Loucat Posted September 27, 2009 #1 Share Posted September 27, 2009 Having never sailed Princess, I would love to know how you liked the food (dinner especially). I have heard there is a good variety such as rack of lamb etc. I want to plan a Princess cruise, but need to know more. Many thanks to anyone who responds:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ugen512 Posted September 28, 2009 #2 Share Posted September 28, 2009 We sailed 2 years ago and thought the food was exceptional. The breakfast buffett was really good, changed every day and the pizza was better than Carnival. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLC535 Posted September 28, 2009 #3 Share Posted September 28, 2009 We have always been happy with the food on Princess - from the MDR - to the HC (buffet) - International Cafe....here is a link to check out some sample menus - also the specialty restaurants are wonderful..... http://www.princess.com/learn/onboard/dining/menus/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul929207 Posted September 28, 2009 #4 Share Posted September 28, 2009 We enjoy all the meals on Princess. And yes, they do have rack of lamb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sillysailor 1955 Posted September 28, 2009 #5 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Did my first Princess cruise this past July (Alaska on the Diamond). We all thought food was exceptionally good (previously have sailed on NCL and HAL). The pizza was delicious and the MDR always had many creative and tasty meals (looked great and tasted as good as it looked). Looking forward to cruising with Princess again hopefully this May in the Mediterrean.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickEk Posted September 28, 2009 #6 Share Posted September 28, 2009 We enjoy the meals in the main dining rooms. Some dishes are better than others... we usually ask the waiter what they would recommend they're rarely wrong. Also, definitely check out breakfast and lunch in the dining rooms. We rarely use the buffet. Also the pizza on deck is, IMHO, excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bphman Posted September 28, 2009 #7 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Boy, is this subjective. We've been on the Crown where the food was very good and on the Star where it was not so good. I don't often leave food on my plate at dinner in the MDR but I did on this cruise. The saving grace was the Fettucini Alfredo in the Parmesan shell. Did not like the breakfast buffet as much as in the MDR. One main problem with the buffet area is that you have these small, confined areas which seemed crowded on many occasions. Did not have issues with the food quality of the buffet, however. Pizza was out of this world especially for a cruise ship. Grill area was standard fare and also fairly good. Went to Sabatini's on both ships and the Star did a better job albeit in a much smaller room. Cannot say enough about the Chef's Table which, to me, was the highlight. Pricey but a great experience. Again, very subjective but I wanted to give you my honest opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treven Posted September 28, 2009 #8 Share Posted September 28, 2009 I was on the Emerald this past spring and I really liked the food. I ate in the MDR only once. Ate in the Crown Grill once & the Caribe buffet all the other nights - 8. Had pizza almost every day for lunch; they usually had a selection of 4 different ones every day and I tried them all; some more than once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kooljamming Posted September 28, 2009 #9 Share Posted September 28, 2009 I am not a picky eater and can usually enjoy most meal I don't have to prepare, not wrapped in paper or served with fries. Well, I did not enjoy the food on either of my cruises with Princess. Most of the dishes were covered, guissed up in sauce and bland without it. They weren't that bad, just not memorable on most occasions, or worth waiting on at times. I don't care much for pasta but my kids thought the Alfredo dish was good. I did enjoy the wide selection at the buffet. I had well prepared prime rib, jumbo shrimp along with well seasoned chicken dishes. I have done 8 other cruises (Carnival and RCCL) and this was the only time I chose the buffet at times over the MDR for dinner. Two dishes I enjoyed were the pork chops and beef wellington. Food is subjective and this is my honest opinion. The baked cookies were wonderful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houch Posted September 28, 2009 #10 Share Posted September 28, 2009 I have had 9 cruises with Princess and have never been disapointed with any food I have had. On the rare occasion I didn't like what I ordered I just told the waiter and ordered something else from the menu. I feel everything I had was excellent, but I am not a picky eater either. Really love the escargot, duck, shrimp, and the cream soups oh and the creme brulet too. Oh and also the sufflets. I usually only have dinner in the MDR preferring to go to the buffet for the other meals. The way they have the buffet set up in stations you can just go to the stations that have the food you want. It's quite quick and easy and have always enjoyed the food there too. The pizza and the grill with burgers and fries are very good too. I have not tried the specialty dining and probably won't. I feel the food and menu selection was better than Celebrity and RCI. In fact on Celebrity they had the same sauce on all their menu selections, didn't understand that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50cruiser Posted September 28, 2009 #11 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Ive found that I think Carnivel buys all the food for all its ships as ive been on Carnivel, Costa, Princess and HAL in the last 2 years plus I was on Celebrity and RCL this summer and they also seem to serve basicly the same food, which leads me to belive the Cruise cos make deals in bulk from suppliers for all the food for cruise ships. The big diference is the chefs preparing the food and the spices and creativity of the chef on the dish. Personally of them all ive been on I think Celebrity might be a step above the others with Princess 2nd. I was on the Grand Princess last year and food was great. Im going on the grand again Jan 4th for 11 days so Ill find out if it stayed good or if the chef got transfered to a new ship. CARL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royalcruz Posted September 28, 2009 #12 Share Posted September 28, 2009 On the Caribbean Princess, I loved the poolside pizza and the dining room fettucini alfredo. The dining room food was mostly disappointing in flavor though, so we went to the buffet most nights so that we could sample lots of different foods. Everything at Sabatinis was terrific, so we went twice. At Sterling Grill the sides and filet were very good, but the barrumundi fish was tasteless and the setting reminded me of an inexpensive western steakhouse. The lunch buffet food was good and varied. We enjoyed Anytime dining, so that we could feel free to eat when and where we wanted. We sat at tables for 2, and enjoyed chatting with the other table next to us, without having the pressure to converse with them for the entire meal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andee Posted September 28, 2009 #13 Share Posted September 28, 2009 We've been on several Princess cruises, and we thought the food ranged from fair to good, never awful, never great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 HappyCruiser Posted September 28, 2009 #14 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Since this is a Princess board I'd doubt if you'll hear to many complaints except from a few of the most critical people. They'll always be a few meals that could be better but for the most part you won't be disappointed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsiegel Posted September 28, 2009 #15 Share Posted September 28, 2009 I've found the food on Princess better than expected. They've been tweaking their menus and I miss some of the entrees they have dropped. Choices seem more cautious as is the spicing. Pictures of many of the entrees from the Star Princess this past April 2009 Jackie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeBeGone Posted September 28, 2009 #16 Share Posted September 28, 2009 We have found the food in the MDR ranges from good to great. On a few rare occaisions when I really didn't like something, I just sent it back and ordered something else. We never use the buffet as I'm a germafobe and the thought of handling the thongs makes me sick, as does the thought of the food being exposed to coughs and sneezes. We love Sabitinis and the Crown Grill. We also do the chef's table every cruise - true foodies delight!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarinaDCA Posted September 28, 2009 #17 Share Posted September 28, 2009 I've found the food on Princess better than expected. They've been tweaking their menus and I miss some of the entrees they have dropped. Choices seem more cautious as is the spicing. Pictures of many of the entrees from the Star Princess this past April 2009 Jackie Thanks so much for taking the time to photograph and posts these, I have really enjoyed them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ancientmariner Posted September 28, 2009 #18 Share Posted September 28, 2009 I'm never keen on handling thongs at the buffet, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted September 28, 2009 #19 Share Posted September 28, 2009 We love it and the Rack O lamb is to die for. I avoid the buffet if at all possible. Just not my thing. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demented_Avenger Posted September 28, 2009 #20 Share Posted September 28, 2009 My wife and I always enjoy the food on Princess. Like some people have already pointed out, this is a VERY subjective subject. We were on the Star Princess last year in Alaska and I thought the MDR food was the best I have had on Princess. IMO, Princess is very good about pleasing people in the dining room. If there was a dish I did not like, they were quick to replace it with something else. We thought the food on the Celebrity Summit was a bit better, but Celebrity tends to be more expensive anyway... The buffet fare is good, but I agree that the layout could use improvement. Speciality restaurants are very good and worth the extra cost. Good Luck! Cruise On! - Demented - :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeBeGone Posted September 28, 2009 #21 Share Posted September 28, 2009 I'm never keen on handling thongs at the buffet, either. ROTFLMAO - don't know where my mind was !!:D I don't handle tongs nor thongs !! :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickdeni Posted September 28, 2009 #22 Share Posted September 28, 2009 We just got off the CB and found the food to be as good as always. I am TA and listen to other people's analysis of the food on other cruise lines which always tilts in favor of Celebrity and Princess. In all honesty I have never heard a comment about Holland America but lots of negative about Carnival in the last few months. I have sailed Disney, Celebrity, Princess and Carnival. My personal favorite is Princess. Celebrity has too many sauces for me (personal taste), Disney's food is good but their desserts are not outstanding and we cruised Carnival too long ago to remember what it was like. The only thing I found on our last cruise (not true on our other 8 cruises on Princess) was that the Tenderloin in the dining room was tough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindy97 Posted September 28, 2009 #23 Share Posted September 28, 2009 IMHO. the food ranges from good to very good to very good with gourmet touches. I don't like highly sauced items, either, but I still generally order things that way so they are juicy, then scrape off most of the sauce. Many of the appetizers are to die for. There are cold soups, which are really fruit smoothies. There is a goat cheese souffle, wonderful. My sister loves the garlic veloute (soup) if it is still being served. There is a forest mushroom soup which is very tasty. Although it doesn't sound so fancy, try the appetizer of feta cheese and watermelon. They compliment each other like you can't imagine. I'd order two of those! If you don't like the main dishes, there are "always available" items in the dining room, a beef steak, a chicken, a fish, and the fettuccine alfredo. If you order the fettuccine as a main dish, you get the parmesan bowl with it, which is wonderful! You can also order chicken fingers or anything else from the children's menu that you want to. Two cruises ago we saw an item on the vegetarian side which was listed as "Crepes with mascarpone cheese and grilled pumpkin." It sounded wonderful, but it was on lobster night, so we weren't going to get it. The waiter insidted on bringing a "share" plate of it. Wow! It was better than the lobster. Fern Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudy888 Posted September 28, 2009 #24 Share Posted September 28, 2009 We have been on 9 Princess cruises and feel that the food has been very good. We prefer not to eat at the buffets as we eat too much. Our last cruise was on Celebrity whom we felt had better food but food quality has slipped. It was no better than Princess, very good but just not as good as our previous Celebrity cruises. The waiters want to please if you don't like the food send it back for something else. Jan & Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsiegel Posted September 28, 2009 #25 Share Posted September 28, 2009 IMHO. the food ranges from good to very good to very good with gourmet touches. snip Many of the appetizers are to die for. There are cold soups, which are really fruit smoothies. There is a goat cheese souffle, wonderful. My sister loves the garlic veloute (soup) if it is still being served. There is a forest mushroom soup which is very tasty. Although it doesn't sound so fancy, try the appetizer of feta cheese and watermelon. They compliment each other like you can't imagine. I'd order two of those! snip Two cruises ago we saw an item on the vegetarian side which was listed as "Crepes with mascarpone cheese and grilled pumpkin." It sounded wonderful, but it was on lobster night, so we weren't going to get it. The waiter insidted on bringing a "share" plate of it. Wow! It was better than the lobster. Fern Thanks for the suggestions, I'll be looking for the feta/watermelon appetizer and the pumpkin crepes on my next cruise. I agree, the cold soups are wonderful as is the goat cheese souffle. Jackie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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