Floating food tour, gastronomy at sea

Majestic Princess

It was the last day of September 2016, and the end of a busy working week, an email appeared in my inbox with news I was so happy to hear. To say I was excited is an understatement. It was confirmation of our booking onboard Majestic Princess marked “let the countdown begin”. And what a countdown it was, we had eight and a half months to research, plan and build our excitement before it would be time to board for a floating food tour.

Whilst cruising is all about relaxing and enjoying some new destinations, nothing whets the appetite like sea air, and sumptuous food is always a highlight.

Grilled shrimp & lobster, delicious

Food is one of the main aspects of a cruise, apart from the destinations. With culinary menu items crafted by Michelin star chefs to casual food the Majestic Princess is like a floating food tour, a gastronomic discovery. No matter what you are craving with a wide range of dining venues there is something to suit every palate.

Tenderloin beef salad

Onboard there is a choice of over 20 restaurants and bars, including 3 main dining rooms, (Symphony, Allegro and Concerto), 4 speciality restaurants, 5 casual dining and snack areas, 2 speciality drink options and 6 well stocked bars. Each bar offers a wide choice of spectacular cocktails created by talented mixologists or you can order your favourite beers and wines.

No cruise is complete without a cocktail or two

Alredro’s Pizzeria, World Fresh Marketplace, Gong Cha, Crown Grill, Piazza Bar and Harmony Chinese Restaurant are just some of the great food venues.

Chefs preparing pizza at Alfredo’s

World Fresh Marketplace

Crown Grill

Majestic Princess

Harmony restaurant

In contrast to a bustling city holiday, a cruise offers an abundance of world-class dining options which elevates the cruising experience. You can choose anything from club sandwiches, cocktails, desserts, bubble tea, light snacks to multi course gourmet meals.

Tempura vegetables

Dessert trio

Would you like a glass of Chardonnay to go with that mouthwatering grilled fish?

Majestic Princess

Succulent Pork Belly

Majestic Princess

Lime Cheesecake

No matter what you are craving, whether you want to dress up or down, there is a variety of restaurants and bars to enjoy fresh, flavoursome cuisine everyday onboard. Dressing up is something you will want to do if you book the Chef’s Table Lumiere, the perfect culinary experience for to celebrate a special occasion. To begin your floating food tour the exquisite meal is preceded by a galley tour with champagne hosted by the Ship’s Executive Chef. Dinner is served at a dazzling table circular table surrounded by a glimmering curtain of light.

Our waiter Wildred removes the shrimp & lobster flesh from the shell

Chef’s Table Lumiere

Our personal favourites, indulging in sinfully delicious master chocolatier Norman Love’s decadent chocolate journeys dessert or dining at Alfredo’s Pizzeria, renown to be the best pizza at sea, being mesmerised as your hand-tossed pizza is prepared.

Norman Love creation, Chocolate Hazelnut creation with Citrus Cream

Another spectacular Norman Love creation from the Chocolate Journey

Alfredo’s, the best pizza at sea

Delicious pizza with a glass of wine

Finally, an all-time favourite on the cruise, traditional English afternoon tea in the Concerto dining room. With classic white-gloved service of savouries, elegant little sandwiches and rolls of cucumber, ham, tuna and chicken with custom blended tea. Coffee drinkers like myself were offered the option of coffee. The waiters frequently come past offering from trays with bite sized cakes, pastries and cookies.  Of course no afternoon tea would be complete without warm scones with jam and clotted cream. The experience is enhanced with beautiful music and the option of a flute of French champagne. Afternoon tea is an ideal option if you opt for late seating in the main dining room for dinner, especially on days when you return from a shore excursion where you haven’t stopped for lunch.

Cakes being served at High tea

Sandwiches and rolls at High tea

and more cakes during High tea

There are many lounges and bars onboard to suit every mood, whether it be to explore a refreshing cocktail while watching a beautiful sunset in the Wake View bar or champagne at Bellini’s while listening to some classical music. Another great option is Princess Grapevine where you can sample selected wines from renowned cellars in the Symphony dining room.

Majestic Princess

We enjoyed complimentary champagne and mimosas at the Captain’s Welcome Aboard Party and Champagne Waterfall. This event is the first formal night of the cruise and the Captain makes his welcome speech and introduces the Senior Officers.

Majestic Princess

We got to enjoy complimentary mimosas and champagne at the Captain’s welcome aboard party

Majestic features 13 dining options including two speciality restaurants with menus created by Michelin star chefs. La Mer, with three Michelin star Chef of the Year, Emmanuel Renaut is a modern French Bistro experience. For sophisticated Cantonese dishes with a modern twist Michelin star Chef Richard Chen’s speciality restaurant, Harmony offers a tantalising menu.

Two other cover charge restaurants onboard are the American style steak house, Crown Grill and the Lobster & Dim Sum Bar. We discovered it’s not just American style food served at Crown Grill when we enjoyed a traditional English pub lunch on a sea day. With choices of Fish n Chips with mushy peas, Bangers and Mash, Steak & Kidney Pie, Ploughman’s Lunch followed by Bread & Butter Pudding it offered all the English Pub favourites.

Crown Grill

Lobster & Dim Sum Bar is a great spot for lunch on the pool deck, as you watch a movie on the largest screen at sea eating mouth-watering lobster. There is a charge for the lobster and dim sum, but also available with no fee are mouth-watering burgers, hot dogs and chips. Nearby is Chopsticks Noodle Bar where each day they have different noodle soups and wok style noodle dishes. Wonton Noodle and Sweet & Sour were my favourites.

Lobster & Dim Sum Bar

Burger & Fries

Chopsticks Noodle Bar

Cruise food isn’t all fancy food. If comfort foods like bangers n mash, mac n cheese, pizza or even a few cookies is what you feel like then its not a problem. In fact a signature taste of Princess is warm, freshly baked cookies. With different flavours each day, the enticing aroma of straight from the oven cookies waft through the atrium every afternoon.

Swirls offers vanilla or chocolate soft serve ice cream and salted popcorn to be enjoyed while watching movies under the stars. In addition passengers can enjoy Chinese bubble milk tea at Gong Cha.

Swirls for soft serve ice cream

Majestic Princess

Located in the Piazza is the International Café, open 24 hours a day offering a wide selection of small snacks, treats and gourmet beverages. The café caters for freshly baked croissants, pies and quiches, a wide variety of salads, sandwiches, paninis and decadent desserts.

International Cafe

Cafe Latte

World Fresh Marketplace is carefree and casual serving ever changing breakfast, lunch and dinner flavours. At separate food stations from around the world the variety includes Chinese food at a wok station, Mediterranean dishes, a specialty pasta counter, farmer’s market salads and fruits. At the East meets West street food counter comfort food like French crepes, German sausages, and Asian Satay and noodles can be savoured. This is no old style buffet and even has a Bakery serving freshly made breads and pastries. You can also help yourself to complimentary tea, coffee, hot chocolate and lemon drink.

An abundance of fresh fruit is always available

Self serve beverage station

When we booked our cruise we opted for the upscale atmosphere of traditional late dining and were allocated to the elegant Allegro dining room. At our set table, served by the same waiters each evening our tastebuds were indulged with starters, soups, salads, main courses and desserts. It is truly an exceptional dining experience where you feel like every meal has been especially prepared, just for you. In the dining room you can order any combination of entrees, mains, desserts, etc. So if you want two entrees followed by dessert, no problem. And if you order wine by the bottle they will label and save remainder for consumption another night.

Tables in the Main Dining Room

Chicken and vegetable stack

Crispy Pork Belly

All food is prepared and cooked fresh onboard and the menus carefully created four weeks prior to sailing so as to confirm the number and demographic of the passengers. Of course the menu also takes into account local and seasonal foods that are loaded onboard at select ports and utilising more perishable foods earlier in the cruise. The captivating cuisine is beautifully presented, zesty appetisers, delectable seafood and signature pastas. Menus included tasty soups and healthy, crisp colourful salads. The choices are endless, traditional European dishes, Asian specialties, healthy options, comfort foods from home or satisfying your sweet tooth with the decadent desserts and gormandises. How you choose to end your meal is also up to you. You can choose a fruit platter or cheese board while sipping a port, if you have any room left.

Seafood cocktail

Beef Stroganoff

Norman Love creation Chocolate Pistachio Dome

Gormandises

What a way to finish a meal. Pears with blue cheese and walnuts

To ensure you’ll be eating like a king the chefs work around the clock and are busy day and night baking, grilling and sautéing great tasting food. Dining rooms serve new choices daily, so if you’re in the mood for an adventurous local flavour, a signature pasta or are in the mood for a traditional favourite, Princess chefs cater to a wide variety of tastes. All the meals are served by waiters who make the dining experience something truly special.

Escargot

Silky smooth ravioli

Napolean Rhubarb and Nectarine Ice Cream

Princess is committed to having you come back new, what is equally appropriate is you’ll come back indulged. The meals are surely one of the most memorable parts of each guest’s cruise experience.

Surf & Turf

Mac n Cheese

 

Chocolate & Caramel Tart with Almond Nougatine part of Normal Love’s Chocolate Journey

Majestic Princess

With all this wonderful food the stairs will soon become your best friend

Where would you want to enjoy your first onboard meal? Would you book a meal in the speciality restaurant?

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*All opinions and photos are our own and we were not financially compensated for this post in any way.

12 Responses

  1. eatfrysmith says:

    Great food tour!!! Your photos make me so hungry. I wanna try some of them <3
    eatfrysmith recently posted…The 7 Best Pellet Smoker Reviews & Guide 2019My Profile

  2. Food onboard the Majestic Princess sounds amazing with over 20 restaurants. These pictures have made me really hungry can’t wait to experience this royal treatment.
    Rashmi and Chalukya recently posted…The 10 Most Beautiful Buildings in Budapest HungaryMy Profile

  3. Ugh…I secretly hate you right now cause I am on my post vacation/pre-holiday diet!! Did you say there is a Lobster & Dim Sum Lunch bar???? All that unbelievable food! Cruising is my sinful pleasure as I tend to become very glutonous onboard and dive into all the various seafood. Love all that you guys had and that prawn looked gigantic.
    However, I think what would be my #1 guilty pleasure is all those chocolate desserts…heck, I would swab the deck for an extra week of just desserts!
    Eric || The Bucket List Project recently posted…10 Things to do in Cologne (Köln) GermanyMy Profile

    • Lyn says:

      Haha I won’t take it personally Eric. Yes, there is Lobster & Dim Sum open most of the day. I have to say there wasn’t a dessert I tried that didn’t impress me.

  4. Connie Reed says:

    Wow, all of that food looks soooo good.

  5. A very nice post Lyn! All of the food from different restaurants you photographed looks so so delicious. I would really love to dress up and try the Chef’s table and try their scrumptious dishes. Plus the mouthwatering lobster while you’re watching on a big screen. Agghh indeed relaxing.
    Evan Kristine recently posted…Top Tourist Attractions in the USA (Destinations to Visit in Different States)My Profile

    • Lyn says:

      Yes one day I’d like to dress up and book a seat at the Chef’s table. I didn’t try the lobster, but it did look delicious.

  1. […] have to say the food onboard a cruise ship is amazing, but a word of warning on the coffee. If you don’t want to […]

  2. […] you may want to pack trousers with drawstring or elastic waist and tops that aren’t too fitted as desserts are a plenty onboard. Lots of people do pack their gym clothes and take them home again unused. […]

  3. […] You can also read about our time on the cruise in our articles Onboard Majestic Princess and Gastronomy at sea with a Floating food tour. […]

  4. […] caters well for the discerning palate. Despite catering for a much smaller clientele than an ocean cruise the quality, presentation and choices are excellent. The food is prepared to perfections and it […]

  5. […] is the food. And I have to say the Majestic Princess does not disappoint. With an array of delicious food to satisfy any palate and appetite, we could choose from decadent western cuisine to mouth watering […]

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