The World of Cruising team has been lucky enough to try most – if not all – of the amazing restaurants from Princess Cruises. And while top-notch dining is a given on most cruises these days, Princess Cruises certainly excels at it.
For this article, each team member picked their absolute favourite to reveal what they love most about it.
Did you know? The Princess Premier package includes unlimited dining at all speciality venues on board. If you’re a proper foodie, the package – which also includes drinks, Wi-Fi, OceanNow delivery and gratuities – makes a lot of sense. The package costs from £80 per person per day on Sun Princess and Star Princess, and from £75 per person per day on all other ships.
Crown Grill
Picked by Raphael Giacardi, head of content
This American steakhouse is one of Princess Cruises' best-loved speciality restaurants, and one that I always make sure to visit at least once on my sailings. The good news is that Crown Grill is on all of Princess Cruises' 17 ships, so I'm sure never to miss out.
What makes Crown Grill so special in my eyes? Of course, it helps that I am a big fan of steakhouses to start with. Restaurants like The Hawksmoor are places I frequent often. And if there were a Crown Grill on land, I'd visit it regularly too.
The selection of steaks is excellent, including a couple of bone-in cuts and a surf-and-turf option. All steaks are served with a selection of three salts on the side: Hawaiian black salt, smoked applewood salt and Himalayan pink salt. These are the small details that elevate the experience.
The sides are equally delicious and include many steakhouse classics, such as creamed spinach, mashed potatoes, sautéed mushrooms and parmesan fries.
Seafood has a big place on the menu too. Dishes such as the chilled jumbo prawns, colossal lump crab cakes, Chilean sea bass and lobster tail are all worth exploring.
But enough talking, let me whet your appetite. Here's my go-to order at Crown Grill. First, the Sour Cherry cocktail, a sour-style gin-based concoction with Campari, sweet vermouth, lemon and cherry, sipped while snacking on the bread selection.
To start, the lobster bisque, paired with a crisp sauvignon blanc. Then, the bone-in rib-eye, a Goodstock by Nolan Ryan cut, washed down with a Californian pinot noir. And the key lime pie bar to finish.
Crown Grill, available on all Princess Cruises ships, cover charge from $55 per person (supplements apply on certain dishes)
Ocean Terrace Sushi
Picked by Jack Carter, group editor
I’ve always been a touch sceptical at the thought of ordering sushi on a cruise ship. Of the international array of cuisines available on board, surely sushi – with its artistry and distinct ingredients – would be the hardest to get right at sea.
This is what was running through my head when I grabbed a stool at the counter of Majestic Princess’ Ocean Terrace Sushi Bar last April. However, it took only one look at the counter for me to know I was in safe hands.
Surveying row upon row of neatly stacked sushi, I spied everything from caviar-flecked uramaki and hand-rolled nigiri to raw tuna sashimi, all of which had been masterfully prepared by the restaurant’s Itamae.
While seasoned sushi eaters can have a fine time going hog wild on the whole lot (with most varieties priced at $5 each), those struggling with choice paralysis will be pleased to find a set menu.
After devouring generously portioned starters of chilled edamame and seaweed salad, Ocean Terrace Sushi Bar’s greatest hits began to arrive. There was a platter of salmon, tuna and shrimp nigiri and a spicy tuna aburi roll, as well as the usual accompaniments of pickled vegetables, wasabi and soy sauce, and I couldn’t leave without trying the four-piece sashimi combo, with the fresh scallop stealing the show.
What I appreciated most about Princess’ Ocean Terrace Sushi Bar was the simplicity of the preparation. Great sushi is all about minimal intervention and bringing natural flavours to life through expert craftsmanship. After a hint of doubt, I can honestly say that the sushi aboard Majestic Princess is truly a cut above.
Ocean Terrace Sushi, available on Discovery Princess, Enchanted Princess, Majestic Princess, Regal Princess, Royal Princess and Sky Princess, menu items priced individually (set menu, $14.99).
The Catch by Rudi
Picked by Amaris Proctor, digital content producer
One of my most memorable meals at sea was here, on an Alaska sailing aboard Discovery Princess. I remember looking up mid-course and watching a growler drift past the window. Not the sort of experience you get at a land-based restaurant.
The Catch by Rudi is Princess Cruises' seafood restaurant, found on six ships (Discovery Princess, Enchanted Princess, Majestic Princess, Sky Princess, Star Princess and Sun Princess), with a menu designed by Rudi Sodamin, the line's head of culinary arts.
To start, I always go for the shrimp on the rocks, served on ice with a horseradish cocktail sauce. On some ships they bring it out in a metal bowl balanced across the tentacles of a metal octopus, which makes me smile every time it lands on the table.
The lump crabcake is another favourite, with a caramelised mustard hollandaise that I could happily eat on its own, and the mussels Provençale, in a broth of white wine, cream, tomatoes and garlic, are another highlight.
For the main, I nearly always order the sole à la minute. It's a whole Dover sole, meunière-style, filleted right at the table by the waitstaff. There's a $20 supplement for it, but I enjoy watching it prepared almost as much as eating it. If I'm not in the mood for fish, the surf and turf, a filet mignon with lobster tail, is a reliable fallback, and the linguine with clams and seafood is a lighter option.
The sides do their job extremely well too: ratatouille, garden greens, cauliflower puree, roasted fingerling potatoes and parmesan fries.
And to finish, it must be the crêpes Suzette, flambéed tableside with vanilla ice cream melting into it. The wine list holds its own too, with enough range to find something different for each course if you're that way inclined.
The Catch by Rudi, available on Discovery Princess, Enchanted Princess, Majestic Princess, Sky Princess, Star Princess and Sun Princess, cover charge from $55 per person (supplements apply on certain dishes; additional mains $15).
360: An Extraordinary Experience
Picked by Josie Klein, deputy editor
Princess Cruises calls its experiential dining venues a step beyond a normal speciality restaurant: part meal, part theatre, and built around a story rather than a menu. 360: An Extraordinary Experience is all that and more: a seven-course dinner for a small group (no more than 20 guests) held in a room wrapped in screens that carry you through the Mediterranean. Projected scenes provide a different backdrop linked to the countries associated with the dishes on the menu.
The menu itself isn't published in advance. Princess Cruises wants 360 to retain an element of mystery that catches diners off guard. I'd honestly recommend not looking anything up beforehand if you can help it – the surprise is part of the joy.
There’s a sense of playfulness to the evening. The table itself becomes part of the show at every stop on the journey, so you're not simply watching projections; you're interacting with them. During the Greek course, you're invited to smash a plate that's been projected in front of you. Watching my fellow diners bashing their fists or spoons on the table to honour the Greek tradition had me giggle.
While I’ll keep details of the dishes secret, I’ll let you in on one little detail – my favourite. At some point in the evening, they bring out a Spanish red called Elix Sea, which spent six months ageing on the seabed. The bottles come up covered in barnacles – fascinating.
360: An Extraordinary Experience is only available on two ships. And with the small capacity and limited number of sittings, this venue is a hot ticket. If you’re interested, booking early is highly recommended.
360: An Extraordinary Experience, available on Discovery Princess and Enchanted Princess, $149 per person, wine and champagne pairings included. As an experiential venue, 360 is not included in the Princess Premier Package.
The Butcher's Block by Dario
Picked by Will Payne, editor
If you enjoy a show with your dinner, The Butcher's Block by Dario should be on your speciality dining wish list. But instead of acrobats and singalongs, its expert butchers parade cuts of meat between tables while taking you through the step-by-step process of how each steak was chosen, produced and prepared ahead of your tasting experience.
The restaurant is built around Dario Cecchini, an eighth-generation butcher from Panzano in Chianti, Tuscany, whose family have practised the trade since the 1700s. He's known internationally as the "world's most famous butcher", featured on Netflix's Chef's Table, and built his reputation on a whole-animal philosophy that uses every cut. Princess Cruises brought him on board to design a menu that reflects that heritage.
Each course is delivered and prepared tableside, with enough cuts of steak to last you a lifetime. You can ask for as much or as little as you'd like, and don't worry about getting the sides and wine pairings correct either, as the team of chefs and sommeliers behind the restaurant do that for you. Dishes include beef tartare, rump roast carpaccio, Cecchini signature cuts and T-bone steak, with sides such as Tuscan beans, baked potatoes and Chianti beef butter.
The décor is akin to an Italian chop house, with dark oak panelling, thick leather furnishings and artwork depicting Mediterranean dairy farms. To round off your meal in style, and if you have the space, go for the olive oil cake. The rich, creamy texture is a welcome change of pace after the main dishes.
The Butcher's Block by Dario, available on Sun Princess and Star Princess, $60-per-person cover charge.
Tips for making the most of dining with Princess Cruises
- Check each ship’s selection of restaurants before booking: While staples like Crown Grill are present on every ship, other venues can only be found on select ships.
- For maximum choice, opt for Sphere Class ships: If variety of dining options is key, Star Princess and Sun Princess have the most in the fleet.
- Book speciality dining on the Princess Cruises app before departures: Tables can and will sell out – by planning, you guarantee a chance to experience your favourite restaurants.
- Consider purchasing the Princess Premier package: Unlimited speciality dining is such a treat.
- Go beyond our list: each of us picked our absolute favourite – but many other venues could have made the list. There is, genuinely, no weak link in the line-up.
To discover the full range of dining venues, visit the Princess Cruises website.
*All menus and wine list are subject to change and supplied for illustrative purposes only.
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