CLOWN Grill on Crown Princess

[sonomaphil]

I must admit I'm one of those underwhelmed by the Crown Grill.

[Kingofcool1947]

Lot's of varied opinions and experiences on Princess upscale dinning. Your open mindedness to give it another go is admirable. I'm sure you will but be sure to do just that, keep an open mind about the next meal there. If you go in expecting the worst it may head you in that direction.

 

The only other thing I would say from own experience is if a waiter, CG, MDR. Vines or even the buffet try to steer you away from anything on the menu it's likely because it's sub-par or at least, another option is better. Even at the CG we give the waiter an opportunity to recommend his/her favorite dish on the menu for that evening and order it. If you are willing/able to be flexible this usually yields a great meal and a very engaged wait staff.

 

We do the same thing, whether it is the MDR or speciality restaurant. We are adventreous diners, and always ask our waiter what he recommends for the evening. And we usually order it. One can always order something else, or additional, if what he recommended is not to ones liking or palette.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

 

 

"I cruise to stay healthy, and to eat a slice of pie before I die."

[GRAYTech]

We are adventreous diners, and always ask our waiter what he recommends for the evening. And we usually order it.

 

We learned this from a Princess MDR waiter a long time ago. We had a very picky 8 year old eater at the time and credit him with opening her culinary viewpoint.

 

He was very engaging, would start with the usual "... how is everyone tonight etc...." Then would say which entree's were "looking good" that evening and what he suggested for our 8 year old to order. If she didn't like it he could bring anything from the always available menu immediately. It worked, I don't think she ever rejected what he brought out. He also usually brought out an extra plate of something she may not be 100% on just so she/we could try it. I wish I could remember his name.

 

From then on we ask the waiter for their favorites, or what's looking good etc. They don't like to get into what's not so good, rather what they might order or what previous cruise pax liked the most. It seems at times, from some waiters, our interest and ordering what they recommended went along with really great service. Almost like they have a vested interest in making our meal a great experience.

[apeller]

OP, Your waiter sounds like the one we had on the Star in December, He told us what we should order and was really upset that we didn't follow his advise, He disappeared and we had to hail down other servers during our meal. There were 7 of us for dinner. 2 meals went back (way overcooked)., 2 meals were really good, and the other 3 were ok. It was a disappointing meal, especially since we have had wonderful meals in the Crown Grill in the past. Fortunately, they had the molten chocolate dessert which makes up for just about everything,

[geoherb]

Our one and only time at the Crown Grill was a couple of years ago on the Caribbean Princess. Service was not as impeccable as I would hope. But I chalked that up to being a short holiday cruise. (We dined there New Year's Eve.)

 

My only disappointment with the food was the shrimp and pancetta bisque.

[FunforGin]

Our group of nine dined in the Crown Grill on the Golden Princess about a month ago. We had a fantastic waiter - Marko from Serbia. The service he gave our group was impeccable and he did make suggestions about the menu, but it was a guide and he wasn't the least bit put out when some of us didn't follow his suggestions.

 

The meals were great - we were all very happy with what we were served with some commenting that their steak was the best they had ever eaten:)

[FraudBroad]

I was on your sailing and had the same issue at the Clown Grill. We were a party of 8. When we were seated we waited forever before a waiter came and took our drink order. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt so I knew he was on loan from the buffet. Drinks took almost 10 minutes to arrive. When our actual waiter finally appeared the first thing he said was it would probably take a while because we were such a "large" group. Seriously? The restaurant was empty that night.

 

The service went from slow to practically non-existent. We waited almost 15 minutes between each course. When my steak FINALLY arrived (under cooked) I went STRAIGHT to the head waiter and complained. Everything I said fell on deaf ears.

 

We were charged $10 a piece for the 5 lobster tails we ordered for the table and none of them were edible. They did take those off the final bill, but nothing else.

 

I've eaten at the Crown Grill on almost ever sailing and have always had exceptional service and terrific food. This time was abominable. We even complained to the head waiter in the dining room the next night when he asked how it was.

 

Both times I complained I provided ACTIONABLE feedback and specific information. It's a disappointment to me that they still saw fit to charge us.

[mrgoalie]

We just got back from the 3-25-17 sailing of the Crown Princess to the Eastern Caribbean. We had a marvelous time. The MDR was amazing, ports of call were beautiful and almost all staff were really nice. We loved the ship and feel Princess did a good job. EXCEPT FOR the Clown (Crown) Grill. What a disappointment! After all the positive input on the Crown grill on this site, You Tube, and other sites we were most excited about going. We went early in the cruise and early in the evening (6:30 PM) so they were only about 1/3 full. It was a terrible experience. The waiter almost demanded that we order certain dishes. We ordered what we wanted. The food was overcooked, the service was non existent, and when we did encounter our waiter he was rude. We feel it began when (since we do not drink wine, only Ice tea) we did not order wine or designer water for the table. The waiter was pushy and since he was not going to make anything from additional purchases rude and non responsive. We had to wait 30 minutes for our table to be cleared of dinner dishes. Once we ordered coffee we had to wait for it. Our Waiter demanded we ordered desserts and had a verbal altercation with a member of our group because he wanted something different. We sat and watched our desserts on a table by the kitchen for 15 minutes while we waited for a coffee refill. I asked to see the Maitre D' of the dining room and the minute I told the waiter I wanted to see the Maitre D' our desserts were practically thrown on our table. The Maitre D' was very apologetic. I told him we were not looking for a refund. You don't go on a cruise and worry about $29. I told him I wanted changes so the next guest would not be treated like crap. I did not tell him but I expected maybe a hand written note later in the cruise no notes came. We all felt we were just handled and nothing would happen so at the end of the cruise I sought out Neville Saldanha, Head Maitre D' for the Ship and told him what had happened. He sent a bottle of wine to our cabin. I don't think he was listening because I told him that we don't drink wine and we felt that was the basis for the whole problem.

 

This was my first time on Princess and I will go on Princess again. I will NEVER eat at their upscale dining venues and I will always tell this story. If I failed to answer any questions let me know I will be glad to fill in the blanks. In the questionnaire received from Princess on my return I told them I was going to post this on Cruise Critic. I mentioned Cruise critic in all my discussions. Believe me they have all heard of this great site.

 

Sorry to hear this. The one thing I disagree with though is the not demanding the $29 back or some sort of ship credit or whatever. I agree with the premise that you shouldn't worry about a few dollars when you have spent thousands,on certain thiings, but when it come to SERVICE issues, there are no excuses. That is why you pay thousands of dollars, to get that extra touch you normally don't get at home. In a time of extra fees for darn near everything, ....service charges, pre -paid gratuities, up selling, etc etc...if you don't push back.....NOTHING will ever change and people will continue to experience what unfortunately you went through. People CANNOT be afraid to get what they paid for and make an issue out of it if you don't. You worked to hard and planned to much and paid a lot to have a great experience, you owe it to yourself not to just sit back and let it happen. Just my two cents worth. Sorry again.

[myfuzzy]

I just got off the phone with customer service and she told me that as far as she knows, nothing has changed pertaining to the dining experience at the Crown Grill. I told her the server told him he could only have one entree, and she told me that it was "miscommunication" on the servers part

[floridalover5623]

I just got off the phone with customer service and she told me that as far as she knows, nothing has changed pertaining to the dining experience at the Crown Grill. I told her the server told him he could only have one entree, and she told me that it was "miscommunication" on the servers part

I've just read that they are charging extra for the second order on a Princess web site.

I guess it is so after all. :mad:

[Astro Flyer]

I've just read that they are charging extra for the second order on a Princess web site.

 

I guess it is so after all. :mad:

 

Thanks for the update...that's definitely a factor that we'll consider & if it's merely a miscommunication then it appears to be happening more often & maybe it's a preview of the rumored CG menu changes.

 

With the changes to the new Sabatini's menu being limited to one item per course it's not surprising that it's the same at the CG even without modifying the menu. My wife skips all of the first courses to have the mussel pot in addition to her steak entrée. And now my surf & turf entrée will require paying $10 more.

 

Now that it's changing we might not go to their specialty restaurants as often. Although I'll try the new Sabatini's menu to decide if the changes are an improvement for us or not.

Edited April 10, 2017 by Astro Flyer

[floridalover5623]

Thanks for the update...that's definitely a factor that we'll consider & if it's merely a miscommunication then it appears to be happening more often & maybe it's a preview of the rumored CG menu changes.

 

With the changes to the new Sabatini's menu being limited to one item per course it's not surprising that it's the same at the CG even without modifying the menu. My wife skips all of the first courses to have the mussel pot in addition to her steak entrée. And now my surf & turf entrée will require paying $10 more.

 

Now that it's changing we might not go to their specialty restaurants as often. Although I'll try the new Sabatini's menu to decide if the changes are an improvement for us or not.

 

I really don't appreciate being charged for additional items but actually I can't remember ordering another main course in Sabatini's. My wife did one time & most of her lobster wound up on my plate.

I did order another dessert one time. I wonder if that is included or is there an additional charge as well?

[Colo Cruiser]

I just got off the phone with customer service and she told me that as far as she knows, nothing has changed pertaining to the dining experience at the Crown Grill. I told her the server told him he could only have one entree, and she told me that it was "miscommunication" on the servers part

 

We were not charged for additional orders a couple of weeks ago on the Ruby.

[chippye]

We were also on the March 25th Crown cruise and had dinner in the crown grill Monday night. Had an 8 o'clock reservation, waited in line outside and not seated until 8:30, no explanation until seated. Had last table in the corner with dirty dishes next to us. The waiter was very good, said Princess was now taking online reservations and was overbooking and not communicating this to the waitstaff. He was very sorry. I ordered blackened rib chop as before and it looked like a breakfast steak not good. We have cruised with Princess 9 times and have had dinner at Crown Grill at least 20 times, really disappointed this time, cancelled reservation for later in the week. saw the head matre de later in the week at sabatini's and let him know, don't know what good it did. main. Dining room service also not good. look forward to having dinner with my wife and expect good service, don't know what to do going forward, afraid this is going to be the standard going forward.

[Astro Flyer]

We were also on the March 25th Crown cruise and had dinner in the crown grill Monday night. Had an 8 o'clock reservation, waited in line outside and not seated until 8:30, no explanation until seated. Had last table in the corner with dirty dishes next to us. The waiter was very good, said Princess was now taking online reservations and was overbooking and not communicating this to the waitstaff. He was very sorry. I ordered blackened rib chop as before and it looked like a breakfast steak not good. We have cruised with Princess 9 times and have had dinner at Crown Grill at least 20 times, really disappointed this time, cancelled reservation for later in the week. saw the head matre de later in the week at sabatini's and let him know, don't know what good it did. main. Dining room service also not good. look forward to having dinner with my wife and expect good service, don't know what to do going forward, afraid this is going to be the standard going forward.

Thanks for that information & hopefully they'll get it straightened out. Although I've read more similar experiences recently since Princess began to make prepaid reservations. :(

 

Previously when it got busy we'd see waitstaff who were dressed differently & appeared to be from the buffet to help at the CG & other specialty restaurants.

[Jmanly]

Besides all that you did, I would suggest next time, complete a comment card at the end of your cruise. Deposit your comment card at the PSD. No doubt, Princess management would like to get feedback on your unsatisfactory experience at Crown Grill. A quick letter to the CEO if you feel that inclined. ;)

 

Enjoy your cruise, and if God wills, grant you good health, to live and not die before you're next cruise.

 

 

 

"I cruise to eat healthy, and eat a slice of apple pie everyday before I die."

My opinion is that Princess couldn't care less about comment cards or a letter to the CEO. I did both regarding our cruise in January and didn't hear anything back until our agent with Princess reached out to us about booking another cruise. When I told her about the problems we encountered, she had someone call us who told me that unless you specifically ask for a response they will never respond. I would think that receiving a two page letter outlining problems (as well as many good experiences) would at least prompt a form letter telling me to kiss their ......

 

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Forums mobile app

[Woobstr112G]

To the OP;

 

I am sorry that the CG didn't meet your expectations. While the food has never wow'd me, the service has always been top notch. One more thing about the food ; as others have stated, I have also noted a somewhat decline in the quality since we first cruised Princess in 2008. We will still however still go to the CG as I still think it is worth the $29.00pp cover charge.....:):):)

Bob

[joeyancho]

We had a similar experience on a previous cruise. The waiter was eastern European. He was pushy and argumentative. He pushed certain foods and desserts. However the service was prompt and the food was good.

[yags]

I was on your sailing and had the same issue at the Clown Grill. We were a party of 8. When we were seated we waited forever before a waiter came and took our drink order. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt so I knew he was on loan from the buffet. Drinks took almost 10 minutes to arrive. When our actual waiter finally appeared the first thing he said was it would probably take a while because we were such a "large" group. Seriously? The restaurant was empty that night.

 

The service went from slow to practically non-existent. We waited almost 15 minutes between each course. When my steak FINALLY arrived (under cooked) I went STRAIGHT to the head waiter and complained. Everything I said fell on deaf ears.

We were charged $10 a piece for the 5 lobster tails we ordered for the table and none of them were edible. They did take those off the final bill, but nothing else.

 

I've eaten at the Crown Grill on almost ever sailing and have always had exceptional service and terrific food. This time was abominable. We even complained to the head waiter in the dining room the next night when he asked how it was.

 

Both times I complained I provided ACTIONABLE feedback and specific information. It's a disappointment to me that they still saw fit to charge us.[/quote

We were there on Monday with a 6:30 PM reservation. As we were trying to get served a large group came in. could have been you folks.

[FraudBroad]

I was on your sailing and had the same issue at the Clown Grill. We were a party of 8. When we were seated we waited forever before a waiter came and took our drink order. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt so I knew he was on loan from the buffet. Drinks took almost 10 minutes to arrive. When our actual waiter finally appeared the first thing he said was it would probably take a while because we were such a "large" group. Seriously? The restaurant was empty that night.

 

 

 

The service went from slow to practically non-existent. We waited almost 15 minutes between each course. When my steak FINALLY arrived (under cooked) I went STRAIGHT to the head waiter and complained. Everything I said fell on deaf ears.

 

We were charged $10 a piece for the 5 lobster tails we ordered for the table and none of them were edible. They did take those off the final bill, but nothing else.

 

 

 

I've eaten at the Crown Grill on almost ever sailing and have always had exceptional service and terrific food. This time was abominable. We even complained to the head waiter in the dining room the next night when he asked how it was.

 

 

 

Both times I complained I provided ACTIONABLE feedback and specific information. It's a disappointment to me that they still saw fit to charge us.[/quote

 

We were there on Monday with a 6:30 PM reservation. As we were trying to get served a large group came in. could have been you folks.

 

 

We were at a large round table in the middle with three teenagers....my guess is that was us.

 

Really, really, REALLY crappy service and an overall BAD experience!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[myfuzzy]

You all need to call Princess 1-800-Princess....... I spoke with her about our service at the Crown Grill.....she needs to hear from ALL of you

Edited April 12, 2017 by LauraS
Edited to add customer service number instead of non-published number.

[myfuzzy]

I had a nice long conversation with Kayla yesterday and she was profusely apologetic for our experience. She stated that was NOT what Princess would want for any of their passengers. She did arrange for a bottle of wine for us on our next sailing which was very nice. But honestly, I should have pitched a bigger fit while on board the ship. My dad paid $232 for that meal and the food and service both sucked.

 

When I told Kayla I'd heard that the season in South America had been pretty bad and I was certain this had adversely affected the crew she didn't disagree. I'm sure that crew spent an entire season with irate passengers and I know that has to be difficult...but the flip side is once I get on the ship after that season has ended I shouldn't be the one to pay the price.

 

I'll admit I felt better after speaking with Kayla. I just wanted to know that my feedback was directed to the right place and would be reviewed.

 

I am glad to have helped you. Well said. We were offered the bottle of wine too, price wise, doesn't even come close to the price we paid, but, if everyone here calls...lots of bottles of wine to go around.

[bcnvcanada]

We too have had poor service on the Crown in the Crown Grill.

This past December, the food was not prepared property fish was way

under done -was just raw (not we did not order sushi and no we did not send it back as the service was so very slow. We sat near the kitchen and could

see our food just sitting. Not sure where the waiter was. It was a sad

experience and we won't be going back.

[myfuzzy]

We too have had poor service on the Crown in the Crown Grill.

This past December, the food was not prepared property fish was way

under done -was just raw (not we did not order sushi and no we did not send it back as the service was so very slow. We sat near the kitchen and could

see our food just sitting. Not sure where the waiter was. It was a sad

experience and we won't be going back.

 

CALL the above number and let them know

[dfields1814]

Normally we have a great dinner at the Crown Grill. But last summer on an Alaska cruise we took our 8 year old grandson with us, He doesn't eat much so we thought he could share with us what he liked and then get him a pizza or hamburger somewhere else. The waiter was really nice and said he could get him a hamburger from the MD which he did. I was stunned we were charged something like $15 for that exact same hamburger which is free in the MD. I know there is a child's price but I thought that applied to food that came from the Crown Grill kitchen, not "free" food from the MD. I was told by the man in charge that we are not paying for the food but the space at a table. Really?? So my grandson could have sat there and ate absolutely nothing and still be charged $15 or so. That is stupid and a rip off. But to be fair I complained and I did get them to remove the charge. So everything turned out fine. Next time I am ordering a steak at the Crown Grill to go. Since we are not using space in the Crown Grill the steak should be free. Yeah Right!!