Enchanted Princess Sabatinis

[Brennivan]

We had dinner at Sabatinis tonight.  We have been on over 30 Princess Cruises.  
 

Sun Par at best.  Everything was flavorless.  Then dessert came.  It was a sampler of four desserts.  Everything was just bland.  It’s obvious they are using much cheaper ingredients and you can DEFINITELY tell the difference.  If this is what the food will be like the whole cruise then we are done because it seems like it was the same on the Crown last year 

[bphman]

This was not our experience on the Regal last year.  Enjoyed the food in every area except Crown Grill.  My steak was gray in color and my wife's lobster tail smelled like low tide at Rockaway and was changed out for a filet.  The service was an issue also.  We had a very bizarre waiter from Peru but that is another story.  Our Sabatini experience was good.  Sometimes it is the luck of the draw.  Oceania always had great food but our last cruise had terrible food.  There can be many factors.  But, I hear you and hopefully the rest of your trip will be better.  Happy sailing.

[LACruiser88]

While on the Enchanted this past Nov/Dec (26 days) we dined at Sabatini's twice.  We really enjoyed our dinners and had an opposite experience to that of the OP.  🤷‍♂️

[Host CJSKIDS]

29 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

While on the Enchanted this past Nov/Dec (26 days) we dined at Sabatini's twice.  We really enjoyed our dinners and had an opposite experience to that of the OP.  🤷‍♂️

That's good to hear as I have It booked on the Enchanted in April.  We ate there on the Sky in December and really enjoyed our meal. 

Of course nothing beat the Catch by Rudi!

[Host CJSKIDS]

On 1/27/2024 at 10:16 PM, Brennivan said:

We had dinner at Sabatinis tonight.  We have been on over 30 Princess Cruises.  
 

Sun Par at best.  Everything was flavorless.  Then dessert came.  It was a sampler of four desserts.  Everything was just bland.  It’s obvious they are using much cheaper ingredients and you can DEFINITELY tell the difference.  If this is what the food will be like the whole cruise then we are done because it seems like it was the same on the Crown last year 

 

Sorry you didn't care for your dinner.  Hopefully the rest of your meals are to your liking. 

[mtnesterz]

I wonder how many posters say cruise ship food had no taste or the smell was off and later found they had Covid, where smell and taste are off temporarily. This was the case for me.  Everything for me tasted bland and metallic. 

[MissP22]

.

[Auntiejo]

Just off the Enchanted a few weeks ago. Dined twice each at Rudi, CG and Sabatini. Sabatini has always been our favorite specialty restaurant and we found it to be much less enjoyable than before. The menu itself is smaller and has less items that appeal to us. We didn't find the food bland or tasteless, but definitely not as outstanding as it once was. For us we'd have rated it 9 stars before and now more like 6.5-7. On the other hand, Rudi is the best meal we've ever enjoyed at sea and CG was as wonderful as ever - no decline at all in CG in our opinion.

[Wishing on a star]

I am so looking forward to Rudi on the Sun....

We haven't had to opportunity to dine there!

Will probably try Crown Grill if they are offering steaks by the Butchers Block.

I think Sabatini's will be one of our last choices.

 

If there is one thing that I have been noticing, by reviews, photos, etc...

Dining on Princess,  like other things, is not always consistant!

I am hoping that, surely, the new ship will have one of their best Executive Chefs and staff.

That has seemed to make a huge difference, between good food that we enjoyed.. or WTH???

[cruise4mom]

Please realize that food quality and flavor has decreased on all cruise lines!!! Traveled preciously with celebrity  and was amazed pleased. Then we booked a cruise last May and and it was horrible!!! Not only the food but the entire cruise. Understaffed, 20-30 min wait for drinks, 1/2 the bars were closed, and staff never smiled. I think sometimes it is the staff and the ship. 

[phonejock]

Just my opinion…

I was on the Regal in March 2023 and on the Sky a month ago.  DH and I ate at Sabatini's and the Crown Grill on both ships. We agreed that the service and food was better on the Sky.

[MissP22]

We occasionally go to one of the Specialty restaurants but on the Ruby in Nov. we felt it just wasn't worth the money any longer. 

Until we see some raving reports about any of the ships we'll travel on (by someone we know), I'll be taking a pass on spending extra for it. 

[Host CJSKIDS]

@Brennivan how has the food been on the rest of your sailing so far?

[MissP22]

3 hours ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

@Brennivan how has the food been on the rest of your sailing so far?

That's what I was wondering about - not the Specialty restaurant.

At Christmas the DR food was pretty good with only one or two meals that were a little overcooked.

For the most part the DR food was very good so I couldn't complain.

[cruisinfamily7609]

On 2/1/2024 at 8:28 PM, cruise4mom said:

Please realize that food quality and flavor has decreased on all cruise lines!!! Traveled preciously with celebrity  and was amazed pleased. Then we booked a cruise last May and and it was horrible!!! Not only the food but the entire cruise. Understaffed, 20-30 min wait for drinks, 1/2 the bars were closed, and staff never smiled. I think sometimes it is the staff and the ship. 

Maybe I am misunderstanding - are you saying that since the quality of the food has gone down on all cruise lines, and apparently service as well…that we should all come to accept and expect it? I hope not. The fact is the matter is, we all want quality on our vacations. It is okay to EXPECT reasonable quality, and I think it is also okay to share our experiences, whether or not they validate or in fact differ from one another.
 

Personally, I appreciate hearing these reviews because my husband and I will be going on Enchanted in June and it’s possible that we might rethink our dining options…so thank you to those who care to share! 

[cruise4mom]

Please realize that the food quality, inclusions, options and pricing has all changed over the years. For those of us who have travel for over 40 years have lived thru growing pains of the industry. No longer are the incentives such as OBC, specialty dining, drink packages etc. Yes these are available thru TA sometimes where as they used to be a standard gift. 
 

Food options used to included midnight buffets, with extensive items. Lobster was true lobster and usually included a nice piece of meat was included. Food quality was excellent. The food quality isn’t like this anymore. Yes there is what they call lobster however as many have said it is like a huge prawn. If you want more than the little one they provide there is an extra cost. In the past we were allowed as many as we wanted. Yes food quality has declined. It isn’t just affecting Princess. Should be expect better yes. 
 

Service standards have also changed. We used to get turn downs and chocolate on the pillows but no more. Towel animals are almost extinct. The cruise lines seem to be short staffed which then causes long waits for drinks. 
 

It is unfortunate but sadly I do think food quality has significantly decreased and it is going to be part of the norm. I see so many complaints on this site with people complaining and stating they are leaving Princess to go to other lines because of these issues. My comment was to explain that the issues are industry wide not just limited to one particular line. 

 

 

 

[bphman]

I believe it is an issue across the whole industry.  We sailed o two different Oceania ships this past year and the food was very disappointing.  This is a line known for their excellent dining and we did experience this in the past.  No longer.

 

I remember the fettuccine Alfredo served in the large parmesan bowl.  It was delicious.  Caesar salad used to be prepared tableside.  Celebrity had memorable food before RCI took over now it is just better than OK.  Things have changed.

 

We hadn't sailed Princess for several years and found the food on the Regal to be very good and some excellent dishes in the MDR and Sabatini's but not CG.  The lobster tail smelled like low tide and my gray-colored rib eye was terrible.  The service was the worst we experienced in years.  Was it a bad night?  Possibly.  But I think they had issues.  

[MissP22]

12 hours ago, bphman said:

I remember the fettuccine Alfredo served in the large parmesan bowl.  It was delicious.  Caesar salad used to be prepared tableside.  Celebrity had memorable food before RCI took over now it is just better than OK.  Things have changed.

As you noticed, many things have changed over the years and not for the better. Fettuccine Alfredo used to be great, now it's just passable under the guise of being more healthy.