Disappointed with Regal food

[SoCal Cruiser78]

Deleted post.

Edited April 20, 2015 by SoCal Cruiser78

[pablo222]

I'm not sure what you mean by "plain." If you mean American, not everyone is American and Americans (I'm one) shouldn't expect a cruise ship to cater to us in terms of food. There are Chinese, German, Indian, etc. paxs onboard also. I really hate it when I hear read comments like this.

 

But, on a caribbean cruise from Ft. Lauderdale, the passengers

will probably be 80-90% US citizens.

 

Presumably, you would want to make food that they would enjoy.

[Boatingmom]

Thanks all.. I Was mostly referring to dinners. We still had a great cruise. The ship was beautifu. The spa treatment was excellent. We enjoyed the light show, balancing act and the comedian. Participated in trvia and bingo. Could not do the marriage game as we were at dinner. I just wanted to post about the food so others were not expecting excellent and being disappointed.

[cougaraz]

Would love to see a comprehensive definition of American food! :confused:

 

I've been cruising Princess since I was a teenager and can understand that food is highly subjective. However, over the last 20 years, the food across a wide variety of ships and itineraries has been very good and kept us coming back for more. There have been some minor misses, but they have always been replaced with a different dish very quickly!

[Cruzaholic41]

I'm not sure what you mean by "plain." If you mean American, not everyone is American and Americans (I'm one) shouldn't expect a cruise ship to cater to us in terms of food. There are Chinese, German, Indian, etc. paxs onboard also. I really hate it when I hear read comments like this.

 

Why not? Cruises out of China cater to the Chinese tastes. Cruises out of Brazil cater to Brazilian tastes. Why would it be such a bad thing if cruises out of the US catered to US tastes? :confused:

[kendon]

Hi boatingmom. I was on your roll call. I totally agree. The food on the Ruby was what sold me to sail Princess but the buffet food failed to deliver..even as large as it was. I ate in MDR twice and found it not to my liking. Very dissappointing. I went to alfredos and my pizza was so wet and soggy in the middle...tasty..yes..but soggy. Pizza by the pool was ok. Burgers weren't too bad. Had a good tuna sandwich at international cafe. Sanatorium on the other had was fantastic..service in there top notch.

 

Nonetheless Regal is a gorgeous ship and we still had a great time. Wasn't the best cruise we ever had but still a great vacation.

 

We spoke about the food with a photographer. He said food is really based on who they bring onboard as a master chef and the culinary team. So one ship may have a different dining experience than another.

 

To me no other ship compares to the Ruby and the culinary staff for my Nov 2 sailing.

 

I totally agree!! It always comes back to the head chef. The food on the Royal was GREAT! While the Regal was good too, it just didn't compare in the MDR. I enjoyed the Regal buffet though. Each ship's interpretation of the same dishes does vary though.

[latebloomer56]

Thank you for this post we sail on the Regal in the fall. I love seeing all the different foods from all over the world. However I wouldn't mind seeing some specific American dishes, and hope I do. Not turkey and meatloaf, but things from the south, the northeast, the northwest. Every area of the US has it's own unique dishes. With so many choices on these ships they could drop one or two Indian or Asian dishes and toss in a local US dish.

Either way I can tell you we have NEVER gone hungry on a cruise :). Can't wait to check out the Regal's buffet and see all the wonderful dishes, and even taste a few.

[kendon]

Why not? Cruises out of China cater to the Chinese tastes. Cruises out of Brazil cater to Brazilian tastes. Why would it be such a bad thing if cruises out of the US catered to US tastes? :confused:

 

I think that is a very unfair statement and way too ethnocentric. Every Princess cruise I take departing from a US port has such a wonderful mix of people from all over. We love the diversity on the menu and welcome it as a cultural learning experience. The day I see Heinz ketchup on every table is the day I look for a new cruiseline.

[kendon]

I think the food, in general, on Princess has declined from when I started cruising with them (2003). I think they need to make some plain good basic food and quit with the Indian, Chinese, German, etc. We were on the Crown in December and the food was not good at all. The food on Lido, which used to be like the Dining Room was terrible. Was not displayed well, most of it looked like it was just thrown in the casserole. Thank goodness for pizza and hamburgers. The best meal we had was in the Crown Grill. But I'm not going to pay every night for a good meal. When we were on the Regal crossing the food was very good, except for the pork. Every piece I tried was dry. And this could be particular to that ship. But all-in-all I've been very disappointed with the food on Princess.

 

Perhaps a Mississippi River cruise may have the perfect menu for you....

[RocketMan275]

We were on Regal in early March and the menu's were so unappealing we choose not to dine a single time in the MDR. But, we're not terribly thrilled with the MDR 'experience' to begin with. We found the food in the buffet to be very well done. We could get in, find something attractive, and get out with out all the MDR falderal.

[susancruzs]

I've been cruising since 1982, first cruised with Princess in 1986. I was on the Emerald last year for 25 days and had a few meals where it wasn't quite what I expected but overall, good to very good. I can't cook for a crowd and make it perfect to suit every taste, and sure would hate to try.

 

Cruise lines are trying to adjust to changing trends and when I look at the big picture, I think they are doing a pretty good job. I'm in my late 60s so I've experienced the old and what it is now. The demands on cruise lines are huge compared to years ago, the expectations over the top. I think cruise lines get in trouble with their marketing, and brochures, touting all this wonderful food, etc., and doesn't live up to what people think they should have.

 

As we see, many people from the same cruise will have many different opinions.

[twoblklabs]

From our review being in the Regal March 29....

 

If you have a dietary restriction…

I am gluten-free and with Princess acknowledging my restriction ahead of time and giving me pointers I thought that it was going to be great but I am afraid to say that Princess was not equipped to deal with my dietary restriction and their idea of gluten-free food means lacking in taste and presentation.

 

If you are eating at the Buffets, you have to present yourself to the Chef and only the Chef and he walks you through the various stations and points out what you can eat. The various attendants were not able to answer any of my questions. After a few days, I just relied on my own knowledge and navigated the buffets. I just don’t understand why the foods are not simply identified by GF which is very standard these days.

 

We ate two nights in the Symphony Dining Room and the second night was horrible, I had the worst soup I ever had and I am shocked that the Chef allowed it to be served to a guest. The process of pre-ordering your food the night before so that the kitchen can prepare a gluten-free meal just is ridiculous to me. Gluten-free is very common nowadays but it seems that this is all very new for Princess. In addition, the service was extremely slow and of course I had to find a hair in my food. Stuff happens and I’m okay with that but both our waiter and Maitre D’ just did not know how to how to deal with the situation.

 

Our best meal was at the Crown Grill and they had no issue with me being gluten-free and it didn’t require my pre-ordering my meal the night before. It seems that the Maitre D’, waiter and kitchen staff were very comfortable with making recommendations and it was very tasty, the only downside is that we had to pay a surcharge to have a great gluten-free meal/experience.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Susancruz, what a well written post that pretty much sums it up.

 

We thought the food on the Regal was quite good. On our seven night cruise we are dinner in the MDR three times, two nights in Alfredos and two nights in the HOrizon Court. We enjoyed all three and thought the quality was just fine. Not five star dining but not expected to be.

[capriccio]

I think they need to make some plain good basic food and quit with the Indian, Chinese, German, etc. .

 

Why not? Cruises out of China cater to the Chinese tastes. Cruises out of Brazil cater to Brazilian tastes. Why would it be such a bad thing if cruises out of the US catered to US tastes? :confused:

 

A few years ago Princess added 'Home Style Cuisine' choices to their menus in addition to the 'Always Available' that, to me at least, seem to cater to traditional American tastes. Isn't that enough? It certainly is for me since I never order those. On vacation I prefer something I wouldn't make for myself - it's part of the experience.

 

Just look at how quickly traditional American tastes are evolving - in my generation (baby boomer) Italian, Chinese and Mexican (this was in New England) dishes were considered exotic; now, at least in metropolitan areas, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Middle Eastern, etc. restaurants abound. With the proliferation of food shows many people of all ages are becoming accomplished cooks and consumers of a wide range of cuisines. Princess is/should also be marketing to a demographic who expect more than American cuisine.

[susancruzs]

A few years ago Princess added 'Home Style Cuisine' choices to their menus in addition to the 'Always Available' that, to me at least, seem to cater to traditional American tastes. Isn't that enough? It certainly is for me since I never order those. On vacation I prefer something I wouldn't make for myself - it's part of the experience.

 

This is my thought exactly. I live alone, don't cook much and I love to try different foods. Why would I eat chicken and beef when I can have it 24/7 in the states??? Last cruise, I ate veal, lamb, pork, fish, pasta and I did try a few home style meals but being onboard for 25 days I had the option. I also had a great gal who remembered what I tried the previous 12 days! :)

[Daisyloo]

Why not? Cruises out of China cater to the Chinese tastes. Cruises out of Brazil cater to Brazilian tastes. Why would it be such a bad thing if cruises out of the US catered to US tastes? :confused:

 

Don't assume that because a cruiser is North American all they want to eat is hot dogs and fries, or whatever you deem as proper "plain" food. There are many of us who love to try new foods and cuisines. Part of the enjoyment of travelling is getting the chance to try something different. If you want to eat "plain" food, go ahead. There is always that choice on the menu. But I don't want to eat that boring "plain" food when there is a whole world of exciting food to try.

[whatcruiseisnext]

There are a gazillion choices for food on any given cruise ship. If someone can't find something to their liking perhaps cruising is not the vacation for you. I tried some dishes on cruises that were not to my liking but yet someone else at my table thought they were fantastic. I have been on the Regal as well as the Royal and can honestly say that there is definitely something for you. However, there is also something for someone else.

 

I chuckle sometimes when I read how horrible the food, service, entertainment, staff, etc. was on a particular cruise that I have also been on and of which I have a totally different favorable opinion.

 

My 2 cents...if someone is that unhappy with the choices nowadays ....DON"T CRUISE.

[whatcruiseisnext]

Don't assume that because a cruiser is North American all they want to eat is hot dogs and fries, or whatever you deem as proper "plain" food. There are many of us who love to try new foods and cuisines. Part of the enjoyment of travelling is getting the chance to try something different. If you want to eat "plain" food, go ahead. There is always that choice on the menu. But I don't want to eat that boring "plain" food when there is a whole world of exciting food to try.

 

Totally agree....if you ONLY want American food...stay home!

[Mom33]

There are a gazillion choices for food on any given cruise ship. If someone can't find something to their liking perhaps cruising is not the vacation for you. I tried some dishes on cruises that were not to my liking but yet someone else at my table thought they were fantastic. I have been on the Regal as well as the Royal and can honestly say that there is definitely something for you. However, there is also something for someone else.

 

 

 

I chuckle sometimes when I read how horrible the food, service, entertainment, staff, etc. was on a particular cruise that I have also been on and of which I have a totally different favorable opinion.

 

 

 

My 2 cents...if someone is that unhappy with the choices nowadays ....DON"T CRUISE.

 

 

Exactly my sentiments! :)

[MTJSR]

I'm not sure what you mean by "plain." If you mean American, not everyone is American and Americans (I'm one) shouldn't expect a cruise ship to cater to us in terms of food. There are Chinese, German, Indian, etc. paxs onboard also. I really hate it when I hear read comments like this.

 

Ah you better not sail the Sapphire then. It has been "Catered" to the predominately Asian market it now serves.

 

Lol, side note! I find it interesting in this thread that when a person suggests more regional menu items he/she is castigated as a southern river bigot.

 

.

Edited April 20, 2015 by MTJSR

[Cruzaholic41]

I think that is a very unfair statement and way too ethnocentric. Every Princess cruise I take departing from a US port has such a wonderful mix of people from all over. We love the diversity on the menu and welcome it as a cultural learning experience. The day I see Heinz ketchup on every table is the day I look for a new cruiseline.

 

You took my post waaaay out of context. I was born and raised in Cuba, so it's very wrong to assume American flavors are my taste. Look at my post. It was just a simple response to someone else who was talking about cruise lines catering to certain groups.

[RocketMan275]

I think the food, in general, on Princess has declined from when I started cruising with them (2003). I think they need to make some plain good basic food and quit with the Indian, Chinese, German, etc.

 

I can't speak for the Indian or Chinese but my wife can speak to the German food since she lived in Germany for 20+years. Despite the labels, it's not really German food at all. It's a very Americanized version. I imagine the Indian and Chinese is similar.

[CI66774]

But, on a caribbean cruise from Ft. Lauderdale, the passengers

will probably be 80-90% US citizens.

 

Presumably, you would want to make food that they would enjoy.

 

How do you know what "Americans" enjoy? I'm an American and enjoy food from around the world. And we're a melting pot country. I don't need to eat stereotypical "American" food everyday when I'm vacationing. Why not change it up a bit and give some variety?

[CI66774]

Why not? Cruises out of China cater to the Chinese tastes. Cruises out of Brazil cater to Brazilian tastes. Why would it be such a bad thing if cruises out of the US catered to US tastes? :confused:

 

What are "U.S" tastes? Fried chicken? Hamburger? Those aren't mine. Why not spice things up a bit and provide some variety? It's not as if Princess is serving only congee for breakfast!

[CI66774]

Ah you better not sail the Sapphire then. It has been "Catered" to the predominately Asian market it now serves.

 

Lol, side note! I find it interesting in this thread that when a person suggests more regional menu items he/she is castigated as a southern river bigot.

 

.

 

I'd love to sail on the Sapphire and would love the Asian cuisine and so would my daughter (she is Asian). And please don't "quote" my post and then accuse people of referring to someone as a "bigot." Neither I nor anyone else has said that and I find it inappropriate.