Chefs Table Menu

[Woobstr112G]

Is it $150 per couple or $150 each?

 

$75 per person

 

It's worth $150pp. I'd pay that in a heartbeat....:)

 

Bob

 

Future: Emerald Princess Northern Trans Atlantic 09/09

Diamond Princess Aus/NZ 01/09

Emerald Princess Med/Trans Atlantic 10/08

Celebrity Constellation British Isles/Norway 07/06

Celebrity Summit Alaska Repositioning 05/05

Celebrity Summit Panama Canal 10/02

Rhapsody Of The Seas Alaska 09/01

Spledour Of The Seas Baltic 09/99

HAL Veendam Eastern Caribbean 07/96

Carnival Holiday Western Carribean 07/93

[caribill]

Below is another typical Chef;s Table menu

[FritzG]

$75 per person

 

Thanks, I hope we are two of the lucky ones to get picked for the dinner. It sounds well worth the fee.

[Woobstr112G]

Here is another menu to tease you......It's from our Emerald T/A last October.

 

 

Bob

 

Future: Emerald Princess Northern Trans Atlantic 09/09

Diamond Princess Aus/NZ 01/09

Emerald Princess Med/Trans Atlantic 10/08

Celebrity Constellation British Isles/Norway 07/06

Celebrity Summit Alaska Repositioning 05/05

Celebrity Summit Panama Canal 10/02

Rhapsody Of The Seas Alaska 09/01

Spledour Of The Seas Baltic 09/99

HAL Veendam Eastern Caribbean 07/96

Carnival Holiday Western Carribean 07/93

[Sandytoes]

Hope this won't be a "challenge" question

but, at $75 a head don't you think that's outrageous? :confused:

 

Charging that amount for a meal has driven conspicuous consumption to new levels of nickel'n'diming in this economy on a cruise ship.

Anyone who can afford this, are the ones that are poised to do well in hard economic times. Ordinary people don't spend that kind of money on a meal.

 

$75/pp is just too expensive for my idea to "splurge on a meal".

A bit above most people, wouldn't you say?

 

Even though it sounds like a "delicious" experience and would like to try the Chef's Table one day ( at a reasonable price), I would never dream of spending $150 on a meal on a cruise ship.

 

With that in mind, I look forward to a lovely dinner in the main dining room.

[cruisemom42]

Hope this won't be a "challenge" question

but, at $75 a head don't you think that's outrageous? :confused:

 

Charging that amount for a meal has driven conspicuous consumption to new levels of nickel'n'diming in this economy on a cruise ship.

Anyone who can afford this, are the ones that are poised to do well in hard economic times. Ordinary people don't spend that kind of money on a meal.

 

$75/pp is just too expensive for my idea to "splurge on a meal".

A bit above most people, wouldn't you say?

 

Even though it sounds like a "delicious" experience and would like to try the Chef's Table one day ( at a reasonable price), I would never dream of spending $150 on a meal on a cruise ship.

 

With that in mind, I look forward to a lovely dinner in the main dining room.

 

I've never eaten at a specialty restaurant on a cruise ship (mostly on principle) but this is different to me. Plus for the $75 you get:

 

 

• A Princess cookbook (don't have it with me, but I'm guessing the actual value is at least $20).
  
• A free photo (Haven't bought one in years...how much are they going for now?
  
• Unlimited wines (At an average of $7/glass, I probably drank about $35 of wine alone).
  

I travel frequently on business and have to say that in a big city, $60 to $75 per person for a dinner is about average, certainly nothing my company would question....

[Shogun]

Hi There,

 

$75 is about right for what is on offer,

 

if you price each item

 

yours Shogun

[dot73]

I would never be able to afford this kind of dinner and wines at a restaurant at home. For me, paying $75 was a good deal for this type of gourmet experience and was well worth it. The two pictures I received are a great souvenir of the cruise as I didn't buy any photos taken by the ship's photographers. The hard cover cookbook is filled with fabulous recipes which I will try.

 

I look at a cruise like buying a car. The basic price of the cruise is still possible for me. Just like buying a car, I can then choose the "extras". When I buy a car, I do not buy the seat warmers, sunroof, leather seats, fancy stereo system, etc. as I cannot afford them. On cruises, I choose not to gamble, not to take expensive ship excursions, pay for the spa services, etc. as these treats would make the cruise unaffordable for me. I do, however, love good food and drink and will splurge on that. If all these things were included in the price of the cruise, people like me would never be able to afford to take a cruise. Some people may call things like the Chef's Table or specialty restaurants "nickel and diming", but to me it keeps cruises affordable and then I can choose the "extras" that I am able to pay for. Just my opinion, of course.

[Sandytoes]

I've never eaten at a specialty restaurant on a cruise ship (mostly on principle) but this is different to me. Plus for the $75 you get:

 

 

• A Princess cookbook (don't have it with me, but I'm guessing the actual value is at least $20).
  
• A free photo (Haven't bought one in years...how much are they going for now?
  
• Unlimited wines (At an average of $7/glass, I probably drank about $35 of wine alone).
  

I travel frequently on business and have to say that in a big city, $60 to $75 per person for a dinner is about average, certainly nothing my company would question....

 

 

On my Grand Cruise, I had a wonderful experience taking a Tour of the Galley.

We saw a cooking demonstration and tasted a five-course meal,

plus an opportunity with a question\answer session with Executive Chef Josef Stummer.

All for Free!!!

Chef even took time to pose with the guests and autograph Princess's cookbook.

Which he personally signed. :p(I guess $20-$25 :confused: not sure)

 

I had to buy the photo of me and EX Josef. :D (Not sure how much, I too haven't bought one in years)

 

 

All I can say, it was a fabulous experience.

[FritzG]

If I'm not mistaken the cookbook was around $39. I know it was more than I was willing to pay for a cookbook, but I'd be glad to have it as part of the chef's table.

 

I agree that it's pricey especially since my DH and I drink very little due to medications, but to us it's worth the price for the experience as well as the food. We love good food, and it sounds like a fun time. That's the beauty of a cruise; there's lots to choose from and if it doesn't interest you, you can skip it.

[Host Caroline]

To each his own! We thoroughly enjoyed Chef's Table and would not be able to afford that type of thing when we retire.. Do not think it is "conspicously extravagant" at all... we don't spend much on tours etc. and, besides, it is up to each individual how to spend their vacation $$ -- certainly not my prerogative to question how people spend or what their priorities are:confused:

 

It's a wonderful experience if you appreciate fine dining and at least on the Crown, the "Guiseppes" are divine hosts.....

[mycruz]

For a Foodie like me it was worth the extra surcharge. If we had been on land and decided to dine at a 4 or 5 star restaurant with wine pairings it would have far exceeded the $75 pp charge. Like Caroline said, to each their own! for me it was quite an experience one that I thought I didn't need to do again until I saw Shogun's menu and how it differed from the one we had on the Sea Princess last September.

 

 

I will definitely look to do it again.

[dot73]

I forgot to mention that the appetizers are served in the actual galley in the midst of the dinner hour. It was amazing to see how the cooks dish out the food, how the waiters pick it up, etc. I couldn't believe that there were no major collisions, although we did hear a plate crashing. I still don't know how they manage to keep all the orders straight. I will definitely do this again on my next Princess cruise.

[rdsqrl]

You should plan to sign up just as soon as you can after boarding as this is becoming a popular event. You can either call the DINE number from your cabin and ask them to put your name down or you can go in search of the maitre d' (or one of his assistants); his office is just off one of the dining rooms. This is what I did -- I wanted to be able to tell him in person how MUCH I was hoping for the chance to participate....

 

It's better to do it in person because over the phone, they can't tell I'm groveling on my knees and see the puppy-dog longing in my eyes!!

 

Hope this won't be a "challenge" question

but, at $75 a head don't you think that's outrageous? :confused:

 

Charging that amount for a meal has driven conspicuous consumption to new levels of nickel'n'diming in this economy on a cruise ship.

Anyone who can afford this, are the ones that are poised to do well in hard economic times. Ordinary people don't spend that kind of money on a meal.

 

$75/pp is just too expensive for my idea to "splurge on a meal".

A bit above most people, wouldn't you say?

 

Even though it sounds like a "delicious" experience and would like to try the Chef's Table one day ( at a reasonable price), I would never dream of spending $150 on a meal on a cruise ship.

 

With that in mind, I look forward to a lovely dinner in the main dining room.

I hardly think $75 per person is expensive for a five-course meal of this quality. If one only dines at chain restaurants or lives in a small town with no fine dining, I suppose it could seem extravagent, but if one were familiar with the cost of the kinds of ingredients and the preparations they utilize, one would realize that it really is a very fair price for the quality of the food -- and would be so even if they didn't throw in as much fine champers and wine as one could drink.

I understand people's reluctance to pay "extra" for meals that they seemingly have already paid for in their fare, but I'd pose it another way. Considering how inexpensive cruise fares have gotten, you've got to figure that the one dinner you've already paid for but are missing whilst doing Chef's Table is really a miniscule amount of your total cruise fare.

[Woobstr112G]

It's not just the food, it's the experience. 75pp is well worth it.....

 

Bob

 

Future: Emerald Princess Northern Trans Atlantic 09/09

Diamond Princess Aus/NZ 01/09

Emerald Princess Med/Trans Atlantic 10/08

Celebrity Constellation British Isles/Norway 07/06

Celebrity Summit Alaska Repositioning 05/05

Celebrity Summit Panama Canal 10/02

Rhapsody Of The Seas Alaska 09/01

Spledour Of The Seas Baltic 09/99

HAL Veendam Eastern Caribbean 07/96

Carnival Holiday Western Carribean 07/93

[rdsqrl]

I certainly agree about the experience, but I'm figuring that someone who cavils over the price is not really into paying for "experience." Although I could be wrong . . .

Okay, so here's a question: many here have posted about doing Chef's Table again. Given the demand, y'all who've already done it don't feel hesitant about taking up a spot that could go to someone who hasn't had a chance to do it yet? I don't know, am I being too saintly? 'Cause I'd love to go for it again, but I feel a little weird about it.

[mycruz]

PS, from the champagne and wine alone I probably drank $75 worth:o, and like some else mentioned, the entire experience was very memorable. I actually have the autographed cookbook on my coffee table as a reminder. I really felt special during the entire event and our matre'd and chef could not have been more gracious!

[Carolyn R]

To each his own! We thoroughly enjoyed Chef's Table and would not be able to afford that type of thing when we retire.. Do not think it is "conspicously extravagant" at all... we don't spend much on tours etc. and, besides, it is up to each individual how to spend their vacation $$ -- certainly not my prerogative to question how people spend or what their priorities are:confused:

 

It's a wonderful experience if you appreciate fine dining and at least on the Crown, the "Guiseppes" are divine hosts.....

 

Caroline, Which "Guiseppes" were on the Crown on your sailing?

[cruisemom42]

It's better to do it in person because over the phone, they can't tell I'm groveling on my knees and see the puppy-dog longing in my eyes!!

 

 

 

Exactly!! :D

[cruisemom42]

Okay, here's my updated accounting:

 

• $34.95 for the Courses cookbook: http://www.amazon.com/Courses-Culinary-Journey-Princess-Cruises/dp/0971842132/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234880050&sr=1-1
  
• $19.99 for photo: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=877416&highlight=photos+cost
  
• $22.00 for 2 glasses of Veuve Cliquot champagne with appetizers (assuming 6 glasses of champagne per bottle): http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=902103&highlight=wine+list
  
• $28.00 for 1 glass white wine/2 glasses red wine/1 glass dessert wine (average based on Princess wine prices listed above). These were nice wines so this is probably a low approximation.
  

So without even including the food (which debatably is "already included" although it's been years -- if ever -- since I had a meal like this in the dining room of a cruise ship), it's easily over $100.

 

And, of course, the experience itself? PRICELESS!! :D:D

[Sandytoes]

 

I hardly think $75 per person is expensive for a five-course meal of this quality. If one only dines at chain restaurants or lives in a small town with no fine dining, I suppose it could seem extravagent,

 

I understand people's reluctance to pay "extra" for meals that they seemingly have already paid for in their fare, but I'd pose it another way. Considering how inexpensive cruise fares have gotten, you've got to figure that the one dinner you've already paid for but are missing whilst doing Chef's Table is really a miniscule amount of your total cruise fare.

I agree!! It's better that the specialty restaurants chare extra so that passengers who don't wish to partake, they don't have to subsidize those who do. Keeping the cruise fare down.

 

For some unknown reason, I knew my post would open a can of worms.:rolleyes:..;)

 

Here in NY we pay a premium on many things. Including expensive meals.

A good steak can cost $100 without the trimmings.

Some restaurants need reservations 6 months to a year ahead.

 

I see nothing wrong with "treating yourself" to the extras.

How much you choose to spend is entirely up to you.

Personally, I think the Chef's table is a wonderful indulgence.

Like I said, would "love" to try it one day.

:)

 

Just wonder how many would try the Chef's Table if Princess required a smaller service fee? :confused:

[Woobstr112G]

I certainly agree about the experience, but I'm figuring that someone who cavils over the price is not really into paying for "experience." Although I could be wrong . . .

 

Okay, so here's a question: many here have posted about doing Chef's Table again. Given the demand, y'all who've already done it don't feel hesitant about taking up a spot that could go to someone who hasn't had a chance to do it yet? I don't know, am I being too saintly? 'Cause I'd love to go for it again, but I feel a little weird about it.

 

Very good point......But Call me a cad, I'm gonna try for it again when we hit the Emerald in September.

 

Bob

 

Future: Emerald Princess Northern Trans Atlantic 09/09

Diamond Princess Aus/NZ 01/09

Emerald Princess Med/Trans Atlantic 10/08

Celebrity Constellation British Isles/Norway 07/06

Celebrity Summit Alaska Repositioning 05/05

Celebrity Summit Panama Canal 10/02

Rhapsody Of The Seas Alaska 09/01

Spledour Of The Seas Baltic 09/99

HAL Veendam Eastern Caribbean 07/96

Carnival Holiday Western Carribean 07/93

[San10s]

Greetings! :D

 

I have read somewhere that closed toe shoes are required to attend the Chef's Table. How strict are they on that? I never carry closed toe shoes to the Caribbean and I would prefer not to....but would not want to miss getting a seat at the Chef's Table. :D

 

Thanks for any info.....

[SHIPMEOUT]

In the sheet of instructions that come with your invitation to the Chef's Table, it is stated (among many other things) that no open toe shoes will be allowed in the galley, no shorts are permitted, and all clothing worn to the event is to be freshly laundered. :)

 

I did see one woman in our group wearing a bit of an open toe...not sure how much of an open toe they would allow. Definitely not open sandals or flip flops. It's supposed to be safety measure...in case a knife were to drop on your foot...or maybe you might drop your glass of champagne on your foot as you are taking another appetizer from the white-gloved waiter. :D

 

Cindy

[mycruz]

Greetings! :D

 

I have read somewhere that closed toe shoes are required to attend the Chef's Table. How strict are they on that? I never carry closed toe shoes to the Caribbean and I would prefer not to....but would not want to miss getting a seat at the Chef's Table. :D

 

Thanks for any info.....

 

On our sailing the shoes were strictly enfored. So slip a pair of flats/loafers in your bag or loafers that would go nicely with an nice dress for dinner one night.