Change of pace, Whos's sticking with Princess?

[SargassoPirate]

16 hours ago, vjmatty said:

Do you really  find the buffet quieter than the MDR? I usually find the opposite is true, but maybe that’s only at lunch. 

Hi Ginny,

 

Yes, I find the MDR breakfasts and lunches not as noisy and the pace is about right.  I do mix it up with the buffet, but then I'm an early riser and can enjoy a quiet breakfast before the zombie apocalypse hordes arrive.  

 

The evening meals in the buffet are much quieter and to me much more enjoyable without the din of a full dining room of people trying to shout over each other and the big tables which seem to suck up the waiter's attention from a two or four top.

 

Cruising solo gives me the flexibility without each meal becoming a committee decision.  When She Who Must Be Obeyed is along, she doesn't want to miss a dinner in the MDR or an over-amplified production show.

 

 

 

 

[voljeep]

15 hours ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

We really lucked out and had good cuts of beef.  The steak was larger than it looks.

that steak portion would be fine for me ... but what's that "green stuff" and where's the baked potato, extra butter, of course?

[MsSoCalCruiser]

5 minutes ago, voljeep said:

that steak portion would be fine for me ... but what's that "green stuff" and where's the baked potato, extra butter, of course?

Unfortunately, I have a stupid rare dairy allergy. 😭😭😭

Those green beans were really good!

[Nebr.cruiser]

2 hours ago, voljeep said:

that steak portion would be fine for me ... but what's that "green stuff" and where's the baked potato, extra butter, of course?

I don't think baked potatoes were on our MDR menu at all in March.  I heard you had to ask for one, but don't know.

[cr8tiv1]

1 hour ago, Nebr.cruiser said:

I don't think baked potatoes were on our MDR menu at all in March.  I heard you had to ask for one, but don't know.

 

Yes, you will need to request a baked potato.  I was able to get it every time I remembered to order one.

[curmudgeon98]

We did our first Princess cruise this spring.  My overall response was "OK, but not compelling".  My wife felt similarly.  Ship was at 60% capacity, which felt about right for the public spaces and elevators.  If it were full, I think I would have been really grumbling. 

 

Highlights were the chilled soups in MDR, and the fact that they had Blanc de Noir sparkling wine (Gloria Ferrars) included in the drinks package at the wine bar.  Much of the food was pretty decent.  Low points were the Medallion (app and device errors), lack of an observation bar, lack of a library, and size of the ship (too large).  Music and entertainment was OK, but not great.

 

I have similar feelings about HAL.  I prefer their smaller ships, but again nothing really stands out for us.  Azamara and Oceania are better fits for us, though of course at a somewhat higher price point.  

  

[Steelers0854]

For us, it will be Princess for the long haul, although we will of course go on other cruise lines.  Princess does such a wonderful job with DW’s food allergies, and their food is some of the best I have had (specialty dining excluded) at sea.  Plus given how much we like the atmosphere, the layouts of the ships, the service we receive, Princess is the best for us.

[AnyMajorCruiseDude]

58 minutes ago, Steelers0854 said:

For us, it will be Princess for the long haul, although we will of course go on other cruise lines.  Princess does such a wonderful job with DW’s food allergies, and their food is some of the best I have had (specialty dining excluded) at sea.  Plus given how much we like the atmosphere, the layouts of the ships, the service we receive, Princess is the best for us.

We agree.  Have been on several lines and still prefer Princess. Many post that they are done, but I expect they will still be posting here.  Frankly, we wish they would actually stick by their claims to move elsewhere.  

[teecee60]

7 hours ago, voljeep said:

that steak portion would be fine for me... but what's that green stuff ?

Green stuff... GREEN STUFF... we don't need no stinking green stuff!😁

[MissP22]

On 7/3/2022 at 6:38 AM, SargassoPirate said:

The evening meals in the buffet are much quieter and to me much more enjoyable without the din of a full dining room of people trying to shout over each other and the big tables which seem to suck up the waiter's attention from a two or four top.

Those nights we go to the buffet we arrive early and there might be 10 people waiting to eat. Once that initial crowd goes through it quiets down to a steady orderly flow.

Of course there won't be all the selections that the DR offers. 😉

[vjmatty]

2 hours ago, MissP22 said:

Those nights we go to the buffet we arrive early and there might be 10 people waiting to eat. Once that initial crowd goes through it quiets down to a steady orderly flow.

Of course there won't be all the selections that the DR offers. 😉

I always wondered about that….so it’s not a similar menu to the MDR for dinner?

[MissP22]

On 7/4/2022 at 8:53 AM, vjmatty said:

I always wondered about that….so it’s not a similar menu to the MDR for dinner?

Oh, it's gotten much better over the years but it's not exactly the same menu, especially on formal nights. We always check the DR menu beforehand to see if there's anything we like & go from there. 

[1912]

I love 'em all, I really have no favorite, 70+ cruises and NEVER had a bad cruise.

I have NO loyalty towards ANY cruiseline, where I find the bargains, I go.

And this past year has been especially good for bargains, 11x 7-day cruises so far!

Believe it or not, all 11 cruises only cost me approximately $1700 out of pocket!

Having said that, 7 out of those 11 cruises have been on Princess so thank you Princess for the insane deals this year.

Edited July 15, 2022 by 1912