Is There Really No Bayou Cafe/Steakhouse or Crown Grill aboard the Diamond Princess?

[Andos]

Hi everyone,

me and partner are planning to be married onboard the Diamond Princess in April 2011. As part of our Wedding Package we were invited to choose from four options of "Speciality Dining" for our evening reception. The choice listed on our Wedding Form were as follows:-

 

Sabitini's

Sterling's Steakhouse

Bayou Cafe & Steakhouse

Crown Grill

 

Because of the somewhat quirky nature of our "small" party's eating preferences the only restaurant menu we could all agree on was the one presented by the Bayou Cafe & Steakhouse. However, during a lengthy discussion with our "Tie The Knot" wedding co-ordinator she has informed us that there is no Bayou Cafe & Steakhouse restaurant on the Diamond Princess! My next question was " Why is it advertised as an option when it is supposedly not available?"

 

To which she replied by navigating me via the internet to the eating options on the Princess Cruises website, which did indeed seem to suggest that she was correct. From this, I began to assume that the aforementioned restaurant must only be onboard her sister ship - the Sapphire Princess.

 

Could anybody out who has travelling on either or both of these ships add some clarity to this question because when you watch the promotional video it suggests that both ships have the same dining options

 

Best rgds,

 

Andos.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Specialty Dining on the Diamond from the Princess website:

 

Sterling Steakhouse 6:30 pm -11:00 pm

Sabitini's Italian Restaurant 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm* 6:30 pm - 11:00 pm

 

Bayou Cafe is only on the Island and Coral. I believe Sterling has been changed over to the Crown Grill recently.

[karmacruiser]

We were on the Diamond the end of last month and it was Sterlings Steakhouse. Sabitinis has a larger variety of menu items. If you are fimiliar with meat grades, I think think the steaks at Sterlings are somewhere between Select and Good.

[RickEk]

I think that the Wedding Form was probably a generic one that covered all the various specialty restaurants that are scattered throughout the fleet. Yes, the Diamond (and Sapphire) Princess only have Sabatini's and the Sterling Steakhouse.

[BLS]

Hi everyone,

me and partner are planning to be married onboard the Diamond Princess in April 2011. As part of our Wedding Package we were invited to choose from four options of "Speciality Dining" for our evening reception. The choice listed on our Wedding Form were as follows:-

 

Sabitini's

Sterling's Steakhouse

Bayou Cafe & Steakhouse

Crown Grill

 

Because of the somewhat quirky nature of our "small" party's eating preferences the only restaurant menu we could all agree on was the one presented by the Bayou Cafe & Steakhouse. However, during a lengthy discussion with our "Tie The Knot" wedding co-ordinator she has informed us that there is no Bayou Cafe & Steakhouse restaurant on the Diamond Princess! My next question was " Why is it advertised as an option when it is supposedly not available?"

 

To which she replied by navigating me via the internet to the eating options on the Princess Cruises website, which did indeed seem to suggest that she was correct. From this, I began to assume that the aforementioned restaurant must only be onboard her sister ship - the Sapphire Princess.

 

Could anybody out who has travelling on either or both of these ships add some clarity to this question because when you watch the promotional video it suggests that both ships have the same dining options

 

Best rgds,

 

Andos.

 

The Bayou Cafe is only on the Corall and Island Princess ships.

Enjoy whatever venue you select!

[Andos]

Specialty Dining on the Diamond from the Princess website:

 

Sterling Steakhouse 6:30 pm -11:00 pm

Sabitini's Italian Restaurant 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm* 6:30 pm - 11:00 pm

 

Bayou Cafe is only on the Island and Coral. I believe Sterling has been changed over to the Crown Grill recently.

Hi DrivesLikeMario,

thanks for the clarification. At least we know where we're upto and will now have to seek an alternative venue.

 

Andos.

[Andos]

We were on the Diamond the end of last month and it was Sterlings Steakhouse. Sabitinis has a larger variety of menu items. If you are fimiliar with meat grades, I think think the steaks at Sterlings are somewhere between Select and Good.

Thanks Karmacruiser,

the younger members of our group will be pleased to hear that, with them being steaklovers :-)

 

Andos.

[Andos]

I think that the Wedding Form was probably a generic one that covered all the various specialty restaurants that are scattered throughout the fleet. Yes, the Diamond (and Sapphire) Princess only have Sabatini's and the Sterling Steakhouse.

Thanks RickEk,

I believe you're right. But I must admit that the form is misleading.

 

Andos.

[cherylandtk]

Yes, the form could lead you to think that all four venues are available on whichever ship you choose; but I am pretty sure there is NO ship in the fleet that has all four venues...I believe most ships now have one or two of the four venues, but none have all four. And I don't see any listed right now with three of the four, but I could be wrong.

[abqmommyof4]

We were on the Diamond the end of last month and it was Sterlings Steakhouse. Sabitinis has a larger variety of menu items. If you are fimiliar with meat grades, I think think the steaks at Sterlings are somewhere between Select and Good.

 

actually the meat is between choice and prime. ( select and good at least in the usa is the bottom of the scale

 

we've eaten in sterling on both of our cruises and it is some of teh best meat I have eaten

[Loonbeam]

You should be fine with the Sterling, although it doesn't have the same ambience as the Bayou, the food is still very good. I also strongly suspect that if there is something on the bayou menu that doesn't require special ingredients not normally carried that they would consider making that one item.

[jewopaho]

We were on the Diamond the end of last month and it was Sterlings Steakhouse. Sabitinis has a larger variety of menu items. If you are fimiliar with meat grades, I think the steaks at Sterlings are somewhere between Select and Good.

Yikes! And they charge extra for that? Even Costco sells nothing but Choce and Prime.

 

Thanks Karmacruiser, the younger members of our group will be pleased to hear that, with them being steaklovers :-)

"Select" and "Good" are not top-of-the line USDA grades ... they're third and fourth out of five categories (only "Utility" is lower). But Sterling's must be better than what's served in the main dining rooms, since lots of folks eat there. Personally, we find the beef dishes on the regular menu pretty much the same ... tough. They're much closer to sirloin than ribeye. Of course, we always find something we like, and never leave the dining room hungry. We just avoid beef.

[Pam in CA]

First, congratulations!

 

The Sterling Steakhouse is set up in the aft section of the buffet area and sort of closed off by moveable panels. It's true that it doesn't have the ambiance of a dedicated restaurant but when we were there last month on the Sapphire, it didn't matter once the food was served. :) The shrimp were huge and perfectly cooked, the clam chowder is served in a bread bowl, and I had the small filet that was delicious. Even the small one was way too big as I could eat only about half of it. And the desserts... what can I say? If you have room, they're yummy.

[Loonbeam]

I know the Bayou cafe is Prime only on the US Scale. I would assume Sterling to be the same.

 

Yikes! And they charge extra for that? Even Costco sells nothing but Choce and Prime.

 

 

"Select" and "Good" are not top-of-the line USDA grades ... they're third and fourth out of five categories (only "Utility" is lower). But Sterling's must be better than what's served in the main dining rooms, since lots of folks eat there. Personally, we find the beef dishes on the regular menu pretty much the same ... tough. They're much closer to sirloin than ribeye. Of course, we always find something we like, and never leave the dining room hungry. We just avoid beef.

[karmacruiser]

The steak we had was nothing close to Prime. Not trying to stir up trouble, just saying it was rather disappointing and that the OP might want to consider Sabitinis as an alternative. We agree with Jewopaho that it is difficult to find tender beef but there are many other options.

[caribill]

The choice listed on our Wedding Form were as follows:-

 

Sterling's Steakhouse

Bayou Cafe & Steakhouse

Crown Grill

 

 

 

Every Princess ship has one and only one steakhouse. The names above cover the various variations on the different ships.

[hollon]

We were on the Diamond the end of last month and it was Sterlings Steakhouse. Sabitinis has a larger variety of menu items. If you are fimiliar with meat grades, I think think the steaks at Sterlings are somewhere between Select and Good.

I will be on the diamond in three months, can I step in and ask how she looks and how was the entertainment and food - if Im hijacking, you can email me at askforgiveness@aol.com - also did they get flat screen tvs and new mattress? - thanks

[karmacruiser]

I will be on the diamond in three months, can I step in and ask how she looks and how was the entertainment and food - if Im hijacking, you can email me at askforgiveness@aol.com - also did they get flat screen tvs and new mattress? - thanks

 

Not sure if we are hijacking either, my apologies if we are. We had a mini suite and it had the new flat screen tvs, but not sure if the mattress was new. We thought the mattress was comfortable but others we spoke with thought it was a bit hard. Our carpet seemed a little warn but I heard that some had new carpet. I think the dry dock had a lot more to do with the outside of the ship, but thought the Diamond looked good, and Princess does a great job at keeping public areas clean. It now has the "movies under the stars".

 

The omelet station and waffle station are away from the buffet, in the outdoor pool area, and we found both very good and a nice alternative. We found the food better than usual in most cases, of course you read my opinion on the Steakhouse, but enjoyed the fact that the different dining rooms had a specialty dish. Love the fact that they will bring fresh fruit to your cabin, which was nice to munch on after arriving back from those all day tours. We also did the Ultimate Balcony Dinner, which was wonderful and very professionally done, it takes about 2 hours to complete the meal.

 

We didn't see much of the entertainment but spoke with others that enjoyed it. I think if you start a thread about the Diamond, others may have more information to add.

 

Hope you have a wonderful cruise! :)

[hollon]

Not sure if we are hijacking either, my apologies if we are. We had a mini suite and it had the new flat screen tvs, but not sure if the mattress was new. We thought the mattress was comfortable but others we spoke with thought it was a bit hard. Our carpet seemed a little warn but I heard that some had new carpet. I think the dry dock had a lot more to do with the outside of the ship, but thought the Diamond looked good, and Princess does a great job at keeping public areas clean. It now has the "movies under the stars".

 

The omelet station and waffle station are away from the buffet, in the outdoor pool area, and we found both very good and a nice alternative. We found the food better than usual in most cases, of course you read my opinion on the Steakhouse, but enjoyed the fact that the different dining rooms had a specialty dish. Love the fact that they will bring fresh fruit to your cabin, which was nice to munch on after arriving back from those all day tours. We also did the Ultimate Balcony Dinner, which was wonderful and very professionally done, it takes about 2 hours to complete the meal.

 

We didn't see much of the entertainment but spoke with others that enjoyed it. I think if you start a thread about the Diamond, others may have more information to add.

 

Hope you have a wonderful cruise! :)

thanks so much, i know i'll enjoy no matter what - can't wait :)

[jacksonwayne]

Princess has continued a big mistake by not installing the Crown Grill on the Diamond and Sapphire Princess. Having sailed 11 times on Princess, the Sterling is just no substitute for the Crown/Bayou venues. Ambiance, meal quality, as well as menu are mediocre at best. Here is what puzzles me.... last year, on Sapphire Princess, one of the 4 free choice dining rooms was never used except for a "clearance sale". Since the Diamond and Sapphire both have the unsuccessful 4 dining room set up (originally they were to feature different cuisines-now they all serve the same menu) why couldn't one of these become the Crown Grill ? PRINCESS, ARE YOU LISTENING ?

As I am booked for the Grand Asia cruise in 2014, and it is a real disappointment to know that the Diamond still has no plans for a Crown Grill !!!

[Toddy709]

Princess has continued a big mistake by not installing the Crown Grill on the Diamond and Sapphire Princess. Having sailed 11 times on Princess, the Sterling is just no substitute for the Crown/Bayou venues. Ambiance, meal quality, as well as menu are mediocre at best. Here is what puzzles me.... last year, on Sapphire Princess, one of the 4 free choice dining rooms was never used except for a "clearance sale". Since the Diamond and Sapphire both have the unsuccessful 4 dining room set up (originally they were to feature different cuisines-now they all serve the same menu) why couldn't one of these become the Crown Grill ? PRINCESS, ARE YOU LISTENING ?

As I am booked for the Grand Asia cruise in 2014, and it is a real disappointment to know that the Diamond still has no plans for a Crown Grill !!!

 

I have to agree. I would think the meat quality would be the same at Sterling and Crown Grill, but our numerous times at Crown Grill have always been so much better than our one time at Sterling. Maybe it has something to do with that sectioned off buffet ambiance:confused:!

[generichandle]

BTW, the Diamond has 4 small AT dining rooms, each with its own specialty. One of those specializes in Osse Bucco. Get it! It was delicious and VERY tender when I had it.

 

Doug

 

PS: and inlike to Sterling or Crown, its FREE!

[Coral]

I believe Sterlings Steakhouse has "sterling silver beef" which is either choice or prime (depending what they order - I assume Choice).

 

http://www.sterlingsilvermeats.com/PremiumBeef.asp

[bdjam]

I've eaten at various times in Bayou, Sterling and Crown Grill - I agree with Pam, while Sterling has a little less when it comes to ambience, I thought the food there superior to what I had at Bayou. One of my Crown Grill experiences was fair at best, but the rest have been good.

For an after-wedding dinner, I definitely think Crown Grill would have the best ambience of the three locations - so if you could combine that with the food of Sterlings, I think you'd have a perfect situation. Then again, having dinner over looking the aft of the ship might be nice too...

And as a previous poster said, if there's something that someone has to have that's not on the menu, they will probably put it together for you especially given the occasion...I think you'll be happy no matter the choice.

[RickEk]

Princess has continued a big mistake by not installing the Crown Grill on the Diamond and Sapphire Princess. Having sailed 11 times on Princess, the Sterling is just no substitute for the Crown/Bayou venues. Ambiance, meal quality, as well as menu are mediocre at best. Here is what puzzles me.... last year, on Sapphire Princess, one of the 4 free choice dining rooms was never used except for a "clearance sale". Since the Diamond and Sapphire both have the unsuccessful 4 dining room set up (originally they were to feature different cuisines-now they all serve the same menu) why couldn't one of these become the Crown Grill ? PRINCESS, ARE YOU LISTENING ?

As I am booked for the Grand Asia cruise in 2014, and it is a real disappointment to know that the Diamond still has no plans for a Crown Grill !!!

 

First off... this thread is a year and a half old...

 

Secondly, personally, I've had much better meals in the Sterling Steakhouse (on the Sapphire Princess and Dawn Princess) than I ever had in a Crown Grill (Caribbean Princess and Crown Princess). Granted, the ambiance is not the same, but the food and service was much better. YMMV.

 

And thirdly, it was originally planned for the Sapphire Princess to have the Crown Grill installed during her recent refurbishment. They apparently were confident enough that it would be installed that the deck plans in the last cruise atlas shows it in the same space as the Vivaldi dining room, but a bit smaller, while the Savoy dining room would be enlarged a bit. (The Wake View Bar was also going to be taken out and the International dining room expanded.) Obviously, it didn't happen. No explanation from Princess, but I would assume that the plans proved to be too ambitious...