Food & Drink on Princess Seaways

There is a good selection of dining venues to suit all appetites and budgets on Princess Seaways.

Blue Riband Restaurant

For main meals, there are three choices on Princess Seaways - the Blue Riband restaurant, the 7 Seas buffet restaurant, and the Explorers Steakhouse.

I dined in the Blue Riband Restaurant on the outbound sailing, and the 7 Seas Buffet Restaurant on the return journey.

Blue Riband Restaurant

This à la carte restaurant offers a good sized menu with around four or five choices for starter, main course, and dessert.

You can opt for either a two-course or three-course meal, and you can either pay onboard or save a bit of cash by pre-booking online.

Due to the poor weather, I opted for a two-course meal (main and dessert). Dosed up on travel sickness tablets, I didn't want to risk eating too much! I sat down at a window table in an empty dining room and was the first of many to enjoy a meal that night.

In the dusky light, I watched as the ship navigated out of the port and up the River Tyne towards the North Sea.

My main course was lamb shank which was doused in a delicious sauce and served along with seasonal vegetables. The meat was succulent and full of flavour.

Dessert was a creamy vanilla Panna Cotta, topped with a crust of caramelised sugar.

The food, presentation and service were all exceptional and in line with what I have experienced at top restaurants on land and on cruise ships.

As a rough guide, a three-course meal was priced onboard at €39 per person at the time of the sailing. A 5% saving could be achieved by pre-booking meals online.

7 Seas Buffet Restaurant

I arrived at my allocated time to find a busy restaurant. It is well worth making dinner reservations at this popular dining venue.

A waiter escorted me to my table before he took my drinks order. I then headed up to the buffet. You can eat as much as you like and go back to the counters as many times as you like.

7 Seas Buffet Restaurant
The entrance to 7 Seas Buffet Restaurant

The counters were fill of seafood dishes, meat dishes, salads, carved meats, hot vegetables, and desserts. There was also a dedicated section set at a lower height for children, although this seemed more popular with adults. Items on offer included fish fingers, onion rings, and chips.

There was plenty of food, and it was constantly topped-up. The variety of food available was excellent, and the buffet concept means you can pick and choose what you eat and the quantity you devour.

At the time of writing the price for an adult was €34.50 which is a bit pricey compared to the Blue Riband. However, if you have children, they ate at half price (€17.25). A family of four (two adults and two children) could dine in the 7 Seas Restaurant for €103.50 compared to €156 in the Blue Riband Restaurant. At the time of writing a 29% saving could be achieved by pre-booking buffet meals online.

Explorer's Steakhouse

If you crave a steak cooked to perfection, head to the Explorers Steakhouse. Choose from a wide variety of cuts cooked to your specifications. They are served to the tables sizzling hot.

Explorers Steakhouse
Getting ready for service at Explorer's Steakhouse

A two-course meal cost €34.50 onboard my sailing, with a 3% discount for bookings made online. Be aware that prime cuts of steak come with an additional surcharge.

Snacks

Confectionery is available in the shop, including an extensive range of branded chocolates from brands such as Toblerone and M&M's.

For a coffee and a snack head to Bake 'N Coffee. This café serves a small range of hot beverages and light snacks at reasonable prices.

  • Food and drink variety and quality
  • Venue choice
  • Food and drink prices
4.3

Summary

With plenty of venues to choose from, you can find food and drink to suit all tastes and budgets. Prices are very reasonable and the food quality is excellent.

Read more in this series

  1. International Passenger Terminal, Port of Tyne
  2. Princess Seaways Review
  3. Princess Seaways Cabins
  4. Food & Drink on Princess Seaways (you are here)
  5. Entertainment on Princess Seaways
  6. Guide to Ijmuiden Port, Amsterdam
  7. Cologne Marriott Hotel Review
  8. You Cannot Visit Cologne And Not See These Sights
  9. Cologne Christmas Markets Guide
  10. Cologne Christmas Markets Mini Cruise Review on DFDS' Princess Seaways
(Photo credit(s) to David Fiske)
Disclosure: DFDS kindly supplied a half board mini cruise to Cologne, including overseas transfers and a hotel. I paid for travel to and from the Port of Tyne, my hotel, car parking, incidentals onboard, and meals and incidentals overseas. The opinions in this article are my own.

Written by David Fiske

David first found his sea legs on a cruise around the Caribbean in 2009. Since then he's looked for any excuse to get back on the water which led him onto creating Mini Cruise Reviews as a way to showcase short min breaks that sail from the UK (on ferries or cruise ships).

Comments

Leave a Reply

🔒 Privacy
Once approved, your name and comment will be displayed publicly on this website. Your email address is used to contact you regarding your comment. Full details of how your data is processed can be found in my privacy policy.