Princess Cruises Specialty Dining

What is Specialty Dining? For the first-time cruisers out there, cruises have certain dining venues included, and others are considered “specialty” where you’ll pay a cover charge for a prix fixe menu at that particular venue. For my first cruise, I didn’t even think about going to a specialty restaurant: I felt like I was paying for all of these other restaurants as part of the cruise fee and those should be good enough. I wasn’t wrong - the included food is great! However, the more cruises I went on, the more I started to venture into specialty dining. Here are a few of my favorites on Princess! 

Alfredo's is considered casual specialty dining on Princess ships, which means there is a cover charge. For your meal, you'll get an appetizer, entree, and dessert. Alfredo's serves personal sized pizzas made-to-order. I typically start with the Insalata Mista, which is a fresh green salad, and helps me feel less guilty about eating pizza later in the meal. I've sampled several of the specialty pizzas and haven't had a bad one! Finishing the meal with the tiramisu is a great way to wrap up your lunch or dinner. Alfredo’s (also called Gigi’s Pizzeria on some ships) is available on Discovery, Enchanted, Grand, Majestic, Regal, Royal, Sapphire, Sky, and Sun Princess

Crown Grill is the steak and seafood specialty dining venue and is not to be missed! The service is top-notch; it’s easy to forget that you’re on a cruise ship and not at a fancy steakhouse on land. Going to a seafood establishment is always a little risky for me because I have a serious shellfish allergy, but the staff expertly cared for my allergy and made modifications to my order to ensure I was taken care of. I love a good french onion soup, and their “black and blue” onion soup is to die for! I ordered the Chilean Sea Bass (modified, because it comes with prawns, which I can’t eat) and it was excellent. Truly, I had trouble deciding between several dishes so I can’t wait to go back on my next voyage and try something new! Crown Grill is available on Caribbean, Crown, Discovery, Emerald, Enchanted, Grand, Majestic, Regal, Royal, Ruby, Sky, and Sun Princess. 

Ocean Terrace Sushi is a sushi bar available on some ships and serves a prix fixe menu consisting of edamame, a salad, and your choice of nigiri or a roll. It’s wonderful for a fresh, quick meal while overlooking the piazza on the ship. I was so surprised at the quality of the sushi while on board! Ocean Terrance is available on the Discovery, Enchanted,  Regal, Royal, Sky, and Sun Princess.

Sabatini’s is my favorite speciality dining restaurant on the Princess fleet. Between the fabulous wine selections to the freshly prepared pasta, it’s a great date night on the ship. I’ll start my meal with a ribollita (a traditional Tuscan soup), and then await the arnachini (balls of rice that are deep fried). My grandmother used to make these when I was little so it brings me back to her kitchen. All of the pastas are made daily and the love the chefs put into the food truly shows on the plate. I can’t recommend Sabatini’s highly enough!  Sabatini’s is available on the Caribbean, Coral, Crown, Diamond, Discovery, Emerald, Enchanted, Grand Island, Regal, Royal, Ruby, Sapphire, Sky and Sun Princess.

There are so many other venues to try while on board! Because each ship is unique, the dining possibilities are endless! I was skeptical of specialty dining prior to my first cruise, wondering “I’m spending all of this money and meals are included, why spend additional money on these restaurants?” I wasn’t wrong - you can absolutely go on a cruise and never go to a specialty dining restaurant and not miss out. But the bottom line is if you’re looking for a special date night or an upgraded dining experience, give one of these restaurants a try; you won’t be disappointed!

Interested in booking a cruise and trying some of these options yourself? Contact me today to learn more!

(Please note that the information listed is current as of the date of publication)