Casual dining versus specialty dining versus experiential dining

I see a lot of questions from cruisers asking what it means when their new Plus or Premier package says they get casual dining and/or specialty dining included. 

On the Sun Princess, this is the breakdown of what restaurants are considered Casual, Specialty, and Experiential. A casual dining venue offers a prix fixe menu for a smaller cover charge of $14.95 that includes an appetizer, main entree, and dessert. There is also an a la carte option if you want to just get one of the courses. Specialty restaurants have a larger cover charge but allow you to choose from whatever you like on the menu. The only exceptions are if you want an upcharge item (like a certain cut of steak) or a secondary main entree. They do not limit you to ordering only one appetizer or dessert. Experiential dining is the most expensive option and usually have more of a presentation element. For the Sun Princess, these venues include Spellbound and Love by Britto. 

The casual dining options on the Sun Princess are Alfredo's Pizzeria and O'Malleys Irish Pub. Alfredo's Pizzeria recently added a list of pizza flavors to the menu due to a partnership with Tony Gemignani. Each of these pizzas cost an extra $12 even if you have casual dining included or pay the cover charge outright. Our shoreside concierge Thor told us that Tony's pizza flavors would be included if we chose them as our main and not a regular pizza. Unfortunately, the waiter at Alfredo's said that wasn't the case and that is the answer that seems to be consistently reported by other cruisers. Another drawback is that we used to be able to order our own pizza combination with any of the toppings on hand. Now, we were not allowed to order sausage because our waiter said the sausage was only for the Tony Gemignani pizza flavors. 

The Pizza Pepperoni - mozzarella, pepperoni, crushed red pepper, and oregano. 

This dining experience was one of the most disappointing dining experiences of the trip. We arrived around 2PM after being on a tour and was seated quickly. There was two other tables dining at this time and they both were nearly through with their meal. We both ordered sodas and welcomed the water. We also each opted to skip the appetizer course and both requested pepperoni pizzas. Not once did our drinks get refilled. Our pizzas were delivered by our waiter who then announced that he would be going on break and someone else would be taking over. In our past experience thus far onboard, when a crew member goes on their well deserved break, they introduce their replacement before leaving. This waiter would only keep repeating that we'd have to ask someone else for anything else we wanted and then walked away. I wonder if perhaps no one knew this waiter was headed off to his break because we never saw anyone else approach our table for the rest of our meal. We tried to get the attention of other servers but they looked over and kept on walking past. We next tried to get the attention of a manager who was milling around but he only talked to the last remaining table and then chatted with his colleagues at the check in desk. After finishing our pizzas and the last of our single drinks, we walked out without getting to order the dessert Dad wanted. I was surprised that not a single one of the crew standing around chatting bothered to acknowledge us or question why we were leaving before our meal was finished. We chose to not return but saw several other cruiser's using the space and reviewing it highly. I've heard of a lack of and delay in service when the place is busy but it was ridiculous to have that experience when you're literally the only diners left in the venue. 

The other casual dining option on the Sun Princess is O'Malley's, their Irish Pub concept. Throughout the first week onboard, we routinely stopped by the pub in hopes of dining there. It was always packed with a line out the door. One of the tips past cruisers have given is to show up an hour before food service starts and just hold the table to get the chance to dine there. 

This is the more limiting lunch menu compared to the dinner menu. It seems they use this same menu for offering limited options after 9PM.

On turnaround/embarkation day of the second week, we decided to try and beat the crowds altogether by heading to O'Malley's for lunch. We managed to get a booth by the window in an almost empty pub. We asked the bar waiter if they were open yet just before 11AM. He told us we could only order drinks for food service didn't start until noon. We ordered two sodas and they came relatively quickly. By the time noon rolled around, a couple other tables of people had found their way to the pub. It took quite a bit to get our server's attention again to let him know we wanted to order food. 

The pub started to fill up while we waited for our food order. We ordered the O'Malley's O'nion Stack and the Hot Crab and Artichoke Dip from the Starters section to share. We ordered the Bushmills Blue Burger from the Mains section for each of us. To finish off  we ordered both the Boozy Brownie and the Irish Apple Cake to try from the Afters section. 

The O'Malley's O'nion Stack - flash fried for the ultimate crunch. Served with horseradish-ranch dipping sauce. It came with about six onion rings so if you have a bigger group you may want to order two.

The Hot Crab and Artichoke Dip - creamy, cheesy, and served with breadsticks for dipping. The breadsticks were more like giant croutons made with crusty bread. The serving size is pretty small so I'd order more if you have more than two people dining. 

How did that Bushmills Blue Burger and desserts taste you ask? We wouldn't know because they never came! We asked our server for drink refills for both of us when the starters arrived and only Dad got his refill. We continued to wait as the pub filled up. Once we started seeing our server bringing food to tables that had arrived after us, we asked about our order. It took some real effort to even get his attention because he would walk by on his way back from a nearby table, react to show he'd heard our query, and then walk away again without a word in response. Other times he'd actually stop and insist our order was coming. After an hour and a half after getting the starters had passed with no other food, we finally went to him at the bar to ask. When we mentioned how long we'd been waiting, he finally changed his answer from "It's coming" to "I haven't put in the order yet." The first diners in the pub and you haven't even put in our order yet? Or was this another case of accidentally giving our order that had been ready an hour ago to someone else? We decided not to wait any longer and told the server we were leaving. 

Later that day we did share this misstep with Ivan and he was so apologetic. He offered to arrange another dining experience to replace it suggesting Love by Britto but we didn't think the food and theme was something we'd enjoy. Ivan joked that we didn't have to be a romantic couple to dine there because after all he'd eaten there with a fellow crew member and friend. Looking back, I should have asked if we could get the burgers delivered to the suite bypassing the overwhelmed servers and chefs. Don't know if that would fall under the "isn't included if you eat it outside the restaurant" rule.

Flash forward to a few days later when we received a knock at our cabin door. At the door is a crew member who hands us a plate of chocolates and a note that says "Please accept this as a token of our sincere apologies for the inconvenience that you may have experienced. From Room Service Team." Now, forgive my naivete, but when I saw this note, I thought it was the Room Service Team apologizing for some issue. I was baffled because we'd had no issue with the Room Service Team. I stopped into the Suite Lounge to ask the Suite Concierge Gerardo (Ivan was not there at the time) if he knew what the note was referencing. He looked it up in the system and told me that it was due to a mistake in room service. Through the conversation, he suggested I'd had a problem with a burger ordered through room service. I told him that the one time we'd used room service it went great and that we didn't even order a burger then. Finally it clicked when Gerardo used the menu name of Bushmills Blue Burger. Apology chocolates for not getting 2/3rds of our meal at O'Malley's. 

What's better than food? Included food!

 "One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." - Virginia Woolf

Grab some free popcorn bags set out each evening for Movies Under the Stars by the outdoor pool and settle in for this lengthy rundown.

While there are several restaurant venues on the Sun Princess that require an extra charge (unless you have a package), there is a handful of options that do not cost anything beyond the standard cruise fare. The two standard options you'll find on any Princess ship is the buffet (known on Sun Princess as The Eatery) and the Main Dining Room (MDR). While the buffet will serve food for all three meals of the day and late night snacks, the MDR will only be open for lunch on sea days. Also make sure to check the daily schedule as oftentimes breakfast hours will start and end earlier in the MDR if it's a port day. 

The Eatery on Sun Princess is unique in that it was from the start designed to be crew served only. There are some sections with grab and go items if you'd like to avoid waiting in line. Sun Princess has upped their buffet game also by arranging the options by themed stations. No theme of the day menu affecting all stations but rather tons of choices where you could sample Asian food one day and Italian food the next or decide to eat Asian food every day if you wanted. 

The MDR is split into three levels based on how you prefer to dine. The Soleil dining room on Deck 6 is more for those who enjoy the traditional dining experience. You have either an early or later set dining time every night with the same table and same wait staff. The Eclipse dining room on Deck 7 is for those cruisers who prefer the convenience of dining whenever they want within operating hours. Want to catch the later show that evening? Dine early this evening. Getting back from a long excursion the next day and want time to relax and freshen up? Dine later in the evening. You may not have the same table and same wait staff but there's no requirement to show up at a certain time every night. Lastly, on Deck 8 is the Sanctuary Restaurant which is the main dining room exclusively for those in the Sanctuary Collection cabins.

I noticed that after we were checked in at the Sanctuary Restaurant enjoying our meal, it created a reservation on my medallion app schedule.

The Sanctuary Restaurant menus on the Sun Princess differed slightly from Reserve (formerly known as Club Class) dining on older ships. Other ships offer the same exact menu as the main dining room with an addition of a dish or two that your wait staff will tell you each night. On the Sun Princess, you'll find that it's more a slight variation in various dishes plus some extras. For example, a steak will come with lobster ravioli where it'll only be the steak in the other MDRs. Also, the Princess Favorites (Always Available, Princess Classics) section always includes the prime rib trolley whereas that may only be one night out of the voyage in the other MDRs. 

Sanctuary Club Manager Marius stopped by to say hello and meet Prince S. Prince S says "Thanks for the lift!"

I enjoyed the opportunity to chat with several of the Sanctuary Collection crew during our meals. It was great to hear that Princess welcomes their feedback and ideas. I look forward to seeing the ideas go into effect like ordering more tableside trolleys so they can go back to offering tableside preparation for more than just prime rib. Another suggested idea that I found intriguing was the proposal of allowing Sanctuary Collection passengers to order specialty restaurant dishes while dining in the Sanctuary Restaurant. All specialty restaurants are currently included if you have Premier 90 which all Sanctuary Collection cabins get upgraded to for booking. However, at this time, you can only get those meals included if you dine in the specialty restaurant, not in your cabin or in the MDR.

Escargot

Hearty Baked Ricotta Stuffed Shells - you can get the pasta course in a small appetizer portion like pictured below or as your full size main entree.

Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Lobster - port wine reduction, velvety potato mousseline, and buttered vegetables

Another visit to the restaurant for dinner:

 Crab Cake Appetizer

Dad asked about getting a plate of fruit for his appetizer and our server had him pick exactly which fruits he wanted.

The Sanctuary Restaurant's version of Spaghetti Carbonara 

Do you like this one or the one from Sabatini's better?

The Baked Chicken from the Princess Favorites menu

Dad ordered the Prime Rib from the Princess Favorites menu. It comes to you tableside on a trolley where you can choose size of the piece cut and whatever sauce etc you want on the side.

The nice thing about opting for ice cream on Sun Princess when none of the dessert options appeal to you - it's always going to be gelato!

Our final night onboard we had to return to our favorite dining venue.

Corn and Crabmeat Tart:

Caesar Salad - appetizer size

And I couldn't let a Princess cruise end without trying the Fettucine Alfredo? Which version do you like better? With or without the cheese basket lining the bottom of the bowl?

Filet Mignon Rossini - truffle, foie gras, madeira sauce, asparagus, and fingerling potatoes

Chocolate Cake 

Gelato Baked Alaska

Breakfast in the Sanctuary Restaurant

Prince S swiped my cinnamon roll

I love when I can get a plate of fruit as an appetizer. I really liked how the Sanctuary Restaurant menu had two options on their breakfast menu - the fruit platter and the fruit bowl. I asked our waiter what the difference was, thinking it was different fruit choices or mixed with something like granola, and he said the platter is bigger pieces of fruit on a plate and the bowl is smaller cut up pieces of fruit in a bowl. 

The Fruit Platter:

The Fruit Bowl:

One of the things I didn't care for on Celebrity's breakfast menu is that if you ordered a flavor for your pancakes, i.e. bananas, then they put them inside the pancakes and that was too sweet for me. On Princess, the waiter asked me if I wanted the banana inside or outside the pancakes on the plate. And an even better touch was that they bring everyone a plate full of toppings options in small bowls so you can add as much or as little of anything you want. The small bowls help contain everything and you don't end up with everything coated in syrup.

Also in praise of the Sun Princess - I love the larger glasses of orange juice we got with breakfast this time. So much better than the little shot glasses. I think this was also the first time we were given the option of regular or fresh squeezed so we didn't have to sip from those tiny glasses full of pulp.

French toast with pork sausage and bacon:

Pancakes and french toast. You had to know the waffles are coming next. These two came with a plate of topping options to add as you wish.

If carbs aren't your thing, you can also get eggs prepared any way you wish. Here's fried over medium:

Scrambled eggs - that is not a gigantic oversized hash brown in the picture. 

While most everyone we met working in the Sanctuary Restaurant was amazing, I'd like to share a moment of concern that happened in relation to this morning's breakfast. After a short while, our server swung by to ask if I wanted ketchup. I said yes so he brought over a small dish with ketchup and a small spoon that he left with me at the table. I used the spoon to drizzle ketchup and spread it out over my eggs. The part that concerned me occurred a few minutes later. The same server must have been asked for ketchup by another table. He walks past our table near their station to get some but stops when he notices the dish he'd brought me still had some ketchup in it. He asks if I'm done with the ketchup and whisks it away to the other table when I said yes. Not only are you passing something used by another guest to someone else but if that person had an allergy to eggs, it could be a serious health issue.

Dad's go to with Princess breakfast is the bagel with lox and he enjoyed that staple several times this trip. This morning he decided to step it up and put salmon in his omelette. Then of course make up for the fish on his plate with tons of meat.

Ordered a cheese omelette with sausage. Ended up getting chicken sausage this time.

I asked our waiter to bring some pork sausage as well. Here's a comparison between the two.

Had to try the Eggs Benedict - Canadian bacon was a little stringy and tough to slice when you tried to get a little of everything in each bite.

Caught Prince S trying to sneak into the sugar bowl:

Lunch in the Sanctuary Restaurant

Calamari - too chewy. Our server Mary offered to swap it for something else but I declined. 

Shrimp Scampi - those two little half looking shrimp at the top of the plate are actually two tiny hard crostini pieces masquerading as garlic bread. It also seemed heavy on the red pepper flake or something that was making it taste extremely spicy!

Dad ordered a monte cristo sandwich for his entree but it was another casualty of "Oh did you want a picture?" as he's on the last bites.

Dad's sundae for dessert and my New York Cheesecake:

One of the best hidden gems of Princess Cruises is their International Cafe. This venue is usually open 24 hours and can be a savior when you get back from an excursion between meal services or you have a late night hankering for some nibbles. This is our favorite place to stop on the way back to our cabin for the night to get cookies and sweet treats. During the morning you can find Egg McMuffin style breakfast sandwiches, pastries, and donuts. Later in the day the offerings change to more savory options like sandwiches and salad choices. They will heat up any of the sandwiches. All of the food here is included but the coffee side comes with a fee and a side of super long line. The nearby bar seating facing the Piazza is great to watch all those doing morning Zumba while you enjoy your donut.

It was great to see the little extra touches of inclusion such as wheelchair height bar tables and a menu showcasing gluten free and sugar free options.

 

Pro tip: if the line is long for coffee at the International Cafe, go down by the Piazza to Coffee Currents. The food is also included there but is most always pastry based. Coffee drinks from both venues are covered by the Plus and Premier packages.

Lido Deck - Get those steps in walking through the Lido Deck food stands on both sides of the ship as there is a lot more to offer than the typical grill and pizza counters. Be sure to check out the outside food service next to The Eatery as they have a different pizza stand and soft serve ice cream. Kudos to the crew at this stand. They had run out of the pepperoni pizza Dad wanted and asked him to wait while they made more. Most of the time when this happens, the people who have just walked up end up grabbing the newly made pizza. Today, the crew held the new pizza back from the crowd and called Dad over to get his first along with the few others who had been waiting. 

I chose to try the Quattro Formaggio pizza. It was so soft and cheesy that it reminded me of the old Joe Corbi's cheesy bread we used to sell as a school fundraiser.

The Americana Diner - while this venue doesn't open until 11AM each day, it is a great option when you want some simple comfort food. The biggest draw is the menu option of having breakfast served all day. The only caveat of an all day breakfast - you can't order it until brunch/lunch time. This is a different menu than the MDR but is included without a package. You also don't need reservations to dine here. 

Unfortunately, our service while trying this venue was somewhat lacking. Not only for slow timing but for other frustrations. I ordered a fries based appetizer to share as well as a burger for my main not knowing that they come with fries. The waiter brought out our dishes handing Dad his burger and fries. He then handed me a plate with just the burger and chuckled as he explained that he chose to leave them off my plate because I'd ordered the other fries. When it came time to order dessert, he took Dad's order of a Mississippi Mud Pie off a nearby tray, and then walked away not even giving me the chance to request anything.

Strawberry Shortcake Milkshake - Strawberry ice cream, fresh strawberries and milk, garnished with whipped cream and meringue pieces. I saw a vlogger trying this same milkshake and her waiter explained that it was missing the garnish because they were out. Could they still be out months later? Unless you call the powdery pieces floating on the top reminiscent of strawberry Nesquik as a garnish? I tried a sip and it tasted just like strawberry flavored Nesquik with this hint of having just bitten into a ripe strawberry aftertaste. 

Prince S even tried to shoo it away

Loaded Colossal French Fries - seasoned fries, buffalo sauce, and blue cheese. Certainly a shareable appetizer/side but make sure all diners really like buffalo sauce. It needed more of the blue cheese in order to counteract the spicy buffalo sauce. Melted blue cheese or a blue cheese dipping sauce on the side would have been balanced the tastes better.

Tots & Poppers - crispy tater tots, cajun cauliflower poppers, smoky BBQ ketchup, and a herby garlic tahini dip. I tried both the tater tots and the cauliflower poppers (of which it was like 1 1/2 under those tots in the picture below). Neither tasted different other than being able to tell they were made from two different vegetables. I tasted no cajun seasoning.

The Americana Burger - 1/3 lb patty, gouda and cheddar cheeses, bacon jam, tomato aioli, and arugula on a brioche bun. It looks like they tried to grill the bun but it ended up burnt and stale tasting. Everything in between the buns tasted good though.

Room Service

Disclaimer: With the addition of the Princess Plus and Princess Premier packages, ordering via OceanNow (to be delivered wherever you are on the ship) and/or Room Service (directly from your cabin phone to your cabin) now carries a fee if you don't have either package.  The OceanNow one time charge is around $15 but ordering from your cabin phone gets a service charge around $5 each time you order. We still tipped the crew who brought our order whether it was food or drinks.

When you place an order in your Ocean Medallion Princess app, it assigns an order number, shows you where you requested it be brought, the time the order was placed, and a status bar so you can watch the progress of your order arriving. Our order arrived at our cabin about 20 minutes after placing it.

I was surprised by how limiting the app room service menu has become. There is no ability to order milk or juice. However there is that option on the paper tag for breakfast delivery. Dad wanted to get some milk to go with his chocolate cake. Several items now have an extra charge in addition to the delivery fee. Dad was really disappointed to learn that the chips and guacamole is no longer offered on the Ocean Now service. 

Loaded fries - as shown and described on the app as simply cheese sauce drizzled over crinkle cut fries. The app labels it as a vegetarian dish. What I received was a plate of fries covered in chili meat and beans and then covered in cheese sauce. 

The Classic Grilled Cheese from the Kids Menu section. This was Dad's choice so even big kids can order it. Just don't be surprised when it arrives with a small portion cut into triangles with the crusts off!

Also Dad's choice from the Kids Menu - Cheese Quesadilla. The app prompts you to pick an option to have on the side so we went a little potato chip crazy. We did not even try to finish all the chips.

Double Decker Clubhouse Sandwich (with potato chips) - this is pretty much the only club where you'll find me.

Dad's 100% Beef Hot Dog and plain fries

Traditional New York Cheesecake - pretty close to a proper NY cheesecake. I loved that there wasn't any fruit compote or syrup garnish. This kept well sitting on our cabin dining table until the next day as I was too full for dessert.

Dad's chocolate cake (sans milk to wash it down)

Premium Desserts (included with Plus (2 per day) or Premier (unlimited) Packages, otherwise $12 each) Found on the Sun Princess by visiting Coffee and Cones on Deck 17. This is also where the slices of cake that are also part of the Premium Desserts can be found.

Dad ordered The Godfather sundae that is described as having a fudge brownie, vanilla gelato, chocolate sauce, and Florentine Tuile. This is what he was given. Honestly, I think in this case Dad was happier with the mini M&M on top versus the tuile. 

Still to come - Casual Dining, is it worth the cost? And Later - Specialty Restaurants, what dishes did we try?