Anyone experiencing poor dining aboard?

[SFSailaway]

Hello all.

My daughter and her husband are currently honeymooning aboard the Majestic Princess on a California coastal cruise.  My daughter is an experienced cruiser with Princess and has experienced many wonderful cruises aboard several of the Princess ships.  She has been absolutely shocked on this cruise to see the changes in the quality and quantity of the food being served.  The meals they have been served in the main dining room so far have been super tiny and flavorless, and many times overcooked.  More than three-quarters of the plate is empty with a very small portion of food stacked in the center.  She was served a shrimp cocktail appetizer that contained three small shrimp and a drizzle of cocktail sauce.  The portions they are being served are not even half the size of the portions that were served aboard the Princess ships pre-Covid.  And the flavor and quality just aren't there.  I realize that we are still dealing with the pandemic and there are probably supply chain issues at work and that Princess has probably needed to make cutbacks in order to keep operating.  I am just curious if this is the new normal across all Princess ships or if this is something happening aboard the Majestic only?  I haven't seen any other posts on the boards with people complaining about the food, so maybe this is a one-off? 

[DUCHESSRN]

Yes 3 shrimp is correct...I noticed portions smaller and not as many pastry choices in International Cafe .

Buffet not wonderful but hope things will improve .

[Steelers36]

I have read many posts by guests on ships since the resumption of cruising and many have mentioned the smaller portions, but most are happy with the quality presented.  I won't talk about the latter.  As to portion size, I don't mind that as sometimes there is more food on a plate than I might want and you can always ask for more.  Perhaps the trick will be knowing which plates to ask for more before they come out of the kitchen - but that is going to have to be a learning experience.

 

I just hope my CG steak is not shrunk to half-size, but an ounce less won't bother me one bit.

😉

 

[memoak]

I am not cooking or washing dishes - portions ?  There are so many places to get food on board ship I will never go hungry.  If the portions are too small then order double portions

[Sea Hag]

Well, she's right about portions being smaller. This worked out for me big time. I can't eat as much as I could at one time, but with the smaller portions, I could manage all course. Win for me, not a win for somebody who needs more on their plate. Quality was fine, except for the duck. I think I've finally got it through my fat head to just not order duck on a ship. No good comes of it.

[memoak]

19 minutes ago, Sea Hag said:

Well, she's right about portions being smaller. This worked out for me big time. I can't eat as much as I could at one time, but with the smaller portions, I could manage all course. Win for me, not a win for somebody who needs more on their plate. Quality was fine, except for the duck. I think I've finally got it through my fat head to just not order duck on a ship. No good comes of it.

That is funny - I have found that most of my favorite dishes have been duck - especially the appetizer

[Sea Hag]

24 minutes ago, memoak said:

That is funny - I have found that most of my favorite dishes have been duck - especially the appetizer

Actually, I partially agree with that. 🤣 The duck appetizers are pretty good usually. I wasn't thinking of appetizers. I was only thinking of duck as an entree. I've never had that be good. Overcooked meat. Soggy skin. Unrendered fat. Sounds like you've been luckier than I have, and you have my best wishes for that luck to continue. 😃

[Bgwest]

Wife and I are delighted with both the quality and portion size aboard the Emerald. 
Frankly, we see no difference in what we’ve become accustomed to pre-pause. 
Disclaimer - I’m speaking about Club Class

 

 

 

Edited October 26, 2021 by Bgwest

[AZ Ocean Lover]

I was fine with the size and options in the dining room on a recent Grand cruise and Sabatini’s and Crown Grill were just fine (although my husband complained about getting only three spears of asparagus - but we hadn’t even ordered it so he couldn’t complain out loud😁).

 

I did feel the buffet was subpar and said so in my post cruise survey.  We are not big buffet folks anyway but this certainly didn’t sway us towards them.  
 

We did think the pastries were smaller in the International Cafe but that was fine with us.

[4cats4me]

1 hour ago, SFSailaway said:

Hello all.

My daughter and her husband are currently honeymooning aboard the Majestic Princess on a California coastal cruise.  My daughter is an experienced cruiser with Princess and has experienced many wonderful cruises aboard several of the Princess ships.  She has been absolutely shocked on this cruise to see the changes in the quality and quantity of the food being served.  The meals they have been served in the main dining room so far have been super tiny and flavorless, and many times overcooked.  More than three-quarters of the plate is empty with a very small portion of food stacked in the center.  She was served a shrimp cocktail appetizer that contained three small shrimp and a drizzle of cocktail sauce.  The portions they are being served are not even half the size of the portions that were served aboard the Princess ships pre-Covid.  And the flavor and quality just aren't there.  I realize that we are still dealing with the pandemic and there are probably supply chain issues at work and that Princess has probably needed to make cutbacks in order to keep operating.  I am just curious if this is the new normal across all Princess ships or if this is something happening aboard the Majestic only?  I haven't seen any other posts on the boards with people complaining about the food, so maybe this is a one-off? 

Hi,

I was onboard last month and although portions were tiny, the flavor was excellent.  Been sailing with Princess since 2003 regularly and it was the best dining room food I’d ever had on Princess.  I asked for two entrees on some nights. Ordered half order or pasta and a meat entree, et cet.  

Food was plentiful throughout the ship and especially in the MDR after eating appetizers, salads, two entrees, dessert, coffee.  

Best service I’ve ever experienced, too. 

One can always ask for extra.  I’ve

Edited October 26, 2021 by 4cats4me

[c-boy]

 

I  hope the dining adventures improve for your daughter. There's nothing worse than having high expectations and being met with  small tasteless portions on a honeymoon. 

[Cruise Raider]

We were on the Majestic back in July and on the Grand in Sept.  We thought the portion size was just perfect and the food quality, well .. it was pretty good.  I'm really surprised to hear they are not pleased with it but, tastes are so subjective.  

BTW, there was a filet of sole dish I had on the Majestic that I think was the best dish I've ever had on a cruise.  It was beyond delicious!!  

[Tyskie]

We have an upcoming cruise on the Regal Princess - Princess is our "go to cruise line".

 

However, we just got off a cruise to Bermuda on NCL. 

Got to talk with the Food & Beverage Manager (who we knew from previous cruises) and was told that they are having a trouble securing food and beverages from their usual distributers.  Dealing with lack of supplies & shortages have affected the food quality.

 

I'm sure all cruise lines including Princess might be dealing with the same issues. I'm just so glad that we are able to cruise and hopefully over time, things will improve. 

[rj59]

If there are supply shortages for land restaurants, trying to keep a ship full of tons of new food every week is going to be challenging. You're also dealing with a smaller number of crew, who have been away from cruise ship kitchens for some time. The lines also have an incentive to try to recoup costs lost to being shut down, so you get a very limited buffet and smaller servings, which I noticed has been a trend on cruise ships for some time, using a big plate and dressing it up to look more substantial than it really is. 

 

What I do is focus on what each line does best. So on Majestic last week I had a different pizza in Alfredo's every day and tried daily specials in their noodle bar. I also got acquainted with the pastry server in the buffet, who got me 6 extra servings of the pot de creme caramel pudding, which is the best dessert I've ever had. I also found the cold and hot soups from the MDR in the buffet, so I had those as an early dinner and then tried two different main dishes instead of appetizers. 

[geoherb]

I thought the food was fine on the Majestic in August. I usually ordered one or two appetizers (frequently an appetizer portion of pasta), main course, and dessert. I did get two main courses on the night they served the crab legs--and that was more of an appetizer size portion. 

 

 

[blondee419]

Portion size is much smaller, but I appreciated that.  Except the lobster roll which I paid for and was incredibly small. 

Quality in general.... meh. Especially the last night (3 day earlier this month).  This is the Shrimp cocktail appetizer (three whole shrimp!), and the "Surf 'n' Turf" main (TWO shrimp and a 1/4" thick slice of... Something... It was bland). 

 

The caesar salad was great, as were both desserts I got - a creme brulee and key lime cheese cake (i think... Honestly it was good, but not memorable)

 

 

 

[Thrak]

We have always enjoyed the fact that Princess served reasonable portions so we could actually eat the entire dinner without feeling bloated from too much food. Having said that, I'm not too sure that making the portions even smaller is a great idea. I guess we will have to wait and see when we get to sail again. We likely won't have a problem with the smaller portions but then one never knows in advance. I just wish we were sailing...

[HaveDogWillTravel]

I was on the majestic in July and while the portions were smaller the food I had was very good to excellent. I had two or three portions of some dishes if I really liked them and my waiter was really awesome. Extras came quickly and I was alway finished in one hour so I could get to the shows.  
if there is still time in the cruise you might suggest she speak to the Maitre d’Hotel about the chef table. They did a wonderful job of it on my sailing. 

I do hope they are having a great time and enjoying their honeymoon. 

Edited October 27, 2021 by HaveDogWillTravel

[wowzz]

Currently on Sky. Entrees are small, but they always have been. The most noticeable difference from the past,  imho, is that the accompaniments to the main course are miniscule. I am having to ask for double helpings of potatoes and vegetables every night.

The salad option in the buffet is also very disappointing - lettuce, tomato etc - fine. But apart from a few slices of salami, nothing else in the way of protein. No ham, cold beef, chicken, smoked salmon, prawns etc. A real let down. 

[BabsinTX]

On 10/26/2021 at 6:09 PM, Bgwest said:

Wife and I are delighted with both the quality and portion size aboard the Emerald. 
Frankly, we see no difference in what we’ve become accustomed to pre-pause. 
Disclaimer - I’m speaking about Club Class

 

 

 

I'm glad to see your comment.  We'll be on Emerald on 11/6  in a suite.  I love Club Class dining!

[Astro Flyer]

On 10/26/2021 at 2:56 PM, SFSailaway said:

My daughter is an experienced cruiser with Princess and has experienced many wonderful cruises aboard several of the Princess ships.  She has been absolutely shocked on this cruise to see the changes in the quality and quantity of the food being served.  The meals they have been served in the main dining room so far have been super tiny and flavorless, and many times overcooked. 

 

We boarded Majestic on 10/23 for a 7-day cruise and have no complaints about the food which is on par with our other nearly 500 days on Princess. Obviously food like other things is subjective so others might feel differently…it’s merely experiences based on past cruises.

 

There are still many dining room choices & always find something to enjoy. Some portions are slightly smaller but with a multi course meal getting full is never a problem. There are fewer beef options which is not surprising to me due to skyrocketing prices. There are fewer choices in the buffet but plenty to keep us happy.

 

After losing billions due to the pandemic such minor changes are not surprising to me & are acceptable as cruise lines struggle to return to profitability. Land based food supplies are difficult & likely even worse for supplying ships, There’s nothing shocking to us about our current cruise & we’re happy to be onboard again with their wonderful crew & feel differently than your honeymooning daughter.

 

[RJGallagher1955]

We're currently on the Majestic as well. We concur portions are smaller in the MDR. For us the flavor has been OK, not bad but not as good as I remember. Had dinner tonight in the Crown Grill and it was excellent as well as pizza in Alfredo's. The buffet has been so-so.

But the Princess staff continue to shine. They are world class and interacting with them is a pleasure. They make up for any misses with the food.

[bellagiio]

18 hours ago, wowzz said:

Currently on Sky. Entrees are small, but they always have been. The most noticeable difference from the past,  imho, is that the accompaniments to the main course are miniscule. I am having to ask for double helpings of potatoes and vegetables every night.

The salad option in the buffet is also very disappointing - lettuce, tomato etc - fine. But apart from a few slices of salami, nothing else in the way of protein. No ham, cold beef, chicken, smoked salmon, prawns etc. A real let down. 

Hi Wowzz 

Currently on Sky...in the buffet you need to look at other service areas ..we have found salmon everyday ..in our opinion plenty  of choice . Alfredos excellent as well as outdoor eateries and international  cafe..

Medallion app also allows you to

easily  order food to be delivered to anywhere.  We have enjoyed portion sizes of food in mdr as we  can then manage more  courses!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[wowzz]

4 hours ago, bellagiio said:

Hi Wowzz 

Currently on Sky...in the buffet you need to look at other service areas ..we have found salmon everyday ..in our opinion plenty  of choice . Alfredos excellent as well as outdoor eateries and international  cafe..

Medallion app also allows you to

easily  order food to be delivered to anywhere.  We have enjoyed portion sizes of food in mdr as we  can then manage more  courses!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All I can say is that the buffet offering is not as good as on previous Princess cruises. Heck, it's not even as good as on our last P&O cruise !

Meals in the Crown Grill and Sabitinis have been good, and we intend to eat in them for the rest of the cruise, if we can get reservations.

Alfredo's looks pretty souless, so we avoid.

[fabby50]

We were on the first cruise of the Grand this year.  One of my happy discoveries was the change to the buffet since the pandemic.  I liked the little individual servings of salads, fruit, vegetables, etc.  for lunch.  I liked the little cheese trays with the nuts and dried fruit, the small sandwiches, just really liked the new set up.  A couple of times I got a big bowl of salad greens from the salad lady and then dumped various small container concoctions on top for a great salad.  I would eat a different roll every day.  I much preferred it to the large serving bowls that everyone dipped out of.  They still had a hot line with servers, but I've never been impressed with that food, no matter what cruise line we've traveled on and tend to avoid it.

 

I forgot - on the hot side, they had these little steamer containers one day with dumplings and peanut sauce.  I could have eaten 20 of those, but the individual serving container helped me control myself 🙂

Edited October 28, 2021 by fabby50
dumping remark added