Share Question

[helenb]

We just booked a cruise on the Ruby, which is the first ship on which we will sail that has Share. We were thinking of trying it (I know, reviews are mixed, but we want to see for ourselves).

 

However one thing that has me concerned is that we can only order one thing from each section of the menu. If I go with my husband, do we HAVE to order the same thing? He loves seafood and I can't eat it. Could I order 2 meat dishes and he get 2 seafood? Or are we forced to have one seafood and one meat and we both share it (as the name of the restaurant implies)? Or is it like Q*sine on Celebrity where they encourage you to share, but everyone can order their own items if that's what they want?

[Thrak]

Order what you like. You will each be paying for a separate meal and there is no obligation to "share".

[helenb]

Order what you like. You will each be paying for a separate meal and there is no obligation to "share".

 

Thank you! That's what I had hoped, but wasn't certain, given the 'theme' of the restaurant.

[OCruisers]

Each of you can order one thing from each section of the menu. You don't both have to order the same things unless you want to.

[goldenrod]

If you have been to Share what did you think of the food?

 

 

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[GUT2407]

If you have been to Share what did you think of the food?

 

 

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Personally, unimpressed.

 

But maybe they've bedded it in.

 

I wondered how much training the cooks had been given on some pretty specialist dishes

[VibeGuy]

The new menu is better than the launch version; the dedicated cheese course goes away, but the coursing is improved (and is now six courses) and the execution seems better.

 

The new menu works particularly well for couples as some courses are an A or B choice, and if your partner is the more generous sort than my DH, you might get to try a bite of the other selection. I particularly recommend this approach with the starter, pastas and dessert.

 

The current menu is at https://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/ships-and-experience/food-and-dining/curtis-stone/SHARE-by-Curtis-Stone-Menu.pdf - I've tasted every dish on the menu on at least one occasion, many of them twice, starting the night Share opened on Ruby and as recently as two weeks ago on Emerald, so I'm happy to answer questions.

[Thrak]

If you have been to Share what did you think of the food?

 

 

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We have yet to sail on a ship with Share. We are doing 28 days on Emerald Princess in October. Not sure if we will give Share a try or not. My wife has not been too impressed the last couple of times we did specialty dining on a cruise.

[aquilegia]

I went to a presentation in Share given by the chef, who explained that the dishes are not meant to be sharing plates, despite the name, He gave the explanation of the name, which was about sharing the ambience, the occasion or some such waffle. I wish they would change the name as it is silly and confusing. You would naturally assume the food was meant for sharing, when this is actually not the case.

[Aus Traveller]

I went to a presentation in Share given by the chef, who explained that the dishes are not meant to be sharing plates, despite the name, He gave the explanation of the name, which was about sharing the ambience, the occasion or some such waffle. I wish they would change the name as it is silly and confusing. You would naturally assume the food was meant for sharing, when this is actually not the case.

Yes - that is what they are saying now. :) But Curtis Stone in his video talks about his mother's kitchen and sharing plates of food.

[wishfulone]

I went to a presentation in Share given by the chef, who explained that the dishes are not meant to be sharing plates, despite the name, He gave the explanation of the name, which was about sharing the ambience, the occasion or some such waffle. I wish they would change the name as it is silly and confusing. You would naturally assume the food was meant for sharing, when this is actually not the case.

The original concept was about sharing plates of food with your table mates. It wasn't very successful so they changed the menu but not the name of the restaurant or all of the sharing concept. The restaurant layout makes 'sharing' a table inevitable and some of the menu items are meant to be shared. Between two at least.

[LoriPhil]

Good friend just returned from Emerald - Alaska, and his party really enjoyed eating at Share. He said the food was great and part of the fun was ordering different things and sampling a bit from everyone's dish. A nibble here and there gives you the ability to experience many dishes, but with 6 courses, nobody leave hungry! :D

[floridalover5623]

Good friend just returned from Emerald - Alaska, and his party really enjoyed eating at Share. He said the food was great and part of the fun was ordering different things and sampling a bit from everyone's dish. A nibble here and there gives you the ability to experience many dishes, but with 6 courses, nobody leave hungry! :D

That concept of sharing food from others plates doesn't excite me one bit.

I eat from my own plate - period.

If you like what I'm eating you should have ordered it yourself.

btw- I've seen what they give you in each course & it's not really that much.

[OCruisers]

If you have been to Share what did you think of the food?

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We tried SHARE on Emerald and did NOT enjoy it at all! :(

[AZ Ocean Lover]

We also just tried Share on the Emerald two weeks ago and enjoyed the experience. We both ordered different things and shared bites. They were all very good, some exceptional and the experience was fun. But, that being said, we tried just about everything on the menu that interested us so we won't need to go back again real soon. We don't like to order the same things each time we visit a restaurant.

 

But, you have to order the chocolate mousse thing for dessert. It was amazing. I had the citrus tart which was great but the mousse thing was the best thing I've tasted in a long time.

 

Try it once. It was a fun experience.

[VibeGuy]

I don't understand this continued contention that family-style service was tried and was unsuccessful; it never happened. Not on the first night nor on any subsequent night, on either of the two North American ships (I can't speak for Sun).

 

It. Never. Happened.

 

About the only food sharing inherent in the concept were the separately-presented personal-size sides, one of which (the melted leeks) was so rich that sharing was a matter of self-preservation.

 

Yes, the early marketing pieces talked about this, but the circa 2009 Sabatini's menu was more communal.

[TravelingEA]

We just got off the Emerald on May 20th. I could not believe how much they were pushing Share. The was a presentation in the Piazza for the up-charge restaurants on the ship. They were handing out menus for Share, but not for any other venues. When I told the guy, no, I was not interested, he did not want to take no for an answer and tried make me take a menu. There was also a Share sign up whenever we went to Horizon Court. It must not be very successful, if they need to push it so hard. Normally, I do not see Princess as a hard sell ship.

[helenb]

Thanks, everyone for explaining the source of my confusion. Besides the name, I definitely recall a description that the point of the restaurant was to share 'family style' (like at Buca di Bepo). But my husband and I like to eat different things, so when we go out to eat we enjoy ordering food that is different from each other's choices.

 

I'm glad we'll be able to choose our own food, and I'm looking forward to trying Share when we go on the Ruby!

[floridalover5623]

We just got off the Emerald on May 20th. I could not believe how much they were pushing Share. The was a presentation in the Piazza for the up-charge restaurants on the ship. They were handing out menus for Share, but not for any other venues. When I told the guy, no, I was not interested, he did not want to take no for an answer and tried make me take a menu. There was also a Share sign up whenever we went to Horizon Court. It must not be very successful, if they need to push it so hard. Normally, I do not see Princess as a hard sell ship.

 

I noticed the same thing about the pushing. They must be given pep talks before every cruise to push, push, push.

Obviously it isn't going over a big as they expected.

[satxdiver]

We just got off the Emerald on May 20th. I could not believe how much they were pushing Share. The was a presentation in the Piazza for the up-charge restaurants on the ship. They were handing out menus for Share, but not for any other venues. When I told the guy, no, I was not interested, he did not want to take no for an answer and tried make me take a menu. There was also a Share sign up whenever we went to Horizon Court. It must not be very successful, if they need to push it so hard. Normally, I do not see Princess as a hard sell ship.

 

Interesting that they are doing a hard sell on Share. I did notice that they revitalized the Caribbean and did not change Sabatini's to Share but have redone the Italian menu. It will be interesting to see how long Share remains and if any new ships have it. We are going on the Ruby later this year which is our first opportunity to visit Share. Whether we will or will not is yet to be determined. Thanks for the information.

[billyg3]

My wife and I enjoyed it but it is difficult to justify the price. It is quite different than the MDR so possibly it is worth it to some as a change of pace.

 

It has always been small plates. They did not try family style and change.

[OCruisers]

When SHARE was first introduced, plans were for it to be fleet wide. This certainly has not happened.

It would not surprise me if there would no more SHARE when the contract with Curtis Stone is over because it certainly hasn't been the success Princess had hoped.

Guess we'll see .....

[helenb]

When we were on the Grand last winter, the cruise director told us that Share had not gone over well, so although many of the Sabatini's restaurants were remodeled to look like Share (including the one on the Grand) they were not going to change to the new restaurant, but instead get a new Sabatini's menu. That, to me, says more than anything else that Share has not gone over well.

 

Although I have to admit that the current Share menu looks far more appetizing to me than the one I saw when it first opened.

[CatsareCool]

We gave Share a try on the Emerald's 29 day cruise. Although the food was pretty good and the presentation nice and attentive service, we wouldn't go again. We thought the $39 fee was not worth it. But we were glad that we tried it so we could form our own opinion.