Caribbean Princess Dining

4.0 / 5.0
2,772 reviews
See all photos
Editor Rating
4.0
Very Good
Dining
Dori Saltzman
Contributor

Caribbean Princess restaurants run from just OK to really quite good, with the best food served at Crown Grill and Chef's Table. The World Fresh Marketplace runs hot and cold; our favorite dish on the entire ship was a simple quinoa with caramelized onion side offered one night in the Marketplace, but on other nights we couldn't find anything that appealed to our taste buds. The main dining room always satisfied.

One of the best things about Caribbean Princess’s dining is the plethora of choices for any meal with five venues open for breakfast, seven for lunch (five on a port day) and eight for dinner.

Most dietary restrictions can be catered for if you alert the line to your needs before you cruise. Even if you forget to tell them, there are always vegetarian options, gluten-free bread and sugar-free choices at dessert, and if you talk to the maitre d' once onboard, you can arrange special needs meals for each day.

Caribbean Princess Free Dining Options

Island and Coral Dining Rooms (Decks 5 and 6, midship): Caribbean Princess has three main dining rooms, one of which is reserved only for suite and Club Class mini-suite passengers. The Island and Coral dining rooms are for everyone else.

Breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner are served every day in one of the dining rooms; on sea days, lunch is also served in one of the restaurants.

For dinner, both dining rooms are open to passengers with Anytime Dining, Princess' flexible dining program that enables cruisers to show up anytime they want during dinner hours (waits are usually 20 to 40 minutes). To avoid a long wait, you can make a reservation for the time you want. One of the dining rooms (Coral Dining Room on our sailing) is first reserved for a set-time early-dinner seating, opening for Anytime Dining afterwards. (There is no late set seating.)

Breakfast in the main dining room features two menu items that change daily and a full list of standards available every day.

On sea days, lunch is served in one of the two dining rooms. The menu includes brunch selections, as well as starters, soup, salad, pasta, entrees, burgers, combos (soup and salad, or soup and a sandwich) and desserts. Desserts are varied and delicious.

Afternoon tea, served every day, consists of finger sandwiches, pastries and cookies and a selection of teas.

The dinner menu most nights includes a changing menu of starters, soups and salads, mains and desserts. Items listed under Princess Favorites are available every night. Vegetarian options are marked with a "V."

Some nights the menu also features a "Crafted by Curtis Stone" item, brought to Princess by its partnership with celebrity chef Curtis Stone. Choices might include seafood stew with Chilean sea bass, black mussels and clams, or chicken and leek potpie.

Desserts also include a selection of always-available items and nightly specials. On rare evenings, a Chocolate Journeys option (created in partnership with chocolatier Norman Love) is available as well. The one we encountered was a chocolate pistachio dome with almond and pistachio nougatine; it got rave reviews.

Palm Dining Room (Deck 6, aft): The Palm Dining Room on Caribbean Princess is reserved only for passengers staying in suites and Club-designated mini-suites. It uses the same menus found in the Island and Coral dining rooms. Seating in Palm is set seating only, with early dinner and late dinner options available.

World Fresh Marketplace (Deck 15, midship): Caribbean Princess’ buffet, World Fresh Marketplace, is a conglomerate of food stations designed to decrease congestion and move cruisers through the buffet more quickly. The U-shaped space is located between the midship Calypso Pool and the aft Planks BBQ and Steamers Seafood restaurants.

There are identical setups on either side of the Marketplace, each with three rows totaling about 15 themed stations that change from lunch to dinner, though some -- such as Eastern and Western Destinations, the Garden Soup Kettle and the two Pastry Counters -- are always there.

It can be a noisy spot, and seats during peak times (embarkation day, sea day breakfast and lunch) are hard to come by. If you can't find a place to sit at lunch, you can head to the back and sit in Steamers or Planks BBQ or try to find one of the few tables located outside by the pools.

The Caribbean Princess World Fresh Marketplace is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, offering food throughout the day. At breakfast you'll find all the usual morning offerings, but if you want eggs made to order, head back to the buffet lines in Steamers or Planks. Lunch offers Indian, Middle Eastern, Italian and Mexican dishes; a carvery, soups and sandwiches; prepared and DIY salad fixings and more.

Dinner selections are similar though smaller in number, plus a Family Kitchen island with items like corn dogs, pasta with marinara or Alfredo sauce, and French fries. Only one side of the buffet is open for dinner most nights.

At the two Pastry Counters, you'll find a selection of cakes, cookies, brownies and other dessert favorites at both lunch and dinner. The nearby "Specialty Shop" has a selection of gluten-free desserts (a real rarity!).

The Salty Dog Grill (Deck 15, midship): A poolside grill with gourmet ambitions, The Salty Dog Grill features items like the BLT Burger; a grilled chicken sandwich with dill and lemon aioli, cucumber and tomato, and two flavors of "street tacos."

If you're just looking for more traditional poolside grill options, the closest item on the menu is the Princess Classic burger with tomato, lettuce and red onion, plus a choice of cheese. There is no plain hot dog though; instead, The Salty Dog Grill serves an all-beef sausage-like hot dog, with your choice of toppings, and the "Salty" chili cheese dog. Sides on offer are loaded fries with either chili cheese or bacon and cheese. Vegetarian options include a veggie burger, sweet potato green chili and chili cheese fries.

Slice Pizzeria (Deck 15, midship): Also located poolside is Slice Pizzeria, with both standard and more trendy options. Gluten-free versions of the thin-crust pizza are available upon request.

Steamers (Deck 15, aft): Open for breakfast and lunch in the space normally used for the dinner-only, extra-fee Steamers Seafood restaurant is this simple choose-your-own-fixings ramen noodle bar. Choices include two ramen noodle styles (soba or glass) and two broth choices (chicken or beef), plus a selection of vegetables and meats (chicken, beef, pork and seafood), from the buffet line. There's also a small standard breakfast buffet in Steamers every morning.

Planks BBQ (Deck 15, aft): Similar to Steamers, the Planks breakfast and buffet lunch are held in the space occupied by the dinner-only, extra-fee Planks BBQ restaurant. Selections might include an open-faced roast turkey and potato on white bread sandwich, triple-deck grilled cheese, an open-faced pork belly and Swiss on sourdough bread sandwich and grilled mac 'n' cheese on white bread, along with a choice of sides. Lunch hours are more limited than at other venues, usually between noon and 1:30 p.m. There's also a small standard breakfast buffet in Planks every morning.

Coffee & Cones (Deck 15, midship): Most of the items at this specialty coffee and ice cream shop cost extra, but you can get free soft serve vanilla and chocolate ice cream in a cup or cone. Complimentary extras include sprinkles and whipped cream.

British-Style Pub Lunch (Crown Grill, Deck 6, forward): On sea days, you'll find a British-style pub lunch on the lineup of the day's activities. Open for about two hours, the menu has just four items on it: bangers (sausage) and mash, fish and chips, ploughman's lunch and steak and kidney pie. The only dessert provided is a bread-and-butter pudding. For aficionados of British or Irish pub food, the offerings at this Princess staple might disappoint, but we enjoyed our fish and chips, nevertheless.

The International Cafe (Deck 5, midship): Light bites, including a delicious selection of pastries, plus coffee and tea (basic and for-a-fee specialties) are available 24 hours a day at this popular spot in the Piazza.

During the early hours, the selections at The International Cafe are more breakfast oriented, but as lunch approaches, breakfast pastries give way to a variety of cakes, flavored puddings and fruit tarts. At least two choices are sugar-free. More substantial snacks are also available from late morning to late afternoon, including a hearty selection of sandwiches, steak and kidney pie, quiches, salads and a soup of the day.

Room Service: The Princess room service menu is comprehensive, complimentary and available 24 hours a day. It includes soups, salads and sandwiches, as well as a selection of hot dishes and pastry items.

Additionally, select drinks and a limited selection of food items are available through the OceanNow app (you'll have to have downloaded the app to your phone before your cruise), for delivery to select locations throughout the ship. There is no charge for the service, above and beyond the cost of any items you are ordering. Options include free choices, as well as those that cost money.

Caribbean Princess Specialty Restaurants

Crown Grill (Deck 6, forward); prix fixe: Princess' most popular specialty restaurant is its steakhouse, the Crown Grill, with a menu consisting of seafood entrees and chops. Crown Grill is only open for dinner, though on sea days the British-style pub lunch is held here.

Starters are black tiger prawn, carpaccio of pine nut-coated lamb loin, Mediterranean-style spiny lobster cake and pan-seared Pacific scallops. Soup and salad choices are shrimp and pancetta bisque, black and blue onion soup, mixed salad and a marinated goat cheese and heirloom tomato salad. Diners in the mood for seafood can choose a mussel pot, Chilean sea bass and brioche-breaded king prawns, grilled tiger prawns or a 4-ounce lobster tail (add the lobster tail to one of the meat entrees to create your own surf and turf dish).

But what the restaurant is known for are its steaks and chops, which include Sterling Silver beef chop, Madeira-glazed Wisconsin veal chop, New Zealand double lamb chops, Sterling Silver pork chop, porterhouse, New York or Kansas City strip steak, rib-eye and filet mignon. Side dishes (order as many as you want) are delicious. Try to leave room for desert, as the choices are ultra-indulgent.

Sabatini's Italian Trattoria (Deck 7, midship); prix fixe: A longtime Princess favorite, Sabatini's underwent a complete overhaul in 2017 that included scrapping the old menu and replacing it with an entirely new one created in partnership with Los Angeles-based chef Angelo Auriana. The menu consists of five courses (diners choose one item for each course), plus the aperitivo, which features warm mini-whole wheat loafs, a Tuscan tomato and pepper spread and prosciutto. Your waiter will help you through the menu because the order of the dishes can be a bit confusing.

First is the antipasti; the five choices all have Italian names with the English explanation below. As a second course, you can choose either a celery, mushroom and hazelnut soup or an escarole, celery and pear salad. Second and third courses are the pasta and main entrees. There are six main entree choices including trout rolls, breaded veal with potatoes and artichokes, rolled pork belly Toscana and the Roman seafood al cartoccio with grouper, shrimp, black mussels, scallops, potato and artichoke. If you can't decide on just one pasta or entree, you can pay extra for each additional choice.

The four dessert choices include the obligatory, but interestingly shaped, tiramisu, plus vanilla panna cotta and fresh berries. There's also the you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it Rocher by Norman Love, which looks like an oversized Ferrero Rocher candy in a terrarium globe. (There's also a delicious tiramisu martini on the menu that tastes just like liquid tiramisu!)

Steamers Seafood (Deck 15, aft); prix fixe: On our sailing, smallish specialty restaurant Steamers was rarely frequented, which we were told had more to do with the cold-weather itinerary we were on than anything else. Yet the food was also mediocre, with a limited menu consisting entirely of shellfish, with the only exception being a crab-stuffed flounder that can be made without the crab. (However, it's drowned in hollandaise sauce and not very good.)

The menu consists of two starters and three entree choices: black and blue mussels with scallops and kielbasa sausage; steamed clams with shrimp and andouille sausage with a choice of three sauces; the "Princess Broiler," which comes served in a large skillet pan and includes broiled scallops and shrimp, and the crab-stuffed flounder, with a side of crispy seasoned fries. Diners can opt to add lobster tail and crab to any of the entrees for just $10.

Dessert choices are limited to just three items. Also on the menu at Steamers Seafood are specialty cocktails with names like Mermaid's Wish and Captain's Bounty.

Chef's Table (Deck 5, midship); prix fixe: The most exclusive restaurant on Caribbean Princess is the Chef's Table. It offers a multicourse experience with wine pairing, which takes diners behind the scenes into the galley for hors d'oeuvres and Champagne and then to a beautifully appointed table (either in a main dining room or a private room) for the lavish meal. The meal changes each time depending on the mood of the chef. Special diets will not be accommodated; diners should be up for just about anything.

Chef's Table is offered once or twice per cruise depending on cruise length and fills up almost as soon as it's announced in the daily Princess Patter. Also, to participate in Chef's Table, diners are required to sign a document that says they have not had any gastrointestinal or respiratory illness within the last 48 hours, wear a white lab coat-like jacket while in the galley and not wear shorts or open-toed shoes.

Planks BBQ (Deck 15, aft); prix fixe: The only complaint we heard about Planks BBQ on Caribbean Princess was that it served way too much (good!) food. A casual dinner-only eatery, this meat-lover's paradise features round or block wood tables adorned with blue masonry jars and paired with silver-studded leather backed chairs. Three courses are included in a Planks meal: appetizer, main course and dessert.

For the main course, diners choose four of six barbecued meats -- sou'wester pulled pork, chili-spiced roasted tri-tip, kielbasa smoked sausage links, Caribbean island smoked chicken drumsticks, hard cider barbecue pork ribs and chipotle barbecue meatballs. (If you're having trouble deciding, the tri-tip, ribs and sausages get the highest ratings -- and you can add an extra meat selection for a fee.)

Along with the meat, each plank also has a "heaping" serving of sides. Sauces -- tangy apple butter and cider, and steakhouse smoky bourbon and ale -- are served on the side and you can always ask for more.

For those who have room for more, desert choices are banana pudding, chocolate cake or a scoop of vanilla or chocolate ice cream. Be prepared to unbutton the top button of your pants when all is said and done.

Coffee and Cones (Deck 15, midship); a la carte: Other than the soft serve ice cream, everything at Coffee and Cones carries a surcharge, including the delicious ice cream sandwiches you'll find on offer. Our favorite was the mint patty with peppermint ice cream nestled between two chocolate chocolate-chip cookies. Also available are specialty coffees (hot or cold).

Ultimate Balcony Dining (Your Cabin); prix fixe: The fanciest breakfast room service on your balcony you're likely to encounter at sea, Ultimate Balcony Dining includes a chilled half-bottle of sparkling wine, fresh breakfast pastries, smoked salmon with dill cream cheese, a medley of fresh fruits and berries, and quiche Lorraine.

Vines Wine Bar (Deck 5, midship); a la carte: The ship's wine bar offers tapas-style snacks when you buy a glass of wine. Food cannot be purchased separately from the wine, nor can you get food if you want something nonalcoholic.

Restaurants

  • Bar - Cocktail Bar*
  • Calypso Bar - Pool Bar*
  • Churchill Lounge - Clubby Bar*
  • Coffee & Cones - Sweet Treats*
  • Coral Dining Room - American
  • Crooners Bar - Martini Bar*
  • Crown Grill - Steakhouse*
  • Good Spirits at Sea - Craft Cocktails*
  • International Café - Coffee Bar*
  • Island Dining Room - American
  • Morgan's Bar - Top Deck Bar*
  • Outrigger - Pool Bar*
  • Palm Dining Room - American
  • Planks BBQ - BBQ
  • Sabatini's Italian Trattoria - italian*
  • Slice Pizzeria - Pizza
  • Steamers Seafood - Seafood*
  • The Mix - Top Deck Bar*
  • The Salty Dog Grill - Fast Food
  • Tradewinds - Pool Bar*
  • * May require additional fees

    Find a Caribbean Princess Cruise from $268

    Any Month

    Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

    © 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.