crown grill vs sabitinis vs ultimate balcony

[moorerf]

We have done the ultimate balcony dinner (loved it), the chef's table (loved it) and Sabitinis twice (enjoyed it). We have never been to Crown Grill. We are on the Caribbean Princess in Feb for a short 6 day cruise and at first thought just use anytime dining but now wondering if we should splurge and try Crown as we are celebrating a birthday. Thoughts please on worth of 29 dollar charge...we like a good steak and enjoy special dinners.

[Colo Cruiser]

We have eaten there many times, including on the CB.

I would say if you have never tried it, at least try it once.

We have always had an excellent meal there and well worth the $29 charge IMO.

Edited January 11, 2017 by Colo Cruiser

[skynight]

If you like steak and meat you probably will enjoy the Crown Grill. If you are not steak eaters pass it by.

If you like buckets of shell fish in a casual setting you might want to consider the Crab Shack. Look for the sign up tables in the buffet area.

[XBGuy]

I am with the group encouraging you to try it. It appears that you enjoy your dining experience. The only way you'll know for sure about Crow Grill is to check it out for yourself. The one disagreement that I might have with previous posters is that I think Crown Grill's seafood offerings are very good--especially, the mussel pot.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[Cruise-Crazzy]

Th Crown Grill is great. My preference is tenderloin and lobster tail. Rib steak is a good second choice. Worth the $29. I highly recommend it.

[GUT2407]

Personally I love the steakhouses.

 

Not a fan of Sabatini's, but then not a fan of Italian food.

 

Ultimate Balcony is nice with the one you love.

 

Chefs table doesn't give enough choices for those with dietary requirements /fussy eaters, or maybe that varies by chef.

[MrMan]

Why not try all three, it's vacation q

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[lovevacadays]

I say give it a try. It's really good. In addition to steak there is lobster and a few other seafood choices on the menu.

[dfen74]

We dined at the CG on both of our Princess cruises and thoroughly enjoyed it. Apps, steak (tenderloin & ribeye), lobster tails (as many as you want) were all delicious. We were so stuffed that we almost couldn't finish dessert;)

 

Would definitely recommend you try it out.

 

Dave

[Lucky TGO]

If you like steak and meat you probably will enjoy the Crown Grill. If you are not steak eaters pass it by.

If you like buckets of shell fish in a casual setting you might want to consider the Crab Shack. Look for the sign up tables in the buffet area.

 

Sorry all you Crown Grill fans. My vote go to Crab Shack.

Tony

[Orlando Vic]

I say give it a try. It's really good. In addition to steak there is lobster and a few other seafood choices on the menu.

 

That's all-you-can-eat lobster.

[XBGuy]

Why not try all three, it's vacation

 

MrMan is my kind of cruiser.

[KruzeKrazy!]

We always do both Crown Grill (Sterling on Pacific Princess) and Sabatini's - and usually Crown Grill twice. We love them both and to us in both the food, the setting, and the service are worth the cover charge (even though you are already paying for food at these you're paying for the setting, service, and extra nice food).

 

If I had to I would say Sabatini's has slightly more personalized service but Crown Grill slightly better food (taking into account the cuisine difference).

 

If you like a good steak and steakhouse sides then I would budget for it like you might an excursion and enjoy!

[Croptop]

I'll chime in as well in favour of going to the Crown Grill. It's the meal that I look forward to the most on all of my cruises.

 

I'm heading off on a 14 day cruise on Regal next week and I'm thinking that since the cruise is a B2B, I'm obligated to go to the Crown Grill twice, right? :)

 

Sabatini's is nice too, though.

[geoherb]

On the Caribbean a couple of years ago, we did all four--Sabatini's, Crown Grill, Crab Shack, and UBD. The balcony dinner is my favorite--but of course costs more. But it's a great way to celebrate a special occasion. Crown Grill is second place, then Crab Shack, and Sabatini's, at least on that cruise. We've eaten at Sabatini's before when it was more enjoyable than the night we did on the CB. It was good, just not exceptionally good. I think the fact that this was a New Year's cruise and the place was fully booked may have affected the food and service.

[XBGuy]

We always do both Crown Grill (Sterling on Pacific Princess) and Sabatini's - and usually Crown Grill twice. We love them both and to us in both the food, the setting, and the service are worth the cover charge (even though you are already paying for food at these you're paying for the setting, service, and extra nice food).

 

If I had to I would say Sabatini's has slightly more personalized service but Crown Grill slightly better food (taking into account the cuisine difference).

 

If you like a good steak and steakhouse sides then I would budget for it like you might an excursion and enjoy!

 

I have found that their are service inconsistencies between Sabatini's and Crown Grill. It varies from ship to ship, but I'm sure the reality is that the quality of the service and the food is mostly dependent on the management of the rooms. I have been on cruises where the service in Crown Grill was superb, but Sabatini's was meh. On other cruises service in Crown Grill was, frankly, pathetic, but the next day service in Sabatini's was excellent.

 

When we arrive at our cabin on debarkation, one of the first things we do is make a reservation at both of the restaurants--typically, for the first two evenings of the cruise. If we find on the first visit that service is unacceptable, then we do not visit that restaurant again during that cruise. If service is excellent, then we will probably visit that room again at least once more during that cruise.

 

I have no experience with the Caribbean Princess on which the OP is cruising. So, I am encouraging the OP to try the Crown Grill and, then, return here with a report.

 

My most recent cruise was on the Ruby Princess, and my Crown Grill experience on the Ruby was wonderful. Service was spot on, and my lamb chops were tasty and prepared to my specification. I have to also add that the night we dined in the Crown Grill, they were"fully engaged." Not only was every table in use, but there were 3 separate parties of more than 10 diners. Here is where I give high praise to the head waiter, whose name is Jose Luis. The room was operating as preciseley as a fine watch. Obviously, all the servers were scurrying around, but Jose Luis was constantly on the floor. If one of the servers needed assistance, or if he saw something that needed to be done, he jumped in there and did it. Too often I have dined in a specialty restaurant and the head waiter is AWOL. If servers are having difficulty--a demanding, large party, for example--he is on his own to attend to their demands and his other tables are slighted.

 

Please understand, I am a Princess cheerleader, but I'm not a blind cheerleader.

[KruzeKrazy!]

We've done Crown Grill, Sterling, and Sabatini's on multiple ships and loved them all every time.

 

I won't go into the details but our Crown Grill experience on the Caribbean Princess was so wonderful that, years later, we re still talking about it.

[Lucky TGO]

We've done Crown Grill, Sterling, and Sabatini's on multiple ships and loved them all every time.

 

I won't go into the details but our Crown Grill experience on the Caribbean Princess was so wonderful that, years later, we re still talking about it.

 

That's because it was years ago. :eek:

Tony

[KruzeKrazy!]

That's because it was years ago. :eek:

Tony

Yup, but it was great. Here's to hoping that greatness isn't just a thing of the past...

[dchip]

We enjoy the Crown Grill very much. The Black and Blue onion soup is reason enough for us to go there. DH loves a decent steak, he is always pleased. We eat there a couple of times on each cruise.

 

We are probably the only cruisers on earth that didn't think the UBD was fantastic. The food was good but the flower arrangement was half dead daisies. Our server NEVER left the balcony. He was too busy enjoying the view as we left Puerto Vallarta. He then proceeded to talk his head off the rest of dinner until he brought the dessert. The photographer came when it was dark so we didn't get the sunset photos we had hoped too. Our time was scheduled for sunset but he showed up an hour late.

 

Looking forward to the Crown Grill in a few more weeks. :D

 

cheers, Denise

Edited January 15, 2017 by dchip

[Lucky TGO]

Yup, but it was great. Here's to hoping that greatness isn't just a thing of the past...

 

 

Don't live in the past. The steaks are just not as good as they once were IMHO.

Tony

[XBGuy]

We enjoy the Crown Grill very much. The Black and Blue onion soup is reason enough for us to go there. DH loves a decent steak, he is always pleased. We eat there a couple of times on each cruise.

 

We are probably the only cruisers on. earth that didn't think the UBD was fantastic. The food was good but the flower arrangement was half dead daisies. Our server NEVER left the balcony. He was too busy enjoying the view as we left Puerto Vallarta. He then proceeded to talk his head off the rest of dinner until he brought the dessert. The photographer came when it was dark so we didn't get the sunset photos we had hoped too. Our time was scheduled for sunset but he showed up an hour late.

 

Looking forward to the Crown Grill in a few more weeks. :D

 

cheers, Denise

 

Denise, your UBD experience was totally unacceptable. Your disappointment is completely understandable. I hope you reported your unfortunate experience to Princess.

 

I also wish you Bon Voyage on your upcoming cruise. The Crown Grill is awaiting you.

 

:)

[satxdiver]

The OP needs to try the CG but beware it is very popular so get your reservations as soon as you board. We tried the CG for the first time last year and found it to be good. However we are not red meat lovers so most of it was lost on us. We prefer Sabatini's as we love Italian and seafood so it is a better fit for us. Luckily it is not as popular and easier to get reservations. It is all what appeals to you.

[pris993]

We just did the Crown Grill for 10 nights straight on the Grand... did not have a bad meal... tried a variety of items: my favorite is the sea bass (if you like fish); the grill shrimp is very good too, eating there every night we alternate between the fish/seafood and meat. I had the fillet, lamb chops, veal chop, pork chop....would definitely have them again... my dh had the ribeye steak which he liked a lot.

 

Will definitely do this again when we do the Royal for 15 nights on a TA in October.

 

We do not care for Sabatini's... not into Italian food. My dh does not eat seafood either so Crown is our only option besides MDR and buffet.

 

We felt the $29 was well worth it.