Have I made a huge mistake.

[courticeguy]

This will be our first cruise post covid and have booked Alaska on the Crown. This is also our first time with Princess and reading reviews of this ship doesn't inspire much confidence. The recurring theme of lukewarm food served in the MDR'S and buffet is particularly disconcerting along with long wait and service times. 

 

Please allay our fears.

 

Derek and Louise

 

 

[JimmyVWine]

6 minutes ago, courticeguy said:

This will be our first cruise post covid and have booked Alaska on the Crown. This is also our first time with Princess and reading reviews of this ship doesn't inspire much confidence. The recurring theme of lukewarm food served in the MDR'S and buffet is particularly disconcerting along with long wait and service times. 

 

Please allay our fears.

 

Derek and Louise

 

 

Food is subjective. I would not make a decision based on what others say about the food. On any given cruise there are 3,000+ people on the ship. At best, a half dozen of them come here to post their opinions about that specific cruise. As for food temperature in the buffet , I have seen many, many instances of the kitchen staff and supervisors temping the food with electronic thermal probes. It is their job and a requirement. Princess does not serve dangerously tepid food. 
 

Don’t go on a cruise expecting Thomas Keller to be in the galley. And don’t go expecting hospital food. Set your expectations between those two points and you’ll be fine. 

[Coral]

Well - Alaska is all about scenery and itinerary. The Crown has a great itinerary!

 

You won't go hungry on Princess. IMO - food quality has gone down since COVID but you won't go hungry. 

 

I actually hated my last cruise on the Crown many, many years ago. Not food related. I am going on the Crown this summer due to the great itinerary. I can't wait to return to Alaska.

[Thrak]

Many reviews you will be reading are likely regarding cruises post-shutdown when the ships had new and inexperienced crew members and various shortages of supplies. I wouldn't worry about it and wouldn't hesitate to book on Crown. If you go in expecting to be disappointed you will most likely fulfill your own prophecy. If you go in with a good attitude you may well find that you have a great cruise. Our favorite cruise to date was on Emerald Princess. Our least favorite cruise to date was also on Emerald Princess.

[Jeter02]

Always remember that trip is whatever you make it to be. I am sure you will have a fabulous time, no matter the ship. Alaska is absolutely beautiful, as the surroundings all around you there are all breathtaking and awe inspiring. Go and enjoy yourself, as you go with an open mind and positive attitude. 🙂 

[mom says]

24 minutes ago, courticeguy said:

Please allay our fears.

I spent 4 weeks on the Crown in November. I didn't starve, and the food never sent me to the sick bay. So I think you can set your fears at rest. 

 

Seriously,  ask 2 people on the same cruise about the food service and you could get 2 diametrically opposed opinions. I don't consider Princess dining to be excellent  in either quality or service. However it is usually very good, IMO. In most other respects, we found our cruise experience on the Crown to be as good or better than on comparable ships and lines.

[malba2366]

1 hour ago, courticeguy said:

This will be our first cruise post covid and have booked Alaska on the Crown. This is also our first time with Princess and reading reviews of this ship doesn't inspire much confidence. The recurring theme of lukewarm food served in the MDR'S and buffet is particularly disconcerting along with long wait and service times. 

 

Please allay our fears.

 

Derek and Louise

 

 

You are going to see one of the most breathtaking places in the world.  There will be plenty of food options that you will find something you can find palatable.  Service on all cruise lines has declined somewhat after the COVID shutdowns because a lot of the staff was laid off, and then the cruise lines had to rehire and retrain all of the staff; on top of that there have been service/food cutbacks across the industry to reduce costs.  Don't expect everything to be flawless like it was pre-pandemic, go with the flow a bit and you will have a great time.

[Paula_MacFan]

It's been years since we sailed on the Crown so I can't speak to her current condition.  But we have been to Alaska and that is the focus of the trip!  Enjoy the scenery and beautiful surroundings, focusing on the unique experiences you'll have there.  Most days we were enjoying our excursions or activities way too much to worry about what time the MDR seating was.  Focus on sailing through Glacier Bay National Park -- not hustling to the dining room.  Or eat on shore!  We had some magnificent seafood while in ports.  

 

Don't worry and go have a good time 🙂 

[donswife]

We were on the Crown to Alaska in 2016. Princess does a wonderful job with Alaska specific programs and food.  I  would love to go again!

[Sea Hag]

1 hour ago, courticeguy said:

This will be our first cruise post covid and have booked Alaska on the Crown. This is also our first time with Princess and reading reviews of this ship doesn't inspire much confidence. The recurring theme of lukewarm food served in the MDR'S and buffet is particularly disconcerting along with long wait and service times. 

 

Please allay our fears.

 

Derek and Louise

 

 

We've done 5 cruises with Princess since the restart, two of them to Alaska. All were great. We did have club class for 3 of those, and that helps with the MDR, but the MDR food on the 2 without cc was, on average, very good. Not every single item was 100% excellent, but enough of them were to bring the average up to very good. The surprise item on our last sailing on the Sky was the beef stroganoff. I ordered that on a whim, and hubby did likewise. It was excellent! 

[courticeguy]

Thank you all for your encouragement, much appreciated. Other than 2 cruises with Carnival and one with Norwegian our to go cruiseline has been HAL and although we're getting past our best before date are looking forward to having more entertainment options on Princess. 

[Coral]

24 minutes ago, courticeguy said:

Thank you all for your encouragement, much appreciated. Other than 2 cruises with Carnival and one with Norwegian our to go cruiseline has been HAL and although we're getting past our best before date are looking forward to having more entertainment options on Princess. 

I hate to say this but entertainment was lacking on my last 2 cruises on Princess (since re-start). 

 

Though - we always have Alaska scenery for entertainment, right??? 🙂 

[ktcishot]

We sailed Alaska on the crown in June 2022. It was a fantastic cruise.

[Shippy]

Although I would have preferred the Royal...the Crown had the itinerary we wanted so we will be sailing on it in May !

[Mike45LC]

As a Vegas resident, I frequently eat at Las Vegas buffets. One characteristic of all buffets, whether Vegas or shipboard, is that the food is never piping hot. Hot enough to eat?  yes. Hot enough to be sanitary?  yes.

 

I have accepted this reality, and can often find something to eat. I have never gotten sick from it.

[ldubs]

34 minutes ago, Mike45LC said:

As a Vegas resident, I frequently eat at Las Vegas buffets. One characteristic of all buffets, whether Vegas or shipboard, is that the food is never piping hot. Hot enough to eat?  yes. Hot enough to be sanitary?  yes.

 

I have accepted this reality, and can often find something to eat. I have never gotten sick from it.

 

And similarly, it is good to remember the number of people being served in the MDR.  I think the food served is pretty good under those circumstances.  Much better than "you won't starve" which is a pretty low standard.  

[ldubs]

6 hours ago, courticeguy said:

Thank you all for your encouragement, much appreciated. Other than 2 cruises with Carnival and one with Norwegian our to go cruiseline has been HAL and although we're getting past our best before date are looking forward to having more entertainment options on Princess. 

 

The "On the Bayou" theater show on our October Princess cruise is among the best we have seen on any cruise ship.  Hopefully they will have it on your sailing.   There were also some pretty decent lounge ensembles throughout the ship.

 

I have been on the Crown several times but not since way prior to Covid, so I can't speak to the current condition.   The Princess Grand class ships in general are among my favorites.    

[happy42cruise]

Also, if you don't care for what you have ordered you can order something else or go to a different venue - the buffet, or the international cafe, pizza etc.  Food is so very subjective you can't really take anyone's opinion as the last word.  We've never been hungry on a cruise, there is always something you can eat.

[WAvoyager]

7 hours ago, ktcishot said:

We sailed Alaska on the crown in June 2022. It was a fantastic cruise.

Us too.  I do have to say though, that we thought the food was mostly disappointing.  The buffet was very limited in selection and mostly mediocre, and the MDR food was nothing inspiring.  There were definitely some good dishes, but a lot of “meh” food as well.   Definitely a letdown from the Crown 6 months before the shutdown.

 

We also ate at the Crown Grill and Sabatini’s.  The Grill was surprisingly good (contrary to the reports we had read from others), and Sabatini’s, while not as good as pre-shutdown, was still enjoyable.

 

All in all, the food wasn’t awful, but there was definitely a big change in the overall quality.  I’m hoping it was challenges in the restart, and not an ongoing trend.  The trip, even with the ships propulsion issues at the time, was still enjoyable.  We’re hoping to see a return closer to the previous high standards when we board the Discovery next month.

Edited March 13, 2023 by WAvoyager

[Coral]

5 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

The "On the Bayou" theater show on our October Princess cruise is among the best we have seen on any cruise ship.  Hopefully they will have it on your sailing.   There were also some pretty decent lounge ensembles throughout the ship.

 

This show is actually pretty old. It is only available on the Coral and Island Princess I believe. I think it debuted when these ships came out. I agree - it is an excellent show.

Edited March 13, 2023 by Coral

[capriccio]

12 minutes ago, Coral said:

This show is actually pretty old. It is only available on the Coral and Island Princess I believe. I think it debuted when these ships came out. I agree - it is an excellent show.

All true but it is only still in its original format on the Coral Princess since it was designed to take full advantage of the layout of the Universe Lounge.  When Princess replaced the Universe Lounge on the Island years ago with more cabins On the Bayou was moved to the Princess Theater losing a lot of its 'wow' factor according to those who had seen it in the Universe Lounge.

[Coral]

10 minutes ago, capriccio said:

All true but it is only still in its original format on the Coral Princess since it was designed to take full advantage of the layout of the Universe Lounge.  When Princess replaced the Universe Lounge on the Island years ago with more cabins On the Bayou was moved to the Princess Theater losing a lot of its 'wow' factor according to those who had seen it in the Universe Lounge.

That is too bad. I have only seen it on the Coral Princess. I still can't believe they butchered the Island Princess - so sad.

[Esprit]

Whatever cruise line or ship you are on, to me the buffet food is always luke warm. Why can't they put a micro wave oven somewhere discreetly for those of us that like piping hot food?

[partybarbie]

My husband and I were on the Crown in January. The wait times for dinner, even with reservations, were unacceptable. We would line up at 6:30 pm, for our 6:40 pm reservation, and we wouldn’t be seated until after 7:00 pm. One evening, we didn’t even receive our first course until 8:00 pm. I would recommend booking a couple of nights at the specialty restaurants. You might also have better luck with an earlier or later dining time. 

[Eamon Chute]

Reviews of any given product or service are only useful to you if you've already experienced similar products or services reviewed by that specific reviewer previously.

 

Back in the 80s and 90s in San Francisco there were two very well known restaurant critics in the local newspapers. My wife and I each went to the restaurants they each reviewed and quickly realized that anything critic #1 liked, we hated, and anything critic #2 liked, we liked. Therefore we could reliably count on critic #2 to provide us with the best information.

 

Some unknown person (on here or anywhere else) telling you the food is bad/cold/tepid/putrid/wonderful/tasty etc, on any specific ship or cruise line is absolutely USELESS to you.