No CB Princess post-cruise questionnaire & buffet observations

[seastheday]

My DH & I are survivors of the now-infamous CB norocruise of 2/2/20. We never received our usual post-cruise questionnaire & wondered why...would Princess have been anticipating many negative reviews or did the events that unfolded wreak havoc on the normal order of things...hmmm. Anyway, we wouldn't have dinged them for much. Ship happens, and we felt they handled it about as well as they could. Still enjoyed our time together and met some really nice people.

 

The one place we would have dinged them HEAVILY was on the HC. The majority of the hot foods we tried were never hot. This is a real health concern. Speaking with our fellow cruisers, this was a widespread negative observation. My other thought speaks to what is served. With a clear understanding (and appreciation) of the need to recycle leftovers, who in the world dreams up some of these dishes? Could not even recognize a lot of it - would have been willing to try but curry was rampant, and is not a particular favorite. One day I approached an attractive platter of deviled eggs in the salad area, only to recoil at the nameplate: "Deviled eggs with fish roe". But why, why ruin something simple and beautiful with fish roe? If you must, have the fish roe off to the side in a bowl for those who might want it.  So bear with me here - the demographics for this Caribbean cruise included over 1500 Americans, 900+ Canadians with the majority of the balance from Great Britain. I see great value for Princess in providing some (a few, not all) dishes that are common North American and/or British main dishes/comfort foods on a regular basis: perhaps fried chicken, salisbury steak or grilled hamburger patty, baked chicken with dressing, fried cod (for fish and chips) and the like. Seems like there would be more happy customers. Less weird sauces, or put the sauce on the side and don't have the entrees floating in it. But anyway, we ate the majority of our dinners in the dining rooms and the food was great across the board. They do this so, so well - it always surprises me that HC and MDR are on the same ship under the same head of hotel. We ate at Crown Grill one night and enjoyed that immensely as well.

 

Princess, if you are listening, the room service chicken soup that many people would like to order if they are feeling "under the weather" is appalling. Lukewarm yellow water, no flavor, with a few shreds of zucchini floating sadly within. LOTS of us laughed at the end of the cruise as we had all been sent this awful stuff. Decent chicken broth is not hard to come by, chop up some cold baked chicken, add some peas and carrots (which is almost always available in large quantities in the HC), maybe some noodles, HEAT IT UP and voila! Happy (sick) customers.

 

Finally, mad props to all the CB employees who performed beautifully under what must have been hideous conditions - in addition to their normal work duties they all picked up an extra daily/nightly shift attending to general ship cleaning/disinfecting - and still managed to be as courteous, kind & helpful as always. They are Princess Cruise Lines greatest asset, without any doubt.   

[debsjc]

We are just off the Emerald Princess, it was our first cruise on Princess and compared to other lines I was disappointed in the buffet. The hot food was rarely hot, and nothing is cooked to order. On other lines we have sailed on there has been a pasta station, and a stir fry station as a minimum. Also at breakfast we were surprised only to find omelettes cooked to order, no waffles or pancakes or toasted items.

 

One evening I took my food back up to the counter and asked to speak to a supervisor, and politely told him it was almost totally cold. He looked at me as I had 3 heads, then said 'What would you like me to do?' He seemed most surprised that I would like the supposedly hot food served hot! After some gentle guidance he did bring over a plate of freshly cooked hot food, but the next day the buffet was the same ... luke warm at best. Room service food was also not hot.

 

 

[caribill]

14 hours ago, debsjc said:

 Also at breakfast we were surprised only to find omelettes cooked to order, no waffles or pancakes or toasted items.

 

 

The buffet does have waffles, toasted items and sometimes pancakes, They may have been made a few minutes ago and not just to order, but they are available. (On some ships in the past the waffles have been available at one of the stands by the pool and not in the buffet.)

[debsjc]

2 hours ago, caribill said:

 

The buffet does have waffles, toasted items and sometimes pancakes, They may have been made a few minutes ago and not just to order, but they are available. (On some ships in the past the waffles have been available at one of the stands by the pool and not in the buffet.)

 

Yes they are on the buffet, but they are cold & soggy, and really not nice to eat at all. They should be cooked freshly to order really. 

[mtnesterz]

We also expressed concerns about the serving temperature of food in the HC. Most of the food is so salty, I wonder if microorganisms could live in it anyway.

The HC offers a chance to sample international dishes and experience new tastes. But there are familiar options too. 

You mentioned a memorable experience in the Crown grill. The more we cruise, we are happier taking fewer meals and less time spent in the HC. Opting instead for main DR for meals and the IC, pizza or grill. 

Edited March 5, 2020 by mtnesterz

[Colo Cruiser]

21 hours ago, seastheday said:

My DH & I are survivors of the now-infamous CB norocruise of 2/2/20. We never received our usual post-cruise questionnaire & wondered why...would Princess have been anticipating many negative reviews or did the events that unfolded wreak havoc on the normal order of things...hmmm.

Sometimes the survey does not make it to the intended target.

Just call Princess and they will send one.

[franktown]

Have not received a survey onboard the last few cruises.  On our cruise in February received a email survey about 2 weeks after returning home.  On last cruise we didn't receive anything but the couple we were travelling with received a email survey.

[caribill]

9 minutes ago, franktown said:

Have not received a survey onboard the last few cruises. 

 

On or most recent Princess cruise which ended in January, we received the E-mail survey the last morning before we had disembarked from the ship.

[Thrak]

2 hours ago, caribill said:

 

On or most recent Princess cruise which ended in January, we received the E-mail survey the last morning before we had disembarked from the ship.

 

This is the case for our last several cruises. I wait until I get home to fill it out but it has been coming in email before we are even off the ship.

[voljeep]

4 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

This is the case for our last several cruises. I wait until I get home to fill it out but it has been coming in email before we are even off the ship.

same for us … if we don't get it then, we don't seem to get it at all

[MissP22]

We had the exact same feelings about the CB 2 years ago & it's why we won't return no matter how much they discount it. 

Their buffet is once of the worst we've ever experienced on any Princess ship. 

This all began when they introduced the world fresh marketplace. Prior to that it was a decent, typical Princess buffet. 

[Thrak]

We're booked on CB next May. We found last time that heading on past the "regular" portion of the buffet to the Planks/Steamers part was much better. Cooked to order eggs/omelets, etc. and always a place to sit. We enjoyed our last cruise on CB (14 days) and intend to enjoy our next. It will only be 7 days but is a "pre-cruise" before the 18 day that follows. I'm far more concerned about that one as it's on Island Princess which is not my favorite ship.

[seastheday]

1 hour ago, MissP22 said:

We had the exact same feelings about the CB 2 years ago & it's why we won't return no matter how much they discount it. 

Their buffet is once of the worst we've ever experienced on any Princess ship. 

This all began when they introduced the world fresh marketplace. Prior to that it was a decent, typical Princess buffet. 

Agree completely. We were surprised, not in a good way, at how overly crowded all public & pool areas were. Of any ship on any line that we have been on, I have never felt this way before. Of course, with the onset of noro, things quieted down as people were confined to their cabins. Buffet ranged from unappealing to downright disgusting so we swore off after day three. No big loss, MDR was lovely & I am a fan of Princess pizza.

 

Of the six Princess ships we have sailed, CB is the one I would not go back on, regardless of price.

[coopco]

On 3/4/2020 at 9:59 AM, seastheday said:

My DH & I are survivors of the now-infamous CB norocruise of 2/2/20. We never received our usual post-cruise questionnaire & wondered why...would Princess have been anticipating many negative reviews or did the events that unfolded wreak havoc on the normal order of things...hmmm. Anyway, we wouldn't have dinged them for much. Ship happens, and we felt they handled it about as well as they could. Still enjoyed our time together and met some really nice people.

 

The one place we would have dinged them HEAVILY was on the HC. The majority of the hot foods we tried were never hot. This is a real health concern. Speaking with our fellow cruisers, this was a widespread negative observation. My other thought speaks to what is served. With a clear understanding (and appreciation) of the need to recycle leftovers, who in the world dreams up some of these dishes? Could not even recognize a lot of it - would have been willing to try but curry was rampant, and is not a particular favorite. One day I approached an attractive platter of deviled eggs in the salad area, only to recoil at the nameplate: "Deviled eggs with fish roe". But why, why ruin something simple and beautiful with fish roe? If you must, have the fish roe off to the side in a bowl for those who might want it.  So bear with me here - the demographics for this Caribbean cruise included over 1500 Americans, 900+ Canadians with the majority of the balance from Great Britain. I see great value for Princess in providing some (a few, not all) dishes that are common North American and/or British main dishes/comfort foods on a regular basis: perhaps fried chicken, salisbury steak or grilled hamburger patty, baked chicken with dressing, fried cod (for fish and chips) and the like. Seems like there would be more happy customers. Less weird sauces, or put the sauce on the side and don't have the entrees floating in it. But anyway, we ate the majority of our dinners in the dining rooms and the food was great across the board. They do this so, so well - it always surprises me that HC and MDR are on the same ship under the same head of hotel. We ate at Crown Grill one night and enjoyed that immensely as well.

 

Princess, if you are listening, the room service chicken soup that many people would like to order if they are feeling "under the weather" is appalling. Lukewarm yellow water, no flavor, with a few shreds of zucchini floating sadly within. LOTS of us laughed at the end of the cruise as we had all been sent this awful stuff. Decent chicken broth is not hard to come by, chop up some cold baked chicken, add some peas and carrots (which is almost always available in large quantities in the HC), maybe some noodles, HEAT IT UP and voila! Happy (sick) customers.

 

Finally, mad props to all the CB employees who performed beautifully under what must have been hideous conditions - in addition to their normal work duties they all picked up an extra daily/nightly shift attending to general ship cleaning/disinfecting - and still managed to be as courteous, kind & helpful as always. They are Princess Cruise Lines greatest asset, without any doubt.   

Wow - I'm beginning to realize why Princess keeps their outdated menu despite my comments after each cruise that they need to innovate. I'm not criticizing you for wanting hot food but your comment on wanting deviled eggs to be what you would expect makes me understand why they stay status quo. I'm not saying everything needs to be traditional but you mention Princess offers fried chicken, salisbury steak, grilled hamburger, baked chicken, fried cod etc., which we all know are part of their regular menu, fried chicken being offered in the MDR and hamburgers readily available on the Lido deck. What about people who are trying to get away from the Standard American Diet (SAD) for health reasons? Why can't you eat your hamburger and fried meat and we get something like a deviled egg with fish roe because we don't want to have meat. There are plenty of choices for people who like the SAD. I've noticed there is more curry lately in the buffet but I've felt it's because they have a lot of crew members who are familiar with that (so they can serve guests and crew members without cooking twice) PLUS more and more people want to eat more plant based food and like that it's offered. I, for one, like to see lentils in the buffet! Princess offers plenty of food for the traditionalist. Please allow those of us who are moving away from SAD to have at least a few choices.

 

P.S. I am a 60 year old American so I fit into your demographics of Princess cruisers. 

 

P.P.S. My husband loves to eat fried chicken, fried cod, red meat, hamburgers, etc. so I get people want to see it offered. Believe me, it's a constant source of arguments when we choose a place for lunch every Saturday!

[caribill]

Posted by someone today (Saturday)  on the Grand Princess

 

"So, this is funny... Princess has already sent out the email survey asking how our cruise was 😳"

[cruzluvr2]

We recently disembarked the Crown Princess. My husband received his questionnaire before we were off the ship but I never received mine. I happened to look in my spam mail a few days later and found it had been there since the day we disembarked, I say this only to say, check your spam folder.