Whats The Deal With Food Gripes??

[ahracer]

It seems a frequent compliant is food.

 

I've been on 15 cruises and just can't imagine the food for an entire cruise being described as ; inedible, worse then Denny's, it sucks etc.

 

I have had some food that wasn't as good as others but the worst food I probably ever had would fall into the it was ok category.

 

I just don't see how people can think the food is so bad.

 

Scott

[dmooers]

This from someone who eats Lean Cuisine for lunch everyday.

[LARGIN]

Scott..

 

I guess some people need something to gripe about.. I always ask the waiters for their opinion about food choices. Haven't missed yet.. I agree that sometimes in the Horizon, food might be lacking.. but I have never experience anything that "sucked"

 

Dmooers..

 

Lean Cuisine for lunch is not bad.. Makes it easier to fit into your cruise clothes

[Northender]

Scott, I agree. I sometimes wonder what these folks eat on a daily basis.

I have a quick cup of "good" coffee and muffin or cereal in the morning. A bought sandwich for lunch and make supper - somedays fancy, most days just plain fare. :D

 

I love when someone else does all the cooking, making my bed, cleaning up my room and have meals delivered right to me if I so choose.:) The HC is not the best restaurant in the scheme of things, but one can find something that is palatable :)

[dmooers]

I have to agree. i've been on 6 Princess Cruises and am booked BTB on the Caribbean Princess the end of April. I have never had anything that approached inedible. Most everything has been good to very good with several excellent thrown in.

[spongerob]

Food is an easy complaint because it is entirely subjective and therefore no effective counterargument can be made.

[cynbar]

The surprising thing to me about these complaints is that there are so many choices availabl,e it's hard for me to believe people can't find something they like. I've occasionally ordered something in the DR I wasn't happy with or just didn't like, but the waiters have always been almost eager to bring me something else. And if someone doesn't like the Horizon Court, there's always the DR or the grill or the pizzeria. How particular can any one person be ??

[BJS]

They are proabably expecting all the food to be like a 5 Star Restaurant that serves ONLY the food they like.

 

Funny how many people when they get on a cruise ship expect the ultimate and complain about anything less. This not only applies to the food it also applies to service, shows, beds, room and shower size, ports, etc. etc. I often wonder why they don't sail on Crystal or better still hire their own private yatch with hand picked chefs and crew and where they determine the ports of call, etc.

 

We've only taken 20 cruises and can't say one was a bad cruise infact most have been exceptionaly wonderful cruises. Sure we like some food better than other food, some entertainers more than others, and rate our experiences differently. None, even at the bottom of the list, have come close to the complaints we read here on CC.

 

I do think the more you cruise the more critical you are because there is something to compare the experience to. How often do we read reviews comparing one cruise line to another based on personal likes and experiences? This once again revolves around expectations.

[Coral]

Scott -

 

I have sailed several Princess ships and I always find food very consistent from ship to ship. My tornados of beef is the same on every ship, my souffles are the same, pizza is the same, ceasar salad the same, etc. . . I don't understand it either. I am in fact, very impressed with the consistency from ship to ship with food.

 

Theresa

[cruiserforlife]

Never have received a bad meal on any Princess cruise.Sure there may be some things you don't prefer but the overall quality of the food and it's preperation have never failed to please my palate and I have a background in the wine/food biz.

 

That isn't to say I wasn't worried before our 1/28 Sun sailing after all the negative comments I read on these boards.These worries turned out to be unfounded.

 

Unlike a RCL cruise we took in '03 where we honestly couldn't find anything we liked in the dining room to our liking.Overcooked and under seasoned,the food on that cruise bordered on horrible.

 

But the bottom line was then as it is now:We always managed to find something somewhere on the ship to eat and I don't remember starving...

 

While I agree food is very important to most cruisers,it is so subjective that one must always throw out the good and bad reviews and take the middle road here and when it comes to the subject of food,Princess has never disappointed us and probably never will.

[phillipahain]

How anyone can possibly complain about the food on Princess is beyond me

The selection and variety is superb

 

What beats me is why on earth so many people go on a cruise and then only want to eat from the burger bar .....oh and dress in jeans and a t shirt for dinner !!!!......you can do both anyday in the USA

 

I go on a cruise to enjoy good restuarant food and service and to enjoy wearing nice clothes ..........thats exactly what i get

[coiran]

Scott

 

Good post - I have never had a plate of food that was inedible - or - anything that would fall into the category of Denny's.

 

Most of the negative posters are people with their first post or have very few entries on the board. -

 

Maybe they eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at Spago or Emerils or something comparable.

 

Ron

[spongerob]

When the same complaint is posted by the same person multiple times, it gives the appearance of more complaints than might actually exist.

[cnmiranda]

I don't get it either, as far as Princess goes. I did think our NCL cruise several years ago had yukky food but that has never been the case with Princess. I wonder if some people were on the same ship I was :confused:, especially the Diamond. We are not picky eaters and have eaten in 5* restaurants numerous times as I'm sure many here have too.

[Pam in CA]

I've taken a number of different cruises on Princess, some short (7-day), some longer (15-day) and while on some cruises, the food seemed better than on others, I've always found a wide variety and could always find something that I liked on the menu or in the buffet. My ONLY complaint is that its hard to find fruit (pineapple, melons, etc.) in the buffet that's ripe enough to eat. It's fine in the dining room but for some reason, in the buffet, it's always hard. That's certainly not going to get a "the food sucks" comment from me. :)

[Paula_MacFan]

The complaint that leaves me speechless is "the breakfast buffet is the same everyday...they never change it". Well how in the world can you 'change it' when they have every conceivable breakfast food on there EVERYDAY?? What more could you want: pancakes, waffles, omelets, cereal, bacon, sausage, biscuits, gravy, multiple potato dishes, multiple egg dishes, fruit, pastries.....You get the idea. Come on people!! Stop complaining already:)

[cruzbabe]

What a great posting... so true :p

[rc51]

We just finished our first cruise (Princess - 10 Day EC)...and I wouldn't consider myself complaining but maybe a little 'letdown', lets say.

 

I wonder how many people fall into the same thing we went thru... we planned this cruise for 6 months, everyone we talked to (those that had cruised before), including friends, family, co-workers, and business associates all RANTED and RAVED about the food. Some quotes were, "You'll have the BEST meals ever".."The food is AMAZING"..."You'll never go hungry"....etc etc. Well after our cruise WE (my wife and I) were thinking "Do these people EVER go out to nice restaurants?? Because, in our opinion, even though the food was good, it was hardly even close to being "AMAZING", or "the BEST ever". So I chalk it up to a 'letdown' in some sorts. But that's probably because we do go out more than we actually eat at home ... I'd estimate 4-5x a week, and my wife more so as she's taking clients out to dinners/events at least 2x a week.

 

Also..we did get served something that DID actually "SUCK", on 2 different occassions, my wife got served a severely undercooked burger from the grill on one of the open decks. Both times, it was very quiet, the first time, there were maybe 4 people in line, the 2nd time, we were the only one's there. Our travelling companions, another couple, had this happen on one occassion, having a raw burger. This, to me, is in-excusable...especially when there's no rush.

 

As for wearing jeans/t-shirt.... if you wear a suit and tie, or a uniform 5 days a week, some very casual dress can be extremely refreshing.

[spaceguy]

I had one cruise on RCCL where I could not find ANYTHING to eat one night in the dining room. I cannot eat meat, dairy, or eggs. I actually had the waiter and head waiter raise their voices ( yell?) at me as I wouldn't order. I asked for the dishes to be modified to eliminate eggs and dairy and they said they couldn't....I did go up the the buffet afterward and find some things to eat....

 

I have had one Princess cruise and we are going on the Sun in April. I find enough food that is okay, but the cruise lines do leave a little to be desired when you can't eat a standard American diet.

[JohnR49er]

Only been to Dennys 2 or 3 times for breakfast on road trips. I didn't think they were bad.

Maybe I better not be tempted to ever try them for dinner??:D

[coiran]

QUOTE I have had one Princess cruise and we are going on the Sun in April. I find enough food that is okay, but the cruise lines do leave a little to be desired when you can't eat a standard American diet.

 

You can make your special diet needs known on the Princess cruise personalizer or see the Maitr De when you board and let him know - or - your head waiter - they will cater to your needs on Princess - the selection may not be as varied as the regular menu - but they will take care of you.

 

Ron

[coiran]

I plan on packing a suitcase full of MRE's on my next cruise, since I understand most of the served food is inedible - will they confiscate these upon boarding or will they let them through?

 

Ron

[rc51]

I plan on packing a suitcase full of MRE's on my next cruise, since I understand most of the served food is inedible - will they confiscate these upon boarding or will they let them through?

 

Ron

 

MRE's!?!? If they're as bad as the Canadian ones, they'll probably feel sorry for you.

[coiran]

Our forces in Iraq eat them and survive - must be better than Princess inedible food.

 

Ron

[MEOWSMURPHY]

I love when someone else does all the cooking, making my bed, cleaning up my room and have meals delivered right to me if I so choose.:) The HC is not the best restaurant in the scheme of things, but one can find something that is palatable :)

 

AS long as I'M not doing the cooking I'll be quiet and accept what is placed in front of me...if it's "bland" salt and pepper go a long way..:D