Princess Cruises is very attached to its classicism, and offers (I was going to write “imposes”) formal nights, with formal dress required. This most certainly corresponds to Princess’s clientele (whose average age on board is high), but I keep asking myself questions about this company’s strategy: a desire to develop their technology towards the present century (and there even, perhaps, to attract a younger, more trendy clientele), while keeping one foot in the past century, attached to pre-war cruises. A clash of cultures that can be found in the comments of many passengers, who do not all appreciate the medallion and the technological leap it represents. But Princess will still have to find its customers of tomorrow by choosing its camp!
Because classicism, for me, goes quite badly with “low cost” cruises (like Costa or MSC). And that’s another of my disappointments with this return on board a Princess ship: I’ll sum it up by saying that Princess Cruises has “Costa-ized”, that is to say that Carnival has, it seems, applying the same (bad) low-cost recipes as on his other entry-level company, Costa. I had a pretty good memory of the food on Princess ships, and I fell down quite quickly when I discovered the mediocrity of many of the dishes.
The first disappointment will be the buffet. First, as the ship is not full, the “World Fresh Marketplace” is largely closed. Only one to two lines are generally open. Covid period obliges, we cannot serve ourselves alone, while many other companies have returned to self-service. It must be said that at the entrance to the buffet, no one washes their hands. No employees either present to at least distribute hydroalcoholic gel (“washy washy”). The majority of passengers pass the sinks and the gel dispenser without stopping. And Princess Cruises doesn’t care. No wonder that the biggest scandals of the spread of the Covid virus on board were on this company (see Diamond Princess!).
The dishes are in pots of all kinds, with a lid most of the time. Rarely transparent, impossible to see what it looks like. Only the name of the dish is written on a small sign. To be served, you have to wait for one of the cooks to be available or attentive. Often a challenge. This has at least one advantage (and this is certainly the intended goal): it avoids waste. But you have to see the faces of some passengers when the waiter puts only an unfortunate spoonful on the outstretched plate… some don’t hesitate to ask for more!
Other dishes are placed on grills. They can stay there for quite a while, until a passenger comes to claim one. And there… disaster: it’s systematically dried out, it’s stayed on the grill for so long… My worst memory will be this muffin, at breakfast, which I really had trouble cutting with my knife, everything was so dry and the bread hardened. To rank among the worst dishes found on a cruise ship. Well done Princess Cruises! And a touch of humor (slicky smile!): a sign warns that the eggs are “undercooked”… very funny… because it is quite the opposite, they are “overcooked”.
Another method that I had seen on the Costa Smeralda, small pots or small plates, prepared in advance. For example, in the morning you can have smoked salmon or herring on these small plates. Except that again, prepared in advance and exposed for a long time on the shelf… the food dries out and it’s no longer good when you eat it.
Impossible to consider this buffet even just correct, at least if I take my previous cruises with Princess as a benchmark (and even less if I think of Celebrity Cruises, and their “over the top” buffet).
Same disappointment in the main restaurants, and again, always comparing with my previous good memories. If the waiters are always devoted and do everything they can to be pleasant, the menu has been reviewed and the choices are reduced. And, while it’s better than the buffet, it’s pretty mediocre compared to what it was in the past.
Then remained the specialty restaurants, for a fee.
On the other hand, I had more than mixed memories about the “French” restaurant (Bistro sur la mer), tested on the Majestic Princess. I am often revolted by these companies which use the good culinary reputation of France to attract passengers in a speciality restaurant, not included in the cruise fare, which does not deserve any French affiliation, if it is not the name of some dishes and a vague imitation of the receipts. Before even asking myself if I was going to try the experience again, the few exchanges I had with passengers who had paid $29 for their dinner quickly convinced me that it was still not worth it.
The company’s classic Italian-inspired Sabatini costs $25. The dishes were good, without any wow effect. Just like the pizzeria, Gigi’s pizzeria, which is free of charge.
The Salty Dog Gastro Pub is new to Princess ships and offers a few more sophisticated, brasserie-style dishes. And it’s good, almost more interesting than other specialty restaurants. You can choose 2 dishes from a dozen plus a desert, for $18 (+18% service, of course).
The Ocean Terrace Sushi is a small restaurant located on the middle level of the atrium. There is a selection of rolls, sushi and sashimi on the menu. The most common dishes are exposed to the view of the passengers, to help them choose on the spot. I was able to test twice. The first time, I found the raw fish a little bland, and after a second pass, I can confirm that the probable passage through a freezing step does affect the quality of the result, badly. Compared to equivalent sushi restaurants on other lines, this one doesn’t really shine, except, perhaps, for its decor and elevated location overlooking the ship’s main plaza.
Didn’t get a chance to try the Crown Grill this time around. I more often called on the cabin service (via the Medallion application or via the same service on the television), solo travel obliges… apart from the hamburger, which was very dry, the rest was correct, with always a good point for the pizzas.
