New dinner menu

[Torfamm]

1 hour ago, LouChamp said:

Aloha. I have mentioned before and some of my fellow posters have said the same that the massive ships cannot provide the same level of quantity with sacrificing quality and choice as yesteryear. It is impossible also given financial realities.  I recall the smaller ships of yesteryear having sailed since 1971. As the world has changed so has cruising. Sad but true. Leaning towards more upscale smaller lines and ships as we get older. 

I remember my first cruise in 1982 on the Carnival Mardi Gras. It was 7 nights in a cabin with a tiny porthole and no electric outlets in the cabin at all. There were though fabulous midnight buffets, terrific food, and lots of entertainment. Everyone dressed up every night. The cost was $1250 per person, which would be $3,950 per person in today’s dollars. 
 

A similar cruise today on Princess is under $1,000 per person. I feel like cruising and airline travel have both become much cheaper but much less “glamorous” over time.

[latebloomer56]

We were not at all impressed with the dinner menu on the Sapphire in Oct. However the wait staff were all wonderful. The actual menu was always slightly different from the TV version, but that was fine.

Our first cruise was in 1986 and I remember being blown away with the food choices the midnight buffet was a beautiful memory, that was on a different line but sure all were the same back then as well. Theme night midnight buffets were my favorites though, love seeing foods from different counties. Miss that but don't miss the waste, so many plates of uneaten food in the corridors, sad. Maybe that is also a factor for no more midnight buffets? 

[kevinyork]

On 2/24/2023 at 6:23 PM, Ombud said:

I'm vegetarian not vegan so, yes, I eat dairy and cheese. I'm not a pescatarian so I don't eat fish

> starters: vegetable terrine (looks like ratatouille) & ginger-carrot-coconut soup

> main dish: onion vegetable tart & goat cheese souffle 

The terrine mentions jelly which could contain gelatine, possibly why they is no v symbol next to it.

 

I’m sure you know but almost all the cheese on Princess contains animal rennet, they tend not to use vegetarian friendly cheeses.

[RNRcruisers]

This is the same menu we had one night earlier this month on the Caribbean Princess. I would say approximately every other night was a one page version like this, with the dessert included. You could get the "any day favorites" if you asked but new cruisers wouldn't know this. The rest of the time was a two page menu with separate dessert menu that we were used to from previous cruises. I am a somewhat picky eater and had a hard time finding entrees that sounded appealing, however my DH is not at all picky and said the same. Chicken is often my fallback but there was not even much of that offered. Lots of seafood. As has been said, we did not go hungry but it was disappointing. Our menus on the Regal January 2022 were much better IMO.

 

The new Love Boat Dream was not good and the Pistachio Dome disappointing. In the past I have found fabulous chocolate desserts, this last cruise not so much.

 

Yes, first world problems but it all goes into our decision about whether to sail and if so, what line and what to expect. Of course, food is subjective so all of this is my opinion.

 

[caribill]

4 hours ago, LouChamp said:

Aloha. I have mentioned before and some of my fellow posters have said the same that the massive ships cannot provide the same level of quantity with sacrificing quality and choice as yesteryear. It is impossible also given financial realities.  I recall the smaller ships of yesteryear having sailed since 1971. As the world has changed so has cruising. Sad but true. Leaning towards more upscale smaller lines and ships as we get older. 

 

And the massive ships can no longer do many of the itineraries that Princess was once known for.

 

These ships cannot sail to many places (such as up the Amazon River which we did with Princess) or go to many places that do not have the tourist infrastructure to provide a good experience for 4000 plus passengers.

[memoak]

2 hours ago, latebloomer56 said:

We were not at all impressed with the dinner menu on the Sapphire in Oct. However the wait staff were all wonderful. The actual menu was always slightly different from the TV version, but that was fine.

Our first cruise was in 1986 and I remember being blown away with the food choices the midnight buffet was a beautiful memory, that was on a different line but sure all were the same back then as well. Theme night midnight buffets were my favorites though, love seeing foods from different counties. Miss that but don't miss the waste, so many plates of uneaten food in the corridors, sad. Maybe that is also a factor for no more midnight buffets? 

I still hate all the waste I see in the buffet. Dishes filled with uneaten food being thrown away. There used to be a saying “Take all you want eat all you take”

[talkorpi]

35 minutes ago, RNRcruisers said:

This is the same menu we had one night earlier this month on the Caribbean Princess. I would say approximately every other night was a one page version like this, with the dessert included. You could get the "any day favorites" if you asked but new cruisers wouldn't know this. The rest of the time was a two page menu with separate dessert menu that we were used to from previous cruises. I am a somewhat picky eater and had a hard time finding entrees that sounded appealing, however my DH is not at all picky and said the same. Chicken is often my fallback but there was not even much of that offered. Lots of seafood. As has been said, we did not go hungry but it was disappointing. Our menus on the Regal January 2022 were much better IMO.

 

The new Love Boat Dream was not good and the Pistachio Dome disappointing. In the past I have found fabulous chocolate desserts, this last cruise not so much.

 

Yes, first world problems but it all goes into our decision about whether to sail and if so, what line and what to expect. Of course, food is subjective so all of this is my opinion.

 

 

One of the biggest reasons I have always wanted to try Princess (and why I am finally taking the plunge after years of waiting for the right time and price) was elevated cuisine.  As a foodie and home cook, I used to think that Princess' menus and food pictures looked incredible and were a huge draw.  Plus, I am a bit of a chocoholic and thought that the Chocolate Journeys program and the incredible chocolate desserts offered every night were a huge plus.

 

It's a pretty big disappointment that the dining experience seems to have been cut so much even in just the three months I have had my cruise booked.  I know that the lines are hurting from the shutdown and need to make money, but this was the main reason I chose to upgrade to Princess, which has always marketed itself as a premium line.

 

I can't say I'm as excited as I once was mainly due to all of these changes that have come to dining in the last few weeks.  Am I still excited about my upcoming cruise?  Yes, very.  But will I have to lower my expectations (which were already lower due to the industry-wide cutbacks)?  Yes.  And when I have spent thousands of dollars, it becomes difficult to justify.

 

I guess we will find out in a couple of weeks.  Just my two cents that nobody asked for.

 

[caribill]

8 hours ago, caribill said:

 

After the restart, even the hamburger has disappeared from the favorites section. No beef in that part of the menu anymore.

 

4 hours ago, Coral said:

It is still available on the children's menu.

 

Not really.

 

The "Princess Gourmet Beef Burger"** on the dining room menu was a fancy one and the type was not the same every evening.   (**Name was the same even with other ingredients)

 

For example on different evenings:

o Stilton cheese and sauteed mushrooms

                                    

o Gruyere cheese, pork belly, kimchi, beer battered jalapenos

 

o Caribbean jerk seasoned crab meat

 

Not exactly items on the children's menu

 

 

[Z0nker]

On 2/24/2023 at 12:43 PM, travelin.sisters said:

when we sailed in Sept/Oct all three of those (which I would also order regularly when nothing else was appealing) were changed & not for the better, it was so sad

Did the Caesar have kale? I’m still adjusting to that. 

[Z0nker]

36 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

 

Not really.

 

The "Princess Gourmet Beef Burger"** on the dining room menu was a fancy one and the type was not the same every evening.   (**Name was the same even with other ingredients)

 

For example on different evenings:

o Stilton cheese and sauteed mushrooms

                                    

o Gruyere cheese, pork belly, kimchi, beer battered jalapenos

 

o Caribbean jerk seasoned crab meat

 

Not exactly items on the children's menu

 

 

The second one sounds a lot like the Ernesto burger. 

[caribill]

6 minutes ago, Z0nker said:

The second one sounds a lot like the Ernesto burger. 

 

It was.

 

And it was offered in the dining room at no extra cost on a formal evening under Princess favorites.

[Z0nker]

12 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

It was.

 

And it was offered in the dining room at no extra cost on a formal evening under Princess favorites.

I could get used to that 

[MIJOY]

On 2/24/2023 at 12:05 PM, tjcletzgo said:

Me too😳

I believe the shrimp cocktail was also on the Everyday menu.  I wonder if they still offer these items, just not showing on the menus.

 

[capriccio]

2 minutes ago, MIJOY said:

I believe the shrimp cocktail was also on the Everyday menu.  I wonder if they still offer these items, just not showing on the menus.

 

A number of postings earlier in this thread have said just that:  they are available even if not on that day's printed menu.

[jeromep]

On 2/24/2023 at 7:19 PM, MsSoCalCruiser said:

Is it mushrooms or liver?  I’ve never tried it because I thought it was liver.

The "filling" of beef Wellington should be minced mushrooms which have been cooked down or sauteed into what is almost a paste.  Mushrooms wilt or cook down incredibly easily, much like spinach.  And they also get very dark when cooked down.  There are other ingredients in the filling, but liver is not one of them. 

 

I've never made Wellington, but I purchased the puff pastry from the freezer case at the store last fall thinking I'd put one up for Christmas dinner, but it never happened.

 

America's Test Kitchen has an excellent recipe, based on my reading it, and the filling is referred to as duxelles.  That mixture is composed of shallots, garlic, mushrooms, thyme, red wine, salt and pepper.

 

There is also a Wellington recipe in the Princess Courses cookbook, we got that on a cruise many years ago, and it's preparation is very similar.

[latebloomer56]

1 hour ago, Z0nker said:

Did the Caesar have kale? I’m still adjusting to that. 

Mine did the first night, awful because they don't blanch it very bitter. The good news is they can give you one without it and the original Caesar is still very good.

[latebloomer56]

1 hour ago, jeromep said:

The "filling" of beef Wellington should be minced mushrooms which have been cooked down or sauteed into what is almost a paste.  Mushrooms wilt or cook down incredibly easily, much like spinach.  And they also get very dark when cooked down.  There are other ingredients in the filling, but liver is not one of them. 

 

I've never made Wellington, but I purchased the puff pastry from the freezer case at the store last fall thinking I'd put one up for Christmas dinner, but it never happened.

 

America's Test Kitchen has an excellent recipe, based on my reading it, and the filling is referred to as duxelles.  That mixture is composed of shallots, garlic, mushrooms, thyme, red wine, salt and pepper.

 

There is also a Wellington recipe in the Princess Courses cookbook, we got that on a cruise many years ago, and it's preparation is very similar.

K make the one frm ATC very easy and the family love it. I will have to look at my copy of courses it's old so may not be in there.

[Happiest when cruising]

10 hours ago, lucas34 said:

On my cruise in 1992 with Star Princess during gala night there was Malossol caviar and for main course pheasant, beef Wellington ja Maine lobster...those were the golden days of cruising!

Wow…you have a long memory. I can barely remember what I ate yesterday, which makes the changes easier. lol. 

[latebloomer56]

3 hours ago, talkorpi said:

 

One of the biggest reasons I have always wanted to try Princess (and why I am finally taking the plunge after years of waiting for the right time and price) was elevated cuisine.  As a foodie and home cook, I used to think that Princess' menus and food pictures looked incredible and were a huge draw.  Plus, I am a bit of a chocoholic and thought that the Chocolate Journeys program and the incredible chocolate desserts offered every night were a huge plus.

 

It's a pretty big disappointment that the dining experience seems to have been cut so much even in just the three months I have had my cruise booked.  I know that the lines are hurting from the shutdown and need to make money, but this was the main reason I chose to upgrade to Princess, which has always marketed itself as a premium line.

 

I can't say I'm as excited as I once was mainly due to all of these changes that have come to dining in the last few weeks.  Am I still excited about my upcoming cruise?  Yes, very.  But will I have to lower my expectations (which were already lower due to the industry-wide cutbacks)?  Yes.  And when I have spent thousands of dollars, it becomes difficult to justify.

 

I guess we will find out in a couple of weeks.  Just my two cents that nobody asked for.

 

You will enjoy Princess, if you want to try more than one dish and can eat it they will bring you two entrees. We have skipped diner because we ate a nice lunch, but about 7:00 or so would go to IC nice small plates and not sitting out like the buffet, which we enjoyed on the Sapphire with so many small servings set out. 

[gah_cruise]

1 hour ago, jeromep said:

The "filling" of beef Wellington should be minced mushrooms which have been cooked down or sauteed into what is almost a paste.  Mushrooms wilt or cook down incredibly easily, much like spinach.  And they also get very dark when cooked down.  There are other ingredients in the filling, but liver is not one of them. 

 

I've never made Wellington, but I purchased the puff pastry from the freezer case at the store last fall thinking I'd put one up for Christmas dinner, but it never happened.

 

America's Test Kitchen has an excellent recipe, based on my reading it, and the filling is referred to as duxelles.  That mixture is composed of shallots, garlic, mushrooms, thyme, red wine, salt and pepper.

 

There is also a Wellington recipe in the Princess Courses cookbook, we got that on a cruise many years ago, and it's preparation is very similar.

learn from the masters.....:

 

 

[travelin.sisters]

3 hours ago, Z0nker said:

Did the Caesar have kale? I’m still adjusting to that. 

yes, it was very strange

[tonit964]

3 hours ago, caribill said:

 

It was.

 

And it was offered in the dining room at no extra cost on a formal evening under Princess favorites.

My brother ordered that one time and said it was the best burger he had ever had. He didn’t even let his wife try a bite. 

[Torfamm]

For those who are interested here is our menu for tonight

 

Edited February 27, 2023 by Torfamm

[startedwithamouse]

5 hours ago, caribill said:

 

 

Not really.

 

The "Princess Gourmet Beef Burger"** on the dining room menu was a fancy one and the type was not the same every evening.   (**Name was the same even with other ingredients)

 

For example on different evenings:

o Stilton cheese and sauteed mushrooms

                                    

o Gruyere cheese, pork belly, kimchi, beer battered jalapenos

 

o Caribbean jerk seasoned crab meat

 

Not exactly items on the children's menu

 

 

There were on the Chef Ernesto Umami selections on the MDR menus, prior to having a Salty Dog Gastropub, where the Umami crafted a burger.  At same time, the MDR menus had a Curtis Stone selection too on certain nights. 

 

There's really no need for a Burger and Fries in the MDR, it's available on the Pool Deck. 

[startedwithamouse]

And the uproar over the extra charges in the MDR, this was the same at the beginning of 2018, with the EXACT SAME PRICE - $19.

 

How many items can you say we're paying the same for as we did in 2018?