Princess Food...what's Up?????

[seagarsmoker]

My two cents, food is subjective.

That being said, I think the food quality (which I think is pretty good) has pretty much been the same the last few years. However, the biggest change I've seen is the variety of food has changed and is not nearly as good as it once was. In some ways I think the 'staple' food (they call always available) is a big plus with Princess that they did not have say 10 - 15 years ago (or at least I do not remember it).

[pinksuit]

My husband used to work in in fine dining restaurants until 1997....He still will make me demi-glace as a *make-up* gift after we have had a tiff.....On occasion I will pick a fight, make it seem like it was his fault so he makes demi-glace......If this makes me bad then so be it.

 

We LOVE food ...... all kinds...he is an outstanding cook.....reductions sauces, heck any kind of sauce, the man knows how to cook. I could never leave him cause I'd never find another man who cook as incredible as he does.....;) Actually we love each other more then we did 19 years ago...amazing how that happens :)

 

I travel a great deal for work Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal......I am blessed to have eaten in some very very nice restaurants.

 

Are we foodies??? Friends coming over and seeing our huge stacks of food and wine mags....( just can't throw them out) or eating one of the meals prepared by DH will say yes... I hate being labeled we LOVE good food....be it a incredible hamburger with blue cheese, rack of lamb, seafood anything, (We live in BC), I make a killer Mac and cheese with 4 cups of both cream and parmasen cheese.

 

Anyhow back to topic....wipes drool from keyboard....We love our food and we thought the food on the Diamond Princess to be very very good. Buffet food was just that buffet food, I did enjoy a steller roast suckling pig for lunch one day and we gorged on these amazign BBQ beef ribs one afternoon snack at the buffet.

 

One of the best rack of lambs we ever had was one night on the Diamond and the first night Prime Rib was actually better then the Prime Rib in Stirlings.

 

Have we had better food.....of course...... BUT we really enjoyed the food and service on the Diamond.

 

Sorry about the long post........DH is making dinner (rib-eye steaks with blue cheese butter, fresh corn on the cob ( so good right now) and doubled baked potatos.....I am soo hungry ;)

 

OOOOOOOOlala! That's real cute of u. PinkSuit

[sayaguru]

I loved the food on Diamond in May this year.

I went on another cruise (Pacific Sun) in July. It was only a 3 star ship. Talk about a let down. I had a great time but was very disapointed with the food after being spoilt on Diamond Princess.

[zaandam_2]

We thought the food on Carnival was HORRIBLE! Worst of any cruise we've been on.

 

So this year we went back to Princess hoping for improvement. The food was amazing! So much better than Carnival in almost every aspect. I dont think we had a bad meal in the dining room. And we are HUGE foodies.

 

that's good to hear. i shuddered when another poster said carnival's food was better. i lost 4 pounds last year on carnival.

[terrierjohn]

I thought the food excellent, of course better in the dining room than the buffet, but I had no complaints.

Karen

On our recent TP cruise, which is all trad. with no anytime dining, we found the buffet very good but the dining room fairly average, with the food appearing as though it had been waiting far too long.

 

Now maybe this will always be the case when the kitchen is trying to serve everyone the same course at the same time.

 

On both our previous Princess cruises we did anytime dining and really enjoyed the dining experience, and had no complaints about the food quality.

 

We will be doing anytime dining again on our next cruise, so it will be interesing to see if we notice a difference.

[LEtue]

Add me to the list of people that think Princess food is great. And as mentioned any time someone wants to cook for me and serve me - I enjoy it! I have sailed on Princess since 1998 and have always been satified.

 

However, I did have a bad experience on the HAL Oosterdam in May. The food in the Lido Food Court never seemed hot and the dining room choices were limited and not really tasty. I had grilled chicken breast on three nights from the standard menu items list :( Since I often make that for myself at home I was really disappointed after hearing good things about HAL food....

[rcacace]

10 days ago on the CB, our head waiter told us that they had tried a different meat vender for a while and were not satisfied with the quality. They have recently started using another vender who they are very happy with. I felt the quality of the meat was much better this year...tender, flavorful, good quality.

 

 

That's an interesting comment because in 2005 aboard the Sun P I thought the meat quality had degraded to the point I would avoid ordering it & stuck to fish. We were on another Sun P in 2006 & the quality had improved tremendously. It was also excellent on the CP and Island P the same year. I believe a lot had to do with the prep overseen by the executive chief- if he's given decent meat to work with or not.

[rcacace]

I just got off the caribbean princess and here are my thoughts:

 

All the food in the dining room was great. I tried some lobster/seafood turnover on the second evening and didn't care for it, but everything else was great.

 

I ate at the buffet for lunch a few times and didn't like much of the food. I stuck with the fruit and salads. I had to try (and waste) a few entree's before I'd find something I like. And I am in no way a picky eater. The buffet were just downright unpleasant.

 

I ate at the Sterling Steakhouse one night and left unimpressed. My g/f ordered the Filet and hers turned out great, I ordered a N.Y. Strip and the cut I received was horribly chewy, definetely not a prime cut of meat. The only saving grace was the brie/papaya/jalepeno quesidilla they had as an appetizer, that thing was AWESOME.

 

Anyways, to recap the buffet was horrible, everything else was good.

 

The buffet is where we disagree. I to am not a picky eater & thought the buffet on the CP was great- Always a varied choice to select from, food kept hot at all times, not over salted, although the deserts were not always as good as the DR. They handle a large number of people in a short period & do a great job of it- what more can you expect?

[rcacace]

I just got off the caribbean princess and here are my thoughts:

 

All the food in the dining room was great. I tried some lobster/seafood turnover on the second evening and didn't care for it, but everything else was great.

 

I ate at the buffet for lunch a few times and didn't like much of the food. I stuck with the fruit and salads. I had to try (and waste) a few entree's before I'd find something I like. And I am in no way a picky eater. The buffet were just downright unpleasant.

 

I ate at the Sterling Steakhouse one night and left unimpressed. My g/f ordered the Filet and hers turned out great, I ordered a N.Y. Strip and the cut I received was horribly chewy, definetely not a prime cut of meat. The only saving grace was the brie/papaya/jalepeno quesidilla they had as an appetizer, that thing was AWESOME.

 

Anyways, to recap the buffet was horrible, everything else was good.

 

The buffet is where we disagree. I to am not a picky eater & thought the buffet on the CP was great- Always a varied choice to select from, food kept hot at all times, not over salted, although the deserts were not always as good as the DR. They handle a large number of people in a short period & do a great job of it- what more can you expect?

[dlp252]

Please don't say it's all subjective...either the food is good or it's not!!! Are we "foodies?" Oh! Yes!

 

Our last Princess cruise was on the Diamond in 2005.....We liked the food then, has the food gone downhill?

 

All the threads I read about the food is that it's just so..so..or ho..hum!

 

I must admit part of the draw to cruising is the dining.....please re-assure me that the food, on Princess ships is improving and that I'm going to love my Golden trip on September 29th.....or should I pack a "care package?" :o

 

I do not think the quality has changed since my first cruise in 2004, so if you liked it back in the day, you'll probably be fine.

[sunsetbeachgal]

We have always been very satisfied with the food in the dining room, especially considering that they are cooking for thousands of people, unlike a restaurant where they are cooking each dish to order. Our meat always comes done as ordered, which is important to us. I do feel that the buffet food could use improvement, and on my first RCI cruise this January, I noticed the quality and presentation of the buffet to be alot better than on past Princess cruises. But, I hear that Princess has made improveements in this area and will judge for myself on our upcoming cruise on the Emerald!

[happy cruzer]

lol, roz it does appear that food is subjective. You seem to be finding that out first hand. Plus, I have seen lots of Princess reviews that love the food and some that don't. I don't think you can go to board to find out if the food is good; you are going to have to find out for yourself. Have fun.

[PescadoAmarillo]

I think Princess's dining room food quality has actually improved since my first Princess cruise in 2003 (Sun Princess). The food on that cruise wasn't great, but it was the Princess brochures near the Future Cruise Consultant desk that got me to return to Princess...I was willing to go hungry to get on those itineraries! Since then, the food has always been better, ranging from good to excellent, with the seafood, souffles and cold soups tending toward the better end of that range.

 

It's the buffet quality that I find the most uneven. On the Sapphire and Diamond, it was good enough that we ate several dinners at the Horizon Court over a month long cruise. On the Sun last January, it was pretty dismal. I mean there was always one thing I liked, but maybe only one thing. I went up there once after 11pm and the offerings were downright meager. Maybe it is a function of space available, but I don't recall the Sea Princess buffet as being that limited.

[nymshowdown]

The buffet on our cruise 1 month ago was OK. There always seemed to be a big selection, and the food was pretty good...but you just cant compare it to the food your served in the dining room and lunch or dinner.

 

I though the meat was pretty good for this rumored vendor change. The veal chop I had one night was one of the best pieces of meat i've had.

 

Last year on Carnival, we were disappointed in the dining room. Our head waiter knew, and came over one night. He told DH not to order any of the meat, because the vendor they were dealing with was horrible. It was just sad hearing that from him. Hopefully they changed vendors and had better luck!:)

[indiaksue]

I wouldn't say the food is the best I have had. Keeping in mind that each night has its great, just so so, and don't think I will have this again, items on the menu. The biggest thing for me is dressing up and enjoying a nice, relaxing dining experience that I didn't have to cook or clean up. I would eat cardboard for that. :)

[wizard-of-roz]

All of you were great! The shared stories from chefs to housewives were filled with honesty.....that's what I wanted and boy isn't it amazing how truly subjective eating is..........and, you are correct....I learned it first hand from all of you!!!!!:o

I like buffets (for lunch, only)....I like different choices and we will take a little from each "pot" just to test the varied tastes.

We love traditional dining (for dinner); the service and the ambiance are truly part of the "cruising experience", for us!

On Celebrity; your served with white gloves and full dining room set-up - on HAL; even the chairs are "dressed-up" on formal nights - on Princess; the service and ambiance has always made me feel like a "queen!" All three of these lines made the dining experience feel relaxed and special and we liked the food equally, on each. Whereas on Carnival and NCL we felt more like cattle being herded in and out of the dining room; with loud noise and too many announcments over the PA system, which took away from the dining experience and even the flavor of the food!

Thanks, everyone, for your input! :D

[wizard-of-roz]

I posted a reply but it got eaten......how was it "thread goblin?" Be subjective.........

Anyway, thanks everyone for your views from the chefs to the housewives; we've all agreed on one thing....we love to cruise and we agree to disagree, when it comes to the flavor of our food!

I love the ambiance of traditional dining and all that goes with it....the white gloved waiters and full set-up to the "dressed chairs" on formal nights....all of which added to the "flavors" of our food and all of the above on Celebrity/HAL/ and Princess!

I didn't love feeling like cattle on NCL and Carnival; with the loudness and open PA system that was always making announcements during our dining experience and which took away from the taste of our food.

I always enjoy the buffets at lunch time to be able to dip into each "pot" and taste the myriad of flavors......honestly, I always found something that I liked! Especially on Princess....which is why I started this thread, in the first place!

You have all truly shown me that food is "subjective!" :)

[spongerob]

So far we have found the food on Grand Princess to be much improved compared to our previous British Isles cruise. Horizon Court is about the same as always. Sabatini's last night was great and I think our group had a little more fun than is usual. The dining room at lunch and dinner has been quite good. The new Painted Desert menu is also enticing, though we won't get to sample for a few days. So far we are quite pleased.

 

It's been a great cruise, by the way. We missed St. Peter Port in Guernsey due to poor weather, but yesterday and today were marvelously sunny. The people in Dublin today were quite pleased to see us arrive since we apparently brought the good weather with us.

[CrusinAgain]

Probably depends on how good the food is cooked at home. Personally, the food is definitely not a 5 star or close to it. The Carnival Miracle actually had better prepared food in Dec. 05 than the Caribbean Princess and the Diamond Princess. All depends on who the cook is. We did not find any desserts at the buffet that were good. We use to love eating food on the cruiseships but yes we have seen a quality decline between our cruises in the 90's and our cruises now.

[redhatmary]

Please don't say it's all subjective...either the food is good or it's not!!! Are we "foodies?" Oh! Yes!

Our last Princess cruise was on the Diamond in 2005.....We liked the food then, has the food gone downhill?

All the threads I read about the food is that it's just so..so..or ho..hum!

I must admit part of the draw to cruising is the dining.....please re-assure me that the food, on Princess ships is improving and that I'm going to love my Golden trip on September 29th.....or should I pack a "care package?" :o

Roz - we are not connoisseurs, but then again we are not junkaholics -- just wanted to mention that the fare we've had in the Princess Dining Rooms was SUPERB and we asked for seconds more than once -- and always got them. The staff was professional and very friendly. If we have a "low threshold of amusement," then so be it -- we're glad we're not pickier than that. We eat out quite often at home in Arizona, and the Princess dining (in the dining room, not the buffet) was as good or better as any we had elsewhere -- and the service of much higher quality. I think you'll have a WONDERFUL experience. Happy sailing!

[CoolChile]

Our last 3 Princess cruises...

Coral 2006.. Food outstanding, service outstanding

Dawn 2006.. Food fair/good, service poor/fair

Island 2007.. Food outstanding, service excellent

 

Which is better, Largin, outstanding or excellent? I need to know for when my husband says I was one or the other. ;) :D

_____________

:cool: CoolChile

[gambit57]

IMO, it's gone a little downhill. Service is still great. I'm just talking the quality and taste of the food. However, it is all based on perspective. I still thoroughly enjoy the stuff. That's because I adjust my expectations accordingly. I do the same with movies. I go in with low expectations and memories of some horrid food I've eaten. THen, I always enjoy the food b/c compared to the bad memories, the Princess food and service is excellent.

 

Compared to the chain food, Princess is still on par with the best of the chains. Even better on many occassions. Yes, there will always be better food. But this is a freaking cruise ship. Even dining room food is glorified buffet food considering how many people have to get served. In that light, the food is absolutely amazing. Having eaten tons of times at the Ruth's Chris and Mortons and other "fancy" chains (thank you drug company reps), Princess food is as good or better.

 

Am I saying a steak from Morton's is bad? No. It's ok. But I've had some snooty service at a few of those fancy chains and their food isn't good enough to justify the attitude or price. If I want a better piece of beef for less money, I go to some place like House of Prime Rib (in San Fran, can ask for extra helpings of meat gratis and is cheaper) if I want fancy dining or the chain Cattlemen's if I want casual.

 

So, it really can be subjective. Is Morton's better than a Denny's steak? Yes. Compared to that, it's "good". Compared to a House of Prime Rib? Than it starts to resemble a piece of beef jerky from the liquor store. It all just depends on how picky I want to be. Princess food, like food from a Ruth's Chris or Mortons, falls into that nebulous region of "it's ok, what am I comparing it to?" Doesn't fall solidly into the good or bad side one way or another. A lot depends on the item, altho nearly everything leans into the "good" side IMO.

[CoolChile]

My husband used to work in in fine dining restaurants until 1997....He still will make me demi-glace as a *make-up* gift after we have had a tiff.....On occasion I will pick a fight, make it seem like it was his fault so he makes demi-glace...... (then I'm your evil twin :) )

We LOVE food ...... all kinds...he is an outstanding cook.....reductions sauces, heck any kind of sauce, the man knows how to cook .......

 

I travel a great deal for work Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal......I am blessed to have eaten in some very very nice restaurants.

 

Are we foodies??? Friends coming over and seeing our huge stacks of food and wine mags....( just can't throw them out) or eating one of the meals prepared by DH will say yes... I hate being labeled we LOVE good food....be it a incredible hamburger with blue cheese, rack of lamb, seafood anything, (We live in BC), I make a killer Mac and cheese with 4 cups of both cream and parmasen cheese ......

 

Sorry about the long post........DH is making dinner (rib-eye steaks with blue cheese butter, fresh corn on the cob ( so good right now) and doubled baked potatos.....I am soo hungry ;)

 

(PINK denotes where I edited for brevity. May have missed noting some edits ... dont sue, or I won't be able to afford my next cruise. :p )

 

Quincytoo, we're foodies who love to cook also (and eat what we create). You can't be THAT far away from us ... sure wish I knew the LOCATION of your kitchen. :D

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:cool: CoolChile

[jessinphilly]

We were on the IP this summer and the food was very good. We were satisfied with everything but a steak. The best dishes were the ethnic vegetarian dishes and most of the seafood. We are food people, and were happy and satisfied. The buffet--not as good as I would have liked. There were too many repeats from lunch to dinner to late night. The soups were very good as was the fruit. We did not go just to eat and that made it fine.

[quincytoo]

(PINK denotes where I edited for brevity. May have missed noting some edits ... dont sue, or I won't be able to afford my next cruise. :p )

 

Quincytoo, we're foodies who love to cook also (and eat what we create). You can't be THAT far away from us ... sure wish I knew the LOCATION of your kitchen. :D

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:cool: CoolChile

 

LOL Thank you for seeing the humour in my post :)BTW Have you tried the corn at Silverrill this year??? Outstanding!!!

 

I noticed a post of yours and saw you live here in Victoria. If you ever see someone munching on a Haagan Daz bar down at the breakwater wistfully watching the cruise ships it might be me..;)

 

We live in the older Broadmead area by Rithet's bog.

 

Oh and the Diamond had some of the best chocolate chip pecan cookies I have ever tasted!!!! I love to bake and try to do it well but those cookies were wonderful!!

 

I would LOVE to get the recipe!