Menus in advance, why not?

[AMH210]

I've made two requests of the Princess Cruises "Dietary Coordinator" to receive sample menus for the dining room on my February 15 cruise on the Caribbean Princess.

 

To both requests, I have been told that menus cannot be provided. I asked that the request be forwarded to a supervisor and I explained why it is important to me to know in advance.

 

I don't expect to have the exact menus, and I'm certainly OK with things changing, but I can't imagine that Princess doesn't know what will be served for dinner on my cruise. The menus must be pre-set, food pre-ordered, recipes reviewed, etc. I imagine each of the week's cruises has close to the same menu. I'd expect a few possible rearrangements and substitutions, but surely they know already what they plan to serve and probably know which night they plan to serve it!

 

So why not provide it, or part of it, to someone booked on the cruise? Or post them on their website?

 

I'm not angry or anyting, just genuinely curious. :confused:

 

Do any of you know why they can't do this?

[Pam in CA]

Just do a search for any 7-day cruise menus here and you'll see menus people have posted. Princess menus are consistent but sometimes, there are modifications depending on the itinerary.

 

Once onboard and at dinner, ask to see the next day's menus. If you want something modified, you want to order something off-menu, or whatever, just ask.

 

Princess is very flexible when it comes to dietary requests. Perhaps one reason why they don't send menus beforehand is that they don't want you to think you're locked into the menu and can't order anything else. You certainly can. If you require specific foods that would need special ingredients, have your TA notify them.

[SuitCaseBears]

I've made two requests of the Princess Cruises "Dietary Coordinator" to receive sample menus for the dining room on my February 15 cruise on the Caribbean Princess.

 

To both requests, I have been told that menus cannot be provided. ...

 

Do any of you know why they can't do this?

 

First of all, if you ask if anyone has the menus from that same cruise, maybe someone has pictures of the past menus which may well be the same now.

 

But why Princess wont (I think it's wont more than can't) provide it, I probably shouldn't guess, but I will.

 

I would guess that IF you are asking for a special menu which this suggests you might be:

 

I explained why it is important to me to know in advance.

 

It may be because they have a separate chef and kitchen area for special meals. And I would imagine that what they make will depend in part on what specific dietary needs are required on that particular cruise, which in turn they may not know until the first day, as not everyone tells them in advance. So that would be my guess.

 

I also think that whether you're needing special meals or have other reasons for asking - that the cruise lines have been burned in the past by people getting menus from them and if they aren't followed people getting upset (I know you said you didn't mind changes, but i'm sure everyone says that) so that they now prefer to just not tell people.

 

Also it may well be too far in advance.

 

But as I said, I'm guessing... and avoiding work.

[west coast cruiser]

If you have a dietary issue, let Princess know and they will accommodate you.

I think it would be a nightmare for Princess if everyone asked them to send menus pre-cruise.

[LoveThisCruisingThing]

I've made two requests of the Princess Cruises "Dietary Coordinator" to receive sample menus for the dining room on my February 15 cruise on the Caribbean Princess.

 

To both requests, I have been told that menus cannot be provided. I asked that the request be forwarded to a supervisor and I explained why it is important to me to know in advance.

 

I don't expect to have the exact menus, and I'm certainly OK with things changing, but I can't imagine that Princess doesn't know what will be served for dinner on my cruise. The menus must be pre-set, food pre-ordered, recipes reviewed, etc. I imagine each of the week's cruises has close to the same menu. I'd expect a few possible rearrangements and substitutions, but surely they know already what they plan to serve and probably know which night they plan to serve it!

 

So why not provide it, or part of it, to someone booked on the cruise? Or post them on their website?

 

I'm not angry or anyting, just genuinely curious. :confused:

 

Do any of you know why they can't do this?

 

I have dietary restrictions, but do not expect Princess to send me their menus in advance. Menus are posted at the entrance of the dining room in the morning. I look at it then and then decide if there is something I want and can have. Besides I kinda like the not knowing in advance, little surprises are nice. You can put your special dietary requests in your cruise preferences and talk to your waiter about your needs. Princess is extremely accommodating to your needs. On my last cruise,my waiter knew that I wanted fresh fruit and cheese for desert and always had it for me without me asking for it after the second dinner.

Edited December 26, 2013 by LoveThisCruisingThing

[AKman2495]

About 6 weeks before your cruise you should get an e-mail from Princess that tells you who the hotel manager and Maitre D' will be. In that e-mail they have a link to sample menus.

 

Here is the link from my upcoming cruise:

 

http://www.princess.com/learn/onboard/dining/menus/dining_room/Sample%20Dinner%20Menus.pdf?utm_source=DM&utm_medium=EMAIL&utm_campaign=PRECRUISE&utm_content=4-Caribbean

 

You will get one for your cruise.

[christinelee]

Check the link on my page. It should help some.

Happy Cruising!

[Cruisin' Chick]

If you have specific needs due to health concerns such as gluten free, you can email or fax. This is what the Cruise Answer book on the Princess website says:

 

Special Dietary Requests

 

Princess is happy to meet your request for low-sodium, low-fat, low-sugar and vegetarian diets. Visit Cruise Personalizer® to indicate your dietary preferences.

In addition, kosher meals and baby food are available upon advance written request. Any other special diet requests must be authorized in advance by the Princess corporate office.

You or your travel agent must advise Princess in writing of any special diet, allergies or medical needs. Requests must be received no later than 35 days prior to departure for cruises to Alaska, Canada/New England, Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico, Panama Canal and Coastal Getaways. For all other cruises, requests must be received no later than 65 days prior to departure. Once onboard, please check with the Maitre D' to confirm your request.

 

 

 

 

If you're simply trying to avoid salt, etc., make sure to tell your waiter and head waiter on the first night. They are used to special requests. When my hubby had borderline cholesterol problems, I noted that in his cruise personalizer and the head waiter came over every night and showed him the next night's menu so he can select dinner. That entree would be specially cooked with less fat for him.

 

On our last cruise, the waiter was making suggestions the first night and I said that I will be avoiding anything with shellfish due to my allergy. Right away, the head waiter came over to me, and I let him know not to worry as I stay away from fish dishes anyway. But if I was interested in seafood, he would advise me if it was okay for me.

 

We usually eat a lot (especially lunches) in the Horizon Court so I try to be very careful there. I even noted on post-cruise surveys that dishes here should be better labelled for those of us with allergies. The desserts on our last cruise were labelled if they were sugar free, fat free, gluten free, which was great. And many were tasty too.

[IECalCruiser]

About 6 weeks before your cruise you should get an e-mail from Princess that tells you who the hotel manager and Maitre D' will be. In that e-mail they have a link to sample menus.

 

Here is the link from my upcoming cruise:

 

http://www.princess.com/learn/onboard/dining/menus/dining_room/Sample%20Dinner%20Menus.pdf?utm_source=DM&utm_medium=EMAIL&utm_campaign=PRECRUISE&utm_content=4-Caribbean

 

You will get one for your cruise.

Those menus are from 2009. Current menus are somewhat different.

[AKman2495]

Those menus are from 2009. Current menus are somewhat different.

 

Actually, I was just on the Caribbean Princess last month and they were pretty similar to those they send.......

Princess has gone back to putting the always available on the left page. And the different courses were mostly available on that cruise......

[IECalCruiser]

Actually, I was just on the Caribbean Princess last month and they were pretty similar to those they send.......

Princess has gone back to putting the always available on the left page. And the different courses were mostly available on that cruise......

They are similar as less than 1/3 of menu items were changed.

[Loonbeam]

There's actually probably a pretty simple reason. If Princess releases an 'actual' menu for a given cruise, and it gets out in the wild, then they change it for some reason, there will be complaints (but Tuesday was supposed to be Lobster Night! My cruise is ruined!).

 

Providing 'sample' menus instead gets them close enough but allows some flexibility on board.

[Guest arowe6]

I actually think that posting menus for the cruise in advance is a GREAT idea.

 

We had to beg, borrow, tip, plead and steal to get a reservation at the Crown Grill on the Royal. We were told we should make our reservations in advance, instead do the day of. Great! Only problem, we make our reservation based on the menu in the main dining room.

 

Post the menus in advance and we will make our speciality dining reservations in advance.

 

Problem solved? Who knows.

 

Andrew :)

[rdsqrl]

I actually think that posting menus for the cruise in advance is a GREAT idea.

 

We had to beg, borrow, tip, plead and steal to get a reservation at the Crown Grill on the Royal. We were told we should make our reservations in advance, instead do the day of. Great! Only problem, we make our reservation based on the menu in the main dining room.

 

Post the menus in advance and we will make our speciality dining reservations in advance.

 

Problem solved? Who knows.

 

Andrew :)

Actually, the person taking specialty restaurant bookings on the first day of the cruise has all the menus for the cruise. I presume that's true on the RP as well. No doubt the hosts have them at their podium, or can rustle them up, even after that first day.

[Guest arowe6]

Actually, the person taking specialty restaurant bookings on the first day of the cruise has all the menus for the cruise. I presume that's true on the RP as well. No doubt the hosts have them at their podium, or can rustle them up, even after that first day.

 

Why isn't this posted anywhere on Princess.com? Or the patter? Even getting a glance at the next days menu seemed like trying to break into Fort Knox.

 

If they have it, it would be great to post it for all to see.

 

Andrew :)

[rdsqrl]

Why isn't this posted anywhere on Princess.com? Or the patter? Even getting a glance at the next days menu seemed like trying to break into Fort Knox.

 

If they have it, it would be great to post it for all to see.

 

Andrew :)

They do post them daily outside the dining room, generally they're up after dinner the night before. And if you go to the booking table on embarkation day, the times I've been by, the dining room menus are lying right there in a big pile. As for why not on the website, they are not identical from ship to ship. For example, someone posted from a recent cruise and their menus had distinct differences for the same nights as my cruise's did. Probably sourcing of ingredients vary. So I don't think it's reasonable to have every ship's menu posted on the website for every cruise.

 

I think your experience was something that was a one-off -- it's very rare to find it that hard to get a same-day booking at any of the specialty restaurants.

[dorisis]

Speak to your head waiter on the first night of your cruise. S/He can accomodate your menu preferences.

[crewzr]

I've made two requests of the Princess Cruises "Dietary Coordinator" to receive sample menus for the dining room on my February 15 cruise on the Caribbean Princess.

 

To both requests, I have been told that menus cannot be provided. I asked that the request be forwarded to a supervisor and I explained why it is important to me to know in advance.

 

I don't expect to have the exact menus, and I'm certainly OK with things changing, but I can't imagine that Princess doesn't know what will be served for dinner on my cruise. The menus must be pre-set, food pre-ordered, recipes reviewed, etc. I imagine each of the week's cruises has close to the same menu. I'd expect a few possible rearrangements and substitutions, but surely they know already what they plan to serve and probably know which night they plan to serve it!

 

So why not provide it, or part of it, to someone booked on the cruise? Or post them on their website?

 

I'm not angry or anyting, just genuinely curious. :confused:

 

Do any of you know why they can't do this?

 

 

My fiance and I will be on the Royal Princess on Feb 9th and they said the same thing to me... "menus are not available". I also asked for an advance copy of the room service menu and they wouldn't provide that, either. This will be our first time cruising and we just wanted to get a general idea of what types of food would be available. We wouldn't hold them to it and sue them if they changed their menu selections. :p I wish they could at least provide something. Geez, guys, we want to know what to expect. :)

[Loonbeam]

There are links to sample menus on the Princess site in the posts above, which should cover what you want. It's odd because that's where they usually send you when you ask.

 

My fiance and I will be on the Royal Princess on Feb 9th and they said the same thing to me... "menus are not available". I also asked for an advance copy of the room service menu and they wouldn't provide that, either. This will be our first time cruising and we just wanted to get a general idea of what types of food would be available. We wouldn't hold them to it and sue them if they changed their menu selections. :p I wish they could at least provide something. Geez, guys, we want to know what to expect. :)

[christinelee]

Once Again:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1887473

[ccpalmtree]

If you notify princess ahead of time, they will have an "allergy card" delivered to your room for you to present to the dining room. They have an employee whose job is to go to each of his people. He will give you the following nights menu to make your selections. Very caring, and super efficient. I am gluten free and they get an A+ in taking care of my needs. Our waiters even made sure I got special desserts, even though I always declined to order as I rarely eat them. Even going to the specialty restaurants, if you advise them when making your reservation, they will take care of you. Sabatinis is my fav, they make sure to ask ahead of time if I even want gluten free meatballs. Do enjoy your trip.

 

 

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[cr8tiv1]

I've taken 8 cruises this year. My doctor finally objected and I had to request a salt free diet for the longer cruises. Each night, I was presented with a complete menu (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) for the next day. My order was taken and it was presented upon my arrival (to traditional dining).

 

Of course there were times I wanted sea food or other items and the head waiter would "frown" and say that there was too much salt. Most of my dinners came without potatoes (I love them) but the replacement vegetables were perfectly done.

 

I found that Princess was extremely accommodating to my diet. I have spoken to one Maitre d'Hotel several times socially. He told me that he often groups gluten free diners together as well as those with high allergies. I don't know if all Maitre d's do that, he was pretty special.

 

I had a table mate who was allergic to garlic. You can imagine how unique that was and they did a fabulous job with her. I am sure they will show you the same attention. Good luck.

[FritzG]

I actually think that posting menus for the cruise in advance is a GREAT idea.

 

We had to beg, borrow, tip, plead and steal to get a reservation at the Crown Grill on the Royal. We were told we should make our reservations in advance, instead do the day of. Great! Only problem, we make our reservation based on the menu in the main dining room.

 

Post the menus in advance and we will make our speciality dining reservations in advance.

 

Problem solved? Who knows.

 

Andrew :)

 

If you ask your waiter or the maitre d' they will show you the menus so you can decide which night to go to a specialty restaurant. We've done this many times. We've also asked which night the German buffet would be and checked the dining room menu for that night to decide where we would dine. The maitre d' is very helpful with dietary needs and restrictions. One of our tablemates had dietary issues, and the maitre d' came to the table each night to help her plan her dinner for the next night. He made suggestions and offered special preparations for her meals.