Princess Cruises Introduces Regional Menus

For me one of the best things about cruising is the food – its a great chance to experience new dishes you wouldn’t necessarily have or try at home, dine in celebrity chef restaurants and just over indulge on delicious courses all beautifully presented to you. This week saw Princess cruises announce that they are going to be introducing Regional Menus to their ships and this will be debuted on the brand new Regal Princess in November when she sails around the Caribbean for the winter.  The new regional menus will showcase regional culinary specialties that will will reflect the destinations the ships visit.

The new program will enable guests to enjoy regional menu items created with local produce, spices and seafood. The first special menus are inspired by the Caribbean and will be rolled out across the rest of the fleet and will include specialties from the Mediterranean, Alaska and Hawaii. 

Here are some of the highlights of the new Caribbean Regional Menu

Arawak’s Caribbean-Style Pork Chop – Prepared with traditional Jamaican jerk spice and curry, and served with red beans, rice and rum sauce, this dish earned Princess Cruises Corporate Executive Chef Alfredo Marzi  top prize at the 8th Annual Bacardi Bartender and Chef Cruise Competition.

Red Snapper Mojito – Featuring ceviche accented with fresh mint, mango and avocado, and finished with a splash of rum, this was the winning dish created by Princess Cruises Executive Chef Antonio Cortese at the 6th Annual Bacardi Bartender and Chef Cruise Competition

Island-Spiced Jerk Chicken – A marinade of rum, molasses, tangy lime juice and thyme, plus sweet-and-fiery Scotch Bonnet peppers, infuses this tender chicken dish with the spirit of the islands.

The menu also extends to drinks and I can certainly picture myself trying these Caribbean Cocktails. The Caribbean Cooler with coconut rum, melon liqueur, banana liqueur, citrus mix and pineapple juice. The West Indies Yellow Bird offers a classic taste of the region, featuring a shaken melody of rum, galliano and banana liqueur with orange and pineapple juice. Or how about The Cool Runnings cocktail, a favorite of the Caribbean Islands, features a delicious combination of rum, banana liqueur, blackberry brandy and grenadine, blended with coconut and pineapple.

For me I think these Regional menus are such a great and simple idea and am very surprised it hasn’t been done already. Many of the ships have set sail in the evenings so you can’t have an meal on land to experience the destinations delicacies and cultures, so think it will be great to experience it on board the ships and for me would be something I would definitely try.

Do you think this is a good idea for Princess to offer these regional menus and would you opt to have it?