Due to the early positive feedback aboard the Emerald Princess in 2007, Princess Cruises’ Chef’s Table, the exclusive dining experience will now be introduced across most of the line’s fleet. Princess is paving the way of exclusive interaction with the ship’s executive chef, and seeing and being a part of the onboard preparation experience while relaxing and tasting and smelling the delights being served onboard the Princess ships. Princess also involves the Maitre d’ in the process, and culminates the evening with the executive chef and the participants at their table for discussion and feedback. This is a can’t-miss for years to come.

Currently available on Emerald Princess, Crown Princess and Caribbean
Princess, the Chef’s Table is scheduled to debut aboard most vessels in
the fleet in early 2008. The line’s smaller ships, Tahitian Princess,
Pacific Princess and Royal Princess are not part of the initial roll-out
but are hoped to offer the program at a later date.
Designed as a unique treat for “foodies,” Chef’s Table experience offers
a select group of gourmands the rare opportunity to be welcomed into the
inner sanctum of the ship’s galley to enjoy a full evening of memorable
sights, tastes and conversation hosted by the executive chef. While many
passengers are able to enjoy galley tours during the quiet off-hours,
the Chef’s Table experience takes interested diners behind the scenes
during the height of dinner preparation where they’ll also enjoy
cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, followed by a special multi-course tasting
dinner paired with selected wines in the dining room.
Participants in Emerald Princess’ first season of Chef’s Table evenings
may have felt like dining room celebrities as other passengers stopped
to snap pictures and admire the striking table set-up and unique menu
selections.
“We knew many of our guests would enjoy this unusual close-up view of
our culinary operations, but we were truly surprised by the tremendous
interest - it’s sold out every cruise,” said Rai Caluori, Princess’
executive vice president of fleet operations. “Hosting the Chef’s Table
requires an impressive level of dedication from our talented culinary
team, but they’ve committed to offering it on rest of our fleet because
we wanted to offer as many guests as possible the opportunity to enjoy
this exclusive culinary experience.”
The Chef’s Table begins when the Maitre d’ personally escorts the
passengers to the galley where they can observe the bustle of
dinner-hour preparations and meet the executive chef, plus enjoy French
champagne with appetizers. The chef previews the details of the menu he
created for that evening, and the group is welcomed to their special
table in the dining room. The multi-course menu is specially created by
the chef, and is not offered anywhere else on the ship. The fare might
include anything from a focus on regional cuisine to a showcase of
indigenous ingredients from a recent port. Each course is accompanied by
a detailed explanation of special features, preparation methods, and
tasting suggestions. Specially selected wines complement the meal.
During the dessert course, the chef rejoins the group at their private
table to participate in a discussion about the evening’s meal, answer
questions, and share culinary secrets perfected during many years of
experience at sea and on land.
Additionally, each couple at the Chef’s Table will receive a
personalized autographed copy of Princess’ best-selling cookbook,
Courses, A Culinary Journey, which has sold more than 100,000 copies
worldwide and is available on amazon.com. Guests will also enjoy a
complimentary photo taken at the private table with the chef.
The Chef’s Table experience can be reserved by up to 10 passengers per
night, at a cost of $75 per person. Reservations are made onboard
through the ship’s DINE telephone line or in person at the dining
reservations table set up on the first day of the cruise.
Additional information about Princess Cruises is available through a
professional travel agent, by calling 1-800-PRINCESS, or by visiting the
company’s website at www.princess.com.