chef's table

[Slyfox16]

Has anyone eaten at the Chef's Table on any of the Princess' ships and what was it like? Was it worth the money?

[junglejane]

Here's a very recent thread about Chef's Table with photos and menus:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1386539

[x lindsay x]

Yes, I believe all those in attendance also agreed that they would not hesitate to do it again. Definitely worth it.

[rundent]

Definitely money and time well spent. I don't plan to do it again though since I'm made a little uncomfortable with people fussing over me - much better than being ignored. Don't remember hearing any ware that someone didn't enjoy it.

[RSF Cruiser]

Do a search on YouTube - there are several videos of the experience.

 

I've never heard of anyone not loving it. The food is great tasting and beautiful to look at, the service is outstanding- attentive without being intrusive, and an all around great time. We did it on the Sapphire in January and will be on the Coral and hope to do it again. One of the best evenings on ship we've had. truly memorable.

[doublemm16]

We had Chef's Table on our cruise last May on the Ruby. The entire experience was fabulous. It is very interesting getting to go into the galley and see how it is organized and how clean it is!! The food was wonderful!!!!

 

I would not hesitate to do this again....it was worth every cent!:D

[rehab444]

I agree with all of the previous posters. It's an experience not to be missed; inside information, service, and great food combined with outstanding premium wines. Is it worth the money? I can't answer for everyone, but for me it's the best buy on the ship. I shudder to think what a comparable meal would cost at a premium land-based restaurant. I encourage you to call the dine line as soon as you board to make reservations for the chef's table. You won't regret it.

[geoherb]

We've done it three times and will try to do it again whenever we sail on Princess.

[tmitchell82]

We have done the Chef's Table twice and loved it each time. A very unique experience with some outstanding food. Very interesting to see how the galley works in actual operation. Below is the video from our first Chef's Table on the Caribbean Princess in 2009.

 

[hma109]

I did it last year on the Carribbean Princess, and I loved it! The captain even joined us for the appetizers in the galley.

[Woobstr112G]

Has anyone eaten at the Chef's Table on any of the Princess' ships and what was it like? Was it worth the money?

 

I've done it on two of the three cruises where it was offered. It is worth every dime you spend on it. Check out the Emerald and Golden links on my flickr page. The link is in my signature.....:):):)

 

Bob

[2theship]

On the other thread that junglejane mentioned, there were a couple of people who didn't think that much of Chef's Table but I think they're in the minority. If you like really good food and wine combined with outstanding service and eating with a bunch of other "foodies", it's a blast! Absolutely worth the price.

[dfwhgsfan]

We did the Chef's table on the Crown in Jan and loved it. There were some things my wife didn't eat(caviar), which I got to eat. The food, wine and service were impeccable. I thought it was worth every penny. If you don't drink alcohol, tell them and it's $60 instead of $75. I agree with a previous poster, I couldn't imagine what you would pay for a comparable dinner at a restaurant.

[Amadawn1]

Thanks so much to you all for the photos, menus and information about the Chef's table experience. I really look forward to having the opportunity to try it on my September Sapphire Princess sailing, and will try to schedule it with the dining reservations table as soon as we arrive at the ship! :)

[Amadawn1]

Pardon the accidental double posting!

[Chris]

If you are a foodie you will enjoy this event. There is a great deal of food, wine and discussion about food and wine. It takes about 3 hours - we loved it last year and will do again this year on the Crown.

 

chris

[partymaker]

We did the Chef's Table in May on the RUBY and LOVED it. Hoping to do it again next month when we sail on the Golden to Hawaii. One of the BEST meals I have ever eaten.

[clmom]

Has anyone eaten at the Chef's Table on any of the Princess' ships and what was it like? Was it worth the money?

We did the Chef's Table on the Star in Feb. What a great experience! We felt pampered and so very special. Everyone from the kitchen line staff to our attentive waiters to the sommelier, to Remo Bolis, the ship's Executive Chef and Mario Propato, the ship's head Maitre d'Hotel, made us feel like VIPs. The food was to die for. We felt the price ($75pp) was well worth it for the experience alone. We treated it like a special shore excursion. We also got souvenirs! A photo of all 12 of us at the table and a signed (by the head chef) Princess cookbook!

IF you are a picky eater, allergic to many foods, or hate fish, this would probably not be for you. There is an actual meeting the day of the dinner to advise everyone of the rules and make sure no one was ill. The Chef does not adjust his menu for the diners and everyone is asked if there are any allergies. One of our group was allergic to coconut and the Maitre D called the Chef to see if coconut was going to be used in any of the dishes.

Would we do it again? On one hand, we would not blink to spend the money for such a memorable meal. On the other hand, our evening was so special we would hate to have to make comparisons.

[Woobstr112G]

We did the Chef's Table on the Star in Feb. What a great experience! We felt pampered and so very special. Everyone from the kitchen line staff to our attentive waiters to the sommelier, to Remo Bolis, the ship's Executive Chef and Mario Propato, the ship's head Maitre hotel, made us feel like VIPs. The food was to die for. We felt the price ($75pp) was well worth it for the experience alone. We treated it like a special shore excursion. We also got souvenirs! A photo of all 12 of us at the table and a signed (by the head chef) Princess cookbook!

IF you are a picky eater, allergic to many foods, or hate fish, this would probably not be for you. There is an actual meeting the day of the dinner to advise everyone of the rules and make sure no one was ill. The Chef does not adjust his menu for the diners and everyone is asked if there are any allergies. One of our group was allergic to coconut and the Maitre D called the Chef to see if coconut was going to be used in any of the dishes.

Would we do it again? On one hand, we would not blink to spend the money for such a memorable meal. On the other hand, our evening was so special we would hate to have to make comparisons.

 

Very true. We had our first CT experience in 2008 on the Emerald and thought it was the best single cruise experience we had ever had. Last month we did it on the Golden. While the whole experience was still great, I found myself comparing it to the Emerald experience.....

 

Bob

[Go-Bucks!]

On the other thread that junglejane mentioned, there were a couple of people who didn't think that much of Chef's Table but I think they're in the minority.

 

 

Yes, I posted that I enjoyed the service and experience, but not the food. Here is the post from the other recent thread. To each his own. :)

 

I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I wasn't all that impressed with the food at the Chef's Table. The experience was wonderful, but I didn't like most of the food. I'm very used to eating gourmet food and like nearly everything, but I thought most of the Chef's Table food did not taste good. Since I don't drink alcohol, the price was $60 so I'm glad I got to pay less because I didn't eat much at all. Although the meat looked good while it was being flambed, it was overcooked and tough. The service, on the other hand, was fabulous and we were treated like royalty. Nobody in our group dressed formally, but did dress like you would to a very nice restaurant. I enjoyed dinner at the Crown Grill far more and it cost alot less! JMHO.

[Jassy]

... schedule it with the dining reservations table as soon as we arrive at the ship! :)

 

Questions to the group as a whole.....

 

I was just going to try to find out exactly how to try to make reservations for this event. It sounds fantastic!!

 

To clarify and confirm --

 

1 - We make the reservations with the dining reservations table rather than the purser's office?

2 - What is the best and fastest (since I hear it fills up VERY quickly) way to contact the reservations table -- go there personally or call?

3 - corrollary question to #2 - Where is the dining reservations table to be found? :) It's our first trip on the CB or any Princess ship in quite a while.

 

Thanks

[Akiba]

I did it last year on the Carribbean Princess, and I loved it! The captain even joined us for the appetizers in the galley.

 

Where we at the same one? We also did the CB last June out of Brooklyn and the captain joined us in the Gally for our apetizers which he enjoyed with us.

[Got Sea Legs?]

Hi,

 

We did Chef's Table on the Crown's March 12-19 sailing. You can call from the house phone at the Guest Services desk immediately upon boarding the ship. It was the first thing we saw and did after stepping off the gangway.

 

Just dial D-I-N-E and tell them you want to be put on the list for Chef's Table. They only take 20 people per sailing (two nights, ten guests each night), so the quicker you call the better. No need to wait to use your stateroom phone.

 

Good luck, and have a great cruise!

[Jassy]

Thank you so much, Got Sea Legs?, for the information! That will be the first thing we do upon boarding, also.

[Coolmama_1]

We experienced the Chef's Table last yr on the Crown and plan to sign up again in September on the Emerald. FABULOUS!!!