Majestic Princess Dining

4.5 / 5.0
731 reviews
Editor Rating
4.0
Very Good
Dining
Louise Goldsbury
Contributor

While there are plenty of extra-charge dining options onboard the Majestic Princess, free food options are both tasty and diverse. Traditionalists who prefer waiter service can head to the ship’s three main dining rooms: Symphony, Allegro and Concerto. Those who like a casual buffet can go to the Majestic Princess’ World Fresh Marketplace. For lunch by the pool, check out the free noodle soupsnand free burgers and hotdogs.

Princess also offers its Wild for Alaska Seafood menu on Majestic Princess when in Alaska, making it possible for guests to order Alaska seafood dishes every night in the main dining room. Wild For Alaska also encompasses regional drinks. Think spiked coffee and hot-chocolate offerings; Alaska beer tastings; cocktail flights made from Alaska-distilled spirits.

Reservations for most Majestic Princess venues can be made via the OceanMedallion app on your smartphone, though only a few require them.

Free Dining Options on Majestic Princess Cruise Ship

International Cafe (Deck 5): The popular International Cafe in the Piazza is open 24 hours. Specialty coffees and premium teas are priced a la carte, but the pastries, paninis and salads are free. The selection changes through the day, starting with light morning snacks such as an English muffin with egg, almond croissants and banana bread, which are handy to grab instead of a big breakfast. A 15-drink punch card can be purchased to save money, and unused punches carry over to your next cruise.

Allegro Dining Room (Deck 6): This traditional dining room is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with waiters providing table service. On sea days there are set dinner times , while o n port days it is open sitting . Menus offer an entree, a soup or salad course, main meal and dessert. Dishes can include meat, seafood, pasta and vegetarian options, regional cuisine, and low-fat, sugar-free and gluten-free items.

Symphony Dining Room (Deck 5): Also, a traditional dining room with two seatings. The menu in Symphony is the same as in Allegro and Concerto. It was closed on our port day.

Concerto Dining Room (Deck 6): Serving dinner only, Concerto has two seatings on sea days . The menu there is the same as in Allegro and Symphony.

Alfredo's Pizzeria (Deck 6): Open for lunch and dinner, Alfredo's is always busy plating up free pizza, pasta and salads. Passengers can watch the chefs at work through a glass partition. Hot tip: i t's also open on embarkation day (except during the muster drill) so is a good place for a quieter lunch while everyone else is cramming into the buffet.

World Fresh Marketplace Buffet and Bistro (Deck 16): Known as the Horizon Court on other Princess ships, the Majestic Princess buffet is massive and bountiful, with plenty of seating. This is the place to come if you want to dress casually, self-serve your food, re load your tray and get out of there. Waiters come to take your drink order, or there are several dispensers with a free selection of water, tea, coffee, iced tea and lemon cordial. Breakfast options include muesli, oatmeal, cereal, toast, scrambled and hard-boiled eggs, pastries, baked beans, grilled tomatoes, smoked salmon, cheese, fruit and yoghurt. Fried and poached eggs and omelettes can be made to order. There's also an Asian selection including congee, hot soups and dim sum. Lunch has carving stations of various meats, made-to-order sandwiches, soups, pasta and other hot dishes, Asian stir-fries, cold salads and salad bars to make your own. Dinner often had a theme such as French, Italian or English pub grub.

New for this year include Alaska seafood bowls in the World Fresh Marketplace. Look for steelhead salmon carpaccio, King salmon with razor clams and Alaskan crab cake.

The Bakery (Deck 16): An extension of buffet, this dessert counter is full of delectable items baked daily by the pastry chefs. The rotating selection is outstanding, with lots of cakes, pies, tarts and slices. Treat yourself.

Swirls Ice Cream Bar (Deck 16): For cooling down by the pool, this handy kiosk on the Lido Deck has crew whipping up cones and cups of vanilla and chocolate; unlike some other Australian ships, Majestic Princess' soft-serve ice cream is free. At night, popcorn is handed out from here during Movies Under the Stars.

Chopsticks Noodle Bar (Deck 16): A first for Princess Cruises, this Asian take-away outlet is located poolside. Noodle soups are freshly made to order with your choice of fish balls, chicken, vegetables, tofu and wontons.

Lobster Bar (Deck 16): Majestic Princess' poolside grill promises a decadent snacking option. Unfortunately, there was no lobster when we showed up, and on another day the venue was closed during the advertised opening hours. There is an extra charge for lobster when sailing in Australia and New Zealand.

Majestic Princess Room Service Menu: Available 24 hours a day, the morning sees breakfast items such as egg sandwiches, fruit and cereal; lunch and dinner include sandwiches, soups, salads, burgers, pizza and other hot meals. Chocolate cookies with milk is one of the cute Princess traditions on the late-night menu. There is no charge for room service (except  for pizza delivery), though fees apply on some items.

Specialty Dining on Majestic Princess

The specialty restaurants on Majestic Princess are exceptional and special-occasion dinners (which we didn't try) look well worth it based on the dazzling venues alone.

**Harmony (Deck 5, midship): **Harmony is an elegant venue with golden decor and ocean views. The menu is designed by Taiwan-born chef Richard Chen, who was executive chef at Wynn Las Vegas' Wing Lei when it became the first Chinese restaurant in North America to be awarded a Michelin star. He's known for modern twists on duck and other traditional Cantonese dishes using Western ingredients and techniques. The menu is the same for lunch and dinner; up to five courses can be selected. Starters include chilled abalone with green papaya salad, steamed pork spareribs with squash and fermented black bean, or the Peking duck salad. Our pick is the delicious sampler of barbecue pork, beef tendon and jelly fish. Then comes a choice of two soups (herbal or roasted duck), followed by one of the main specialties such as sizzling chicken casserole, steamed sea bass or diced sausage with calamari, pickled daikon and chili. Diners can also choose from a number of side dishes and desserts. Open for lunch and dinner; reservations are required.

Winemaker's Dinner (Symphony, Deck 5, and Concerto, Deck 6): Semi-private areas in the dining rooms are set aside for a special menu that pairs each course with a wine from one label. The set menu includes an amuse bouche, entree, soup, main and dessert, with wines topped up generously. As the winemakers vary each time, the dishes change for each dinner. Reservations can be made onboard at the guest services desk.

Chef's Table Lumiere (Allegro, Deck 6) The Chef's Table Lumiere is perfectly named as the setting sees an oval table glowing under a wavy chandelier, a Murano glass centerpiece and crystal 'curtains of light' separating it from the rest of the dining room. The experience includes a behind-the-scenes tour of the main galley (kitchen), hosted by the maitre d' and executive chef, where the small group of diners drink Champagne and nibble on canapes. Then they move onto dinner of a specially created menu and wine pairing. Contact guest services to find out when the Chef's Table is available. Reservations are essential and limited to 12 people per night.

Bistro Sur La Mer (Deck 7, midship): Princess Cruises' first foray into French cuisine has ups and downs. Fortunately, the positives are the two most important aspects: food and service. The menu was created by Emmanuel Renaut, former head chef at Claridge's in London and current executive chef of Flocons de Sel in France, which has been awarded three Michelin stars over the past decade. Although it translates to 'the sea', La Mer impresses with its meat dishes, too. Dinner begins with two unusual welcomes: crust-less sardine sandwiches and crispy chips of ox tongue. Diners then choose from hors d'oeuvres such as escargot, pate in dough or ahi tuna tartare with 'parsley like a harlequin '. But we were most pleasantly surprised by the oeuf croquant coulant, a crunchy-coated egg with creamy yolk, served on wild mushrooms and wine sauce. For the mains, our fellow diners raved about the duck (magret de canard) and pork (filet de porc roti), while our favourite dish (on the whole ship) was the red snapper and scallop mousseline with lemongrass lobster sauce. Finally, dessert is offered from a selection of floating island praline, chocolate and Chartreuse parfait, chocolate-mint tart or spice-roasted pineapple.

La Mer's lunch menu consists of crepes, salad bowls, sandwiches and casseroles. The standout is probably the smoked sausage and braised pork belly in white bean stew. Wines, beers and French cocktails are sold separately. Our waiter was superbly professional and passionate, making excellent recommendations and explaining each dish in great detail.

The downside of the venue is its open-plan layout and proximity to the Piazza while the entertainment is in full swing. We could barely hear our softly spoken server while the crowd below cheered and screamed and all kinds of strange noises blasted from the stage. The result was it feels like you're eating in a food court, which is not what you pay extra for, nor expect from a French bistro. Luckily the rest of the La Mer experience is distracting in a good way. Reservations essential.

**Crown Grill (Deck 7, aft): **Majestic Princess’ Crown Grill menu offers a wide selection of excellent steakhouse dishes.  Turn up hungry and early to grab a pre-dinner drink at the adjoining bar. Diners choose from appetizers, mains (including a wide variety of steaks and chops but also prawns and mussels) and shared sides (mashed potato and creamed spinach are our favourites). Surf n' turf incurs a surcharge. Waiters describe the different cuts of steak and three gourmet salt choices -- Hawaiian Black, Smoked Applewood and Himalayan Mountain Pink. In Alaskan waters, locally sourced seafood selections are on the menu as an insert. Save room for the dessert sampler. Reservations essential.

Special Diets on Majestic Princess

Majestic Princess handles special diets with impressive skill. The ship's 14 separate galleys allow for a dedicated space where allergen-friendly dishes and desserts are prepared. Most desserts in the 24-hour International Cafe do not include nuts, and sugar-free and gluten-free desserts are marked in the case. Simply tell the cafe attendant that you have an allergy and they will even switch out the utensils used to grab your confection of choice.

Unfortunately, none of the menus on the ship are marked. But don't let that discourage you. As on most cruise ships, meals in the main dining rooms can be pre-ordered a night in advance. We have traveled on Majestic Princess two separate times, once with a nut allergy and once as someone with Celiac disease (gluten-free). Both times we were able to eat safely and confidently throughout the voyage. We were even able to enjoy a gluten-free seating of afternoon tea.

When sailing with Celiac, we were most surprised at how accomodating the main dining room and specialty restaurants were. Crown Grill did not offer the ability to amend any of the dishes, but a significant amount of the menu was gluten free, including the cuts of meat, a choice of appetizers and even a few desserts.

We almost made the mistake of skipping the Asian fusion experience at Harmony simply because Asian food usually leaves little on offer for those who are gluten-free. Instead, Harmony turned out to be the most gluten-free-friendly specialty restaurant on the ship. Nearly every single item on the menu could be made gluten-free; we nearly cried with appreciation. We ate there twice (and so did our nut-free editor).

Bistro Sur La Mer disappointed when it came to serving up a good selectin of gluten-free items, and due to the nature of French cooking, we can only surmise that any dairy-free diner would also encounter trouble.

Vegetarian items are often marked on menus, while passengers should inquire about vegan.

Restaurants

  • Alfredo's Pizzeria - Gourmet Pizza
  • Allegro Dining Room - American
  • Bellini's - Cocktail Bar*
  • Chef's Table Lumiere - Gourmet*
  • Concerto Dining Room - American
  • Crown Grill & Bar - Steakhouse*
  • Fountain Pool Bar - Pool Bar*
  • Gong Cha - Bubble Tea*
  • Harmony Chinese Restaurant - Chinese*
  • International Café*
  • International Café - Coffee & Pastries*
  • La Mer French Bistro - French*
  • Lobster Grill - Seafood*
  • Noodle Bar - Asian
  • Ocean Terrace Bar - Atrium Bar*
  • SeaView Bar - Pool Bar*
  • Swirls - Ice Cream
  • Symphony Dining Room - American
  • The Bakery - pastries
  • Vines - Wine Bar*
  • * May require additional fees

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