Do you eat at the specialty restaurants?

[Times Prince]

We have tried the specialty restaurants, but seldom use them anymore.

 

Perhaps the best experience we had was when they were trying the specialty restaurant concept out on the Sun Princess while sailing in the Caribbean. The tables were outside on the Lido deck near the Horizon Court, sheltered from wind, and the meals were steak. It was a combination of ambiance and food that was remarkable. It felt like being on deck on a private yacht.

 

We have also tried the Painted Desert for "Mexican" food (no beans...?) which didn't come close to the restaurants in Colorado for quality, and tried Sabatini's. Being born and raised in San Francisco we are used to really fine Italian dining, and although Sabatini's had elements, the whole package wasn't there for us (I realize this is a subjective thing, depending on what Italian region one is used to). Add to that the dinner is a whole evening affair, we could not plan on any show afterward.

 

Most of the time when we decide we would like something different tonight it is too late to get a table reservation.

[Richie2pies]

Why do you have to pay for quality food that should be free on a cruise? Cruiselines are getting worse and worse in food quality. I guess this is an effort to keep cruise prices cheaper? At least you only have to pay if you choose to. It's still wrong.

[mnbruce]

My wife wanted to try the Crown Grill while on the CB in January. While I thought it was silly to pay for a meal when we had already paid up front for all meals I ageed and was glad I did. The quality of the steaks and the lobster tail were about what you would expect from a high end steakhouse and the service was also what you'd expect from the same. The steak and lobster tail,nor the service in the MDR were anywhere close to the quality in the Crown Grill. It is a shame though that you need to pay extra to get a high quality meal.

[BosoxI]

Not quite. It's not $20 or less since you've already paid for a meal in the MDR that you're not getting. Figure in the actual cost of the meal you paid for in the MDR, add that to the price of the specialty restaurant and you're getting warmer.

 

.

 

$15 or 20 for the MDR plus $15 or 20 for the specialty resaturant equals $30 or 40 and that is untouchable in a land based restaurant for the same quality and quantity food. Tonight DW and I ate in the best steakhouse in our town Her petit filet was $32.50, my full sized was $42. Caesar salad for me was $7.50. No dessert but had we chosen one, the cost would have started at $8 . I dropped $82 for one salad, two servings of meat, one serving of potatoes and a serving of grilled vegetables. It would have been $16 more if both of us ordered the cheapest dessert or $98 plus tax of $5. In the Grill we each would have gotten salad, soup, a full sized filet, a lobster tail and a half, and dessert and it would have "cost" us $70 or $80. That's what I meant when I said the MDR subsidizes the specialty restaurant: what I didn't eat in the MDR helps off set the cost of Sabatini's in some way. I won't even get into ambiance and service. For me this is excellent value for a little extra money.

[BosoxI]

Why do you have to pay for quality food that should be free on a cruise? Cruiselines are getting worse and worse in food quality. I guess this is an effort to keep cruise prices cheaper? At least you only have to pay if you choose to. It's still wrong.

 

We can't come to cruise critic and brag about what a great deal we got for our cabins and then turn around and demand food and service as if we were cruising on Crystal oe Seabourne. I find the overall food quality on Princess to be quite good, but springing for a higher qaulity meal every now and then is a nice change. It would only be wrong if Princess required every passenger to eat in the Grill once on every cruise. As long as there is a choice, no one should complain.

[Iamcruzin]

$15 or 20 for the MDR plus $15 or 20 for the specialty resaturant equals $30 or 40 and that is untouchable in a land based restaurant for the same quality and quantity food. Tonight DW and I ate in the best steakhouse in our town Her petit filet was $32.50, my full sized was $42. Caesar salad for me was $7.50. No dessert but had we chosen one, the cost would have started at $8 . I dropped $82 for one salad, two servings of meat, one serving of potatoes and a serving of grilled vegetables. It would have been $16 more if both of us ordered the cheapest dessert or $98 plus tax of $5. In the Grill we each would have gotten salad, soup, a full sized filet, a lobster tail and a half, and dessert and it would have "cost" us $70 or $80. That's what I meant when I said the MDR subsidizes the specialty restaurant: what I didn't eat in the MDR helps off set the cost of Sabatini's in some way. I won't even get into ambiance and service. For me this is excellent value for a little extra money.

 

One year for the holidays I received a $150 gift card from my company for Morton’s Steakhouse. I had never been there before so I figured wow $150 was generous. What a surprise I got when I saw the menu. I had a glass of the house wine and my wife had a Martini, we shared an appetizer and we ordered dessert. The least expensive entre was $70 each and it didn’t include a salad or side dish. When all was said and done it cost me an additional $120. $270 for dinner for two was not in my budget. I only paid $349pp for my last Princess cruise. When the economy cashed in 2008 it must have hurt business because every once and a while they mail me coupons for dinner for two for only $99.00. It includes an appetizer, side dish and dessert. So…..$25 for the Crown Grill is a steal.

[Cruisin' Chick]

We're not foodies, nor are big eaters so the MDR is fine for us.

[flipflops84]

Not a huge fan of Sabatini's but we have gone both times because my cruise mate loves it. You have to like sea food to really enjoy it there, IMHO. It's also a TON of food and I would never recommend going there if you are in port and have a lot to do the next day. I was just there a few days ago and its basically bread plus 14 appetizers (pasta, pizza, shrimp, mussels, etc, etc, etc.) PLUS your dinner (which you have completely forgotten about by the time the other courses are in front of you) PLUS dessert. Just soooooo much food. But my boyfriend loves it so what do I know. But not for the faint of heart!

[flipflops84]

One year for the holidays I received a $150 gift card from my company for Morton’s Steakhouse. I had never been there before so I figured wow $150 was generous. What a surprise I got when I saw the menu.

 

LOL same thing happened to us a few years ago. We had never been and thought, WOW! $150! The dinner ended up costing us unsuspecting fools a pretty penny.

 

That's why I like the steak houses on the cruise ships. I feel like I'm getting the Morton's or Ruth Chris experience, without the price tag (although I know it all works out one way or another!). And did I mention... it's delicious!

[hansi]

I've never cruised on a ship with the Crown Grill, but we do usually eat at Sterlings and Sabatinis.

 

Ditto

[Dorset Cruiser]

We perfer Sabatinis but have eaten at the steak houses as well.

 

Our next cruise on the Sea Princess only has only the Crown Grill, best I can tell.

 

I can't remember what the per person price was for the Crown Grill. Does anyone know?

 

Thanks

 

 

Sea also has a very nice sit down pizza restaurant as well. Limited lunchtime offerings but a more comprehensive menu at dinner.

[JPRLHR]

We probably do the speciality restaurants 50% of each cruise. Yes I hear what many say about "Why pay extra when you've already paid for food in the main DR" but we enjoy and prefer the smaller more intimate dining rooms that the speciality restaurants offer.

 

Also, we do not do and never have done formal nights.. Just don't get them..!!

[BosoxI]

One year for the holidays I received a $150 gift card from my company for Morton’s Steakhouse. I had never been there before so I figured wow $150 was generous. What a surprise I got when I saw the menu. I had a glass of the house wine and my wife had a Martini, we shared an appetizer and we ordered dessert. The least expensive entre was $70 each and it didn’t include a salad or side dish. When all was said and done it cost me an additional $120. $270 for dinner for two was not in my budget. I only paid $349pp for my last Princess cruise. When the economy cashed in 2008 it must have hurt business because every once and a while they mail me coupons for dinner for two for only $99.00. It includes an appetizer, side dish and dessert. So…..$25 for the Crown Grill is a steal.

 

That's funny as the same thing happened to a friend of mine. The gift card came from his in-laws but he had to kick in another hundred or so. I kidded him that his father in law did it on purpose just to get his cheap son in law to spend a few bucks. No question that the specialty rooms are a good deal, it just comes down to whether or not a person wants to spend the extra money.

[Infi]

We have eaten at both. We like going to the specialty restaurants for a special treat, and it helps us avoid dining room menus that we dislike. Crown Grill is very good, and I would happily go there again and again. We loved Sabatini's on our first visit, but the second visit, the food was really subpar and the menu had changed. I have no plans to go back there again anytime soon. I think CG lends itself more to multiple visits than Sabatini's - once you've been there once, you feel like you know the drill. The views and location of Sabatini's on the Crown class is stunning though.

[OnVacation11]

I voted 'no'. The food in the dining room is fine with me. I can always find something I like as I enjoy seafood.

[jessegirl88]

My family and I were on the Caribbean Princess in July 2010. We ate at Sabatini's and the Crown Grill.

 

We LOVED Sabatini's and DID NOT like Crown Grill at all. We eat out alot and were not impressed by the quality of food at Crown Grill. We would never go back to Crown Grill.. Sabatini's is well worth the money.

[ssbeagle]

We always eat one time at the specialty restaurant. We have never tried Sabatini's because it's just too much food and I get my fill of Italian in the dining room. I love a good steak and you get the best at the Crown Grille or Sterling Steakhouse or whatever they call it.

[5:00_Somewhere]

I understand why some people don't want to pay the up charge for the speciality restaurants, and that's one of the things I love about Princess and these alternative dining options: it's not mandatory, but it is a nice option for those who are interested.

 

As for us, we absolutely LOVE the experience and the food at Sabatini's and have made a point of dining there on every cruise since it was introduced. We live in a big city and have traveled somewhat extensively, yet we have never found any other dining experience quite like Sabatini's. So, for us, it's well worth the up charge for this unique experience (we just have to remember not to eat all day beforehand.) :p

 

On the other hand, though I'm a steak lover, unfortunately we have never found the Crown Grill (or its predecessor, Sterling's Steak House) to be all the outstanding or unusual an experience. It's certainly not any better than any of a number of steak houses we have access to at home. So, we rarely dine there. On the other hand, we have also spoken with passengers for whom the Crown Grill is something they can't easily find at home, so completely understand why people would enjoy that experience, as well.

 

There's something for everybody. :D

 

I'm already looking forward to our Sabatini's evening on our upcoming cruise (in 47 short days.) :D

[gertz]

Go into any restaurant on land and try to get the quality and quantity of food served in the specialty restaurants for $20 or less. It can't be done. so while you might not be sitting in the MDR, you certainly are being subsidized by it. It's the difference between good food and excellent food and it's certainly worth the price.

 

I just happen to agree with you. But different strokes for different folks.

 

Never had a complaint about dining room food. But there is a difference.

[geoherb]

We ate at Sabatini's twice--once for dinner and once for brunch. If they still served brunch, we'd do it again. It was great. The price back then was $15, and it included wine and champagne (and wonderful mimosas)--all you could drink. The brunch menu included a seafood buffet of crab legs, shrimp, sushi, etc. Then you would order your main course: omelets, etc.

 

We haven't tried the Crown Grill. We did the Painted Desert on the Golden in 2002 before it had a Crown Grill.

 

What we do save up for is the Chef's Table. We have done it twice this year and will try for a third time in December on the Island.

[Colo Cruiser]

We ate at Sabatini's twice--once for dinner and once for brunch. If they still served brunch, we'd do it again. It was great. The price back then was $15, and it included wine and champagne (and wonderful mimosas)--all you could drink. The brunch menu included a seafood buffet of crab legs, shrimp, sushi, etc. Then you would order your main course: omelets, etc.

 

We haven't tried the Crown Grill. We did the Painted Desert on the Golden in 2002 before it had a Crown Grill.

 

What we do save up for is the Chef's Table. We have done it twice this year and will try for a third time in December on the Island.

 

 

Yup, no more Brunch. :(

[rdsqrl]

I haven't tried a specialty restaurant yet, but I can tell you that the next cruise I'm on that has "Oriental Night" in the dining room, I'll be up at the Crown Grill so fast, it'll make your head spin . . .

[TracieABD]

I haven't tried a specialty restaurant yet, but I can tell you that the next cruise I'm on that has "Oriental Night" in the dining room, I'll be up at the Crown Grill so fast, it'll make your head spin . . .

I hear that!

 

AND, if we are on the same ship, I'm buying!:)

[jlf1]

My family and I were on the Caribbean Princess in July 2010. We ate at Sabatini's and the Crown Grill.

 

We LOVED Sabatini's and DID NOT like Crown Grill at all. We eat out alot and were not impressed by the quality of food at Crown Grill. We would never go back to Crown Grill.. Sabatini's is well worth the money.

 

We will second your opinion. We were on the Crown from Aug 10th to 22nd.

 

Service is the Crown Grill was apathetic and my rack of lamb was ho hum.

 

FYI, the rack of lamb in the MDR was far better, juicy & cooked much better.

 

We would go back to Sabbatini's in a heart beat now that we understand the drill.

 

Judy

 

PS The Sea Bass in Sabbatini's is to die for and I got the recipe from the Executive Chef when we did the Chef's table.

[hansolo]

I voted no. We went once and I don't think we will be going back. I didn't think it was worth it and the level of service was horrible. I did put the info in the comment card about our experience. We were left to pour our own wine, waiter never came to see how we were doing. When we left we just walked out, the Maitre'd was busy when we left so he didn't have time to acknowledge us leaving , they were apparently understaffed.

 

Another guest next to us was complaining how his steak was cooked and the waiter was telling him that it was fine and didn't want to take the steak back. The waiter went so far to cut it in front of him and show him that it was ok.