Sea Bass entree is excellent. and the Mussel Pot is Mrs. XBGuy's favorite. 

 

Also, Mrs. XBGuy does not care for any of the "Starters" on the Crown Grill menu.  So, she will order the "Garlic Fries" which is listed as one of the entree side dishes.  Invariably, the server will give her a double take, but, then, her fries appear on our table when my appetizer dish arrives.  A side benefit is that she does not eat all the fries, and, so, I get to snag a few.

 

I have to agree with posters who have had difficulty getting the preparation for beef or lamb dishes to their specification.  However, I have the opposite problem to what has been reported.  I like my beef or lamb to be rare.  Invariably, it came pink.  I have learned, now, that when I order and the server asks how I want it prepared, I pause for effect, look him or her in the eye and say, "Rare.  Blood rare, please."  To be honest, I can't say that always works, either.

[Steelers36]

24 minutes ago, XBGuy said:

I like my beef or lamb to be rare.  Invariably, it came pink.  I have learned, now, that when I order and the server asks how I want it prepared, I pause for effect, look him or her in the eye and say, "Rare.  Blood rare, please."

Your little story made me smile, recalling my father-in-law, who liked his beef VERY well done - even steaks.  Unreal.  So, this one time we were out for his birthday dinner I believe it was, and he was very specific with the waiter, looking him in the eye and very carefully explaining that he wanted his steak WELL done.  When the meals came out, the waiter presented my FIL with his steak and he had a small propane blow torch in hand just in case more was needed.  We all had a good laugh over that one.

 

(They lived an hour-plus north of us and when they were coming for a cook-out dinner, I used to kid him to be sure and phone when he was leaving home so I could put his steak on the BBQ).

 

Edited October 12, 2019 by steelers36

[keithm]

5 hours ago, CineGraphic said:

I went from "Mickey Katz" (Google him), to Johnny Depp in Cry Baby, then briefly to John Waters, and then to Jimmy. Yes, my interests are diverse. No crime in that, I hope 🙂

Good 'ol Jimmy! Forever looking like he was weaned on a pickle!