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Any favorite foods you like in the Buffet?

pris993

By pris993,
in Princess Cruises

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pris993

pris993

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I see threads asking about favorite from MDR, etc.  Wonder if some folks have favorites from the buffet.  I am planning to eat at the buffet on the Royal Princess on a 15-day cruise in December for lunch and dinner.    We have eaten at the buffet on prior cruises, but it has been a number of years since we were on the Royal.    Thought I see if I get any ideas on what to look for at the buffet.  My dh has dementia so it is easy for me to find things he will eat at the buffet, i.e., rice, white fish and some vegetables.  Know the Royal buffet is more extensive than other ships.  

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jeromep

jeromep

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On the Royal class ships the buffet area is many times larger than on the Grand class variants.  I think what I enjoy most on the Royals is the dedicated pastry shop or bakery.  There is a bit of a rebranding going on from the older Royals compared to the Royals from the Sky onward.  The Horizon Court and Horizon Bistro are being rebranded into the Worldfresh Marketplace.  Not sure I see too much of a difference in the food, but decor is better with the newer branding.

 

As for food, you'll generally find that whatever is on the menu in the MDR for that evening will be replicated for the buffet, if it can, as not all MDR dishes translate well to chafing dishes and warming zones.  And then you'll find lots of other variety.  A couple of different meat preparations, vegetables, different starches, sauces, salad bar, soups, it is too extensive to really list.  There is usually a theme each night that is in conjunction with the MDR, or possibly in addition to the MDR offerings.  I like just about all of Princess's pasta preparations and actively look forward to them.

 

I wouldn't avoid the MDR on account of your husband.  If you let the maitre'd know of your dining needs for your husband, they will be able to put whatever food he wants up ever night, and then you can have both table service and get a plated dinner form the regular menu.  We cruised with a very picky 22 month old who would only eat chicken strips and fries and maybe some diced fruit.  The dining room put up whatever we thought she would eat, and it was always off menu, so don't be afraid to do the same for your husband.

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prune

prune

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I never sailed with Princess but my first a 15-day cruise in December is coming, so I really appreciated for this thread.👧
I watched some youtube videos and have 1 question regarding Princess Buffet.
What is the little circle stickers on the dishes in the buffet? Such as green, blue, red, or yellows.🟢🔵🔴🟡
 

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VibeGuy

VibeGuy

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I had mostly eschewed the buffet until the Restart - I found I rather liked the individual portions of cold items (much more attractive than people destroying larger platters to get the specific tidbit they want) and the service of hot items. 
 

I especially like the garde manger items - charcuterie, pâté, terrines and rillettes and of course, preserved fish.   They don’t often make an appearance at home and very few restaurants do them as well as Princess.  
 

The Indian dishes are also quite good.  They’re more savory than fiery, so if you like a good burn, plan to spice them up a little. 
 

If they feature lamb sausage (merguez) during breakfast or brunch, leap on it.  It never makes an appearance in the MDR, and the Princess version is especially good. 
 

I’m glad you are still able to travel together.   Enjoy your trip. 

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dides

dides

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The hot desserts are also very nice in the buffet.  I am fond of the bread and butter pudding and peach cobbler with custard. One of our trivia companions on Discovery Princess in September had an obsession with going up to the buffet each evening specifically to grab a hot dessert and would regale us with her findings and ratings at the next trivia game!

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Wishing on a star

Wishing on a star

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Are they still doing the so-called Mongolian Barbeque custom stir-fry?

I have yet to be able to try that.  Always heard it was good.

 

Last time, we were going to forego that for Beef Wellington.

Guess what, by the time we got our other cold items and sides, and went back for the Wellington, it had disappearaed!!!   They had taken it and set it aside for some special something.  And it was so-so roast beef.   Ugggghhhh!!!!!

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Mittens101

Mittens101

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16 minutes ago, Wishing on a star said:

Are they still doing the so-called Mongolian Barbeque custom stir-fry?

I have yet to be able to try that.  Always heard it was good.

 

Last time, we were going to forego that for Beef Wellington.

Guess what, by the time we got our other cold items and sides, and went back for the Wellington, it had disappearaed!!!   They had taken it and set it aside for some special something.  And it was so-so roast beef.   Ugggghhhh!!!!!

They had the Mongolian barbecue on sky lastnight. No vegetarian so I never tried it. The first few days I was impressed with the curry now that it’s been served morning noon and night it’s wearing thin. The desserts aren’t as good as they used to be either. Royal and regal buffets were the bomb everything was fabulous. Now they are switching to the world market or something like that. I’m not impressed. We are actually considering trying another line next time. I don’t know if we’ve grown beyond princess or if princess has lost its mojo. 

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atobols

atobols

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The vegetarian curries are usually really good but they are very mild.  On our last cruise, there was a delicious onion pakora.  The salad bar area is always good and has lots of options.  I am not a fan of buffets but I have to say that Princess has stepped it up lately.  There are quite a few times lately that the food is better in the buffet than in the dining room.  

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Thrak

Thrak

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My wife enjoys the curry but I would like it a whole lot better if they would make it hot! It's Princess so nothing is actually very spicy but sometimes,they do get it up to "mildly spicy".  She also like to send me to the buffet to bring back cookies for her in the cabin.

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Thrak

Thrak

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23 minutes ago, atobols said:

I've seen sriracha and tabasco at the condiment station.  I think I've seen cholula but I'm not 100% sure of that one.

 

Sounds about right. It's not the proper way to make a curry hot though.

 

I'm a weirdo. I carry a tiny Tabasco bottle from an MRE with me. That's not the weirdo part. The weirdo part is that I use it to put Tabasco on my Eggs Benedict. I"m sure the chef would cringe if he knew.

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FloridaTimmy

FloridaTimmy

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57 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

m a weirdo. I carry a tiny Tabasco bottle from an MRE with me. That's not the weirdo part. The weirdo part is that I use it to put Tabasco on my Eggs Benedict. I"m sure the chef would cringe if he knew.

 

That's not weird. That's just southern 🤣

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MissP22

MissP22

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19 hours ago, Mittens101 said:

They had the Mongolian barbecue on sky lastnight. No vegetarian so I never tried it. The first few days I was impressed with the curry now that it’s been served morning noon and night it’s wearing thin. The desserts aren’t as good as they used to be either. Royal and regal buffets were the bomb everything was fabulous. Now they are switching to the world market or something like that. I’m not impressed. We are actually considering trying another line next time. I don’t know if we’ve grown beyond princess or if princess has lost its mojo. 

The first World Fresh Market we experienced was on the Caribbean Princess and it was enough to mane us never return. Unfortunately it seems to be spreading like the virus. 

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Martha1974

Martha1974

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7 hours ago, Lizabu said:

The salad station is great.there are so many options to add to your salad. And if I see chocolate croissants, I have to have one. They’re really good.

Oh my goodness - the chocolate croissants 🧡💛💚 I only discovered them in the Pastry Shop the day before we disembarked Sky Princess - I was so disappointed that I hadn’t found them earlier but also a bit relieved that I’d saved myself putting on another 5lb by eating several of them every day! 
 

We ate lunch in the buffet most days - I can’t say anything stands out as amazing, but equally there were no disasters (apart from the day we didn’t go for lunch until about 2pm and most of the food stations were finished, but that was our mistake!) 

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Thrak

Thrak

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1 hour ago, MissP22 said:

The first World Fresh Market we experienced was on the Caribbean Princess and it was enough to mane us never return. Unfortunately it seems to be spreading like the virus. 

 

When we sailed CB we ate breakfast at World Fresh Marketplace most days. We would just pass through the entire first section where most folks were getting their food and go on back to the Steamers/Planks section which was where I could get made to order omelets, cooked to order eggs, etc. It was much better than the "regular" part where most people ate.

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jeromep

jeromep

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19 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

Sounds about right. It's not the proper way to make a curry hot though.

 

I'm a weirdo. I carry a tiny Tabasco bottle from an MRE with me. That's not the weirdo part. The weirdo part is that I use it to put Tabasco on my Eggs Benedict. I"m sure the chef would cringe if he knew.

That's not weird, that is just good taste.  Eggs Benedict with Tabasco or Frank's Red Hot is great!

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