In recent years, cruise ships have not only grown in size but also in the incredible variety of restaurants they offer. I remember my first cruise with MSC in 2007; there was basically only one restaurant at night, and that was it. Nowadays? Seriously, you can find far more restaurants on a cruise than in a shopping mall.
However, dining on a cruise ship raises many questions. Is everything complimentary? What do I have to pay for? Are there plenty of options like seafood, Japanese restaurants, and pasta? Does Princess Cruises have a main dining room? Let's delve into some of the most popular questions and topics.
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Dietary Needs
You can submit your customized dietary needs to Princess before your cruise by using the Princess app. Log in to your cruise on the Cruise Personalizer. Select "Check-in" at the top of the page. Under "Guest Check-in Status" for the specific passenger, select "Dietary Requests." Fill in the information, and then select "Send Dietary Restriction."
When you are on the ship, it's also a good idea to speak to a head waiter at your first lunch or dinner in the MDR. Confirm that the cruise received your request, and explain your dietary restrictions to them if necessary.
Dress Code
Princess Cruise Line does have a dress code.
During the day, guests are encouraged to dress casually, and they can wear almost anything, including shorts and simple t-shirts.
In the evening, guests are required to wear pants or jeans in the Main Dining Room and specialty restaurants. Collared shirts, tailored pants or shorts, skirts, and dresses are recommended.
Room Service
Guests with the Princess Plus and Princess Premier packages enjoy OceanNow and room service delivery at no extra charge. Otherwise, there is a $5 charge for all room service deliveries, except for breakfast items ordered using the door hanger provided in your room each day.
Does Princess Cruise Line have a Main Dining Room?
Yes, Princess Cruises does have a Main Dining Room. In fact, at the time of this writing, Princess is even updating how the Main Dining Rooms operate across the fleet, offering traditional, reservable, or walk-in anytime service.
This change happens thanks to Sun Princess, considered nowadays as the most hyped Princess Cruise in the entire fleet. The Sun Princess debuted a three-story dining room called Horizons, with one floor dedicated to traditional dining, another with a flexible reservation and a third for anytime walk-ins.
Starting this past June, passengers have been able to use the app before their trip to choose between traditional seating in a dedicated dining room - with the same waiter, the same table, and the same time each night - or flexible dining, allowing them to dine at any available time and table size of their choosing in either the reservable or open seating dining rooms.
That said, every Princess Cruise has at least one Main Dining Room. Even ships with multiple Main Dining Rooms offer the same menu. If you’ve paid more for a Reserve Collection Suite (formerly Club Class suites), you’ll have access to a separate dining venue with a larger menu, dedicated wait staff, and tableside preparations.
Restaurants & food aboard Princess Cruise Line
The food at Princess Cruises is generally considered… fine. That’s basically the word that most guests use when they talk about the Main Dining Room and the included food onboard. “It’s okay”. “It’s good”. “It’s fine, but nothing special”. Some specialty restaurants like Crown Grill get awesome reviews but, if we are talking about the complimentary options, they’re mostly serviceable.
Buffet aboard Princess Cruise Line
We did mention that the food was fine, right? Well, guess what, friends: the buffet is… fine! The buffet aboard Princess Cruises, known as the Horizon Court, Horizon Bistro, or World Fresh Marketplace, is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It features most of what you’d expect from a cruise line buffet - salads, snacks, desserts, meat, and so on. It doesn’t offer an extensive (and delicious) menu like Celebrity Cruises, but it gets the job done.
As always, the buffet is typically packed during breakfast, so if you want a peaceful start to your day, consider having breakfast in one of the Main Dining Rooms.
The buffet is open from 5am all the way to midnight.
International Café
Looking for a place that's actually open 24 hours? The International Café isn’t exactly a buffet, nor is it a full-fledged restaurant. It’s more of a kiosk offering food options for those who want a quick bite without facing long lines. I like to call it the “emergency food option”. They typically offer a variety of pre-made sandwiches, croissants, muffins, quiches, and salads. All the food options here are free, with the exception of some specialty coffee.
Ultimate Balcony Dining
Remember when I mentioned that the food aboard Princess Cruises is mostly fine? Well, here’s an option that offers not just great food, but an even better atmosphere!
The Ultimate Balcony Dining is exactly that - a special, paid option available to guests in veranda cabins and above. A private staff member will set up breakfast or dinner on your veranda for two, allowing you to experience a romantic moment with your significant other that will last a lifetime… or at least until you try the Ultimate Balcony Dining again.
The Ultimate Balcony Dining gets excellent reviews from basically anyone online. You get a private butler that even brings a larger table for your veranda, sets up flowers and is ready to serve you for the duration of your (very special) meal.
There are two types of Ultimate Balcony Dining:
- Breakfast (costs $45 per couple): You'll enjoy sparkling wine, specialty pastries, fresh fruits, smoked salmon, and a generous selection of juices, tea, and coffee.
- Dinner (costs $100 per couple): You'll enjoy cocktails prepared right in your cabin, a romantic atmosphere with flowers, and a four-course meal featuring dishes like filet mignon and lobster.
Specialty Restaurants aboard Princess Cruise Line
The Best Restaurants aboard Princess Cruise Line
Crown Grill
- Type: steakhouse, paid, smart casual, dinner.
- Available on: Sun Princess, Caribbean, Crown, Discovery, Emerald, Enchanted, Grand, Majestic, Regal, Royal, Ruby, Sky.
- Price: $39 per guest
Every cruise line has its signature steakhouse, and Princess Cruises is no exception. The good news is that their signature steakhouse receives great reviews, with guests agreeing that it’s one of the best specialty restaurants onboard. Cruise Critic even ranked it among the 6 best steakhouses at sea!
Crown Grill has a fixed price of $39 USD per person, which includes a choice of 1 starter, 1 main course, and 1 dessert. Additional main courses can be added for $10.
Sabatini
- Type: Italian, paid, smart casual, dinner
- Available on: Sun Princess, Caribbean, Coral, Crown, Diamond, Discovery, Emerald, Enchanted, Grand, Island, Regal, Royal, Ruby, Sapphire, Sky.
- Price: $35 per guest
Che Bello! Sabatini’s is a very intimate and romantic Italian restaurant found on several Princess ships. The cost for Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria is $35 per person and includes one selection from each course: starter, antipasti, first main dish, second main dish, and dessert. Yep, as a true Italian restaurant, you get to eat a lot! Some special items might incur an additional charge of $10-$15.
The Ultimate Balcony Dining
- Type: international, paid, casual, breakfast, dinner.
- Available on: Fleetwide for balcony staterooms
- Price: $45 per couple (breakfast); $100 per couple (dinner)
Shhh, I’m talking about the Ultimate Balcony Dining experience again - don’t tell anyone! I have to rank this as one of the best dining experiences aboard Princess Cruises for two key reasons: first, the food is delicious with plenty of options. Second, it’s a unique and innovative offering that is incredibly romantic, something you simply can’t replicate on any other cruise line.
If you’re traveling with the love of your life, you must try the Ultimate Balcony Dining. Breakfast is a good option, but dinner takes it to another level. Be sure to book it before your trip and choose a special date to enjoy a meal on your own private veranda.
More Specialty Restaurants aboard Princess Cruise Line
Here is a list of the other specialty restaurants available aboard Princess Cruises:
- Love by Britto (international)
- Chef's Table/Chef's Table Lumiere (international)
- Alfredo's Pizzeria (pizza)
- Slice (pizza)
- Burger & Hot Dog Grill (american)
- Chopsticks Noodle Bar (asian)
- Kai Sushi (sushi)
- Ocean Terrace Sushi (sushi)
- Umai Teppanyaki (teppanyaki)
- Harmony (chinese)
- O'Malley's Irish Pub (pub)
- Planks BBQ (BBQ)
- Salty Dog Gastropub (american)
- Salty Dog Grille/Cafe (snacks)
- Steamers Seafood (seafood)
- Crab Shack (seafood)
- Bayou Cafe & Steakhouse (steaks & seafood)
- Churrascaria Brazilian Grill (steakhouse)
- Sterling Steakhouse (steakhouse)
- The Butcher's Block by Dario (steakhouse)
Princess Cruise Line Drink Packages
Princess Cruises offers four different drink packages: two alcoholic and two non-alcoholic. They are:
- Princess Plus Package (starting at $60 per day, per guest)
- Princess Premier Package (starting at $80 per day, per guest)
- Classic Soda Package ($15 per day, per guest)
- Zero-Alcohol Package ($30 per day, per guest)
Note that you can only purchase the alcoholic drink packages if you buy them before your trip or within the first two days of your cruise, and choose either the Princess Plus or Princess Premier package.
These packages also include other perks like free Wi-Fi, which can be a great way to save money, especially if you rely heavily on Wi-Fi (as I do). However, it’s a bit disappointing that standalone drink packages aren’t available.
Princess Plus Drink Package & Perks
Price: starting at $60 per day, per guest
These are the perks included with Princess Plus:
- Wi-Fi (1 device per guest)
- Gratuities
- Plus Beverage Package (drinks up to $15 each)
- Unlimited juice bar
- Premium desserts (2 per day)
- Fitness classes (2 per cruise)
- 2 casual dining meals per guest
- OceanNow delivery (orders placed through the app that are delivered to wherever you are, including your stateroom)
- Room service
Princess Premier Drink Package & Perks
Price: starting at $80 per day, per guest
These are the perks included with Princess Premier:
- Wi-Fi (up to 4 devices per guest)
- Gratuities
- Premier Beverage Package (drinks up to $20 each)
- Unlimited juice bar
- Premium desserts (unlimited)
- Fitness classes (unlimited)
- Photo package (unlimited digital + 3 prints)
- Princess Prizes
- 2 specialty dining meals per guest
- Reserved theater seating (for production shows only)
- Unlimited casual dining meals (enjoy top-quality culinary options at no additional charge)
- OceanNow delivery (orders placed through the app that are delivered to wherever you are, including your stateroom)
- Room service
Classic Soda Package
- Price: $15 per day, per guest
This package includes all sodas, fruit juices, mocktails, and smoothies. It’s a great option for those who enjoy soda but aren’t interested in coffee or energy drinks. It’s also a popular choice for young children.
Zero-Alcohol Package
- Price: $30 per day, per guest
Enjoy premium and specialty coffees and teas, along with sodas, fresh juices, and healthy smoothies. This package also includes hot chocolate, "zero-proof" mocktails, bottled water, San Pellegrino, Evian, and Red Bull Energy Drinks. It’s the perfect choice for those who love soda and need their daily dose of caffeine.
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