Crab Shack Menu

Crab Shack Menu

Beer Collection
Bass Ale $4.95

Beck’s $4.95

Blue Moon $4.95

Bud Lite Metal 16 oz $5.50

Budweiser Metal 16 oz $5.50

Coors Light $4.25

Dos Equis $4.95

Grolsch $5.95

Guinness $5.95

Heineken $5.25

Miller Lite $4.25

Miller Genuine Draft $4.25

White Wine
By the glass or bottle
Riesling, Hogue $7.25 by the glass; $24.00 by the bottle

Sauvignon Blanc, Nobilo $7.95 by the glass; $32.00 by the bottle

Pinot Grigio, Danzante $7.95 by the glass; $32.00 by the bottle

Pinot Gris, Adelsheim $9.00 by the glass; $42.00 by the bottle

Chablis, Seigneurie de Tanlay $7.95 by the glass; $36.00 by the bottle

Chardonnay, House $6.25 by the glass

Chardonnay, Robert Mondavi $7.25 by the glass; $29.00 by the bottle

Red Wine
By the glass or bottle
Pinot Noir, Estancia $7.95 by the glass; $32.00 by the bottle

Malbec, Diseño $7.25 by the glass; $29.00 by the bottle

Merlot, Oberon $9.00 by the glass; $40.00 by the bottle

Merlot, House $6.25 by the glass

Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Lazaret $9.00 by the glass; $38.00 by the bottle

Cabernet Sauvignon, Robert Mondavi $7.25 by the glass; $29.00 by the bottle

Cabernet Sauvignon, Simi Landslide $10.00 by the glass; $48.00 by the bottle

Cabernet Sauvignon, House $6.25 by the glass

Zinfandel, Seghesio $9.00 by the glass; $39.00 by the bottle

Blush Wine
By the glass or bottle
White Zinfandel, Woodbridge $6.75 by the glass; $25.00 by the bottle

Rosé, les Fumées Blanches $7.25 by the glass; $29.00 by the bottle

For your convenience a 15% gratuity will be added to your bar account. Passengers under 21 years of age are not permitted to purchase or consume alcohol onboard a Princess vessel at any time.

the aprons then had for us

the tools they gave us for the crab looked like they could pull out teeth, Bernie tried

Appetizer
Popcorn Shrimp & Hush Puppies in the Basket
Your Choice of Dipping Sauce: Bayou Style or Tartar

photo by Cruising Princess Cruiseline with Vickie

Soup
Manhattan Clam Chowder
Bacon, Tomato and Potatoes

photo by Cruising Princess Cruiseline with Vickie

Please Choose Your Entrée
Bayou-Style “Mud Bug” Boil
Crawfish and Corn on the Cob with Baby Onions, Potatoes and Spicy Andouille Sausage

Or

Old Bay Spiced Peel & Eat Shrimp
Steaming Hot with Corn on the Cob, Red Skin Potatoes, Lemon and Drawn Butter

Or

The Royal’s Mixed Steamer
Snow Crab Cluster, Jumbo Shrimp, Clams, Mussels and Kielbasa Sausage, Corn on the Cob and New Potatoes

Or

Clam and Mussel Pot
Shallots, White Wine and Serrano Chili, with Garlic Baguette

photo by Cruising Princess Cruiseline with Vickie

photo by Cruising Princess Cruiseline with Vickie

Dessert
Selection of gateaux and tarts from our Pastry Shop
Served with Coffee or Tea

$20 per Person
Claw Cracking - Lip Smacking - Pots of Fun!

Bonaire Evening - Crab Shack Dinner

Well we are not into the Superbowl but the activities are all about the ship and we feel the excitement and can’t help but be excited too. 

But we couldn’t get into any of the venues if we wanted too.  They are busy and it looks like people are having fun.

As we walk about the ship we hear before we see them…. These Guys (four guys who sing Acapella) are performing in the Piazza and they sound stunning.  Wow!  Wish we could stay and listen to the next performance but we have dinner reservations at the Crab Shack.

The Crab Shack is held at the Aft of the Horizon Court Port side.  The area is made to feel like a special venue, there is fishing netting dividing the sitting area with little lobsters in the net (we joked with them that they need crabs instead) and one Hostess takes one of the mini plastic lobsters down and winds it up and lets it go on our table.  What a laugh we all have.

The tables are covered with brown paper that have the Crab Shack logo on it.   We are given crayons (one yellow for me) and two pencils and encouraged to write all over it. 

The waiters are wonderful and very attentive we couldn’t of wanted for anything.  Glasses are filled instantly, bowls of shells are removed and replaced with empty ones, extra napkins instantly appeared, and even cookies are brought to us for dessert.  I should also do a shout out to Marko the Head Waiter who oversaw the whole operation and would appear at our table to see how things were going and make us feel comfortable. 

For the food we started with Hushpuppies (which I had never heard of) and fried shrimp.  I loved them both, especially the shrimp that were lightly battered and not greasy at all. 

Next course was the soup – a clam chowder that Bernie said was very good.  I don’t like clams so our waiter prepared a lovely salad for me. 

For the main event I had the King Crab Legs and shrimp basket.  Bernie had the Royal Basket which has everything, clams, mussels, crab legs, sausage, corn, and shrimp. 

They are HUGE and we attack it with both hands.  

Thankfully we have great tools to get into the crab.  I really enjoyed the meal, ate all the crab and some of the shrimp but left most of the shrimp there cause I just couldn’t eat it all.

the tools are so wicked that I swear
Bernie could pull some teeth with them

We don’t have any room for dessert, but we ask for some cookies and tea/coffee. 

I really can recommend the Crab Shack at least once during your voyage.  It is great value at $20 per person and the food is very good. 

If you want to see the menu for the Crab Shack I have posted it here.

I asked about the Fondue night and really want to try that.  I find out from the Head Waiter that they have only one Fondue night per 10 days cruise and three Crab Shacks.  So check your Patter for information.

After dinner we decided to head back to the cabin and watch a movie.  We watched the Grudge Match which was very funny and a great way to end the night.  But we can’t go to sleep when it is over cause the band is playing below us in the Wheelhouse and we can hear it clearly in our cabin.  The music was done by midnight though and we crashed soon after.

At Sea on our way to St. Thomas February 17, 2014

The clocks are set back an hour this morning so we are now four hours ahead of Vancouver time.  I am awake at 4:30 (which is really 3:30) and I can predict the future – I will need a nap this afternoon.  I dress quietly at around 6 am and head down to the International Café to get a late and a tea for Bernie.  I also pick up the egg sandwich and two custard donuts, one for me and one for Bernie cause I am sure when he sees mine he will want one too.

I spend the next few hours on the balcony sipping my latte and reading my book.  I finished the Nicholas Sparks book The Longest Ride last night and today I started Sycamore Row by John Grisham. 

Not sure what today will bring.  There is Zumba again today at 12:15 and I really want to attend because Mark is leading it but I hate that it is at 12:15.  I hate getting all sweaty and then having to shower again.  Much prefer the 10:15 time and I end up heading to the gym early and working out and getting over it over with.  The gym is busy, lots of people using the weights, lots on elliptical machines, treadmills and there is a spinning class going on too.  I love the new elliptical machines and work out for around a half hour and do some stretching.  Our goal is to do a formal workout each sea day, lets see how things work out.  But now that I have written it here I have to be accountable – RIGHT?

The morning is followed by getting coffees, reading, watching a bit of the fruit/vegetable carving and doing some Suduko (no Suduko challenge for prizes on board that I have seen, Vickie is sad as this is the only thing she is good at – she sucks at trivia).  We run into Anthony in Vines Bar as he is setting up the bar.  We look at each other and the same thing happens (I know you, he said, and we said it too unison) and yes from the Emerald last year, he worked up in the Platinum/Elite lounge.  We catch up with each other and comment how great it is to see each other again.

Bernie is wanting some sun so we change into our suits and head up to the sun deck.  Our favorite spot is just behind the Sanctuary.  There is quite a wind today and it is blowing things around so we plop down and I head out to get some lunch.  Burger is called for and it was good, fries were so so I think they just were not fresh.  But that is okay I don’t really want too many anyways. 

I am having a hard time keeping my eyes open (remember my prediction?). After an hour and a half I head back to the cabin to try and get a nap in and Bernie stays up in the sun.  And of course as soon as I crawl into the bed I toss and turn and get a bit of a nap in with intermittent reading.

They are offering the Crab Shack Dinner in a few nights so I call the dine line to try and make reservations and asked for 7:30 or 7:45 and she said all that is available is 8:15 or 8:30 so I said no thank you and was going to hang up when she stated they are doing it again on the 25^th and I could now make a reservation.  Okay great idea and we make a reservation for two for 7:30 on the 25^th.

For dinner Bernie and I decide to try the dining room again and we head to deck five and start with a pre-dinner cocktail and catch up with some friends.  The Michelangelo dining room seems like the place again and there is no wait to get in, in fact we haven’t had a wait other than the short wait to see the hostess to request a table.

Tonight we agree we don’t mind to sit with others but at a smaller table and we are sat at a table for six.  A lovely couple from Georgia and two friends one from Alberta and one from Britain.  We enjoyed hearing of their adventures in travels as the two women have been cruising since the early 70s. 

For dinner I had the satay beef which was so yummy in fact I could have a few of those for my entrée.  Loved the cold mango ginger soup which again I love but found it odd that there were small ice cubes in it to keep it chilled, normally those are not suppose to be served in the soup.  For my entrée I had the jerk chicken with beans and again was very good.  Sadly service was average to slow.  For the three nights we have been in the dining room we have had not the normal amazing service.  Seems the waiters are run off their feet, their assistant waiters are confused and not sure where or what to do.  There are constant apologies coming from them both.  And this seems to be at every meal so far.  Now don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining but if anything is lacking this voyage it is so far the dining room service.  Our friends ate in Da Vinci and they had better service so we are going to head up there next time to see.  I will say that I have found the head waiters to not be as noticeable too as I use to see them much more available and helpful to the servers.  I wonder if they have cut down on the head waiters and wait staff?  Hopefully things will settle as the cruise continues.

We leave dinner (which took two hours!) and we decide to head to see the comedian and after just a few minutes we walk out.  I won’t mention his name but really do you need to make jokes constantly from insulting people. 

The Explorer’s lounge is hosting the Yes No Game show and Dan the Deputy Cruise Director (Julia/Joe he was the DCD on the Royal when you were on) and oh my God was this funny.  We have seen this show before and Dan did a much better job at hosting it, along with Anna.

The purpose of this game is to answer questions that the host asks without answering with a Yes or No, which trust me can be difficult.  And it is hilarious to watch everyone try to control themselves.

Night everyone.

At Sea February 16, 2014

Our first full day.  If you have followed any of our previous cruises you know how much we like sea days.  I feel sea days are the forced days of relaxation.  The days you can justify doing nothing or doing a lot.  No guilt is felt when you have a nap in the afternoon, no guilt from reading a book for hours, no guilt from watching a movie from beginning to end, no guilt from chatting and meeting new friends while sipping a coffee. 

For some these days are hard, it is not something they are used to in their day to day life with work, children, sports, home life and trying to fit it all in.   For us we don’t have this problem.  And it becomes very evident the moment I awake around 4 am with the thought…. “where the heck am I”  Thankfully I quickly realized from the slight movement of the ship that I was at sea.  So I quickly rolled over and fell back asleep only to wake up around 8 am.

Bernie heads down to pick up my latte and his tea and when he returns he comments “living on Aloha deck forward is quite a trek to the International Café” so not sure how often I will get latte delivery in the morning.  But I do appreciate this one.  Of course you can get espresso drinks from the bar on Lido deck but I guess out of habit we head to the International Café.

As Bernie reads I pull out the computer and start writing up my blog for the past few days and posting it up to the web and check my facebook fan page.  If you haven’t “liked” my fan page yet make sure to check it out by clicking on the facebook icon at the top of the page.

Bernie is off to visit Barb and Craig and I quickly dress and head down to see them too.  We sit and chat for a bit and are delighted when they give us this large map of South America to put up on our wall to track where we are travelling to.  Our friends Connie and Derrick did this last time and we thought it was a great idea and so glad Barb and Craig did this for us.

My man is not having any luck with time pieces this voyage, in fact I swear he is jinxed.  First in Florida he noticed his Tissot watch seemed to be dead, when I commented that it could be the battery he said “yeah maybe the battery icon has been flashing for awhile”.  Then his everyday watch seemed to stop periodically and he says “hmmm I think this battery is dead too”.  He does have one more watch and thankfully it is a Citzen Eco Drive watch that doesn’t require a battery.  Then one day he set the alarm on our travel alarm only for it not to go off when it should.  And then tonight all of a sudden it went off, looks like he set it for pm not am.  So we are giggling about time and considering our jobs require us to be on such a tight schedule and on board the last thing we are following is time it may be a sign.  So Bernie is going to need a watch battery and this isn’t easy to always find and when we walk past the shops and they have a table set up with watches Bernie picks out a Swatch watch for a decent price and I do too (hey sounds only fair).  For the first two days of the cruise if you spend $100 you get an extra 10% off and with our elite 10% discount I am able to rationalize to Bernie.  “May as well buy a new watch a battery is going to cost you around $12 anyhow.”

Zumba is happening and with Lisa Ball the Cruise Director leading it today (Mark will be alternating with her as there are two certified instructors on board).  Did you know that Princess is the only cruise line to be able the true Zumba.  They have the license and they have Zumba trained and certified instructors on board.  We arrive around 12:10 and the class starts in five minutes and Club Fusion is packed, I mean PACKED.  Not just the dance floor but all the areas are filled.  The tables have been pushed to the sides and the chairs crammed under the tables to make as much room as possible.  Bernie and I take position to the right on a upper level and follow along the best we could but it was very difficult to see Lisa especially her footing but we just moved the best we could.  I think a lot of people did not know what to expect cause many had dropped out after a song or two and then there were a few that came in part way while passing by.  I did have a giggle when I saw a woman show up in her bathing suit and flip flops and try to make the steps, but hey at least she was trying. 

We needed to shower and Ronnie had finished our room so we were able to get in and clean up from a great work out. 

I am hungry now and Horizon Court is offering an Orient Buffet so I grab some sushi and then walk back to Horizon Court to grab some salad.  The salad bar is lacking compared to other ships we have been on.  I see only one station with salad fixings where normally there are two.  Missing was sprouts, nuts, cheeses, beets, beans etc etc.  But I still managed to get a big plate full of salad to go along with my sushi. 

Lots is happening around the ship today.  There are port lectures, shopping talks, gem stone seminars, health seminars, photography class, and pool games and of course trivia.  But we are laying low and relaxing by enjoying our balcony.  We have a starboard cabin so we have afternoon sun.  Although this is lovely it can be very hot so I made sure to lather on the sunscreen.  Also it is key to keep the drapes closed during the afternoon as the direct sun will warm up the room no matter how low the air conditioner is set to.  Also make sure to keep the balcony door closed too.

At 3 pm our Cruise Critic group had their meet and greet.  We had been chatting on line for a long time and we were looking forward to putting a face to a name.  This group is huge, the entire Skywalkers is full.  Princess provided a mic and bar staff to take orders.  Lisa the Cruise Director came as well as Antonio the Customer Services Director and the groups coordinator Nina.  Even though we have been involved in many roll calls this group was very different and the meet and greet was so large it was really hard to mix and mingle.  I tried to meet some of the people and thankfully many people came up and introduced themselves to me.  It is always hard cause I try to remember people but I am so bad with names and I don’t do well in large groups and much prefer to sit and chat in smaller groups and get to know people.  So I am looking forward to meeting many of the people throughout the cruise.  

Tonight is formal night and the Gold/Ruby Captain Circle Party is happening at 4:30 tonight.  I am sitting down in the international café chatting with Beatrice when a couple from Britain joins me at the table and we have a wonderful time getting to know each other.  The woman is in a wheel chair and she commented that yesterday at embarkation there was no one there to assist any of the physically disabled.  Her husband had to help her the entire way where normally the staff are there to assist.  I did witness this and I am glad to get first had knowledge that this happened.  It is sad and I hope Princess does look into what went wrong with this.

Time to head up and get ready for formal night and of course the Captains Welcome Aboard Champagne Waterfall.

So when we head down to the Atrium around 7 pm the place is packed.  Now normally we try to stay away from this even cause of the crowds but we wanted to see Claudio the Hotel General Manager and when I started to walk towards him I know he was recognizing me and then it came back to him Vancouver, bus drivers and of course the Olympic mitts and shirt we gave him.  He told us he still has that shirt and was just looking at it the other day and he used the mitts this past season skiing.  We are excited to hear he married his girlfriend (last time we say him he was talking about possibly proposing) and he now has two children!  We are so excited for him and so happy he is on board and look forward to seeing him for the next 48 days!  Oh and we surprised him with a new pair of Canadian mitts from this year’s Olympics.

We also ran into Laura from the Purser’s staff and we remember her from the Caribbean.  It is always a joy to see familiar faces again and she informs us that Michael Glass the Food and Beverage Manager will be joining the Crown soon too and can’t wait to see him too.  Like Bernie and I always saw, we don’t have children and our families are so far away but when we come on board a Princess ship it is like being with family again and when the crew are as happy to see us as we are of them we are glad we could put a little bit of happiness in their day too.

As Bernie and I stand around watching the activities a lovely couple from Florida approaches and the husband says “are you Vickie” and he introduces himself and his wife Ricardo and Betty and he translates for his wife as she only speaks Spanish but understands English very well.  She wants to thank me for my web page and my Youtube channel and all the informative videos she has watched.  She even watched our video about the kids from Huatulco.  We are touched and moved by their lovely comments.  When they leave I turn to Bernie and say “now that is the reason I do the web page, the facebook page and the videos cause if it can make somebodies cruise a bit better then I am happy”.  So thank you to all that follow along.

The officers are all introduced at Captain Foster comes out to say a few words.  We sailed with Captain Foster a few years ago on the Golden to Alaska.  Captain Foster comes from Liverpool and well lets say this “don’t bring up Manchester United around him”.  He informs us that he just got on board after Captain Yeomans retired after 45 years.  He goes on to explain that Captain Yeomans provided Captain Foster with some advice on navigation for the South American voyage.  Captain Foster then folds out a napkin with a roughly drawn map of South America on it and what looks like some lines around it.  Captain Foster states that the advice given was to help navigate was to always keep the land to the right.  Too funny!  And he doesn’t stop there he keeps us laughing for a good ten minutes.  I swear Captain Foster you should be one of the comedians later on in the voyage.  I am so glad to have him on board leading us around the horn, it is sure to be a fun trip.

Dinner tonight is with Barb and Craig in the Michelangelo Dining room.  We asked for a table of four around 7:45 and we were sat right away but it is busy in there and our poor waiter seemed to have gotten slammed with a bunch of tables all at once. 

We brought a bottle of champagne and wine for which we had paid the corkage when we boarded and had the stickers showing this on them so there was no issue.  I had the French onion soup to start (which was so so, much prefer the one in the Crown Grill), Caesar Salad (too much dressing, have to remember to ask for it on the side next time) and for my entrée I had the Baramundi and it was so good, the sauce it came with was yummy I wanted to lick the plate, but I refrained, it is formal night after all.  For dessert I opted for the cheesecake and passed on the cheese plate this time.  The cheesecake was great as usual.  Service was lacking but did improve once the dining room died down a bit.  It certainly is not the fault of the waiter it has more to do with getting so many tables at once and trying to juggle the crowds that all come in right after the Captain’s speech.

We don’t really feel like doing anything after dinner.  Both of us are tired and this could be because we didn’t have a nap or hey it could be because we polished off a bottle of champagne and a bottle of wine among the four of us.

Daily comments about the day that I noticed:

Staff are amazing, so friendly and helpful and boy are they patient.  Since I deal with the public day in and day out I know I would of cracked a long time ago dealing with some of the passengers on board – I just don’t have that kind of patience, but boy does Princess every go far and above when hiring the right kind of people.

Ronnie our steward is very attentive and kind.  He is one of those stewards that is in quiet and in the background and before you can turn around he has made your bed!  We needed our shower drain snaked cause it was not draining very well.  We left him a note and within a few hours it was taken care of.  The little things too are really appreciated, like the extra glasses he has left for us, the big comfy pillows and of course the top sheet.

Our bed is so comfy too, and I can comment that Princess seems to be getting better with buying mattresses that seem to hold up better.  The last few voyages have shown a great improvement in beds and bedding. 

The Sanctuary price seems to have gone up.  I noticed yesterday in the Patter it said $20 for a half day and $40 for a full day. We use to love visiting the Sanctuary and usually visit a few times a cruise but not the last few times we have been rather disappointed in the service so we are reluctant to go back.  And with the price increase we may opt out totally or save it for when it is absolutely necessary.

Being the first full sea day the open decks were busy but there was lots of places to sit or lounge especially if you didn’t want to sit right by the pool.  But I am concerned that many people are not protecting themselves with lots of sunscreen as there were numerous people at night with sun burns. 

Wake Show is a little scaled back compared to what we normally see but Lisa does a great job and gets to the point about what is going on that day and asks a question of the day, sadly the prize seems to be the casino vault coupons which really for us is a sad prize.  Hoping that it improves.

The library is well stocked and I was surprised to see that the library now works on the honour system, you just sign out the books and return them later.  But since a cruise staff often would have to sit there for a few hours in the past just waiting for someone to check something out I guess it wouldn’t be a good use of their time.

They are offering the Crab Shack in a few days time.  I am wanting to try it so we may sign up for this one or at least the next one.