Princess charging for entrees in free dining rooms

[Supersamthe1man]

I'm booked on Princess next year, and they sent me an email they will be charging extra for the good entrees - like $17.00.  Isn't that what you would expect in the specialty dining rooms?  Why do they charge extra in the free dining rooms?  Are these charges worth it?

 

[Thrak]

If you are referring to steaks and lobster that show a fee they come from the specialty restaurant. They are not the "regular" fare offered in the main dining room. All the "regular" items listed on the menu are included. Only the very few items that show a price come to you in MDR from a different venue. The lobster, for instance, is not the same as the lobster tail you normally get in MDR on a formal night. It is what is served in Crown Grill.

[Chad_O]

There is a complete menu of included food which I really enjoyed. In addition, there are a few items i.e. some steaks and a lobster tail available for a surcharge. I found the steaks very good but the lobster tail was not very good. I personally think it is nice to have those items available but I would not be likely to order the steak again as I found the included menu nice. 

[waltd]

Didn't I read somewhere that they would be charging if you ordered more then one entree? Or was that just lobster and steak?

[Mike45LC]

@Supersamthe1man, I personally like this change whereby Princess allows us to order (for a charge) steaks and lobster from the Crowne Grill when dining in the Main Dining Room.  I get to eat from the MDR menu for free, and my wife enjoys the lobster or steak that she wants.  This cuts down on the number of times that SheWhoMustBeObeyed wants us to go to the Specialty Restaurants, which I don't particularly enjoy.

 

@Waltd, I understand that there is now a surcharge for a second (or maybe third) lobster tail on what some people refer to as "lobster night" (when lobster is on the MDR menus as an included meal), but my wife and I simply both ordered one, and I had "mine" separately plated so my food was not contaminated by what was really her second lobster tail.  Because I don't eat lobster, this was an easy work-around for us.

 

[ccqueenanne]

My friends ordered the $19 filet in the MDR and said it was the best of the entrees they had onboard, it was worth the $19, but wasn't the best filet they'd ever had. It was good enough, was the review.

[richsea]

They sent you an email just to tell you they’ll be charging extra for the “good entrees? Seems odd.

BTW, welcome toCruise Critic!!

[Szt]

I agree it seems wrong to pay for a cruise where food is all included, then be asked to pay extra for food. On the other hand, what Mike45LC said is valid. 
I will say, there is a huge difference between cold water lobster, like in the north east, and warm water served in most cruises in the Caribbean and Mexico. Warm water lobster, in my humble opinion is nothing worth paying extra for. 
I can honestly say the only really memorable meal we had on a cruise in recent years was at the hibachi restaurant.  

[MacMadame]

I haven't cruised in a while but I remember being told that you never eat seafood on a cruise as it's frozen and of questionable sourcing. Is that no longer true?

[photomikey]

50 minutes ago, MacMadame said:

 you never eat seafood on a cruise as it's frozen and of questionable sourcing. Is that no longer true?

At a very few restaurants in ocean front cities who specifically advertise fresh, non-frozen fish, it is possible to get some fish that has never been frozen.

 

At every other restaurant in America, including multi-star Michelin restaurants, including restaurants on the waterfront in NY and SF, including seafood restaurants, everything is frozen.

 

If you eat sashimi grade fish (raw), 100% of it has been flash frozen to kill bacteria. Even at $1000/seat meals. 

 

If your cruise ship does not have a trawling net trailing behind it or fishing lines from the side of it, the seafood you eat on it has been frozen. 

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, MacMadame said:

I haven't cruised in a while but I remember being told that you never eat seafood on a cruise as it's frozen and of questionable sourcing. Is that no longer true?

IDK why there would be any more questioning of sourcing for seafood than the meats.

[OccasionalSanta]

On 9/27/2023 at 4:29 PM, Thrak said:

The lobster, for instance, is not the same as the lobster tail you normally get in MDR on a formal night. It is what is served in Crown Grill.

 

I don't recall the lobster served in Crown Grill being different from what's served in the MDR other than the fact that Mrs. OS was not impressed with it in the Crown Grill.

[MacMadame]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

IDK why there would be any more questioning of sourcing for seafood than the meats.

IME freezing fish impacts the quality a lot more than freezing meat. If you've ever had fish caught earlier that day, the difference in texture and taste compared to a fish that has been frozen and then thawed before cooking.

 

It also seems to go bad faster so if the fish you eat is loaded on the ship on embarkation day, it won't last the entire cruise.

[Mike45LC]

1 hour ago, photomikey said:

If your cruise ship does not have a trawling net trailing behind it or fishing lines from the side of it, the seafood you eat on it has been frozen. 

Don’t all cruise ships trawl for fresh seafood while cruising?  And have a small herd of beef grazing on the miniature golf course on the Sports Deck?

[MsSoCalCruiser]

OP would you please post a screenshot of the email?

[cr8tiv1]

There is a huge difference in fresh and frozen (flash or otherwise) seafood.  California requires all fish to be frozen.

 

Hawaii is an exception...I can get poke that uses freshly caught fish.

[Supersamthe1man]

I must have deleted the email.  It also talked about charging at the casual restaurants and I found this on Princess Web site.

Princess Adds Casual Dining, Exclusive Service Delivery and More to Plus and Premier Packages with No Price Increases - Princess Cruises

 

For voyages embarking August 12 and beyond, guests on Princess Plus and Princess Premier packages will enjoy savory prix fixe dining options in the ship's casual restaurants, including Vines, Salty Dog Pub, O’Malleys, Ocean Terrace, Planks, Steamers, Alfredo’s, and GiGi’s. The addition of new three-course, pre-fixed menus gives Plus and Premier guests more food options than ever before without any extra charges. For those who prefer sailing on Princess Standard, the casual prix fixe dining will be $14.99 and individual selections will continue with a la carte pricing. 

[Lady Arwen]

17 minutes ago, Supersamthe1man said:

I must have deleted the email.  It also talked about charging at the casual restaurants and I found this on Princess Web site.

Princess Adds Casual Dining, Exclusive Service Delivery and More to Plus and Premier Packages with No Price Increases - Princess Cruises

 

For voyages embarking August 12 and beyond, guests on Princess Plus and Princess Premier packages will enjoy savory prix fixe dining options in the ship's casual restaurants, including Vines, Salty Dog Pub, O’Malleys, Ocean Terrace, Planks, Steamers, Alfredo’s, and GiGi’s. The addition of new three-course, pre-fixed menus gives Plus and Premier guests more food options than ever before without any extra charges. For those who prefer sailing on Princess Standard, the casual prix fixe dining will be $14.99 and individual selections will continue with a la carte pricing. 

Yes, that announcement was heatedly discussed here at CC for quite some time.  Not one member was pleased.  I’m sure the impact onboard is extremely negative. 

[c-boy]

 

Wow ! ... Just wow .

[startedwithamouse]

On 9/27/2023 at 4:05 PM, Supersamthe1man said:

I'm booked on Princess next year, and they sent me an email they will be charging extra for the good entrees - like $17.00.  Isn't that what you would expect in the specialty dining rooms?  Why do they charge extra in the free dining rooms?  Are these charges worth it?

 

Only if you're making the evening "Extra Special"

[beg3yrs]

11 hours ago, Mike45LC said:

Don’t all cruise ships trawl for fresh seafood while cruising?  And have a small herd of beef grazing on the miniature golf course on the Sports Deck?

Don't be fooled. That small herd of beef up on the mini-golf course was actually a few passengers who were staying on for their last segment of a B2B2B.

 

I have seen fresh salmon being loaded on the ship at Alaskan ports. So there's one exception.

[Szt]

5 hours ago, Lady Arwen said:

Yes, that announcement was heatedly discussed here at CC for quite some time.  Not one member was pleased.  I’m sure the impact onboard is extremely negative. 

Maybe I’m just a half glass full kind of person. But I see this as a plus. Rather than just raising prices they give people the option to cruise affordably. It’s like the choice between economy, business or first class on a plane. Rather than raise the cost as many lines have done, they lowered the services. The cost of Princess’s  upper tiers that include even more than before are pretty reasonable. 

[Lady Arwen]

1 minute ago, Szt said:

Maybe I’m just a half glass full kind of person. But I see this as a plus. Rather than just raising prices they give people the option to cruise affordably. It’s like the choice between economy, business or first class on a plane. Rather than raise the cost as many lines have done, they lowered the services. The cost of Princess’s  upper tiers that include even more than before are pretty reasonable. 

True, but the majority of people were upset about receiving no prior notice months, weeks and even days before their sailing.  The extra cost was incidental.  Most felt that it should have been grandfathered and not just suddenly appearing on all future sailings.

[Szt]

10 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

True, but the majority of people were upset about receiving no prior notice months, weeks and even days before their sailing.  The extra cost was incidental.  Most felt that it should have been grandfathered and not just suddenly appearing on all future sailings.

Ya, I agree with you there. When you book a cruise and are told certain things are included they should be. 

[c-boy]

49 minutes ago, beg3yrs said:

Don't be fooled. That small herd of beef up on the mini-golf course was actually a few passengers who were staying on for their last segment of a B2B2B.

 

I have seen fresh salmon being loaded on the ship at Alaskan ports. So there's one exception.

I guess the salmon the fish mongers are tossing at Pikes Place are stunt doubles 😆