Chef's Table Review - Crown Princess 4/5/08

[dlopez5011]

Cool, thanks for the feedback! I thought Chris mentioned in his review that his Chefs Table dinner took place on the 2nd formal night, so I was just wondering. I guess we'll just have to try to get our names on the list when we get on the ship, and see what happens.

[smoosh21]

Sounds wonderful. I definitely need to sign up for this.

 

Does anyone know if they do more than 1 sitting on a 14 night cruise?

[CRLess]

Thanks for the great review. Do they only do the Chefs Table dinner on formal nights, or do they do one each day of the cruise? I'd love to try this on our cruise later this month, but we aren't planning on lugging formal wear with us. So I'm just wondering if formal wear will be a requirement??

 

Ours was definitely on a formal night. It is my understanding though that we were the 3rd Chef's Table of our 7 day cruise. I suspect that is why we didn't have to wear the lab coats nor were the ladies required to wear closed-toed shoes.

[PsychDoc]

We are returning to Princess (in only 3 1/2 weeks), primarily due to the wonderful experiences we had with the food on our last cruise. We loved the ultimate balcony dining. We have not heard of the Chef's Table dining before - is it available on Grand Princess, on all Princess ships? How do you know whether it is offered? And it sounds like the way to request it is as soon as you set foot on the ship! Would love to experience it! Appreciate any advice.

[BJS]

.. We have not heard of the Chef's Table dining before - is it available on Grand Princess, on all Princess ships? How do you know whether it is offered? And it sounds like the way to request it is as soon as you set foot on the ship! Would love to experience it! Appreciate any advice.

 

I read posted elsewhere that the Chef's Table on the Grand will debut on May 2nd.

 

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[joyride]

We were the friends that joined Chris & Rich & spouses at the Chef's Table. It was truly the most incredible experience we have had dining on a ship. We did the Ultimate Balcony Dinner on the Crown last year, and the UBD would definitely be a second choice if not chosen for the Chef's Table.

 

One thing I liked was that you could have seconds on some of the appetizers. I really liked the little vegetarian quiche, so I had several of those. I don't do pate', so my DH was glad to take mine off of my hands. There was so much food, you literally could not eat it all. I thought the champagne rissoto was to die for - but did not eat it all because I wanted to save room. All of the wines were wonderful and they were very generous with them.

 

Brenda (Chris's wife) mentioned that she felt like it was "Prom night". It really is like that - so special - a once in a lifetime experience. The service & attention are so wonderful that you just do not want the night to end.

 

One thing that I'm not sure of - I seem to remember that the Chef was going to the Grand instead of the Emerald. Well, wherever he lands I know that if you get to enjoy his Chef's table that it will be a truly memorable experience for you. I know that he was heading for the MED (Back home) and was very happy that he would be near his wife and family.

 

I do not know if the Chef's Table is offered on all ships yet. The best thing to do is to embark early and call the dining line immediately when you get on the ship. The Princess Patter had a little ad or blurb on the front page the first few days of the trip advertising the Chef's Table. I'm sure the experience will vary from ship to ship - but we really lucked out on the Crown! There were 4 people at our table that said they did not call until the second day, but I would not wait that long because I think the popularity of this is on the rise!

[CRLess]

One thing that I'm not sure of - I seem to remember that the Chef was going to the Grand instead of the Emerald. Well, wherever he lands I know that if you get to enjoy his Chef's table that it will be a truly memorable experience for you. I know that he was heading for the MED (Back home) and was very happy that he would be near his wife and family.

 

I could be mistaken about what ship he transferred to. The reason the Emerald sticks out is that he said he would be changing ships the morning after our dinner. The next morning we were in St. Thomas as was the Emerald, which was starting its transatlantic voyage after it got back to Ft. Lauderdale this past weekend.

[floridacruisegirl]

We (my grandma, grandma's friend, and I) participated in the Chef's Table during our recent Alaskan cruise on the Coral Princess (we just returned last week).

 

The food was certainly delicious (especially the lobster tail with risotto) and the company we had at the table was very fun and entertaining and (a large group of eight), but I found our chef to lack charisma. Granted, he is a chef and cooking is his specialty (versus talking and interacting with others), but after reading reviews of other posters' "Chef's Table" night, I can't help but wonder how much better the evening could have been if our chef had a bit more personality. All in all, we still did have a truly remarkable time and I do recommend the Chef's Table, as it is an experience out of the ordinary and definitely a wonderful way to spend the evening experiencing new foods and meeting new people. :)

[insag]

I read somewhere about Strawberry's delivered to your cabin later that night,, is this always??

[kendon]

Thanks for that wonderful review. I hope that Chef's table will be rolled out when I am on Sapphire in February.

 

Is the best way to get on the list to go to the Pursers desk on the first day or is there another way?

 

Thanks!

 

You might want to check if it's offered on the Sapphire. I just read a post from someone who was on the Diamond and was disappointed that they did not offer the Chef's Table due to the awkward dining room configurations on these two ships. They have four smaller themed dining rooms instead of two large ones.

[rdsqrl]

I read somewhere about Strawberry's delivered to your cabin later that night,, is this always??

No. I read that person's post, as well, and that was a unique circumstance. No one else has mentioned it and I certainly didn't get them.

[kathiatkins]

We were the friends that joined Chris & Rich & spouses at the Chef's Table. It was truly the most incredible experience we have had dining on a ship. We did the Ultimate Balcony Dinner on the Crown last year, and the UBD would definitely be a second choice if not chosen for the Chef's Table.

 

One thing I liked was that you could have seconds on some of the appetizers. I really liked the little vegetarian quiche, so I had several of those. I don't do pate', so my DH was glad to take mine off of my hands. There was so much food, you literally could not eat it all. I thought the champagne rissoto was to die for - but did not eat it all because I wanted to save room. All of the wines were wonderful and they were very generous with them.

 

Brenda (Chris's wife) mentioned that she felt like it was "Prom night". It really is like that - so special - a once in a lifetime experience. The service & attention are so wonderful that you just do not want the night to end.

 

One thing that I'm not sure of - I seem to remember that the Chef was going to the Grand instead of the Emerald. Well, wherever he lands I know that if you get to enjoy his Chef's table that it will be a truly memorable experience for you. I know that he was heading for the MED (Back home) and was very happy that he would be near his wife and family.

 

I do not know if the Chef's Table is offered on all ships yet. The best thing to do is to embark early and call the dining line immediately when you get on the ship. The Princess Patter had a little ad or blurb on the front page the first few days of the trip advertising the Chef's Table. I'm sure the experience will vary from ship to ship - but we really lucked out on the Crown! There were 4 people at our table that said they did not call until the second day, but I would not wait that long because I think the popularity of this is on the rise!

 

This is probably a really dumb question, but her goes. I have had gastric bypass, and don't drink alcohol as I get really sick right away from it, but yet, I really want to do the Chef's table. Do you think this would be a really huge waste for my DH and I. He does partake in alcohol, and he can eat a full meal.

Are the servings small? and is there pressure to eat everything, or would it be acceptable to have only a bite or two of everything?

 

Thanks.

[floridacruisegirl]

I read somewhere about Strawberry's delivered to your cabin later that night,, is this always??

 

After our Chef's Table, we did not have any strawberries delivered to our room...I wish! :) Maybe it just depends on the maitre'd of the Chef's Table experience?

[floridacruisegirl]

This is probably a really dumb question, but her goes. I have had gastric bypass, and don't drink alcohol as I get really sick right away from it, but yet, I really want to do the Chef's table. Do you think this would be a really huge waste for my DH and I. He does partake in alcohol, and he can eat a full meal.

Are the servings small? and is there pressure to eat everything, or would it be acceptable to have only a bite or two of everything?

 

Thanks.

 

You can partake in the Chef's Table for $60 without alcohol (whereas the $75 price includes alcohol). You need not eat everything, as there is so much of it as eating everything would be nearly impossible...you are welcome to eat as much or little as you please. Therefore, there is no pressure to eat every thing. In fact, you could probably arrange with the maitre'd, ahead of time, to bring you smaller portions. When the maitre'd confirms the reservation of Chef's Table with you (for us, it was the day before), it is then that you will have the opportunity to alert him/her of any allergies, questions, or concerns about the Chef's Table. Also, you will receive an autographed cookbook, group photo (while other posters here have mentioned both a group photo and individual photo, we only received one photo of our whole table at the Chef's Table), and rose. Basically, I believe the price of the Chef's Table is for the experience of such a unique opportunity not done with other cruise lines. Enjoy!! :)

[SingerEsq]

Definitely speak with the Maitre D' about portion size ... and you certainly need not drink. (But try a sip of husband's wine ... they were very good!). They go out of their way to make you have the best dining experience possible, so don't be shy about mentioning it. The Maitre D' will make sure you are given special (but discrete) attention.

 

Same thing for anyone who has a food alergy (like shell fish). Make sure you tell them when you sign up or meet with the Maitre D'. As an aside, our Maitre D' happened upon us a couple of nights before we even knew we had made the cut for our Chef's Table in the Crown Grille and stopped by to introduce himself and chat. I have no idea why he took the time to do so. He was actually there to dine himself with some officers. Our invites were in our cabin the next day. As others have said, it was one of the best dining experiences we have had on sea or land.