Princess Cruises: Dining Options for Cruisers

I'm thrilled to share this article written for My Virtual Vacations by Ilana at Life Well Cruised. With a great deal of experience in both family travel and cruising, her expertise of dining on Princess Cruises is exceptional. Keep reading and you'll see why I want to try ALL of these options when I'm on Princess Cruises next!

Princess Cruises has some of the best variety of dining choices that we've seen while cruising over the years.

We recently cruised on the Regal Princess, and truly couldn't get over the vast array of dining venues. There were so many different options, that we really could have almost anything we could want, and never be bored of the food.

Here Are The Best Princess Cruises Dining Options Available Throughout Your Cruise.

​International Cafe

The International cafe is located in the Piazza, one of the most central spots on the Regal Princess. Always a popular spot on any Princess ship, it has a variety of to-go food options from morning until very late at night.

​Breakfast options include muffins and other baked goods, including some decadent "Chocolate Journey's" creations. There's also yogurt and granola, fruit bowls and breakfast egg sandwiches.

​At lunch and throughout the day you can get some wonderful sandwiches as well as truly delicious salads. It makes a nice change from a buffet and still offers a quick bite, especially if you're trying to make it quick when heading out to an excursion or off to an activity.

​In the evening it's the perfect place to have a coffee or tea, while enjoying a small piece of cake or small dessert. With it's setting in the Piazza (Princess Cruises' atrium), it's the perfect place to take in some people watching or some scheduled entertainment.

These aren't just your everyday salads!

Sweets all day long at the International Cafe.

​Alfredo's Pizzeria

​Also located in the Piazza, this casual sit down Italian restaurant is a gem! With its comfortable and classic decor, it's the perfect place to enjoy a more casual meal than the dining room, if you're not in the buffet mood.

The menu includes freshly made pizzas, delicious salads and appetizers, baked pastas, and a couple classic Italian desserts.

​Tip: On your Embarkation Day, head over to Alfredo's (while it's still a secret) instead of the more crowded buffet.

Delicious pasta and wine at Alfredo's.

​Horizon Court - Horizon Bistro (buffet)

​The Regal Princess had one of the very best buffets we've had on a cruise ship. A really large amount of choice coupled with quality food was a good match for us. Whether you choose to eat in the buffet for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or if you're like me, "snack", you're bound to find some favorites.

​I personally LOVE nachos, and the little Taqueria section within the Bistro portion of the buffet was perfect for afternoon snacks! There was a variety of Mexican food including taco meat, chicken fajitas, fresh salsa and guacamole and everything that goes with it.

​Within the buffet, you'll also find an ice cream counter which is a total treat!

​Tip: If you prefer to eat outdoors and enjoy the wake view, head all the way to the back of the buffet and you can choose a table in a beautiful outdoor section.

​Trident Grill (Poolside)

​If having a burger or hot dog (and more) next to the pool sounds like a good combination, you're going to enjoying a very casual better-than-fast-food lunch at Princess Cruises Trident Grill. If I'm not snacking on nachos in the afternoon (and seriously I am), then I'm getting some fries. They're too good!

​Prego Pizza (on the pool deck)

​Not to be confused with the sit down restaurant Alfredo's (deck 6), Prego Pizza, which can be found next to the grill, offers classic delicious take-out style pizza. Voted best pizza at sea, this is definitely a fan favorite!

A fantastic variety of pizza.

​Main dining room

​The Regal Princess has 3 main dining rooms, all resembling large, well decorated restaurants. Princess offers traditional dining, early and late, as well as Anytime dining.

The main dining room serves classic cruise cuisine with a nightly menu which varies, and a few classic choices which are available nightly. Some dishes which are known to be Princess favorites include the Caesar salad, Fettuccine Alfredo (although they've done away with the Parmesan bowl) and a really nice classic always available salmon. Although we enjoy Princess dining room food, we did miss having steak available nightly as it had been in the past. That being said, they're were always good choices available.

Beautifully prepared fish is always available.

Huge lobster tails!

Fettuccine Alfredo

Perfect ending to a meal.

​Room service

​Room service is included on Princess, which is a huge plus in my eyes. Enjoying coffee and a light breakfast on our balcony is one of our most enjoyable moments on our cruise. The day and evening menu is also quite nice with some great sandwich and burger options that the teen son enjoyed at off hours ;-).

​English Pub Lunch

​Keep an eye out on sea days for this. Set up in the Crown Grill and lounge, a classic British Pub Lunch is served on certain sea days. We absolutely loved our fish and chips and prawns (shrimp for some of us). There were also other items such as Bangers and Mash and Steak and Kidney Pie.

A delicious seafood treat for lunch.

​Afternoon Tea

One of things I always wanted to do while cruising, was to enjoy afternoon tea in the dining room. Somehow after so many cruises, we just hadn't done it yet. On our recent back to back cruise on the Regal Princess, we finally had an opportunity. All I can say is make the time. It was nice to enjoy scones, cream and jam as well as little sandwiches with tea in the nicest of settings. Plus the service was so friendly, it was one of the highlights of our cruise.

​Specialty Restaurants (fees apply)

Crown Grill 

​The ultimate steakhouse on Princess Cruises, this is a great option for a special dinner. Although we didn't eat in the Crown Grill this past cruise, we've eaten here before and have had some great meals and experiences.

Sabatinis​

​A more upscale Italian dinner, this popular restaurant fills up, so do make reservations early if you'd like to enjoy it. We've eaten here a few times over the years, but not since the most recent menu change. Somehow we didn't make it on our last cruise - I do hope we can get to it next time we cruise with Princess and I'll definitely report back.

​Recap: Princess Cruises offers a large array of great dining options!

​Whether you choose to sit down and be served, grab a bite in the buffet or at another casual take out venue, or choose one of the specialty restaurants, you can't really go wrong with any of the choices on Princess. They truly do offer something for everyone!

​If you'd like to know more about the Princess Fleet, you can find information about the features of specific Princess ships here.

Have you cruised with Princess? What are some of your favorite foods or dining venues?

About Ilana: 

​Ilana is a cruise enthusiast, freelance writer and travel blogger at LifeWellCruised. She has worked in the cruise industry for more than a decade, and believes that we can all have amazing travel experiences, all while enjoying ship life, of course!  You can follow Ilana at Life Well Cruised on Facebook as well as on Instagram.

Note from My Virtual Vacations: All photographs above are credited to Ilana. A big thank you to her for writing this great resource of information. Make sure to visit her blog at Life Well Cruised and follow her on social media (links above.) She's so much fun and will always make you hungry for more cruising! 

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