The new lunch menu

[cruising.mark.uk]

8 hours ago, memoak said:

On most Princess ships there are few lunch options   You have the buffet (super crowded and poor food choices), Pizza and burger on deck. Again same things everyday and both are your only option on port days. On most grand class ships that is it for lunch except for the premade sandwiches at IC

Perhaps you should re-check your maths?  You said at post 86 that you would use 4 or 5 options on land for 8 lunches.  And Grand class ships are offering you 5 options (plus you can eat anywhere you like on land at any of the port stops).  

[Cruisintimer]

Just completed btb on the Crown Princess, food was decent and room service food quality really surprised us, it was hot, tasty and delivered promptly.   We mainly utilized room service in the evening.  The burgers and other food items by the pool were good too.  Crew was AMAZING.  

[MissP22]

11 hours ago, memoak said:

Again that is a Royal class ship where the buffet is almost double the size of Grand class ships   On the few occasions I sail Royal class I have used it on occasion but mostly sail Grand class due to itineraries and noise levels

We've done as many of the Royal class ships as the others and for our money the most important thing is the food, so we'll be staying with the Royal class (and newer). 

Yes, they do have problems with noise in the Piazza but we work around it without much effort and still get to experience the newer options that class offers.

Itineraries don't mean that much as we sail the Caribbean most times with the ship being our destination.

[memoak]

3 hours ago, MissP22 said:

We've done as many of the Royal class ships as the others and for our money the most important thing is the food, so we'll be staying with the Royal class (and newer). 

Yes, they do have problems with noise in the Piazza but we work around it without much effort and still get to experience the newer options that class offers.

Itineraries don't mean that much as we sail the Caribbean most times with the ship being our destination.

And we cruise Alaska, Mexico, Panama with a little New England. For us the Royal class ships are just too big and too noisy with too small casinos. Each to his own

[memoak]

10 hours ago, cruising.mark.uk said:

Perhaps you should re-check your maths?  You said at post 86 that you would use 4 or 5 options on land for 8 lunches.  And Grand class ships are offering you 5 options (plus you can eat anywhere you like on land at any of the port stops).  

Again I cruise mainly cruises with large stretches of sea days up to 8 days at a time. With a small buffet and only pizza slices and so so  burgers and hot dogs (we do not eat chicken) and a never changing MDR menu there are few choices for meals. Bring back the old menus. Being served food in comfort is a big portion of why we have been cruising for 35 years

Edited February 9 by memoak

[cruising.mark.uk]

17 minutes ago, memoak said:

 Being served food in comfort is a big portion of why we have been cruising for 35 years

My sense is that anyone not wearing rose-tinted spectacles will find on any Princess ship today that there are many more options to be served lunch in comfort than there were 35 years ago.

[memoak]

7 minutes ago, cruising.mark.uk said:

My sense is that anyone not wearing rose-tinted spectacles will find on any Princess ship today that there are many more options to be served lunch in comfort than there were 35 years ago.

Most ships back then had sit down pizzerias, buffets had more choices and sitting area, cookies were passed around the lido deck in the afternoon and you didn’t have to search around for places to sit on the lido and lunch menus changed daily with many choices

Edited February 9 by memoak

[mahasamatman]

17 hours ago, memoak said:

Half of those hot dishes will be vegetarian

 

We must be sailing on different ships (or maybe even different planets). I rarely, if ever, see more than one or two vegetarian options.

[memoak]

1 minute ago, mahasamatman said:

 

We must be sailing on different ships (or maybe even different planets). I rarely, if ever, see more than one or two vegetarian options.

Most pastas had no meat just a cheese or tomato sauce plus there are lots of veggie stations. The composed salads are mostly all non meat. There is usually one meat being sliced and one or two things to put over rice. On the Crown last month there were only 2 cold cuts ham or salami

[MissP22]

50 minutes ago, memoak said:

And we cruise Alaska, Mexico, Panama with a little New England. For us the Royal class ships are just too big and too noisy with too small casinos. Each to his own

I will say that the casino's on the Royal class ships seem to not have as good circulation as the older ships..... not that we spend much time there. Once I lose my $20, I'm gone. 😁

[BamaVol]

2 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

I will say that the casino's on the Royal class ships seem to not have as good circulation as the older ships..... not that we spend much time there. Once I lose my $20, I'm gone. 😁

You are talking about $20 a day, right?

[Cruise Raider]

We just cruised on the Crown and absolutely love the new lunch menu with the small bites.  I could make a meal out of those chicken tacos each and every day.  Ooooo yum!  The Calamari, roasted cauliflower, spring rolls are also really good.  
Although I must say, I do miss my first sea day Chicken Korma with tons of jalapeños on top and that hot Thai soup was also a favorite of mine.   
Our key to going for any meal is to go when we are hungry.  All food is so much more appetizing if you are actually hungry.  We rarely eat just because it’s time to go to lunch or to dinner.  


 

[victory2020]

We eat lunch in the dining room every time it is offered. (don't do buffets). I have to say, it's always full & we've even had to wait a few minutes for a table to open up.

[Jilliebean28]

We have never eaten lunch in the MDR on any of our more than 20 cruises with Princess.  We like the buffet or the the poolside grill.

[mahasamatman]

17 minutes ago, Jilliebean28 said:

We have never eaten lunch in the MDR on any of our more than 20 cruises with Princess. We like the buffet or the the poolside grill.

 

Personally, I find the food from the poolside grill to be completely inedible. That's why multiple venues are good. If everyone went to the same place, it would be much too crowded.

[cr8tiv1]

I traveled with a vegetarian.  At first, there were the same complaints:  Not enough of a choice.  Recently, they do have a new rotating separate vegetarian menu.  I have been educated:  there are few nutrients in a salad.  It is what is done to it that will make all the difference in the world.  Given a great/terrific MDR Assistant Manager, you can modify meals to be more balanced with protein and stuff. 

 

Go with a list of items you would like to see in your meals.  Let them know what you don't want.  Talk to the Assistant Manager to work up meals that are to your liking.

 

1 hour ago, memoak said:

Most pastas had no meat just a cheese or tomato sauce plus there are lots of veggie stations. The composed salads are mostly all non meat. There is usually one meat being sliced and one or two things to put over rice. On the Crown last month there were only 2 cold cuts ham or salami

 

1 hour ago, mahasamatman said:

 

We must be sailing on different ships (or maybe even different planets). I rarely, if ever, see more than one or two vegetarian options.

 

[memoak]

6 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

I traveled with a vegetarian.  At first, there were the same complaints:  Not enough of a choice.  Recently, they do have a new rotating separate vegetarian menu.  I have been educated:  there are few nutrients in a salad.  It is what is done to it that will make all the difference in the world.  Given a great/terrific MDR Assistant Manager, you can modify meals to be more balanced with protein and stuff. 

 

Go with a list of items you would like to see in your meals.  Let them know what you don't want.  Talk to the Assistant Manager to work up meals that are to your liking.

 

 

 

How would they handle that if everyone wanted to make up their own menu ?  We don’t eat chicken or too many fried foods. I don’t expect them to tailor the food to what I want all I want is more choices

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, BamaVol said:

You are talking about $20 a day, right?

Nope.

$20 per cruise. 

[BamaVol]

21 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

Nope.

$20 per cruise. 

How many minutes does that typically last?

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, BamaVol said:

How many minutes does that typically last?

Sometimes I just can't stand the smoke and cash out early. 

[cr8tiv1]

3 hours ago, memoak said:

How would they handle that if everyone wanted to make up their own menu ?  We don’t eat chicken or too many fried foods. I don’t expect them to tailor the food to what I want all I want is more choices

 

Not requesting anything out of the ordinary.  A salad with avocado or beans.  Modify existing menu options, not creating new menu items.  Work with the supplies they have onboard.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

On 2/5/2024 at 12:17 PM, homedepot124 said:

The new lunch menu is a real first world problem.  Everything on the new MDR lunch menu is better than a sandwich and an apple in the breakroom at work.

Just wondering how many cruises you have with Princess? Those that have cruised with them for several years know how things have changed. Before you were given a different menu each day and some days I had a hard time deciding what to order. I was never bored with the choices.

 

I’m not sure why you threw in the first world problem remark. And that menu may look better than your sandwich and Apple at your break room at work to you but we’re not at work. We are paying lots of money to be on a cruise. I can see why the OP would be disappointed and not want to have that menu for a 54 day cruise if nothing really looks good to them. I agree with the OP.

[homedepot124]

10 hours ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

Just wondering how many cruises you have with Princess? Those that have cruised with them for several years know how things have changed. Before you were given a different menu each day and some days I had a hard time deciding what to order. I was never bored with the choices.

 

I’m not sure why you threw in the first world problem remark. And that menu may look better than your sandwich and Apple at your break room at work to you but we’re not at work. We are paying lots of money to be on a cruise. I can see why the OP would be disappointed and not want to have that menu for a 54 day cruise if nothing really looks good to them. I agree with the OP.

I have 444 days on Princess on a total of 54 cruises. 

[LawDog61]

Princess does not make much of an effort for the MDR lunch.  Very repetitive.    I think they would be happy if everyone just went to the buffet or grill.   

[MsSoCalCruiser]

23 minutes ago, homedepot124 said:

I have 444 days on Princess on a total of 54 cruises. 

So you are aware of how it used to be. Some people prefer that. I have not cruised with the new menu yet, but I will soon.