Chef's Table Experience- Post them here

[FrankieJayIII]

We've learned how to book the Chef's Table.   NOW:

Can you please share your experience at the Chef's Table?  how long did it last?   What did they serve?  Did you have wine?  What night was the reservation? 

Tell us your story!  Share pictures!  Get us excited!

[J13C85]

We did Chef's table on Sky in Dec 22.  First, they marched as a group into the galley and gave us a tour.  After the tour, we were escorted to our table.  There are plenty of videos showing the setup.  It was quite elegant.

 

The meal was fabulous.  We had different wines with each course.  This was, by far, the best dining experience we ever had at sea.

 

What follows are some pics I took and a "blurry" pic of the menu.  A lot of wine, lol.

 

 

[trbarton]

48 minutes ago, FrankieJayIII said:

We've learned how to book the Chef's Table.   NOW:

Can you please share your experience at the Chef's Table?  how long did it last?   What did they serve?  Did you have wine?  What night was the reservation? 

Tell us your story!  Share pictures!  Get us excited!

I would expect around 3 hrs for the dinner. There was different wine served at each course. You don’t know what night, I’ve done around 12, so you need to have a flexible schedule. The number of times I’ve been speaks for themselves. It’s a great experience to be spoiled. I’ve never had one that disappointed me. When was the last time you had a group meal with a different server for each person all taking off the cover of your plate all at the same time. The same meal here in San Francisco might cost you $500. 
 

You are in a special area on one of the dinning rooms just for the Chef’s table with a curtain that wraps around you. 
 

Before the dinner we met outside the Crown Grill for hors d’oeuvres & champagne. 
 

The centerpiece was from Italy made just for that table.  
 

Here’s photos of my last Chef’s dinner. 
 

Any additional questions please ask. 
 

Tom😀
 

 

Edited April 11, 2023 by trbarton

[memoak]

Way too much food.  After 5-7 of these never again 

[FrankieJayIII]

WOW TOM!

[jaulick]

16 hours ago, FrankieJayIII said:

We've learned how to book the Chef's Table.   

OK, what is the secret? Everything I've read here says that it has to be done on board.  Have you found another "work around"?

[FrankieJayIII]

i'm just saying in a different post we heard about the 4-5 ways to handle it onboard 

[jaulick]

26 minutes ago, FrankieJayIII said:

i'm just saying in a different post we heard about the 4-5 ways to handle it onboard 

Thanks.

 

Is this something - as well as other SD reservations - that the folks in the Concierge Lounge can help with?

[FrankieJayIII]

i am sure they can i've heard services desk... 

[jwattle]

20 hours ago, jaulick said:

Thanks.

 

Is this something - as well as other SD reservations - that the folks in the Concierge Lounge can help with?

If you have a suite, yes 🙂

[XBGuy]

We have done the Chef's Table twice.

 

The first one was on a port day in the middle of a 7-day cruise.  The second was on a sea day towards the end of a 15-day cruise;

 

One thing I might mention is that there is some inconsistency in the Chef's Table regarding their willingness to accommodate special diets.  I have read reports here on Cruise Critic that food allergies have been accommodated.  For our first Chef's Table we had to sign a waiver avowing that we had no food allergies.  There was no such requirement for our second experience.

 

I enjoy eating, and, I have to say, the Chef's Table meal is outstanding.  I would not say that it is too much food.  However, I never eat lunch--including when I am on a cruise.  To anybody who is afraid that the Chef's Table will be too much food for them, I would suggest that they skip lunch that day.

 

Here is the menu for the first of the two CTs that we have attended.  I guess I did not grab one for the second.

 

 

From my readings here on Cruise Critic while the menus do change, those changes are pretty subtle.  Red meat is usually the highlight of the entree dish.  The fish course is often a risotto.  Champagne is always served with the appetizers in the galley.  A white wine and a red wine are always opened in the dining room,  It looks lie a Prosecco was offered with dessert in the above menu.  I did not remember that.

 

In comparing with the menu posted by @J13C85 from the Sky Princess I am intrigued by a couple subtle differences in the wines.  In both the CTs that I attended the red wine was a domestic (California) wine--CS in the menu and I do recall a PN for the second one which was on the Regal Princess.  However, on the Sky Princess they opened a Brunello.  I am wondering if they lean towards domestic reds for U.S. itineraries and "Old World" for European itineraries.  Also, the Tokay with dessert probably appeals to the European palate more than the American palate.  Americans are really not into dessert wines.  So, another sparkler is a safer choice.

 

These (not very good) pics are from our second CT on the Royal Princess.

 

 

 

 

 

For completeness, I will report there was one thing that was, pretty much, a downer at our first one.  You don't get to chose your table mates.  We had several very competitive people at our table.  They had been to the best restaurants, the best hotels, the best resorts.  They could not wait for one to stop talking so that they could jump in and top it.  It was a while before I was ready to try again, and, happily, the second group was much better.

 

 

[FrankieJayIII]

1 hour ago, XBGuy said:

They had been to the best restaurants, the best hotels, the best resorts.  They could not wait for one to stop talking so that they could jump in and top it.  It was a while before I was ready to try again, and, happily, the second group was much better.

 

 

My daddy's better than your daddy.   

 

Is the only thing I could say to a group of people like that... in the highest pitch california valley girl voice I could muster. 

[trbarton]

2 hours ago, XBGuy said:

We have done the Chef's Table twice.

 

The first one was on a port day in the middle of a 7-day cruise.  The second was on a sea day towards the end of a 15-day cruise;

 

One thing I might mention is that there is some inconsistency in the Chef's Table regarding their willingness to accommodate special diets.  I have read reports here on Cruise Critic that food allergies have been accommodated.  For our first Chef's Table we had to sign a waiver avowing that we had no food allergies.  There was no such requirement for our second experience.

 

I enjoy eating, and, I have to say, the Chef's Table meal is outstanding.  I would not say that it is too much food.  However, I never eat lunch--including when I am on a cruise.  To anybody who is afraid that the Chef's Table will be too much food for them, I would suggest that they skip lunch that day.

 

Here is the menu for the first of the two CTs that we have attended.  I guess I did not grab one for the second.

 

 

From my readings here on Cruise Critic while the menus do change, those changes are pretty subtle.  Red meat is usually the highlight of the entree dish.  The fish course is often a risotto.  Champagne is always served with the appetizers in the galley.  A white wine and a red wine are always opened in the dining room,  It looks lie a Prosecco was offered with dessert in the above menu.  I did not remember that.

 

In comparing with the menu posted by @J13C85 from the Sky Princess I am intrigued by a couple subtle differences in the wines.  In both the CTs that I attended the red wine was a domestic (California) wine--CS in the menu and I do recall a PN for the second one which was on the Regal Princess.  However, on the Sky Princess they opened a Brunello.  I am wondering if they lean towards domestic reds for U.S. itineraries and "Old World" for European itineraries.  Also, the Tokay with dessert probably appeals to the European palate more than the American palate.  Americans are really not into dessert wines.  So, another sparkler is a safer choice.

 

These (not very good) pics are from our second CT on the Royal Princess.

 

 

 

 

 

For completeness, I will report there was one thing that was, pretty much, a downer at our first one.  You don't get to chose your table mates.  We had several very competitive people at our table.  They had been to the best restaurants, the best hotels, the best resorts.  They could not wait for one to stop talking so that they could jump in and top it.  It was a while before I was ready to try again, and, happily, the second group was much better.

 

 

Great photos & descriptions. Thanks for sharing. 
 

I don’t know about other people from the US, but on a cruise a dessert wine is a must for me with my dinner meal, no matter where I’m eating. 
 

Hopefully they’ll bring back the hors d’oeuvres in the galley. 
 

Now it’s time for the 360 dinner. 
 

Tom😀

Edited April 12, 2023 by trbarton

[FrankieJayIII]

@trbarton  I am still waiting for the letter you submit to my email. 

[PescadoAmarillo]

First Emerald Princess cruise after the start up. 
 

http://pescadoamarillo.blogspot.com/2021/10/day-8-at-sea.html
 

And on the Emerald in 2013:

 

http://pescadoamarillo.blogspot.com/search/label/Chefs Table

 

[nini]

We were able to enjoy our first chef's Table last September on the Grand. We were in a private, yet open room in the Crown Grill. We did not receive a tour of the kitchen.

 

However, this was a fantastic experience and are grateful that we signed up upon getting into our cabin on embarkation day. 

 

We received a lovely cookbook signed by our hosts and chefs as well as a group photograph. Hubby does not drink alcohol so the fee was a bit less and he was served sparkling water, tea, etc.

 

We hope to participate in more, like on the Sky in June.

Edited April 17, 2023 by nini
Additional words

[Alcairns]

On 4/11/2023 at 4:58 AM, J13C85 said:

We did Chef's table on Sky in Dec 22.  First, they marched as a group into the galley and gave us a tour.  After the tour, we were escorted to our table.  There are plenty of videos showing the setup.  It was quite elegant.

 

The meal was fabulous.  We had different wines with each course.  This was, by far, the best dining experience we ever had at sea.

 

What follows are some pics I took and a "blurry" pic of the menu.  A lot of wine, lol.

 

 

We too did the Chef’s table on Sky on two separate cruises. The food was excellent but the down side was the menu did not change! In fact the menu    above b is practically identical to the ones we had previously. Just a thing to bear in mind if you plan to repeat thev3xperience.

[Alcairns]

On 4/11/2023 at 8:57 PM, jaulick said:

OK, what is the secret? Everything I've read here says that it has to be done on board.  Have you found another "work around"?

If you are in a suite and Elite you stand a far better chance of being selected. 

[nini]

9 hours ago, Alcairns said:

If you are in a suite and Elite you stand a far better chance of being selected. 

 

Really? We just called the Dine Line the very first thing after reaching our cabin. We were in a forward balcony cabin on the Caribe deck... nothing that special.

 I will also mention that there was room for at least two more participants.

Edited April 17, 2023 by nini
additional words

[Sunwanabe]

1 hour ago, nini said:

 

Really? We just called the Dine Line the very first thing after reaching our cabin. We were in a forward balcony cabin on the Caribe deck... nothing that special.

 I will also mention that there was room for at least two more participants.

Reservations are made on board through the ship’s DINE telephone line. Cover charge applies. It's open to all, which is good to hear.

[CruiserN1]

We've done the CT twice, once in 2011 on a cruise to Alaska and the second time in 2015 on a Caribbean cruise.

 

The first experience was magical and the best meal we have ever (and I believe will ever) have. The executive chef and the maitre'd were clearly friends and their rapport made us feel like we were their friends also. The other diners were personable and we all meshed quickly. The menu was unique to the chef and he prepared many more courses than I've seen on menus since then. The pastry chef brought out a beautiful sugar sculpture with dessert, which was served with limoncello the chef had made himself. A different wine was served with each course. We staggered back to our cabin and collapsed into bed, stuffed and more than a little tipsy. 

 

The second time was fine. The chef and maitre'd paid us a visit, but didn't stick around. The chef was clearly executing a menu someone else had dictated. There were fewer wines and nothing special or magical happened. Still a great meal, but not memorable.

 

Our third Princess cruise is coming up in July. DH asked me yesterday about doing the CT again. I told him that I think it will once again pale in comparison to that first one and that we should treasure that memory rather than trying to find a way to experience it again. He agreed it was likely a one-time experience.

[MamaStang]

We enjoyed the Chef's Table on the Enchanted last October. We decided from that point on we would ALWAYS try to get in on every cruise.  It is expensive, and you have to be willing to try things that you might not normally order, as the menu is set. You won't know what it is until you sit down.  I had one item that was not to my liking, simply because I don't like goat's cheese, but my husband was more than eager to eat some of it for me.  The service is beyond compare and the food was better than a lot of Michelin star restaurants that we have been to.  We experienced lots of time with the chef and Maitre'd during our dinner.  Back on the Enchanted in a few weeks and hoping to get a seat again.  

[rbtan]

If you wish to eat like this every night, then book Oceania! Jacques Pepin is the culinary advisor & it's the best food we've pretty much ever eaten on a ship. If you're a meat & potatoes sort, then I'd say skip it. You really need to be a gourmand to fully appreciate the food.

[TheRabbit]

When we did the Chef's Dinner in 2018, we had 5 groups of 12 signed up through our thread. One person turned in all the names on the first days and we received our confirmations in our rooms over the next few days.

If you try to do this, you will need to collect first/last names and room numbers.

 

As for the food, best meal ever on a cruise by far! We did it pre-covid so we were in the Kitchen for the first hour with 5 horderves from 5 of the main chefs on board. Then we proceeded to our table for the meal. Ours lasted over 3.5 hours in all with the head chef doing a lot of the final prep at our table side.

 

Another option I don't think was mentioned here is the Winemakers. These are only done on the Royal class ships I believe. Great wine pairing with a great meal, but not at the level of the Chef's Dinner. A third option is the UBD (Ultimate Balcony Dining). This is a surf and turf meal served on your balcony or in your room. This one can be reserved before boarding.

[nini]

21 minutes ago, TheRabbit said:

When we did the Chef's Dinner in 2018, we had 5 groups of 12 signed up through our thread. One person turned in all the names on the first days and we received our confirmations in our rooms over the next few days.

If you try to do this, you will need to collect first/last names and room numbers.

 

As for the food, best meal ever on a cruise by far! We did it pre-covid so we were in the Kitchen for the first hour with 5 horderves from 5 of the main chefs on board. Then we proceeded to our table for the meal. Ours lasted over 3.5 hours in all with the head chef doing a lot of the final prep at our table side.

 

Another option I don't think was mentioned here is the Winemakers. These are only done on the Royal class ships I believe. Great wine pairing with a great meal, but not at the level of the Chef's Dinner. A third option is the UBD (Ultimate Balcony Dining). This is a surf and turf meal served on your balcony or in your room. This one can be reserved before boarding.

Thanks for the heads up of having one person turning in the names!

DH was so impressed with our Chef's Table dinner ( he had no idea why I had booked this) and was elated that I had done so. I know he would love to participate again. We will be on the Sky in June for a 14 night itinerary.