Pay restaurants charging to much ?????

[Shippy]

Just off the Crown

 Ate twice in Prime steakhouse & once in Sabatini's.

6:30pm    Both charge $39.   with a few upcharges more for certain items. The one most shocking to me was an additional $10. for Alaskan Salmon while we were in Alaska !

 There were never more than half a dozen tables with people in either restaurant AND we were there because the casino paid !

Wonder if a few of the others were there on the casino.

Main dining room very good. Not that the other restaurants weren't but I think the charge has more than hit its max....

 

[bassmk]

Think about the level of cuisine and service you're getting. A mid/upper class steakhouse in most cities would charge $39 for one cut of meat, and most times everything else (sides, sauces, etc) are a la carte charges. I find that the specialty restaurants overall are excellent values.

 

I can't speak to the weird upcharge for salmon, though. That's a little weird unless it was a bad fishing season or something.

[startedwithamouse]

Restaurants on land are charging a lot too.  Food costs are astronomical. 

[Guest ldtr]

56 minutes ago, bassmk said:

Think about the level of cuisine and service you're getting. A mid/upper class steakhouse in most cities would charge $39 for one cut of meat, and most times everything else (sides, sauces, etc) are a la carte charges. I find that the specialty restaurants overall are excellent values.

 

I can't speak to the weird upcharge for salmon, though. That's a little weird unless it was a bad fishing season or something.

Unfortunately the experience is not mid/upper steak house. Staff and service might be but steak quality is more Sizzler.

[Guest ldtr]

57 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

Restaurants on land are charging a lot too.  Food costs are astronomical. 

Cruise lines had increased what they are spending on food from the 12 to 14 dollars per passenger day to 15 to 18 per passenger day in the most recent quarter. Up around 25%

[Kay S]

The new Princess.  Charge extra for salmon.

[waltd]

Has anyone done any grocery shopping lately?   ALL food prices have gone up all over the board.  Unless something changes I do expect to see more increases.    We will keep cruising till we can't any longer.   

Edited June 5, 2023 by waltd

[bassmk]

23 minutes ago, ldtr said:

Unfortunately the experience is not mid/upper steak house. Staff and service might be but steak quality is more Sizzler.

That's not ever been my experience at Crown Grille. I think Sizzler is a bit of a stretch, honestly, but I don't know...maybe you've just had a bad experience. 

 

What kind of steak and how you like it cooked can be a factor. I'm not saying that's what's going on with your experiences, but my friends who like their steaks cooked medium and above all say that they don't like steak "that much" and tend to always have negative steakhouse meals. 🤷‍♀️

 

To each their own, your mileage may vary and all that...I still don't think $39 per person is expensive at all, and even if you feel the steak is mediocre, there is plenty served WITH the entree that justifies the cost.

[Roberto256]

1 hour ago, Shippy said:

Just off the Crown

 Ate twice in Prime steakhouse & once in Sabatini's.

6:30pm    Both charge $39.   with a few upcharges more for certain items. The one most shocking to me was an additional $10. for Alaskan Salmon while we were in Alaska !

 

A few years ago, Princess was promoting a menu called "North to Alaska" ... which was locally sourced, fresh fish.

It was in one of the speciality restuarants, and, at the time, I don't think there was an upcharge.

It was really good, so we want back a second time during the cruise.

 

There was a 'Chef de Cuisine' who was in charge of Sabatini's and Crown Grill.

He was telling me that the red river salmon are the best because the river has the strongest flow,

and the fish have to swim harder, which makes them taste better.

I don't know if it was true, but the salmon was great.

 

[Shippy]

THE POINT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE WAS....

  It did not seem that anyone was going...just mostly people that were comped.

I know about how high food prices are where we live but,

I do not think that most cruisers will pay that much .

Like I said, not even a half dozen tables.

Before, it would have been very hard to even get a reservation !

[XBGuy]

2 hours ago, Shippy said:

 

 There were never more than half a dozen tables with people in either restaurant

 

 

That is awesome.  Thanks for the update,

 

There have been numerous reports here on Cruise Critic about no reservations being available for the specialty restaurants. 

 

I will happily pay $78 for my wife and me to have a quiet unrushed meal as opposed to the production scene in the dining rooms.  Let me add, however, that I do agree that the dining room staff--both front of the room and back of the room--are hardworking, professional and courteous.  They do a very good in what is a challenging environment.

[SargassoPirate]

1 hour ago, Shippy said:

THE POINT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE WAS....

  It did not seem that anyone was going...just mostly people that were comped.

I know about how high food prices are where we live but,

I do not think that most cruisers will pay that much .

Like I said, not even a half dozen tables.

Before, it would have been very hard to even get a reservation !

So let's see.  Food at the MDR and the HC is included in your cruise fare.  A reservation for specialty dining is an upcharge.  So the salmon they offered at $10.00 was an upcharge upcharge.

 

On recent cruises I have walked by the specialty restaurants and they looked like ghost towns and the staff looked like the Maytag repairman.

 

 

 

 

[taxmantoo]

3 hours ago, bassmk said:

Think about the level of cuisine and service you're getting. A mid/upper class steakhouse in most cities would charge $39 for one cut of meat, and most times everything else (sides, sauces, etc) are a la carte charges. I find that the specialty restaurants overall are excellent values.

 

I can't speak to the weird upcharge for salmon, though. That's a little weird unless it was a bad fishing season or something.

A mid/upper class steakhouse in most cities DOES NOT CHARGE A FEW THOUSAND DOLLARS COVER CHARGE...  $39 certainly is not a lot of $$$ but people tend to forget that it is in addition to what you have already paid to be on the ship and be fed in the main dining room.

[bassmk]

8 minutes ago, taxmantoo said:

A mid/upper class steakhouse in most cities DOES NOT CHARGE A FEW THOUSAND DOLLARS COVER CHARGE...  $39 certainly is not a lot of $$$ but people tend to forget that it is in addition to what you have already paid to be on the ship and be fed in the main dining room.

I tend to forget because I also spend hundreds (or sometimes a thousand or more) dollars at the grocery store to make food at home and then go out to eat and mid/upper class steakhouses. That's not a great comparison. 

 

The bottom line is that if you think it's too much, then it's too much and don't go there. Eat the food you've already paid for in your cruise fare. I'm in the camp that the value is great for what you get in return. 

[bassmk]

26 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

So let's see.  Food at the MDR and the HC is included in your cruise fare.  A reservation for specialty dining is an upcharge.  So the salmon they offered at $10.00 was an upcharge upcharge.

 

On recent cruises I have walked by the specialty restaurants and they looked like ghost towns and the staff looked like the Maytag repairman.

 

 

 

 

Again, that's not been my experience on the last 3 cruises I've been on. The specialty places were sold out most nights. The cruise I was on last week, I had trouble getting a spot before 8pm (at all five options!) on a couple of nights.

[SargassoPirate]

8 minutes ago, bassmk said:

Again, that's not been my experience on the last 3 cruises I've been on. The specialty places were sold out most nights. The cruise I was on last week, I had trouble getting a spot before 8pm (at all five options!) on a couple of nights.

Different cruises, different demographics perhaps?  I avoid holiday and spring break cruising.

[bassmk]

5 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

Different cruises, different demographics perhaps?  I avoid holiday and spring break cruising.

Maybe...two different cruise lines (Carnival, Princess), three different times of year (August, October, May)...I don't know. I certainly haven't seen them empty or near empty recently.

[taxmantoo]

42 minutes ago, bassmk said:

The bottom line is that if you think it's too much, then it's too much and don't go there. Eat the food you've already paid for in your cruise fare. I'm in the camp that the value is great for what you get in return. 

I did not say it was too much nor did I say not to go there.  I simply said that it does cost more than $39 when you factor in what you have already paid to sit there.  

[JimmyVWine]

49 minutes ago, taxmantoo said:

A mid/upper class steakhouse in most cities DOES NOT CHARGE A FEW THOUSAND DOLLARS COVER CHARGE...  $39 certainly is not a lot of $$$ but people tend to forget that it is in addition to what you have already paid to be on the ship and be fed in the main dining room.

They do if you don't live in that city.  If you live in Maine and want to go to a mid/upper class steakhouse in Santorini, add up your airfare and hotel accommodations to get to that venue, and then add in the cost of the meal itself.  If I want to enjoy a meal while overlooking a Santorini sunset, I either pay the cruise line or I pay an airline and resort hotel.  The point being, the cost of the cruise itself is irrelevant in this discussion. Dining in a mid/upper class steakhouse in your own town isn't replicating your experience while on a cruise vacation.  

 

I haven't seen it discussed here, but I think that a valuable component of this cost discussion is the price that competitors are charging.  Princess is certainly not oblivious to those numbers when it sets its price.  I'm sure that others will chime in, but I'd be surprised if Princess was not at or below its market competitors.  

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, SargassoPirate said:

So let's see.  Food at the MDR and the HC is included in your cruise fare.  A reservation for specialty dining is an upcharge.  So the salmon they offered at $10.00 was an upcharge upcharge.

 

On recent cruises I have walked by the specialty restaurants and they looked like ghost towns and the staff looked like the Maytag repairman.

 

 

 

 

 

We haven't been to one in a very long time but from what I'm reading people always seem to have trouble making reservations.

If so, then they'll be increasing the price very shortly. 😁

 

1 hour ago, taxmantoo said:

A mid/upper class steakhouse in most cities DOES NOT CHARGE A FEW THOUSAND DOLLARS COVER CHARGE...  $39 certainly is not a lot of $$$ but people tend to forget that it is in addition to what you have already paid to be on the ship and be fed in the main dining room.

People always for about the meal in the DR. ( or maybe the eat there after dinner in the Specialty restaurant. ) LOL 😄

[no1racefan1]

I'm in the 'this is too expensive' camp...but I was already there 😄

 

Yes, $39 for a decent steak is a good price if you're going to a restaurant. However, I see it as I've already paid for my MDR dinner on the ship, so the specialty restaurants should be charging whatever amount OVER that, not the full amount of going out to dinner. Which would put it at approximately $15-20 IMO. 

 

I can get a very excellent steak in my hometown for $40-45 (including sides) and I've eaten a bajillion of those since I live in beef country...so the steakhouse on ships is not that impressive to me. However, if you don't have access to that type of cuisine, maybe it's more worth it. I'd be more interested in Italian and DH would love sushi, because we don't have a lot of access to those types of restaurants. We went to the Brazilian steakhouse place on NCL because I've never been to one of those and the closest one is 6 hours from where I live.

 

That being said I think it's great that there's variety and people have the chance to experience things they may not normally! They're probably testing that price elasticity limit to see which price makes the most profit--even if it's a smaller headcount.

[tserface]

It is expensive, even considering it's an upscale experience.  You already paid for food in the MDR and they don't discount for that.  That said, Princess still has the best specialty dining prices I've seen.  On Celebrity and RCL you'll pay $60 for the steakhouses and still upcharges if you want something more special.  So, $39 each is still a pretty good deal comparatively.  Also, Princess Crown Grill restaurants are really good.

We could easily pay $39 each for that kind of experience on land.

[SargassoPirate]

9 minutes ago, tserface said:

It is expensive, even considering it's an upscale experience.  You already paid for food in the MDR and they don't discount for that.  That said, Princess still has the best specialty dining prices I've seen.  On Celebrity and RCL you'll pay $60 for the steakhouses and still upcharges if you want something more special.  So, $39 each is still a pretty good deal comparatively.  Also, Princess Crown Grill restaurants are really good.

We could easily pay $39 each for that kind of experience on land.

That $39 upcharge will pay for an evening wee dram or three during my finger foods in the P&E lounge.  Hmmm?

[JimmyVWine]

27 minutes ago, no1racefan1 said:

However, I see it as I've already paid for my MDR dinner on the ship, so the specialty restaurants should be charging whatever amount OVER that, not the full amount of going out to dinner. Which would put it at approximately $15-20 IMO. 

I've always had a hard time trying to do that math. If I do math in one direction, I can convince myself that dinner is free.  If I do it in the other direction, then my lodging is really cheap. For example, If I pay $1,600 for a 7 day cruise, I am paying $228 per day. For two people that is $456.  My nicely appointed "hotel room" Mini-Suite located in a variety of top resort areas has a value (to me) of about $300 per night.  That leaves $156 for food and entertainment.  Assume a "resort and entertainment" flat fee of $40 per person per day, and that takes the total down to $76 for food.  Breakfast for two with tax and tip would be $30.  Lunch for two with tax and tip easily eats up the remaining $46. So by the time I figure out what my sunk cost for dinner is, it is $0.  So my $39 upcharge is being added to $0.  As I said, I can do the math in reverse order and assign a cost to the meals first, and then the entertainment, leaving me with a "hotel room" that costs less than any accredited hotel in a nice resort area.  Bottom line is that I don't see the upcharge as being on top of the price of what an MDR meal would cost if purchased on land, because the math never comes out that way.  And if you book an inside cabin, you can do that math such that ALL of your meals are "free".      

Edited June 5, 2023 by JimmyVWine

[no1racefan1]

3 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

I've always had a hard time trying to do that math. If I do math in one direction, I can convince myself that dinner is free.  If I do it in the other direction, then my lodging is really cheap. For example, If I pay $1,600 for an 7 day cruise, I am paying $228 per day. For two people that is $456.  My nicely appointed "hotel room" located in a variety of top resort areas has a value (to me) of about $300 per night.  That leaves $156 for food and entertainment.  Assume a "resort and entertainment" flat fee of $40 per person per day, and that takes the total down to $76 for food.  Breakfast for two with tax and tip would be $30.  Lunch for two with tax and tip easily eats up the remaining $46. So by the time I figure out what my sunk cost for dinner is, it is $0.  So my $39 upcharge is being added to $0.  As I said, I can do the math in reverse order and assign a cost to the meals first, and then the entertainment, leaving me with a "hotel room" that costs less than any accredited hotel in a nice resort area.  Bottom line is that I don't see the upcharge as being on top of the price of what an MDR meal would cost if purchased on land, because the math never comes out that way.  And if you book an inside cabin, you can do that math such that ALL of your meals are "free".      

I see your logic, and I can agree with most of your numbers (I've usually been charged a $25-35 resort fee per room, not per person). However, the fact remains that part of the reason I choose to cruise is BECAUSE it's more economical than paying for all of those items individually, and paying for specialty restaurants on top of the already 'included' meals makes it much less so. Everybody's mileage may vary, but $39pp is over the limit I'm willing to pay for an additional meal. I'm not going to complain about it, I just won't partake. I'll happily way overspend on massages in the spa that everybody else thinks are a waste of money 😆