Chef's Table on Island Princess - worth it??

[abba1102]

We are going on Alaskan cruise in June. I've never heard of the Chef's table before but thinking it might be a fun thing to do for my husband's birthday. What do you do and what night is it normally? Cost? Thanks!!

[RickEk]

We are going on Alaskan cruise in June. I've never heard of the Chef's table before but thinking it might be a fun thing to do for my husband's birthday. What do you do and what night is it normally? Cost? Thanks!!

 

My son and I did the Chef's Table last year on Island Princess during our 19-day Panama Canal cruise. The cost is $95/pp (less if you don't drink wine). It was fabulous. Our head chef was German, so there were some interesting dishes. I'd highly recommend it. Make sure that you sign up when you board by calling the DINE line.

[abba1102]

Thanks for the info. Do you happen to know what nights they do it?

[paul929207]

The schedule will depend on the cruise itinerary.

 

As to worth it, that is subjective. In our case my wife has several serious food allergies. While they will work around them, we do not feel it is worth it.

[A&Jfamily]

Chef's table is always worth it!

[Thrak]

It definitely depends on the people. For us, it wouldn't possibly be worth paying for. We simply can't eat anywhere near the amount of food they serve. We don't even eat at Crown Grill anymore as it's just way too much food so the Chef's Table would be wasted on us. For many others it's described as a "must do", "fantastic", "fabulous", etc. so it's obviously well worth the cost to them. People are different and only you can decide what is "worth it". If you do go for the Chef's Table I hope you enjoy it immensely and maybe come back here to this thread to let us know.

[Go-Bucks!]

My feeling about the Chef's Table is...."been there, done that." Mine cost $75 (no alcohol) and I didn't like much of the food, so feel that it was a waste of money and time....it was several hours long. The others at the table were friends and pretty much socialized among themselves. I'll definitely not do it again.

[geoherb]

I've done it three times and enjoyed every one of them. My favorite ended up being on the Island. We had rough seas that evening, so they ended up serving us the hors d'ouevres at the table instead of in the galley. They discounted the cost $15 to make up for it. The food and beverage manager arranged for us to get a personalized tour of the galley and stores later in the cruise.

 

But now, after three times, I've decided to let others experience it. Our special occasion treat is having the Ultimate Balcony Dinner. It's $100 per couple. You get a cocktail, four-course meal, half bottle of champagne, flower arrangement, and photo.

[IECalCruiser]

We have done three CT’s. The first was in ‘09 on the Golden when the cost was $75/person and we thoroughly enjoyed the dinner. The 5-6 appetizers and freely flowing good Champagne in the galley followed by a very good meal and wine in the DR.

 

When they raised the price to $95/person we said we would not do it again. But in ‘12 we were doing a BTB in a Window Suite in Alaska, again on the Golden. The husband of our primary waiter at breakfast in Sabatini’s was the Sous Chef and he would be participating in the CT. We signed up the CT and again had a very good time and meal.

 

In ‘16 we were on the Pacific with our DD, who is a vegetarian, and her good friend who is somewhat of a foodie. We checked with the Maitre ‘d and he indicated that they would accommodate our DD so we did it again. The meal was again first rate and the vegetarian options for DD were outstanding.

 

We will be on the Golden again for 28 days this fall but will probably opt for the $50/person Ultimate Balcony dinner on that cruise. Next Spring we will be on the Royal but will pass on the higher priced $115 Chef’s Table Luminaire which is only offered on the Royal, Regal, and Majestic and opt for the $40/person Winemaker’s Dinner which also is only offered on the Royal, Regal, and Majestic.

 

 

 

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[JF - retired RRT]

Thanks for the info. Do you happen to know what nights they do it?

If you decide to do it, be aware that you must wear close toed shoes for the galley tour. Some ladies who like their high heels take shoes and carry the heels for after the tour.

There's a LOT of food!! And it's amazing.

You'll also receive a Princess cookbook and each female gets a rose.

Sign up at Passenger Services as soon as you board...space is very limited.

[IECalCruiser]

If you decide to do it, be aware that you must wear close toed shoes for the galley tour. Some ladies who like their high heels take shoes and carry the heels for after the tour.

There's a LOT of food!! And it's amazing.

You'll also receive a Princess cookbook and each female gets a rose.

Sign up at Passenger Services as soon as you board...space is very limited.

Don’t forget the group photo [emoji846]

 

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[Steelers36]

We were on ISLAND this winter in South America. No doubt there was more than one CT, but we were not interested in the extras and the cost. They did have three special wine meals held in Sabatini's, so it was multiple tables, depending on number of sales. Special food courses and wine match with each. Price was $60 and I felt it was good value. I went to the third as I did not care for some of the food items in the first and missed the notice for the 2nd one.

 

I also really enjoyed the WM dinner on REGAL back in fall 2015. Again, I thought it was much better value for a special meal than doing Chef Lumiere thing at >$100.

 

Yes, I enjoy wine. The wines offered with the ISLAND dinner were not bad. The highlight was the Mondavi Reserve served with the steak. I was able to get a refill after a "Please, Sir" request. :)

[Renmar]

We did the Chefs Table in 2010 with 8 of our friends (total of 10). We all thought it was well worthy it.

If it is still the same than you will be met by the Maitre'D at the entrance to the dining room. You will get a white coat to wear and you have to wear, as mentioned before, closed footwear.

You will be escorted through the dining room to the galley where you will be served the appetizers (with Champagne, lots of it).

You then will have your dinner at a specially decorated table. There will be way too much food for most people.

Pictures will be taken by one of the photographers and they will present you 1 picture. They also will give you one of the Princess cook books (1 per couple).

 

To see pictures of some of the food that was prepared you can click here. https://sites.google.com/site/chefstable2010/

 

 

Theo