Casual Dining - Fixed Price Menus and A La Carte Charges

[Steelers36]

2 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

Agree, I was extrapolating from earlier posts. I have suspected that both of you sitting in Alfredos would routinely be flagged as a visit each, without clarification of who ordered what and that you might need to point out to the waiter that you are not ordering food. If only one is flagged, then do the staff watch each table to make sure that the second guest does not sneak a slice of pizza?

Questions we don't really know the answers to.  I am sure the waiters would just love being the food police!  NOT

[Tedferg]

16 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

 I am sure the waiters would just love being the food police!  NOT

Exactly, imagine passenger and waiter standing at Guest Services with passenger wiping sauce off their lips, 'But you Honour, I did not eat the pizza'.

[NavyVeteran]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

Questions we don't really know the answers to.  I am sure the waiters would just love being the food police!  NOT

Is that any worse than bartenders being the drink police? If I order a drink with the Plus package and give half of it to someone else, that violates the rules. How is that different than ordering a pizza with the Plus package and giving half of it to someone else?

[Oxo]

We have the Princess Plus package. The NEW 2 casual dining meals per guest?

I say it applies only to the casual venues such as:

 

Casual dining meals is: Alfredo's, Gigis, etc. Appetizer $5, Pizza $12, Dessert $3.

My TA says it applies to:

Specialty Restaurants are Sabatini's, Crown Grill, etc. Meal $39.

 

Princess sure has generated a topic for discussion!

[LACruiser88]

24 minutes ago, Oxo said:

We have the Princess Plus package. The NEW 2 casual dining meals per guest?

I say it applies only to the casual venues such as:

 

Casual dining meals is: Alfredo's, Gigis, etc. Appetizer $5, Pizza $12, Dessert $3.

My TA says it applies to:

Specialty Restaurants are Sabatini's, Crown Grill, etc. Meal $39.

 

Princess sure has generated a topic for discussion!

You are correct, your TA is not.  🤷‍♂️

[startedwithamouse]

Sounds like the casual dining is a cover charge.

 

Similar to a cover charge at a club. 

 

They don't care what you order - your body was in the seat.  You could choose to eat or not. But you were there. The medallion shows you are there. 

 

 

[Thrak]

3 hours ago, Oxo said:

We have the Princess Plus package. The NEW 2 casual dining meals per guest?

I say it applies only to the casual venues such as:

 

Casual dining meals is: Alfredo's, Gigis, etc. Appetizer $5, Pizza $12, Dessert $3.

My TA says it applies to:

Specialty Restaurants are Sabatini's, Crown Grill, etc. Meal $39.

 

Princess sure has generated a topic for discussion!

 

Sounds to me like you need a new TA who knows what he/she is talking about.

[Insomniacs]

7 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

I don't see how that could be justified.  We have yet to hear of that scenario from any live ship report.  How can they charge for something not ordered?  Also, the T&C do not stipulate that both guests in cabin are forced to order the Prix Fixe option if one does.

The 2 casual meals are new for Princess Plus  but the Premier Package has been around for a while. I think you are allowed 2 specialty dining meals. What happened if a couple went into a specialty restaurant and wanted to share a meal? This must have come up over the years. Does it also count as two meals against the package?

[NavyVeteran]

17 minutes ago, Insomniacs said:

The 2 casual meals are new for Princess Plus  but the Premier Package has been around for a while. I think you are allowed 2 specialty dining meals. What happened if a couple went into a specialty restaurant and wanted to share a meal? This must have come up over the years. Does it also count as two meals against the package?

The specialty restaurant charge is a cover charge. If you make a reservation for two, then you pay for two. If you make a reservation for one, then they only seat one. There is no a la carte option. Everyone who eats there has to pay the cover charge. You may pay with a credit if you have one, or it can be charged to your folio.

 

The casual restaurants are different, since you can order a la carte if you want.

[Insomniacs]

3 hours ago, NavyVeteran said:

The specialty restaurant charge is a cover charge. If you make a reservation for two, then you pay for two. If you make a reservation for one, then they only seat one. There is no a la carte option. Everyone who eats there has to pay the cover charge. You may pay with a credit if you have one, or it can be charged to your folio.

 

The casual restaurants are different, since you can order a la carte if you want.

You make a good point but as I said I never asked about one person ordering a la carte while the other person using a PP credit.

 

My question was a couple with PP sharing a single casual meal and using one credit. The whole reason we waned to share was because we could not eat two pizzas in the first place. If we were hungry enough to order two full pizzas for ourselves I would have no problem just ordering two casual meals and simply not eat a dessert or appetizer if not hungry.

[Steelers36]

10 hours ago, startedwithamouse said:

Sounds like the casual dining is a cover charge.

 

Similar to a cover charge at a club. 

 

They don't care what you order - your body was in the seat.  You could choose to eat or not. But you were there. The medallion shows you are there. 

 

 

But they cannot just charge a cover by default as in a SD.  This is because there is a menu with a la carte choices.

[Steelers36]

15 hours ago, NavyVeteran said:

Is that any worse than bartenders being the drink police? If I order a drink with the Plus package and give half of it to someone else, that violates the rules. How is that different than ordering a pizza with the Plus package and giving half of it to someone else?

True, but drinks are more portable than food. 

[dides]

Does anyone know if you can include a $12 Speciality Pizza as your pizza option in the fixed price meal at Alfredo's/Gigi's?  It does say pizza/pasta at the top but the others are charged at $8.50 so wasn't sure if it covered all pizzas on the menu. I've personally not been on a cruise where these feature yet so would be interested to know if they are included.

[PacnGoNow]

21 minutes ago, dides said:

Does anyone know if you can include a $12 Speciality Pizza as your pizza option in the fixed price meal at Alfredo's/Gigi's?  It does say pizza/pasta at the top but the others are charged at $8.50 so wasn't sure if it covered all pizzas on the menu. I've personally not been on a cruise where these feature yet so would be interested to know if they are included.

Good question.  Hope you don’t have to buy up or pay

the difference, like the drink! 🤣

[Tedferg]

18 hours ago, NavyVeteran said:

 If I order a drink with the Plus package and give half of it to someone else, that violates the rules. 

It does not violate the rules if the other person also has Plus package. The No-Sharing was to stop one person buying the Drink package and getting drinks for another person without the package.

[startedwithamouse]

5 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

But they cannot just charge a cover by default as in a SD.  This is because there is a menu with a la carte choices.

But, by sitting there, it sounds like they can. 

 

What if the second person chooses not to order anything?

 

Wonder if Princess will tweak the a la carte option to only apply to guests with standard fare, or ones who have exhausted dining credits?  That would close the loophole they weren't expecting. 

Edited September 21, 2023 by startedwithamouse

[Benpointer]

We have the Princess Plus package for our up-coming (first) cruise on Island Princess.  Is the only casual option Alfredo's?  And where is that? I can't see it on the deck plans.  

 

Thanks!

[wallyj]

9 hours ago, Benpointer said:

We have the Princess Plus package for our up-coming (first) cruise on Island Princess.  Is the only casual option Alfredo's?  And where is that? I can't see it on the deck plans.  

 

Thanks!

Prior to the introduction of Casual Dining, on the Island Princess, they used to do an Alfredo’s pop up in Sabatini’s on a sea day lunch which was complimentary. My understanding is the Island will no longer do Alfredo’s in Sabatini’s, so for this ship, you have NO casual dining options. When you board, ask if they are doing a pop up Alfredo’s, but the rumor is it has been discontinued. YMMV.

[dides]

1 hour ago, wallyj said:

Prior to the introduction of Casual Dining, on the Island Princess, they used to do an Alfredo’s pop up in Sabatini’s on a sea day lunch which was complimentary. My understanding is the Island will no longer do Alfredo’s in Sabatini’s, so for this ship, you have NO casual dining options. When you board, ask if they are doing a pop up Alfredo’s, but the rumor is it has been discontinued. YMMV.

Yes, waiting to see if Coral follows suit. Their changes only kicked in a couple of day ago.

[Steelers36]

With no real CD options, does anyone know if guests on Island/Coral are getting a rebate of OBC if they are on Plus/Premier?  Or, is Princess making some sort of CD experience out of something not done before in order to say they have something to offer?  

[dides]

24 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

With no real CD options, does anyone know if guests on Island/Coral are getting a rebate of OBC if they are on Plus/Premier?  Or, is Princess making some sort of CD experience out of something not done before in order to say they have something to offer?  

 

Hey, don't assume the pop-up has totally gone yet.  There was some kind of "new" 3 course lunch in Sabatini's on Coral yesterday - their first sea day - but now waiting to hear what type of lunch! 😁

 

 

Edited September 22, 2023 by dides

[dides]

Updated table after the rollout has completed:

 

Venue (with menu for logged in users)	A la carte charges	$14.99 cover charge includes	Ships
Alfredo’s Alfredos 2.pdf	Appetizer $5.50 Pizza $8.50 Pasta $8.50 Special Pizza $12 Dessert $4	1 x Appetizer 1 x Pizza or pasta 1 x Dessert	Majestic Regal Royal Sky Star  Sun
Alfredo’s – reduced menu Alfredos 1.pdf	Appetizer $5.50 Pizza $8.50 Dessert $4	1 x Appetizer 1 x Pizza 1 x Dessert	Coral Grand Sapphire
GiGis GiGis.pdf	Appetizer $5.50 Pizza $8.50 Pasta $8.50 Special Pizza $12 Dessert $4	1 x Appetizer 1 x Pizza or pasta 1 x Dessert	Discovery Enchanted
Ocean Terrace Ocean Terrace.pdf	Appetizer $3 Starters $14/$12 Nigiri $5 Sashimi $5 Combis $7/$13 Maki Rolls $5	1 x Appetizer 1 x Nigiri or Sashimi 2 x Maki Rolls	Discovery  Enchanted Regal Royal  Sky
Salty Dog Gastropub SALTY DOG GASTROPUB.pdf	Plates $10 Desserts $5	2 x Plates 1 x Dessert	Crown  Discovery  Emerald  Ruby
Vines Vines.pdf	Crudités $3 Charcuterie Board $12 Chocolate Truffles $3	1 x Crudités 1 x Charcuterie Board 1 x Chocolate Truffes	Caribbean  Crown Emerald  Grand  Majestic  Regal  Royal  Ruby Sapphire  Sky
O’Malley’s O Malleys.pdf	Starters $5 Mains $10 Afters $5	1 x Starter 1 x Main 1 x After	Enchanted  Star Sun
Kai Sushi Kai Sushi.pdf	Starters $12/$14/$20 Noodles & Ramen $10-$15 Appetizers $4/$3 Nigiri Sushi $5 Sashimi $5 Maki Rolls $5 Combis $7/$13 Dessert $3	1 x Appetizer 1 x Nigiri Sushi 1 x Sashimi 1 x Maki Roll 1 x Dessert	Diamond Star Sun
Planks Planks.pdf	Starters $5 Planks $12 Extra Meat $4 Desserts $3	1 x Starter 1 x Plank 1 x Dessert	Caribbean  Emerald
Steamers Steamers.pdf	Starters $5 Steamer $12 Seafood Platter $12 Add Lobster Tail or Snow Crab $10 Desserts $3	1 x Starter 1 x Steamer or Seafood Platter 1 x Dessert	Caribbean  Emerald

 

- Confirmed that Coral Princess has been holding the pop-up Alfredo's lunches in Sabatini's on sea days - currently with Australian pricing on the reduced menu.   Still waiting for confirmation on the Island Princess approach.

- Updated column of ship names to remove Princess to make it more readable

 

[dides]

Updated table following news from the Island Princess:

 

Venue (with menu for logged in users)	A la carte charges	$14.99 cover charge includes	Ships
Alfredo’s Alfredos 2.pdf	Appetizer $5.50 Pizza $8.50 Pasta $8.50 Special Pizza $12 Dessert $4	1 x Appetizer 1 x Pizza or pasta 1 x Dessert	Majestic Regal Royal Sky Star  Sun
Alfredo’s – reduced menu Alfredos 1.pdf	Appetizer $5.50 Pizza $8.50 Dessert $4	1 x Appetizer 1 x Pizza 1 x Dessert	Coral Grand Island Sapphire
GiGis GiGis.pdf	Appetizer $5.50 Pizza $8.50 Pasta $8.50 Special Pizza $12 Dessert $4	1 x Appetizer 1 x Pizza or pasta 1 x Dessert	Discovery Enchanted
Ocean Terrace Ocean Terrace.pdf	Appetizer $3 Starters $14/$12 Nigiri $5 Sashimi $5 Combis $7/$13 Maki Rolls $5	1 x Appetizer 1 x Nigiri or Sashimi 2 x Maki Rolls	Discovery  Enchanted Regal Royal  Sky
Salty Dog Gastropub SALTY DOG GASTROPUB.pdf	Plates $10 Desserts $5	2 x Plates 1 x Dessert	Crown  Discovery  Emerald  Ruby
Vines Vines.pdf	Crudités $3 Charcuterie Board $12 Chocolate Truffles $3	1 x Crudités 1 x Charcuterie Board 1 x Chocolate Truffes	Caribbean  Crown Emerald  Grand  Majestic  Regal  Royal  Ruby Sapphire  Sky
O’Malley’s O Malleys.pdf	Starters $5 Mains $10 Afters $5	1 x Starter 1 x Main 1 x After	Enchanted  Star Sun
Kai Sushi Kai Sushi.pdf	Starters $12/$14/$20 Noodles & Ramen $10-$15 Appetizers $4/$3 Nigiri Sushi $5 Sashimi $5 Maki Rolls $5 Combis $7/$13 Dessert $3	1 x Appetizer 1 x Nigiri Sushi 1 x Sashimi 1 x Maki Roll 1 x Dessert	Diamond Star Sun
Planks Planks.pdf	Starters $5 Planks $12 Extra Meat $4 Desserts $3	1 x Starter 1 x Plank 1 x Dessert	Caribbean  Emerald
Steamers Steamers.pdf	Starters $5 Steamer $12 Seafood Platter $12 Add Lobster Tail or Snow Crab $10 Desserts $3	1 x Starter 1 x Steamer or Seafood Platter 1 x Dessert	Caribbean  Emerald

 

- Confirmed that Island Princess are now providing the pop-up Alfredo's reduced menu in Sabatini's on sea days. This was held on three sea days during the last 14 night cruise to Iceland/British Isles.

 

[Cruisintimer]

Sweet breakdown, ty.  We just enjoyed Gigi's pizza on a west coast Discovery Princess cruise, so delicious!

[wallyj]

@dides, Majestic Princess has started serving the Ocean terrace menu at Lunch on Sea days at The Catch, Ocean Terrace location still remains just a bar on Majestic. Was told started about 1 month ago.

Edited October 18, 2023 by wallyj